Hello to all of you,
It is now two weeks to the day that we landed on the Zambian soil. Life has been busy here but not as hectic as it was last time. We are much more familiar with the work and the Zambians would say that we are getting uset. We have enjoyed our first two weeks. Much of the time has been spent with the sponsored students—paying their fees, listening to their problems, visiting and laughing with them, mentoring them, and just trying to be a parent when needed. This helps to fill the void that we feel in not being with our own children, and family. If you haven't already done so, check out Goodson's story. It helps to explain the struggle that many young people face here. It is written by Goodson and so you will get the story firsthand.
Last night we enjoyed some Friday evening entertainment. Steward, a sponsored student in grade 11, is the choir master for the secondary here at Namwianga. So, thirty-five students showed up here last night under the carport for a performance and devotion. As well, nine of the male students from within the group did a couple of songs. I was asked to preach and so it was a good thing that they asked me six minutes before the scheduled time so that I could prepare. It was fun to have our own concert, and the night ended with Mom serving chocolate cake to all who attended. The cake was so good that I think they may ask for a second chance to present.
As well, this week, we have had two visitors with us from Zimbabwe. Jean Webster and Noma have been here to share information on a model that they have been promoting for the care of orphans. Jean has been working with this model for ten years now in Zimbabwe and more than 70,000 orphans are being cared for through the work. Sue found out about this project on the internet. It is called the ZOE project. She arranged for a workshop for the churches in the Siabalumbi area. Samuel, the Bible teacher and one of the church leaders at Siabalumbi, invited church leaders from the area from various denominations. The workshop went from 9:00 to 14:00 and many attended. The information was motivational. It was good to see the leaders from the various groups talking about the importance of being united in their care for the orphans. We will see how the seed grows.
Today the power is on but there has been much load shedding. Most evenings this week the power has been off from 6:15 to 9:30. After that the power is usually on for the night but goes off about 6:00 am for a couple of hours. As well, the power goes off and on throughout the day. It seems like the power is mostly on when we are in bed or away from the house during the day. This makes it difficult to keep up with emails. However, we are comfortable here and have had water most of the time.
This morning twenty-three of the sponsored students showed up here to do volunteer work. They did laundry, house work, yard work, and delivered firewood, water, and maize to the muchembeles and mudalas (women & elderly) at Tumango. There are already a lot of hungry people around here. I do not know how they survive. Please pray for the hungry people around the world. There are many!
One of the boys was supposed to share a short devotional thought with the rest of the group but he failed and so Sue lead the devotion using Jeremiah 29:11-13. Please look it up, and meditate and pray about this scripture for a few minutes. I am sure that it will be an encouragement to you. We pray for all of you. We know that the Lord is very near and we pray that you will walk with Him daily. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead your will.
We love you,
Rich
It is now two weeks to the day that we landed on the Zambian soil. Life has been busy here but not as hectic as it was last time. We are much more familiar with the work and the Zambians would say that we are getting uset. We have enjoyed our first two weeks. Much of the time has been spent with the sponsored students—paying their fees, listening to their problems, visiting and laughing with them, mentoring them, and just trying to be a parent when needed. This helps to fill the void that we feel in not being with our own children, and family. If you haven't already done so, check out Goodson's story. It helps to explain the struggle that many young people face here. It is written by Goodson and so you will get the story firsthand.
Last night we enjoyed some Friday evening entertainment. Steward, a sponsored student in grade 11, is the choir master for the secondary here at Namwianga. So, thirty-five students showed up here last night under the carport for a performance and devotion. As well, nine of the male students from within the group did a couple of songs. I was asked to preach and so it was a good thing that they asked me six minutes before the scheduled time so that I could prepare. It was fun to have our own concert, and the night ended with Mom serving chocolate cake to all who attended. The cake was so good that I think they may ask for a second chance to present.
As well, this week, we have had two visitors with us from Zimbabwe. Jean Webster and Noma have been here to share information on a model that they have been promoting for the care of orphans. Jean has been working with this model for ten years now in Zimbabwe and more than 70,000 orphans are being cared for through the work. Sue found out about this project on the internet. It is called the ZOE project. She arranged for a workshop for the churches in the Siabalumbi area. Samuel, the Bible teacher and one of the church leaders at Siabalumbi, invited church leaders from the area from various denominations. The workshop went from 9:00 to 14:00 and many attended. The information was motivational. It was good to see the leaders from the various groups talking about the importance of being united in their care for the orphans. We will see how the seed grows.
Today the power is on but there has been much load shedding. Most evenings this week the power has been off from 6:15 to 9:30. After that the power is usually on for the night but goes off about 6:00 am for a couple of hours. As well, the power goes off and on throughout the day. It seems like the power is mostly on when we are in bed or away from the house during the day. This makes it difficult to keep up with emails. However, we are comfortable here and have had water most of the time.
This morning twenty-three of the sponsored students showed up here to do volunteer work. They did laundry, house work, yard work, and delivered firewood, water, and maize to the muchembeles and mudalas (women & elderly) at Tumango. There are already a lot of hungry people around here. I do not know how they survive. Please pray for the hungry people around the world. There are many!
One of the boys was supposed to share a short devotional thought with the rest of the group but he failed and so Sue lead the devotion using Jeremiah 29:11-13. Please look it up, and meditate and pray about this scripture for a few minutes. I am sure that it will be an encouragement to you. We pray for all of you. We know that the Lord is very near and we pray that you will walk with Him daily. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead your will.
We love you,
Rich
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