Well, we have another showing tomorrow night (YEAH!!!), so I figured I had better clean off my desk some more, which includes getting rid of my notes from conversations with Brian, so here goes.
The phone connections have been horrible lately, so it sometimes takes 10-15 minutes just to connect, then within minutes we disconnect. Very frustrating! I wonder if it isn’t at least a little good, keeps the phone bill down! It’s getting to the point where he’ll be home soon...so I find myself wanting to talk, even when there is nothing to talk about. Thinking back, I think I have been outside the house once, maybe twice for about 1 ½ hours each time without kids. Otherwise, I have had at least one kid with me at all time! Don’t know if that has ever happened. I don’t know that it matters too much-I am so used to doing everything with all six of them anyways. Some times one or two of the kids will go somewhere and I really have to think about if it is a good idea or not! I need to calculate in my mind how much work that will add or take away…
Brian has been without an MP3 player for almost a week now-oh no! He literally wore ours out-he listened each night before bed until he fell asleep, and it finally died. Didn’t need new batteries-just wore out. There is a group from Iowa there this week. One of the gals had emailed two weeks ago to see if he needed anything. At that time, no, so I just sent copies of the blogs I had written, some parade gum that the kids wanted Dad to have, and a little countdown book. On Thursday I found out about the broken MP3 player, and emailed one of the Iowa team guys who found me on Facebook. He was going to go out and buy one on Friday to bring to Brian. THANK YOU BILL!
We no longer have a porch or a patio. Apparently we now have a veranda. None of the workers has any idea what Brian means when he calls it a porch or patio. I don’t know my history or language well, but I am assuming veranda is more of a British term that’s been held over from when they had control over the Rhodesias So anyway, Brian has the pillars set and cemented in for the veranda; that went a lot better than he thought it would.
What’s not going so good is building the roof trusses. They are cutting them the right way-if the boards were straight and of good quality. But apparently quite a few of them are warped, so they aren’t fitting together very well. He thought they could get the trusses put together in two or three days, but it looks like it may take all week. Then he will need to get them up in 3 ½ days next week so they don’t warp more between now and September when he goes back to finish the house.
So far the two plastering guys have 1 ½ inside rooms done. They do nice work; Brian thinks they should be done inside this week and start on outside next week.
It has also become obvious that he needs to keep on top of the guys at the school. They are on the last two weeks and they know it; they hit it hard at the beginning, and now everyone is starting wind-down mode. Not good with all that still needs to be done. So Brian has not gone to town as much the past few days as he thought he would have to (which is okay!).
As I have said, Lewis and Paul are now gone. Allen “I’m as country as corn bread” Scroggs is now there helping with the teams. Apparently Brian and Allen get along very well and they are having a good time together. Allen is a rep for Gospelink seeking out sponsors for national pastors. He was at one time the road manager and pastor for NewSong. He grew up on a dairy farm too. He was also in law enforcement for a while and a youth pastor. Brian showed him how to use the back hoe, so Bri isn’t the only one able to do that anymore, another good thing! They are supposed to get river sand and building sand on Wednesday. Maybe Allen will be able to do it then and not Brian.
Today didn’t start out so good for him. The guys decided what everyone was going to do, but then when it came time to start, they did something else. So Brian said fine, I’ll go work on my house. He had had to do some adjusting on the bathroom walls, which meant the kitchen was adjusted a little too. He started looking today, and realized he put the veranda :-) door in the wrong spot. He was a few feet off, so he had to break down that section of wall, and it will have to be redone. So, today wasn’t that great. After clean up, Jackson, a pastor who has been working out at the school for most of these weeks, helped him unload some stuff. They then started walking up for supper. Jackson looked at Brian and said, “Don’t worry”. “Do I look like I am worried?” Brian asked. “Yes, but don’t worry,” Jackson said. Now, it took a few weeks for Jackson to even talk to Brian, and he never does talk very much, so when he does talk, you tend to listen. Brian can see many potential spiritual gifts that he has, but others haven’t yet had the chance to see.
A tire in the backhoe had a hole so they plugged in; one scoop of sand though, and the plug blew. Try again with a new plug…
Luka’s son, little Brian, burned his foot. He put it into a pot of boiling water. I am not sure why…to see what it feels like? It is all blistered and swollen. They took him to the clinic, but there really isn’t much they can do for it.
Brian also heard that the head woman’s sister has some property that is right next to the school-maybe 40 or 50 acres. She is willing to let the school use it for 10% of the produce, but they still need to write up the contract, so who knows. Brian said this is some really good farm land-it would be good for a stand of corn to start with. Most of the grounds at the school are going to end up looking more like gardens than a “production farm”. With the set up, where clearings are so far, and really, with the farming techniques that Brian will be teaching, it makes a lot of sense. These students aren’t going to be going out with a tractor and plow when they leave the school anyway.
Oh yes- the tribal chief did come to visit on Thursday. His name was Oonda-Oonda. It was quiet a big deal! The ladies were wearing their best and were singing in the road waiting for him. (As you can imagine, not a whole lot of work got done that day) He saw the clinic first. Somehow they managed to find 20 gallons of white paint one day, so they even had the clinic all painted up. They aren’t quiet done with that-they will need to paint the bottom three feet either black or brown. This is for the rainy reason-so you don’t see all the splats of dirt that fly up, instead it is a full color. The chief also went to look back at our house. He made some comments about how important family is. Overall he was very impressed and promised to do what he could, even help with government relations stuff. Gospelink gave the chief a gift of 10 bags of cement; they also gave gift bags to all the tribal headmen and woman that had come. (Gift giving is very big. Another lesson-gifts are given and “banked on account”. For instance, the sugar cane vendor on Saturday gave Brian his last sugar cane as a gift. Now, this vendor is thinking and expecting that some time soon Brian will buy something from him in return. Most of the Africans will look to us to give monetarily or materially in our gift giving, for them it will be labor, or maybe some vegetables. So really, while the workers are there getting paid, they are also thinking that they are now becoming friends with Brian and expect a “deeper/sharing” relationship.) The chief encouraged ALL of the leaders to help in any way they can. Henry suggested that once Brian gets there he go and plow one of the chief’s fields. Get in good with the chief and you’ve got it good.
As I mentioned before, Brian preached on Sunday again. Saturday night he still wasn’t real prepared when I talked to him at 10:30 pm. He thought he would preach on the Ephesians passage about our battle not being about flesh and blood… but I guess Sunday morning he realized he wasn’t suppose to. He preached from Hebrews 12 and shared about God’s discipline. He said it was a very draining day (fell asleep at the desk that night while writing!). He ended up sharing a lot of our personal testimony and the times when God has had to discipline him. We always talk about how God is love, God loves us…but not so much about how because he loves us so much He has to discipline us. Even though it was very hard, it flowed well, so he knew that it was what he was suppose to share. He talked some about getting Joe and Myron, showing our picture to emphasis the point. He talked about how the Holy Spirit, as our guide and counselor, will let us know if we are being disciplined or trained (for ministry). Sometimes we need to go through some of the same experiences the people we will minister to have gone through, in order to be more effective in the ministry. Of course, when we are obedient in the trials, God also brings the blessings!
What will need to be done in September:
-glass cut for the windows (Daniel will probably weld the bars on the frames while Brian is gone)
- put up the insulation and tin on roof (maybe Andrew will put the ceiling in before Bri comes)
-buy doors and put in
-get the rest of the rock for the porch, form it up and pour.
On Saturday Brian went looking for rock. I guess the ladies decided to help. Now, these are big rocks, like two people to a rock rocks. But they insisted on helping, and they laughed the whole time. Some of these ladies are easily old enough to be my grandma!
Last Thursday was a fairly emotional day, Paul’s last. As Paul looks back, he sees the natural progression of his work at the school over the years…and perhaps sees what it is leading to. In all the trips and times he has been to Zambia, this is the first time he left feeling as if he wasn’t done. Again, continue to pray for him and where God wants him. He has a great job here in the States, and it is hard to leave-believe us, we know.
Lewis is in Ethiopia meeting with some pastors there, seeing about Gospelink working there. He should be back in the states this weekend; his wife said he’d be back at work on Monday. Pray for him and his health and restful sleep. I think they have a family wedding next weekend, which is why he came back early.
The Nebraska team has said that it would like to send money over for the sinks, toilets, etc. that are needed to finish the clinic. They would then like to hire Daniel to put some of that stuff in. They asked Brian if he would help supervise it.
Friday John, one of the workers, asked Brian for some money to pay to transport his son to the clinic. The boy had been doing some twitching lately, even waking up in the middle of the night from it (probably some type of seizure). Brian just wasn’t sure that going to the clinic would do any good, so he wasn’t at peace about giving him the money just yet, and told him they would talk Saturday (which is another culture lesson: don’t say you will think about it, or maybe later you will help….that is taken as a yes you WILL help). Brian felt what he really needed to do was pray over the kid. So Saturday after work, he walked the three miles with John to his house. He said it was really a nice looking place, he had landscaped quite a bit to make it look nice-black slate rock (found all over the mountain) for door stoops, and flowers all around. John has three huts-one for food/cooking, one for storage, one for where the family sleeps. The huts are just that-one room huts. Anyway, they got to the house and John’s wife had brought the boy to the doctor (read: witch doctor). Brian could tell just by looking that the boy has some things wrong with him. Well, the boy had a root of some kind tied around his neck. Brian and John took it off, broke it, and prayed over it and the boy, praying for and against anything that came to mind. The boy was very agitated during this whole time. But when they finished, the boy seemed much calmer and even smiled at Brian (he had avoided eye contact before that). John walked the three miles back with Brian (that’s 12 miles in one day for John!). Brian burned the root that night too. We will see what happens-pray that God has completely healed him!
No, I don’t know where the container is. Somewhere between Oman and Tanzania I believe. I wonder if it will arrive in Tanzania on Wednesday (I am trying to follow the ship schedule’s but don’t know exactly what ship it is on now, and the updates are at least three days behind). It would be unloaded the same day, but it is the customs there that is a toss up. Brian has decided he will still leave as scheduled on the 11th. We have our clearing firm now-they should be able to handle the rest of it. He will leave a lock for the container with Daniel or Henry. There is a seal on the container too, so we will know if it gets opened. That and the fact that if someone tries to open it, we’ll know because everything will spill out and probably not go back in!!
I better go to bed.
Monday, June 30, 2008
WOW!!
We have reached another incredible milestone in our monthly support!!!
We are now at 76%!!!
Also, yesterday, our sending church had its annual meeting and approved its yearly budget. We were in it, so are now "official"! :-)
We are now at 76%!!!
Also, yesterday, our sending church had its annual meeting and approved its yearly budget. We were in it, so are now "official"! :-)
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Some big YEAHS!
Brian got in the other day to a clearing agent in Lusaka! He had been in town 5 days in a row, he wasn’t entirely pleased with that, but you gotta do what you gotta do. There are a few very specific prayer requests from that conversation:
-pray we get good transport drivers. Sometimes they can get a little goofy and not want to deliver where you want them to or ask for more money to get your container there. Pray for good drivers.
-there has been a little bit of a back up at the Dar Es Salaam customs office. Some containers are sitting closer to a week to clear, instead of 2 or 3 days. Pray ours would clear right away. Once cleared, it takes probably 2 days to border, 2 days to clear at border, 1 day to Lusaka.
-pray that the border agent at the Nakonde, Zambia border would not want to overly scrutinize our inventory. It looks as if we will qualify for the duty-free new residents rebate; but if the agent goes over it with a fine tooth comb, they may charge extra “fees” on certain items. And quite frankly, they can pretty much do what they want! I have emailed frequently with Ms. Chama and she seems very warm and helpful. If we get this rebate, our duty/transport fees will probably be about half of what we were thinking.
PLEASE PRAY WE CAN GET THE CONTAINER TO THE SCHOOL AND UNLOADED BEFORE JULY 11th; otherwise Brian may need to stay a week or two longer to ensure it gets there safely.
For the most part I guess I am okay with that. Obviously this container is a big part of our getting there. I just get tired of being the one who hears all the tattling, being the only one to get after the kids. And with the ages that the six of them are, it’s just really hard to take them somewhere “fun”.
George, one of the Zambia pastors who drives bus, dropped Brian off at the office that day, then Brian walked the mile to Discount Steel. He said he really didn’t feel uncomfortable walking alone. He was the only white person on the street but it didn’t really matter. He probably figured it would be a bigger deal walking in some downtown metros in the States then over there. No one paid any attention to him. I said we walk with seven kids and I am sure they will!
Brian was told the other day that all the block was up at the house! I haven’t talked to him since then, he was going to check to see that it was. Then they put a top plate on, and the plasterers can start their work. During that time Brian will make the templates for the roof trusses and have some guys work on those, and then form up the patio/outdoor cooking area.
Lewis and Paul leave today (they are already in town). Another Gospelink rep, Allen Scruggs, is there for the next two weeks to help oversea the teams at the college with Brian. There is still a lot to be done, and Brian may have to help more with other areas now. Pray that all will get done, in its right time.
A pastor from the Eastern Province brought some trees to plant at the school, he wanted to contribute in some way. Brian didn’t get what they were called, but they were some type of pine/oriental- it’s green all year round. He had brought one for the medical clinic, one for Lewis, then figured Brian would take 2 or 3, so he was going to look to see where to plant.
I really don’t remember what I have typed before, so forgive me if I repeat. It seems Gospelink is now in negations with customs on their container. That means they go line by line of the manifest and through the container-this will inevitably lead to extra cost for warehousing fees and duties. Pray this will go smoothly and quickly, without huge disputes. There is a Gator, tractor, plow, steel for roofs, and other equipment on there that we could sure use at the school.
Brian also met the tribal chief today. He had heard the medical clinic was done, so he wanted to come and see it. Daniel has been coaching how to greet him in Sulu and all the formalities of the tribal structure.
We are looking to September already, thinking about a two week or so time period when Brian (and hopefully a handful of other guys) could go back and finish up the details on the house. We have looked at Sept 7th to 21st or 14th to 28th. Of course for those up here in the Midwest, this is very close to when they start combining soybeans. With the later planting this year, I don’t know how close that will end up being. One year they combined on Sept. 25th/2 6th, which was very early (I only remember because Brian was so exhausted that night-and Mariah was born on the 27th!) Let us know if you have an interest in going! The only costs I know for sure are the $140 for a tourist visa (that is good for 3 years-then you can come back and visit us!). September 1st marks the end of the main tourist season, so airfare will go down a bit, and then the other cost would be food. I just did a quick search and saw a flight for around $2000. But I believe Gospelink can get it a little cheaper as it would be a missionary flight.
There is a group at the school this week and next (they are staying an extra week) from LuVerne, MN. This is the group Brian was with last year, we spoke at their church in February, and we will go down again on August 3rd.
Brian is preaching again this Sunday-please pray for time to prepare. And as I said, it’s hard to get in a “groove” as you can only say about a sentence at a time. Pray for him Saturday night before you go to bed.
On the last trip to Victoria Falls, one of the women had a severe headache, probably a migraine. George, asked if he could pray for her. He laid hands on her head and prayed for her and immediately it was gone! We definitely see the spiritual battle out in the open in Africa! Later that week one of the Malawian pastors started preaching to the guys about prayer and fasting while at supper. How real and effective it is!
Some of the kids were out in the grass with their hoes the other day, killing mice. Then they brought them home and roasted over an open fire. YUM!
Brian saw a black fox walking down the middle of the road last week when he was driving back to the school. He also saw a cobra on the other side of the road, so swerved and ran it over.
The ladies who are helping with all the cooking and whatnot were joking about how sometimes they don’t know whose kids are whose; they just strap one on their back. Well, you’ll know when you have one of mine Brian said, and they just laughed and laughed!
We are looking (again) at satellite internet service for out at the school for us. I really don’t understand much though- there are Ku bands and C bands, and you pay by bandwidth, or data feed on different tiers…I have no idea. We can do the small one where you plug it in a USB port and get a new port every time, but that is like $300 a time, and basically we’d only have time to check our emails, not do much for research on it. I got an email of another couple who has satellite internet, I’ll see what they have and what they pay.
The Zambian kwacha continues to fall as the dollar falls. Not sure what we will do about that. The house has already cost more than we originally hoped as we planned when the kwacha was at 4000 to the dollar. The last exchange I saw was around 3300.
Some praises:
As I was up from 2-3:30 am Monday morning waiting for an email that didn’t come until I went back to bed (of course!), I prayed that God would make it clear Brian needed to do this and I couldn’t, or I would get all the details to do it. I awoke at 5:30 to an email telling Brian to come into the office, which would be best. Answer #1!
When I talked to Brian on Monday night he wasn’t planning on going into Lusaka until Thursday. I prayed and praised God for His sovereignty and that He will of course handle all of it in His time, but for my peace of mind, I’d love it if Brian could get in on Tuesday. At 5:30 am Brian called, he was at the office. Answer #2!
I still don’t know when the container will for sure be in Dar Es Salaam. The estimated time was 6/25, but I just wasn’t seeing the update of where it was on the shipping tracking site. So again I prayed last night to see something. So when I woke up, I saw it got off the ship in Salalah, Oman. Answer #3! Now I am waiting for it to tell me what ship it was loaded onto to get to Dar Es Salaam and what day that will be.
I need to talk to Brian later today, so I am sure I will update again of Friday or Saturday!
-pray we get good transport drivers. Sometimes they can get a little goofy and not want to deliver where you want them to or ask for more money to get your container there. Pray for good drivers.
-there has been a little bit of a back up at the Dar Es Salaam customs office. Some containers are sitting closer to a week to clear, instead of 2 or 3 days. Pray ours would clear right away. Once cleared, it takes probably 2 days to border, 2 days to clear at border, 1 day to Lusaka.
-pray that the border agent at the Nakonde, Zambia border would not want to overly scrutinize our inventory. It looks as if we will qualify for the duty-free new residents rebate; but if the agent goes over it with a fine tooth comb, they may charge extra “fees” on certain items. And quite frankly, they can pretty much do what they want! I have emailed frequently with Ms. Chama and she seems very warm and helpful. If we get this rebate, our duty/transport fees will probably be about half of what we were thinking.
PLEASE PRAY WE CAN GET THE CONTAINER TO THE SCHOOL AND UNLOADED BEFORE JULY 11th; otherwise Brian may need to stay a week or two longer to ensure it gets there safely.
For the most part I guess I am okay with that. Obviously this container is a big part of our getting there. I just get tired of being the one who hears all the tattling, being the only one to get after the kids. And with the ages that the six of them are, it’s just really hard to take them somewhere “fun”.
George, one of the Zambia pastors who drives bus, dropped Brian off at the office that day, then Brian walked the mile to Discount Steel. He said he really didn’t feel uncomfortable walking alone. He was the only white person on the street but it didn’t really matter. He probably figured it would be a bigger deal walking in some downtown metros in the States then over there. No one paid any attention to him. I said we walk with seven kids and I am sure they will!
Brian was told the other day that all the block was up at the house! I haven’t talked to him since then, he was going to check to see that it was. Then they put a top plate on, and the plasterers can start their work. During that time Brian will make the templates for the roof trusses and have some guys work on those, and then form up the patio/outdoor cooking area.
Lewis and Paul leave today (they are already in town). Another Gospelink rep, Allen Scruggs, is there for the next two weeks to help oversea the teams at the college with Brian. There is still a lot to be done, and Brian may have to help more with other areas now. Pray that all will get done, in its right time.
A pastor from the Eastern Province brought some trees to plant at the school, he wanted to contribute in some way. Brian didn’t get what they were called, but they were some type of pine/oriental- it’s green all year round. He had brought one for the medical clinic, one for Lewis, then figured Brian would take 2 or 3, so he was going to look to see where to plant.
I really don’t remember what I have typed before, so forgive me if I repeat. It seems Gospelink is now in negations with customs on their container. That means they go line by line of the manifest and through the container-this will inevitably lead to extra cost for warehousing fees and duties. Pray this will go smoothly and quickly, without huge disputes. There is a Gator, tractor, plow, steel for roofs, and other equipment on there that we could sure use at the school.
Brian also met the tribal chief today. He had heard the medical clinic was done, so he wanted to come and see it. Daniel has been coaching how to greet him in Sulu and all the formalities of the tribal structure.
We are looking to September already, thinking about a two week or so time period when Brian (and hopefully a handful of other guys) could go back and finish up the details on the house. We have looked at Sept 7th to 21st or 14th to 28th. Of course for those up here in the Midwest, this is very close to when they start combining soybeans. With the later planting this year, I don’t know how close that will end up being. One year they combined on Sept. 25th/2 6th, which was very early (I only remember because Brian was so exhausted that night-and Mariah was born on the 27th!) Let us know if you have an interest in going! The only costs I know for sure are the $140 for a tourist visa (that is good for 3 years-then you can come back and visit us!). September 1st marks the end of the main tourist season, so airfare will go down a bit, and then the other cost would be food. I just did a quick search and saw a flight for around $2000. But I believe Gospelink can get it a little cheaper as it would be a missionary flight.
There is a group at the school this week and next (they are staying an extra week) from LuVerne, MN. This is the group Brian was with last year, we spoke at their church in February, and we will go down again on August 3rd.
Brian is preaching again this Sunday-please pray for time to prepare. And as I said, it’s hard to get in a “groove” as you can only say about a sentence at a time. Pray for him Saturday night before you go to bed.
On the last trip to Victoria Falls, one of the women had a severe headache, probably a migraine. George, asked if he could pray for her. He laid hands on her head and prayed for her and immediately it was gone! We definitely see the spiritual battle out in the open in Africa! Later that week one of the Malawian pastors started preaching to the guys about prayer and fasting while at supper. How real and effective it is!
Some of the kids were out in the grass with their hoes the other day, killing mice. Then they brought them home and roasted over an open fire. YUM!
Brian saw a black fox walking down the middle of the road last week when he was driving back to the school. He also saw a cobra on the other side of the road, so swerved and ran it over.
The ladies who are helping with all the cooking and whatnot were joking about how sometimes they don’t know whose kids are whose; they just strap one on their back. Well, you’ll know when you have one of mine Brian said, and they just laughed and laughed!
We are looking (again) at satellite internet service for out at the school for us. I really don’t understand much though- there are Ku bands and C bands, and you pay by bandwidth, or data feed on different tiers…I have no idea. We can do the small one where you plug it in a USB port and get a new port every time, but that is like $300 a time, and basically we’d only have time to check our emails, not do much for research on it. I got an email of another couple who has satellite internet, I’ll see what they have and what they pay.
The Zambian kwacha continues to fall as the dollar falls. Not sure what we will do about that. The house has already cost more than we originally hoped as we planned when the kwacha was at 4000 to the dollar. The last exchange I saw was around 3300.
Some praises:
As I was up from 2-3:30 am Monday morning waiting for an email that didn’t come until I went back to bed (of course!), I prayed that God would make it clear Brian needed to do this and I couldn’t, or I would get all the details to do it. I awoke at 5:30 to an email telling Brian to come into the office, which would be best. Answer #1!
When I talked to Brian on Monday night he wasn’t planning on going into Lusaka until Thursday. I prayed and praised God for His sovereignty and that He will of course handle all of it in His time, but for my peace of mind, I’d love it if Brian could get in on Tuesday. At 5:30 am Brian called, he was at the office. Answer #2!
I still don’t know when the container will for sure be in Dar Es Salaam. The estimated time was 6/25, but I just wasn’t seeing the update of where it was on the shipping tracking site. So again I prayed last night to see something. So when I woke up, I saw it got off the ship in Salalah, Oman. Answer #3! Now I am waiting for it to tell me what ship it was loaded onto to get to Dar Es Salaam and what day that will be.
I need to talk to Brian later today, so I am sure I will update again of Friday or Saturday!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
a week's worth
So Brian and I have talked A LOT this week. Like a lot, A LOT. We have had some things to discuss about our house here, and trying to figure out customs on the container at the border.
So, you are going to get the summary version of it all. Let’s see…
THE CONTAINER: On way to Salalah, Oman today or tomorrow and then to Dar Es Salaam on the 25th. We didn’t know we had to have a clearing agent working with us to do the clearing at the Zambia border. Really long story short, I think I have one. Brian may need to meet with him Monday or Tuesday, but hopefully we can do most, if not all of it by phone or email. We should be able to get new residents rebate! PLEASE PRAY WE DO! It will save us some money! While we have to now pay an agent, which we didn’t know about, it should still be cheaper. And, we can get final clearance at the border and have container delivered right to school, instead of Lusaka, then back out to school, which also would have increased our cost. Our clearing agent should be able to arrange for crane service to meet container at school. PLEASE KEEP PRAYING THAT THE CONTAINER WILL BE AT SCHOOL BEFORE BRIAN LEAVES ON JULY 11th!!!!
Brian is soon to be the only one insured to drive the Gospelink truck, which means he will be running to town often. Not so good, considering all he wants to get done at the site. But at least he will be in town to get anything done with the paperwork for container if need be. The problem with going to get supplies is that sometimes they have stuff, and sometimes they don’t. And even if you ordered it, if someone else wants it, they may sell yours. So you may have to go back and back and back until you get your stuff.
Brian is also the only one who can drive the backhoe now. It is off limits to everyone else. He got in the other day and all the gears were stuck. Somehow he managed to get it working.
Brian has been spending some time with Paul’s Nebraska team. This is the team that paid for, built, and will help staff the medical clinic; which, by the way, sounds like it is done! Paul was finally able to get his steel. It cost twice as much as what it would have cost us here, and it isn’t as good, but it’s there. Brian said Paul’s wife Lori seems easy going, happy/giggly type of person. We’d of course love to have them there! Brian said Paul told Lewis he wouldn’t make a decision on coming for 8 months. It may take less time to decide, but that way he won’t feel pressured. So continue praying for Paul & Lori.
The tribal chief is coming out to the school on Thursday to see the clinic. He had heard it was done, so he is coming to check it out. I guess the Nebraska group has been talking to Brian about some of the things we did/are doing to prepare. He has talked to them about our time at MTI, how you can’t meet everyone’s needs all the time, how the clinic can not be free. This is hard for the group to hear, but they have heard it before-it’s hard to hear, they don’t like to hear it, but know it is true.
Brian has been having a few headaches this week. He stayed one night at the Barn, and the beds aren’t so good. He feels as if his neck may be out. Add to that working from 6:30 am to 5 pm just trying to keep up with all the bricklayers, and dealing with them telling him he can’t do certain things because they don’t understand it… He definitely sounds more tired at night. But three weeks from tonight, he will be home!
He also missed some sleep the other night since the dogs were chasing a neighbor’s cow through the school. Daniel is looking forward to Brian bringing his gun; he’s already told the neighbor if his cows eat up his garden again, they will be having roast beef for dinner!
THE HOUSE: I should be getting emails from various team members sometime after next week with pictures of progress on the house! That should be good. He said all the block should be up by Wednesday of next week, depending on if he gets the angle iron and lumbar he needs to finish around some areas. They will be able to start plastering a wall as soon as it is done. So they will be laying block, plastering, doing roof trusses and everything all at once. He thinks the house should be done minus steel for roof before he leaves on July 11th. He is making adjustments as needed as they go, has all the block he should need, all the lumbar for rafters he should need. They haven’t done anything with the patio/cooking area, which may end up waiting until September. He will probably use rocks from the mountain to form up the pad. He added a fireplace area between the family room and Kitchen area. We were just going to use bookshelves to divide the areas. But we never really thought about a heating source. And this summer (winter) has been cool enough that Brian figured we better add something in! The septic tank is completely done.
Pray for the Gospelink container in bond (in a warehouse) in Lusaka. It sounds like they may need to start everything over again with a detailed manifest. See, you want to say enough, but not too much, to avoid paying too much in taxes. It seems some numbers were needed that they were told weren’t needed. Problem now is the company has to go through the contents of the container, in the warehouse. Please pray everything is still there when it actually makes it to the school-and please pray that it does make it! There is a tractor in there that would be most useful to us!
THE HOUSE HERE: We ended up lowering the price some on our house here. No, it is not because we are desperate yet-it’s only been a month! We just found out about another house, nearly the same but with a double garage, that was listed at $15,000 cheaper. Now there are always pluses and minuses for each, so they are hard to compare…but we knew we had listed on the highest end of what we thought we could get for our house. So we dropped some. Please continue to pray for our house to sell.
A FEW MORE CULTURE LESSONS: Brother/sister may not necessarily mean real brother/sister, it could be a cousin.
Almost everyone has a few orphans that are either in their home, or they help support.
Last winter Daniel almost died from malaria I guess. The truck didn’t have any fuel in it, so he couldn’t get to a doctor. I am not sure if he would have gotten there if he would have had the $40 needed for medication either. You see, as serious as malaria is, if you have the money for the medicine, you will be okay. Most of the people who die from malaria die because they can’t afford the medicine.
Henry told Brian they get BBC, Air France, and the Armed Services Radio network out at the college. Brian has also seen TV antennas on some huts. They can get satellite TV in the city, so I wonder if they can’t get it out there. And I just reread that the Rodgers “next door” in Chongwe now get wireless internet. It is slow-but it’s better than paying by the minute! We will definitely have to look into that!
The nationals understand that our culture is different from theirs and that we will need time away from them and to be alone too. One of the guys suggested they build a little pool on the mountain for Paul and us. Brian and Paul were like, no, no, that would be a bit much…but this guy said they understood we would want to be away. Brian or Paul asked what others would think. The national said they expect us to have some thing nice, to need time away.
Please pray for both Paul and Brian as they need to discuss some serious things with Lewis before Lewis and Paul leave on Thursday for the states.
Okay I am done. Comprehendible? Hopefully!
So, you are going to get the summary version of it all. Let’s see…
THE CONTAINER: On way to Salalah, Oman today or tomorrow and then to Dar Es Salaam on the 25th. We didn’t know we had to have a clearing agent working with us to do the clearing at the Zambia border. Really long story short, I think I have one. Brian may need to meet with him Monday or Tuesday, but hopefully we can do most, if not all of it by phone or email. We should be able to get new residents rebate! PLEASE PRAY WE DO! It will save us some money! While we have to now pay an agent, which we didn’t know about, it should still be cheaper. And, we can get final clearance at the border and have container delivered right to school, instead of Lusaka, then back out to school, which also would have increased our cost. Our clearing agent should be able to arrange for crane service to meet container at school. PLEASE KEEP PRAYING THAT THE CONTAINER WILL BE AT SCHOOL BEFORE BRIAN LEAVES ON JULY 11th!!!!
Brian is soon to be the only one insured to drive the Gospelink truck, which means he will be running to town often. Not so good, considering all he wants to get done at the site. But at least he will be in town to get anything done with the paperwork for container if need be. The problem with going to get supplies is that sometimes they have stuff, and sometimes they don’t. And even if you ordered it, if someone else wants it, they may sell yours. So you may have to go back and back and back until you get your stuff.
Brian is also the only one who can drive the backhoe now. It is off limits to everyone else. He got in the other day and all the gears were stuck. Somehow he managed to get it working.
Brian has been spending some time with Paul’s Nebraska team. This is the team that paid for, built, and will help staff the medical clinic; which, by the way, sounds like it is done! Paul was finally able to get his steel. It cost twice as much as what it would have cost us here, and it isn’t as good, but it’s there. Brian said Paul’s wife Lori seems easy going, happy/giggly type of person. We’d of course love to have them there! Brian said Paul told Lewis he wouldn’t make a decision on coming for 8 months. It may take less time to decide, but that way he won’t feel pressured. So continue praying for Paul & Lori.
The tribal chief is coming out to the school on Thursday to see the clinic. He had heard it was done, so he is coming to check it out. I guess the Nebraska group has been talking to Brian about some of the things we did/are doing to prepare. He has talked to them about our time at MTI, how you can’t meet everyone’s needs all the time, how the clinic can not be free. This is hard for the group to hear, but they have heard it before-it’s hard to hear, they don’t like to hear it, but know it is true.
Brian has been having a few headaches this week. He stayed one night at the Barn, and the beds aren’t so good. He feels as if his neck may be out. Add to that working from 6:30 am to 5 pm just trying to keep up with all the bricklayers, and dealing with them telling him he can’t do certain things because they don’t understand it… He definitely sounds more tired at night. But three weeks from tonight, he will be home!
He also missed some sleep the other night since the dogs were chasing a neighbor’s cow through the school. Daniel is looking forward to Brian bringing his gun; he’s already told the neighbor if his cows eat up his garden again, they will be having roast beef for dinner!
THE HOUSE: I should be getting emails from various team members sometime after next week with pictures of progress on the house! That should be good. He said all the block should be up by Wednesday of next week, depending on if he gets the angle iron and lumbar he needs to finish around some areas. They will be able to start plastering a wall as soon as it is done. So they will be laying block, plastering, doing roof trusses and everything all at once. He thinks the house should be done minus steel for roof before he leaves on July 11th. He is making adjustments as needed as they go, has all the block he should need, all the lumbar for rafters he should need. They haven’t done anything with the patio/cooking area, which may end up waiting until September. He will probably use rocks from the mountain to form up the pad. He added a fireplace area between the family room and Kitchen area. We were just going to use bookshelves to divide the areas. But we never really thought about a heating source. And this summer (winter) has been cool enough that Brian figured we better add something in! The septic tank is completely done.
Pray for the Gospelink container in bond (in a warehouse) in Lusaka. It sounds like they may need to start everything over again with a detailed manifest. See, you want to say enough, but not too much, to avoid paying too much in taxes. It seems some numbers were needed that they were told weren’t needed. Problem now is the company has to go through the contents of the container, in the warehouse. Please pray everything is still there when it actually makes it to the school-and please pray that it does make it! There is a tractor in there that would be most useful to us!
THE HOUSE HERE: We ended up lowering the price some on our house here. No, it is not because we are desperate yet-it’s only been a month! We just found out about another house, nearly the same but with a double garage, that was listed at $15,000 cheaper. Now there are always pluses and minuses for each, so they are hard to compare…but we knew we had listed on the highest end of what we thought we could get for our house. So we dropped some. Please continue to pray for our house to sell.
A FEW MORE CULTURE LESSONS: Brother/sister may not necessarily mean real brother/sister, it could be a cousin.
Almost everyone has a few orphans that are either in their home, or they help support.
Last winter Daniel almost died from malaria I guess. The truck didn’t have any fuel in it, so he couldn’t get to a doctor. I am not sure if he would have gotten there if he would have had the $40 needed for medication either. You see, as serious as malaria is, if you have the money for the medicine, you will be okay. Most of the people who die from malaria die because they can’t afford the medicine.
Henry told Brian they get BBC, Air France, and the Armed Services Radio network out at the college. Brian has also seen TV antennas on some huts. They can get satellite TV in the city, so I wonder if they can’t get it out there. And I just reread that the Rodgers “next door” in Chongwe now get wireless internet. It is slow-but it’s better than paying by the minute! We will definitely have to look into that!
The nationals understand that our culture is different from theirs and that we will need time away from them and to be alone too. One of the guys suggested they build a little pool on the mountain for Paul and us. Brian and Paul were like, no, no, that would be a bit much…but this guy said they understood we would want to be away. Brian or Paul asked what others would think. The national said they expect us to have some thing nice, to need time away.
Please pray for both Paul and Brian as they need to discuss some serious things with Lewis before Lewis and Paul leave on Thursday for the states.
Okay I am done. Comprehendible? Hopefully!
my first nephew!
After four nieces on Brian's side, we finally have a nephew!
Hans Arnold was born at 4:08 on Saturday, June 21. He weighed 8 lbs 3 oz and was 21.5 inches long. He is Kari & Leroy's first child.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
my hand at trying a slide show...
We'll see if this works-sorry if you have dial-up, it may take forever!
If you do and can't wait for the slide show :-) click on the June 2008 newsletter link for a few color photos.
If you do and can't wait for the slide show :-) click on the June 2008 newsletter link for a few color photos.
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| Make a Smilebox slideshow |
June newsletter
June Newsletter is available through link on the right. There are some pictures from Zambia on there, and I am on my way to my mom's later tonight to put up some more pictures! Enjoy!
Monday, June 16, 2008
IN HAND!!
Brian walked out of the immigration office this morning (afternoon) with his actual work permit in hand!!! YEAH!!! Thank you for praying!!!
Friday, June 13, 2008
Another Day
Maybe because it was Friday the 13th , or because I slept half the night in a chair, half in bed with Myron and didn’t get up to have quiet time with God this morning…I don’t know, guess the overall day could have been better. You know, it’s not that it is hard to clean up for open houses and showings, it’s just the then keeping it clean, with 6 kids! Needless to say, I did a lot of yelling today! Come on-just give me a couple of hours! So, I am SOOOO ready for our house to sell, I am not even worried about finding somewhere else to live for a while, I just want it to sell! So please pray for that end! Our realtor called tonight, he has one couple coming tomorrow for what would be a “regular” showing, another realtor called to do the same, and it’s an open house. So hopefully we can get something written up soon! Our guy also hasn’t heard back from the couple that looked last week to see what they decided. So PLEASE PRAY!
Our container has left Spain and is on its way to Salalah, Oman in the Persian Gulf. It is scheduled to be there on 6/21 and from there to Tanzania on 6/25. Since Brian is still in Zambia, he’s going to be contacting the trucker/shipper in Tanzania. Please pray that goes well-that they understand each other clearly, that he will know how/who to pay customs (if we have to), that it can be arranged to get out to the school quickly. God can still work miracles and Brian could at least see that it’s to the school and locked up before he leaves. He is also going into town on Monday; one of the things to do is get his work permit. He only has a day or two left on his visa, so he’s got to at least get that changed. Pray he can get the actual permit on Monday, and not the run around.
His parents left today, about 6 am our time and then travel until 4 pm our time tomorrow afternoon. The worst part will probably be the layover in Washington DC. I hear it is not a great airport and it’s only a few hour delay-not long enough to go anywhere, but too long to want to stay there when you only have one flight left! It seems it was pretty hard to leave. I know Wendell would have loved to see the walls go up, and I think Carole was having a pretty good time with the ladies. Such a laid back, enjoyable style of life. Brian actually prefers it when the American teams aren’t there-it’s so much more peaceful in the evenings-but don’t tell anyone! :-) Brian is loving the pictures the kids sent him, and the kids there are excited to have our kids coming. Sounds like there are kids from 11 and down regularly at or near the school. I am sure when Brian’s parents gets back I will have TOO MANY photos to choose from! And all the workers love pictures. You try to take a picture with just one…and end up with a half dozen!
Carole tried her hand at washing some of their clothes with the ladies too. I guess her palms got a little bruised and her fingers were bleeding. Takes a bit to get used to I am sure!
A few posts back I wrote about how honest some of the workers guys have been. Well, that only goes so far with some. Seems a couple stole something. Paul offered a reward if it was found, well, these 2 guys knew right where it was. So Brian’s reward for them was a free pass. This would never happen again or they would be gone for good. They know Brian and Paul are the boss and they don’t want to lose their jobs or disappoint.
The Gospelink Zambia Board meet a week or two ago. One of the national pastors that was going to come and teach, now isn’t. That’s about all Brian knew about how that went.
Brian says it is pretty interesting to hear what the Americans think of our house. Half think it is just too big-apparently when you are a missionary you are suppose to live in poverty. Most of the Africans love the layout and have no problem with the plans. We will never be able to be 100% African, and we will probably never again be 100% American. The Africans love it when you try to learn their language, eat like them, some of those small things; but let’s face it: they know we are not African just as much as they do. They don’t expect us to be. We can learn the culture, but we won’t be able to (nor want to) follow it completely, and they don’t expect it. Yes, we are going to have someone help with the cooking, cleaning, and laundry. Sorry folks, this is not a “colonist” thing. It is a practical thing, number one, as hand washing seven people’s clothes, making food from scratch over charcoal, home schooling, etc. just would take too much time for me and the kids. We may have a guy help with yard work-to help keep the snakes away! Again, this is expected from the Africans. Not just locally with the villagers, but nationally, if you are coming to do work in most African nations, they expect you to hire nationals in some capacity. It is very easy to take a quick look, see what you want and leave and question. But we are learning and understanding the culture and learning what is expected, what to do, what not to do.
One of the trucks is in bad shape. Apparently the air filter was plugged, then got a hole in the air line, which then sucked dirt into the motor. Not good.
The foundation is all set up, and they were planning on pouring the floor today and tomorrow, and Monday if need be. We’re praying they can get it done in two days instead of three. All of the plumbing lines are in. Wendell had been working on the backhoe for the past couple days-Lewis had him filling all over. Now Brian is the only one there who runs the backhoe, unless someone on one of the other teams can do it. Hopefully there will be at least one person so that Brian can focus on our house. Lewis had told the group 2 weeks ago that our house would be priority now, so let’s hope (and pray) that will still be able to happen.
Abel, who is around the same age as Alfred, has also said he will be Brian’s dad when Wendell is gone. So neat and encouraging. Such a level of respect there for elders; Africans would often give up there seats around the fire for Wendell & Carole.
At one of the closing sessions Henry asked Wendell to pray, but he didn’t hear him. So he just sat, finally Carole told him; I guess Henry had a good laugh.
Apparently while the group had church last week at Victoria Falls, someone got baptized up on the ledge. How cool would that be! I have seen pictures in the National Geographic of people swimming right next to the edge-there are little eight foot deep pools that form when the water is down. I just can’t imagine it this year with all the rain they got!
Seems the weather changed over night-now very cold and windy. Oh well, guess it is winter!
Brian says he is starting to pick up some of the Chiyanja. Often he’ll catch something and tell the guys to quit talking about him. They just laugh. Believe it or not, as weird as it sounds, I am looking forward to just doing a lot of laughing. I will obviously have to learn to laugh at myself more, but the people there just seem to love to laugh and love life. So different than here it seems.
Brian still has not himself seen any snakes. Henry killed a cobra in Lucy’s garden before any teams came and they killed a black mamba down by the river. It was 2-3 feet long and 2 inches or so thick-so just a little thing.
I told you Brian was playing doctor some. He told Lucy she had to stay off her feet and soak them-even told the other ladies so they would keep her out of trouble. So he went to check on her, and sure enough she was soaking her feet-she just laughed and said, “Yes I am soaking!”
Another of the main cultural things to learn is about the need for privacy. Africans can have privacy with 30 people around. To them, it’s about a mental privacy, even though it isn’t physical. Westerners seem to very much need the physical space as well as mental. Another missionary in Zambia also commented on this; Africans who have been in the West at some point seem to understand it some, but if they haven’t it’s hard for them to understand. Last week neither Paul nor Brian went to church, just needing some alone time. I am not sure the people there understood completely, but they respected it. I think this may be easier for guys. Brian says some nights there can be 8 guys at the fire all working on their own thing, no talking needed. If there were women there-can you imagine? We can’t have silence you know! :-)
Continue to pray for Paul’s decision. Pray for relationships there as well. It’s already been a month or longer that these guys (not just Paul & Brian, but some of the others) have been together, pretty much 24-7. Brian has had to do a little apologizing for some things that have come out in the heat of the moment. Pray for discernment for them all in speech; wisdom in knowing when to say something, and when to let it go; humility to ask forgiveness when needed; responsibility for everyone to do their part.
I had a doctor’s appointment on Wednesday. I thought I was doing pretty good this month-but am still packing on the pounds. During the mid point I seem to do that with all the kids. Oh well, I just can’t get into the mindset of worrying about that, or I will become consumed and that wouldn’t be good. My doctor isn’t worried about it, so I am not. I gained 60 pounds with Hailey, but 40 is my average. I’ve always lost it all, so oh well. We were able to schedule my next ultrasound on the day after Brian gets back, so that’s good. He enjoys the times when I am pregnant, so he’s missed out on a lot, but he’ll at least be able to see this again. I still can’t believe I just typed that stuff about my weight. Oh well-I will pretend I am already in Africa where it is a compliment when they tell you that you are getting so fat!
Our container has left Spain and is on its way to Salalah, Oman in the Persian Gulf. It is scheduled to be there on 6/21 and from there to Tanzania on 6/25. Since Brian is still in Zambia, he’s going to be contacting the trucker/shipper in Tanzania. Please pray that goes well-that they understand each other clearly, that he will know how/who to pay customs (if we have to), that it can be arranged to get out to the school quickly. God can still work miracles and Brian could at least see that it’s to the school and locked up before he leaves. He is also going into town on Monday; one of the things to do is get his work permit. He only has a day or two left on his visa, so he’s got to at least get that changed. Pray he can get the actual permit on Monday, and not the run around.
His parents left today, about 6 am our time and then travel until 4 pm our time tomorrow afternoon. The worst part will probably be the layover in Washington DC. I hear it is not a great airport and it’s only a few hour delay-not long enough to go anywhere, but too long to want to stay there when you only have one flight left! It seems it was pretty hard to leave. I know Wendell would have loved to see the walls go up, and I think Carole was having a pretty good time with the ladies. Such a laid back, enjoyable style of life. Brian actually prefers it when the American teams aren’t there-it’s so much more peaceful in the evenings-but don’t tell anyone! :-) Brian is loving the pictures the kids sent him, and the kids there are excited to have our kids coming. Sounds like there are kids from 11 and down regularly at or near the school. I am sure when Brian’s parents gets back I will have TOO MANY photos to choose from! And all the workers love pictures. You try to take a picture with just one…and end up with a half dozen!
Carole tried her hand at washing some of their clothes with the ladies too. I guess her palms got a little bruised and her fingers were bleeding. Takes a bit to get used to I am sure!
A few posts back I wrote about how honest some of the workers guys have been. Well, that only goes so far with some. Seems a couple stole something. Paul offered a reward if it was found, well, these 2 guys knew right where it was. So Brian’s reward for them was a free pass. This would never happen again or they would be gone for good. They know Brian and Paul are the boss and they don’t want to lose their jobs or disappoint.
The Gospelink Zambia Board meet a week or two ago. One of the national pastors that was going to come and teach, now isn’t. That’s about all Brian knew about how that went.
Brian says it is pretty interesting to hear what the Americans think of our house. Half think it is just too big-apparently when you are a missionary you are suppose to live in poverty. Most of the Africans love the layout and have no problem with the plans. We will never be able to be 100% African, and we will probably never again be 100% American. The Africans love it when you try to learn their language, eat like them, some of those small things; but let’s face it: they know we are not African just as much as they do. They don’t expect us to be. We can learn the culture, but we won’t be able to (nor want to) follow it completely, and they don’t expect it. Yes, we are going to have someone help with the cooking, cleaning, and laundry. Sorry folks, this is not a “colonist” thing. It is a practical thing, number one, as hand washing seven people’s clothes, making food from scratch over charcoal, home schooling, etc. just would take too much time for me and the kids. We may have a guy help with yard work-to help keep the snakes away! Again, this is expected from the Africans. Not just locally with the villagers, but nationally, if you are coming to do work in most African nations, they expect you to hire nationals in some capacity. It is very easy to take a quick look, see what you want and leave and question. But we are learning and understanding the culture and learning what is expected, what to do, what not to do.
One of the trucks is in bad shape. Apparently the air filter was plugged, then got a hole in the air line, which then sucked dirt into the motor. Not good.
The foundation is all set up, and they were planning on pouring the floor today and tomorrow, and Monday if need be. We’re praying they can get it done in two days instead of three. All of the plumbing lines are in. Wendell had been working on the backhoe for the past couple days-Lewis had him filling all over. Now Brian is the only one there who runs the backhoe, unless someone on one of the other teams can do it. Hopefully there will be at least one person so that Brian can focus on our house. Lewis had told the group 2 weeks ago that our house would be priority now, so let’s hope (and pray) that will still be able to happen.
Abel, who is around the same age as Alfred, has also said he will be Brian’s dad when Wendell is gone. So neat and encouraging. Such a level of respect there for elders; Africans would often give up there seats around the fire for Wendell & Carole.
At one of the closing sessions Henry asked Wendell to pray, but he didn’t hear him. So he just sat, finally Carole told him; I guess Henry had a good laugh.
Apparently while the group had church last week at Victoria Falls, someone got baptized up on the ledge. How cool would that be! I have seen pictures in the National Geographic of people swimming right next to the edge-there are little eight foot deep pools that form when the water is down. I just can’t imagine it this year with all the rain they got!
Seems the weather changed over night-now very cold and windy. Oh well, guess it is winter!
Brian says he is starting to pick up some of the Chiyanja. Often he’ll catch something and tell the guys to quit talking about him. They just laugh. Believe it or not, as weird as it sounds, I am looking forward to just doing a lot of laughing. I will obviously have to learn to laugh at myself more, but the people there just seem to love to laugh and love life. So different than here it seems.
Brian still has not himself seen any snakes. Henry killed a cobra in Lucy’s garden before any teams came and they killed a black mamba down by the river. It was 2-3 feet long and 2 inches or so thick-so just a little thing.
I told you Brian was playing doctor some. He told Lucy she had to stay off her feet and soak them-even told the other ladies so they would keep her out of trouble. So he went to check on her, and sure enough she was soaking her feet-she just laughed and said, “Yes I am soaking!”
Another of the main cultural things to learn is about the need for privacy. Africans can have privacy with 30 people around. To them, it’s about a mental privacy, even though it isn’t physical. Westerners seem to very much need the physical space as well as mental. Another missionary in Zambia also commented on this; Africans who have been in the West at some point seem to understand it some, but if they haven’t it’s hard for them to understand. Last week neither Paul nor Brian went to church, just needing some alone time. I am not sure the people there understood completely, but they respected it. I think this may be easier for guys. Brian says some nights there can be 8 guys at the fire all working on their own thing, no talking needed. If there were women there-can you imagine? We can’t have silence you know! :-)
Continue to pray for Paul’s decision. Pray for relationships there as well. It’s already been a month or longer that these guys (not just Paul & Brian, but some of the others) have been together, pretty much 24-7. Brian has had to do a little apologizing for some things that have come out in the heat of the moment. Pray for discernment for them all in speech; wisdom in knowing when to say something, and when to let it go; humility to ask forgiveness when needed; responsibility for everyone to do their part.
I had a doctor’s appointment on Wednesday. I thought I was doing pretty good this month-but am still packing on the pounds. During the mid point I seem to do that with all the kids. Oh well, I just can’t get into the mindset of worrying about that, or I will become consumed and that wouldn’t be good. My doctor isn’t worried about it, so I am not. I gained 60 pounds with Hailey, but 40 is my average. I’ve always lost it all, so oh well. We were able to schedule my next ultrasound on the day after Brian gets back, so that’s good. He enjoys the times when I am pregnant, so he’s missed out on a lot, but he’ll at least be able to see this again. I still can’t believe I just typed that stuff about my weight. Oh well-I will pretend I am already in Africa where it is a compliment when they tell you that you are getting so fat!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
struggles
Suzanne in Chongwe wrote a few posts about the struggles of being missionaries. Some of them won't quite apply to us as we are living in a little different area, won't have power from the grid or water from the town, but i just thought they were a good read about the realities of living on the field. We won't do language school, but we will do our best to learn and use the language. Anyway, I could comment about each of them, but I won't. Take it for what it is I guess.
Struggles, part 1
struggles, part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Struggles, part 1
struggles, part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Monday, June 9, 2008
more catching up
Let’s see-lots of random notes… And sorry if I repeat things, I don’t always remember what I have said, and am too lazy to read back.
I talked to Bri on Friday, then briefly today on the way home from a quick trip. I didn’t talk much because I was driving, so couldn’t take notes, and I didn’t have my list of things to talk about anyway. I just thought I’d give a quick call and let the kids talk to him about their week at camp.
Today he said they poured the flour of the septic tank and the footings. YEAH!! Tomorrow they will work on laying the block around the rest of the foundation, then Brian will back fill it with the back hoe, they will pack it, and hopefully lay the floor by the end of the week. Then they should start walls next week!
A few prayer things-Brian hasn’t been able to be back in to check on his work permit. He is on the last week or so of his tourist visa, but it’s not the end of the world since he has a receipt for the permit, but it would just be nice to have that taken care of. He will go in on Thursday/Friday with the teams probably to see his parents off, so hopefully he can get in to check on it. Also, the container is out on the sea somewhere in the Mediterranean. The tracking link hasn’t been updated recently, so it should have already been in Spain and gone further in, but I can’t confirm that yet. Also, our house is “still in the running” I believe with a couple that looked at it Friday, so please keep praying!
Okay, Brian’s folks decided to come back and spend this week at the college with Brian. They were already getting tired (they have been going up and down small Kaziemba quite a bit helping Brian with the water line last week, so they were up and down a lot!)
and the time in the city is pretty intense, and they are having a great time and wanted to be more help with Brian directly, so it all works in the long run. It would have been great for them to do some evangelism in the city, but this is good too. Paul found them some extra sleeping bags as it is pretty cool at night. They are in a cabin next to Brian (with electricity!) so they spend time with him out by the fire having coffee and cookies at night. I guess they’ve seen some pretty big spiders on their walls though. FUN! They went to Victoria Falls on Saturday. Unfortunately the bus broke down on the way there. They finally got there late Saturday night and went up to the Falls Sunday AM and had church up top. They made it back to Lusaka at 2 AM, then rode back out to the school and took a nap this afternoon!
The head office guy from Gospelink was at the bible college last week, so Brian had some good talks with him about all that is going on there. His parents also spent some time talking with them. Brian is thinking that his parents are a lot more at ease with our moving after this trip, so that is very good. Either Brian heard it, or someone else, but Wendell said if he was 20 years younger, he’d probably come back and stay! Carole is having a good time helping Lucy and the ladies, and watching all the kids running around. His folks were also the “honored guests” one night at worship, and Wendell had to say something (Brian doesn’t know what though as he wasn’t there) There also met a villager named Alfred one day (Brian already knew him). He asked if Brian was Wendell’s son in the states; well, when Wendell is in the states and Brian is in Zambia, he will be his son.
Brian’s folks have had the star treatment. Everyone is asking Brian if his parents are doing well, do they need anything, etc. The culture there really honors their elders, and Brian told everyone all about his parents. Whenever they are out walking, people come up and say “Introduction, introduction!” So Brian introduces his dad, but he can’t introduce the Zambians as he doesn’t know everyone’s name-but they sure know him! They are really getting to see how respectful everyone is.
One thing Wendell will miss is the music-it’s always in harmony, and they are always singing! It’s so unfortunate that our culture is so, I don’t know, judgmental? High-falootin (don’t even know if that is a word!)? Professional? People just don’t go walking around singing-they are too afraid of what others will say. I am sad to say I have fallen into this as well, and don’t like to sing in front of people anymore.
Brian has been getting some gifts from people too. One guy from Iowa gave him a brand new (toolman, tool belt, something, I can’t remember!), another guy last week gave him a new Nelson study bible as he figured Brian was going to be doing quite a bit of preaching! It is very neat for Brian to get to know so many people, invest with them, and then be humbled by their generous to him.
Apparently Brian is also one of the resident doctors now too! I remember at MTI they asked us, what do you THINK you will be doing? I don’t remember doctoring coming up! A group of Malawi pastors arrived yesterday. They were in an accident on the way. One of the pastors got his leg cut open, bad. Brian said you could see a lot of the muscle; this was no mere cut. Henry was going to take him to the local clinic, but first Brian cleaned it up/ wrapped it up so it wasn’t exposed as they drove down the dirty road. Lucy also had a thorn or something caught in her foot that was infected, so Henry asked him to look at that too.
A guy gave us a possible lead on somewhere to look for vehicles when we get there. We may import it from Japan and it would be cheaper, and it would be used, and so wouldn’t stand out too much, but not be driven to pieces either. We’ll see what happens once we get there.
A gentleman from Iowa took a bunch of our support brochures to put out for his church. It’s great that Brian is meeting people from all over and being able to share what we are going to do, and they have seen it, and seen the need. Pray that we would be able to find some more supporters through this time too. Speaking of which, we are close to 50% now! We have 2 big commitments we are waiting for final approval on and another church as well. Please keep praying for our monthly support and the funds we need for the tax on the container, airfare, and vehicle. We are getting closer!
The ladies are also excited to teach me how to do things there. I said to tell them they may have to just do it for me for the first week or two until we are a little settled! One of the workers offered one of his daughters to help in the house too. I don’t think we will have any trouble finding any help! The ladies out there are working hard! When teams are there during the week, they are up at 4:30 getting breakfast ready; they all sing at the services in the evenings, but then need to go back up and clean the dishes. Gladys didn’t get to the cabin until 10 pm the other night!
I thought Lucy knew we were having a Henry-but I guess not. Carole was there and I think she is the one who told her-she was ecstatic! I guess Lucy runs a pretty tight ship, Brian figures she and I will get a long pretty well! Both Lucy and Brian’s parents have been a little amazed at how Brian fits it-half the time he forgets to take silverware to eat with as he “eats like the Zambians”. Today some of the villagers boiled sweet potatoes for dinner, so he ate with them. After boiling, you just pull back the skin and eat it.
Brian “borrowed” a few guys some money last weekend as Lewis wasn’t able to be there to pay them on Saturday. He was sure to make the point that it was a loan he expected paid back, but still, you never know. It could have been paid back with a chicken, or sweet potatoes, or whatever. But, both of the guys paid him back! Very cool-it’s a start. The other night Brian left his gloves at the work site, and two of the guys actually brought them down to the banana house to get locked up so they wouldn’t’ be lost. That too is very neat to see, as you may remember from previous posts that that isn’t normal. But these guys really do want to work, and they know that if they screw up, they steal, whatever, they aren’t coming back.
Lewis’ wife and two of his kids have been at the school for the past week too, along with the office guy I mentioned. There is/has been/will be a guy doing some video there. I think the one guy was recording testimonies from the pastors. One group of 15 goes out to do crusades. Between the 15 of them, they speak all 73 languages in Zambia. For three days they preach all night, teach all day, take an hour off to rest here or there, but otherwise sleep and eat very little. They just preach, teach, and worship. Amazing.
Not too coherent, but it’s an update. I will talk to Brian tomorrow and update either Wednesday or Thursday. Someone is coming to help me to do weeding tomorrow and another gal on Thursday too-yeah! The one gal also offered to make me some curtains!
I talked to Bri on Friday, then briefly today on the way home from a quick trip. I didn’t talk much because I was driving, so couldn’t take notes, and I didn’t have my list of things to talk about anyway. I just thought I’d give a quick call and let the kids talk to him about their week at camp.
Today he said they poured the flour of the septic tank and the footings. YEAH!! Tomorrow they will work on laying the block around the rest of the foundation, then Brian will back fill it with the back hoe, they will pack it, and hopefully lay the floor by the end of the week. Then they should start walls next week!
A few prayer things-Brian hasn’t been able to be back in to check on his work permit. He is on the last week or so of his tourist visa, but it’s not the end of the world since he has a receipt for the permit, but it would just be nice to have that taken care of. He will go in on Thursday/Friday with the teams probably to see his parents off, so hopefully he can get in to check on it. Also, the container is out on the sea somewhere in the Mediterranean. The tracking link hasn’t been updated recently, so it should have already been in Spain and gone further in, but I can’t confirm that yet. Also, our house is “still in the running” I believe with a couple that looked at it Friday, so please keep praying!
Okay, Brian’s folks decided to come back and spend this week at the college with Brian. They were already getting tired (they have been going up and down small Kaziemba quite a bit helping Brian with the water line last week, so they were up and down a lot!)
and the time in the city is pretty intense, and they are having a great time and wanted to be more help with Brian directly, so it all works in the long run. It would have been great for them to do some evangelism in the city, but this is good too. Paul found them some extra sleeping bags as it is pretty cool at night. They are in a cabin next to Brian (with electricity!) so they spend time with him out by the fire having coffee and cookies at night. I guess they’ve seen some pretty big spiders on their walls though. FUN! They went to Victoria Falls on Saturday. Unfortunately the bus broke down on the way there. They finally got there late Saturday night and went up to the Falls Sunday AM and had church up top. They made it back to Lusaka at 2 AM, then rode back out to the school and took a nap this afternoon!
The head office guy from Gospelink was at the bible college last week, so Brian had some good talks with him about all that is going on there. His parents also spent some time talking with them. Brian is thinking that his parents are a lot more at ease with our moving after this trip, so that is very good. Either Brian heard it, or someone else, but Wendell said if he was 20 years younger, he’d probably come back and stay! Carole is having a good time helping Lucy and the ladies, and watching all the kids running around. His folks were also the “honored guests” one night at worship, and Wendell had to say something (Brian doesn’t know what though as he wasn’t there) There also met a villager named Alfred one day (Brian already knew him). He asked if Brian was Wendell’s son in the states; well, when Wendell is in the states and Brian is in Zambia, he will be his son.
Brian’s folks have had the star treatment. Everyone is asking Brian if his parents are doing well, do they need anything, etc. The culture there really honors their elders, and Brian told everyone all about his parents. Whenever they are out walking, people come up and say “Introduction, introduction!” So Brian introduces his dad, but he can’t introduce the Zambians as he doesn’t know everyone’s name-but they sure know him! They are really getting to see how respectful everyone is.
One thing Wendell will miss is the music-it’s always in harmony, and they are always singing! It’s so unfortunate that our culture is so, I don’t know, judgmental? High-falootin (don’t even know if that is a word!)? Professional? People just don’t go walking around singing-they are too afraid of what others will say. I am sad to say I have fallen into this as well, and don’t like to sing in front of people anymore.
Brian has been getting some gifts from people too. One guy from Iowa gave him a brand new (toolman, tool belt, something, I can’t remember!), another guy last week gave him a new Nelson study bible as he figured Brian was going to be doing quite a bit of preaching! It is very neat for Brian to get to know so many people, invest with them, and then be humbled by their generous to him.
Apparently Brian is also one of the resident doctors now too! I remember at MTI they asked us, what do you THINK you will be doing? I don’t remember doctoring coming up! A group of Malawi pastors arrived yesterday. They were in an accident on the way. One of the pastors got his leg cut open, bad. Brian said you could see a lot of the muscle; this was no mere cut. Henry was going to take him to the local clinic, but first Brian cleaned it up/ wrapped it up so it wasn’t exposed as they drove down the dirty road. Lucy also had a thorn or something caught in her foot that was infected, so Henry asked him to look at that too.
A guy gave us a possible lead on somewhere to look for vehicles when we get there. We may import it from Japan and it would be cheaper, and it would be used, and so wouldn’t stand out too much, but not be driven to pieces either. We’ll see what happens once we get there.
A gentleman from Iowa took a bunch of our support brochures to put out for his church. It’s great that Brian is meeting people from all over and being able to share what we are going to do, and they have seen it, and seen the need. Pray that we would be able to find some more supporters through this time too. Speaking of which, we are close to 50% now! We have 2 big commitments we are waiting for final approval on and another church as well. Please keep praying for our monthly support and the funds we need for the tax on the container, airfare, and vehicle. We are getting closer!
The ladies are also excited to teach me how to do things there. I said to tell them they may have to just do it for me for the first week or two until we are a little settled! One of the workers offered one of his daughters to help in the house too. I don’t think we will have any trouble finding any help! The ladies out there are working hard! When teams are there during the week, they are up at 4:30 getting breakfast ready; they all sing at the services in the evenings, but then need to go back up and clean the dishes. Gladys didn’t get to the cabin until 10 pm the other night!
I thought Lucy knew we were having a Henry-but I guess not. Carole was there and I think she is the one who told her-she was ecstatic! I guess Lucy runs a pretty tight ship, Brian figures she and I will get a long pretty well! Both Lucy and Brian’s parents have been a little amazed at how Brian fits it-half the time he forgets to take silverware to eat with as he “eats like the Zambians”. Today some of the villagers boiled sweet potatoes for dinner, so he ate with them. After boiling, you just pull back the skin and eat it.
Brian “borrowed” a few guys some money last weekend as Lewis wasn’t able to be there to pay them on Saturday. He was sure to make the point that it was a loan he expected paid back, but still, you never know. It could have been paid back with a chicken, or sweet potatoes, or whatever. But, both of the guys paid him back! Very cool-it’s a start. The other night Brian left his gloves at the work site, and two of the guys actually brought them down to the banana house to get locked up so they wouldn’t’ be lost. That too is very neat to see, as you may remember from previous posts that that isn’t normal. But these guys really do want to work, and they know that if they screw up, they steal, whatever, they aren’t coming back.
Lewis’ wife and two of his kids have been at the school for the past week too, along with the office guy I mentioned. There is/has been/will be a guy doing some video there. I think the one guy was recording testimonies from the pastors. One group of 15 goes out to do crusades. Between the 15 of them, they speak all 73 languages in Zambia. For three days they preach all night, teach all day, take an hour off to rest here or there, but otherwise sleep and eat very little. They just preach, teach, and worship. Amazing.
Not too coherent, but it’s an update. I will talk to Brian tomorrow and update either Wednesday or Thursday. Someone is coming to help me to do weeding tomorrow and another gal on Thursday too-yeah! The one gal also offered to make me some curtains!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
showing!
So those of us with a sad sense of humor will say, of course! Tonight around 5 pm I got a calling asking to show the house tomorrow at noon. No problem, right? Yeah, except that the garage is set up for the sale starting tomorrow at 3 pm! I told the gal about it, but she didn’t think it would be a big deal, so on we go!
Thankfully:
-my neighbor mowed last night
-another one trimmed
-I set up for the garage sale on Wednesday so I don’t need to worry about doing that tomorrow and it is all very neat in the garage
-we have been backed and forth to the farm most of the week, so they house wasn’t very messy, and I had cleaned on Monday, so I just needed to wash floors and straighten up.
-The weather is a mess outside, so I couldn’t pick up out there, but for the most part that has already been done since I had to pick up to mow. I just need to put the kids’ bikes and toys in the shed and move the car.
So, please pray for the showing. Pray it will go well. I’m not the realtor so I can say this: if this is the person that God wants to buy our house at this time, they really won’t care what the garage looks like or if I missed picking something up or wiping something off. It’s only God’s hand that is going to sell the house anyway, and it’s in His timing. I know, the world out there doesn’t see it that way (and all the realtors out there may cringe), but that’s what we believe. Just pray that if it’s God’s will, it will all fall into place.
You can also pray for the weather. It’s suppose to be rainy off and on for the next two days-doesn’t bode real well for the sale. :)
So it’s 5 am in Zambia, about the time Brian usually gets up. Should I call? What if he is still asleep?
Thankfully:
-my neighbor mowed last night
-another one trimmed
-I set up for the garage sale on Wednesday so I don’t need to worry about doing that tomorrow and it is all very neat in the garage
-we have been backed and forth to the farm most of the week, so they house wasn’t very messy, and I had cleaned on Monday, so I just needed to wash floors and straighten up.
-The weather is a mess outside, so I couldn’t pick up out there, but for the most part that has already been done since I had to pick up to mow. I just need to put the kids’ bikes and toys in the shed and move the car.
So, please pray for the showing. Pray it will go well. I’m not the realtor so I can say this: if this is the person that God wants to buy our house at this time, they really won’t care what the garage looks like or if I missed picking something up or wiping something off. It’s only God’s hand that is going to sell the house anyway, and it’s in His timing. I know, the world out there doesn’t see it that way (and all the realtors out there may cringe), but that’s what we believe. Just pray that if it’s God’s will, it will all fall into place.
You can also pray for the weather. It’s suppose to be rainy off and on for the next two days-doesn’t bode real well for the sale. :)
So it’s 5 am in Zambia, about the time Brian usually gets up. Should I call? What if he is still asleep?
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
catching up
Okay, okay, I will update on the last few phone calls. It’s late for me, but I promised. I actually did some work outside tonight-one of the smaller flower beds and the rocks. Good that it got done, sad how long it took me. And yes, I know I took some flowers up, but oh well. The ferns were overrunning this bed, so I wanted to get them out too.
Let’s see-Sunday at church. Brian said it went okay, really hard to tell for him. It’s hard to get into a rhythm when you can only say about one sentence at a time, and then have to wait for the interpreter; he said it was easy to lose his train of thought. Overall he guessed it wasn’t good by his standards (but he’s pretty hard on himself) but the nationals seemed to like it/enjoy it. He preached on being a living sacrifice, and how that means living a life of obedience. His text was Romans 12:1-2 and 1 John 4 (?). During the singing he had to sit up front, half facing people. One of the regular workers at the school led out a song of thanksgiving-first for all the kids, then for the provision of finances for them, then for Brother Brian (a little humbling, huh?). The headwoman who gave Gospelink the use of the land was at church Sunday as well. Brian has been able to get to know her assistant-He says he is a laughy/giggling type of guy but seems very nice and willing to help.
On Sunday, they met watermelon Mike, who is about 73. Mike’s brother, Witness, is one of the regular workers at the bible school. Witness is about 20. They are brothers through their dad-Witness is from the fourth wife I believe. Brian is finding that polygamy is a lot more common than he expected. We were told that adultery was illegal (and that very well could still be true-especially in the city. In fact, I do now remember reading a court proceeding out of Lusaka about an adultery case), so we didn’t expect to see it so much. So what do you do? It’s pretty easy to say its wrong, divorce all but one, etc. and then go home. But we are the ones who will be dealing with it. Back in late December I posted the story of Omodo). The question becomes, what do you do with the other wives? There has been lots of discussion I guess. Most of the Americans are pretty black and white about it, they look at it a little too simply, there is just so much more involved (and no, we don’t pertain to have the correct answer). Henry told Brian that if someone comes to church, they share their view of polygamy according to God’s word, but still allow all to come (husband and all wives) to church. The men can not be in leadership though. They turn the matter over to God to convict the man if he needs to do something different. There is so much culture involved.
Brian says to keep praying for Paul. He seems to be trying to figure out a “plan b” if this isn’t right. Brian’s told him that’s not how it works! He is still wrestling with God about this and we appreciate you praying for him too. Paul is only there 4 more weeks, as is Lewis. For the last two weeks of summer teams, Brian will be the one in charge at the school. You could also pray for Lewis, who doesn’t seem to be sleeping very well. He only sleeps at the college, and even then for not very long. Please pray for peace and for him to cease striving and to cast all his anxieties and cares onto the Lord.
Brian also did have a chance to talk to Lewis about some of his concerns with a few of the workers, so thank you for praying for that. He said it went okay, and once we are there, I am sure Brian will be able to assist in some of the training and discipleship that these guys need.
On Saturday he moved river sand with the backhoe, and Sunday he needed to do a little work, which he wasn’t really all too happy about, but he did it. The septic tank is all dug out, and there is one load of block by our place ready to be laid once the floor is in.
Not only do we need to get there to begin the development of the farming stuff, but just to help with overall maintenance. The backhoe needs regular stuff done like filters and there is just upkeep everywhere to keep an eye on.
Brian got all the window frames, and all but 3 door frames. The cement mixer was broke again, but Joel sent a part from the States that was needed, so that should (hopefully) be fixed soon. There are three main projects that Lewis would like to get done in the next two weeks, then he told the groups that are there this week, that our house is the priority! YEAH! Brian had the trench dug for our water line from the cistern. He needed to get the pipe and lay it. He was going to put a faucet in right away-that will make the cement mixing go even faster if they don’t have to haul water up there. He needs to go in and get a bunch of lumbar to start building the trusses for the roof.
He was supposed to check on his employment permit yesterday, but not much went as planned that day! Stewart needed to drive bus instead of take Brian where he needed to go and get supplies, so Brian ended up getting supplies by himself, and then driving home by himself, IN THE DARK. He got back to the school around 7:30 pm, but it gets dark at 6 pm, and there ain’t no street lights! The center line is faded, but if you find the shoulder, you will know! When the brights are on, you are okay, but the regular headlights weren’t very helpful. There are also a lot of people walking or riding bike on the road. As I am sure you can imagine, that’s pretty scary as you don’t see anyone until you are right on top of them! Oh yes, he was driving a seven ton 20 foot long truck! Somewhere along the way he got stopped and asked for his license. He gave them his international driver’s license, but they wanted his African one-he doesn’t have that yet. So he showed them his Minnesota one, and apparently that was fine. He was also stopped (flagged down?) by a national pastor that was on his way to the school for training this week, so Brian was able to give him a ride so the guy wouldn’t have to sleep on the side of the road that night. Did I also mention that Brian didn’t exactly know where he was going? He wasn’t 100% sure of the turn off, and as I said there is no street light, and he really can’t see or read signs very well at night. He was just praying for a beacon to know where to turn, I had also put this out on our prayer chain for people to be praying about. Brian missed the witch doctor’s sign, but the Kaziemba Basic School sign was lit up like a beacon. I’ve seen the sign-it’s nothing special, not bright or anything. This was a true miraculous sign from God in answer to everyone’s prayers!
A few more culture things-when you shake hands, you often hold for a long while during which you are talking. It is also very common to see the national pastors walking together holding hands. It is a sign of friendship. Things like this make us very happy that we read “African Money Matters and Friends”. This book is very eye opening to the general African culture. I read some of the stuff and said yeah right, but it is ringing pretty true! There is a lot of hugging for greetings, and even if you meet your worst enemy on the street, it would be considered very rude not to greet them and shake their hand. CRAZY! We are thinking we need to suggest to all the Gospelink reps who deal with Africans that they should read this book. It really explains a lot. Another thing-when they tell you they did something, but they really didn’t-it’s not lying. It is saving face. Brian told one guy that he needed him to leave the keys while this guy went into town. Three times he told him, and he said he would do it. Well, low and behold, the keys weren’t where they should be. So they tried to call this guy about three or four times. Finally he answered and said the keys are hanging up where he said he’d leave them, if not, go ask Witness. Well, they did all that. During this time, our friend called up Henry and said oh the keys are in my pocket. So why didn’t he just say that in the first place, to Brian? Because that’s not what you do-you have to save face-go through someone else, etc. Henrich was asking Brian the other day where his room was going to be in our house-Paul told him they had just dug it (the septic). They laughed and laughed. It’s like when they ask you for your shirt because they like it. It’s not necessarily that they really want your shirt-that’s just how they tell you they like it. A suggested response is simply, “well, what am I going to wear?”
Brian’s parents made it just fine. The flight wasn’t very good (poor service/food), apparently the hotel and food were horrible in Ethiopia too (they stayed somewhere different than Brian’s group). Lewis’s wife and two kids, and another Gospelink staff member were on this flight as well. I wonder if we will use that airline next year….
When I called to check that Brian made it back, he was eating cookies and having coffee with his folks around the fire. Lewis put his folks in the cabin next to Brian’s. They seem to be having a good time. Paul took Wendell and showed him around, Carole was working with Lucy. All the nationals were meeting his parents, and they will probably get the star treatment this week!
Cool thing-while Brian was standing waiting somewhere, a CASE IH service truck drove by. They flagged him down and got his business card. It’s definitely an answer to prayer as they were wondering where they were going to get filters and other parts when needed for the back hoe (and yes, there is a “green tractor” store in the area where we can get parts for the John Deere).
Okay, I did it! I will probably talk to Brian in another few days-maybe not until Saturday due to the garage sale. Good night!
Let’s see-Sunday at church. Brian said it went okay, really hard to tell for him. It’s hard to get into a rhythm when you can only say about one sentence at a time, and then have to wait for the interpreter; he said it was easy to lose his train of thought. Overall he guessed it wasn’t good by his standards (but he’s pretty hard on himself) but the nationals seemed to like it/enjoy it. He preached on being a living sacrifice, and how that means living a life of obedience. His text was Romans 12:1-2 and 1 John 4 (?). During the singing he had to sit up front, half facing people. One of the regular workers at the school led out a song of thanksgiving-first for all the kids, then for the provision of finances for them, then for Brother Brian (a little humbling, huh?). The headwoman who gave Gospelink the use of the land was at church Sunday as well. Brian has been able to get to know her assistant-He says he is a laughy/giggling type of guy but seems very nice and willing to help.
On Sunday, they met watermelon Mike, who is about 73. Mike’s brother, Witness, is one of the regular workers at the bible school. Witness is about 20. They are brothers through their dad-Witness is from the fourth wife I believe. Brian is finding that polygamy is a lot more common than he expected. We were told that adultery was illegal (and that very well could still be true-especially in the city. In fact, I do now remember reading a court proceeding out of Lusaka about an adultery case), so we didn’t expect to see it so much. So what do you do? It’s pretty easy to say its wrong, divorce all but one, etc. and then go home. But we are the ones who will be dealing with it. Back in late December I posted the story of Omodo). The question becomes, what do you do with the other wives? There has been lots of discussion I guess. Most of the Americans are pretty black and white about it, they look at it a little too simply, there is just so much more involved (and no, we don’t pertain to have the correct answer). Henry told Brian that if someone comes to church, they share their view of polygamy according to God’s word, but still allow all to come (husband and all wives) to church. The men can not be in leadership though. They turn the matter over to God to convict the man if he needs to do something different. There is so much culture involved.
Brian says to keep praying for Paul. He seems to be trying to figure out a “plan b” if this isn’t right. Brian’s told him that’s not how it works! He is still wrestling with God about this and we appreciate you praying for him too. Paul is only there 4 more weeks, as is Lewis. For the last two weeks of summer teams, Brian will be the one in charge at the school. You could also pray for Lewis, who doesn’t seem to be sleeping very well. He only sleeps at the college, and even then for not very long. Please pray for peace and for him to cease striving and to cast all his anxieties and cares onto the Lord.
Brian also did have a chance to talk to Lewis about some of his concerns with a few of the workers, so thank you for praying for that. He said it went okay, and once we are there, I am sure Brian will be able to assist in some of the training and discipleship that these guys need.
On Saturday he moved river sand with the backhoe, and Sunday he needed to do a little work, which he wasn’t really all too happy about, but he did it. The septic tank is all dug out, and there is one load of block by our place ready to be laid once the floor is in.
Not only do we need to get there to begin the development of the farming stuff, but just to help with overall maintenance. The backhoe needs regular stuff done like filters and there is just upkeep everywhere to keep an eye on.
Brian got all the window frames, and all but 3 door frames. The cement mixer was broke again, but Joel sent a part from the States that was needed, so that should (hopefully) be fixed soon. There are three main projects that Lewis would like to get done in the next two weeks, then he told the groups that are there this week, that our house is the priority! YEAH! Brian had the trench dug for our water line from the cistern. He needed to get the pipe and lay it. He was going to put a faucet in right away-that will make the cement mixing go even faster if they don’t have to haul water up there. He needs to go in and get a bunch of lumbar to start building the trusses for the roof.
He was supposed to check on his employment permit yesterday, but not much went as planned that day! Stewart needed to drive bus instead of take Brian where he needed to go and get supplies, so Brian ended up getting supplies by himself, and then driving home by himself, IN THE DARK. He got back to the school around 7:30 pm, but it gets dark at 6 pm, and there ain’t no street lights! The center line is faded, but if you find the shoulder, you will know! When the brights are on, you are okay, but the regular headlights weren’t very helpful. There are also a lot of people walking or riding bike on the road. As I am sure you can imagine, that’s pretty scary as you don’t see anyone until you are right on top of them! Oh yes, he was driving a seven ton 20 foot long truck! Somewhere along the way he got stopped and asked for his license. He gave them his international driver’s license, but they wanted his African one-he doesn’t have that yet. So he showed them his Minnesota one, and apparently that was fine. He was also stopped (flagged down?) by a national pastor that was on his way to the school for training this week, so Brian was able to give him a ride so the guy wouldn’t have to sleep on the side of the road that night. Did I also mention that Brian didn’t exactly know where he was going? He wasn’t 100% sure of the turn off, and as I said there is no street light, and he really can’t see or read signs very well at night. He was just praying for a beacon to know where to turn, I had also put this out on our prayer chain for people to be praying about. Brian missed the witch doctor’s sign, but the Kaziemba Basic School sign was lit up like a beacon. I’ve seen the sign-it’s nothing special, not bright or anything. This was a true miraculous sign from God in answer to everyone’s prayers!
A few more culture things-when you shake hands, you often hold for a long while during which you are talking. It is also very common to see the national pastors walking together holding hands. It is a sign of friendship. Things like this make us very happy that we read “African Money Matters and Friends”. This book is very eye opening to the general African culture. I read some of the stuff and said yeah right, but it is ringing pretty true! There is a lot of hugging for greetings, and even if you meet your worst enemy on the street, it would be considered very rude not to greet them and shake their hand. CRAZY! We are thinking we need to suggest to all the Gospelink reps who deal with Africans that they should read this book. It really explains a lot. Another thing-when they tell you they did something, but they really didn’t-it’s not lying. It is saving face. Brian told one guy that he needed him to leave the keys while this guy went into town. Three times he told him, and he said he would do it. Well, low and behold, the keys weren’t where they should be. So they tried to call this guy about three or four times. Finally he answered and said the keys are hanging up where he said he’d leave them, if not, go ask Witness. Well, they did all that. During this time, our friend called up Henry and said oh the keys are in my pocket. So why didn’t he just say that in the first place, to Brian? Because that’s not what you do-you have to save face-go through someone else, etc. Henrich was asking Brian the other day where his room was going to be in our house-Paul told him they had just dug it (the septic). They laughed and laughed. It’s like when they ask you for your shirt because they like it. It’s not necessarily that they really want your shirt-that’s just how they tell you they like it. A suggested response is simply, “well, what am I going to wear?”
Brian’s parents made it just fine. The flight wasn’t very good (poor service/food), apparently the hotel and food were horrible in Ethiopia too (they stayed somewhere different than Brian’s group). Lewis’s wife and two kids, and another Gospelink staff member were on this flight as well. I wonder if we will use that airline next year….
When I called to check that Brian made it back, he was eating cookies and having coffee with his folks around the fire. Lewis put his folks in the cabin next to Brian’s. They seem to be having a good time. Paul took Wendell and showed him around, Carole was working with Lucy. All the nationals were meeting his parents, and they will probably get the star treatment this week!
Cool thing-while Brian was standing waiting somewhere, a CASE IH service truck drove by. They flagged him down and got his business card. It’s definitely an answer to prayer as they were wondering where they were going to get filters and other parts when needed for the back hoe (and yes, there is a “green tractor” store in the area where we can get parts for the John Deere).
Okay, I did it! I will probably talk to Brian in another few days-maybe not until Saturday due to the garage sale. Good night!
HELP WANTED
So I know I am not working on what I should be (I have two phone calls to update you all about-I'll do it later today-I promise), but wanted to do this while I am thinking about it.
I need help with a few simple, but fairly monotonous (in my opinion)things and for only one do you need to live near by to do it! So if you are looking to make a little extra cash, read on and then let me know if you are interested!
1. My flower beds need some work. Looking for someone interested in coming to help weed. Only requirement is that you know difference between weed and flower (cause I always don't!). This would need to be done soon.
2. I need some typing done. I am going through all of my cookbooks and selecting the recipes I want to keep. I am looking for someone to type up the recipes in a Microsoft Excel program. You don't need to format or anything-just type them up.
3. I need some simple curtains made. I got the dimensions of our windows from Brian, so I need someone to sew them.
4. I need some diaper wipes made. I have a pattern-you just need to cut them (my problem #1-I can't cut in a straight line) and sew around the edges (problem #2-I can't sew in a straight line).
So as you can see, now of this is very hard, it just takes some time, and I would like them done very soon. If you are interested, just let me know. If you aren't nearby, I can surely mail the supplies to you!
I need help with a few simple, but fairly monotonous (in my opinion)things and for only one do you need to live near by to do it! So if you are looking to make a little extra cash, read on and then let me know if you are interested!
1. My flower beds need some work. Looking for someone interested in coming to help weed. Only requirement is that you know difference between weed and flower (cause I always don't!). This would need to be done soon.
2. I need some typing done. I am going through all of my cookbooks and selecting the recipes I want to keep. I am looking for someone to type up the recipes in a Microsoft Excel program. You don't need to format or anything-just type them up.
3. I need some simple curtains made. I got the dimensions of our windows from Brian, so I need someone to sew them.
4. I need some diaper wipes made. I have a pattern-you just need to cut them (my problem #1-I can't cut in a straight line) and sew around the edges (problem #2-I can't sew in a straight line).
So as you can see, now of this is very hard, it just takes some time, and I would like them done very soon. If you are interested, just let me know. If you aren't nearby, I can surely mail the supplies to you!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Officially on the Market
Our home is officially now on the market. If I did it right, this should be the link.
We are open to moving whenever (soon), even if that means we have to rent for awhile, even if that means I have to pack up and move while Brian is gone. We would just really like the peace of mind knowing that it has been sold. Of course, as we are being continually reminded throughout this whole process, everything will happen in God's perfect time, not ours. Even if that means we don't sell until the week before we leave (but I am SOOOO PRAYING that won't be the case!)
I did talk to Brian yesterday to see how church went, I will try to update that later. A few fun notes: they also have spitting cobras-Paul saw one and it hooded out at him the other day. Building is still progressing, and I am assuming his parents are there and sleeping by now, or I am sure he would have called me by now.
Oh yes, we are doing another garage sale this weekend. There was just too much stuff for all the clothes and whatnot to really get put out (between the three of us though, there was over $1000 of stuff sold!) Not sure if I will do Friday and Saturday, or just Saturday which is the Kandi Dandy Days city-wide garage sales. I am not opposed to sneek-peakers, I just want it all sold! If you want to come look, just let me know!
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