Chilly Weather

It has been a busy month as we prepare for the campaign to arrive (25 Americans are coming!!!). We are really excited about the month of June. We have been testing out air mattresses, hanging mosquito nets, preparing our Zambian friends and getting the schedule ready for the group that is coming in on June 9th. We will have 12 people coming from East Brainerd church of Christ in Chattanooga, TN (our supporting congregation), and the rest will be coming from Hillcrest in Abilene, TX. We are pumped!
Jeremy and I have an anthill back behind our house, and it was Jeremy’s dream to have a kensanza built on top of it so we could see out and watch part of the sunset. Of course, we cannot see all of it because a big termite mound is in the way. It is relaxing sitting under our open hut, and it’s best in the early mornings and at sunset.
On June 29, Erin, Sondra and I have an exciting trip to Port Elizabeth, South Africa. We were invited to a Come Before Winter retreat/women’s conference. I actually remember hearing about Come Before Winter in college. It is a retreat set up by Americans for women missionaries. They go to different locations all over the world to encourage them. I feel so blessed to be going. I was telling Erin today that it may be overwhelming to be around that many white people again. Haha, that sounds silly, but seriously--it has been awhile. I am so thankful we are going. It will be refreshing and such a gift. Jeremy will be left all by his lonesome in the bush. Except his Uncle Brian had pity on him and has invited Jeremy and Jason to eat at his house every night for the week. We will get back in to Mumena on June 5, a few days before the campaign begins.
As the U.S. is gearing up for the summer season we are beginning to feel the Zambian chill of winter. The coldest months will be June and July. This past week, I began meeting with the younger girls again for our Bible study. We had to take a break during April because they were on school holiday. We have a new girl who has joined our study. She is about 16 or 17 years old and has an 8-month old baby. She is not in school. I wondered how the younger school girls were going to take to this new change, but they welcomed her so sweetly. In March, I had taught them the card game “spoons”, and they have now asked if they can come early, play spoons for half an hour, and then begin the Bible study. How could I refuse? It is so fun watching them play.

Field Day

Last week Jeremy and I decided to ride out to a village and work with a family in their field. Most Zambians who choose to farm are working in their fields every morning. It is not the best time to go out and visit villages in the mornings, because you will usually not find people at home. Jeremy and I rode our bikes out to the village and left them at the family’s hut. The family had already been out for two hours working, so we began the walk through the bush to meet up with them in their field.

As soon as we came to the clearing, the family came running to greet us—they made us feel welcome. They had been out in the hot sun working for two hours already. Cosmas and Josephine were digging up their peanuts (in Zambia they are called ground nuts). Then, all of the children were collecting them and putting in a pile. Jeremy and I really appreciated the fact that the whole family was working together and enjoying each other’s company. This past week was a school holiday so even the older children got to help. Jeremy and I both tried out pulling up the ground nuts, but I mostly helped collect the crops. It was such a neat time to spend with this family, and I know we developed a deeper friendship that day. Jeremy and I had great respect for them to see how hard they were working and all of them spending together. They were very happy out in the field and couldn’t stop laughing the whole time we were out there. Most Zambians think white people are very fragile with our fair skin.

After we finished in the field, we all headed back to the hut, and Josephine fixed everyone lunch—nshema and greens. We visited for a couple more hours and then Jeremy and I went home. It was a fulfilling day, even though we were dead tired. I’m thankful for the time and days that go like this.

Spring in Mumena

The month of April went by fast, but we are ready to get back to our usual schedule in the bush. The Muzha wa Yesu seminar went very well. Jeremy spent two weeks teaching on the Kingdom of God and going through all of the important Bible stories that prepared the way for Jesus. We were blessed to be a part of the seminar this year. Three years ago when it was started, Brian Davis and others were planting seeds and battling with a culture that was twisted and confused. This year has been a break through on many levels, and we are starting to see the fruits of the labor from the past three years. We began to see church leaders tearing up because they are realizing the sadness in the world, and the need for Jesus. We saw men pleading with their fellow brothers in Christ to start digging deeper in their studies and teachings. It was a great month, and we are thankful for all of the prayers for the seminar.

Today is the first day of May, and we are excited! First of all, because May means June is right around the corner, when we will see 30 campaigners coming over from Tennessee and Texas. We are also ready to dive back in to language learning. Language learning had to take a back seat to the seminar, so Jeremy and I will begin working again with Cosmas for an hour each day. Yesterday, Jeremy and I went out to the soccer field to watch a game. Jeremy, of course, was asked to play and felt he was surely up for the task. He twisted his ankle after a few minutes into the game and had to watch from the sidelines the rest of the time. If you know Jeremy and sports, then you know I have been to the ER three times due to church league softball accidents. Well, we don’t have an “ER” in Mumena, so I was a bit nervous about my husband breaking his leg. While Jeremy watched with the team, I sat with my sweetest little friend, Linyondi. Linyondi is Cosmas’s son, and he and I just have a connection. He is only five years old but told his Dad this morning that he has really got to start learning English better, so he and I can spend time talking together.

The weather has completely changed! The rainy season is over, and we will not see another drop until November. The air is cool in the evenings and mornings, and the stars are bright at night.

This is Jeremy's group of first year students who he had in class for two weeks. Thank you for the continued prayers!