A wonderful day- Wednesday Oct 28

 

Today was a wonderful day for me.  And as usual in Africa, there is always something that would never happen in the states. 

 

This week I am teaching the 5 oldest children from the 9 new children that arrived over the weekend. 

Shaibu - 10 yo

Tereshina – 8 yo Sister to Shaibu

Mary – 8 yo

Agnes – 8 yo

Kahilu – 5 yo but has been to first grade

Two of them speak Bemba, two speak Lenge, and one speaks Nyanga.  They all understand Bemba.  But not all of our children are able to speak Bemba.  And of course I can't speak any of those languages and they don't speak or understand English.  How is that for an interesting teaching situation?  But we are managing and I think it is forcing them to have to learn English a little faster. 

 

When there is a need for help, I call over one of the other children to interpret for me. How fun is that to have other children being assistants?  What is really funny is when one of them (especially Tereshina does this) looks at me and just talks in their language as though I can totally understand what they just said.

 

It is amazing the difference even in a day from how they were yesterday to today.  The cutest thing is seeing Sharon Shaibila (if she doesn't become a teacher I will be surprised) helping them, especially with writing their names today.  She just acts like a teacher.

 

It is unbelievable to see the eagerness and concentration that the children demonstrate in doing things.  Today was the first time they had ever used scissors.  They were all studies in concentration as they cut circles and triangles.  When it was time for our lunch/play break, Shaibu said he didn't want to leave.  He wanted to continue to do work.  They want to draw and write and color and do papers and work on things.  Some of the things I have done were kind of a bust, but others were good. 

 

They are sweet and beautiful children.  Kamau shared with me today that we now have a waiting list of 34 more children. One child they saw recently is being taken care of by a 91 yo grandmother. So the need is really desperate over here.  Working with these 5 is good training for how we need to work with other children as they come to school for the first time.

 

The very African experience today had to do with a rat.  During the play break, Prudence came running in to the school to get me.  The children had found a dead rat with a tiny baby still sucking on it.  There it lay on the ground.  The baby was moving a little.  I'm not very fond of small creatures like that so I had no desire to do anything with either.  One of our workers suggested that we just drop it down into the long-drop toilet.  The children did that.  Later one of the children said that we "killed the relish."  They eat mice and rats so that would be "relish" for their meals.  We laugh at so many things that the kids say.

 

Yesterday John was helping in getting some grasses for a play hut we are making outside the school.  He said to Teacher Bosman that "he was going the extra mile!"  He was working very hard and harder than most of the others.

 

October is said to be the hottest month and I think it has been in the upper 80s and sometimes 90s.  I have my own private air conditioning system.  I take a washcloth, get it wet and a little dripping.  Then I put it around my neck, getting my shirt wet as well as my neck.  It helps quite a lot.

The last joy of the day had to do with the Chimwemwe Ladies.  Over a year ago I had raised the question of whether they would be willing to be tested for HIV.  My question met with strong opposition.  However, in light of Kamau's comments about the mothers he sees dying, who want us to take care of their children, I thought I would try again.  There is also the threat of cervical cancer which is very high here because of HIV.  One mother with 4 children that will be coming, seemed fairly healthy just a few months ago.  Kamau and Miriam went to visit her yesterday and saw her weak and frail.  She now has cancer as well.  So I used Proverbs 14:1 as I talked to the Chimwemwe Ladies about what we as women need to do to be building our houses. 

 

I will get in touch with a US doctor in Lusaka whose specialty is cervical cancer.  We will see if he can set up a program to test women out here.  But in addition, about a dozen women said this time that they wanted to be tested for HIV.  So we will set a date and I will drive them up to the Liteta hospital to be tested.  For them to be willing to be tested is a tremendous victory.

 

So this is one of those days where I feel like God is using me here in Zambia.  And that is a tremendous feeling.