"God blesses those who mourn..." Matthew 5:4

Today began unlike any other day. It was a day of privelege, honor, love, and tremendous respect. Godwin, Mr. Chairman at George Compound, requested assistance with the funeral of an elderly woman. Nyumbu Nyamusangu was 76 years old, and we were told died of stomach pains. We arrived at George to find men dressed in suits and ties, and women in their best shetanges. The ladies of the church soon appeared, wearing white blouses and shetanges bearing the name of their church, New Apostolic, and white headdresses with crosses etched on the back. They came from behind one of the buildings, carrying the coffin and singing most reverently. The coffin was a narrow box, covered in green velvet, with four gold keys on top. The ladies gently slid the coffin onto the back of the truck, gathered flowers from those standing nearby, and about forty mourners, mostly family, friends, and preachers from the community gathered round the coffin in back of the truck for the trek to Ndola General Hospital. There was continual singing during the drive into town. Beautiful voices, harmonizing their beliefs that death will not separate us, but we will all be joined together in heaven with Jesus, another day, another time. When we reached the hospital, nearly everyone exited the truck. Ron and I along with Godwin, six church ladies, and one relative drove to the very rear of the hospital - an area dark and puddled with water, and there we entered the bowels of the hospital. While Godwin and another man carried the coffin into the building through a tiny entrance, the ladies put on exam gloves. We were escorted into a waiting area, where others were gathered near another coffin. The odor took my breath away for a moment. It was pungent and unlike anything I have ever known. Very soon we were taken into the morgue along with the others. I watched, as the other group identified their loved one. And then our group. Afterwards, they went into a large room which had two tables, a sink, and large plastic tubs. Godwin explained the ladies from church would wash the body and dress Nyumbu in preparation for burial. This was their gift to Nyumbu and her family. A profound display of love and respect. By this time, there were five additional coffins in the waiting area, and the hallway was crowded with those waiting. I felt like I was watching all of this from far away, that it couldn't be really happening. And I found my way to the outside, only to be asked by the relative to return to take one last photograph of Nyumbu. One last remembrance. It was a great privelege, although I will admit my hands were shaking a bit. She was dressed and powdered, gently placed in the coffin, and then lovingly wrapped in a blanket. As we returned to the truck, it was discovered we had a flat tire. So we had to leave most everyone at the hospital and drive to the repair shop to have the spare put on. It was a short delay, as when the workers saw the coffin, they worked very quickly so as to not delay the funeral. We returned to the hospital to pick up everyone, and began the drive to the cemetery. Godwin explained that if someone dies when they are at the hospital burial is at a different cemetery than if someone dies at home. Once again, there was constant singing for the entire drive to the cemetery. And it was a long drive out of town to Kantolomda, to the cemetery on the hill. And we followed the others we had seen at the hospital. We made a long processional of trucks overloaded with grieving families and carrying coffins, and bus after bus carrying more family and friends. We know that life is so very fragile here in Zambia, but it was still shocking to see hundreds, and hundreds of people gathered at so many grave sites at the cemetery. Then the mourning truly began. It was not crying, although there were many tears, it was heart wrenching, from the soul, wailing. The ladies from the church helped and comforted the family. The coffin was placed under a tree, and everyone gathered nearby. Most of the women sat on the ground, while the men remained standing. The church choir, with ten of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard, sang several songs. The first preacher began the service (in Bemba) by reading John 11, of how Lazarus was raised from the dead. A second minister translated everything into another tribal variation of Bemba. He also read Romans 6:14 "Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God's grace." Two more ministers read from the Bible, and spoke for some time. The choir sang many beautiful songs, and then it was time to pay final respects to the deceased. The top portion of the coffin was folded back to revela Nyumbu's face, and the ministers ushered the mourners past. Many made the sign of the cross, many spoke words we didn't understand, but we didn't need to - their meaning was clear. Once the last mourner had passed, the gold keys were turned by the ministers to seal the coffin. During the service, several men from the community had dug the grave with pick axes and shovels. The coffin was placed on top of the soil next to the grave, and the preachers and choir continued with the service. Then several of the men lowered the coffin into the grave, and one of the ministers took a shovel full of soil. Each of the preachers spoke, took a handful of soil and deposited it in the grave. Then the men began filling the grave with the soil. This too is a gift, and many men took part in this ceremony to show their deep respect for Nyumbu. They carefully mounded the soil, and the ladies from New Apostolic Church surrounded the grave and removed any stones, roots or twigs which remained - once more, displaying their love and respect. One of the ministers now began reading names, and as each name was called, the person came forward to place flowers on the grave. It was a great honor that we were included in this ceremony. I was given a flower to place on Nyumbu's grave. We were most graciously thanked during the conclusion of the ceremony. It was truly an honor and a privelege. This is something we will never forget. We have so much to learn... Some images I will never forget - the minister's solemn respect, the man standing tall and proud dressed in his best suit with the sleeves too long and his shirt collar frayed beyond recognition, and the church ladies who cared for this woman and her family so very dearly. "Comfort, comfort my people, says our God." Isaiah 40:1

"Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands..." Psalm 90:17

Yesterday we spent most of the day organizing items left in the car port at Setanga, and searching for items to complete our cottage kitchen. What a wonderful surprise to find two plastic bins lovingly packed by our team, complete with notes and all the essentials we would need. Thank you team! Your love notes on the duct tape were especially appreciated. And so begins the latest challenge of preparing meals at the cottage. We have a pot to heat water in, but the plug is not compatible with any outlets or any converters we have. Apparently the oven does not operate, but the burners do...sort of. Only forty-five minutes to heat a cup of water! Maybe we'll try cooking over an open fire instead. We are so spoiled! So far we have managed to cook two dinners and breakfast - we're on a roll!
Today was a day full of errands and details. Ron left early to pick up Philemon on the way to retrieve the last two loads of stone needed at the building site. Since each load takes only about four hours to pick up and deliver, that consumed their day. Interesting to hear about their delays though - waiting for the truck at the front of the line at the scales that could only go in reverse, being run off the road by a semi, and the bicyclist who lost control on the bad road and was swerving in and out of traffic. All in all, an uneventful day for Ron and Philemon!
Meanwhile, Foster and I spent the day fixing our second flat tire, delivering milk to George School, banking, purchased food at the markets for Gift, Tammy, and Piet, met with Mr. Chiti of the Rotary and Pyramid Brushware which will construct the furniture for the home under construction, post office, etc. I just love the children at George, they are always happy to see us and always so polite and repsectful. When I walked into the classroom this morning, all the children stood up and said "Good morning madame," then huge smiles from everyone (especially Piet). Our last round for the day was the delivery to Gift, Tammy and Piet's home at Twapia. Home here takes on a whole new meaning, as they have shelter, but there are no amenities there. Gift is so very tall now, and looking like quite the young man with a most beautiful smile. This was the first I have met their mother, Florence. She greeted us warmly, and made sure there were seats for Foster, Ms. Masumba and myself. She turned over a tin wash tub and covered it with a shetange for me to sit on, Ms. Masumba sat on the edge of a tire covered with cloth, and Foster on a make-shift stool. She was very gracious, has the same beautiful smile as the boys, and was younger than I expected.
This evening Foster left via public transport for Kitwe, to retrieve the other OMNI car which has been being repaired. It was getting late, so he ended up driving in a round-about way to the bus depot. We waited to make sure he was able to find a bus to Kitwe. It was comical to see Foster hanging out the window of the bus, yelling "I'm OK Ron, I'm on the bus!" as the bus went flying past. Only problem was that then we had to find our way back to Setanga. Foster's instructions were to just keep going left. Well, we went left one too many times, but made it back safely. We did witness a terrible tragedy this evening, as there was an accident involving a pedestrian which appeared to be fatal. Life is so very fragile here.

Ten were healed, and one returned to give thanks and glory to God. Luke 17:11-19

Sorry so many days have passed since the last posting. While our days continue to be eventful, the internet proves to be a continuing obstacle in communicating. To date, we have been unable to read any of the comments posted on the blog. And, just to prove this difficulty, I spent the last hour connecting to this site, typing the entry, and then got booted off, with nothing saved. So, please be patient, as we try to keep you updated.
There was another encounter with the Zambia Police...hope this is not becoming a daily event! It seems the truck was not properly registered for hauling, and so the truck was impounded and Ron, Steve and Philemon were all detained at a check point while hauling stone to the construction site. After some time, they finally released them to deliver the load, with the promise they would return later that day. This consideration was apparently granted due to Ron's age! God granted us the great miracle of shortening the usual two days to process this registration, but it still extended into the next day. Ron spent a sleepless night, fearing the police would pick him up since he didn't return as promised. But, Foster and Ron went directly to the station after completing the registration and inspection, phoned Inspector John (our guard for the OMNI team), and after some discussion John was able to arrange total forgiveness. God is good!
We continue checking on baby Frederick at the malnutrition ward at Children's Hospital. He is now able to sit up, and even extended his tiny littly hand to greet Karen! His progress is tremendous, and we thank God that full recovery is in sight.
We had an unexpected and very welcome visit from our dear friend Pastor Osward. We were all very glad to see him looking so well and enjoyed our time with him. We learned that his wife, Clair is expecting, and in fact one week overdue! So, Ron and Steve drove Osward all the way home (in the Land Cruiser), into the deep, deep bush past Agape, with the final leg of the journey on a very narrow path. Unfortunately, there is one less chicken in the world after that journey! Its hard to imagine what Pastor Osward went through to make the trip to Ndola; many miles on a bicycle, then walking many miles and part way on public transportation. Steve and Ron were gone over five hours driving - I wonder how long it took Osward. Clair was fine when they arrived, but very grateful to have Osward home.
Friday, Ron spent the entire day at the construction site, working alongside the men there. This was a great experience, as he was digging the septic, climbing the scaffolding, working on top of the building etc., and also able to get to know some of the men from George. He was honored when they invited him to join in their lunch of nshima (corn meal cooked with water) and kapenta (tiny whole fish). He ate well, and said it was quite good! Glad there were no grilled mice in the offering! The rest of us went to Kasongo for Steve and Karen to recast Violet and Peter, the two children with club feet. This was the last opportunity to teach myself and Friedah this procedure. Friedah is a very lovely woman from the village who has taken on the responsibility of caring for their medical needs. In addition, she cares for six orphans in her home. The castings went well, and Violet who is five years old announced that she is no longer afraid of the white faces, but knows we are her friends. Quite an accomplishment! While we were there, and elderly woman named Helen came to greet us. She had been treated in the clinic last week, and walked quite a distance to say thank you. She had ulcers on her leg and had been unable to walk. She likened it to the Bible story in Luke where Jesus healed ten lepers, but only one returned to give thanks. Very humbling!
We will miss Steve and Karen, as they left yesterday for the U.S. We are praying for their safe and uneventful journey. Our mission for Saturday was to pick up and deliver four loads of sand to the construction site, from the sand pit on our
property. But, each day continues to be an adventure. The first load was good. Drove into the sand pit, over a narrow passage (why is every passage here so narrow?), the men shoveled the sand in, back to the site and unloaded. Back into the pit for the second load. Almost loaded, when another truck pulls in and gets stuck. So, they push and shovel away more of the already narrow passageway until the truck is able to pull forward some. So, we are facing a very narrow sandy path with little room to pass the other truck. Their advice to Ron is "just go fast". Once again, we begin praying without ceasing, and make it out. But that's the end for now, as the road is currently closed to the sand pit. Wonder what tomorrow will bring.

It's remedial Bemba for one of the crew!

Unbeknownst to the rest of the team, June decided that a quick course in remedial Bemba might do just the trick. Go June!!!

"And the angel of God...gave light by night." Exodus 14:19-20

And so we continued to wait...one more hour. Steve, Karen and Foster bought food stuffs for George School. They picked up one of our teachers, Ms. Masumba, and drove her home to store the food, then back to the school. Karen waited with us as the others drove back to the school. As we waited we saw Georgina, the little girl from last week who had been the victim of abuse. She was very happy to see us, and she was looking much better. We will need to keep our eyes open to make sure she stays safe.
Then we begin the long trip to Garneton, to empty a load from our container which remains at the farm. It is late in the day, and Ron has only driven the truck a short distance, and the roads are a bit narrow. But we move on, having asked Foster to drive slowly so we can follow. But very soon Foster pulls over and requests more speed, due to the time factor. It is nerve racking, but Ron makes it all the way to Kitwe. In our haste to keep pace with Foster, shift gears, etc. we pass through a red light and are pulled over by traffic police who are on foot along side the street. Foster begs for forgiveness, but they want kwacha. So, the police hop on the back of the truck, we drive them to the police station, and K135,000 was paid. They never asked for a driver license or passport - only money. But we make it to the farm, fully load the truck with desks and chairs and begin the trip back. But now Foster is driving the truck and as the Bible says, I begin praying without ceasing. I was a little nervous when Foster asked me where second gear was! Foster went through a few more yellow traffic lights, and I suggested we wait, as the others didn't know the way home, but he said "Ohhh, they will find us!" And it was so very dark - no street lights or lights of any kind from the surrounding villages, and we were flying. We pulled into Setanga, and I remained frozen in my seat for a short time, then saw the car with Ron, Steve and Karen. And I thanked God. I know the angels were watching over us.

"You can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail." Proverbs 19:21

While we may spend a lot of our time waiting, and our plans change almost constantly, life here is certainly interesting and we are enjoying time spent talking with the people from George Compound. Monday, Ron drove the truck to the building site with the old trailer and the new rototiller on board. This in itself is an adventure as the road to George is a myriad of holes and ruts that make driving it a true challenge. But we made it, and all the men came running to help unload. They were especially fascinated by the rototiller. They spent a long time examining it with lots of chatter amongst themselves before asking "what is this machine with gears and blades?" They were really excited when they heard it would turn the soil while someone only walks behind guiding it.
And then began our day of waiting. We were supposed to meet Brown Banda (construction manager) in town to purchase timbers and deliver them to the building site. Foster called Philemon (project engineer) and said we should just wait there. Karen, Steve and Foster were in town taking care of business (including buying phone cards - so we didn't have a phone), tires for the car, and checking on baby Frederick who had been admitted to the hospital after one of the clinics last week. During our four hour wait, we saw the incredible hard work our men were doing. They are digging the cistern and are about four meters down. Their tools are a pick, shovel, ladder and bucket. Two men are in the hole with pick and shovel carving out a perfect rectangular hole while one man is on the ladder to pass up the bucket of dirt to the men on top. We also saw them fix their lunch at an open fire pit. They made buckets of nshima and beans, and there were three small mice on a stick, charcoaled to a crisp. More later...

"My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him" Psalm 62:5

Today was a slow and easy day, as we slept in until 7am, then began trying to email family and friends. Unfortunately the internet provider was uncooperative and we finally gave up after an hour or so. Foster had a much deserved day off, so we were without transportation. We spent time this Sunday morning in prayer, and then loaded additional items onto the truck to take to George tomorrow when we deliver the rototiller and the trailer to the project site. We walked to the nearby cemetery this afternoon and found there is a Christian area, a Jewish area, a Muslim area, and a war veteran memorial which had the only well-kept grave sites. Most were overgrown and missing identification, or poorly marked. Tomorrow will be much busier, and will also be Ron's first on road experience with the new truck. Thankfully, there is not a security system on the truck yet!

Beginnings

The OMNI team was up at 4am for their 5 am departure to Lusaka. There were tearful goodbyes, lots of hugs and prayers, as we all said farewell. And so began the next phase of our journey. The team was off to Lusaka for a little (or maybe a lot) of shopping in the open air markets and at our dear friend Esme's shop. As they were boarding the plane to return home, Steve was disembarking, arriving to spend the next week with Karen, Ron and I as we all continue OMNI's work for the children of Zambia.
The three of us spent the day facing new adventures, missing our team mates, and longing for their fellowship this evening. Foster traveled to Lusaka with the team to retrieve the long awaited rototiller and the trailer which will serve as storage at the Children's Village property. So...we had the use of Foster's vehicle today. We were soon reminded that life in Zambia is an adventure. After Ron changed the flat tire, he spent some time trying to locate the button for the car alarm. After a quick call to Foster, the button was located, and we were on our way. Test drive - once around the block and then on our way. What is that funny beeping noise, why are the blinkers flashing, and why is there no power?...the car alarm is sounding. More experimenting, and it stops. Once more around the block. Seems that driving on the left side of the road will be the easy part! As we pass Setanga Lodge for the second time, the gate man is laughing and cheering us on! Small victory - we made it around the second time without incidence. On to fill up with fuel. Hurray! Another victory. We are fueled and ready to go, but the car won't start. The alarm is the culprit once again. Not to worry, push some buttons and we're on our way again. Uh oh - our first police check point - just look casual - and they wave us through without even stopping. One more victory! Then the beeping, and flashing, and no power again. We are so grateful this did not happen at the police check point. The three of us alone in a car with the alarm sounding in Zambia may have had a most undesirable outcome. One more call to Foster and we're on our way. We stopped to at our building site, then dropped off clothes at George, and on to Shop Rite, then back through the police check point and back home. It was a day of celebrating small victories and learning our way around town. Steve and Foster have just arrived with trailer and rototiller on the truck, and all is well. We thank God for their safe arrival and pray for the safety of our team as they travel home. It is so quiet here tonight...we miss our team.