Final Blog... for now!

We are home now in Canada—it will be a strange home for awhile—Zambia will always be a home to us as well! Our time in Zambia has passed too quickly. We’ve been blessed with many new friendships and new insights into the work of ZMF-C. Thank you donors for supporting this mission; you are making a huge difference for so many!

Our responsibilities included looking after the sponsored students program (136 bright and sweet kids from primary to college age), construction of classroom blocks and teacher housing at Siabalumbi and Katungu villages and a small HIV/AIDS program known as Hope for Tomorrow. It has been amazing for us to experience the work of ZMF-C and to see what great work Ruhtt and Shepherd Mbumwae have developed and been selfishly serving in over the past several years. Good work, Shepherd and Ruhtt! And may God grant you refreshment as you continue on your well deserved education leave in the USA. You are doing great work!

We are also very grateful to have been part of the ZMF-C team in Zambia: Rod and Sue Calder, Wilson and Nancy Siazilo, Omas and Bernadette Siangandu, and Kadonsi and Lezia Kasiya. What a blessing each one of you is to our lives. We love you all and already miss you!

Rod and Sue are responsible for the operating the orphan home for babies and the Seven Fountains Farm.

The Calder Family

Omas is the farm manager and assisted us tirelessly with the construction projects, with vehicle repairs, and even the planting and upkeep of our sponsored student maize field!

Omas and Bernadette

Nancy and Wilson run orphan home #2. Wilson, our ZMF-C education secretary, helped us understand the Zambia education system better and negotiate for teachers for the community schools.

Wilson and Nancy

Kadonsi and Lezia, our neighbours, were always around to assist us! Sorry for the late night knock on the door for our keys! Kadonsi—thanks so much for all your work with the community school teachers, and interviews, and the Bible studies and…Kadonsi and Wendell

Lezia

Wendi

Thanks also to Steve and Joan Mann who are now in Zambia filling in where we left off, and who facilitated this opportunity for us! We are so grateful to you for your vision and love for the Zambian children! Twalumba maninge!

Thanks also to 136 sponsored kids! We are so very proud of your enthusiasm and your achievements and will continue to keep you in our prayers. You are the future of Zambia. What a great future for this country—with you and your gifts.

Thanks to the Katungu and Siabalumbi communities who are working so hard for the kids in their communities! May your communities continue to work together and may you always remain faithful in your service to our Lord.

Also, huge thanks to Winnie and Mashel who did more than keep our clothes clean and the garden growing. Thanks for translating and interpreting the messages that we “just weren't getting”. You are true missionaries and your hard work everyday made it so that we could be about our work!

Love you all,
Sue and Richard

Ah, but your land is beautiful!

I agree with the author who wrote this statement—do you know his name? Capetown and this small piece of South Africa that we've explored so far is indeed beautiful. The weather, the landscape and the people are lovely!

We rented a car for a few days. Today, we explored Simon's town and then traveled on to the Cape of Good Hope. We returned via the western side of the peninsula, through Table Mountain National Park taking the Chapman's peak drive, and ended up in Hout Bay where we had a fine supper of kingklip at the Mariner's wharf. Richard manoeuvred through the switchbacks and hills and valleys well in the dark to return to Cape Town; we were welcomed by a huge expanse of lights sprawled out between the hills and valleys. The roads in Cape Town area have been pretty easy to navigate—I guess driving in Lusaka has taught us something!

Simon's town is the home of the African penguin—cute little guys! We were going to swim with them, but changed our mind and just waded close to them and took photos. The Cape of Good Hope is amazing; it is where the Atlantic and Indian oceans converge—well almost. Actually at that point it is mostly the marine life that converges as actually Cape Agulhas is further south than the Cape of Good Hope.

Pictured below is Sue with her Kalomo High School kids all decked out in their school uniforms.

"OK, Samson and Camody—come back here right now, I can see you running off, get back here NOW" Oh, so sorry, wrong photo—these are the penguins—not my precious boys!

These are "our kids"; aren't they so cute? Stanley is the tall boy with the drum, Carals is the short one leaning on the wall, Agent has the orange shirt on, Obert has the red "vodaphone" shirt on, Brivery is at the back.

Back to South Africa and the southern part of Western Cape.

Zambian Chocolate—For Sweet Good-byes!

Happy Valentine's Day, Canadians!

Greetings to all! Hope this finds you all enjoying some dark chocolate and a date with your sweetheart. Thought I'd send this sweetheart of a picture to all of you. Our three girls broke some hearts with their good-byes and for me it will be breaking my heart to say good-bye to our precious boys and girls! Some have become like family... our fourth son is Francis, fifth is Kabulo and sixth is Brivery and seventh is Timmy, and lastly we still have our Mutinta—our lastborn—Tiffany! She is now very outnumbered!

I tried to send a video clip of this fine young man in the photo leading the choir. Brivery is the choir master for KHS church of Christ and has an incredible voice and leadership skills. He is also very sweet! And an orphan, so I've unofficially adopted him.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I really don't like saying good-bye! I've always thought I'd mature out of being so weepy, but maybe I'll never mature—at least totally! Our Zambian friends (family) are very gracious in many ways and they often end our parting saying, "If I don't see you back in Zambia, we shall meet in heaven." And then they say, "But we will see you again here, won't we?"

Saying good-bye to Derrick Siapegwa was very difficult. This boy walked the seven kilometres from Kalomo town to Namwianga and back just to say his good byes. He just kept saying, "But, Madam, you are leaving???" "Why?" So, I'd excuse myself momentarily, run into the house and wipe my tears, think some happy thoughts and then reappear at the door. Finally, after several minutes I was able to explain that all will be fine, that hopefully someday we will meet again. Anyway, Derrick will always bring special memories to me because of all he's done for himself to get this far in school. He is a real hero, and he inspires me in so many ways!

One thing I've really enjoyed the past six months is the healthiness of these kids. Physically (nutritionally and hygienically) and economically these kids are majorly challenged, but their spirits are very healthy. They have motivation and drive that I've rarely seen at home. They work hard and take education very seriously and not for granted. They are extremely grateful for a sponsor in Canada and at every encounter with me express thankfulness for what is being done for them. They push themselves through hardships that I cannot imagine doing myself. They try by all means (a very Zambian expression!) to be spiritually and morally good people and to be good students. Most have lost one or both parents, and own almost nothing as far as worldly possessions.

They are tough; they do not complain. They walk seven kilometres to go see a nurse when they are ill and then seven kilometres back to school. Every Saturday they volunteer their mornings to work for ZMF-C to be reminded that there is a cost for education. They also work at their schools slashing, slopping pigs, chickens, gardens, and cleaning the schools. There is no paid maintenance at most schools and the elephant grass needs to be cut by the students (slashing) and the piggery and chickens and gardens are income generating activities for the schools. On holidays they work for a granny, uncle or parent planting, fertilizing, weeding, or harvesting maize. They return to school with blisters on their hands and skinnier than before the holiday. They return to school—happy to see their school chums and to eat their daily ration of nsima, beans and cabbage and sometimes kapenta (dried little fish).

I have learned much from these kids!

We have been blessed by the Zambians and count this experience as a highlight in our life. Thank you to everyone who has contributed in any way - and thanks Zambia Mission Fund Canada for the work you are doing in Zambia! May God continue to bless the people of Canada and may all of us realize the real reason why we are blessed in Canada as we are!

Girls at Work

Our time is quickly drawing to a close! And to end it well, we have three charming Canadian girls along for the ride—Tiffany, Ashley and Amanda. They've attracted a bit more attention, and they are having fun and working—good multi-taskers. This morning we picked up a seven-member quartet! from Kalomo High School and went to the Seven Fountains Church. The girls and I taught the kids' class of about forty-five wee ones spread out all over the grass (glass!). So much fun! What a good group of enthusiastic kids! And well disciplined—they listened to the story, answered every quiz question I gave to them (a tie score for boys and girls). Then the girls and Brenda (from KHS) led songs!

One thing our girls have really enjoyed is singing and listening to the KHS choir—so they've attended a few (several) of their practices. Brivery is just too impressive a singer! So is Brenda, Innocent, Rocky, Basol, Kezia... some of these are not our sponsored students, but they are in the choir! Tiff is trying to teach them a few English songs.

The weekly to do list is long, but we will enjoy every minute we have left here.