Their time in Zambia is coming to a close. I'll add here the odds and ends of stories and information that I've gotten. But overall, this was an excellent location for a few days. They've managed to get a lot done at the farm. It was a really good time to prepare themselves for Congo, getting ready/getting rested/ getting on schedule. They feel mostly prepared. So now more about their time in Zambia:
In the last update Desi mentioned Bob going on a long walk with Matthews. When I spoke with Brent's wife, Carol, who was in Zambia last year said she too had been privileged to go on that same walk and that it was a highlight of her trip. I told Desi this and then I got this text back from him the next day: "So you can tell Carol that I started asking Mathews about his morning walk with a lady last year. Right away he said, "you mean Carol?" I said "do you remember her?" He said "oh yes, Carol. She is my friend" and then he started giving details of the walk. He then pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and said that Carol had given it to him. He is now pretty excited to meet her husband."
I love the connectivity in this story. How our lives here in Canada are becoming more and more intertwined with those of the beautiful people of Africa we are working with.
Now to the monkey. There was a little tree house on the farm that wasn't there a couple of years ago. Desi asked Oswald and Matthews about it. They gave him this story about how there was a UK team that came through and they'd mentioned to Pastor Jacob that they had expected to at least see a monkey in Zambia. Well, Pastor Jacob, trying to be the good host decided to buy a monkey for the farm to live in that tree. The tree house was his. George heard about the monkey and called up Pastor Jacob to tell him to get rid of the monkey... what if it bites someone, what if it gets away and eats the vegetables in the garden for the orphans... And that was the end of the story. But then they ask, well what happened to the monkey. And Oswald and Matthews proudly say "We ate him for Christmas." Then the next time Desi saw Pastor Jacob, he slyly mentions that he was surprised not to see any monkeys here in Zambia to which Pastor Jacob replies, "OH NO, if I buy another monkey those two at the farm will just eat him."
So, now on to what they've been eating. The previous update mentions Desi making arrangements with Oswald and Matthews. The team would buy the food and the two would cook it. The practice was a lot more blended, which I love. Desi also wanted to include their families and wanted to have a large Zambian feast together to start. So from the market they picked up 3 live chickens, pumpkin leaves, roasted nuts and of course Nshima (a cornmeal mush that is a staple in Sub-Saharan Africa). And they all pitched in to prepare this meal together and had a large cook-out outside of the farm. They had enough food for two days. I just love this image of them chasing chickens and plucking the feathers. After this our guys cooked a pasta meal for everyone that Desi says was really good too.
Our team has not had the best luck in regards to luggage. Desi had a suitcase lost from his flight between Johannesburg, South Africa and Ndola, Zambia causing him much frustration. There is still no word on if he'll ever see the darn thing again. And now, as Brent has just flown in to join them, he too has had to suffer a lost bag. His contents included the shoes for Desi that I had sent with Brent to replace the work shoes that Desi lost in his bag as well as some of the tools they were bringing to use to build the school in Congo and some soccer balls. So we'll see what happens.
The men have had a lot of work to do on the farm while they were there. There were a lot of general fix-ups and clean-ups and preparatory work. The farm is being prepared for a UK team that is coming to build Pastor Jacob a house on the property. Also, Bob was the only one to go out and do a day of Home-Based Care. He entered an area that has had the support of Home-Based Care for a while now and many of them have been on ARVs for the last year. Bob said it was the most hopeful Home-Based Care day he's ever had in Africa. This is his 3rd time here. He had been warned before going that he would see a lot of people that look healthy and fine but that they are very sick none the less and could still use the support. And then with every house he entered he heard the same theme to each story, which was "You should have seen him/her last year... They were dying and now they are back!" This is a testament to what good can come. This is a story of hope for Africa. Children with parents.
Margaret is the Hands at Work missionary, along with her husband Dominic, serving in Congo for Hands at Work. She stayed behind in South Africa because she was sick and there was some questions about if she had malaria. She's been tested. No malaria. But she did succeed in getting positive results on a pregnancy test. Margaret is pregnant. She was very sorry to the team- her first time getting a team to help her in Congo and here she is pregnant and getting sick all the time. Desi patiently explained to her that each of the 5 men on the team is a father and that each of them will do anything for her that she wants. That she should not worry about disappointing any of them! What is important is that she stays healthy and rested and they are going to make sure that happens.
Also, they have been picking Margaret's brain about what things will look like in Congo. They discussed a lot of the practicalities, the housing and food. A typical house in DRC has several units around a courtyard. This is practical for security reasons. If you are away for even a short time you will come back to nothing- everything will be taken. So clustering houses like this helps offer some protection. They will be staying in a house connected to the house of a German missionary named Ruth who has been in the DRC for 20 years. She is practically Congolese now herself. She has been very helpful to Margaret over these last years. There were two German missionaries but the older one died last year. In Congo, the electricity goes out every 3rd day. So this lady had her house wired again so that when her power goes out she can just switch over to her other line! There is security stationed in their courtyard. (2 men who alternate) They will have use of a washing machine on the property. Another aspect of Congo is that young women are "adopted" by a local "Mama." Margaret's old Mama died last year and now she has a new Mama. Mama will be doing all the cooking for the men.
Now to the border crossing. Margaret has a contact at the border to facilitate the process. The public relations lady will only be there between 8 to 8:30 in the morning. That is midnight our time. Desi has asked for prayer that they are able to cross with minimal fuss. Even with the VISAs in their passports there are still concerns. Desi has warned that I may not here from him for a couple of days. So I suppose no news will be good news at this point. I would appreciate anyone reading this to offer up a little prayer for their smooth crossing and their time in Congo- That they are able to accomplish the work they went to do and that they will be safe from harm and hassle. Thanks.
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