Hi everyone,
We have a story to tell, and it is one that may only come from Zambia. As many of you know, we had a rather interesting time in Livingstone, and it only got a little more interesting. After waking up early Sunday morning for a day in the game park (which was incredible) we head over to the market. We did a little shopping but wanted to get back to Choma at a decent hour to visit Charity's family for mourning. While Erma was trying to reach into the truck, she slipped and fell backwards onto the dirt road. There was some blood, confusion, tears, prayers and frozen corn to help with the process. Needless to say, we did get pushed back a little in our schedule. Unfortunalty, we had plans for dinner and did not return to Choma with enough time to stop into Charity's home. At our dinner, we were told that Charity had not died, and that there was confusion about who exaxtly passed on.
As of now, Charity is alive and well and our prayers go to the other family in mourning. Erma spent the evening in a "hospital" for some check up and returned this morning in good condition and high spirits. We made the long journey to Lusaka today joyous to come home but sad to leave. As a team we will find closure to our work as our plane takes off at 8:50 am Tuesday and we touch down in Newark at 10:35 Tuesday night!
See you all then and keep us in your prayers as we travel....(20 hours of fun)
-Larry
Monday, June 8, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Pouring in Zimbabwe
Now that our work is done, it is time to sit back and enjoy a bit of Zambia’s beauty. We have spent much of our stay here absorbing culture, living amongst the people and soaking the beauty of the country…or at least we thought so. The team packed the Hiace once again for an overnight stay in Livingstone, Zambia. We have heard so much about this place, and we were eager to see Victoria Falls. Though Livingstone is only 120 kilometers away from Choma, it took a solid 3 hours to get there due to detours and potholes in the road.
We arrived at Victoria Falls early in the afternoon. It is truly an amazing thing to experience! The falls are so high that the pounding water creates a mist that rises for hundreds of feet in the air. As we walked along the falls, this mist showered us like a steady rain. The mist also makes visibility very poor – we were unable to see the full length or height of the falls. I think it was a reminder for us all how awesome our God is to be able to create and sustain such a natural wonder!
After seeing the falls, about half of the team (Ron, Larry, Matt Ndala and our guest Kristen) decided to take a hike down to see the “boiling pot.” After the water from the falls hits the Zambezi river, it gathers and churns before taking a sharp turn around the gorge. As we hiked down to see this, we saw dozens of baboons on the cliff. There were big baboons and small baboons, playful baboons and lazy baboons, friendly baboons and shy baboons. Many of them played along the path we were hiking on, and we came very close to them. It was so much fun to see these interesting animals up close. We finally made it down to the boiling pot, after fording streams, climbing over wet, slippery rocks, and taking a couple spills in the water. It was a great adventure for us all!
No trip to victory falls is complete with an attempt to get into Zimbabwe. The whole team went through immigration and got access to walk across the bridge into Zimbabwe territory. Since the currency is no longer being used, there are marketers selling the bills as currency all over the place. It was a neat adventure walking all the way to the border. Matt, Jess and I tried to get a stamp so that we could go through the border but the police said it required a $30 Visa. $30 was not a worth a 10 minute walk into the border of Zimbabwe and back. Our time was greeted with a Warthog which was something many of us only remember from the creatures in the Lion King.
After our time spent in the market and a delicious dinner, our team decided to return to Victoria Falls this evening to witness a phenomenon called a moonbow. Since it was a full moon, we could see dim rainbows over the falls produced by the light of the moon. I must say, it was absolutely incredible and something none of us have seen before. According to the reputable Wikipedia, the moonbow can only be seen in three different places in the world – Kentucky, Hawaii, and Zambia.
Bishop Hamukang’andu called us last night with some sad and shocking news. We found out that a lady named Charity, who was one of the most enthusiastic and gifted members of the tie-dye coop, was killed in an accident yesterday. She was in the back of a bus with many other people returning from a funeral when a tire popped and the bus overturned. As far as we know, at least one other person was killed, and we’re not sure if there were more casualties. Of course, this news hit our team very hard, especially for Christine, Jess, and Ali who spent so much time working with Charity over the past few weeks. Our team gathered back in the lodge last night to grieve and pray together. Please be in prayers for Charity’s family and the families of others involved in this accident. Please also pray that our team is able to minister to this family as we go and visit later today.
This morning we are going to the game park in Livingstone, then we’ll return back to Choma. We would ask for your prayers as we finish up the last couple days of our stay in Zambia.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
“Do you see the moon in America?”
There are many luxuries of the western culture that we don’t realize we have until we forced to live without them. Of course there’s the obvious like electricity, running water, and roofs which don’t contain rats. However one luxury I believe we all over looked is the knowledge we have of our world around us. During our time in Simaubi, I suppose I assumed these people would have some concept of what American culture was like; due to the fact, that America seems to be known all over world these days. However as I spent time with the villagers of Simaubi working on the VSLA, I realized they had no concept of anything other than their own village. This came as a surprise as I was asked questions about America. The idea that we didn’t eat any Nshima in America was a difficult one for many of them to grasp. Imagine trying to explain what an American kitchen was like if the only thing they knew was an open flame fire for cooking dinner and light. Or in another situation, how do you explain what our houses look like, if the only thing they knew is a house of mud bricks and a thatch roof. After having many conversations with individuals in the village, I came to understand what the people imagined about America. One person thought America was huge with probably 15 states. I have to admit I chuckled a little to myself when I corrected him with the fact that there were actually 50 states. Others thought our houses were made of sheet metal and there was an over flowing supply of Nshima. (Corn meal and water that basically when is cooked it becomes a puffy white mound of bland starch). Life as we know it is something that is more than difficult to explain for those who live in the humbleness of the simple life. I think I speak for us all when I say we saw the Africa we knew existed and never believed to be true. However, this past week we didn’t just see it, but lived it, and now we all know that it’s true.
This past week four of the seven of us made the venture back to Simaubi for more training in the Village Savings and Loan Association project. For those who may not know what VSLA is all about, in short, it’s essentially like starting a micro-bank owned and operated completely by the association members. The point of this program is to make the people self sufficient through saving Kwacha (the local currency) and taking loans out from each other. I am proud to say that we have successfully started two of these associations this past week. Monday we woke up extra early to make the two hour truck down to the Simaubi village. We all tried to get a little extra sleep as we bumped around in the over loaded and crowded truck. Needless to say, the ride to Simaubi from Choma is more of an obstacle course as Ron tries to dodge as many bumps and pot holes as possible. Monday I believe we were all extra sleepy when we arrived just before nine. However as discussed last week at our sessions, if anyone was late to the meeting on Monday they would have to pay a fine. By the time we got to the church, we had to put money into their fine’s bowl along with many others. This past week Monday and Tuesday were both intense days of training and frustrating at certain points. These two days we were helping the associations to fill out their Constitution, or rules for the group. In the guide book we were using for this project, it’s supposed to take only 2 hours. However for us it took two days. We found that some of the questions in the Constitution took two hours of nothing but discussion in Tonga before a conclusion was decided. Both Monday and Tuesday the trainings went from 9 to 5 with only brakes for tea/ breakfast and lunch. Wednesday Matt and my association had quite a lot to do, while Laura and Larry’s association was almost finished with all of their trainings. Our goal was to try to finish early and get done on Wednesday. Matt and I didn’t think it was going to possible however we succeeded in doing so. Both of our associations made it through the training process and held their first savings meeting. We were all proud of their accomplishment! Laura and Larry’s association saved 2,446,500 Kwacha ($489) with their saving shares and fines combined. Matt and my association saved 871,000 Kwacha ($174) with the saving shares and fines combined. The feeling was bitter sweet as we hugged and shook hands of the 56 members of the associations we trained. They were extremely grateful for our time with them and asked if when we were coming back. It was good for us all to be able to see our project we were working on all year come together and become a success.
We all enjoyed our time together as a team and with our host families. Laura and I had quite some adventures together as we bore through rats, the roof snowing on us at night, a bird squawking somewhere in the roof, sharing a single bed together, and still yet four other ladies trying to squeeze into the tiny crowded mud hut. Our neighbors, Matt and Larry, had their own adventures to deal with. One of these obstacles being the “shower room” which contained straw walls which were too short for our seven foot man, Mateyo. Because our host families were neighbors and relatives, the four of us had many meals together which we all enjoyed each other’s company. Our time in Simaubi was stretching, humbling, and a success. We all got a glimpse into a life full of struggles, and hardships. The faces of the people we worked with will live on through pictures and our memories. We taught them business skills and did what we could to help improve their lives for the future. However we didn’t just educate them on business skills but on the world outside of their village as well. In conclusion, our time in Simaubi was one to remember. When we go back to America and look up at the moon in the night sky, we will think about our conversation with our friend Sebastian when he asked “do you see the moon in America?”
Mary High
This past week four of the seven of us made the venture back to Simaubi for more training in the Village Savings and Loan Association project. For those who may not know what VSLA is all about, in short, it’s essentially like starting a micro-bank owned and operated completely by the association members. The point of this program is to make the people self sufficient through saving Kwacha (the local currency) and taking loans out from each other. I am proud to say that we have successfully started two of these associations this past week. Monday we woke up extra early to make the two hour truck down to the Simaubi village. We all tried to get a little extra sleep as we bumped around in the over loaded and crowded truck. Needless to say, the ride to Simaubi from Choma is more of an obstacle course as Ron tries to dodge as many bumps and pot holes as possible. Monday I believe we were all extra sleepy when we arrived just before nine. However as discussed last week at our sessions, if anyone was late to the meeting on Monday they would have to pay a fine. By the time we got to the church, we had to put money into their fine’s bowl along with many others. This past week Monday and Tuesday were both intense days of training and frustrating at certain points. These two days we were helping the associations to fill out their Constitution, or rules for the group. In the guide book we were using for this project, it’s supposed to take only 2 hours. However for us it took two days. We found that some of the questions in the Constitution took two hours of nothing but discussion in Tonga before a conclusion was decided. Both Monday and Tuesday the trainings went from 9 to 5 with only brakes for tea/ breakfast and lunch. Wednesday Matt and my association had quite a lot to do, while Laura and Larry’s association was almost finished with all of their trainings. Our goal was to try to finish early and get done on Wednesday. Matt and I didn’t think it was going to possible however we succeeded in doing so. Both of our associations made it through the training process and held their first savings meeting. We were all proud of their accomplishment! Laura and Larry’s association saved 2,446,500 Kwacha ($489) with their saving shares and fines combined. Matt and my association saved 871,000 Kwacha ($174) with the saving shares and fines combined. The feeling was bitter sweet as we hugged and shook hands of the 56 members of the associations we trained. They were extremely grateful for our time with them and asked if when we were coming back. It was good for us all to be able to see our project we were working on all year come together and become a success.
We all enjoyed our time together as a team and with our host families. Laura and I had quite some adventures together as we bore through rats, the roof snowing on us at night, a bird squawking somewhere in the roof, sharing a single bed together, and still yet four other ladies trying to squeeze into the tiny crowded mud hut. Our neighbors, Matt and Larry, had their own adventures to deal with. One of these obstacles being the “shower room” which contained straw walls which were too short for our seven foot man, Mateyo. Because our host families were neighbors and relatives, the four of us had many meals together which we all enjoyed each other’s company. Our time in Simaubi was stretching, humbling, and a success. We all got a glimpse into a life full of struggles, and hardships. The faces of the people we worked with will live on through pictures and our memories. We taught them business skills and did what we could to help improve their lives for the future. However we didn’t just educate them on business skills but on the world outside of their village as well. In conclusion, our time in Simaubi was one to remember. When we go back to America and look up at the moon in the night sky, we will think about our conversation with our friend Sebastian when he asked “do you see the moon in America?”
Mary High
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