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We Are Not in Kansas Anymore!

 

A few days ago Benedict was thinking about where all of the adult missionaries serving in our Village of Hope lived when they were kids, like the kids here.  Kamau lived in Kenya,  Anita lived in Micronesia, Kimberly (as an army kid) spent years in Germany and other places, Dick lived in Zambia, Benedict was in PA – an east coast kid, and I was raised in Kansas. 

 

How amazing it is that, literally, from the 4 corners of the earth a team has been brought together to love and care for the children here.  And who knows where these kids, raised in Zambia, will live when they are adults.  Maybe they will go out to the 4 corners of the earth.

 

Shutterfly

 

Sue Wright, who is visiting from MN, put together a Shutterfly book to bring to our children here.  I first saw Shutterfly when our daughter Jessica used this internet technology to put together the pictures from her wedding.  Sue used pictures that had been taken of various activities of the children in their church.  She put them together and wrote a story, or descriptive narrative to go with the pictures. 

 

Sue and Dave have gone around to all the houses and shared this book.  Our children here love it.  They have questions like:  What are their names?  How old are they? 

 

Sue's plan is to use the pictures she is taking here to make another book to have at her church.  She will send a copy to us so the children will have a book with pictures of themselves. 

 

This is a great idea and perhaps others who are planning trips to Zambia would want to put together a Shutterfly book of their church or family or community to share with us.

Thank you, Sue, for starting our Shutterfly library!

 

2011 Volunteers

 

We are beginning the process of setting dates and collecting information from individuals, churches, and groups who are planning to visit and volunteer at the Village of Hope.  A letter will be going out soon.  If you are interested, please let us know at villagesofhope@gmail.com.  When the e-mailing is sent out, you will be sure and get a copy that will include our updated Volunteer Manual.

 

Mr. Rogers Visits Our Neighborhood

 

Before I returned to the US in November, we had had some problems with several children who don't know how to handle their anger.  The song had come into my mind, "What do you do with the mad that you feel?"  This is a song that Mr. Rogers wrote and sang on his PBS program watched by my children when they were young.  I went out to Amazon and ordered a songbook and a 2 episode DVD of the program in which he deals with anger.

 

Last week, thanks to electricity in the school, and Kimberly's tech assistance, we watched the programs.  For the first time children saw someone swimming using proper strokes, fish in a fish tank, a kid doing a "poppa wheelie" in a wheelchair, a slide whistle, a mechanical train that goes on a track, and probably other things that I'm not even aware of.

 

I didn't know when I ordered it that in the second episode Mr. Rogers visits the performing group "Stomp."  They used hands and feet, buckets, brooms, pipes and drums to make musical beats and songs.  I expect to see our kids trying some of those things.

 

The message that came across to both the children and the teachers was that each person has things they can do when they feel angry so they don't hurt themselves or other people.  Whether it's a sport, art, talking about it, and most of all praying, we can have things we do when we are angry.

 

As I watched the programs, I was struck again by the genius that Mr. Rogers was in his creative love for children, his music, and his loving way.  If he was still alive I would have wanted to write him and say that he has touched children in Africa and we are grateful.