Birthday "Baptism"

March 8^th (last Tuesday) was Women’s Day, a national holiday here in Zambia.  This meant no school and we got to take the time to celebrate and show appreciation for the amazing, hard-working women at New Day.  It’s too bad we don’t have this holiday in the States… 

Women's Day! (left to right) Diana, Elizabeth, Mallory, Laurie (Mama Lala), Jamie, Abby, Darbi (in the hat), Kailyn, Carolyn, Mcdrena (spellcheck?), Mama Tembo, me, and Mama Loveness 

Anyway, with so many birthdays here, New Day celebrates all the bdays of that month on the same day sooooo one big party.  Lucky me, I got to celebrate my birthday with them!  Ages: Luumuno - 6, Malilwe – 8, Glory – 9, Kelitah – 11, me – 24, and Mama Tembo – 54!  Kailyn, Jamee, Mal and I made chocolate cakes for the kids, each getting to decorate one, as well as a strawberry cake to celebrate Women’s Day.  On top of that, Mal brought yellow cake mix from the States to make me a special bday cake that her J and K decorated.  They didn’t even intend to make it USA themed but they did and I loved it. 

My cake! Thanks Mal Mal

We were each sung “Happy Birthday” with an added line of “How old are you?” (Where you hold up your fingers and yell your age) then we would blow out our candles and everyone would cheer.  Mal actually brought 24 candles for my cake so Papa Wes kept joking that it was a fire hazard… And it did take some time to light.  After singing, we went down the line opening presents.  I felt so honored that the awesome missionaries here took the time to get me gifts for my birthday.  I got some great Zambian souvenirs, a headband, and earrings – LOVE!  After gifts, the women all got hugged (by EVERYONE) to celebrate Women’s Day and we dug into the cakes.

All the bday kids with their cakes (Mal and I made the board in the back)

Malilwe blowing out her candles

Showing Kelitah my gifts - thank you New Day staff!

           I’ll be honest, I had heard ahead of time that you get water splashed on you for your birthday, but I still didn’t quite know what to expect.  I had thought it all happened at once, but as soon as I stepped out of the dining hall I was attacked by kids, teachers, you name it.  It was a BLAST and I was completely soaked by the end. I think the pictures mostly do it justice, just know that there are A LOT more.  At the end, we are all told to line up for a picture.  Of course, I didn’t know this meant Blu was going to dump and entire cooler of water on our heads!  I felt so refreshed, renewed, and purely loved it was like being re-baptized, hence why I am titling this post “Birthday Baptism.”

Immediately attacked by the kids

And the teachers... Thanks Abby!

It was hands down one of my favorite and certainly most memorable birthdays.  In fact, I think it’s safe to say it was my best!  I thank God for placing such a great, caring group of people in my life here.  I felt so loved by everyone and privileged to celebrate my birthday with these kids.  Of course, I miss my family and friends back home and hope to celebrate with you all when I get back! 

 “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” 

- John 7:38

Thanks to these awesome girls for making my *early* birthday so special! (And Emmanuel)

#LifeInZambia

Helping teach English at Kabanga 

Most of Thursday was spent with the kids at the Kabanga School.  I sat in on Jamee’s class again, not knowing that she was going to have me teach instead of her – thanks Jamee!!!!!  All I had to do was explain the definitions to some words (shone, brightest, rushed, etc.) and instruct the kids to match the word to the correct definition.  Of course with the language barrier and the craziness of having 60 kids in a classroom, this proved to be difficult.  After checking work, time was up and we made our way back to New Day.

            Papa Wes had to take an employee to the hospital in Macha (not an emergency, but please keep him in your prayers) so Mal and I rode along.  It was a VERY jarring ride.  I cannot imagine being injured or in the middle of labor and making it down that bumpy road.  Making a mental note to be extremely grateful for our smooth asphalt back in the States.  I didn’t take pictures so I will do my best to describe what I could see of the hospital.  It was a simple one-story brick building with an open area and shelter where families could stay while their loved one was being treated.  There were a lot of women and children outside preparing their lunch.  There is a School of Nursing by the hospital as well.  We then went to visit another American couple that lives close by so Wes could rent a car from them.  They run a sport camp and use it as a method to witness to the kids in addition to helping at the hospital. 

Don't let the smile fool you, biking in a chitenge is hard

            That afternoon, I went with Jamee and Kailyn back to Kabanga to play with the kids.  We biked there and I have to say I’ve never felt so out of shape.  Come to find out, it was because my tires were getting flatter by the second... Oops. 

Since track season ended with the meet last weekend, the boys were playing soccer (football) and the girls were playing netball.  Netball is basically a mix of basketball and ultimate Frisbee.  It can get pretty intense.  I observed while Jamee and Kailyn joined in with the kids.  Seriously, that bike ride wore me out!  Plus, I don’t yet know the kids well enough to be able to recognize who was on what team and there aren’t any uniforms for sports.  We biked back, taking turns using my awfully slow moving bike (Jamee and Kailyn now understand why I was lagging going to the school).  The kids chased after us most of the way.

The girls playing netball

Only some players can cross certain lines on the court 

Kids running behind as we bike back to New Day

Friday was an AWESOME day.  After hitting a wall earlier in the week, I finally felt refreshed and energized.  I had been praying for renewed strength and God really did deliver.  I even woke up before my alarm and made it to workout with Darbi.  Misheck did great in math and Language Arts with Cambree was so much fun.  We played charades with her vocabulary words. 

Right after class, we left for the biweekly Choma trip.  Despite the bumpy road I enjoyed the whole ride, talking and singing with everyone on the bus.  I even managed to stay stress free quickly shopping for groceries (that’s a blessing).   When we finished running all of our errands, we hurried to the iConnect to purchase 30 min of wifi.  10 min into my connection, however, the power went out.  IN THE WHOLE CITY.  That, my friends, is life in Zambia.

            When we got back from Choma, we packed up for a “slumber party” at Wes and Laurie’s house.  Yep, they hosted us four 20-somethings for games, movies, and gave us their living room floor for the night.  Mama Lala even made us chicken and cheese quesadillas, salsa, and guacamole for dinner.  Oh how I miss mexican food.  We had so much fun but were also so worn out that I'm pretty sure we were all asleep by midnight… Typical Friday night and I wouldn’t change a thing.  

                                                     Gotta love #LIFEINZAMBIA

African Time

Blogging is hard.  Especially when it takes at least an hour to download photos and you have to stand in the middle of the road holding your laptop up to do so.  I have been trying to wait and post when we have wifi installed, but I also now understand the meaning of “African time” and realize that may not happen for a while, if ever, during my stay here.  So this is my weekend recap:

Friday afternoon, we went to the village where Jamee and Kailyn lived for a month.  Living at New Day is not “roughing it” at all compared to life in the village.  First, we had to fill up buckets of water at the pump and carry them in the wheelbarrow back to the house (a one-room brick building with a tiny bathroom) so we would be able to flush the toilet.  Talk about an arm workout.  After that we took a break and went to sit by the river.  It hasn’t had water in it due to the drought, but with all the rain we have had lately it was full.  We weren’t the only ones with that idea so as we sat in the sun, people kept coming to wash clothes and bathe in the river.  

Jamee and Kailyn's house in the village 

Mal pumping water at the well

At the river 

              We then went to the church where Priscilla (Kailyn and Jamee’s African “mom”) was working with some other women.  They were digging up dirt and using it to flatten the floor inside the church.  Those women are STRONG.  One of them, Margaret, used to be a housemother at New Day and spoke English well so we talked to her a good bit.  She told us that life was so much easier now that “white people shared things with black people in Africa.”  She was so grateful for missionaries and the supplies they brought with them, as well as their knowledge.  I was speechless because, while I am sure life is easier compared to her mother’s (who had to make tops out of pounded tree bark and grass skirts), it is still SO much harder than the life we are used to in America.  Margaret was so thankful for the clothes on her back, despite them being too worn for wear by American standards.  It was a very eye-opening and humbling conversation.

The new village church - Margaret is on the right 

Flattening the floor of the church 

Priscilla on the left carrying a large log home

            After hanging out with the women at the church for a long time (everything runs MUCH slower on “African time”) we headed back to Priscilla’s for dinner.  It took nearly two hours to make everything since it was all cooked over the same small fire.  She roasted maize at the base while cooking on the skillet.  It was fascinating to watch and we cut foods to help.  She made a big pot of white rice first and then green beans cooked in oil with eggs.  She then heated up an African version of Vienna sausages and made a sauce with diced tomato, onion, water, and curry powder.   While doing this, she would check the maize and rotate it with her bare hands.  In fact, she did everything with her bare hands: holding the skillet, grabbing the hot pot lid, etc.  It’s amazing how tough these women are, not to mention patient.  I love to cook, but I’m all about fast, easy meals. Side note: There is no electricity in the village so we used solar powered flashlights.  It’s funny to see the stark contrast of primitive life with modern technology.  Once dinner was prepared, we ate with Priscilla, her husband Maxwell, and their children, Blu and Stacy in their home.  We prayed and ate to our hearts content.  We mixed all the different foods together over rice and it was delicious.  Maxwell shared his story of how he came to know Christ and Mallory shared hers with him as well.  We talked, prayed again, and headed to our house next door for bed.  I was so worn out from the day that I immediately drifted off, but woke up later to rain pounding the tin roof.  It may be a very slow-paced life in the village, but it is also so simple and serene.

Jamee and Kailyn helping with dinner 

            Saturday morning, it was pouring rain, so the four of us slept in and got off to a late start.  We all had a peaceful quiet time, with rain hitting the roof and water warming on the brazier to make coffee and oatmeal.  As the rain died down and we got ready to head out, we listened to “Clear the Stage” by Jimmy Needham on repeat.  Inspired, we each shared the biggest idol in our life and prayed for God to help us overcome them.  I will definitely be downloading that song as soon as I get home.

            Once ready, we began the muddy trek to Saint Mark’s Secondary School (High School) to watch the track meet.  The walk was long and very slippery, but we met Jane along the way and I talked to her about her work in Zambia.  Like I said in a previous post, she is here with the Peace Corps working in a health clinic, which we passed on our walk.  She is mainly working with mothers and infants concerning HIV and informing them as well as the younger generation how it is spread and how to prevent it.  I would go into more detail, but I also hope to go help her in the clinic one day while I am here so I will be much more descriptive then.

Spectators in the rain 

            The “track” was really just a soccer field with lines drawn in the dirt around it.  A lot of people had come to the competition, despite the rainfall.  It was unlike any sporting event I have ever been to.  All of the kids ran as fast as they could in a wide-range of clothes, most being barefoot, in the mud.  What it lacked in structure, it made up for in intensity and enthusiasm.  We had a lot of fun, but were all wet and tired by the end.  We were also concerned that if we stayed in the village that night like we had planned, we would be stranded there until the river lowered enough to cross the bridge back to New Day.  Fortunately, Papa Wes was willing to pick us up.  We swung by the house, grabbing our necessities and leaving the rest behind, and rushed back to New Day since time was of the essence if we wanted to cross the bridge safely.  Water was already up to the base of the truck when we went over it.  Despite the rain, some kids still made it to New Day for Kids Club and we spent the rest of the afternoon playing and eating Nshima, beans, and cabbage with them.

One of many pictures from the track meet 

            Sunday after church, we relaxed the rest of the day.  There was no power, so we spread out on the cool floor while Jamee read Redeeming Love to us (we finally finished it!).  That night, we went over to Wes and Laurie’s for American Fellowship.  English worship and American Fellowship are switched out each Sunday.  For American fellowship, all the Americans at New Day each prepare a dish and meet at someone’s house for food and games.  Everyone still managed to make his or her meal without power (Mal and I made deviled eggs since they are Blu’s favorite) and we enjoyed some awesome “American” comfort foods like pizza, enchiladas, and homemade ice cream.  After talking and playing hedbandz, the power finally came on and we went back to the ark to watch a movie and go to bed.  It was a fun weekend, simultaneously slow and busy, but I guess that’s what life is like on “African Time.”

Holding a baby boy while his mama worked on the church  

INDESCRIBABLE

Yesterday (Wednesday), we went along with our daily routine of tutoring and work around the school.  Misheck is doing awesome in math by the way.  That afternoon we had another Americans vs. Zambians match, but this time in volleyball and we won!  Go USA!  Mal has some pretty significant scrapes from it.  And by “it” I mean the stump she tripped over.  Poor Mal.  Other than that mishap, we all had so much fun and since we won we had the kids crab-walk across the soccer field for their “punishment” as they call it.  They got off easy compared to the squats we had to do.  We spent the rest of the afternoon playing and I helped some of the girls do backbends.  I wouldn’t doubt it if they can all do back handsprings by the time I leave if they put their minds to it.  They are all so athletic.

            We made burgers and “chips” back at the ark for dinner.  The power cut out halfway through, but fortunately came back on about five minutes later.  We popped popcorn on the stove and watched War Horse on the projector.  I love that movie, obviously.  When we finished, we walked outside and it was the first night I have been able to see all of the stars in the sky.  It was too pretty for words.  Seriously.  We all tried to describe it this morning and we really couldn’t.  That’s when Chris Tomlin’s lyrics hit me:

“Indescribable, uncontainable, you placed the stars in the sky and you know them by name.  You are amazing God.”  Thank you for putting into words what we couldn’t Chris.

And then, this morning I read this verse:  The earth is full of His glory.  - Isaiah 6:3

Nail. On. The. Head.

Today we went back to the Kabanga School.  The kids Jamee and Kailyn teach were being tested in Science, so we played outside with the younger ones.  They are so funny.  Some are shy, but many of them just want to look at and touch you.  Everywhere we went, we each had a crowd of at least twenty children surrounding us, sometimes holding hands with four at a time.  I wish they understood more English so we could talk to them, but they seem to enjoy just listening to and watching us.

           

Feelin' like celebs

After helping Papa Wes with some work and taking an easy afternoon “off, we had dinner with the new day kids.  It was spaghetti, so you can imagine how messy that was.  I helped Agnes eat hers, so we stayed relatively clean and she really liked being fed.  The older kids had Home Economics with Teacher Abby this afternoon, so they brought the potatoes and beef stew they made and we tried that too.  They did such a good job and were so proud of the meals they had prepared.  After dinner, we had praise and worship.  It is so sweet listening to all of the prayer requests and praises said by the kids.  I couldn’t help but think of Matthew 18:3-4.

And he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Everyday I have been here with these amazing children I pray God helps me to have the innocence and blind faith of a child.

A v. Z and the 4 P's

Sweet baby Emma

 Yesterday morning it was raining so Papa Wes stopped by to drive Kailyn and Jamee to Kabanga, the village where they teach.  He ended up sitting down with us and rather than go to morning devotion, we all ended up having our own with him.  We each shared about Francis Chan’s message we had heard the night before.  Papa Wes is so great to talk to.  He is so knowledgeable in The Word and you can tell he has a great relationship with God.  “Papa Wes” is definitely right as he is such a father figure to us girls here. 

I then went on with my usual Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule:

8-9: Tutor Misheck in math

 9-10: Help however I can, usually construction with Papa Wes or work around the school for Mama Lala with Mallory if it’s raining

10-11: Work on language arts with Cambree (With fun horse facts since she loves horses)

11-12: More work around the school; currently re-doing the big bulletin board in the dining hall 

12-2:   Lunch/break; I cook while Mal reads Redeeming Love* aloud (lol)

*Such a great book.  I read while in Nicaragua/Guatemala last year and it was life changing. 

2-2:30: Reading with Kefbert and Emmanuel – they are WILD but so much fun

After that, Mal and I work on whatever else needs to be done and play with the kids when they’re finished with homework.  This afternoon was especially fun.  The sun finally came out and we had an Americans vs. Zambians soccer game.  All of the kids started singing the Zambian national anthem so we joined in with ours and tried to sing even louder.  They laughed at all of the high notes.  As for the game, we lost with our team of four girls, Caedmon, and Cason (Blu and Darbi’s sons).  We were significantly outnumbered and outmaneuvered, but it was a blast.

After the soccer game

Climbing the tower

At the top

That night we climbed the water tower.  We were too late for the sunset, but a lightning storm was off in the distance.  We listened to worship songs and sang along.  At times, a lightning strike would match with the music.  AWE-some is an understatement.  It was so very peaceful to just sit back and enjoy God’s creation, something I do not do often enough at home and will definitely be making a point to do so.

This morning, I opened my Bible to my daily reading (I’m doing “The Bible In a Year” by She Reads Truth – love this app) and happened to read Psalm 29:7-8:

“The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning.  The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the desert of Kadesh.”  Or in my case, Zambia.  This verse could not have fit more perfectly after our experience on the water tower overlooking the lightning storm.

            Today we began our normal Tuesday schedule.  Mallory and I will now be joining Kailyn and Jamee at the Kabanga School.  Normally we will all ride bikes there, but since the road is so muddy from all the rain we have been getting so Papa Wes drove us.  It was mud-riding heaven for all my LaGrange redneck friends.  Mallory was like, “I wish I had a four-wheeler!!!!!!” (Please read that last sentence with a country twang).  We were skidding and sliding all over the road, but Papa Wes is a great driver, thank goodness.  Anyway, I can basically summarize our day in four words: pupils, painting, pushups, and pancakes.

All the kids were waving at Mallory and me when we arrived at the school, excited to see new faces.  I joined in on Jamee’s class of 69 students and Mallory joined in on Kailyn’s class of 60.  Just to give an idea of the school system here, it’s 6 brick and cement buildings holding 500 students with only 5 teachers.  This does not include Kailyn and Jamee.  When I walked in the classroom, all the kids stood up and yelled, "Good morning Madam!"  The teacher in charge of Jamee’s class did not show, so we were on our own.  Jamee handled it great but the language barrier is certainly frustrating.  She began by teaching the students about nouns and verbs, assigning them to either write noun or verb next to the words we had written on the board.  After, they would race up to either Jamee or me for us to check their work.  Many did not understand what was asked of them but some got all of them right.  After English, we played a math game that got a little intense.  Jamee divided them into teams and a student from each side would race to answer the problem (simple addition or subtraction).  Whoever finished first scored their team a point.  The students were excited and very loud by the end.  They are definitely a competitive bunch.  Fortunately, the game ended with a tie. 

Kailyn prepping her class for a test 

Jamee handing chalk to a pupil for the math game

We made our way back to New Day around 10 am.  Papa Wes said he needed help in the house they are preparing to move the boys into so Mal and I joined him.  We helped him hang curtain rods above all the windows.  This involved hand sawing metal pipes, which I was eager to try.  After hanging the curtains and a lunch break, we got to work painting the ceilings of the house.  This took a lot of coats of paint and most of the afternoon.  I used the roller, so by the time I was finished I was covered in specks of white.

When I picked up Agnes after painting, she pointed to my face and said, “You’re dirty.”  I asked her to help me and she tried to pick the paint from my eyelashes.  We spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the kids.  Little Emma was running around and I heard her say, “Ray Ray!”  Yay! She’s finally calling me by name! Well, close enough anyway.  The kids then challenged Mallory and me to a push up contest.  Even with Emma on my back, I managed to win, encouraged by the kids counting/yelling as I went.  Emma had so much fun and held one arm up like a little bull rider.  SO STINKIN’ CUTE.

"Bull-rider" Emma

Push up challenge against Mal 

For dinner, we had our first “Ark Family Dinner” and it was amazingggg.  Jamee and Kailyn made pancakes, Mal sizzled some bacon, and I cooked eggs.  Breakfast for dinner, my dad’s favorite.  We may have gotten a little “Aunt Jemima drunk” after drowning our pancakes in syrup.  I think it was due to the sudden large dose of high fructose corn syrup to our diets…  We literally laughed the entire meal as we stuffed our faces.  Now we are all plump-full of pancakes and sitting on the couch while Jamee reads Redeeming Love to us.  Even writing this blog is a little bit of a struggle as I am so fulla and sore from the combination of cutting pipes, painting, and doing so many pushups with the kids.  It reminds me of how much I need strength from God, both physically and spiritually.

“I love you, O Lord, My strength.” - Psalm 18:1