A boy named John

John: A boy selected by God

 

A couple of months ago when Kamau and Miriam first went with the social workers to identify children that needed a home, they went to one family.  The grandmother or guardian pointed out a child for them to consider.  This child had clean clothes, looked like he had been eating, and looked fairly happy.  When asked, it turned out that he had a mother and a father.  But in the field next to the home was a little boy tending the goats.  He was dirty, in rags, hair unkempt, and belly extended from malnutrition.  They asked about him.  The guardian said no, he helped her with the work.  It was an obvious case of abuse.

 

Miriam and Kamau, Kimberly and Ruth began to pray for him, for John.  The other day n they went to inform the guardians of the 4 boys that we would be taking the boys next week. They also went to the school that one of the boys attends.  They spoke with the principal about the fact that they would be withdrawing that boy. 

 

In the conversation, the principal mentioned a family that needed help.  In fact, the principal often helps this family by paying school fees and other things.  When he mentioned the names, it included this little boy John. Kamau said that the guardian had refused to release the boy. 

 

By evening, Kamau received a call from the social worker.  The principal had gone to see the guardian and talked to her.  She consented to release John to be able to come to our village.

 

So we expect to have 5 boys next week.  One we pray will be little John – a 6 year old who has known hard work, neglect, and no loving arms.  He will probably be the first of many that God points to very clearly.  "I want you to take that one.  I want you to be My rescuing love to this little boy."

 

Last night we had a time of praise and prayer in our living room.  I was touched by Miriam's (head housemother) prayer.  It went something like this:  "Give me love and patience with these children.  I don't know when I will be taking care of and loving a future doctor, a prime minister, a pastor, an evangelist."

Jack of all Trades, Master of None

As I was doing a job yesterday, the phrase "jack of all trades, master of none" came to my mind.  Most of us do have to be able to do different things throughout each week.   I'm thinking of pioneer folks who had to be able to build, farm, respond to medical problems, sell goods, etc.

 

So I thought a brief description of my activities this week would explain why I was thinking that that phrase certainly could apply to me right now.

 

+  My usual jobs of wife and mother.  With the wife part now comes giving advice and working with Benedict as he administers the work of the Village.

 

+  I went to visit the wife of one of the workers who had a small baby.   The girl is 17 and can't speak English, so I took Christine with me.  We gave her a baby blanket, made by ladies in the US and took pictures.

 

+  I tutored English with Kimberly at the Okada school.

 

+  I had the second teacher workshop at Okada school.  It was so much fun to see the teacher's joy at playing some of the games I was telling them about for children.

 

+  I did some study from some resource I had brought from the US.  Then met with the housemothers and Kimberly and Kamau and shared a teaching on disciplining children.  We then worked on discipline policies for the cottages.  

 

+    Tonight I will be leading a worship team music practice.

 

+  Yesterday, using the layout designed by Aaron, and using a GPS (Global Positioning System) and noting the coordinates, I worked with Mr. Phiri and Christine to mark the positions of the next 9 cottages.   We used stakes and bright yellow plastic bags to mark the four corners of the cottages as we tramped through the property.

 

+  Hostess:  We often have an extra person at dinner.   Although I don't have to clean the house, do laundry, and rarely do dishes, I still usually make dinner for our family and whatever guests come.

 

+ Each week at senior staff meeting I take the minutes.  Then I write them up and develop the list of work to be done the following week.

 

+  In between all of this, I'm doing some creative writing projects.

 

If you like to have variety in your life and like to try all kinds of things, I guess Zambia is the place for you!

They are coming!!!

We received word yesterday from the provincial social services office that we can begin to receive children.  All the paper work has been done, forms filled out, reports made, and the time has now come! 

 

Our first 4 children will be boys.  I wanted to share with you a little about them.  

 

Adam (4 years) and Moses (7 years) are brothers.  Both their mother and father are dead and they have been staying with their grandmother who is 70 years old and unable to take care of them.  

 

Brighton is 6 years old, a double orphan (that means both mother and father are dead) and he has been staying with his 63 year old grandmother.

 

Isaac is 7 years old, a double orphan, and has been staying with his 77 year old grandmother.

 

What great names these boys have!  Please pray for them as they make the adjustment to our children's village.

Bore Holes, Oxen, and Thatched Roofs

I have been accused, in my writing, of covering topics of more interest to women than men.  I guess Zambian Kitchen parties appeal more to us ladies.  

 

But a report is due about some of the projects and activities going on in the construction of the village.  Perhaps this will be a topic of more interest to men.

 

Today we had the second bore hole (a well for irrigation) on the property dug.  They hit water at 65 meters or almost 200 feet.   It was interesting to watch the machine drilling, the men adding pipe as they went deeper and deeper.  There were about 8 or more men as part of the crew.   One of them was a cook.  As it approached lunch time he lit a fire with some wood, brought out 2 big pots and cooked the n'shema and "relish" for the men.   They gathered around, sitting on the ground and eating out of a common pot.  To be honest, after sitting and watching the loud machine digging for water for over an hour without hitting the water, I found the cooking of more interest!  

 

As I may have written earlier, we had 5 oxen appear on our land, eating the garden the workers had planted.  This happened when the team from Maryland was here at the beginning of August.  The oxen had brands and we reported it to the police.  No one knew where they had come from.   In the meantime they joined our 2 oxen and 2 from Auntie Harriet that we keep within the fenced area.  They do a good job of eating the flowers that Kimberly and Miriam plant around their houses.

 

Since having the 5 additional oxen, one gave birth to a calf that died.  And another got very sick.   We called the vet who came and gave it medicine and injections, all to no avail.  It died.  About 2 weeks ago the owners showed up.   Amazingly they lived about 20 miles away.  Somehow these oxen had traveled that far.  The owners have taken the now 4 oxen back and we presented them with a bill for the vet charges, destroyed garden, and care.   They are disagreeing with our bill so we are in negotiation with the police for an equitable solution.

 

For 2 weeks we have hired 6 women to come and "slash" or cut tall grass around the property.  This thatch will be used as roofing material on the market and the worker's house.   The process includes slashing or cutting the grass.  Then it is "cleaned" so that little pieces don't keep falling down.   Then it is tied in small bundles and finally attached to small beams on the roof. 

 

To be honest, before coming to Africa I thought that the pictures you see of villages with thatched homes must be in rural, remote parts of Africa, places that would be hard to reach.   Not so!  Many, many people live in houses made of mud and roofed with thatch.  Along the busiest roads you will see whole communities of houses with that construction.

So we will probably be covering our market with thatch before the rainy season – one of the most economical ways to do roofing!

 

There is so much building activity going on here at the Village of Hope.  Here is a list:

1. Electricity has now been run to the road frontage and the market.   This means we

have light, and we can get coolers and freezers for dairy products and frozen

foods.

2. We are almost done building a house made of block that will be a cold storage house near the market.
3. The foundation is laid for the food processing building right behind the market where we will have the Vitagoat to make soymilk, peanut butter, tomato paste, etc.    Later on we will make fried chicken, fried fish, and fried potatoes for a "Take-away."
4. We will begin building a chicken run next week to raise chickens to sell at the market.
5. We are working on a small house for the workers.  Since rental housing is in short supply around us, we anticipate having an area of the property where we build several houses for workers who can't find housing elsewhere.
6. We have started planting vegetables that we can sell at the market.   We now have irrigation that is running on that part of the field so that we can grow the vegetables in the dry season.
7. Two of our cottages at the village are being occupied, one by the Kamaus and one by Miriam, the head housemother.   The other two are almost done and just waiting on the funds to finish the interior.
8. The foundation is being dug and work begun on the Director & Volunteer House – known as the DVH.   We (the Schwartz family) anticipate moving there when it is done and also being able to house short term visitors and some longer term volunteers.  It will have a large meeting area and 4 bedrooms.

 

This list doesn't include workers making block, digging gravel, working on the road, welding security bars and house beams, land preparation for the rainy season and more.

 

It is amazing to think that in 17 months so much has happened and continues to happen.  It will be exciting to see what the next 17 months bring!

A Zambian Kitchen Party

On Saturday I had the joy and honor of attending a Kitchen Party.   In the states we would call it a wedding shower.  The bride's aunt is Miriam, our head housemother.  She had invited Kimberly and I and we were both able to bring a friend.   So we took Mary Zulu (the pastor's wife) and Rose (our other housemother).  It was quite an event.

 

The invitation read:

Mrs. Victoria Chileshe cordially invites Mrs. Kathleen Schwartz to the Bridal Shower of her second born daughter Chipo Katongo Chileshe.   ……Time: 13:00 hours

Colour scheme: Silver, Black and White (Strictly by card, no children allowed and no plastics)

 

We arrived exactly at 13:00 (1pm) hours.  There were about 20 guests there at that time.   It was held outside in a place where they must do parties.  There were a number of trees as well as umbrellas over tables.   There were lots of empty chairs and tables.  We were served sodas, although we could have requested wine or beer which was in large containers.   We had a wonderful time just sitting and visiting as guests arrived. 

 

As we waited, there were a group of women practicing their singing, drumming, and dancing.   During much of the activities, Kimberly and I relied on Mary and Rose to tell us about what was going on, the traditions, at times translating, etc.   Apparently these musicians and dancers are hired for these Kitchen Parties.

 

As women continued to arrive it became clear that this was a family that must be wealthy.   There were 20 women, including Miriam, on the committee to put the event together.  They were all dressed in dresses made from the same black and white material.   Each dress was different, but since the material was the same, they stood out so guests could recognize who they were and go to them if they needed anything.

 

Those helping serve drinks and take gifts had shirts on with lettering on the back that said "Chipo's Bridal Shower."

 

By about 3:00 (2 hours after we expected the party to start), there were probably 250 women present – I was the only masungu (white person).   It was like being at a fashion show.  There were beautiful dresses and all kinds of material used to make them.   Most of those there wore dresses that were specifically made for them.  For that kind of dress, you go to a fabric store, pick out your material, and then have a dress made by a seamstress – some male, some female.

 

I wore a dress given to me in Ghana by our friends.  Kimberly had tied some material around my head as a kind of headpiece.   Before we arrived at the party we had stopped at Manda Hill Shopping Center.   As I was waiting outside the car for Kimberly to return from going to the store she needed to to buy wrapping paper, I felt kind of conspicuous as a white person dressed like an African.   After arriving at the party I was introduced to Miriam's aunt who said, "I saw you at Manda Hill.  I wondered who that person was dressed up like an African.   And now you are at this party!"  She was pleased.  I asked Mary Zulu what people would think of me and she said that it pleases them to see people like me choosing to dress like them.   So I guess I was ok.

 

Back to the party.  At one point, Mary and Rose said that the groom's family must be Lozi (a tribe) because the women were dressed in a particular way.   Apparently no other tribe has distinguishing attire but the Lozi. 

 

A meal was served to all the guests, buffet style.  Toward the end of that they brought the bride-to-be in.  She was totally covered, under a kind of blanket.  Members of her family were surrounding her.   She was brought to a small pavilion and sat on the ground on a cushion.  She had 2 matrons/older women who were the ones to guide her through the whole thing.   The fact that she had 2 of these women indicated also that they are wealthy.

 

There was a woman who acted kind of like an MC of the event.   Once the bride came in, she kind of taunted the groom's family saying, "Is this the one you wanted?  Maybe there is something the matter with her so they have covered her up, etc."   The women from the groom's family then went outside the gate where the groom and some of his male family were waiting.  They escorted him in slowly to singing and drumming.   They slowly brought him up to the pavilion.  It was hard to see this part, but he had to give the bride's family money.   Then he removed the blanket and kissed her.  He gave her flowers.  He then sat down in a chair, surrounded by members of his family.   She slowly got up and came around in front of him doing a slow dance type step, side by side with one of the matrons.  She bowed down before him, also went all the way to the ground and then gave him a gift.   She then returned to the pavilion and the groom-to-be left surrounded by the other men.

 

Both the bride-to-be and the groom seemed very young.   I also never saw the bride smile the whole time.  I think that is common at these events.

 

All the gifts that the guests brought had been placed on the ground, in front of where the bride was sitting.   After the ceremony with the groom, helpers would unwrap the gifts, call out the name of the person who gave it.  Then the guest would come forward, kneel in front of the bride and present the gift.   They were also supposed to say what it was and how you use it in the kitchen.  As guests come forward they traditionally sing and/or do a dance.

 

The interesting thing is that the event has the purpose of educating the bride.   The gifts and presentation of them is to teach her about things in the kitchen.  The dances are to teach her how to behave in the bedroom.  So for us Westerners, the dances seemed very sensual, which is really the point of them.

 

This took a long time and since we had a long drive out of the city, we left before our gifts were announced and presented.   On the one hand that was good since we didn't have to go up.  But on the other hand I would have liked to talk directly to the bride.

 

I was so glad to get to go.  Although there was much tradition related to this event, it is really only for those with means.   The gifts that her family were giving were off to the side and included refrigerator/freezer, stove, washer/dryer combination, small tables and chairs, and lots and lots of smaller things.

 

The wedding will be next week.  As we have been learning about customs in this country it is so interesting to see how things are done differently.   One of the big joys of the day was just getting to spend time with Kimberly, Mary, and Rose.  Mary and Rose were so gracious to answer so many questions that Kimberly and I had.  

A Young Man's Summer in Zambia

In our home we keep a Visitor's Log.  It is a book where those who have spent a night here can write comments and acknowledge their presence here.   I want to share what one person wrote in our Log.  For those who have been here, this will remind you of some of the many wonderful experiences you had while you were here.   For those who have yet to come, perhaps it will make you eager to discover the joys that this creative and artistic young man experienced while being here.

 

"I have enjoyed being here,

listening to and learning from warm people,

eating shima and Kapenta,

studying the varied and important things that are happening here,

using my education for more than self indulgence,

gaining practical experience,

hearing the stories of visitors and Zambians,

getting frequent and often bone crushing hugs from Sena,

sitting outside in the morning for breakfast,

playing cards,

driving into Lusaka and the traffic jams of the city,

hearing the roar of the sea in the sugarcane,

eating good meals prepared by Kathleen, Michael, Christine and the occasional

 barbequer,

playing volleyball, football and hanging out with the younger generation of Zambians, buying a coke at Ibis before checking email,

getting dusty and dirty playing outside with Malaika and Kumani,

working with the kids at the school on their stretching exercises,

singing songs and getting much more than my money's worth from the sermons at Liteta

 church,

meeting new people from the states to show around,

taking thousands of pictures on a day trip to Lusaka,

walking to somewhere and back again, over somewhere else and away to the next

destination,

looking at the crisp, articulate night sky,

walking next to overflowing tractor trailers,

catching lizards and geckos in the house,

learning how to speak Nyanja from people,

roasting marshmallows and making smores by the fire with Fred and the family,

seeing fires snuffed out,

spending time at Mark's and hearing about his crops,

going to Araloosa to see the kids,

attempting to add some color to Kimberly and Francis' yard,

eating tomatoes, cabbage and onions,

talking to Joseph,

discussing plans,

sitting on a bag of rotten vegetables for the rabbits in the back of the Landcruiser,

getting a total body message from the washboard roads,

showering in water with the pressure of a warm teardrop,

waking up to exotic bird calls,

saying hello to strangers,

simplicity and consistency.  I hope to come back."

Birthdays, Chicken Feet, and Trips to Lusaka

 

Monday night we had the Kamau's, and Miriam and Rose (the 2 housemothers) over for dinner.  It was Kumani's 9 ^th birthday.  Had fried chicken and mashed potatoes.  Since I don't have a mixer, the "cake" was more like a brownie with chocolate frosting – good but very sweet.   We had a nice time together, including sitting around the table just visiting and sharing about ourselves.

 

The thing I have found in Zambia to be the "grossest" has to do with buying a chicken at the grocery store.  In the US they will put the liver, gizzard, and maybe neck in the cavity of the bird.  Well here, they usually put at least one foot.  You look in the cavity of the thing and there are the claws of the foot sticking out.   Yuck!  I haven't gotten use to that yet.

 

Monday was also Sena's first day of school.  She has now had her first week at an African school.   There are 20 girls in her 8^th grade class.  The daily schedule includes "tea" in the morning after the 4^th class. She is one of the very few who are not boarding.  

 

Sena is Ms. Congeniality in the area.  She loves to go visit with some of the workers who live behind our house.   She loves to go up to the Araloosa village and play with some of the children.  She loves to get a soda at the shop at the Nyirenda Village and sit and talk to people who are hanging around that area.   All those social things are much more interesting to her than school.

 

At the market, we continue to do very well.  What a great location we have.   People driving by on the Great North Road will stop and buy big bags of potatoes, or oranges, or onions.  This was pay week for many around here so we sold the last of the 125 chickens we had and had to get more.  

 

The "chicken run" will be finished today behind the market so that we can start raising our own chickens to have to sell.   It takes about 6 weeks from chick to pot!

 

Work has begun on the food processing building – the 1^st construction project going on right now.  It is like the cottages we are building for the children with some changes to the inside layout.  There will be a cold storage room, and a place to put the "Vitagoat" which makes soymilk, peanut butter and more.

 

Work has also begun on a "house" for one couple who are working for us – the second construction project.  Christine is my househelper and her husband, Whiteson, has become our head welder.  There are no places available around here to rent.  So we have decided to set aside an area of the farm to put up houses for workers as needed.   Their's is a 2 room structure made out of the block that we are making on the property.

 

Next week the 3^rd construction project will begin – the Director and Visitor house.  When Aaron was here, he and I worked on a floor plan for the house using 2 cottages end to end.   It will have a large living/dining/kitchen area with room for large gatherings.  It will also have 5 bedrooms so that visitors and volunteers will have a place to stay in the children's village.   We have determined the location of this house and will begin to build the foundation and begin pouring footers next week.

 

My first job here has been to help with some of the organization.  I keep the minutes of the senior staff meetings, lay out work assignments for the week taking into consideration how many workers are needed for each job.   I try to maintain an overall picture of what is being done and what needs doing.  So we are making progress in this area and it should help us become more efficient and productive.

 

Thursday Benedict and I went to Lusaka for a meeting with the 2 folks overseeing the "Rapids" program.  Bruce, the director, hosted Laura Bush on her recent trip to Zambia and was telling us a little about that visit and the first lady's reaction.  We were then updating them on the progress we are making here.

 

The rest of the day in Lusaka we went places that I wanted to go!   In Lusaka you find areas selling or doing the same thing.    If you want to go to a hardware store, there will be many on the same block.  If you want car repair, there will be several garages next to each other.   We went to a shopping area where they sold cloth, and some housewares.  As I think about planning for the house being built at our farm, I was looking for curtain and upholstery material for the future.   There will be so much to choose from when the time comes and there are wonderful prints with African themes. 

 

I had lunch at Subway – the only "fast food" chain here in Lusaka.  Made me a little lonesome for the US.  

 

Weather is warming up here with October being the hottest month of the year.  This is also a windy time of year, and the wind whips up the dust on the roads and fields.   This is also the time of year where there are a lot of fires.  But it is amazing to me that only a short time after a field has burned, you will see green grass growing.   You wonder how that can be since they last rain was back in March.  The cycles God has planned and how He created nature to rebuild and replenish itself is very amazing.

 

Subway in Zambia

We usually think that there are McDonald's and Burger Kings in any city in the world.  Well, in Lusaka the only fast food chain from the US that is present is Subway, and there are several.  It has the same wallpaper, signs, etc. that you find in the US.  The servers use the same plastic gloves, they can toast sandwiches and you can get chips and soda to make it a meal.  So today I had the terriaky chicken, without the terriaky sause - they were out.  Only one kind of bread.  But the place is very busy and you feel like you are closer to home.  I guess people like to eat healthy here as well as in the US! 

School in Africa

Monday was Sena's first day at school in Africa.  She attends a boarding school as a day student, one of only 3 day students.  Her first day was a bit long: 7:30 am- 5 pm.  They have activities all through the afternoon, to occupy all the girls who live there.  We now have an agreement with the school that we can pick her up at 3.  Makes for a happier student.

 

In Africa, if you want to go to a good school, you just about have to go to a boarding school.  It is not unusually to send 9-10 year olds to boarding school. 

 

Sena's daily schedule is something like this:  Assembly followed by 4 classes.  There is then a break for "tea".  Classes resume until 1:00 when lunch is served.  There is study hall, tutoring, and work time, followed by "tea."  Then they have a variety of activities; cooking, sports, service work in the community.

 

With the shortened day, Sena seems quite happy, although she would prefer to have boys as well as girls at her school!