Quick Happy Monday post

The other day I looked out the back door and saw these boys climbing one of our trees. I thought they were looking for fruit so I went out to investigate. It turned out they were hunting for caterpillars! They had several in their bucket already and were planning on filling it up to have a yummy snack. This time of the year there are caterpillars everywhere so Zambians collect them, dry them in the sun, then fry them in oil. It doesn't sound too tasty to me but to each his own right?

Jason and I have been working hard on landscaping as a way to make our house a little more homey. We are blessed to have the perfect location and soil in Mumena for growing pretty much anything. Last week many of our flowers started blooming, Yay! Here are few pictures:

Just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let you lives be built in him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. 
-Colossians 2:6-7

Quick HIghlights

Last week Jeremy, Whitney, Jason, and I rode the bus to Lusaka, Zambia’s capital city (about 9 hours away), to pick up our work permits and order a part for the truck we share. It was a quick but very successful trip. Whitney and I got to go shopping while the boys ran errands. We found Oreos, salsa, brownie mix, and a few other wonderful things at the grocery store there so we were very excited about that. We also had time to print off pictures at the mall. Is it odd that we have 5 pictures in frames on the wall of Rex (our dog, who stayed with my parents in Texas)? Probably not if know me very well…haha…but not to worry we have numerous pictures up of our family and friends as well. We love being able to see those we love all the time, even if just in pictures. 

            Jason picked up 8 piglets for the 4-H project with the school on Monday. Since I used to show pigs when I was younger I told him if he wants to keep them from smelling he needs bathe them regularly. Not sure if he will take my advice on that though. So far I think they are his favorite animals of the project.

In April the Servant Leader Seminar will start for the church leaders of all the churches our Mumena team works with. Our apprentice team is excited to see this large event happen. We are expecting to have around 50 men here for it. Some of them will stay in Mumena at the dorms and some live close enough that they can walk each day. A lot of preparation has gone into it so please be praying for the church leaders who will attend.

I was finally able to upload pictures of our house. Jason and I have spent many hours making it "home," which entailed curtain making, picture hanging, fence making, gardening, and turning practical items into decorations. Our favorite part about it is the location. We are on the outskirts of our village so we usually have a pretty peaceful and private environment. Well here it is....welcome to our home in Mumena!

View of the living room/office/dining room looking toward the front door

Our office area

Our room....It's just big enough for the bed

Our kitchen

Our back porch

The other side of the living room

Front of the house

Our view from the front porch

 Hope you enjoyed the quick picture tour...feel free to come by anytime!

News!

It has been a while since our last blog post so I thought today would be a great day for an update!

It’s interesting how the first few weeks we were here there seemed to be quite a bit of free time, sometimes feeling like too much, but after almost two months our schedules are plum full!

On Monday afternoons Sondra and I have begun hosting ladies teacher teas. Many of you have probably heard us talk about the struggle to help teachers here understand the calling they have to responsibly teach the children that have been entrusted to them. Many teachers do not show they feel teaching is their “calling,” rather just an occupation that grantees a pay check. It IS true though, in Zambia teachers are considered wealthy. But just because the teachers are guaranteed a paycheck hasn’t meant the students have been guaranteed a teacher that shows up for work everyday or a teacher that takes a personal interest in their well being and education. Until there is a heart transformation we will not see a transformation in the classroom either. Out of this common issue came the idea for “teacher’s teas” (a voluntary Bible study that also includes tea or juice on Sondra and Brian: Jason’s aunt and uncle’s front porch). We have about four female teachers and two spouses of male teachers that have attended the two beginning sessions. Sondra has been teaching using a curriculum she taught to the ladies while she was in Cape Town, South Africa.  Eventually I will help out with the teaching of the study but for now I am enjoying learning from Sondra. A great part of being an apprentice is the pressure is taken off from feeling like we need to lead several studies from the start but instead have the chance to really learn from our mentors.

Jason and I have been attending and trying to encourage the Kampande church, which is about an hour walk from our house. It is a small church that has been through quite a bit but they are seemingly eager to learn and grow together. In an effort to reach out, I have offered a weekly ladies class for them on Wednesday afternoons. Currently we are studying the women in the genealogy of Jesus. My hope through this study is for the ladies to understand that women of different walks, with different struggles, and much different stories make up the lineage of Jesus. Therefore no matter our background, color, gender, or spiritual maturity we are all joyfully welcomed to be a part of Christ’s church. I am adapting the study guides from Francine Rivers’ Lineage of Grace series and through that I am able to learn and grow myself while preparing the lessons.

Whitney and I have also started meeting with a few young girls (pre teen-young teen) each week to have a study about God’s Love for Us. In a culture that children aren’t given as much importance as the Kindgom culture calls for we feel it’s important to do all we can to uplift and encourage a marginalized age group. Hopefully pretty soon I will have some pictures of this sweet class to share!

Jason has been very busy with the start of his 4-H project. I have been helping as well by naming all of the goats. : ) I told him as long as I name them they cannot be eaten! So far we have, Belle, Polly, Clover, Calico, Brownie, May (she looks like a dairy cow hince Mayfiend Milk), and Laverne and Shirley. There are still a few that need names but I don’t want to force the naming process so as their names come to me over time they will get one.

That’s all for the work updates so far. I already have my next blog post planned…”Homemaking in Mumena.” It hasn’t been easy for a neat freak but I am adapting a little at a time. It will also include pictures of the inside of our little house…yay!

Before I go, since we are starting our Kampande Ladies class each week with everyone sharing something they are thankful for, I want to end my post with a few quick thoughts that have been on my heart...I truly feel that I am abundantly blessed to have wonderful friends, family, and church family. When I have tough days here I just think about how lucky I am to have so many who love and encourage Jason and I unconditionally. It is hard to describe how even the quick emails and facebook posts make us feel surrounded by love. Isn’t it amazing how many avenues God uses to show the love he has for us? So, today, I am thankful for God working through the words and actions of my friends and family to show his love for me. 

Us with Chief Mumena and his wife at the palace a few weeks ago

First Month

This first month has gone by faster than we could have imagined. We have been very busy getting our life here going and other a few hard days we are blessed to have had a smooth start.

Last week our whole team spent several days on a team retreat at Lake Kariba which borders Zimbabwe and Zambia. We had time to get to know one another, relax, and review what all has been happening in Mumena over the past years. With three new families (including Jason and I) joining the existing team, it was a much needed time together that we greatly appreciated our supporting churches making possible for us.

Since then Jason and I have been busy bees continuing to get situated at our new home in the bush. I am getting used to (kind-of) making everything from scratch, riding my bike with a long skirt on, and checking the walls and floor for termites daily. Jason has been getting set up for a 4- H project he is venturing to start with the school here. He has some really great plans for it that he will blog about sometime soon so I won't give away too much information... But lets just say...there are already some really cute goat kiddos that will be the first teaching tools of the program.

Also this week, we were given our church plant assignments. Jason and I will be working with a church near the roadside, which is very close to Mumena, as well as a church a good drive away pretty far into the bush. Since the farther away church is not accessible from a vehicle during the rainy season (because of the road conditions getting there) we will not be visiting there for another couple of months. But we are very excited to get started building relationships with the members of the church at the roadside. It is a great church to invite the teachers we are living near and those Jason will work with in Ag to come to because it is within walking distance. Please keep these churches and our work with them in your prayers.

Speaking of prayers, thank you to those of you who prayed fervently for the snake bite scare with Jason. This is also something he will write about later but I will say, God was in control that day and the outcome was 100% an answer to prayers. We are already encountering intense times where our faith is being challenged and I hope that we continue to grow while we strive to rely on Him.

Hopefully sometime this month I will upload pictures of our house and surrounding areas, so be looking forward to that. Hope you have a happy February!

We found this little critter on the road at the team retreat

Funny little first update from Zambia!

After a very long journey we have gotten settled in at our little house in Mumena. I will be able to post pictures of it at some point, it is still needing a few finishing touches before the grand tour. What a blessed first week...The weather is wonderful; a cool rain comes through pretty much everyday. Reuniting with friends we made previously has been very fulfilling. When Jason and I were here in the summer of 09' we were not married so our Zambian friends get really excited when we point to our house and say, "we are married now and live just over there." 

Thank you for all of your prayers for safe travel, we had a seamless trip getting here. The only mishap happened the night we arrived in Mumena. After about an hour of unpacking I realized I was missing a bag, then not 10 min after realizing that, Jason got very quiet, held his hand up to me and said "um...go in the other room." Of course I knew exactly why.... a snake. I have an irrational fear of snakes, but considering we live in the land of mambas, puff-adders, and cobras, my fears aren't too far fetched in my opinion. I got my torch and walked very briskly to get help. By the time help got there Jason had already picked the snake up and opened its mouth up to make sure it wasn't a black mamba. Luckily it was a mole snake. I never actually saw it, which I am assured is for the best. Out of the four American missionary families that have lived in Mumena over the past 5 years Jason and I are the first to have a snake in our house. We think it came in on his backpack while we unloaded the truck. the good news is, the snake is gone and my missing luggage made it to Mumena within less than two days. I think we are going to have a lot of fun the next couple years and it is kind of neat that our first adventure story happened the very night we got here. 

Please keep praying for our adjustment these first months. More updates hopefully coming soon!

P.S. A visual of our new life in Mumena....Jason at the very top of a HUGE avocado tree in our back yard knocking down avocados the size of honey due melons as I run around the base of the tree trying to catch them with a camp chair.... : )

Light up the sky

In about a week Jason, Jeremy, Whitney and I will be on a plane headed toward Zambia. It is a little surreal at this moment. We have already said many goodbyes in Texas and have more to say now that we are back in Chattanooga until our departure next week. I have neglected our blog because of the craziness of the past month, travels, holidays, and lots and lots of to-do lists. Seems like I set out to get 10 things done many days but only succeed in checking a few things off the list. But I have faith that everything will be okay even if I do not get to put as many check marks down each day as I would like. 

Our last training module with The Halbert Institute was just great. We grew a lot as an apprentice team over the weekend and were greatly blessed by the sessions our supporters attended. Thank you to those of you that prayed for that time, our prayers were definitely answered. 

We said goodbye to Texas early early Christmas eve morning. Jason drove the first few hours then woke me up to take over. He fell fast asleep immediately so I had a some alone time on my hands. I started to get a little sad thinking about how I will miss so many friends and loved ones in Texas. I had my ipod on shuffle and just as I started to let the sad feelings overwhelm me the song "Light up the Sky" by The Afters came on. Some of the chorus lyrics are...

You light, light, light up the sky

You light up the sky to show me that you are with me

And I, I, I can't deny

No I can't deny that you right here with me

You've opened my eyes

So I can see you all around me

You light, light, light up the sky

You light up the sky to show me that you are with me

As this song was playing the sun was rising...and it was the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen.  I took this picture with my phone so I could remember this amazing moment when I was reminded no matter where we are or where we are going, God is is with us. 

"...great is your faithfulness" Lamentations 3:23

I hope this is encouraging to at least a few. Please be in prayer for our families as we get so close to leaving them and finish our sweet goodbyes. Blessing to everyone for the new year!

Roanoke Days

So, we have been in Roanoke for the past weeks with my family and it has been so great! Time is flying by, can't believe we are almost a month away from leaving for Zambia. One special blessing about being in Ft. Worth is that Jason and I have been able to talk about Zambia with one bible class so far, and hopefully a couple more from The Hills Church of Christ. They helped support our one-time cost fund through their Greater Things campaign so we have just been really excited to have time to spend with another loving, supportive, and missions minded church who is partnering with our team.

We are looking forward to all that is planned for the last couple of weeks here, more time with friends and family, shopping for last minute supplies (I love shopping for anything, even the mundane i.e socks, slime bike tubes, and travel toilet paper), the supporters module with Halbert Institute of Missions, and of course the family Christmas which we will have early since Jason and I will be in Chattanooga on the 25th.

While I have been keeping myself pretty busy catching up with friends and preparing for goodbyes Jason has been working at the ranch with my Dad doing what he loves to do. Today they "worked" calves, which gave me the perfect opportunity to take pictures of the precious little babies. If only they could stay small and cute for forever, but then again that wouldn't be too good for the cattle business I suppose. I will leave you with a few pictures from today.

I hope everyone is getting into the Christmas spirit and enjoying December!