Friday, December 24, 2010

Returning to Zambia January to April 2011.

It's nearly time again to be in Zambia. I arrive in Zambia on January 13 and Richard will come a month later. We'll stay until the end of April. We will continue to support the projects efforts of ZMF-C. We appreciate so much being able to assist in this way - and are blessed with such opportunity! Praise God -

If you wish to e-mail us on any of the info published on this blog contact us at:

richardkrogsgaard@sasktel.net
suekrogs@sasktel.net

Monday, June 21, 2010

Kabulo - follow up to Psalms 16 and appreciation!

Kabulo having fun stringing me a line - of which I believed - at least for a while. Richard had caught on much before me! Suprise.
Coach Kabulo's team - the St. Mark's boys - the guys in the black and blue

Kabulo also plays for a national team - at least he was - his days are busier now that he's a teacher!


He's # 12


smiles

Roy Moono - grade 12 sponsored student at Namwianga Christian Secondary - on a Saturday - at our devo time - he answered all the memory verse pop quiz. Rewarded by the yellow sunglasses. He is the top scoring student in his school of 400! He will be our first doctor in our program, I'm sure. His brother, Mathias graduated from college a few months back and lives with us. :) a pure delight. Mathias is teaching bio, chem and physics at Nam Christian and also works at our (ZMF-C) farm in his "spare time". As well, he helps me with my garden - of which we eat from daily and supplies veggies for our sponsored kids. More smiles :)

Tabo and Memory - young "moms"

Kalomo High sponsored girls walking the orphans at the farm - more Saturday stuff!

June 15


June 15, 2010

Dear Family and friends

Kamwamba? (how are you?) Early this week, Richard, Ruhtt and I took the Lawrence, Kansas team of Marti, Mary Beth, Sherry, David and our Canadian – Breanna to Livingstone.

The 4 from Kansas worked very hard for the past 2 weeks alongside many village churches and schools including Simakakata and the 3 communities of Nalabumba, Siabalumbi, Mutala and Good Hope. Their days were brimming full of teaching, preaching, construction and encouragement and developing relationships with our Zambian friends. They loved the warmth and hospitality of all the Zambians. They are hooked and they no doubt will return.

Breanna has filled her days with many opportunities. She’s spent time with the secondary and elementary students, at the clinic, cooked nsima, looked after the orphans including the whole Calder gang one night, ridden to a very remote village church in the back of our Isuzu along with about 5 other Zambians, made chocolate cake….and the list could go on! And while she’s been here she’s heard from U of Manitoba that she’s been accepted into the school of nursing. She’s very excited about that and will make a very fine nurse. She is a hard worker, adapts very well, makes friends easily and is a shining light in God’s kingdom. You can’t beat that!

Our house has been full – every bed taken! Last night the 3 of us that remained ate left overs from the fridge and started to watch a movie. While Invictus played Richard worked on the computer, I did menu planning for the edu team that arrives in 2 weeks and Brivery fell asleep on the couch. We turned the movie off about ½ way through and all crashed – I heard Brivery get off the couch sometime during the dark and head to bed.

The guys are still asleep – I get up early at the ringing of the secondary students wake up call. It’s peaceful and sweet to have a few quiet moments before the house starts shaking with activity. I can do a bit of computer work and spend quiet time reading God’s word and watching the sun come up. It’s a great way to start the day.


























Last Saturday the sponsored students helped with the construction of the farm manager house at Seven Fountains Farm. Ruhtt and Brivery had gone out to the prison to pick up about 16 prisoners for the job as well. Everyone worked very hard and by about 14 hours most of the slab had been completed. The student’s job was to go to the river with one of the farm workers and shovel river sand onto the truck. Hard work!

Brivery “supervised” the prisoners and cooked them lunch of “offals” and nsima. I’d brought rape from my garden for them – mostly the prisoners enjoyed the lunch and Brivery had a hard time getting the guys to be satisfied with equal portions. The guys at the “top” of the pecking order wanted the greatest portions and he told them everyone would eat the same amount. They weren’t too happy with his assertiveness. Meanwhile, so they wouldn’t complain he went without. He ate well at supper time!

Picture of the girls above – Tabo (turned 5 yesterday) and Memory. Note that these are both very young `mothers` - they have their chitenge wrapped around themselves with their teddy bears stuffed inside. Meanwhile, their little buddy in the background `Clive`is not impressed with anything at the moment.

Love
Sue, Mom, grandma, Aunty…

Precious Cargo


June 2010

Precious Cargo!

Every Saturday the Sponsored Students volunteer their mornings for ZMF-C. The purpose of this “extra curricular activity” is to cultivate responsibility in our students, to increase their awareness of the ZMF-C projects and to communicate to them that it is so important to contribute back to their own people.

It really is the best hours of each week for me. I love spending time with these kids. As we work together I get to hear their stories! Each one is so special and so unique. What a God we have to create such diversity in personality and to create faces whose smiles bring joy to so many!

This past Saturday it was my turn again to drive the Canter truck filled with about 30+ special Kalomo High kids. The kids complain that I drive much too slowly. I tell them it’s all about transporting precious cargo! They smile. (some frown, not figuring out my metaphor.) Sometimes the kids sing while we travel the bumpy, twisted dirt roads to the farm. Too great! The few students that I can crowd in to sit beside me while I drive are quizzed by me so I can explore how serious our sponsored kids about their academics and other aspects of their school life.



After the kids were safely dropped off at their school Mathias, Breanna and I cleaned up quickly and drove to Choma to watch Kabulo, one of our former sponsored students who is now a secondary teacher, coach his volleyball team to the provincial finals. Unfortunately, the sun went down before the end of the final match! So…it will be continued.

What a huge blessing to be able to watch Kabulo’s young volleyballers look to him for guidance and praise. Kabulo beams with pride for every point scored! And he dances when the fans join into celebrate. 

What a huge reward to be part of the ZMF-C work and to see that this young man – a son of a polygamist who has 19 siblings and would likely otherwise not be a teacher reach to this level of education and success.

Anyone who is part of ZMF-C needs to know that their dollars are well spent! Kabulo is making it possible for many other pupils to succeed. Praise God!

Kabulo texted me yesterday with this: Psalm 16 – He says “I say to the Lord – you are my Master! – every good thing I have comes from you”. This wise young man has discovered the source of his blessings!

Recognizing where our blessings come from – leads to peace, joy and contentment!

Thanks for supporting ZMF-C

Sue Krogsgaard

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

April 20, 2010

April 20, 2010

Dear family and friends

I hope this brief communication finds you well! More rain here last night. Not so great weather for the drying of maize that is still standing in the field.

Once again, e-mail has not been cooperating – so communicating with loved ones has been so poor! I apologize! I seem to run from one possible working network to another…and then the power fails and then…as in last night – we are visited by a big storm. I guess, its good to know that at least sometimes we have at our disposal the ability to e-mail!

Last week was very full! We housed 8 young men and conducted a week long Discipleship and Servanthood class.

Here is how the week went:
Sunday – the guys arrived in the morning and accompanied us to Simakakata where Richard and the “boys” participated in leading the service. Lunch – a feast of chicken and rice!

Monday – Friday – rise at 05:45; breakfast of samp with farm milk and sugar and then to the farm by 07:00 to do “service work”. The boys assisted with building a sheep corral and a few other farm projects. Meghan Morton, our niece visiting from BC volunteered at the various orphan homes in the mornings.

Lunch –menu: nsima and beans/veggies or kapenta. Afternoons (13:00 – 16:30) consisted of Richard teaching the guys, Meghan and a few others. Supper – more nsima and either veggies/beans. A couple of times I cooked some “makuwa” food i.e. curried lentils, etc. Thursday was the “banquet” of spaghetti, meat sauce and for dessert – poppy seed sheet cake. Meghan has adapted wonderfully to the Tonga culture and has feasted on nsima, kapenta and beans along with the rest of us!

After all this activity the guys still had enough energy for a daily, energetic game of soccer. Thursday was the “final” with some fantastic shots and lots of sweat! Meghan was the “official” photographer!

After supper and dishes, each evening was filled with games – i.e. “greedy”, spoons, the bowl game and then devo time, lots of quite deep sharing and wonderful singing – in Tonga and English. And then sleep!

I just love to discover the wonderful personalities that God has created and this week was certainly another reminder of God’s amazing creativity as we spent time with these very sweet young people. We have known all these kids for a few years (and Meghan even longer!) – and quality time with them has confirmed how special each of them is.

All of the Zambian participants are “leaver” grade 12 pupils who have been sponsored by ZMF-C and have scored the highest marks of all the kids in the program. These 2009 grade 12 graduates wrote their final grade 12 exams in Nov/Dec 2009 and have just received their marks in March 2010. They cannot apply for college until approximately June, July, August or Sept of this year – so they just sit in their villages and wait.

Must go and get ready for the rest of this week – until next opportunity to communicate,

Sue K
Aka: mom/aunty/even grandma (baby JonasJ!)/friend/sister/zmf-c board member and volunteer!

Hope for Tomorrow report

April 2010

Dear Sponsors

Richard and I returned to Zambia mid February this year. Nice time of year to come with the rainy season still in full swing and the maize crop growing taller and riper each day! Absolutely, lovely.

So far, this trip I’ve met twice with the nurses, Tebia and Fortune to discuss the future of the Hope for Tomorrow program. So far, the thinking is that due to government assistance for HIV/AIDS patients, and because most of our patients that were released from the program just over a year ago are functioning satisfactorily independent of assistance, we will continue to assist only the two children, Sibeso and Muna.

Judith, our only adult patient left on the program, will be discontinued from the program because her husband is employed and because the government nurses can monitor her condition.

Unfortunately, Caral who was on our program since 2006 died just over a week ago of kidney failure related to the harshness of the limited choice of available anti-retroviral medications. In Zambia there are not many choices of anti-retroviral therapy medication – and that is a harsh reality.

I’d been to visit Caral several times just prior to her death as she lived close by. It was quite sad to watch her suffer. As weak as she was, she always recognized who I was when I visited and greeted me even though she was barely alive. The kidney failure could have been assisted with renal dialysis which is available in Lusaka at the University Hospital for a sum of 3 million kwacha per week. (Approximately $750.00). That cost was completely unworkable and as well the therapy would have needed to be a few times a week for the duration of her life. Very difficult, especially knowing how such issues – such as easy access to good health care is in developed countries.

Not too sure of Caral’s exact age, but she was in her mid to late thirties. I attended her large “funeral” joining in with the singing and mourning at the home of Caral’s aunt, where Caral had lived for the past several years. Her suffering now has finally ended. Thanks to Caral’s sponsor – Eloise Smith who assisted Caral the past 5 years.

On a brighter side, Florence and Sibeso are both doing well. Sibeso continues to grow and she is a bright little girl. She even reminds her mother when it is time to take her pills. Sibeso now attends school in grade 2.

As well, Muna – now in grade 6 is doing very well. I had gone down to Bbello, his village to see him but unfortunately, since his uncle had died a few days before that I did not get to see him because he was at the funeral. Way too many deaths in this country!

As part of our plan for Muna and Sibeso the nurses and I are discussing a couple of possible income generating activities that will potentially generate money in an effort to supplement these kids.

All of these people that have been helped over the past 5 years express their thanks over and over! So…thank you to all who have contributed. May God continue to bless you in your lives! Sharing makes life richer!

Love to all

Sue Krogsgaard

Friday, April 9, 2010

April 11, 2010


Greetings all


This moment we have power and internet. Amazing. Its a pretty slow connection - but its a connection, at least.


The first term for the students is over and they are now on holiday. Saturdays are spent alongside the sponsored kids while they do volunteer work. One of the "jobs" is to play with the orphan babies at Seven Fountain Farm. So today the babies will miss our grade 11 and 12 Kalomo High School girls company! Doris - a KHS student is shown in the photo playing with baby Jane. Jane obviously is not 100% sure about Doris!
Ruhtt arrived home on Wednesday, actually coming in on the same flight as my niece, Meghan Morton. Ruhtt has been resting and receiving visitors and condolences while sharing much hospitality - including "Inca cola". It is good for her to be back "home" and for her to be with her family. Her husband and kids had missed her terribly!
I will make blog posts very short due to sudden and unexpected power outages!
Take care and enjoy your week of service to the Lord!
Sue K


Friday, April 2, 2010

A

April 2, 2010

The last blog got published before it was finished. The power quit and then I was trying to edit what had saved in the draft and pushed the wrong button.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010



March 31, 2010




Greetings from sunny Zambia. The rains are gradually diminishing in frequency and intensity, but as I look out the window I can see dark clouds building. So maybe more rain later tonight. Today there was a lot of blue sky making the day quite hot! But...since I have internet, do I go for a shower to our outside solar showers right now while the temp is just right or do I send a quick blog b/c the internet is working! Decisions, decisions! I will blog and take a chance that there is still some warm water when Richard is finished!


Lemmy, one of our HIV patients is proudly showing off his coffee table that he made (and I purchased) at Chodort Training centre. Lemmy now is a carpenter and with some of the ZMF-C Hope for Tomorrow funds will start his own carpentry business. Lemmy will

Friday, March 26, 2010

Fencing at the farm

Tomorrow is Saturday, the day where we work with the sponsored students helping them with their volunteer work. The past several saturdays many of the Kalomo High School grade 11 and 12 students have been assisting our new farm manager, Yobe Banda to build a fence. Our cattle need to be confined to a smaller area. All the post hole digging is done by hand, as is the fixing of the barbed wire to the posts. Lots of hard work - but "our" boys do it with smiles and then afterwards we feed them buns and juice. We spend time in singing and devotion before transporting back to school on the back of the big truck. The grade 10 sponsored students stay back at KHS and work at the "piggery". Sometimes a few grade 10's sneak on the truck and even sometimes some kids that are not sponsored by ZMF-C escape to the farm with us!
I will stay at the Guest House with about 25 of our local sponsored kids. I'm trying to get them to look after a large garden that will then feed some of our young kids (grade 8 and 9's) who are boarding at Namwianga Basic school.
Last week, we had some of the kids dig a pit that will become the compost. When I checked back later at their progress it was deep and wide enough to hold a casket for a giant. I asked the gardener (that we have until April 7) to please fill some of it in! He did.
Richard is trying out his cell phone. He likes to put jazzy music as his ringer and the kids laugh when he dances to the ringing!
We appreciate hearing from any of you!
suekrogs@sasktel.net
richardkrogsgaard@sasktel.net

trying our blogsite while in Zambia

Hello all,
We have power in our house tonight and we have e-mail. This is a rare event and while both are up I'm giving my best shot at blogging.
Webster is one of our newest sponsored kids and I always tell him I love his surname. I'd like to have the name mandumandu myself! Webster seems like a good pick for the program. When I did a surprise visit to the Kalomo High School library this week Webster was only one of 8 in the library studying. Kalomo High School has about 1200 kids! We'll watch Webster and see how he does. Term 1 of 2010 closes April 9 and the kids will holiday until term 2 in May. The grade 9 and 12's will stay and get extra help for 2 weeks of the holiday in order to prepare for their government exams in November of this year. Government exams are very difficult and take much serious preparation.

Today, we were in Livingstone at the auditors with Shepherd, our general manager and all of the 2009 accounting information. In 2 weeks we'll be told whether we're on track and hopefully get more tips on how to move ahead so that ZRA could be satisfied should they be interested in looking at our books.

Tomorrow, Saturday is when we work alongside our many sponsored kids with their volunteer work! Richard will take a pile of them out to Seven Fountains farm and I'll manage the 25+ kids that will show up here. Lots of fun.

Hold on everyone - Richard bought a cell phone today while in Livingstone. Shepherd was trying to convince him to spend just a bit more, but he doesn't know my husband as well as I do. I told Shepherd that his advice was still good b/c some of the cheapest deals that my thrifty husband has purchased through the years have not always been the best deals. For example - there were haircuts at Discount Als. :) Oh yah, and he gets as a bonus K5000 per month of talk time. Approximately, $1.25. (that made it a real deal for him!)
Glad to hear from anyone! And sorry about our lack of communication.
You can even phone us - our cell # is 26 0 0974161812 Be sure to dial the international codes first.

RE:suekrogs.zambia

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