Sending off a teacher

Sending off a teacher

Erna Bosman, our much loved teacher from South Africa, is moving on
Tuesday to Livingstone. She has become a great friend to me and has
touched all of us with her love, teaching experience, and enthusiasm
for the Bible and truth. She has been teaching the last 3 weeks as
though she weren't going, while at the same time preparing Bruce
Malowa who will be taking her class.

We wanted to do something to recognize her. At the same time I knew
that she and I both didn't want it to result in everyone crying! It
is very tricky since there are so many people in and out of the lives
of these children. So on Friday after lunch the mothers and aunties
came to the school. We presented her with a "book" that we all had
made. There were pictures and notes from teachers and children. We
also made 3 little wall hangings that said "We love you." These were
decorated with fingerprints of everyone.

To celebrate, we had gotten watermelon from Bruce's garden. He is
quite a gardener and grows things to sell for extra money. Everyone
enjoyed the treat. And it was a joyful time with no tears!

Pray for Zimbabwe

Pray for Zimbabwe

Last Sunday our friend Mark Wenham shared about the situation in
Zimbabwe and the fact that today (Sunday September 26, 2010) is a
national day of prayer for the country. Over the last few years the
country has almost been completely destroyed by the government
policies and corruption under Mugabe. The church hasn't really done
much to be constructive under the circumstances. For the first time
ever, all the denominations are coming together at various places
throughout the country to repent for their failures and to pray for
the future.

One of the goals is to have every farmer in the country trained within
5 years in the principles of Foundations of Farming (it used to be
called "Farming God's Way"). If everyone who grows maize were to
implement these methods, the country would not only have enough to
feed itself, but would also have enough to export. It only takes
land, seeds, and a hoe. The church is taking this on as a goal to
help the country.

So please join all the people in Zimbabwe who have suffered so much
and who are praying for a mighty move of God through the church to
help alleviate the suffering.

A Most Wonderful Visitor

A Most Wonderful Visitor

Yesterday (Friday) Teacher Bosman brought a friend of hers to school
to visit. Leandra is a very beautiful, gracious woman who is blind.
I'm sure that the children will always remember this visit. She
explained why she is blind. She was born with congenital glaucoma and
was blind by the age of 7.

She read something to them from a Braille book. She had brought her
Braille machine and wrote a message to us in Braille.

She brought a harness from a seeing eye dog. Over the years she had
had 3 dogs. She explained how it works and what the dog does to help
her walk. She even showed how she holds on to the elbow of another
person and is able to follow what they do – going up and down,
stopping, turning, etc. She put on her makeup in front of everyone.

When Leandra was 21 the pain of the disease in her eye was so great
that they had to remove her eyeballs. She now has 2 plastic eyes that
respond to the eye muscles so that her eyes actually move and look
pretty real. You might not know that she is blind from how she looks.
She took out one eye for the children to see!! (And it isn't just a
round ball but contoured in the back to fit her eye muscle.)

In the afternoon, she spent time with the older class girls teaching
them some new crochet patterns to make. By feeling she could tell
where they had skipped or dropped stitches. She had brought some of
the beautiful things she has crocheted and knit for all of us to see.

To finish things up, Erna had asked Leandra to cut her/Erna's hair.
Leandra cuts her husband's, and since Erna's hair is short, Erna
thought Leandra could do hers.

One interesting observation, when she showed them her talking phone,
there was very little interest. Since technology isn't a big thing
around here in Zambia, they didn't have any comments. If it had been
in the states, I think kids would have had all kinds of questions
about the phone and would have found that the most interesting.

Leandra was moved by the children's singing and recorded some of it on
her phone so that she "would always have it." I'm sure that we will
invite her to come back again, and I believe that she will be happy to
come. I will also invite her to come to Chimwemwe Ladies Club.

How is it Possible?

How is it Possible?

How is it possible that an area that has been burned and looks all
black and charred has green grass coming up within a very few days?
And there has been no rain since March.

How is it possible that a plant can produce beautiful flowers
resembling morning glories and petunias, and there has not been any
rain since March?

How is it possible that children who never had heard or spoken English
6 months ago are now able to speak, sing, and lead in prayer in
English?

How is it possible that hearts of folks from a vastly different
culture, can come and have their hearts knit together with the mothers
and children here?

How is it possible that when it seems there is not sufficient money to
meet the needs of next week, someone is prompted to send money to us
and we are able to continue on?

"With God, all things are possible!"

The Start of a New School Term

The Start of a New School Term

The 3rd term of 2010 has begun. There are always new challenges.
This term we have a wonderful, new teacher – Rachel Chanda. She is so
happy to be here. We are also switching teachers around a bit with
Erna Bosman leaving in a couple of weeks for Livingstone. Bruce
Malowa will be taking her class, and Rachel will be taking his. Also
Caroline Yambayamba was sick for over a week, so I have been teaching
her class the last 3 days. She was present today, but I had made all
the plans and continued teaching.

We now have the 3 preschoolers coming for the morning. Zandile is
teaching them. On the first day of this week, they said, "Why do we
have to go home in the afternoon? We want to stay all day." When
asked, "Why?" They replied, "We want to learn."

With all these changes, I anticipate needing to work with Zandile as
she makes plans for the preschoolers, to work with Rachel as I orient
her to the way we want to do things at our school, and with Bruce as
he begins the process of preparing some of the students for the Grade
7 exams next year and takes over Erna's class.

A Thank you Message

A Thank You Message

Our study for this term at school is "What is a message?" (Last term
it was "What makes a good soccer player?") You might try thinking of
the answer to that yourself. What is a message? Already we have had
some good conversations with the teachers, with the children, and even
with the mothers and aunties.

Today the younger class delivered messages. They had decorated notes
that said, "Thank you for helping our Village." The children prepared
little baggies of peanuts and raisins. Then we walked to the road
front. We delivered one each to 3 of the male workers. Mr. Phiri
received one. Since we had seen part of the uniforms that the sewing
ladies are making, we gave all 20+ of them and the supervisor, Mr.
Mumba, a thank you message. Also five workers in the Boutique and
Restaurant received the treat.

The children were very excited to be able to do this. It was a "hands
on" message spoken through words – spoken and written, and a gift.

Term 3 - 2010

Term 3 – 2010

Today (Monday September 6) while people in the US were not laboring
for Labor Day, I was laboring here. But it was joyful labor. The
teachers reported for the start of Term 3 of this school year – the
final term of 2010 - today. We had a wonderful time sharing about our
few holiday weeks. Then we began to plan and learn more about how we
are organizing and planning for our school. We have a new teacher,
Rachel Chanda. (She is no relation to Mr. Chanda in charge of
security and human resources.) Her husband works at a local private
school. Erna Bosman will be leaving us in about 3 weeks and we will
all be sad to see her go. She will be moving to Livingstone with her
husband who is a pastor and who is going to serving from there. She
is also very sad to be leaving.

The staff will continue to work together for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Then on Thursday and Friday the children will come until noon and we
will continue our planning in the afternoon of those days.

I'm not sure we could hold off the children any longer. They are very
eager to get back to school!

Popular vs. Unpopular Work

Popular vs. Unpopular Work

Nelson was helping me do some work the other day. He said, "I don't
understand it. I don't like doing work around the house. But I like
doing work outside my house." He was referring to all the times he
had been helping me and volunteering to do so.

He continued, "When I work outside our house, it makes me feel good."
What a wonderful observation. We had a little talk about how there
are jobs around the house that no one wants to do, but they have to be
done. I said, "All your life there are things you have to do that you
don't really like to do, and then there are other things that you
really like to do."

Nelson was expressing a popular feeling of our children here. They
almost argue over getting to help me do things. They will quickly
volunteer to go to the school during holiday months and do all kinds
of things. There were several who worked very hard helping me set up
the new bookstore next to the Take-away. And all this was done
voluntarily and joyfully. I know that many of you in the US wish your
kids or grandkids had the same attitude!

Black? Skin and White? Skin

Black? Skin and White? Skin

The other day Prudence was helping me with moving books into the new
Bookstore. All of a sudden she asked, "Why do people call us black?
We aren't black we are brown." I agreed with her that she is brown
and I wasn't quite sure why they were called black.

As I continued working and thought about it, I had another idea. I
went over to her, and she was wearing a white top. I put my arm up to
her top. She started to smile real big. I asked her, "Why do people
call us white? We are pink." She laughed in her wonderful laugh and
said, "opposites!" She was meaning that both colors aren't exactly
right.

Newsletter

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