[Editor's note: What a lot of memories and a torrent of emotions are aroused by these accounts! Truly, Christmas in Zambia involves activity from the mind-numbing to the mind-boggling, and emotions from the heart-aching to the heart-breaking. WEU]
From Richard:
Merry Christmas to all of you.
It is another cloudy day in Zambia; it is raining off and on. We have not had much sunshine lately; things are very wet.
This morning we received emails from family and friends—thank you! It is good to hear what everyone is doing; we wish you the very best for today. We miss being with you, but we have some activities planned for the day. Right now we are having cinnamon buns for breakfast; Timmy has joined us. It is his first time to have chocolates and cinnamon buns for breakfast, and it is his first time to hear about Santa coming down the chimney to deliver gifts to the children's stockings. He is laughing and saying that he will have to tell his friends about Santa. Firecrackers seem to be a part of the Christmas tradition here. Last night and this morning the kids are outside blasting them off and laughing together. Before long, we will head to Simakakata, the blind community, to wish them a Merry Christmas. Sue has made cinnamon buns for them and we have purchased a blanket for each family.
Later today, Mashell and his family, Kadonsi and his family, and Oscar will join us and Timmy for Christmas dinner. We have small gifts for each of them, many of which we found in stuff that is leftover from the last container.
December 24 was an interesting day. I planned to visit the construction sites to catch up on what is happening at each one. I also wanted to connect with a few suppliers and builders to find out why things are not moving forward as they should. I was supposed to pick up Paul Kawtishi, one of the bricklayers from Katungu, at 8:00 in Kalomo, and since it was Christmas Eve, I promised not to occupy his whole day. I should have left earlier; before I got away, people started showing up at the door. They were mostly sponsored students and those seeking sponsorship, along with builders from Siabalumbi seeking money for Christmas. I finally just had to leave—I found Paul waiting in Kalomo.
We headed to Katungu to see what was happening (or not) with the construction of the teachers' duplex and the school. Paul had not been able to work for three or four days because the bricks were finished and the community was trying to figure out what to do next. When we arrived, no work was going on. There were no bricks for the school and the other builder had no water with which to make plaster to work on the interior walls of the duplex. As it turned out, the community had located some bricks but were wrestling with how to transport them, and here I was with the flatbed truck. I didn't have the time, but I told them that I would help them with one load, and so off we headed into the bush and stopped at a family's home. The bricks were still standing in the form of an old house, so we proceeded to knock the walls down, knock off the clay mortar, and load the bricks. It rained lightly during the process, but after some time we had a nice load of about 1,150 bricks. However, we only gone about three hundred meters, retracing the path that we had come on, when we reached a grassy area. Even though there was no water sitting on the surface, the soil was too wet and with the weight of the bricks, and the truck began to sink and ground to a stop. We got out and unloaded the bricks. The longer we were there, the more the truck sank. There was no way that the group of eight men and women could push the truck out so it was time to dig. Eventually we had to jack the truck up and place bricks, logs, and planks under the tires. Jacking was interesting because rather than lifting the truck, the hydraulic jack would push the brick under the jack into the wet soil. We had to push two or three bricks down before the jack would begin to lift the truck. Eventually, with much effort the group managed to push the truck out and I headed home. They will need to use ox carts to haul the bricks. That was about all I accomplished yesterday. I guess that I lied to Paul about not occupying his whole day. At least I have something to "write home about".
Have a Merry Christmas!
From Sue:
Hello all! Thanks for writing us e-mails and for the Christmas greetings. It is very difficult to be away from our loved ones and the traditions that we have made over the years. I was thinking about our family night-before-Christmas get together when we prepare all sorts of great appetizers and sing and play guitar and laugh together. As I type, I have a lump in my throat and some wet eyes!
I started preparing for Christmas yesterday! You can hardly tell it's Christmas here—there is no snow!! The village people are too poor to put up any decorations or buy any gifts for one another. The ones on the mission have it a little better and they buy sodas, make a nice meal, and have fake Christmas trees—I'm not sure what they do about gifts. The other day Brivery (one of my favorite boys) came by. He is a double orphan who lives with his twenty-three year old brother. They barely survive! Brivery much prefers living in the crowded and not so nice Kalomo High School boarding facility. Brivery washed the truck so I paid him big bucks and made him grilled cheese sandwiches and put together a Christmas package using old container items—a homemade cloth bag with some notebooks, pens, a sharpener and a few other things. He was so pleased and I just wanted to cry. A seventeen year old and this will be the only presents he gets. I also sent some food so that he and his family can have some kapenta, oil, salt... I will look forward to seeing Brivery in a week or so when he returns for school.
Yesterday Timmy (another favorite) was a huge help in preparing for our Christmas dinner. He and Mashel peeled potatoes; Phillen (another student) cut up cabbage and onions for me and ironed clothes. Things take SO much longer because often the water is not turned on or the power is out! Winnie (our househelper and good friend) has been in Livingstone on three different occasions over the past two months trying to support her brother emotionally as he is charged with murder. He has a business in Livingstone and a large family (mostly dependents), but they keep him in prison and no one ever brings any evidence to the court! It is so crazy because this trial had already wrapped up earlier and he was back to work, but someone has brought it back up! S, no Winnie, which means I have less time to work on the sponsored student issues, and the HIV stuff and... But, some of the students that live near by and need to do volunteer work are ever so pleasant about just being here and helping!! I wash the clothes in Ruhtt's Hoover—it's not much faster than doing it by hand, but it helps me save a bit of physical energy! I feel like a pioneer woman—at least when the power is off!
Last night two of our students called to wish the madam (one calls me mom) a Merry Christmas. The one fellow (Penzya) is blind! I was rolling cinnamon buns when he called so Richard spoke to him. That's not what he wanted. I was actually a bit scared to talk to him because he always has a very difficult request for me, e.g. "Madam, I'm going to Lusaka on Monday for eye surgery; I'll be at your house in the morning." Yikes! I tell him, slow down—you can't just show up here and get money from me!
Kabulo (other guy who called) is a college student who just graduated, . He is one of twenty children born into a polygamist family. Due to poverty this boy would never have had secondary school or college education, but ZMF-C sponsored him. Kabulo is a national volleyball champion and we created a profile for him that we are sending around to various colleges so he can carry on further on with his education. So, he texted me the sweetest message—thanking me and wishing me a Merry Christmas!
So, whereas a twenty-two pound turkey might suffice for the family back in Regina, I cooked two turkeys yesterday (for today, in case the power goes off). I don't think they added up to fifteen pounds altogether! Also I cooked butternut sqash pie (same recipe as sweet potato pie), mashed potatoes, chinese cabbage salad, green beans. I baked whipped shortbread, matrimonial cake (dates from Zanzibar), and Sue Calder gave us some chocolate cookies. Timmy has been a big help in preparing the veggies (from our garden) so I treated him to chips, coke and a movie last night while I finished up the cinnamon buns. He watched the Nativity movie, and thought he was treated quite royally!
Anyway, we must go and get Oscar and head out to Simakakata with our buns and blankets. They are my most favorite people; we shall gift them and sing a few songs, take some photos and come home to set the table.
Richard has had a LOT of fun wrapping all sorts of container items for each guest today—that will be so fun to watch them. He also found some dominoes, so we'll play some games as well.
Love to all of you and we pray for each of our loved ones that God has so graciously given to be part of our lives!
Love you,
Sue
From Richard:
Merry Christmas to all of you.
It is another cloudy day in Zambia; it is raining off and on. We have not had much sunshine lately; things are very wet.
This morning we received emails from family and friends—thank you! It is good to hear what everyone is doing; we wish you the very best for today. We miss being with you, but we have some activities planned for the day. Right now we are having cinnamon buns for breakfast; Timmy has joined us. It is his first time to have chocolates and cinnamon buns for breakfast, and it is his first time to hear about Santa coming down the chimney to deliver gifts to the children's stockings. He is laughing and saying that he will have to tell his friends about Santa. Firecrackers seem to be a part of the Christmas tradition here. Last night and this morning the kids are outside blasting them off and laughing together. Before long, we will head to Simakakata, the blind community, to wish them a Merry Christmas. Sue has made cinnamon buns for them and we have purchased a blanket for each family.
Later today, Mashell and his family, Kadonsi and his family, and Oscar will join us and Timmy for Christmas dinner. We have small gifts for each of them, many of which we found in stuff that is leftover from the last container.
December 24 was an interesting day. I planned to visit the construction sites to catch up on what is happening at each one. I also wanted to connect with a few suppliers and builders to find out why things are not moving forward as they should. I was supposed to pick up Paul Kawtishi, one of the bricklayers from Katungu, at 8:00 in Kalomo, and since it was Christmas Eve, I promised not to occupy his whole day. I should have left earlier; before I got away, people started showing up at the door. They were mostly sponsored students and those seeking sponsorship, along with builders from Siabalumbi seeking money for Christmas. I finally just had to leave—I found Paul waiting in Kalomo.
We headed to Katungu to see what was happening (or not) with the construction of the teachers' duplex and the school. Paul had not been able to work for three or four days because the bricks were finished and the community was trying to figure out what to do next. When we arrived, no work was going on. There were no bricks for the school and the other builder had no water with which to make plaster to work on the interior walls of the duplex. As it turned out, the community had located some bricks but were wrestling with how to transport them, and here I was with the flatbed truck. I didn't have the time, but I told them that I would help them with one load, and so off we headed into the bush and stopped at a family's home. The bricks were still standing in the form of an old house, so we proceeded to knock the walls down, knock off the clay mortar, and load the bricks. It rained lightly during the process, but after some time we had a nice load of about 1,150 bricks. However, we only gone about three hundred meters, retracing the path that we had come on, when we reached a grassy area. Even though there was no water sitting on the surface, the soil was too wet and with the weight of the bricks, and the truck began to sink and ground to a stop. We got out and unloaded the bricks. The longer we were there, the more the truck sank. There was no way that the group of eight men and women could push the truck out so it was time to dig. Eventually we had to jack the truck up and place bricks, logs, and planks under the tires. Jacking was interesting because rather than lifting the truck, the hydraulic jack would push the brick under the jack into the wet soil. We had to push two or three bricks down before the jack would begin to lift the truck. Eventually, with much effort the group managed to push the truck out and I headed home. They will need to use ox carts to haul the bricks. That was about all I accomplished yesterday. I guess that I lied to Paul about not occupying his whole day. At least I have something to "write home about".
Have a Merry Christmas!
From Sue:
Hello all! Thanks for writing us e-mails and for the Christmas greetings. It is very difficult to be away from our loved ones and the traditions that we have made over the years. I was thinking about our family night-before-Christmas get together when we prepare all sorts of great appetizers and sing and play guitar and laugh together. As I type, I have a lump in my throat and some wet eyes!
I started preparing for Christmas yesterday! You can hardly tell it's Christmas here—there is no snow!! The village people are too poor to put up any decorations or buy any gifts for one another. The ones on the mission have it a little better and they buy sodas, make a nice meal, and have fake Christmas trees—I'm not sure what they do about gifts. The other day Brivery (one of my favorite boys) came by. He is a double orphan who lives with his twenty-three year old brother. They barely survive! Brivery much prefers living in the crowded and not so nice Kalomo High School boarding facility. Brivery washed the truck so I paid him big bucks and made him grilled cheese sandwiches and put together a Christmas package using old container items—a homemade cloth bag with some notebooks, pens, a sharpener and a few other things. He was so pleased and I just wanted to cry. A seventeen year old and this will be the only presents he gets. I also sent some food so that he and his family can have some kapenta, oil, salt... I will look forward to seeing Brivery in a week or so when he returns for school.
Yesterday Timmy (another favorite) was a huge help in preparing for our Christmas dinner. He and Mashel peeled potatoes; Phillen (another student) cut up cabbage and onions for me and ironed clothes. Things take SO much longer because often the water is not turned on or the power is out! Winnie (our househelper and good friend) has been in Livingstone on three different occasions over the past two months trying to support her brother emotionally as he is charged with murder. He has a business in Livingstone and a large family (mostly dependents), but they keep him in prison and no one ever brings any evidence to the court! It is so crazy because this trial had already wrapped up earlier and he was back to work, but someone has brought it back up! S, no Winnie, which means I have less time to work on the sponsored student issues, and the HIV stuff and... But, some of the students that live near by and need to do volunteer work are ever so pleasant about just being here and helping!! I wash the clothes in Ruhtt's Hoover—it's not much faster than doing it by hand, but it helps me save a bit of physical energy! I feel like a pioneer woman—at least when the power is off!
Last night two of our students called to wish the madam (one calls me mom) a Merry Christmas. The one fellow (Penzya) is blind! I was rolling cinnamon buns when he called so Richard spoke to him. That's not what he wanted. I was actually a bit scared to talk to him because he always has a very difficult request for me, e.g. "Madam, I'm going to Lusaka on Monday for eye surgery; I'll be at your house in the morning." Yikes! I tell him, slow down—you can't just show up here and get money from me!
Kabulo (other guy who called) is a college student who just graduated, . He is one of twenty children born into a polygamist family. Due to poverty this boy would never have had secondary school or college education, but ZMF-C sponsored him. Kabulo is a national volleyball champion and we created a profile for him that we are sending around to various colleges so he can carry on further on with his education. So, he texted me the sweetest message—thanking me and wishing me a Merry Christmas!
So, whereas a twenty-two pound turkey might suffice for the family back in Regina, I cooked two turkeys yesterday (for today, in case the power goes off). I don't think they added up to fifteen pounds altogether! Also I cooked butternut sqash pie (same recipe as sweet potato pie), mashed potatoes, chinese cabbage salad, green beans. I baked whipped shortbread, matrimonial cake (dates from Zanzibar), and Sue Calder gave us some chocolate cookies. Timmy has been a big help in preparing the veggies (from our garden) so I treated him to chips, coke and a movie last night while I finished up the cinnamon buns. He watched the Nativity movie, and thought he was treated quite royally!
Anyway, we must go and get Oscar and head out to Simakakata with our buns and blankets. They are my most favorite people; we shall gift them and sing a few songs, take some photos and come home to set the table.
Richard has had a LOT of fun wrapping all sorts of container items for each guest today—that will be so fun to watch them. He also found some dominoes, so we'll play some games as well.
Love to all of you and we pray for each of our loved ones that God has so graciously given to be part of our lives!
Love you,
Sue
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