23 Aug form Ndola Zambia from Chris FOUR

TOP PIC (ahhh, how Blogspot loads...) is the 'Map of Existing Resources' drafted by the SHIP healthcare team for the communities where they are already working in hygiene-sanitation.

(ps, I called this a 'treasure map' in a previous blog, and some people wondered what that meant...)

LOWER PIC: Stella, Aldolf, (mother) Flavia, Chris, Obby and Gladys, the SHIP hygiene-sanitation team + the other guy

23 Aug FOUR

How to start a major and new health project in a country like Zambia is... gather key players, ask alot of questions, and take alot of notes. Better yet... have THEM write it down!!

The first step towards launching a new initiative and outreach within the group Seeds of Hope that I'm helping here in Zambia is to do some major fact-finding. The initiative is to open up a new 'branch' along with the existing hygiene-sanitation teams that go out and teach life-saving stuff to the members of the communities that recieve new wells, repaired pump handles and bio-sand filters.

This new initiative will be an HIV/AIDS education and prevention (HAEP) program.

SO... before we could start, we needed to find out what HIV AIDS services and care systems are already in existence, and where they are lacking or non-existent. The ocations where HAEP services are non-existent are a good place for SHIP to start this program. It will also need a solid referral system needs in place as the Program finds people who want to be tested, or are HIV+ and need medicines.

SO... a long meeting with tea and biscuits, and a HUGE amount of on-the ground knowledge generated on HIV AIDS works in Ndola. Yes!!

The next step... go investigate and meet some of the key people working in HIV AIDS in Ndola.

Next time,

Chris

23 Aug form Ndola Zambia THREE

23 Aug

Above is a picture from the Jesus Film outreach last weekend... this is the church worship group singing praises to the LORD before the film... yeah, terrible picture, but you get the idea of the dust and deseil fumes and 450+ people and joyful sounds all together!

(Follow-up: the pastor told me that yes, the drunk came to church the next morning!)

More to come!
Chris

23 Aug from Ndola, Zambia from Chris TWO

23 Aug

BLOG TWO: Challenges

Thought you should see these for yourself...

BELOW: Fire! Fire! Yes, this is the normal evening sight, as people burn their fields, especially before the rainy season. Yes, they burn out. Yes, the smoke is choking.
(Oh, yeah, they force the snakes out... saw 4 this week, pretty long...)

TO THE RIGHT: This group in Mushili dug out a city pipe and broke in so they can get access to water... and, of course it means drinking water sometimes comes mixed with puddle water... I didn't shoot the person washing her clothes to the side of the puddle...

Here is a lady in a community that brews home-made liquor called 'Kachasu' , and grows and sells her own tobacco... there are many home-generated Kachasu and tobacco businesses... unfortunately, this woman is quite addicted to her own product (she was quite drunk as well). She was yelling at me to take her picture, so I did... I asked if I could pray for her, and she yelled and shooed me away... (well, she got prayed for, as I left, heavy-hearted in her bondages).

There are many people here in the bondage of liquor, drunkeness and tobacco smoking. Many men will spend their day wage on these things, and come home empty-handed to their wives and children for food that day.

More to come...

Chris

23 Aug from Ndola Zambia fr Chris ONE

23 Aug

Hello, all my friends, prayers and pals!

My Board of Directors (see above) told me to be sure and BLOG today!!! (great kids form Chapulakusa/Mapalo, just outside of Ndola)

YES, it has been a week since a Blog. Here's why

<> Zambia has proven to be a bit of a challenge with power brown-outs that result in computer problems and outages of the internet.

<> My laptop has given a few fits going thru various international servers, especially r/t my virus programs... I spent all day Sat straightening these out

<> My hours have been a bit odd this week

<> Yes, I've been busy (saved that for last).

SO, I will post a series of Blogs today... some text, some pics... and will do it in short spurts in case Mother Zambia deals me another internet or power interruption...

enjoy!

Chris

Aug 18th from Lori: Wedding bells in San Vicente

Blog from Aug. 8th.
delay due to security issues.

This day, Saturday, began with puzzling all the sewing supplies back under the bunkbed and into the little cubbie in some sort of organized fashion. Marking all the boxes is a must so that I can find things when I return for the next week of classes.

Then preparations begin for the next week's ministry times. More on that next time.

Saturday evening was filled with CELEBRATION! One of the students from my sewing class is getting married at the church today. Silvia and her husband have been legally married for over a decade and have two lovely daughters, who are also my sewing students. The church is pulling together for the fiesta, some have gifted different parts of the wedding, shoes, food, sodas, flowers etc. making it a community wide celebration. One of my favorite parts of the ceremony is when two of the attendants drap a lasso around the new husband and wife symbolizing them being bound to each other and now joined as one in God's eyes. The reception is set up outside the church where we enjoy a dinner of beef, rice, beans, and tortillas. Soon the sun sets and some of the guys rig up a few light so the fiesta can continue with worship music and games for the kids.

Lori

16 Aug Ndola, Zambia from Chris <> Beneath the Southern Cross

16 Aug from Ndola

Hey, friends!

And the Southern Cross glimmers bright, like a beacon in the night...

So there we were last night (Saturday), in the middle of a large Zambian community called Kabushi (spelling correct) in the outskirts of Ndola, it's 8pm, pitch dark... no street lights, only the occasional house light on (oh, let's not talk about the local bars, which are nothing but a light bulb hanging over a yard, plus lots of beer and drunks)... above our heads, the Southern Cross constellation shimmering and shining like a beacon to the heavens, calling, calling... here we are, an eclectic team of 30 from a US church, SHIP staff, Adams (the Zambian Vineyard pastor) and his congregants... here is the team of 30 crunched in by another 450 people from Kabushi, all straining to see the JESUS FILM as it's showing on the portable screen in the pitch dark...

This copy of the Jesus Film is in the language of Bemba, the regional dialect, and probably one of the few films that are actually IN Bemba around here...

The crowd is totally locked into the movie... laughing joyfully at the miracle of the loaves and fishes... booing (rather loudly) at Judas and his betrayal... gasping (painfully) at the crucifixion, as each hammer-blow falls on the nails of the hands of our Lord...

So, at the end, there's a short message/invitation to those there, and over 60 people indicate they want to follow Jesus. A time of talking, counseling and prayer opens up...

It's apparant that at some point a half hour ago (like when Jesus is cronfronting the money-changers in the Temple in the film...) I'm pretty sure that the local bars emptied out to watch the film, because I am surrounded by the strong odor of beer-on-the-breath, and a couple of swaying drunks, all wanting to talk to me about the film...

... and this one guy (swaying like his mates) is totally engaged... "This is in Bemba! Where will you be showing it tomorrow! Thank you!"... he bowed and prayed with the Pastor... we talked and prayed together... "I want to go to Church tomorrow! Where will I go??"... I intro'd him to pastor Adams... they talk about the Vineyard church service tomorrow in the neighborhood...

My new brother and I continued to talk, as the Southern Cross seems to me to be twinkling just a bit brighter... maybe that's where the Angels of Heaven are rejoicing at the wonderful rescue of another...

Thanks to everyone praying for this mission work and trip here in Zambia.

'Till next time, your brother

Chris

(ps, pics to follow in a few days...)

13 Aug Ndola, Zambia from Chris God and meetings

13 Aug

Hey, friends and prayer warriors! This non-pic post will bring you up-to-date, and answer the burning question: how did a low-life like me get to meet the Zambian Ambassador???

Sunday, we arrived in Lusaka after FIVE hours of grueling roads between the Capital and Ndola... only a 2-lane highway... and Kirk (the SHIP Intl Director) was blasted into high-level meetings with:
<> execs from a private Christian University in Ndola with it's board in Orange Co, CA
<> the President of Cal Poly U, one of the largest agriculture Universities in the USA, and the Dean of the College of Agriculture (Agri)
<> the Zambian government
all for the purpose of comoing to formal agreements to put agri development projects in Zambia for the training of new farmers in new and improved farming techniques. These were to be high-level meetings Sun nite-Wed morning. Hence, the Ambassador, who was a part of making this all a reality (she's a Cal Poly grad) met us Sunday as we came into Lusaka, was a part of the meetings, and saw us off as we left for Ndola on Wednesday. Madame Ambassador is a huge champion of those who are struggling, and we had some encouraging talks about how Zambians could be helped.

SO... while Kirk was off with the officials, I went to meet the Seeds of Hope team in Lusaka, and go out with them to the villages. That meant out to a latrine dedication (with an hour-long hygiene lesson before-hand), then the Cholera-hit Mazyopa, so desparate for improved water that is protected from transmitting that horrible and fatal disease in the coming rainy season. I was grateful to always be ready to hold impromptu sessions regarding Oral Rehydration, the 'drink of life' that would literally save lives in a Cholera outbreak. There were also some 'strategy' meetings on how to get more bio-sand filters into that community... I think I stirred some ideas, and the leaders are looking at some strategies...

Secondly, while in Lusaka, it was my 'task' to do some initial contact-research on the opening of an HIV-AIDS arm of health education and prevention for SHIP. Prior to my arrival in Zambia, I did extensive research on effective programs in this area for Zambia, and had beenin contact with the faith-based program called CHRESO, based in Lusaka. I walked a couple of Km out to their campus, hoping to get a few minutes with some nurse and possibly a tour. Little did I know that GOD does meetings in Lusaka that day... I walked into the compound and ran right into the main director of the program, Esther Reutter, a nurse and a 27-yr carreer missionary to Zambia. She and her husband have a gospel TV ministry that literally touches millions in Zambia every week. She insisted that she wanted to talk to me upon meeting... that turned into a 90-minute tour of the CHRESO, and an extensive background-briefing on HIV-AIDS programs in Zambia... and a huge willingness to help SHIP (and me!) in launching such a venture. CHRESO is the real deal, seeing 100 clients a day, less than a 2% drop-out, and distributing anti-retroviral (ARV) medications to 8000 (!) clients. There are 8000 people alive because of the love of Jesus and the ministry of CHRESO. I really fell that Esther has become a friend, and a wonderful consultant to what it seems my time in Zambia will be taken with.

The next day (Tues), God took another meeting with myself, Esther, Kirk and Evans (the Lusaka SHIP director) about the possibility of launching an HIV-AIDS work in Ndola in cooperation with CHRESO. There was such a sense of GOD doing something that you could cut it with a knife and take a chunk away. As the meeting progressed, my notebook was filled with process and 'do this-look at this-find this out-meet this person in Ndola' notes... guess God puts out a plan, and even gives details!!!

We returned to Ndola on Wed rejoicing in all the great things that GOD seems to be doing... and now the work really ramps up for me!!
SO, dear friends... please pray as the next few days are working out process and plans to do a complete assessment of the HIV-AIDS works that are here in Ndola (rule #1: don't re-invent the wheel or push over something that's already there and doing a good job). My short meeting today with the SHIP health care team was really positive... almost "about time" (but they wouldn't say it)...

Like a previous post... Ex 3... God hears the cries of suffering... and sends us as His answer!!

OK, other things... got my hand-washing of clothes done today... Lori and I discovered and set up Skype and got to talk to each other for over an hour (yahoooooo!) via the computer for free... great devotions today (how could one have all those God-meetings and not have a shimmering time with Him and His Word..??)

BTW, the NEXT DAY, after blogging about my sinus attack, it resolved. God answered the petitions of the Saints! Thanks and PTL!

Hope y'all like the pics.

Prayer requests: continued wisdom on how to proceed with the community assessment regarding HIV-AIDS work in Ndola, safety on the roads, continued health protection.

There is a chance of returning to Lusaka this weekend to pick up the vehicle that broke down on us there (front suspension and CV joint tore to shreds... the roads here are really, really, REALLY bad, worst I've ever seen in country)...

Thanks for standing with us here in Zambia.

your bro,

Chris