Smith Family Blog

15th Anniversary Trip

2010-08-18T22:01:00.005+02:00

Mid-June - John and Sophie took a special trip to South Luangwa National Park to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary. We enjoyed a couple days of marveling at God's beautiful creation.

Becky's K5 Graduation

2010-08-18T21:54:00.003+02:00

Becky celebrated finishing K5 with two other MKs.

Judo

2010-08-18T21:35:00.003+02:00

For the past several months we have been doing Judo. A local christian man runs the judo club on his lodge property.

Several in the missionary community have been taking either Judo or Jujitsu as a form of either excercise or self-defense.

John, Joshua, Caleb, and Becky have been participating on Tuesday afternoons with Sensei Jonathan.

John has completed his yellow belt and is nearly ready for testing for his orange belt. The boys are almost ready to try for their yellow belts.

Becky has fun sparing with Sensei's daughter, who joins us most weeks.

Children's Bible Club April 2010

2010-08-18T21:22:00.002+02:00

Zambian schools take three breaks during the year - April, August and December. During the April break we held a children's Bible club in our yard. A good number of the neighborhood children came, heard the Gospe, learned Bible verses and had fun too.

Boys Birthday 2010

2010-08-18T21:04:00.004+02:00

Way back in April, Joshua and Caleb celebrated their 8th birthday with an all-boys (plus sister) party and air hockey tournament. I decorated their cake to look like an air hockey table. I loved their simple request this year. The boys had fun with the tournament. They also had fun with some of the presents. The handmade bows and arrows were a bit hit!

book on music

2010-02-02T00:02:00.002+02:00

"Get a free digital copy of Scott Aniol's new book, Sound Worship! http://bit.ly/soundworshipfree"

Fun times and treats

2010-01-13T15:22:00.006+02:00

It is always fun to visit a mom with a new baby and it is no different here in Zambia. Becky especially enjoyed this visit, because the mom is Auntie Beene, one of Becky's junior church teachers. The baby, Anna, was about 3 weeks old when we visited.

With the rains come flying termites. They emerge from the ground and fly around with their wings that are twice as long as their bodies. Then their wings fall off and they crawl around until they die. Up until last week, we have only seen the smaller ones. Last week, the large variety - called inswa in Bemba - invaded our yard one evening. One of them even made it into our bedroom! Our night guard evidently collected the inswa that were attracted to the light in the carport and outside the kitchen, but the large wings were still everywhere. The next morning, Caleb excitedly made the discovery that there were many that were crawling around in the grass under the light which is mounted in a tree in our back yard.

The rest of the kids and Mom helped collect quite a few of the creepy, but not harmful critters. Our daytime workers were excited, because the inswa are a special treat here and are evidently fairly expensive to buy in the market.

The termites are simply fried in a dry pot (they supply their own oil) and salted.

A crunchy and salty snack - more protein than popcorn! The kids were more excited about collecting them than eating them, however. We made them eat two each. Mom and Dad ate most of the rest, but we were able to share with another missionary family too. The boys in that family really liked them.

Joshua especially wasn't too keen on eating a bug. He looked at it for a while.

Then looked at it for a while more.

Then finally ate it. MMMMMM! They really didn't taste bad, or at least that's what Mom and Dad thought.

Water Slide!!!!!

We found a simple, though wet waterslide in the store here and got it to help cool the kids off on hot afternoons. We were pleasantly surprised that it worked the way the packaging showed!

Becky turns 6!

2010-01-02T17:37:00.005+02:00

Becky's birthday is December 25th, but we have made a tradition of celebrating it on Christmas Eve. In the afternoon, a Zambian girlfriend from church came over to play, which was a nice treat. It was good that Becky had some girly time, because the evening was full of boys!

We went to the Washer's home for Becky's birthday supper and celebration along with Auntie Rachel's birthday. Her's is on the 24th. The Washers have four boys so combined with Becky's two brothers, she was rather outnumbered. She holds her ground well, though and enjoys the fun.

After a delicious meal, the kids played a romping game of balloon stomp. Then they each had a turn at hitting a pinata. Unfortunately, Uncle Nathan was mistaken for the pinata by Caleb. He wasn't hurt as badly as his expression suggests.

Becky enjoyed opening up some gifts from her friends. The second picture was taken when the power went off and all the children (full of cake, ice cream and sodas) screamed! You can almost hear them just by looking at the picture! Thankfully, the power came back on after only a minute or two.

The evening came to a close with the children calming down with a Christmas movie and the adults playing games. It was a great evening and we just might make this a tradition too.

ps-Becky has another birthday pal here too - Auntie Toni Hafler's birthday is on the 25th as well. We spent Christmas evening with her!

Christmas Fun 2009

2010-01-02T17:18:00.003+02:00

Although we miss being with our families State-side during the holidays, God has blessed us with a wonderful group of fellow missionaries who have become our "American" family in Zambia. We enjoyed several activities with them this past Christmas.

The ladies and girls had fun decorating cookies and exchanging a variety of cookies.

A fun family activity was constructing a gingerbread structure for a competition. Our church won the best landscaped award. Also during this particular gathering, we enjoyed some fun games, a fabulous meal and great singing.

On Christmas Day several missionary families gathered at our home for supper, a children's gift exchange, games and more singing.

While the children played Twister, the adults and some older children had fun playing the Bible version of Apples to Apples.

Central Africa Baptist College graduation 2009

2009-12-06T22:00:00.005+02:00

This past Friday, we were able to praise the Lord as 10 men graduated from CABC, our first graduating class. Nine of them received BA's in Bible and one received a certificate in Bible. Each of the men were presented with a towel with "Be great. Serve" embroidered on it to remind them that they have been trained to serve. Another interested Zambian aspect is that after each graduate is given his degree case and hooded he is greeted by family members, friends, etc who congregate at the front of the auditorium. This extends the time of the service, but with only 10 men, it was manageable. It was nice for the families to share in their graduate's accomplishments.

The faculty (minus some part-time) have poured their lives into these men. Three of the men have or are currently pastoring churches. Four of the men are from Kenya. Four of the men are married with families. The past few years have not been easy, but God has blessed them for their hard work and perseverance. Pray with us as the graduates go out to serve the Lord.

The church auditorium was packed as people continued to filter in well into the service. There were probably 300+ people at the graduation service. Following the service, everyone filed out and greeted all the graduates. That took a LONG time! Thankfully, the rain held off during that process.

Ladies Bible Study Dinner

2009-12-03T15:29:00.002+02:00

Sophie enjoyed an evening out with some of the other ladies from Faith Baptist Church - Riverside. This special dinner marked the close of our Bible study for the year. We had fun playing some games and getting to know each other better. Of course, we also enjoyed some delicious food! It is always a blessing to fellowship and learn God's Word with Christian friends.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-28T10:11:00.002+02:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with missionary friends and plenty of good food.

Joshua and Caleb with a couple of their friends.

Becky with two of her friends.

After eating, we sangs a few hymns of thanksgiving, shared praises and read some verses reminding us to be thankful and give our praises to God. We also played some games and just had a great time fellowshipping.

Garden continued

2009-11-17T11:27:00.003+02:00

The garden is doing well! We are grateful that God allowed us to have a yard with a garden. Thanks to the regular rains, we do not have to water it much now. That helps with the water bill! We still hope to buy some maize (corn) seeds and some regular tomatoes, but what is planted is growing fast.

The small corner that the children planted is starting to produce yellow squash and there are a few blossoms on the cherry tomato plants. We picked two of the yellow squash today.

The rest of the garden is as follows: At the bottom of the picture (in front of Joshua) are the cucumbers. We are looking forward to pickles! Yikes! I need to start on them this week! Behind Joshua are the cherry tomato plants. There are some blossoms and a few tiny tomatoes. If all those plants produce like cherry tomato plants normally do, we will have LOTS! I think I will be sending the kids out to the garden to pick their own snacks. On the other side of the garden (in front of Becky) are the squash plants. I'm pretty sure all of these are zucchini. We have picked and eaten some of these already. If you find zucchini on your doorstep, well... Beside Caleb is the lettuce. It is starting to form heads. We are looking forward to lots of healthy eating!

Garden

2009-10-13T21:39:00.006+02:00

I'm not sure why the format of this is not cooperating. Sorry if it is difficult to decipher.

We finally have our garden started! Let me walk you through the process.

There was already an established garden plot from the previous tenants at the house. But it had to be dug up. Joshua and Caleb (mostly Caleb) enjoyed using Zambian hoes to help with this job.

Becky even got in on the action. Our yard worker, Ba Charles, actually did most of the work. He is very good with letting the kids "help" him. He has 6 children of his own.

John was able to get fence posts and buy chain link fencing to enclose the garden area. In the foreground are the two main reasons for the fence. The dogs are avid diggers and we don't want all our vegetables uprooted.

So far, we have cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, lettuce and cherry tomatoes planted. The children have a corner of the garden for them to tend.

Today, they each planted a cherry tomato plant in their plot. They will greatly enjoy eating the results of their labors.

Trip to Northern Province of Zambia

2009-10-11T16:28:00.007+02:00

John was able to go along with missionary teammates Steve Hafler and Todd Beaman to see the Nothern Province of Zambia. This was a survey trip as they also took two of the college students who have been praying about ministering in this area of Zambia.

This is a short video about our trip.

A rough road

Group at Lake Tanganika

Hot Supper - it was 100F +

Our nights accomodations

Handing out tracks

I think Harold visited our yard with his purple crayon

2009-09-21T17:42:00.003+02:00

While the dryness of the season causes grass and many plants to turn brown unless watered, the Zambian landscape is not devoid of color. It is during this time of year that the jacaranda trees erupt with their lavendar blossoms, the plumerias adorn their bare branches with beautiful and fragrant flowers, and numerous other trees are covered with blooms.

We are very fortunate to have mature trees in our yard. Two huge jacaranda trees shade a good part of our front yard.

On breezy days, more than dust is flying in the air now. The ground under the trees is a carpet of purple.

More Fun with Baby Geckos

2009-09-21T17:21:00.004+02:00

So far, we have enjoyed having 7 geckos hatch from our collection of eggs. A few more look like they may have occupants, so we are still waiting to meet some more friends. One day, we found four babies in the container! The kids had fun watching them for a while before getting them out and holding them.

They were still losing their first layer of skin. One of the lizards looks like it is wearing a hoodie!

Becky colored at the table for a while as "her" gecko explored the table. Unfortunately, its world was a flat object and it fell off the edge onto the floor. It was not hurt. Becky also held one and sang "rock a-bye baby, in the tree top..." Then she would coo at it and say, "Ah, it's all right baby."

One of the babies from another hatching was introduced to the wild frontier of the train table in the boys' room. From this aeriel view it looks like a big mean crocodile about ready to cross the river and rest under the palm trees.

New Arrival!!!

2009-08-16T13:54:00.003+02:00

The moment we all have been waiting for----

One of the eggs hatched today!

Here is the newest occupant in our home - a cute little gecko.

During a recent gathering of missionaries in our home, I was showing them the eggs. Some of our friends were skeptical that the eggs were really lizard eggs. Now we have living proof and another member in our mosquito-eating army.

We like geckos!

Lizard eggs

2009-06-24T15:46:00.004+02:00

These are not on the breakfast menu.

While cleaning our window screens I found quite a few lizard eggs sheltered in the window casings. We are watching some of them to see if they will hatch or if they are duds. If any of them do hatch, I will try to get picts of the baby lizards before Caleb makes their tails fall off by handling them too much. What a welcome that will be into their new world!

What's that sound?

2009-06-24T10:35:00.003+02:00

The past couple weeks we have heard what sounds like a distant chainsaw from our backyard. It actually was a multitude of bees and other flying insects feasting at the avocado tree. It is covered with tiny blossoms.

It's too bad that our family doesn't really like avocados. Quacamole is ok once in a while. We know plenty of people who willingly take our abundance. And the dogs eat the soft ones too.

By the time I figured out how to run John's high-tech camera, most of the blossoms were gone along with many of the insects, but I was able to catch (with the camera that is) this bee on the first try! Our simple point and shoot camera is out of batteries and we haven't invested in more yet.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T16:10:00.001+02:00

Got Lemons?

2009-05-28T19:56:00.004+02:00

The fruit on one of our lemon trees is ripe right now. We are drinking lots of lemonade, freezing juice, making lemon desserts, and giving away lemons to anyone who dares to come into our yard. I even used lemons to barter with the man who sells fruits and vegetables from his bicycle. Unfortunately, there isn't much of a market for lemons right now with everyone's trees ripe.

Butterfly ring

2009-05-26T20:27:00.004+02:00

Becky loves butterflies. She tries to catch them, but isn't too successful most of the time. Caleb goes after them for her with a stick. He catches them, but they are usually in pieces. This one faired a little better than most. By the time Becky was done enjoying it though, this butterfly was extremely tattered too. There are plenty more outside where it came from.

Becky's first lost tooth!

2009-05-26T20:13:00.003+02:00

Becky has been wiggling one of her front bottom teeth for quite a while now. She was scared and reluctant to have it pulled out, but was very excited when it did come out! She went screaming with joy to show her brothers and Daddy.

The boys have been losing teeth right and left it seems like. Caleb's count is five and Joshua is at four lost. With three kids losing teeth at the same time, we are glad we decided not to do the "tooth fairy" thing. In Zambia, the tradition is the throw your tooth on the rooftop. We haven't done that either. We just put them in little bottles. Not sure why - but both our parents did that.

Gone Bananas

2009-05-16T16:23:00.011+02:00

We just ate some bananas off our first bunch here at our new house today. It reminded me that I had taken pictures of bananas developing when we were living at the Hafler's home. That bunch was harvested and eaten shortly before we moved out. I had never seen bananas growing before moving to Africa, so I thought it was interesting watching how they develop. Good eating too!

August 4 - A purple flower comes up from the center of the stalk.

August 6 - The petals start opening one by one revealing tiny bunches (hands) of bananas.

August 11 - A few more petals have opened.

August 17 - While more petals open, the first bananas start plumping up.

August 29 - Full tree perspective.

October 2 - The lower petals just fall off along with dud bananas.

January 16 - Yes, four months later - the bananas are cut off when they just start turning a bit yellow. We were able to share them with our two employees.

January 19 - After a few days, they ripen and are eaten. These bananas are called lady's fingers because they are small and sweet. The kids (and parents) love them and couldn't get enough of them. It is normal for them to eat 3 each in one sitting. One afternoon, while John and I were gone and the kids were home with a sitter, the kids ate all the rest of the bananas! We were going to save some bananas for the Haflers who were coming home soon. The kids received a scolding for being so greedy. I guess its better to feast on bananas than candy, though.

Not an FTD bouquet

2009-05-16T16:13:00.004+02:00

"Mom, I picked some flowers for you!"

Which Way?

2009-05-15T15:23:00.005+02:00

After visiting the chicken and reptile farm, we were planning on enjoying a picnic lunch at a dam located on a nearby game ranch. A certain two homeschool moms had spoken with the ranch owners previously and received permission to do this. However, they did not get directions to the dam. We drove around the property for a long time on paths and trails and some roads before deciding to go back and go to the owner's house and ask for directions. The owner's son was home and told us there were four dams and he'd also take us through some of the game ranch. He hopped on his motorcycle and we tried to keep up. When I saw him jump over a bump in the road, it was John's signal that he needed to slow down for that part of the road. We all had bought eggs at the chicken farm and there were nine open trays of eggs (that's 270 eggs) "secured" in the back of our van. After driving over most of the same trails we'd already been on, but going through a couple more closed gates, we arrived at the camp where hunters stay while hunting game. It really wasn't a camp yet, but would be in a month or so. We were so hungry by then that we just ate there.

The owner's son had shown us a "shortcut road" that would be a shorter way out, so we took that to start heading home. It may have been shorter, but it took longer because it was muddy and full of holes. It hadn't rained for 3 weeks and the mudholes were still huge and deep. Thankfully, our non-4-wheel-drive van made it through. We did lose our power steering though. Amazingly, when we got home, John found the belt on top of the engine compartment and was able to put it back on.

Needless to say, all 270 eggs didn't survive the trip on that road. The people sitting in the back were watching the eggs behind them go up in the air and then back down again with a thud and a splat! I think we figured we lost about 60 eggs to our adventure. What a mess!

By the way, we didn't see a single animal on the game ranch.

Reptile and Chicken Farm Tour

2009-05-15T14:07:00.005+02:00

A group of missionaries went to a chicken farm about 30 minutes outside of Kitwe for a tour. There is a reptile farm on the same property. It was an interesting combination. They catch rats in the chicken barns to feed to the snakes. The snake collection included both venomous and non-venomous ones. Of course, we were only allowed to handle the safe ones. Caleb held a brown snake. It was good to see the venomous snakes, though. The black mamba is greatly feared here and for good reason. This place had an adult and a baby one. Now that we have seen the real thing, we are pretty sure that the snakes we have encountered so far at home were not black mambas, but probably just brown snakes or house snakes, both non-venomous.

The older boys held a huge python! It was losing its skin, so they had snake on their hands after it went back into its cage. John wasn't too thrilled about getting the head end.

Joshua held a baby crocodile. There were a couple medium sized crocs in the swimming pool. The man tried to feed one of them some chicken while we were there, but it wasn't hungry.

There was also a baby bushbuck in an enclosure. The man said they found it in the woods after it had been attacked by dogs. Caleb was able to get fairly close to it and Joshua actually touched its head, but it was pretty skiddish with lots of kids around.

The children were amazed at the size of the chicken barns. There were a handful of long barns with rows and rows of chicken cages. The kids went down row after row looking for and collecting eggs. All the kids found eggs and helped the workers by placing them in trays at one end of the barn. It was interesting when someone found an egg without a shell. It just had the thin membrane holding it together.

Becky is definitely a girl. Even in a smelly chicken barn Becky wouldn't pass up a photo shoot opportunity. Yes, it was smelly - we smelled it all the way home on everyone's shoes.

I thought it was amusing contrasting these two forms of transportation. These cattle are HUGE and can pull quite the load. The Beamans truck is pretty big too, but maybe not as powerful.

Speaking of the way home - that's another story for another post. As soon as these picts upload, I'll start working on that one.

Eating Out - Zambian Style

2009-05-12T17:57:00.003+02:00

A young lady from the church we attend (she is holding Becky in the picture) has opened up a restaurant in the main market. The kids and I went with another missionary for lunch one day. The menu? Nshima, vegetable relish and chicken. Nshima, vegetable relish and sausage. Nshima, relish and fish. Nshima, relish and caterpillars (for real). Nshima with just relish... If a Zambian hasn't had nshima, he hasn't eaten. This staple food is simply cornmeal cooked in water to a very stiff consistency. You eat it with your hands (actually, just your right hand), and use it to scoop up the relish and sauce. By itself, nshima has little taste, but it is good with the other foods. Caleb especially likes it because he really enjoys eating with his hands and getting messy!

The restaurant is small with a tiny kitchen, but there is electricity. On one side of the kitchen is a dining area with three tables, a drink cooler and a hand washing station (necessary after eating with your hand). On the other side of the kitchen is a take-away table (fast food to go) where bread and jam are sold for breakfast and meat pies are sold other times. The take-away area opens up into the fish section of the market where dried fish is sold. This is a very busy area and the restaurant has people coming and going most of the day. We are pleased with the testimony our church friend has and are glad to help her business.

Happy 7th Birthday Joshua and Caleb!

2009-05-12T17:35:00.003+02:00

It is hard to believe the boys are already 7! It seems like just yesterday....

Our GFA co-workers usually get together for a meal the first Thursday of every month. In April, that fell on the 2nd - Joshua and Caleb's birthday! So, they celebrated their special day with lots of friends.

Chitange suits

2009-05-12T17:10:00.005+02:00

Before we moved, I (Sophie) asked Ba Yvonne (Halfer's house worker) to make outfits for Becky and me. I bought the material at the market and told her what style we wanted. Zambians don't typically use patterns to sew. They are able to cut out the pieces just by seeing another outfit, a picture or drafting their own design. It takes real skill to get it right. When I sew, I am pinned to a pattern and an instruction sheet. I may have the ability to sew, but I definitely don't have the skill the Zambians do. This picture was taken after a morning at church, so Becky's suit looks a bit rumpled. We both enjoy our Zambian clothes. These are "dressy" outfits. Worn for church and special occasions.

For everyday clothes, ladies wear a shirt and a chitange skirt, which is simply a length of material wrapped around and tucked in at the waist. Often they will have a "normal" skirt on and have a chitange on over it to keep it clean. The chitange is also used to tie babies (or other loads) onto the back.

We are Still in Zambia!

2009-05-12T16:35:00.005+02:00

Well, what do you know?! The Smiths are alive and back on their blog!
This is our new home. We enjoyed living in the Washer's home for ten months and in the Hafler's home for nine months, but this is OUR home!

The Lord has been very gracious in allowing us to rent this home from another mission group. The previous tenants were veteran missionaries of 30+ years who retired in December 2008. The house has 3 bedrooms, 1 and a half baths, and even an office besides the living/dining room and kitchen. We use an enclosed porch for our school room. It is the smallest of the three houses we have lived in, but it is sufficient for our family.

The yard is the major plus factor! Most of the year, it is very comfortable to play outside, so it is wonderful to have a yard suitable for our children. There are mature fruit trees and flowering trees to climb, plenty of grass to run and ride bikes, established flower beds and garden plots. Some of the fruit growing in our yard include: bananas, mango, quava, grapes, strawberries, papaya, lemons, oranges, pineapple, avocado and some that are still unidentified. This picture is part of the backyard. Our property backs up to high tension power lines, so it is undeveloped land. The yellow flowers towering over our back wall grow wild all over the place here. They are pretty unless they are in the lawn.

After moving to our new home in January, we learned that our internet system wouldn't work at the new location. We also learned that it would cost about $1000 to purchase the needed equipment and to have it installed. Thus, we have not been online at home for a while.

It was a time of relying on the Lord for strength and endurance. Amazing how dependent we get on technology. Even the children were feeling the effects of a "simpler" life. In April, the boys had their birthday and each were given a dollar from one of their friends. Joshua wanted to give us his dollar to help us pay for new internet. That very day, we found out that someone anonymously gave us $1000 for a computer upgrade. Josh got to keep his dollar (though he can't spend it here) and we thanked the Lord that we could start the process of getting internet hooked up again. And here we are finally!

God's Protection

2009-01-07T17:30:00.003+02:00

You know there is a problem when you see your back wheel pass you while you are driving.

For several days we have heard a wobbly noise coming from the back of the van. We looked under the van and didn't see anything obviously wrong. So we figured that we would have to take the van in to be serviced. We are currently cleaning and painting a house that we will be moving into soon so we really do not have time for such things right now. Today we were driving out to where our container is located (about 25 minutes away) and the noise suddenly got worse. The whole van started wobbling and John slowed and pulled off the road. As soon as he pulled off the edge of the road, we saw our back wheel rolling past us. Evidently the lugnuts worked themselves loose and fell off. We had this wheel fixed recently, so the nuts must not have been tightened properly. Within 30 minutes the van was back together and we were back on the road! God is so good to watch over us through this whole situation.

1. This didn't happen yesterday when I (Sophie) was driving alone. And it wasn't raining.

2. We were on a part of the road that was level and had room to safely pull off. We were coming up to a hill where there is a deep ditch at the side.

3. A large portion of roads here have a large dropoff, but it was minimal where we had to pull off.

4. The wheel did not come completely off until we were off the pavement, so the brake system did not get ground off on the road.

5. The wheel only rolled a short way instead of rolling all the way down the hill in the tall grass. Who knows what else may have been in the grass.

6. Three young men were walking along the road and helped us get things put back together. They were given some Kwacha and tracts for their efforts.

7. We had the needed equipment in the van to get the tire back on.

8. One lugnut was found on the side of the road and three others were borrowed from the other wheels.

9. Once back on the road we were glad that the wobbling noise (and motion) had stopped!

Life is good when all four wheels of your vehicle are securely attached. 100% is definitely a must in this area. When just one of four wheels comes off, the whole vehicle stops.

Christmas Chips

2008-12-26T00:34:00.002+02:00

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

2008-12-24T11:38:00.009+02:00

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

2008-12-13T12:00:00.009+02:00

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

2008-12-13T10:04:00.010+02:00

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

2008-12-11T15:36:00.011+02:00

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

2008-12-11T13:16:00.002+02:00

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

2008-12-11T11:56:00.005+02:00

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

2008-12-07T22:03:00.003+02:00

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

2008-11-29T22:41:00.005+02:00

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

2008-11-29T22:29:00.003+02:00

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

2008-11-24T22:03:00.011+02:00

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

2008-11-24T21:51:00.003+02:00

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

2008-11-24T21:12:00.005+02:00

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?

2008-11-24T20:57:00.002+02:00

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

2008-11-24T20:34:00.003+02:00

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

2008-10-18T17:45:00.004+02:00

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.

Go Figure

2008-10-02T21:05:00.005+02:00

During our recent trip to Lusaka we made some purchases to help us during our frequent power outages. We bought a rechargeable light, some citronella oil for our lanterns, and some special marshmallows to roast over the candles during evening darkness. Our "normal schedule" for losing power is Mondays and Saturdays for 10+ hours during the day and Tuesdays and Thursdays for 5+ hours in the evenings. It is not as bad as it sounds except when you expect the power to go off at 5pm and it goes off at 3:30pm. I am especially thankful for my gas stove on those days.

Since our return from our trip, the power went off as "usual" on Monday during the day and hasn't gone off again since! We have enjoyed 10 straight days with electricity!! We haven't used our new light, though it is charged and ready. We haven't used any of our citronella oil in our lanterns. We didn't have any reason to roast our special marshmallows. Our kids complain when the power doesn't go off on Tuesday and Thursday nights because they normally get marshmallows for dessert when the power is off at suppertime. The first Tuesday that the power stayed on, the kids turned off all the lights and played hide-and-go-seek with flashlights!

Tonight, our second Thursday with power, we gave in and let the kids roast marshmallows anyway. I have never seen such a variety of marshmallows as is available in Zambia. In Kitwe, we can get white and pink, twisted, kiwi and litchi, and chocolate. In Lusaka, we found marshmallow mice, flowers, grape and strawberry flavor with smiles. We also saw cappuccino, and some other coffee flavors that did not appeal to us at all. We did however get some of the other kinds.

Caleb roasting his mouse.

Joshua roasting his grape and strawberry smile.

Becky roasting her flower.

Pizza with CABC men

2008-10-02T20:22:00.003+02:00

One of the joys of working with Central Africa Baptist College is providing fellowship opportunities for the students. There are about a dozen men who live in the dorms. Recently, we invited them over for a time of cooling off, playing games and eating pizza. We co-hosted the evening with the Beamans, so Sophie didn't have to make all 12 pizzas. Actually, Kathy did most of the pizza work while Sophie and Janelle S. helped add toppings, make popcorn, etc.

After eating as much pizza as they could and then some more, the guys played a game. Fun was had by all and everyone left with a full stomach.

In Memory

2008-09-24T22:11:00.005+02:00

In August, the president of Zambia died. He was buried in the capital city on Sept 3rd, which would have been his birthday. The burial site is in a park close to the government buildings. We were able to watch some of the funeral proceedings on TV. They were very lengthy, so we didn't watch the whole thing. We thought the park was no longer open to the public, but we drove past it last week and caught a glimpse of the tombstone and saw people walking around. We were trying to find some other place, so we didn't take time to find a place to park and get a closer look. The banner above was put up at a roundabout in our city. We are grateful that the country has remained calm and at peace. We are now in the midst of campaigns for presidential elections which are to be held the end of October. There were many signs up in Lusaka, but not much is going on here except for articles in the papers. I'm sure there is stuff on TV and the local radio station, but we don't tune in to these regularly.

Sept trip to Lusaka

2008-09-24T21:33:00.005+02:00

We went to the Lusaka, the capital city, last week. John was able to get some paperwork done for Central Africa Baptist Radio, we did some shopping and went to a zoo.

I love the flowering trees this time of year. As the trees in the US are changing colors, our trees are changing colors too. We are getting closer to the rainy season, but before the rains come, many of the trees burst forth with blossoms! The purple jacaranda trees lining this street are gorgeous. A little farther down the road the trees were fuller with blossoms, but I had to put the camera away. Police were everywhere and we were soon stopped to allow a VIP motorcade to pass. We got to sit there and look at the pretty flowers longer!

Who thought we would have to go to a zoo in Africa in order to see animals?! The zoo was small, but had a variety of animals. There was an enclosure with 6 adult lions that was impressive. I have to admit that I got the biggest kick out of the area that housed tortoises and rabbits together.

Mozart?

2008-09-10T14:16:00.006+02:00

I was working on some simple flute arrangements of hymns that I want to play at church for a special service. While I was sitting at the piano picking out the notes and drawing them them on score paper, Becky was watching me. Then she got some paper and started composing her own song. In the picture, I think she is trying to draw a treble cleff, but it ended up looking like a capital B. She also loves to sit at the piano and "practice for her piano lesson". She is not taking lessons, but some of her MK friends are, so she hears them talk about it.

Then Caleb was inspired and was not to be outdone by his little sister. His song is quite lengthy and is called "Boy ABC". He even plays it on the piano - he thinks. Some of the notes appear to be lower than the range of the piano keyboard however.

The kids are young, Caleb at 6 and Becky at 4, but I think there are musicians in there somewhere.

Garden

2008-09-10T14:08:00.003+02:00

There is not a great deal of room in our backyard for a garden, but we have managed to grow a few edible things. The strawberries are the Hafler's and I was instructed to take care of them. I'm doing my best and they do taste really good! We were given a dozen or so tomato plants from another family who was thinning out seedlings. We are still waiting for our tomato crop to ripen. We were also given lettuce seedlings from a third family. The lettuce is very good and we are enjoying salad frequently. Thankfully, the kids all like salad too. Farthest away in the plot is some chinese lettuce which is cooked by our workers for part of their lunch. There are some raspberries in the middle along the wall which we are looking forward to.

From our backyard

2008-09-10T14:02:00.003+02:00

The kids made a rather alarming discovery in our backyard. They found this water scorpion. It actually is an insect, but takes its name from its similar appearance to a scorpion.

From what I read, they are not harmful, but may pinch if provoked. We released it in a lake about 30 minutes away when we were there for a picnic last week.

Fun with little friends

2008-09-10T13:53:00.003+02:00

Earlier this week we enjoyed watching a couple of younger MKs for the day. The kids had great fun playing together. They pretended to be ferocious animals, built churches with wooden blocks (the boys each tried to make the tallest steeple), and lots of other things kids love to do. I even got them to play a game of "dust the furniture" for a while!

A special activity for our guests was the "jumpoline" that the Hafler's kindly left up for us to utilize during their absence. Becky's hairdo was the envy of the day.

Central Africa Baptist Radio under construction

2008-09-01T22:08:00.008+02:00

John is excited to be able to be a part of a Christian radio station here in Africa. Actually being in charge of setting one up is a bit overwhelming though. The radio room, recording studio and control room are located on the third floor of Central Africa Baptist College's new building. The radio room is pretty much finished, complete with carpet on the ceiling and bamboo mats on the walls to help with sound absorption. This room will house the computers from which the broadcast will originate.

The recording studio will be used to obtain some material to air on the radio, Lord willing. This may include choirs, individual musicians, scripture readings, and other recordings. In order to keep out the noise from the lower floors of the building and also the noise from outside , John made this room with a double floor and special sound resistant walls. The walls are actually two walls thick and filled with foam. There is a bar in front of the college and a large public university adjacent to the property, so there is quite a bit of noise pollution around. I think more than one of the dorm men have invested in ear plugs.

In order to transmit the radio signal from the college building to the tower site, which is at another location, John has to install an antenna on top of the building. He has secured the pole already. That was a delicate job since the peak of the roof is about 12 meters up. They had to buy an extra long extension ladder and made sure it was securely tied. The internet receiver for the college is also attached to this pole.

After the radio signal leaves the college building, it travels to the tower site. The radio station is renting space on the tower to put up their antennas to broadcast throughout Kitwe and beyond. Some equipment has to be located at this site, so a small building is being constructed at the base of the tower.

I (Sophie) obviously do not know all the ins and outs of this radio thing, but I wanted to share some pictures with you and give you the basic idea of what is going on. For those of you who are cringing at my ignorance, please forgive me.

Zambian kids at play

2008-08-31T22:35:00.005+02:00

Our children like to play with the children of the caretaker at the new college building. They play football (soccer) with a ball made of plastic string from mealie meal bags. Here are some of the Zambian kids playing before our kids arrived. Joshua and Caleb joined in the game upon arrival.

Tires are another fun toy. Joshua and Caleb are still trying to master the art of rolling a tire around without it falling over every few seconds. They have fun watching the other children and trying to get the tires rolling themselves.

We let Becky give one of the little girls a dress that she had outgrown. Shortly after giving her the dress, we walked to a store a short distance away from the college to get some bread and water that we needed. (Our menu does include more than this.) When we were returning on the road, I saw the little girl wearing the "new" dress. But when the Zambian children saw us coming back, the little girl ran into the house and changed back into her old dress. I thought this was interesting. Zambian culture treats gifts in a unique way, putting an emphasis on the giver instead of the actual gift. If you give someone a wrapped gift, they will probably not open it in your presence, but will simply say thank you. It does not matter what the gift is - they are thankful that you gave them a gift. I tried to talk with the older girl about why the younger one changed back into her other dress, but she doesn't speak much English so either didn't understand or couldn't respond.

Chalk Art

2008-08-31T16:27:00.004+02:00

All three children had fun using the sidewalk chalk that Joshua got for memorizing verses at Junior Camp. The small patio in front of our house became the canvas. This picture was taken after it had gone beyond the masterpiece stage, but you can still see the red fire truck, blue sky, and yellow sun.

After a few days of continued additions some of the art looked more like Bert's chalk drawings on "Mary Poppins" after it started raining, but the kids had fun and were only partially covered in chalk dust.

Workshop for Faith Baptist Church School

2008-08-31T15:22:00.005+02:00

On August 27th I had the privilege of presenting a workshop for the teachers at the day school of the church we attend here in Kitwe, Zambia. My topic was "Using everyday objects in your math and science classrooms." I demonstrated the use of popcorn as manipulatives for math. My main focus was using common objects in science demonstrations. We had fun doing a variety of activities together.

One of my favorites was displaying the white roses that I colored simply by placing them overnight in water with food coloring. I used yellow, red and blue. I split the stems of several of the roses and placed them in two separate colors. The results were an interesting display of water movement through a plant. Another missionary family did a very similar experiment with daisies and colored water at the same time without either one of us knowing about the other's experience. I guess it was just time for coloring flowers. The instructions I was using said to use carnations, but they are hard to find here. Roses are everywhere. I bought these roses just down the road from our house. In a field there is a container that has a door and a window cut into it to make a "store." At this location they sell yard ornaments, rake-brooms, roses and other items. The price was under $6 for about 20 roses. Not a bad price. Why 20 roses? They don't sell anything by the dozen in Zambia.

CABC Olympic Fellowship

2008-08-31T14:57:00.004+02:00

We decided to pay for a month of cable TV so that we could enjoy the Olympics. The Haflers already had the equipment in their house, so our cost was reasonable. During the games, we enjoyed having various people over to watch with us. A couple of evenings we invited the dorm men from Central Africa Baptist College to our home. They had fun eating popcorn and watching the international games. Unfortunately, Zambia was not very well respresented at the Olympics. But it was neat for our Kenyan students to see some of their countrymen and women in the running events.

Faith Baptist Church Junior Camp

2008-08-31T12:29:00.009+02:00

The week after MK camp was Junior Camp at church in Riverside where we attend. Junior Camp is very similar to VBS, but with more team competition. Joshua and Caleb were able to attend and I (Sophie) was able to help throughout the week in small ways. It was a joy to be able to stand in the background and see most of the work done by Zambians. Another missionary helped lead singing and I helped with craft time. A couple of MK teens helped as team counselors, but national church members did the rest.

Bible lessons were well-taught and focused on salvation while teaching five things that God cannot do. A number of children were counseled after the lesson each day. We praise God that both Joshua and Caleb raised their hands, were counseled and prayed for Jesus to save them. They are still young at age 6, but we know that they may be able to understand and truly be saved. We are praying that God will give us wisdom as we continue to nurture them in the Bible.

The variety of games throughout the week were fun for all the children. On the final day of camp, the director came in costume just to make the kids laugh. It worked. He did a great job organizing all that needed to be done at camp. The week went very smoothly and God was glorified in all that was done.

Another aspect of camp was verse memorization. There was a daily verse each day, but the kids were also given sheets of extra verses they could learn for extra points for their teams. The children who memorized the most verses were given prizes on Sunday. One of the Zambian girls memorized 111 extra verses! This included a couple whole chapters from the NT. She has an amazing mind and wants to be a missionary doctor. It will be exciting to see how God uses her. There were only two six-year olds who learned any extra verses. Joshua and another MK from another family both memorized 9 extra verses. He received a certificate, candy bar, stickers, and sidewalk chalk as his award. I'll post chalk pictures later. The campers who were able to come on Sunday sang some of their camp songs for the church. They did a great job. Several of the campers were chosen to recite verses in front of church too. Joshua was supposed to say three verses. He messed up on the second one and never got to the third, but he did ok and the church clapped for him anyway. Kids aren't perfect.

MK Camp 2008

2008-08-29T11:23:00.004+02:00

Earlier in August, the school-aged children of the missionaries involved with Central Africa Baptist College enjoyed MK camp. It was held at the home of Tori Barrett from Thursday morning through Saturday morning. Becky, Joshua and Caleb had great fun during the day with the other MKs, but they came home to spend the nights. The older kids stayed overnight at Tori's but her house just isn't big enough for all 18 kids to sleep.

Cherith and Austin Hunt were a great help in planning and running the camp with Tori. Our children enjoyed games, chapel time, fun songs, earning tickets, spending tickets on cool prizes, eating with their friends, etc.

Simple Pleasures

2008-08-08T15:55:00.003+02:00

It doesn't take much to entertain children. Becky captured this moth and thought it was a great treasure. I vetoed her request to find it a home in the house, but she carried it around for quite some time while playing outside. When it was time to come in for lunch, she put it inside the "fort" for safekeeping. The moth disappeared during lunch. Becky is sure that it flew away. I did not have the heart to tell her that it was not able to fly anymore after she handled it so much.

She had fun with it while it lasted, though.

DIY in Zambia

2008-08-04T11:42:00.008+02:00

On Saturday John decided it was a good day to cut down the dead avocado tree in the front yard. He got out Steve's chain saw. It started a couple times, but would not start once he brought it to the tree. So John got out the ax which was given to us by Sophie's hometown pastor in Ohio. John put a "pull rope" up in the tree and started chopping away. When he was about ready to quit for lunch, our house worker came out and quickly said, "Let me do that - I know how to do it." She is very strong and got to work swinging that ax. She did take a break and let John have another turn at chopping. Then she finished off the tree while John pulled it over.

We have concluded that DIY is not "Do It Yourself". Here it means "Do It Yvonne". She cannot stand by watching us work. When we first were moving in to the Hafler's house, I was scrubbing the laundry room floor before putting in our machines. Ba Yvonne arrived and was rather flustered that I would be doing something like that. I was quickly replaced. We are thankful for such a dedicated and hardworking helper in the house. Many of you probably are thinking that we are spoiled by having a hired worker (actually we have two). It is just part of African culture. I think it is very interesting that our house help hires her own house help to care for her children and take care of things at her home while she works at our home!

We now have a new playground in our yard! The kids immediately started climbing on the felled tree.

Then they began gathering the medium sized branches to make a fort. As you can see, it progressed quickly. Daddy let them make the roof with some of the fading bird of paradise leaves that he cut. The fort is lacking some semblance of a floorplan, but the kids insist they each have their own bedroom and even a guest room/dog house in there. The imagination is a wonderful thing!

Birds

2008-08-01T18:44:00.003+02:00

Since moving into the city of Kitwe we have missed the variety of wildlife that we enjoyed seeing and hearing when we lived in a more rural area. So it was a real treat when I heard some bird noises outside that definitely were not the obnoxious cawing of the ever-present crows. I went out to try to find the feathered source of this more pleasant sound. After some searching, I discovered two medium sized birds which were green and yellow. First they were in trees along the side and back of the yard and then flew away. As they flew, I could see more yellow under their wings. A little while later, they returned but this time to the trees along the front of the yard. They were high up in the trees, so I wasn't able to get very good pictures of them. Here are the best of what I got. I think they look like small parrots. They walked along the branches like parrots and were eating seeds from the trees.

Cowboys (and cowgirls, too)

2008-07-25T21:20:00.003+02:00

There isn't much that is more fun than dressing up like cowboys when you are a 6 year old (or there abouts) boy - or even girl. The boys went to a cowboy shindig (aka birthday party) and had a rip-roaring, rowdy time. Joshua and Caleb were very excited to be able to wear their cowboy stuff that was their Daddy's when he was a boy. Becky tagged along to play with the birthday boy's sisters.

Society Reunion

2008-07-25T20:52:00.003+02:00

A few weeks ago a lady came to visit with one of the single lady missionaries here. I vaguely remembered Kathy (O'Dwyer) Church from my BJU days. It turns out that she was in the same society as I was - Chi Theta Upsilon Unicorns. Actually, there are three missionary ladies here in Kitwe, Zambia who were all in the same society at the same time! Pictured below are Kathy (Wetzel) Beaman, Sophie (Kruggel) Smith, Kathy (O'Dwyer) Church, and Tori Barrett. I am standing on a step - I am really not as tall as the rest of them.

Ndola Trade Fair

2008-07-07T11:25:00.004+02:00

A couple weeks ago, we went to Ndola (hour drive away) to go to the Trade Fair with the Beaman family. Many vendors were selling their wares. Various organizations and government divisions displayed what services they offered. The kids had fun seeing a few of the small animals often raised for meat. It was interesting, but we were all tired after walking around for a few hours. We didn't see everything, nor did we get to the "amusement park" area. We were able to pass out tracts to the many people also enjoying the event, though. The kids especially enjoyed sharing Gospel literature with people we met on the walkways. Some invitations were also handed out for a Bible Study that Todd Beaman recently started in Ndola. We are praying that the people will read the tracts they were given and that they will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit working in their lives.

Visit to the Ministry of Information and Broadcast Service

2008-07-07T10:16:00.004+02:00

On Friday, July 4, Phil Hunt (CABC President) and John were in Lusaka. They went down to pick up Dr. Steve Hankins so that he could teach the block class this week. While they were in Lusaka they went by the Ministry of Information and Broadcast Services. John needed to make a few changes to the radio construction permit. The studio address needed to be changed to the new building and another radio station has given us a lease agreement to house the broadcast antenna and transmitter house.

Traffic was very bad in the capitol city, so Phil dropped John off in the middle of the street in front of the government building. John went across the street and made his way to the building. After confirming with the security guards that the Broadcast Ministry was on the sixth floor, John proceeded upstairs and then on the sixth floor another staff member showed him to the office. When John entered the door he noticed the sign said Hon. Min. While talking with the secretary a gentleman came out and asked if he could help. He ushered John into his office. Once noticing the plush surroundings, John realized that this was someone important. This was the office of MP Vernon Mweenga, the Minister of Broadcast. John explained his reason for the visit and the minister called in the Deputy Minister, and said that if we needed anything to help the radio project to just call. He needed to leave so that he could make a statement about the President who had a stroke the morning before. The Deputy Minister took John to a couple more offices and then finally came to the right office to accomplish the purpose of the visit. After taking care of things, John met Phil and Dr. Hankins at the van and explained what had happened. They were all amazed at the grace of God. Minister Mweenga is probably the third highest man in the Zambian government. He is a close, personal friend of President Mwanawasa. Please pray for the country of Zambia. We do not know what will happen if the President does die, but know our Lord is in control of all things and we have peace in His protection.

4th of July in Zambia

2008-07-07T09:44:00.005+02:00

We may live in Africa, but we are still Americans! A group of fellow missionaries gathered together on July 3rd to celebrate our country's independence. (Zambia's independence day is October 24th.) We had a great time together with delicious food, fun entertainment, music and games.

For our entertainment, some of the families did funny readings, magic tricks, songs, etc. Joshua, Caleb and Becky recited a short poem. They added the last line themselves. Their performance was pretty good.

"Red, White and Blue" by Ann McCune

The red of the rose,

The white of the snows,

The blue of the skies above.

These colors three

Are the ones we see

In the flag of the land that we love.

AMERICA!

Then John joined the boys and they sang Yankee Doodle Boy. They hadn't practiced the song very much, but they did ok with it. Everyone thought it was nice. I had told Auntie Joy that the boys (little boys, not John) were going to sing a song about her, so she laughed when she heard the following lines - "I've got a Yankee Doodle sweetheart, she's my Yankee Doodle joy."

The kids all had fun playing together. There are several children Becky's age and they get along great! They made a "fort" in the plants along the driveway, but our camera still found them.

Our festivities were dampered slightly by the uncertain knowledge of the Zambian president's health. We heard first that he had died, but then heard that he was still alive after having a stroke. The news that is being generally accepted now is the latter. He is alive, but in a hospital.

Zambian Birthdays

2008-06-29T20:33:00.005+02:00

Joshua, Caleb and Becky experienced their first Zambian birthday party this past Saturday. One of their friends from church turned five and invited them to her party. The birthday girl is the one with long braids in the middle of the tent filled with some of the children. Becky is easy to spot. : )

It was a cultural learning experience for Sophie as she accompanied the children. In Zambia, birthday parties are not a yearly event. A child will have one party during their childhood years (often at 5), then maybe another party when they become a teenager. Because it is a rare event, the family makes it special.

For this party, the family had rented a jumping house (yes, even in Africa) for the children to have fun in. A wide array of delicious food was prepared and enjoyed by all. When it was cake time, "Happy Birthday" was sung with a "Hip Hip Hooray" added to the end. Once the candles were blown out (they used relighting candles) the child's younger sister fed her a piece of cake. I have heard that with milestone adult birthdays, young grandchildren or grand nephews/nieces feed the honored person bits of cake. Another interesting aspect of a child's birthday party is how gifts are handled. Guests bring gifts just like in America, but the birthday child does not open them. While the child and all the guests look on, an adult opens the gifts and they are set aside to be enjoyed after the party. It sure took less time to open the presents this way, but I still like seeing the joy on a child's face when unwrapping their own gifts.

K5 Graduation for Joshua and Caleb

2008-06-29T16:39:00.003+02:00

Our boys had the joy of sharing a graduation ceremony with two of their missionary friends who also finished kindergarten this year. It was nice of the moms to help create such a special day for the four boys. The gowns are homemade, as well as the caps! My (Sophie's) only participation was making and decorating the cakes. A small part compared to the other work done.

All the children from the three families involved sang two verses of Trust and Obey. They did a great job. Then each of the "graduates" recited a poem. Joshua and Caleb said Psalm 23 together. They had learned it earlier in the year and we spent quite a bit of time reviewing it in preparation for this day. We were proud of them.

Uncle Nathan Washer presented the boys with their certificates of completion. Caleb had a little problem with keeping his cap on straight whenever he moved. He has been working on carrying things on his head like the Zambians do, so he got extra practice with his cap.

We had a wonderful time rejoicing in how the Lord has blessed our boys and were reminded that there is much more that needs to be done to continue bringing them up in the admonition and knowledge of our Lord.

Children's Sunday - June 1st

2008-06-29T16:21:00.003+02:00

Periodically the church where we are attending (Faith Baptist Church in Riverside) has the Junior Church classes present what they have learned to the congregation. All three of our kids were in the youngest class and enjoyed singing songs and saying a Bible verse with their friends.

Sophie is part of the team of teachers for the second class of children, up to age 9. Their class attendance varies greatly, but the children are usually attentive and quick to learn the Biblical truths taught. This past Sunday, we had a problem with our class. We ran out of chairs! A good problem to have. We had 42 children in our class! Currently we are working on memorizing the books of the New Testament, not just to recite them for the parents, but so the kids can use the Bible better to share it with their friends and to read it for themselves. Joshua recently moved up to this class. Caleb will also, though he still enjoys being with his younger friends.

Radio Station Construction

2008-06-15T21:36:00.008+02:00

During the college break, John has been busy building the rooms to house the radio station. He is learning much about Zambian building supplies and methods, such as no electricity for power tools. Some of the Zambians are also learning much about a different way to build. It is rare for them to build a room with wood studs. Most construction is done with concrete blocks for both inside and outside walls.

One of the college students has been helping with the building process. The foam was put in the walls to help sound proof the room. This will be important to block out the noise from the dorm floor below and from the local bar next door. We continue to pray that the bar closes.

There are three rooms total - a small room for the actual radio station computers, a sound room, and a larger room room to be used as a recording studio. This will be a window in between the sound room and the recording studio. John already has some recordings of Bemba choirs, but is looking forward to being able to record more Bemba music to use on the radio. Several of the local pastors/college students have been recording their sermons for a couple years. This provides some Zambian preaching for broadcast in addition to what he receives from the States. Since English is an official language in Zambian and is widely used especially in urban areas, he is able to broadcast in English as well as Bemba.

The country mice move to the city

2008-06-13T11:44:00.007+02:00

Let me preface this post by saying that we are not complaining about where the Lord has placed us, but just stating some differences of various settings. There are some very positive aspects of living in town for which we are thankful.

Since moving into town from the Washer's "country home", we are all missing some aspects of the rural setting. Most noticeable is the quiet atmosphere. Our current home is located on a busy main road, near a bus stop, and just down from a large public university. All these produce noise, some more unpleasant than others.

We also miss some of the wildlife, though not the red ants. I had to sigh one day after we moved when Becky included in her breakfast prayer, "and please let the butterflies and birds come out soon." The butterflies were abundant in the Washer's yard as well as colorful small songbirds. In town, we mainly have crows, which are not so small, nor colorful, nor very musical.

Another aspect we are missing is our landlady/neighbor, otherwise known as Auntie Joy. I don't think a day went by that we were not graced with her presence in our home, or we walked down the sidewalk to visit her, or we visited in the yard. The children now appreciate her visits more that they are less frequent, but still at least one a week.

Before we moved, Becky was able to have supper with Auntie Joy (just the two of them) at her apartment. It happened on an evening without power, so they also had fun singing songs by candlelight while Auntie Joy played her guitar. I (mom) stayed long enough to take the picture and then left again.

The boys were able to play football (soccer) with the neighborhood boys in the field outside the Washer's gate a couple times. These "games" were always when mom and dad could keep watch over them. Joshua and Caleb had fun trying to keep up with the Zambian boys who are naturals at the game. The bigger boys were kind to slow down a few times and let our boys actually kick the ball a few times.

The kids also miss playing with the puppies. We do have our share of dogs here in town, since we brought our two, Zambie and Bell, and also have the Haflers' three dogs while they are away on furlough. However, adult dogs or even big puppies like Bell are not the same as cute little puppies. There were two litters of puppies at the Washers when we moved. They were the product of two german shepherd mix females and our Zambie. (We have since gotten Zambie fixed.) The puppies are cute and of course Becky loved them. Here she is with one when it was very young.

Joyful bike ride

2008-06-13T11:33:00.004+02:00

Some friends in our church in SC gave John this motorbike as an alternate source of transportation and also enjoyment. We brought it to Zambia on our container. John got it out and running when we were still living out at the Washer's home. Their yard was perfect for putting around. The kids loved getting rides on the motorbike. Even the "kid" who lived down the sidewalk from us. Joy Washer had a nice ride and gave the little kids rides too. Caleb had fun chasing her on a big bicycle from the container. We also brought over little kid bikes outgrown by Sophie's niece and nephews. The boys usually rode these around the Washer's yard, but Caleb thought he was big enough to ride a bigger bike. He did a good job.

Bible Club - April

2008-06-13T11:28:00.006+02:00

Sophie was able to help a couple of the other missionary wives in Kitwe with a neighborhood Bible club. She was only able to help one day since we were still living out of town and were trying to get things packed up to move soon. It was a blessing to see quite a number of children attend and hear the Gospel presented in various ways.

Close Encounters with Wild Africa Mid April

2008-06-13T10:44:00.008+02:00

We are finally back on the blogsite! After moving into town last month, our internet connection has been a bit slower than what it was when we lived a half hour away from town. Anyway, it seems like I may be able to start updating our blog today.

This takes us back to mid-April when we drove the almost 5 hours to Lusaka (capital of Zambia) during the mid-term break at Central Africa Baptist College. We stayed at a nice place that also has a game preserve offering safari drives in order to see the wild animals. We did go on the game drive, but discovered that April is not the best time to do so. The grass is so abundant that the animals do not have to congregate near watersources in order to find food. And the grass is so tall that the animals very effectively hide from view. We did see a few animals on our drive.

The kids enjoyed the playground and we were able to watch some wild animals which made themselves at home on the manicured lawns. The kids actually were able to get close enough to touch one eland. John had previously encountered it, so we knew it was tame. After a little while with the kids, the eland calmly protested and its head met Joshua and pushed him backwards onto the ground. Joshua did not suffer any injuries and the eland continued grazing on the grass.

We had a close and friendly encounter with an elephant. John and the kids all got to sit on it when it was brought near the lodging area! When we were on our game drive, we met up with the same elephant and we were able to feed it. The kids enjoyed putting pellets into the elephant's trunk.

We also had a close encounter with a rock python. Two rock pythons live in a snake pit. With the help of staff, we were allowed to touch and even hold one of these reptiles. Caleb was our only brave child who held it. The other two did touch, but then kept their distance. Sophie and John also held the python. A group of Zambian guests at the lodge were less keen on handling the snake. We were humored when several of them (including grown men) screamed and ran across the parking lot.

We saw a monitor lizard in a swampy area just off the roadway on our way into Lusaka town one day. It is in the center of the picture. We were able to do some shopping in Lusaka where goods are cheaper than in Kitwe. We even found small packages of M&Ms for just over 50 cents a bag! They were our treasure from the trip.

Wagon Ride

2008-04-09T00:05:00.007+02:00

Sometimes Ba Kennedy's son comes to play with Joshua, Caleb and Becky. Recently we got the wagon off the container and it has become the toy of choice, even over the bikes and the football (soccerball) at times. We have discouraged the kids from taking the wagon to the top of the termite mound in our back yard. It would be too much fun on the way down.

The wagon also has been helpful with the yardwork. Caleb especially likes to help work in the yard. He helps load up the wagon with weeds and then pulls it to where it can be dumped.

We are grateful to the Heinrichs who gave us the wagon when they were moving from Ohio to California to begin a church planting ministry.

Boys' Birthday

2008-04-07T22:00:00.008+02:00

Joshua and Caleb turned six on April 2nd! We had a good day celebrating as a family (including Auntie Joy). The boys had fun opening some presents from family.

On the 3rd, our GFA co-workers came for supper. We celebrated the boys' birthday with their friends and added Andrew Beaman to the festivities. He turned 13 on April 6th!

Joshua and Caleb had asked for a dog cake. I threatened to put Bell, our puppy, on the cake, but decided she would probably eat it.

Thank you to so many of you who sent cards and email greetings to Joshua and Caleb. They are enjoying all the stickers they received in the numerous cards.

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T22:41:00.003+02:00

We trust each of you had a blessed Easter Sunday remembering the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Our family has been able to visit several of the area churches associated with Central Africa Baptist College since we've been here. We mostly have been attending the church in the Riverside area of Kitwe. This morning John was privileged to join with a men's ensemble for special music. Sophie has been asked to help teach junior church. We are excited about the different opportunities to serve alongside Zambians.

Ants and Termites

2008-03-23T08:21:00.001+02:00

ANTS: This last week we have been battling with red ants in our yard. They came up out of the ground to the north east of the house. Their trail led all the way around the east end of the house to the south (front) side, ending up west of the house in the yard. They were crawling up the side of the house (these are the same kind that we had in the house shortly after we arrived). We laid lime powder around the house and sprayed the windows with diesel to keep them out of the house. A few days later we found them crossing the driveway right at the gate (which made getting out of the vehicle to open the gate very interesting). They crawl up on you and then start biting. It is not a pleasant experience to say the least. As they were crawling across the driveway I figured out they were heading under our container. So I checked inside and around. Then sprayed the outside perimeter of the container with diesel as well. The next day they were still at the gate, but making their way out of the gate and into the mound in the front property (outside the wall).

TERMITES: Today Sophie and I went out to the container to get a few items and a couple of the presents we had brought from the states as the boys birthdays are coming in April. After we got what we were looking for and on our way out of the container, Sophie noticed a lot of dirt on one of the boxes we had just removed from inside another box. I went back in where that box was and found that there was a termite "tunnel" around the box. The termites like to build mud tunnels to travel through. I started pulling out boxes and found that we had quite the infestation. We found them about halfway into the container. I went outside and found they were coming up through the floor of the container, and I guessed that it was right about where the piano is. Needless to say we panicked a bit. I started pulling out boxes and working my way along the busy termite tunnel (they scattered with each box I removed along the floor). They were all the way to the front of the container. So we emptied out that side all the way to the front. I wanted to get to the piano, but we had to get to the freezer and a couple big boxes of furniture (we have not needed these yet since we are still house sitting for one of the missionary families here that are to arrive back on the field in about a month). Finally about 8pm tonight I made it to the piano. Several of the boxes were just crawling with termites. Several boxes of books are damaged (they seem to like old books eating bindings and pages, some of the newer books were not too bad, though some of our college yearbooks they really liked the thick covers). From what we found so far, not too much of the furniture seems to be damaged. One of our co-workers brought over a bug bomb which we lit and will let sit until tomorrow. I will probably try to empty the whole container and tilt it up so we can see what damage is done from underneath. Here they use a mixture of oil and diesel to paint wood with to keep the termites away, so we will probably try to do that as well.

We are thankful for God's protection through all of these experiences. Thankful that no one was bitten too bad by the red ants. And thankful that the Lord allowed us to find the termites now (we might not have found them for another month or so and the damage would be much worse - one of the veteran missionaries thinks the termites have only been in the container a few days by the look at what damage had been done). Please keep praying for us, that we would see God's goodness in all that happens here in Zambia.

Flashback to Becky's Birthday Party

2008-02-28T22:17:00.004+02:00

Becky's birthday party was on December 17th (her birthday is the 25th). We figured we'd better get some pictures on the blog before the boys' birthday arrives the beginning of April. Where does the time go?

Becky shared her fourth birthday party with Jonathan Knipe who turned 3 on December 20th. He is the boy to the left of the picture just behind Becky. He is practicing blowing out his candles. There was a nice group of children ages 2-5 at their party. Jonathan's mom (Auntie Sue) made a cupcake caterpillar, but the kids decided it was a snake instead. No one was allowed to eat the head decorated with candies, since that's where the poison is.

We had fun playing games like relays, pin the nose on the snowman (yes, even in Zambia!) and some with a big parachute.

No matter how many games we organized, the kids loved playing in the sand and dirt the most.

Caleb's New Smile

2008-02-28T21:57:00.003+02:00

Tonight, Feb 28th, Caleb pulled out his own tooth. It had been loose for some time now. Daddy started pulling it, but went to get a washcloth. While he was gone, Caleb looked in the mirror and decided to yank it out himself. He was quite proud of himself.

What is it?

2008-02-28T21:33:00.005+02:00

Often we find things in our yard that make us say, "What in the world is this?" or simply "Wow!" Here are pictures of three such creatures.

This is a fashionable praying mantis. While the praying mantises do not get as big here as in America (at least not the ones we have seen), they are more interesting to say the least. Caleb found a different one that was dark brown with ruffles on its legs and body making it look like a dead leaf.

After a bit of research on the web, we learned that this is a stick case moth caterpillar. The caterpillar makes this mobile home and drags it around by just coming out a little bit to crawl. When it gets tired and needs a rest, it attaches one end of the stick case to the underside of some leaves and hangs there. I saw one hanging like that, but this one (might be the same one) was found crawling down the sidewalk.

Caleb is holding a large snail. They get rather large here and during the rainy season, they are everywhere in all sizes. We discourage the kids handling them because the snails' slime doesn't wash off easily.

Flowers of our yard

2008-02-28T21:00:00.007+02:00

The last week or so the rains had tapered off a bit. However, now they are back with a bit of vengance. One of the students explained they have a Zambian proverb that goes something like "the rains may lessen in March and April, but they are not done until destruction has happened."

In spite of this they have caused much beauty to spring up around the yard due to the regular natural watering that God has provided. Here are some pictures of the flowers around the yard this month.

Pick'n and Grin'n

2008-02-28T20:51:00.005+02:00

While some of you are freezing in the winter across America, we are enjoying harvest time here in Zambia. The corn (maize) is being picked and prepared. The kids here are helping Ba Kennedy (the Washer's worker) shuck the corn he picked. They love to help him with this project. The freezer is getting full. However, it is not the same as the sweet corn we enjoy in the States. The first batch we picked was pretty good, but Zambians like their maize more mature (tougher) so they waited a few more weeks to pick the rest.

Family Traditions

2008-01-27T14:47:00.001+02:00

We have started establishing some new family traditions. When the power goes out (which is often here in Zambia during the rainy season), it is easy to grumble and complain. So we decided to do something special when the electricity is off at supper time. By candlelight, we treat ourselves to roasted marshmallows on a fork for dessert. It's like having your own personal campfire.

Smile!

2008-01-27T14:36:00.000+02:00

Joshua has a new smile these days. He lost his first tooth on Friday, Jan 25th, (with a little help from his Dad.) His new tooth had already started coming in behind the baby tooth. The other bottom front tooth is also loose, but not ready to come out yet.

CABC Building

2008-01-14T20:54:00.000+02:00

Recently we have mentioned the Central Africa Baptist College building several times in our prayer requests. John took the camera with him today in order to give you a view of what is going on. They almost completed the back of the roof today. Three more sheets on the back, a row on the front side, and the ridge caps to go. We pray that the roof will be finished this week!

Unloading the roof sheets

and lifting them to the second floor.

The sheets are 36 inches wide

and 142 inches long.

They are also pretty heavy.

Then the sheets

are lifted again

to the third floor.

Sometimes we have

to cut the sheets to fit.

Then they are lifted up to the roof.

To be nailed in place.

In this picture you can see the rain storms coming. Today they stopped us three sheets short of getting the top row completed on the back of the building.

We are praying that the building will be ready to be moved into by mid-term this coming semester (2nd week of April).

Wedding Photos

2008-01-11T22:10:00.000+02:00

Kristie Washer and Daniel Elmer are to be married Saturday, January 12, 2008.

(We took pictures a few days early!)

Christmas Sunday

2008-01-11T22:08:00.000+02:00

Sunday after Christmas.

All dressed up.

Christmas Bell

2008-01-11T21:57:00.000+02:00

Christmas Morning we added another member of the family

We gave the kids a puppy and named her Bell.

Christmas

2008-01-11T21:39:00.001+02:00

Here are a few pictures of Christmas Morning.

Thanks Grandmas and Grandpas for the gifts.

Christmas Tree

2007-12-16T21:09:00.001+02:00

Thanks to some missionary friends in Ndola we have a Christmas tree this year. However, all of our ornaments are still buried in the recesses of our container. So the kids made some ornaments and had lots of fun decorating the tree. Near the top of the tree, you will see a lovely Christmas shark. After a few more interesting decorations, we channelled the kids creativity. This is a tree we will remember for quite some time.

Christmas is celebrated by many here in Zambia, though we don't see the commercialization one sees in the West. There are a few decorations put up in some of the stores, and a few items available for sale. Most Zambians celebrate very simply with a special meal.

One thing that makes it hard to realize it is almost Christmas is the weather. Absolutely no snow here, since it is in usually between 70F - 80F most days unless it is raining, which makes it a bit cooler. The kids were a bit disappointed when we told them they could not make snow angels here, but we are waiting until they try it in the mud.

We look forward to celebrating Christmas together with our missionary friends here in Zambia. We would appreciate your prayers as it will be hard on family ties during this holiday season.

Future Vet?

2007-12-16T21:03:00.000+02:00

The Rains Continue to Come

2007-12-01T20:56:00.000+02:00

Here are a few shots of the recent afternoon rains that we have received. The rainy season is upon us. I always wondered what was meant by "rainy season" - Does it rain every day? Does it rain all day? For those in other climates what does this mean. Well, we are still learning about it, but we can let you know what has happened so far.

Does it rain every day? No, at least not yet. However we do get rains at least every few days.

Does it rain all day? No, so far we have had mainly fast moving storms come through. These last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. They come with lots of lightning and thunder and pretty good downpours. Yet, we have had a few nights where the rains started in the afternoon and then switched to a good steady rain that lasted until early morning.

It has made a major difference in the landscape. In just a few weeks our yard has changed from almost no grass to one that needs mowing frequently. Many flowers are beginning to pop up and, as we have shared earlier, many creatures have been forced out of their homes to look for dryer accommodations.

The main thing about rainy season is that we actually get rain. We arrived at the end of June, and did not see a drop of rain until late October. We expect that it will continue to rain like this until sometime around April. But we do expect heavier rains to come yet this season.

Sunset

2007-12-01T12:24:00.000+02:00

Thought you might want to enjoy some of God's beauty that we have been seeing here.