Quite a Ladies Day

 

Yesterday was quite a day.  The Chimwemwe Ladies hosted over 50 ladies from Chicumbuso in Lusaka.  Our ladies began arriving around 9am and began to cook and prepare the meal.  We had about 11 chickens, 15 cabbages, 5 kgs of tomatoes, and half a very large bag of onions.  They used over a 25kg bag of mealie meal to make shema.  We had grills going and a wood fire as well.  The ladies from Lusaka arrived in 3 vehicles, singing as they came.  The came walking and singing off of the bus, embracing all of our ladies.
 
We met in the building that will be the restaurant.  With both groups of women and the women from the US team there were probably 80 of us.  There was much singing and dancing, and eating together.  Linda Wilkinson who started the Chicumbuso group gave a Bible lesson.  For our medical discussion, one of her ladies shared to encourage our women to be tested for cervical cancer and for HIV/AIDS.  She is a beautiful young woman who herself tested posted for the cancer, and is also on the ARVs for HIV.  She is on a campaign to see that every woman is tested and knows her status.  She will probably be coming back to address some of the women's fears about being tested and knowing if they are positive or not.  It was a wonderful day and I think everyone had a great time. 

It's raining, It's (almost) pouring...

 

It seems that the rainy season has arrived early this year.  On Oct 10 it poured when we were in Lusaka.  Yesterday we had our first rain here and it is thundering and raining as I type.  Usually folks say that the rains begin Nov 15.  Last year the rains came late and stopped earlier than usual.  So we don't know quite what to expect.  It is a lovely smell when it is raining.  The ground is so hard that it doesn't really penetrate for a while, but I'm sure it is helpful in digging and preparing for planting the maize.  One very amazing thing is that trees begin to really turn green in anticipation of the rains.  So for the last month, there are more leaves on the trees and new shoots.  How is that possible for trees and bushes that have not had any moisture since last February?

Joy, Bikes, Smoke, and more

 

I've been told that the title of a blog is important to encourage folks to read it.  So my title must have caught your interest.  There is great joy in the Village as we have so many visitors who are now able to stay right in the Village. Currently we have 9 folks staying in our house, and 9 folks in the house behind us that was barely finished before some arrived on Tuesday night.   They are doing plumbing, landscaping, playing with the children, learning to cook shema, sewing, doing puppet shows, etc.  It is a busy and joyful time. 

 

We had one bike for the children and it was in constant use.  One of our visitors bought 3 more and the children love riding the bikes around.  One of the bikes has training wheels for the little children, so they are learning as well.

 

Last night we had a campfire and we thought about Brendan and Jordan who built it for us.  We sang, said things we were thankful for, had a couple of stories, and ate graham crackers and marshmellows. 

 

Then this morning as we were preparing for church, the field outside our fence caught on fire.  The visitors got to see a real roaring blaze as the wind was very strong.  We had a bucket brigade of sorts to keep the fire from burning our thatch fence and getting close to our house.  We were able to save the fence.  And we made it to church where part of the team did the Sunday School for the Liteta church for the children.

 

This afternoon is a rest time at Ibis Gardens and we will eat dinner here tonight.  Busy but blessed time.

Shouts of Delight

 

I'm sitting by the pool at Ibis Gardens Conference Center.  In the pool are 21 excited, happy children.  This is the second day for "swimming lessons" with the team that is here from MD.  The children have been so excited about getting to swim.  And of course the adults are thrilled to be able to spend time with the children.  It is a wonderful experience to see the joy and the way that children and adults from 2 parts of the world can be together, blessing each other.

What do your eyes see?

No rain since mid February and my eyes see black where there have been fires, brown grass everywhere, dusty road, and dust on everything.  But yesterday as I walked with our children for a service project of picking up trash on our property, I was struck by what caught the children's eyes.  Blue wildflowers growing in bunches.  A red flower that grows on a stalk, almost like an iris.  A beautiful yellow flower, kind of like a petunia, with a beautiful deep red center.  A beautiful red cluster flower growing in trees.  Gift threw a stone and knocked down one flower for me.  My hat was filled with flowers they had picked for me and that we stuck in the hat.

How amazing that the even under these dry conditions, there is so much beauty and signs of God's creativity, if we have eyes to see!