Water

Water is a very basic thing. Something we can so easily take for granted.
Since moving here I have never been so thankful for hot running water.

For about the first 6-8 months, we had major issues with our water. We didn't have hot water consistently.
For some time, we had hot water in the sinks but not the showers. Then we didn't even have hot water in the sinks. So several times, especially in the cold season we had to boil pots of water on the stove and then take it to the bath tub dump it in, go back and boil more. With 7 people this was quite the process and task just to get clean with hot water.

Then we had issues with our water pressure. When we finally had consistent hot water, then there would be no pressure. We would start the shower with a drizzle and then at times it would stop completely then a minute or two later it would start back again to the drizzle. We are once again having issues with the pressure, at times even going to take a shower and nothing comes out.



I have mentioned to a few people that I have never prayed more about water than in the shower, this past year. Praying for a good attitude when the water is not what we would like. Then praying and thanking God when it was.

This past week we were at a friend's house preparing lunch for the orphans. Where she lives, they only have water turned on 3 times a day, for an hour each time. So at her house though she has sinks and faucets, most of the time the water is taken out of a tub then poured into basins. Just washing your hands after cutting up the chicken, rinsing vegetables off.... the list can go on and on of how many times you go to turn the water on and its not there.

Then imagine every day when the water turns on, having the task of re filling every bucket, tub and basin to use for that day.
Quite alot of work.

I see that situation and it makes me thankful we HAVE running water all the time.

My friend talks about her situation and says she is thankful the water comes to her house, 3 times a day.

Because many other neighbors don't have that. They have to walk a short distance to fetch their water from a running tap wether it is a few "blocks down" from where they live.






And I imagine those people look at their situation of having to walk a short distance to turn the faucet on and get water out and they can see, at least all we have to do is turn it on. Others have to walk even longer distances to then pump their water out of the well.





Everywhere we go, every day people are walking with buckets to get water.
Just think about something we take for granted that has to be a major thought and action of your life every day. Going to get water. Every time I drive to Kabanana and head through Chipata I see at least one or two men rolling barrels of water.
Kids start early and as much as they can carry they too are involved in getting the water each day. Whether it is just a milk jug, or a basin they too are carrying.



I think about all those things and then look in my yard at the two huge storage tanks that we have to store water. City water comes right into the tanks which then comes directly to my faucet and is held there until we need it.
So, in the event that the water is turned off, we still have several days worth of water.



and it makes me think... why are we so blessed with WATER?

Hair cuts for all the boys!

Today we got the boys in Kabanana free haircuts. They all were needing them.
The guy that cuts my hair, Peter had told me once about a time he and some of his friends went and cut hair for kids at an orphanage, and how great that was. When we were talking about the boys needing hair cuts, I thought why don't I ask him.
So I did and he said sure! So today was his day off and he came and cut the boys hair. We met at Fanny's house and he started cutting, after the 5th boy the power went out! I went to get my clippers out of the car that I had brought along just in case we needed an extra pair and it had enough charge to almost finish one of the boys. But than that too ran out.

We then decided to check at Maureen's place and her power was still on so we loaded up the other boys that hadn't got their hair cut and drove there to finish the cuts. We were very thankful her power was on. It just reminded me how many things we can take for granted. We had the boys, had the supplies, had the guy to cut hair and then no power...

Several of the boys usually go when they have money and for less than a dollar can get a cut at a "shop" in the compound. But as Peter was explaining often those places don't take hygiene and health considerations and care for cleaning the clippers and sanitizing them and the boys heads after each cut. So often ringworm is spread as a result of getting their hair cut.

One boy couldn't afford a hair cut so had concocted a home remedy of a relaxer chemical and applied that to his hair. It then left sores and places where the acid burned his head.

They all looked great afterwards with their "clean shaven" look. We have some handsome boys. It was neat to see them look in the mirror afterwards and smile, knowing they looked good.



Peter cutting Nathan's hair




The older boys comparing chin hairs.





Morgan





Protasho





Joseph Daka




Christopher






Patrick







Harrington

Another loss - AGAIN

More sad news...

Bonaventure Lkwesa's wife died this week as well.
Bonaventure is another student here at Lusaka Ministerial College.

His wife was in a car accident on Thursday evening and was then taken to a rural clinic where no one knew who she was and there was no power. So it was not until Saturday that Bonaventure found out she had died and where she was.
The funeral then was on Sunday.

another loss

Please pray for Francis Nyati and his family.
He is a student of James's in the Copperbelt. He pastors a church in Ndola.

His wife just died.
I know they all would appreciate your prayers.
Thank you.

Lunch

The kids in Kabanana are on school holiday this month so we have planned extra activities and times to get together with them. Earlier this week Katryn spent the day with just the girls, doing "girly stuff" -painting nails, talking, playing with dolls...
Then today we made lunch for the kids and all ate together.
Nshima, fried chicken, eggplant, rape ( which is like collard greens) and soup.

The kids seemed to enjoy the food and the time together.











I thought this was funny, all the boys were hanging out on the side of the car. At one point before we started eating I walked over and said hi and Morgan asked if I wanted to join them, so they all slid down and I sat on the side of the car with them. They all were picking leaves off the bush tearing them up and throwing them down, funny but I instinctively did the same thing without even thinking about it.

They were asking me different questions, about the family and kids, everything they wanted to know about the car and then what sports I liked to play. So then I was asking them about their favorite team which almost all of them said Manchester. 2 boys said Barcelona. They then were each giving me a new word in Nyanja to learn and asking about what kinds of music I liked. Then I was asking them their favorite Zambian song so they sang a couple words, and I still didn't recognize it so they stopped, but Wisdom was not too embarrased and he started singing it out!




As we were getting ready to leave a few of the boys that were needing new shoes were given them today.
And when we ( at least Americans I will say ) say we need new shoes, it often means we would like another pair of shoes to match another new outfit we just bought, or the styles are changing and we "need" new shoes, or I have had these for 2 years and even though there are no holes anywhere in them, we still "need" a new pair. But here, when someone needs new shoes, their foot is literally falling out the sides of the shoes and out the bottom as the sole is flapping up or they only have flip flops to wear and those are breaking or they walk barefoot everywhere. They are the ones that NEED shoes.

I remember when we first started sponsor one of the kids, he had to have school shoes to go to school. The first time I met him he so much wanted to be at school he was wearing shoes that were at least 3 or 4 times too small and the seams were ripping at the back and the shoe was folded down and he was essentially walking funny and wearing them like slippers.

So the word NEED you begin to see more clearly in the light of people around you and it definitely takes on the truest meaning of the word.


It was so sweet to see them so happy and thankful. One of the 4 boys, Protasho's shoes were not the right size so even though he tried to make them work and I know he was so disappointed, we told him Monday he would have a bigger size.





A huge disappointment today came in relation to taking Wisdom to get started on his ARV's. As I have mentioned before he is HIV positive and every other week seems to be sick with something. We tested him last year and found out he was positive. We then took him for his CD4 count and the clinic stalled and ended up loosing the results. Time passed and we took him again to another clinic and they too lost the results. This most recent clinic gave us his results and we took him to another clinic 2 weeks ago to get started on the ARV's. We arrived late in the afternoon and even though they were still open they would not see him and told us to come back. So today was finally the day that he would be started on the ARV's.
His count is low and he is in desperate need ( real NEED ) of medicine. Katryn Maureen and Fanny went to get him and when they arrived his mother was adamant that he would not begin any treatment for the HIV.

She herself has HIV ( gave it to Wisdom) and is actually in the last stages dying of AIDS. She is in denial though and will not take medicine herself and will not allow Wisdom to take it. In the past she has stated that she should just be praying for God to heal her and that it is wrong to take medicine. Evidentially now she is even saying that no medicine ( not even tylenol ) should be used. So we all were so saddened to hear this and upset by the mother's actions that are denying her son the right to medical care for the disease.

Monday a counselor from the clinic is planning to accompany Kat and Maureen and try to talk to the mother. Please pray that God would work in this situation and the mother would allow him to be treated. Wisdom is such a sweet boy, anyone that meets him would see that right away and we want him to be around with us for a long time!

Namibia

James is in Namibia right now.
I asked him to write and explain what he is doing there this week.


Four years ago (July 2007), Zambian pastors and some pastors from the US cooperated to launch a training program for pastors in the Copperbelt region of Zambia, called Copperbelt Ministerial College. It meets one week per quarter. During that week, two classes are taught. One of the students from this college, Kapambwe Nsenduluka, is presently a missionary pastor in Namibia. Having benefitted from the training of CMC, he asked whether we could give some help for starting a similar program in Namibia. I visited in October 2010, and met with a group of pastors representing some of the Baptist churches here, and presented a vision for training and offered help for how they could begin a school here. The pastors asked that we help supply lecturers and other support for ministerial training.

So, this week is the first "module" for training pastors. I am teaching a course about the centrality of the Gospel and its relationship to the Law, which is called Legalism, Lawlessness, and the Gospel of Grace, and Isaac Makashinyi is teaching Christian Ethics, with an emphasis on its application to the African context. I am here as much to help see the first module through and assist the local coordinator (Buddy Bahun) as I am to teach the course. This module is a sort of "trial run" with only a few students, after which they should have a good idea of how to handle all the scheduling and logistics required to make the module work. So, we hope that the next module should have many more students. Still, it has been nice to have a small and intimate setting with a handful of guys to begin. Things are going very well thus far, and we're thankful to the Lord for His help in getting off to a good start.

KFC

Ian to one of the workers at the newly opened KFC at the Manda Hill mall:
" Hello, how are you? do you know what KFC stands for?"
-"No, I just started here. "
Ian: "Oh, ok".

It stands for Kentucky Fried Chicken ya'll !
(Not Kamwala Fried Chicken as a few people at his school told him...kamwala is an area in lusaka)

The very state in America that we are from!
In fact the colonel's wife, Claudia Sanders has her dinner house in our beloved Shelbyville.

We went there last night for dinner. The menu is very basic, chicken, coleslaw, french fries, mashed potatoes and....
you guessed it, nshima!
Where else in the world can you get a kfc meal with a side of nshima.

LGWM Singing Video

Living Gospel World Mission from megan Williamson on Vimeo.