So, like I’ve said before, even though I haven’t been able to respond to any of your comments I do read them and I do enjoy them.
I’ve seen a few questions pop up here and there. I’m sure some others of you have questions as well about one of the Namumu businesses, the Namumu children, the current state of my beard, everyday Zambian life or Innocent, my little naked neighbor, so if you do post them here. I’ll do my best to answer them in next week’s blog.
If you’ve previously posted a question I apologize for not yet answering. Go ahead and post it again and I’ll try to answer it here.
Hit me. And be creative.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Breakdowns
Business is good here at Namumu. But still, for various reasons, every day is a struggle.
One major problem is that something breaks down EVERY SINGLE DAY. Without exception. Every day. It’s ridiculous. In case my use of capital letters and repeated phrasing didn’t drive home the point, let me give you an example:
Sometime last week Namumu’s electric water pump broke down. This has without a doubt been the most frustrating breakdown yet. Now, to get water we (Namumu children and Namumu staff living on the Namumu grounds) have to make a trip to one of two nearby bore holes, both of which are around a quarter of a mile away, and to pump water out into 20 liter jugs.
It wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but given that we’ve just done a good deal of planting in our gardens it’s gone from a minor annoyance to a major headache. The gardens are suffering. So far I’ve been recruiting groups of children to fetch water with me every afternoon, carrying the jugs back and splashing the beds. The gardens are surviving but it’s taking quite a bit of both time and effort.
Since fetching water is such a pain and most of the water that I fetch goes toward gardening or drinking or bathing I don’t usually have much left over for things like laundry. I only own 3 pairs of pants, 4 shirts, 4 pairs of underwear and 4 pairs of socks and I haven’t done laundry for 2 weeks. You do the math.
TMI?
Friday was especially difficult. The water pump had been out for a few days. That morning the kapenta rig came back with a few busted light bulbs (which, again, are a crucial part of attracting and catching kapenta). Awesome, I thought, just what I need, more broken stuff.
Then, as I moped back toward the Namumu office I heard a loud sound that was a little something like on LOST when there’s a bright light and the Island jumps through time. A snake had climbed up the pole and had caused the transformer to blow, knocking out the power for all of Namumu. So we were without power. And rig lights. And running water.
Not a happy day for Sam. Not a happy day at all.
I suppose I have to count my blessings, though. After all, nobody has pooped on my kitchen floor for the last few days, so that’s good.
So, if you get a chance it would be super duper if you could pray for our water pump to be fixed so that I can stop cracking the whip on my water-carrying Namumu minions. And while you’re at it, please pray that we can at least have a few days where nothing breaks at all.
One major problem is that something breaks down EVERY SINGLE DAY. Without exception. Every day. It’s ridiculous. In case my use of capital letters and repeated phrasing didn’t drive home the point, let me give you an example:
Sometime last week Namumu’s electric water pump broke down. This has without a doubt been the most frustrating breakdown yet. Now, to get water we (Namumu children and Namumu staff living on the Namumu grounds) have to make a trip to one of two nearby bore holes, both of which are around a quarter of a mile away, and to pump water out into 20 liter jugs.
It wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but given that we’ve just done a good deal of planting in our gardens it’s gone from a minor annoyance to a major headache. The gardens are suffering. So far I’ve been recruiting groups of children to fetch water with me every afternoon, carrying the jugs back and splashing the beds. The gardens are surviving but it’s taking quite a bit of both time and effort.
Since fetching water is such a pain and most of the water that I fetch goes toward gardening or drinking or bathing I don’t usually have much left over for things like laundry. I only own 3 pairs of pants, 4 shirts, 4 pairs of underwear and 4 pairs of socks and I haven’t done laundry for 2 weeks. You do the math.
TMI?
Friday was especially difficult. The water pump had been out for a few days. That morning the kapenta rig came back with a few busted light bulbs (which, again, are a crucial part of attracting and catching kapenta). Awesome, I thought, just what I need, more broken stuff.
Then, as I moped back toward the Namumu office I heard a loud sound that was a little something like on LOST when there’s a bright light and the Island jumps through time. A snake had climbed up the pole and had caused the transformer to blow, knocking out the power for all of Namumu. So we were without power. And rig lights. And running water.
Not a happy day for Sam. Not a happy day at all.
I suppose I have to count my blessings, though. After all, nobody has pooped on my kitchen floor for the last few days, so that’s good.
So, if you get a chance it would be super duper if you could pray for our water pump to be fixed so that I can stop cracking the whip on my water-carrying Namumu minions. And while you’re at it, please pray that we can at least have a few days where nothing breaks at all.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Kapenta Sales
There are two paths one can take to get to the part of the lake where our kapenta rig arrives.
There’s a more direct path via the main Siavonga road that leads right down to the water. However, that path brings you to the opposite side of the lake from where our rig arrives, so you have to hop on a boat and ferry across. The ferry boats are small and have either one or two young guys paddling. It’s a short distance across, maybe about 75 yards, and you only have to pay 1,000 Kwacha (about 20 cents). Still, I prefer the second path and use it every day.
The second path loops around a bit more, but it takes me right to where our rigs arrive. I’m not on the main road for long. It follows mostly small dirt paths and, at one point, passes through a small village (where all the kids stare at me, pointing and yelling “mukuwa” ,the Tonga word for “white man”, every single day…sometimes they wave and smile, but mostly they just point). It’s quite a bit of up and down and is a pretty strenuous, but it’s nice because it gets my blood flowing in the morning. Plus, Saviour told me I got fat, so I have to exercise.
The boat usually arrives somewhere between 7:00 and 8:00 am (we have two boats but only one has an engine so the other stays out on the lake and all eight fishermen return on the other). Jere, one of our day-workers who stays with the rigs during they day and helps dry the fish, arrives about when I do. Since Mubita, our kapenta sales supervisor is still on leave, Kebby, the Namumu boys’ caretaker, has been showing up to help out as well.
100% of our customers are women. At the beginning of the month there were around 20 showing up each day. They buy in bulk from us and sell the kapenta all around town, mostly in the main market. They are business-savvy and, let me tell you, they can be vicious. I do as much flirting as possible to ease the tension.
It was madness on the first day. We tried to be fair and divide up our catches equally amongst the women, giving them all small quantities. This month we’re only catching around 80-100 kgs a night, so almost all of them wanted more than what they got. They crowded around us as we weighed out the catches, trying to get our attention and even putting their money in our faces to get what they wanted. Most of the women are from the surrounding villages and don’t speak much English, so Kebby did most of the communicating.
At first I thought, “Well, I guess this is just how businesses operate in Zambia. It’s crazy and unorganized, but that’s just the way things go.” To Kebby and the women it just seemed natural. I figured that to develop any formal system would be too American of me and that it was best just to keep doing what we were doing.
However, after a few days of dealing with middle-aged-cat-fighting Zambian women we tried something new.
It wasn’t anything fancy. One day we had a lottery. Each woman was randomly assigned a day on which they could come and buy from us, with two women assigned per day. If on any woman’s particular day they did not want to purchase all of their half of the catches they could designate any of their friends to receive the remainder, but only the day’s two assigned women control over the catches. To assign them days we just had them draw slips of paper out of a hat.
It was simple and it worked. Even the women themselves appreciate it and think it’s fair.
After talking with a number of other fishing camps I’ve found that some of them use a system somewhat like what we created. It just makes sense. So, things have calmed down around our area of the harbor and we're having no problem selling all of our catches every single day.
After we sell the fish there’s not much to it. We have racks set up, long wire sheets on top of wooden polls, where the customers spread out their fish to dry after buying them. Jere, our day-staffer, stays around to monitor and I head home.
So there you have it. Our kapenta business is coming right along, and every day we find some way to do things better than the day before.
There’s a more direct path via the main Siavonga road that leads right down to the water. However, that path brings you to the opposite side of the lake from where our rig arrives, so you have to hop on a boat and ferry across. The ferry boats are small and have either one or two young guys paddling. It’s a short distance across, maybe about 75 yards, and you only have to pay 1,000 Kwacha (about 20 cents). Still, I prefer the second path and use it every day.
The second path loops around a bit more, but it takes me right to where our rigs arrive. I’m not on the main road for long. It follows mostly small dirt paths and, at one point, passes through a small village (where all the kids stare at me, pointing and yelling “mukuwa” ,the Tonga word for “white man”, every single day…sometimes they wave and smile, but mostly they just point). It’s quite a bit of up and down and is a pretty strenuous, but it’s nice because it gets my blood flowing in the morning. Plus, Saviour told me I got fat, so I have to exercise.
The boat usually arrives somewhere between 7:00 and 8:00 am (we have two boats but only one has an engine so the other stays out on the lake and all eight fishermen return on the other). Jere, one of our day-workers who stays with the rigs during they day and helps dry the fish, arrives about when I do. Since Mubita, our kapenta sales supervisor is still on leave, Kebby, the Namumu boys’ caretaker, has been showing up to help out as well.
100% of our customers are women. At the beginning of the month there were around 20 showing up each day. They buy in bulk from us and sell the kapenta all around town, mostly in the main market. They are business-savvy and, let me tell you, they can be vicious. I do as much flirting as possible to ease the tension.
It was madness on the first day. We tried to be fair and divide up our catches equally amongst the women, giving them all small quantities. This month we’re only catching around 80-100 kgs a night, so almost all of them wanted more than what they got. They crowded around us as we weighed out the catches, trying to get our attention and even putting their money in our faces to get what they wanted. Most of the women are from the surrounding villages and don’t speak much English, so Kebby did most of the communicating.
At first I thought, “Well, I guess this is just how businesses operate in Zambia. It’s crazy and unorganized, but that’s just the way things go.” To Kebby and the women it just seemed natural. I figured that to develop any formal system would be too American of me and that it was best just to keep doing what we were doing.
However, after a few days of dealing with middle-aged-cat-fighting Zambian women we tried something new.
It wasn’t anything fancy. One day we had a lottery. Each woman was randomly assigned a day on which they could come and buy from us, with two women assigned per day. If on any woman’s particular day they did not want to purchase all of their half of the catches they could designate any of their friends to receive the remainder, but only the day’s two assigned women control over the catches. To assign them days we just had them draw slips of paper out of a hat.
It was simple and it worked. Even the women themselves appreciate it and think it’s fair.
After talking with a number of other fishing camps I’ve found that some of them use a system somewhat like what we created. It just makes sense. So, things have calmed down around our area of the harbor and we're having no problem selling all of our catches every single day.
After we sell the fish there’s not much to it. We have racks set up, long wire sheets on top of wooden polls, where the customers spread out their fish to dry after buying them. Jere, our day-staffer, stays around to monitor and I head home.
So there you have it. Our kapenta business is coming right along, and every day we find some way to do things better than the day before.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Random Updates
Phew. I’m tired.
I wish I had more time to write this week, but internet time is short and there’s work to be done so I’ll have to try to catch you up quickly on what’s new around Namumu with a few short updates
My schedule has changed quite a bit in the past two weeks. Mubita, our kapenta fishing sales clerk is still away on leave (more on his situation later), so I’ve been especially busy as of late. We started fishing last Tuesday, April 14th, so with Mubita gone I’ve had to high-tail it to the harbor every morning to sell the night’s catches. The boats usually arrive around 7:00 am or somewhere shortly thereafter, so I’ve have to set out from my house around 6:30. Since the garden beds need to be watered early and I’m never sure when I’ll get back to Namumu, I’ve been getting up around 5:30 to water (I’d assign one of my little Namumu minions to water but, I have to be honest, they all suck at it…just have to do that one myself). Since the boats go out every night for 24 days there’s no break on the weekends. I’m worn out.
The Namumu children are happy and content as always. They’re still on break from school, so these days they just play around and talk all day. School should be starting in a week or so, so it will eventually be back to work for them.
The cholera scare has died down, thankfully, so thanks to all who prayed for that one.
Of course, now our water pump is broken, so if you could switch your prayers from cholera to our water pump that would be just dandy. We’re trying to make other short-term arrangements, so there’s no need to panic. Still, prayer would be nice.
My little naked next-door neighbour, Innocent, wandered into my kitchen again the other day for another naked dinner party. This time he didn’t just watch me, though. This time he pooped on my floor. Yes, you read that correctly. I would have informed his mother but as she speaks zero English and I haven’t yet learned how to say, “Your 1 ½ year old took a dump on my kitchen floor” in Tonga I just cleaned it up and kept quiet. Innocent has been banned from my kitchen indefinitely.
Bread has made up about 90% of my diet recently. The bakery in Siavonga is the bomb dot com. Once our vegetables start coming in I’m planning on getting a little bit healthier, but for now I’ll stick with my bread, nsima and eggs.
The dogs have been staying out of the garden, but I think they got together and decided that since they couldn’t tick me off that way they’d have to find another way. They found it. Now they’ve started howling outside of my window around 4 am. I learned my lesson last week, though, so I’ve stayed away from murderous thoughts.
So, all is still well here in Siavonga. I’m hoping to post another update in the next day or two about selling kapenta, I think you’ll find it interesting, so stay tuned. Until then, take care.
I wish I had more time to write this week, but internet time is short and there’s work to be done so I’ll have to try to catch you up quickly on what’s new around Namumu with a few short updates
My schedule has changed quite a bit in the past two weeks. Mubita, our kapenta fishing sales clerk is still away on leave (more on his situation later), so I’ve been especially busy as of late. We started fishing last Tuesday, April 14th, so with Mubita gone I’ve had to high-tail it to the harbor every morning to sell the night’s catches. The boats usually arrive around 7:00 am or somewhere shortly thereafter, so I’ve have to set out from my house around 6:30. Since the garden beds need to be watered early and I’m never sure when I’ll get back to Namumu, I’ve been getting up around 5:30 to water (I’d assign one of my little Namumu minions to water but, I have to be honest, they all suck at it…just have to do that one myself). Since the boats go out every night for 24 days there’s no break on the weekends. I’m worn out.
The Namumu children are happy and content as always. They’re still on break from school, so these days they just play around and talk all day. School should be starting in a week or so, so it will eventually be back to work for them.
The cholera scare has died down, thankfully, so thanks to all who prayed for that one.
Of course, now our water pump is broken, so if you could switch your prayers from cholera to our water pump that would be just dandy. We’re trying to make other short-term arrangements, so there’s no need to panic. Still, prayer would be nice.
My little naked next-door neighbour, Innocent, wandered into my kitchen again the other day for another naked dinner party. This time he didn’t just watch me, though. This time he pooped on my floor. Yes, you read that correctly. I would have informed his mother but as she speaks zero English and I haven’t yet learned how to say, “Your 1 ½ year old took a dump on my kitchen floor” in Tonga I just cleaned it up and kept quiet. Innocent has been banned from my kitchen indefinitely.
Bread has made up about 90% of my diet recently. The bakery in Siavonga is the bomb dot com. Once our vegetables start coming in I’m planning on getting a little bit healthier, but for now I’ll stick with my bread, nsima and eggs.
The dogs have been staying out of the garden, but I think they got together and decided that since they couldn’t tick me off that way they’d have to find another way. They found it. Now they’ve started howling outside of my window around 4 am. I learned my lesson last week, though, so I’ve stayed away from murderous thoughts.
So, all is still well here in Siavonga. I’m hoping to post another update in the next day or two about selling kapenta, I think you’ll find it interesting, so stay tuned. Until then, take care.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Business Updates
As usual, things in the front office are busy but good.
Our two fishing rigs have been sidelined for the past week. Once a month, every month, around the time of the full moon all kapenta fishing companies shut down for around 6 or 7 days. The boats use special light bulbs, both out of the water and deep down in the water, to attract the small kapenta fish into the nets. When the moon is full or close to it the small lights are ineffective, so everyone takes a little break. It works out well though. The fishermen set out to fish around 3:00 pm and return the following morning around 7:00 am for about 24 days straight, so they need and deserve a rest.
While our boats were sidelined we took them to a neighboring fishing company’s engineers to have some maintenance work done. Most of the local owners are friendly and willing to offer advice, something that I’ve been trying to take advantage of. I’ve hit a number of owners with question after question and have received a crash course in everything from engine repair to catching strategies. I’ve come a long way but still have a lot to learn.
Catches were pretty terrible last month, so we’re hoping for some improvement here in April. Still, there’s only so much we can do. Much of it depends on weather and, to a certain degree, on luck.
I’ve also received a crash course in both carpentry and welding. I’ve been trying to find out what tools our guys really need and what they say they need but could really do without to get the job done. Again, I’ve learned quite a bit but still have a long way to go.
Last but not least, farming is coming right along. I’ve got a few hard working little Namumu-ans helping me every day. I’ve discovered the secret to effective farming here. Before, I’d try to organize big groups to come to work and get a lot accomplished. They’d always mess things up and get in each others’ way. Now, instead, I just walk over to the beds and start working. Inevitably, around 4 or 5 of the kids will wander over to see what’s going on and to help me. With the small numbers we always get a lot finished and I’ve been able to teach them a thing or two.
Recently we’ve been seeding and mulching and building fences to keep out the stray dogs. These dogs are really ticking me off. They wander all around Namumu and keep doing little dances all over our newly planted beds. We built a fence but they continued to get through. Man oh man did I start to get angry. Really angry. I learned my lesson after God punished me, though…
It was early in the morning and I was tired and grumpy. I walked over to the beds and found the usual doggy footprints all over some recently planted cabbage. While I was gathering straw to do some mulching I started having Michael Vicki-ish thoughts about the Namumu dogs, I mean really terrible thoughts about what I wanted to do to them. As I was having said thoughts, and I mean RIGHT when I was having said thoughts, my foot fell into a deep hole, a hole that had previously been used for an outdoor toilet. God’s punishment was swift. I quickly repented for my bad thoughts and for my anger.
So there you have it. God spoke to Moses through a burning bush and he spoke to me through an outdoor latrine.
Our two fishing rigs have been sidelined for the past week. Once a month, every month, around the time of the full moon all kapenta fishing companies shut down for around 6 or 7 days. The boats use special light bulbs, both out of the water and deep down in the water, to attract the small kapenta fish into the nets. When the moon is full or close to it the small lights are ineffective, so everyone takes a little break. It works out well though. The fishermen set out to fish around 3:00 pm and return the following morning around 7:00 am for about 24 days straight, so they need and deserve a rest.
While our boats were sidelined we took them to a neighboring fishing company’s engineers to have some maintenance work done. Most of the local owners are friendly and willing to offer advice, something that I’ve been trying to take advantage of. I’ve hit a number of owners with question after question and have received a crash course in everything from engine repair to catching strategies. I’ve come a long way but still have a lot to learn.
Catches were pretty terrible last month, so we’re hoping for some improvement here in April. Still, there’s only so much we can do. Much of it depends on weather and, to a certain degree, on luck.
I’ve also received a crash course in both carpentry and welding. I’ve been trying to find out what tools our guys really need and what they say they need but could really do without to get the job done. Again, I’ve learned quite a bit but still have a long way to go.
Last but not least, farming is coming right along. I’ve got a few hard working little Namumu-ans helping me every day. I’ve discovered the secret to effective farming here. Before, I’d try to organize big groups to come to work and get a lot accomplished. They’d always mess things up and get in each others’ way. Now, instead, I just walk over to the beds and start working. Inevitably, around 4 or 5 of the kids will wander over to see what’s going on and to help me. With the small numbers we always get a lot finished and I’ve been able to teach them a thing or two.
Recently we’ve been seeding and mulching and building fences to keep out the stray dogs. These dogs are really ticking me off. They wander all around Namumu and keep doing little dances all over our newly planted beds. We built a fence but they continued to get through. Man oh man did I start to get angry. Really angry. I learned my lesson after God punished me, though…
It was early in the morning and I was tired and grumpy. I walked over to the beds and found the usual doggy footprints all over some recently planted cabbage. While I was gathering straw to do some mulching I started having Michael Vicki-ish thoughts about the Namumu dogs, I mean really terrible thoughts about what I wanted to do to them. As I was having said thoughts, and I mean RIGHT when I was having said thoughts, my foot fell into a deep hole, a hole that had previously been used for an outdoor toilet. God’s punishment was swift. I quickly repented for my bad thoughts and for my anger.
So there you have it. God spoke to Moses through a burning bush and he spoke to me through an outdoor latrine.
New Friends and a Break-In
So, as I noted last week, a few of the children that lived next door were, for a while, absolutely terrified of me. As I’d walk up to my house they’d quickly run away and the smallest ones would even begin to cry at times. No joke. We’re in a rural area and while there are a few whites around town, most of them just work in the local fishing industry and live elsewhere, separated from the local Zambians. These kids just hadn’t been exposed to many whites and I was strange and different and scary.
On second thought, maybe it was just the beard…
Either way, I’ve turned the corner with the kids next door. They love me now. They’re used to me. I get to throw them around and play with them some nights when I’m out chatting with the adults next door. It’s almost getting to the point where I wish they were still scared because now they come up and bug me all the time to come throw them up in the air. Most nights I can’t even relax and read on the porch anymore because they are always coming around and wanting to play.
To further illustrate, I was cooking dinner the other night, whistling a little diddy and minding my own business when my smallest neighbor, Innocent (if you met him you’d note the irony there), about 1 ½ years old, wandered right on through my back door and into my kitchen. His mother was nowhere to be found. He was, as you might have guessed, completely naked. He just stood there and stared for about 30 seconds, smiling, with no intention of leaving. He wandered around a bit, checking the place out and watching me cook.
It’s funny how quickly things can change. This was the kid whom I scared the most and here he is showing up in my kitchen for a naked dinner party. I escorted him back to his mother quickly, lest she think I had kidnapped her naked son.
So, I’m getting a little less peace and quiet these days but a lot more play time.
On second thought, maybe it was just the beard…
Either way, I’ve turned the corner with the kids next door. They love me now. They’re used to me. I get to throw them around and play with them some nights when I’m out chatting with the adults next door. It’s almost getting to the point where I wish they were still scared because now they come up and bug me all the time to come throw them up in the air. Most nights I can’t even relax and read on the porch anymore because they are always coming around and wanting to play.
To further illustrate, I was cooking dinner the other night, whistling a little diddy and minding my own business when my smallest neighbor, Innocent (if you met him you’d note the irony there), about 1 ½ years old, wandered right on through my back door and into my kitchen. His mother was nowhere to be found. He was, as you might have guessed, completely naked. He just stood there and stared for about 30 seconds, smiling, with no intention of leaving. He wandered around a bit, checking the place out and watching me cook.
It’s funny how quickly things can change. This was the kid whom I scared the most and here he is showing up in my kitchen for a naked dinner party. I escorted him back to his mother quickly, lest she think I had kidnapped her naked son.
So, I’m getting a little less peace and quiet these days but a lot more play time.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Animal Attacks and Church
My favorite time of day here is in the early evenings. I get to sit out on my porch, kick back and do nothing for the first time all day. I sit and read, sit and chat with my 15 or so neighbors, or just sit. There’s a nice view. I can turn my chair and watch the sun go down behind the Baobab tree. The sky is orange and purple and hazy and beautiful. Later on, if I pull my chair out from underneath the overhang I can see the stars. Most nights now are clear and I can see about a million of them. It’s wonderful.
Except, that is, when I get attacked by freakish African animals. A few nights ago I was sitting and enjoying the view when a bat flew into my leg and fell to the ground. That’s right, a bat. I don’t know what compelled the crazed devil-bird to come into my personal space, but needless to say I wasn’t very happy. Have you ever seen a bat up close? They are freakish and terrifying. I shooed it away but my peaceful evening was pretty much ruined. It’s ok though, I’ve had a few nights since with no incidents.
Other than being under attack by one of Satan’s little friends things are still going well. I don’t have cholera, so that’s good.
I’ve enjoyed settling into my new church home at St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church. Siavonga isn’t a huge town but there are a number of churches to choose from. There’s the United Church of Zambia, the Reformed Church of Zambia, the Seventh Day Adventist Church and the Catholic Church to name just a few. St. Marks is in Mitcho, an area a little ways from town, but I can usually get a lift with Munjongo in the Namumu truck. The Namumu children and staff are pretty much split up amongst all the churches in town, but a few go to St. Marks with me.
St. Marks has undergone quite a few changes since I was last here (I wrote about it in a blog way back) and it’s looking good. It has new doors, windows, benches and a new pulpit. It has four walls now, too, which is nice. It’s coming right along. Attendance is still a bit low but everyone expects it to grow.
The building is new but the worship remains the same. There’s singing and praying and singing and preaching and singing. Most of the service is in Tonga, but every now and then I get an English prayer thrown out there. Still, I can follow along with the Bible passages and can get the gist of the sermon. The singing is out of control. These guys can harmonize like you wouldn’t believe. The songs are all in various Zambian tribal languages but it’s ok because God can understand them even if I can’t and I’m sure they make God happy. They make me happy too.
I got to go with John Luneta this week to his choir practice at the United Church of Zambia, one of the bigger churches in town. There they have microphones, a keyboard, speakers and a mixing board. I felt like I was in a recording studio. Their singing was very nice as well, but I think I like the simple sound of the Presbyterian singers better.
So worship and life in general are just swell. I discovered a local type of hot sauce that is pretty darn good, so when my stash from home ran out I didn’t have to kick that addiction. Our crops are starting to come up already. Beans and cabbage are looking good with eggplants close behind. The little kids next door aren’t scared of me anymore (white is/was scary sometimes for the little ones) so I get to play with them sometimes. I finished “The Catcher in the Rye” which might just be my favorite book of all time. On Sunday I got a nap after church and then at night I slammed a few Cokes and watched LOST season 4.
If you ask me, life couldn’t be much better.
Except, that is, when I get attacked by freakish African animals. A few nights ago I was sitting and enjoying the view when a bat flew into my leg and fell to the ground. That’s right, a bat. I don’t know what compelled the crazed devil-bird to come into my personal space, but needless to say I wasn’t very happy. Have you ever seen a bat up close? They are freakish and terrifying. I shooed it away but my peaceful evening was pretty much ruined. It’s ok though, I’ve had a few nights since with no incidents.
Other than being under attack by one of Satan’s little friends things are still going well. I don’t have cholera, so that’s good.
I’ve enjoyed settling into my new church home at St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church. Siavonga isn’t a huge town but there are a number of churches to choose from. There’s the United Church of Zambia, the Reformed Church of Zambia, the Seventh Day Adventist Church and the Catholic Church to name just a few. St. Marks is in Mitcho, an area a little ways from town, but I can usually get a lift with Munjongo in the Namumu truck. The Namumu children and staff are pretty much split up amongst all the churches in town, but a few go to St. Marks with me.
St. Marks has undergone quite a few changes since I was last here (I wrote about it in a blog way back) and it’s looking good. It has new doors, windows, benches and a new pulpit. It has four walls now, too, which is nice. It’s coming right along. Attendance is still a bit low but everyone expects it to grow.
The building is new but the worship remains the same. There’s singing and praying and singing and preaching and singing. Most of the service is in Tonga, but every now and then I get an English prayer thrown out there. Still, I can follow along with the Bible passages and can get the gist of the sermon. The singing is out of control. These guys can harmonize like you wouldn’t believe. The songs are all in various Zambian tribal languages but it’s ok because God can understand them even if I can’t and I’m sure they make God happy. They make me happy too.
I got to go with John Luneta this week to his choir practice at the United Church of Zambia, one of the bigger churches in town. There they have microphones, a keyboard, speakers and a mixing board. I felt like I was in a recording studio. Their singing was very nice as well, but I think I like the simple sound of the Presbyterian singers better.
So worship and life in general are just swell. I discovered a local type of hot sauce that is pretty darn good, so when my stash from home ran out I didn’t have to kick that addiction. Our crops are starting to come up already. Beans and cabbage are looking good with eggplants close behind. The little kids next door aren’t scared of me anymore (white is/was scary sometimes for the little ones) so I get to play with them sometimes. I finished “The Catcher in the Rye” which might just be my favorite book of all time. On Sunday I got a nap after church and then at night I slammed a few Cokes and watched LOST season 4.
If you ask me, life couldn’t be much better.
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