So sorry you haven't heard from the herd in a few days. We are doing GREAT! Livingstone is beautiful, but doesn't have free internet. (This message costs $50. We'll need a loan later.) Posting pictures would cost millions -- and we'd be home before they updated.
We can't wait to see you all!
Love from the team,
Tanya, Heather, Michelle, Ryan, Chad, Thersa, Carolyn, Jen, Kelli, Katie, Kari, Joe, Trina (and Skeletor)
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Heather and our tiniest friend
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Bugnets Are Great!
This is Tanya checking in again finally =)...for those of you who have been wondering if I'm really hear since I've been missing from the blog......=) But I promise you I have been working hard and having a wonderful time hear in Zambia. This is a picture of Me, Heather, Jen and Kelli that we took under our bugnet in our room at the Savoy hotel. All of us worked at the Makenzie Community School. What a joy it was to be a part of the ministry that is already going on at the school. We fell in love with the teachers and all 600 students. God is so Good! and I can't wait to share more stories of what I've learned.
Dr. Zimba (and Friends) at Northrise
(Hi, it's Michelle) Here we are at the end of our last day of VBS - dirty, tired and so happy to be here.
Friday, July 4, 2008
VBS...Day 4
(Michelle and Ryan) Today was our last day of VBS. While we're looking forward to the rest of our trip, we are really going to miss these kids. They have left a huge impression on both of us and we will miss seeing them! The teachers at Mackenzie are so incredibly dedicated to the kids. Ryan is even coming home with a 5 year old pen pal!!!
Chad and Thersa-We have just completed our VBS program and all went amazingly well. I have always maintained that I'm not a cryer but I came awfully close today closing the final session. We had an incredible team and this made for such a succesful event. Of course all your prayers were an integral part! Today we took about 550 polaroids (they have been discontinued since we shipped the container in December) and had the kids use craft stick frames(the team put about 700 together the night before) for them. It was quite a thrill to watch their faces as the picture deveolped in front of them. Thersa has been a rock through all of this and I so much enjoy doing this with her.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
A quick one from Joe and Trina
Joe here -- Sorry, but they're closing the computer lab in just a few seconds. I'll just be able to post some pics from today for everyone. Trina told me that we didn't have enough pictures of her working, just eating lunch, so we've got Trina working today! She was great carrying the cinder blocks that we were filling with concrete. We've finished the work at the farm today, so tomorrow we'll be at the VBS school with Kari and the gang. Get ready for a couple of pics of Joe and Trina, and a zillion little MEEEEINOWS!
The Zebras
(Kari here) We finished Day 3 at MacKinzie Community School today. When we arrived this morning, they were all lined up (dressed in their shirts from yesterday) shouting "sharks!" -- "meenows!" It was the best greeting EVER!
The youngest kids (a.k.a. Zebras) are a blast! There's about a million of them (seriously). It's a bit ironic that I am the Zebra Herder...given my vast experience with small children (read: zero experience with small children). It is good...very, very good. Kelli taught them a "Zebra Power" cheer -- which we shout with gusto.
Thank you all for praying...it has to make a difference. My heart is happy and full and broken and sad...all at the same time.
ART clinic (anti-retroviral treatment)
Hello friends! (Carolyn here) The past few days I've had the chance along with others on our team to work in the HIV/AIDs clinic outside the Children's hospital. I have learned a ton about current practices and treatment in Zambia thanks to Dr. Naomi (3rd photo down on the right.) She then set us loose to do some consultations as well. Although very interesting, the stories are heartwrenching. Many who come in are orphans, brought in by aunts, uncles, or siblings. We have been impressed with the availability of anti-retroviral medicines. It was fun to play with the kids a bit and see that some are staying healthy when given their medicines consistently.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Chad and Thersa-Tshirt day at Mckenzie school! All the kids, in white, having music. We had close to 600 again today. Unfortunately not everyone can come. Some watch from a distance. All the kids are orphans and some are double orphans. What a blessing this school is for this neighborhood. Very emotional to be here, but the kids seem very appreciative. Driving back to the hotel we would see small groups walking with their new shirts and they would wave with big smiles on their faces.
Working smarter, not harder
Joe here -- So, it turns out that chipping our way through dried clay isn't exactly the most efficient manner of working in the banana farm. We had another local farmer (a Dutch man who manages a banana grove across the city) visit us and politely mention we were doing this the very hard way. So today, instead of digging holes in concrete, we prepared holes to be soaked with water overnight. It turns out that the moist soil digs up much more easily and holes that took us a half hour-45 minutes to dig would actually only take about five minutes. Oops.
Trina's ready for some work--but no digging holes for us today!
Here are a couple of pictures of me helping out before lunch. They were still making concrete before the food came, so Boyd (a Northrise student majoring in IT) and I pitched in and shoveled gravel for about a half hour.
Shoveling shoveling shoveling
Joe and Boyd, just before lunch
Lunchtime!
Trina's ready for some work--but no digging holes for us today!
Here are a couple of pictures of me helping out before lunch. They were still making concrete before the food came, so Boyd (a Northrise student majoring in IT) and I pitched in and shoveled gravel for about a half hour.
Shoveling shoveling shoveling
Joe and Boyd, just before lunch
Lunchtime!
Game of the Day: What Time is it Mr. Fox?
Ryan was a very popular Mr. Fox! Before and after the game, the boys wanted to be picked up OVER and OVER again!!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
A Warm Welcome From Our New Friends
(Tanya checking in for the team) It was such a blessing to hear the children of Mackenzie school sing and dance their hearts out! We had a very full day today. We had the privilege of ministering to over 550, quite a few more then we thought, but we had a great day sharing the story of creation, singing and playing lots of games. The weather is crystal clear and although it was a little cold this morning it warmed up by the middle of the day. Well it's 9:00 pm here and they're about to lock up for the night. Bye for now!!
Zambians Love Photos
One thing we learned today is that Zambian children LOVE to have their pictures taken. But most of all, they love to SEE themselves in pictures. Every time I took out my camera, I had a huge group of posers! Thank God for digital cameras! I took lots of pictures of these guys today...then the boy next to me in this picture insisted we have our picture taken together. He only wanted it to be the two of us...but that doesn't happen at the Makenzie school! 5 more kids joined us:)
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