Christmas Chips

Many children enjoy making Christmas cookies. This year, we made Christmas tortilla chips! Instead of just triangles, the kids used cookie cutters to make fun shapes like stars, Christmas trees, bears, and bells. The best part is that you can eat more chips than you can (or should) cookies!

Merry Christmas from Africa

I'm not a poet, but here is a Christmas greeting from Zambia--

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care.

The mount on the wall is cozy in Santa's cap.

The tree is trimmed and the lights are lit.

The manger awaits THE GIFT on Christmas morn. (Becky had the privilege of placing Baby Jesus in the stable on Christmas Day.)

Becky's Birthday Party

Becky was able to share her party this year with a friend who turned 5 on Dec 7. Besides other missionary girls, Becky also invited three of her Zambian friends from church. The party was lots of fun and the time went by quickly (for that, Mom was thankful). There is nothing worse than a party that just drags on and on.

Even though we are in Zambia where there is no snow, the girls played "Pin the Clothes on the Snowman." Becky ended up blindfolding the snowman with his scarf.

Becky had asked for Strawberry Shortcake and a Christmas tree on the cake. The other birthday girl's mom managed to accomplish that. It was cute.

A fun tradition here is that the birthday person is fed their first bite of cake. Since there were two birthday girls, they fed each other cake.

Nsobe Trip 2

On Wednesday, Dec 10, our whole family was able to go on a field trip to Nsobe with Faith Baptist Church School. The principal is a single missionary lady, but all the teachers are Zambians. We were able to help transport some of the school children in our van. It sprinkled almost the entire drive there, but once we arrived the sun came out and we were all very thankful for the beautiful day.

Caleb, Becky and Joshua were able to go fishing for the first time. They loved it! Caleb caught a small fish, but it came off the hook before he was able to bring it in. We did not get a picture of "the one that got away."

Joshua and Becky both brought in a fish. Of course we had to bring the fish home even though they were very small. We enjoyed a taste of fish soup the next day. Two small fish don't make much soup. It is amazing that Jesus could feed thousands of people with two small fish and five loaves of bread.

We also went on a game drive. We saw five giraffes and some waterbuck.

Then the real fun began. In order to allow all 72 children to have a turn on the game drive, we rode in the Faith Children's Village orphanage truck which is bigger than Nsobe's game drive truck. We took along a camp guide so we wouldn't get lost. However, we did get stuck on the muddy trail! Our "game drive" turned into a "walking safari" since we had to walk back to the lodging area. With two dozen 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders, we didn't see any animals on our walk, but we did find some mushrooms (edible) which the children gleefully picked to take home. After the truck was finally pulled out, it was too late for the older children to go for a drive. They all went on a short walk and were able to see the giraffes, waterbuck and a mommy and baby monkey.

We were all tired at the end of the day, but had a wonderful time.

Nsobe Trip 1

The first weekend of December, Sophie was able to go on a ladies' retreat with some of the other ladies from Faith Baptist Church in Riverside. We went to Nsobe Camp which is about 1 1/2 hours from Kitwe.

We arrived Friday afternoon and it started raining as soon as we moved our bags into the chalets. We gathered in one of the chalets and enjoyed an ice-breaker activity and just talking until supper. The meals at Nsobe are wonderful! However, many of us were wanting to order the venison stew and enjoy some game meat. That wasn't available Friday night. :( Most of us had fish instead. It was tasty. After supper, we returned to the chalet in the rain and were blessed and challenged from God's Word by Mrs. Sakala, a pastor's wife from another area. She spoke to us on contentment from Philippians 4:11-13. For some reason I had never realized that the famous verse 13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me" comes right after Paul telling about how he had learned to be content in every circumstance. We can be content, because we can do all things through God's strength. Partway through her challenge, the electricity went out. None of us dared to complain - we had to be content! I was laughing inside about God's practical application of what we were learning. Thankfully, all of us are accustomed to living by candlelight.

On Saturday, we awoke to a beautiful day and another wonderful meal. After breakfast, we packed our things into the van and then sat down by the lake for some games, chatting and another challenge from God's Word.

Then, some of the ladies ventured out onto the lake canoeing. The atmosphere is so peaceful and calm. It was wonderful just to relax and contemplate God's goodness and sovereignty.

A couple of the ladies went fishing. This picture was taken at the beginning. By the end, the shoes were off and the ladies were ankle deep in the water. Quite a few little fish were caught and released, but one of the ladies did bring in a 9-inch (or so) bream.

About noon, we were able to go on a game drive. The camp consists of over 1000 acres and they have a variety of wildlife living on the property. We saw over half a dozen different species of deer/antelope. The highlight of the trip was seeing the zebra. They are very elusive and are not often seen. Our guide drove off the trail to follow the zebra for a ways. God's creation surely is amazing! Some of the ladies told me that it was the first time they'd seen some of the larger deer and zebra. My first time to see them outside of a zoo!

We were about 3/4 done with the game drive when it started pouring. We were riding in the back of an open truck. We all got drenched! Needless to say, we did not see any more animals once it started raining. We could hardly keep our eyes open for the cold rain pelting us as we drove back to the lodging area. Thankfully, we had all our bags with dry clothes in the van, so we were able to get out of our wet things before coming home. The weekend was full of memories of sweet fellowship and challenges from God's Word.

Thanksgiving Take 2

Wow! Pictures finally uploaded! I have been trying since Thanksgiving.

After our wonderful meal with fellow missionaries, the kids went outside to play.

Joshua and Caleb played football (aka soccer) with some neighborhood kids that had gathered in the field outside the gate. (That picture still refuses to upload, so I am going to put this up without it.)

Becky found some girls to play with. They were gathering grasses and then building a nest in a tree. It kept them busy and out of harm's way from the ball game.

Zambia Home #2

When we first arrived in Zambia, we had the privilege of staying in a missionary's home while their family was on furlough. We were there for 10 months. That family returned to Zambia in May. In April, another missionary family left for furlough and they asked us if we would like to stay in their home while they were gone. This helped them since they wouldn't have to pack up their whole house and the property is more secure when someone is living there. It helped us since we didn't have to locate a rental home yet and their rent was lower than what was available in open rental houses. We have enjoyed both our house-sitting experiences, but the second family is due to return the end of January. However, a missionary couple from another organization has retired and they moved back to the States at the beginning of December. We have made verbal agreement with their mission about renting that home. We figured we'd better put pictures of our current home on the blog before we move out. God has blessed us with more than we've needed as far as a roof over our head.

A view of the front yard. The poles are holding up banana trees that have fruit on them. It takes months for the bananas to be ready to cut.

A view of the back yard. Those familiar with the house will appreciate the vantage point. ;)

Little Helper

Becky likes to play house with Auntie Yvonne (our house worker), especially if it means she can help with the work. The Hafler's home has parkay floors throughout most of the rooms. Although it makes for a lovely floor, it takes a lot of work to keep it looking lovely. Becky was getting a bit carried away helping polish the living room floor and entertaining her trainer too.

Ba Yvonne is very patient with the kids and loves interacting with them. We will miss her greatly when we move from this home next month.

Thanksgiving in Zambia 2008

We had a wonderful time of thanksgiving with our fellow missionaries on Friday. The large gathering took place at the Washer home again this year. There was plenty of room, plenty of food and plenty of thankful hearts.
I have more picts, but they just won't upload to this entry. I'll try on a separate one.

Auntie in Residence

Since the middle of October, we have had the privilege of having Auntie Rachel live with us. Previously, she lived in the Beamans guest house, but she was left homeless after their abrupt eviction. Actually, many of us missionaries were fighting over who got her. We won! We enjoy having Rachel around, but the kids absolutely love her. Rachel is in Zambia short-term, serving as secretary at Central Africa Baptist College.

Leadership Conference

Last week Central Africa Baptist College hosted their fifth annual Leadership Conference. It consists of an expository preaching block class (this year based on Revelation) for pastors and a variety of workshops for laypeople in the local church. Over 70 pastors and over 100 laypeople were in attendance this year. Speakers included Dr. Sam Horn, Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Jones, Dr. Joe Helm, Mr. Jerry Frye, Zambian pastors, CABC faculty and other missionaries. John and I had prepared a two-hour workshop on teaching children about God which we were to teach four times during the week. We did this on Monday, but then John fell sick and was not able to attend the rest of the conference. Thus, I managed to teach the other three days by myself.

Mrs. Erin Jones taught the ladies three times and we were encouraged and challenged by what she shared from God's Word. Monday before the conference started, our GFA team enjoyed a wonderful lunch and time of fellowship with the Joneses. Our girls had fun listening to Auntie Erin read books.

On Wednesday evening of the conference, the CABC students performed a drama directed by Joy Washer. They did an excellent job and we were challenged by the lives of great men and women of faith who have gone on before us.

On Thursday evening the building for CABC was dedicated. The service was very special. Even the mayor of Kitwe graced us with his presence and addressed the crowd.

During the week, we had the honor of having the Joneses in our home. Even though John was sick and not able to attend most of the conference, he still had a few moments when he was able to visit with our guests while they were with us. We are grateful for their sacrifice in time and resources to come and minister alongside us and to us.

Girls Night

One of the missionary families that worked alongside the college moved to South Africa on Monday. We enjoyed ministering with them and fellowshipping together. Our kids had many fun times playing together. Their 4 year old daughter and Becky are great friends. Before they moved, the girls had a sleepover at our house. They had fun playing together and then talked and played in the dark for quite a while before Mommy made them be quiet and go to sleep. We will miss the family, but are excited about how God will use them for His glory in South.

A little boys' dreamland

Zambia is full of small and not-so-small creepy crawlies that make it a critter paradise, especially in the rainy season. This little frog was resting on one of the poinsetta bushes in the back yard.

At the college, there are thousands of tiny frogs about the size of a pencil eraser. The kids had fun playing with them.

This large snail was slowly making its way somewhere in front yard.

This large spider was on the outside of the house by the kitchen windows. We are thankful for screens on the windows!

Are you hot?

When Auntie Joy comes to visit, Becky often asks her, "Are you hot?" If the answer if positive, then Becky wants to put Auntie Joy's hair up to help her cool off. Joy is very patient and tolerant during this lengthy process. The end result is always unique.

Fringilla Farm

The middle of November we took a quick trip to Lusaka, the capital city, to meet with a man about the house we will be renting here in Kitwe. We were able to stay at Fringilla Farm/Guest House. We enjoyed the quiet atmosphere while the kids had fun on the playground. They also enjoyed walking around the farm and seeing the animals. We saw goats, pigs, cows, chickens, and ducks. There were cute Siamese kittens hidden in one of the lots among some old farm equipment. We quietly watched them play for a while. The goats were cute until they started butting the kids - then they got annoying.

The grounds around the guest houses and restaurant are very well kept. We were amazed at the size of this flambouyant tree. This picture doesn't really do it justice. I couldn't get far enough away to get the whole tree in the frame. The flambouyant trees are beautiful in October through December with their red blossoms. I remember last year I was watching the red petals fall from the trees in our front yard and thinking that it really was autumn!

Fun Times

Becky and Emily were having fun with their chitange's (length of cloth used as a wrap-around skirt, or to tie a baby or any load on your back, etc).

Becky loves playing "Zambian". She is with Auntie Nellie, another family's homeschool teacher.

Joshua loves the dogs. Between our two and the Hafler's three, he has lots of "best friends". Justice looks mean so he is a great guard dog, but he is very docile and makes a good pillow too.

The kids love climbing trees. This is as far as they are allowed to climb in the plumeria trees, though. The branches are very brittle and break easily, causing a fall and sticky, milky sap to come pouring from the tree. The flowers are beautiful, though.

We enjoy having guests in our home. There are four single missionary ladies ministering in our area now. One Saturday, they had fun playing games and eating supper with our family. Rachel, the young lady at the front left of the picture, is now living with us. She is here short-term working as the secretary for Central Africa Baptist College. It is fun having an "Auntie" around the house.