"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might..." Ecclesiastes 9:10

Saturday, we finally took possession of the long awaited cement! It is more precious than gold! Monday was the last day there was any work at the project site due to the lack of cement. The septic was dug, waiting for cement. One last course of bricks was needed on the house before roofing could begin. Our dear friend, Mr. Sharma from Ndola Rotary, had arranged for a semi from Zimbabwe to pick up our packets of cement on Monday. On Monday there was no diesel for the truck to make the trip to Ndola. On Tuesday and Wednesday our paperwork mysteriously disappeared, but some of the staff at the cement company suggested an additional fee might help them relocate our order. Brown Banda, our contractor, was at Chilanga Cement daily, trying to get the process through. Finally our truck was in the queue (the very long line waiting) on Thursday. The next delay came from the government. Railroad trucks working for the government were given preferential treatment, and allowed to advance their position in the line. Our driver spent all night in line, and finally they began loading the truck late Friday. However, trucks cannot leave the yard after dark, so he spent one more night at the cement yard. We received the call early Saturday from Mr. Banda to meet at his yard to begin the long, hard process of transferring 300 bags of cement, each weighing 50kg (over 100 lbs) from the semi to our truck. Ron and five of the laborers from the George project site spent the next several hours unloading the semi, loading the OMNI truck, and then unloading the cement again. It was quite the sight to witness. Two trucks, side-by-side, and they dropped down one side of each truck. Two men climbed onto the semi load, and the rest onto the OMNI truck. The two heaved the heavy bags onto our truck, and the rest stacked them in neat rows, five across and two or three deep, until there were eighty bags on the truck. Then the long drive back to George, on the bumpy, crater filled roadyways, men standing in the back of the truck on top of the cement, and the truck feeling the weight of the load all the way. Once at George, our wood storage shed was opened, and they began the tedious task of unloading the bags and stacking them to the top of the shed. The strength of these men is incredible, young and old alike. Each one tackling a bag, some carrying on their shoulder, some against their chest, and some on top of their head. Our shed is inadequate for storing that much cement, so 160 bags were stored there, and the rest locked in a storage trailer at Mr. Banda's yard. But each and every bag had to be off loaded from the semi, loaded onto our truck, and then off loaded again. And the process will have to be repeated once the storage shed is empty, in about two weeks. I don't know when I ever saw a group of men work so hard, and without stopping. And they are always smiling. Happy to work hard, working with all their might. When asked, they attribute their strength to God, and eating lots of nshima! The men cooked nshima, rape, and kapenta for lunch. There was a pot of hot nshima, you just dip in with your fingers to get some and roll it into a little ball (with one hand), and then dip it into the greens. There was bread today, so the kapenta was scooped up in the bread to make a sandwich. Once again, the men gladly shared their meal with Ron. In fact, Godwin suggested Ron might want to eat more nshima to build up more strength! Every man washes thoroughly before their midday meal, washing not only their hands and arms, but their faces and the fronts of their trousers. For those of you who are wondering, no I did not eat the kapenta! Maybe one day I'll find the courage, but I doubt it!
Today we worshiped at The Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Nativity in town. When we drove in we were warmly greeted by the Very Rev. Sam Zulu. His vestments were not what we are used to in the United States. His appearance was striking, in bright green with a traditional African print. The service was a blend of what we're used to and what we were hoping to experience. The order of service was basically the same as our Lutheran church, but the delivery incoroporated the beautiful music of Zambia, the strong harmony of the congregation, portions of the service in Bemba, and a few spontaneous cries for joy. At the end of the service we were invited to the front, introduced by Rev. Zulu, and welcomed by the congregation in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - which consisted of three distinct, loud claps from everyone. Today's message was about interdependence. God placed us all here to work together, sharing our gifts, helping one another, loving one another, and serving one another. We can do so much more if we work together than separately. He likened it to when you start a fire. You don't take just one piece of charcoal and expect that one piece to burn strong enough and long enough to heat your room, cook your meal, or keep the lions and hyenas away. You need many pieces of charcoal, burning strong and brightly together.