1 Aug Ndola, Zambia Day 7 of trip, two-sided coin

01 Aug Sat in Ndola, Zambia from Chris

Hello! Had internet access and wanted to shoot out a quick message.

I'm wrapping the 7th day of this journey (well, two of them were flying here) and it's been verrrrry interesting.

I've spent two full days out in the villages surrounding Ndola, doing some community health assessment with the SOHIP hygiene/sanitation team. This has meant going way out and being surrounded by 200 people who have only shallow, contaminated water as a drinking source, and terrible health problems, sometimes resulting in babies dying. The hygiene and sanitation initiative comes alongside the well drilling or well repair work, to make sure that the people have good hygiene practices when the good water is supplied, significantly reducing their death and disease from bad water.

I've also been involved in a couple of the 'international development agency' stuff: my friend Kirk, the SOHIP director has had me sit in on a couple of data presentations and planning meetings to get better acquainted with the broader organization. That's the two-sided coin: being able to drill these wells and provide health care for the poor requires a great deal of funding, and the proper management of that is an important part.

Tomorrow (Sunday) is church, and it will probably consume the whole day. I'm told the worship group is waiting to meet me... Pastor Francis just come over to insure me he wants me to got out with him to his church, the Mapalo Vineyard... Mapalo is an area of 60,000 people outside Ndola, half of which do not have safe drinking water...

Monday is a Zambian national holiday (Farmer's Day), so not sure what that may bring.
I hit the jackpot with my timing for being here in-country with regards to next week. Tues thru Fri is a 4-day training seminar-meeting with the entire SOHIP hygiene -sanitation team, plus a number of leaders from the village Health committess, all coming together for training and strategic meetings. This will give me the opportunity to see and hear the full training curriculum used, as well as build relationships with all the key people in the area of health development for many villages.
So, not sure when I will get to Blog-post next week... by then, I should have some of my pictures on the Blog as well.

My new friends have decided I need to do the 'rapid Zambian' emersion... they are making me speak Bemba to people (natotela= thank you, mulishani=hello, bwino=good/nice/reply, etc), and I have had to learn how Nshema is cooked and eaten... lets just say that no utensils are involved... and I will never be able to eat a banana the same way!!

Funny story... we went way out to a school right along the Zambian/Congo DR border, and as the hygiene team were meeting with the principal, the entire school let out for recess... all 120 students... and they decided that I was the 'white giant' and a 20-minute game of trying to avoid me tagging them ensued... the place was off the hook, everybody laughing and moving about... a couple of bold kids came close enough and got tagged, all with smiles and laughter... the principal was standing there, watching and laughing loudly... afterword, when the kids were all called back into class, she told me that I may be the first white persom most of these village children have seen... and what good fun !!

Prayer requests: continued connection with the Zambian team, understanding of the complete and complex health program already in place, relationship with the community leaders, better skills at speaking Bemba and eating Nshema (well, all things Zambian) and patience with all the anti-malarial stuff (meds, bednets, my new fragrance Ode de DEET 24/7)

In devotions this past week, Matt 11 really stood out to me where Jesus said "come and learn of Me"... I'm trusting He's got all this stuff covered, and He's letting me learn from Him...

I'm finding myself praying for more than a few people with alcoholism in the villages. My Zambian friends estimate that a third to half of the adult males drink heavily here. Pray the scourge of alcoholism is broken in the Spirit realm over Zambia, and those men are released into the freedom of being filled with the Holy Spirit!!

your brother,

Chris

29 July Ndola, Zambia Ricoffy, Bemba and Anthills...

Hello all! The planet trek (cue music...) that started at noon on Sunday ended well on Tues in Ndola, Zambia... I'm here! Train to LAX, flight to New York, then Johannesberg South Africa, then to Ndola Zambia... all the luggage made it fine, got my visa without a hitch and customs inspection was smooth.

I was able to sleep on the plane (NY to Johannesberg was 18 hours), got settled into the SOHIP guest house in Ndola Tues afternoon, which is on a secure compound with the well-drilling rigs and the cement block-making factory (hand-made, each one!). The Zambian staff are awesome, and are makiing sure I'm a part of the team.

SOOO... without a skip for jetlag, I was in worship with the staff at 0800... awesome, the staff lifting their voices in song in Bemba (the regional language that most people here speak... English is official, but Bemba is the heart language), then everyone off totheir days! I went out with the Hygiene team to plug into 5 communties they are lining up Hygiene Committies in schools... so we spent the day bumping down cow paths to remote villages with no electricity and hand-pump water wells. What a great start to connecting with the team here in Zambia!

I used to laugh at the crazy anthills the San Diego Zoo have around their little Africa exhibits... well! Let me tell you! They don't come close to the 25-40 foot hills all across the plains! I guess my idea of 'anthill' will be permanently tweaked...

Physically, fighting a bit of fatigue, the anti-malarials are not fun on the stomach... but I'm doing OK... there's this wierd product called Ricoffy, a mix of coffee and chicory in instant form... not bad...

The next few days will be a continued settle-in ( I still need to exchange some dollars into Kwachas, about 1 US to 5,100 Kwachas) and connecting with the existing Health-Hygiene-Sanitation team with SHIP. I should be able to get a couple of spaces on the internet during the week here in the office... slooooooooooooow connection....

Prayer requests: totally get the body into this time-zone, fine-tune my ears to the accents and learn some basic Bembab greetings, begin to see the width and breadth of the health-related work here...

blessings,

Chris

25 July Chula Vista On the tarmac...

25 July

Well, the Lord must have some really cool things for the time in Zambia (which many have confirmed in prayer and prophetic words...)... becuz way too many wierd things have come my way these past few days, clearly guff from the Enemy...

... but the really cool things far outweigh the guff... the Provision has been very evident...

OK, this will be the last Blog until I arrive mid-week in Zambia... LAX to JFK to Johannesberg to Ndola... over 28 hours of air time... I'm taking the Chronicles of Narnia to read on the plane (all 7 books)...

pray for me

Chris

21 July Chula Vista 2 special peeps

Two special peeps... Lori with little baby Luke (our grandson)...

(aaaawwwww.....)

21 July Chula Vista When God gets involved, He will...

21 July

Packing, getting ready to fly for Zambia, hoping it all will fit... also, meeting up with friends and fellow God-followers who pray for me...

Scripture that jumped out these last few days: Exodus 3:7-10

Check it out... God says that He has seen the misery of people... heard them crying out... that He's concerned about their suffering... that He has come down to rescue them and bring them to a wonderful place with Him... that the cry of suffering has reached Him and He has seen the oppression...

SOOOOO... What happens when God gets involved like that?

"So now (God speaking), go, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people... out of Egypt" (v 10).

Sense in prayer... people of Zambia hurting, God's there and He's calling me over. That's part of His answer, He calls us to jump in.

OK... keep packing for deployment..

Chris

20 July Chula Vista ZAMBIAN FACTS

ZAMBIAN FACTS 2009

<> Zambia has a population around 12 million (2008) and has been a peaceful country since it's independence was given from Britian in 1964.

<> Mining and export of copper is the leading industry in Zambia.

<> Zambians have a life expectancy of 41.2 years (compared to United States at 78 years).

<> Only 58% of Zambians have access to safe drinking water.

<> Malnutrition is wide-spread, with 20% of children significantly under-weight for age.

<> Malaria is the largest reason for death amongt children in Zambia.

<> The percentage of Zambians infected with HIV is overall 16%.

(Sources: United Naitons Human Development Report, 2008. World Health Organization)

July 18, 2009 Chula Vista from Lori

I'm looking forward to using this new forum of letting you know about our everyday life as missionaries. Hopes are that Chris will be able to give us a glipse into his time in Zambia on a weekly basis. You'll more often than not read about my activites after the fact because of lack of internet access while I'm in Mexico.

Currently, I'm preparing for another week of teaching sewing classes....enjoy the pic where some of my students are displaying the wall caddies and satchels that were made as gifts for Fathers' Day 2009.

Have a great week.

Lori