Nothing is ever “easy” by American terms in Zambia. Mary Sue and Ron are sure being tested with many challenges. The first is something that we all take for granted – electricity. Mary Sue says that first they can’t get into the internet for more than three minutes at a time – not enough time to post a blog. And then, when they have internet access, they don’t have enough electricity to charge the battery on the lap top. So, I will do my best to convey what has been going on this past week at the George Compound.
First, I know that all of you are waiting to hear about the snake situation at George. They continue to see snakes and Ron is getting very good at killing them. They now have a collection of snakes hanging from a tree. Mary Sue asked why they needed to hang them there? The reply was that they were proud to have killed the snake and they wanted everyone to know about it. Please pray for their safety!
School is in recess at George Compound. Tomorrow is a holiday called Farmer’s Day. I assume that this means that all of the crops will be harvested and traded or maybe it is just another day off to laze in the sun and drink the homemade “hooch”? Nevertheless, Mary Sue and Teddy will begin interviews of the families living at George Compound. This is being done to determine what children should be in school at the OMNI Village and also to find out if there are double orphans (both mother and father deceased) that need housing assistance. Please pray for all of the people living at George Compound.
The infamous steel building is now about one third completed. Most all of the rafters have been put in place and the wall panels are being installed. All this by four hard- working men -- Ron and three other Zambian workers. Ron expects to complete this building, which will be used as storage, before they leave in October. The school building/cafeteria still needs to be completed as well. Windows need to be installed and the inside needs to be cleaned up before the desks can be moved to the new building. Mary Sue expects to purchase the rest of the school equipment this month and have the school ready for occupancy by next term. Please pray for good health and strength as this large task is completed.
Update on the housing situation for Mary Sue and Ron. They now have a heater for their bedroom (it gets very cold at night)! Imagine the children and families with no shoes or blankets. There is no running water to the house but the plumbing has been installed!! To flush the toilet, just fill the tank with water and flush – never mind that the water pump is about 300 feet from the house!! Shower, what shower? OMNI team members can think back to the “Agape showers” we used to take. Well, this is what Ron and Mary Sue have to look forward to once a week. Otherwise, it is just wash up however you can! After one month in Zambia, Ron decided to treat Mary Sue to dinner out at the Castle Lodge. This is the place they stayed for several nights when they first arrived. The owner took pity on them and told them to shower before dinner – no charge!! Mary Sue said she didn’t know how great hot, running water on her head and shoulders could feel. Please pray for comfort, grace and thanksgiving for good friends!
May God watch over you and bless you, Ron and Mary Sue!
2 comments:
Thank you Rae ,you angel. I bet you used up all your phone card minutes. Thanks so much, how did you post the picture? Grateful for you too Rae. God bless you, Ron and Mary Sue.
Thanks Rae for keeping us up to date. Sounds like Ron is keeping busy with the building and snakes!
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