Church in Lilanda

We went to church at one of my favorite churches this morning. The Living Gospel World Mission Church with pastor Nsangu Phiri. Pastor McDearmon preached there this morning. I debriefed him on the drive over, since James was taking the other two men to preach at different churches. I thought it might help to be prepared for the "lively" worship and singing, the multitude of distractions and that he would receive a chicken as his thank you for preaching!  

Pastor Phiri translated, and did a great job at that.

Time of giving tithes and offerings

The other 2 elders at the church along with Pastor McDearmon and Pastor Phiri

Pastor McDearmon was delighted to see among Pastor Phiri's books, the ESV Study Bible that their church donated to the pastors over a year and a half ago. 

Washing hands before eating the snack that they always so graciously give us.

Our troopers!
They do a great job when we are visiting these churches. It is often very hot, like today, and services are long and loud and can be a test of our endurance ( mine included) on many days.

The gift of the chicken!

Pastor Phiri's family.
He has 7 children ( one is not pictured) and then has also taken in 4 children that were needy in the church. And I assure you he does not have a big house or a big salary. He just saw the need and acted on it. 

A few kids from the church. I took their picture and within a few seconds a huge number of them had gathered
to have their picture taken as well...

HOPE Sponsors

The Orphan Ministry links kids with sponsors. The sponsors write them letters, the kids write back, (less frequently) and we send updates and pictures of the kids. 

One of the happiest times is when these kids actually get to meet their sponsors. It has happened for a few of the kids. This week Ken and Pastor McDearmon got to meet the boys that they are sponsoring! 

Ken meeting Llyod on Sunday

Then again on Thursday they got to spend a little time together. Ken brought him a NY yankees hat

Then Morgan Tembo was able to meet his sponsor that he has been writing for the last 2 years.
In his letters to the McDearmons he mentioned he wanted to be an auto mechanic. So Pastor McDearmon brought over some brochures on different cars,  a die cast model car and a type of a mechanics handbook.  It was so sweet to see Morgan ( in his very reserved Zambian way) very happy!

After they met their sponsored kids, the men spent time talking to some of the boys. 

They really need male influences in their lives and seem to just eat up any time and attention that men can spare with them.  They are always full of questions. 

New Yorkers

Pastor McDearmon, Rob Burchet and Ken Maiella from Ballston Lake, New York

 have been here this past week. They have been here in Lusaka teaching for LMC.

They arrived last Saturday and had several suitcases full of books, gifts for the orphans and things for us. Including Sarah's school dvd curriculum for next year. Exciting! 

On Sunday the three men split up and Pastor McDearmon preached at Emmasdale Baptist Church, 

Rob preached at our home church Ibex Hill Baptist Church and Ken preached out in Kabanana at Faith Baptist Church. Our family went with Ken. It had been a year since we were last at church there. 

It was good for our kids to see the kids there again. 

Ian with Wisdom, Alex,Morgan and Llyod

Ken preaching with Pastor Curtis Chirwa translating

The Kids Sunday School class ( meeting in the new HOPE kitchen)

After church, talking to Curtis

Jackson and Caleb with Gift, Alex,Stephen and Frank (HOPE Kids on the right)

Fanny, one of the ladies from church, Maureen, Megan

The evening we all went to Mt. Mukulu where Pastor McDearmon preached 

On the way to school

The drive from our house to the kids school is only about 5 miles, and takes about 10-15 minutes.
It is a paved road with many dirt roads branching off of it. It goes through the area of Chilenge.
There are always people walking on the side of the road everywhere we go.

By now, we have become used to so many things here that we see just while driving down the road.
But I remember that it is not the "typical things" you all would be seeing on your drive to church or your kids school.  So I have kept a notebook in the car and asked Ian to write down the things they see as we are driving.  They are in random order, but honestly it is quite funny how random they are as we are seeing them.  And they are all on the side of the road...

Woman walking and nursing her baby at the same time

Man running with a 25kg sack of mealie on his head

A chicken running across the road

Man on a bicycle

Different people wearing the Che Guevera Shirt

Shoeless Children running about

10 loafers (men) sitting under the tree

Suited Man w a fedora sitting on a stool

The purse store ( a shipping container turned into a store with second hand purses and bags)

Chickens being sold out of the back of a pick up truck

An old rusty car and bus broken down ( for years now) on the side of the road

Dude with a cowboy hat

Drunk Men starting a fight

Blue Minibuses- everywhere

Chilenge Market

The OK  Food Store

Piles of trash

Lady carrying a grocery sack with a live chickens head sticking out of the side

Dirt

People carrying water. Sometimes children. Sometimes on their heads. 

Flowers

Power Plant

Bedframe for sale  

Lots of ntembas  ( small shack-like shops selling various items) 

Men walking holding hands

Random armchair/ recliners for sale 

Guy with a Mr. Bookkeeper shirt

Lady with a basket of fruti on her head with a large knife sticking out of it

Man carrying 25 shirts on hangers

Man peeing on the side of the road. Children peeing on the side of the road.

Chicken being slaughtered 

HOPE CAMP 2012

In August we had our first ever camp for the orphans.  They all had a great time!  It was so fun to see them all enjoying themselves.  

The kids arrived Tuesday around lunchtime. We met with them for an orientation and then let them set up in the cabins. The campground where we were meeting was in lusaka west out at Ciyanjano. Some friends of ours run the campground. ( part of the ACTION Zambia Ministries) 

The kids were so excited to be setting up their blankets and settling in. For almost every single child, this was an opportunity to sleep on a bed, with a mattress!- not on the concrete or dirt floor that they sleep on at home. 

There was a great playground, plenty of space to play football,  and a volleyball court.  The kids immediately started playing and whenever there was not an activity going on they were found at those places or napping enjoying their beds. 

We planned the menu and meals and I purchased all the food, but the best part was that for about $10 each day we had 2 ladies cooking and cleaning up after the meals for us.

That was great! 

In the mornings we had a type of VBS for the kids with crafts and activities. Catie Woodman from MI  came to help us out with the VBS.  Then in the afternoons we had scheduled times of meeting with the kids to talk about hygiene or getting along with each other as well as some other activities. 

Then in the evenings we had a service. James preached for one evening and then Pastor Thole preached the other 2 evenings.  He told the kids to call him "Uncle T"...

The messages were geared especially for the kids and went very well.  Uncle T  taught the kids a song, " I am so happy..."  For there is no condemnation in my heart..

The older boys did a skit for us and sang a few songs,  then Francis helped the younger kids practice a song to sing for us as well. It was very sweet. 

When it was time to leave the kids didn't want to go.  Katryn said if we could find another group of "mothers" to come take care of the kids they would be happy another week there.  We were exhausted. 

Among us, we split up in the cabins. Maureen and I took the little boys cabin and then Fanny and Kat, along with Catie took the girls cabin. So we each were responsible for  specific kids. That seemed to work out well. A bit of drama in some of the other cabins, the older boys and the girls so Maureen and I were joking with the others about "our kids" and next year we would have them again...no drama yet with little boys. 

Uncle T encouraged us to make this an annual camp for the kids as he pointed to how many times its at camps like this that the kids lives are most directly impacted. For us, it was a great time to spend more time with the kids in a fun environment and where they were comfortable and continue to make tiny drops of deposits into their lives.  It is for the long hual.  It's not just one camp or tutoring session or meeting that is going to impact the kids lives the way we want to, so it is p'ongono p'ongono.  (little by little). 

The last night we roasted Marshmallows.  Catie had asked if there was anything she could bring us, and I told her I wanted to do smores with the kids!  That was a huge hit and they ALL loved it!  It was so fun to see them enjoying the bonfire and roasting.  Even Fanny and Maureen had their first ever Smore... 

It is great to do theses fun things with them that we usually can do with our own kids.
I have many pictures that I put into a video/slide show and have been waiting to post but the internet...
So rather than waiting another month I will go ahead and post this with one picture.