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

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.