It's a Christmas Miracle!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ZAMBIA!

Christmas Eve with the Hoover's!

Hangin out with Santa in Lusaka!

On Christmas Ever we went over to a Missionary Families house, The Hoover's, and hung out.  We played a few games, did White Elephant, and ate.... A LOT!  It was such a great night.  After that, we spent the night with Kristi and got up early to make breakfast together while watching classic "ELF".  I got to talk to my wonderful mother and sister this morning and take my first "REAL" shower since being if Africa!  SO NICE.

Happy Birthday Pic from Sara's night on the town!  Thank you guys for hangin out with us.  It was a great day of Celebrating the birth of Sara Blumeshine!

Last week we did preventative maintenance with the Grade 5 and Grade 6 students.  They worked so hard on the following projects that Friday was simply a movie day with their teachers!  ;o)  After a long week of work, we watched "The Lion King" and "The Incredibles"!  Gosh, we have some of the best students in Zambia!  Check out their work below...

Project One:
We painted all the way around the based of the school black

Project Two:
We painted all the chalk boards in the classrooms and the walls that surround them!

Project Three:
See that beautiful fence... who would have thought that we had the skills to do such a thing!
It was a horrible job and we have the pains to prove it, but it is complete!

Project Four:
Two classrooms got the awesome Alphabet painted!
These kids are going to be so stinkin` smart!  Too bad Lawrence tried taking our paint... urgh...

Just Whistle While you Work!

I thought this month off of school would be a very restful one. Boy was I wrong! Just to give you a taste of how wrong I was, let me fill you in on last week.

It was Stacey and my classes preventative maintenance week, meaning our kids and us were to come to school and clean up the grounds. This term, Stacey and I decided to be a little ambitious and do more than just typical maintenance. What does that mean you ask? Oh, just tearing down a broken fence, rebuilding it, repainting the blackboards, classrooms, and baseboards, and weeding the garden just for a little extra measure. I was exhausted every night, but loved it. Also, it was just wonderful to hang out with some of my students again. George, one of my favorites, showed up, and I am happy to announce his English still knocks my socks off. We also hired someone to paint the alphabet and letters in two of the primary classrooms. If I do say so myself, they look pretty bomb diggity.

It was then all of a sudden my birthday, and Zambia/Stacey treated me good let me tell you. Good food, good friends, and lots of laughs. What more could a girl ask for? Maybe a inbox full of emails from home? Oh yeah, got that too! Sunday, Marci and Bill (an amazing missionary couple that have basically saved the holidays for me this year) invited us to a church for a carol service. If you don’t know, I LOVE singing, and Christmas carols are probably my favorite, so being without this year was starting to drain on me. Sunday helped to fill up my tank a bit. In short, Zambia has been very good to me these past few weeks.

Whelp, that’s all for now I think.
Loves to you all!
Sara Anne

Photo Update!

Last week we went to Wiphan's Mapalo site to help out with a painting project.  It was so fun!  All the children at the school got one hand painted, then Kristin and Frank helped them put their print on the tree!  It's an American Fall in Zambia!

HERE THEY ARE!  You're ballin players of the Ndola Woosters.  

Do you like the uniforms?

Good ole Thanksgiving with the Americans of Zambia.  We took a half day of school and went to Kristin to bake.  We made green bean casserole, mashed cheesy potatoes, banana chocolate chip bread, and Kristin made Chocolate Chip Pie that we ate for breakfast and lunch days after!  SO GOOD!

Holiday after Holiday...  This is the extent of our Christmas here in Zambia.  These trees were put up at a local mall where we go to get internet and have dinner.  It is so cool and makes me just want to sit there day in and day out.  Sara and I were talking last night about how sad we are that there is no snow but then again...  people in California or even some places in the South, ya'll don't always have snow either? NUTS!  But...  at least one of us will be tan in our Holiday Greeting Pictures!  ;o)

P.S. Kristin, you are going to have to start all over on your tan!  Sad day for you... ha.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!  

Love,   SLE

Testing, Training, and Thanksgiving!

      Man was last week packed to the brim! I will try to fill everyone in WITHOUT writing for hours straight.

George popping away

     To start, we finished our end of term tests. Here in Zambia they go to school all year round, so these tests are comparable to our finals right before summer starts. Needless to say, my class was ready to be done! I would just like to insert a little brag here, again about how splendid my students are. While putting their final grades in their booklets, I was noticing a common thread. Many of my students had raised their grades (well, specifically their English grades) by like 8-9 points. I thought this was a huge achievement for them and could not have been prouder. It is odd; a passing grade here is only about a 50 percent. It is kind of difficult to really praise a student when they only received like a 62 on their final exam, but when only three months ago they were bringing in grades of around 54 I’d say they pretty much rocked it! To celebrate, Stacey’s class and mine raised money to throw a big final party on Thursday. The party basically consisted of dancing and eating, two of my favorite things, so of course I just loved it. Teacher Judy ran a little dance competition with the kids, and lastly Stacey, Judy, and myself were pulled up to compete. The results of that contest were never actually announced, but since I busted out the worm I think it’s fairly safe to say we all know who the winner was. ;) We bought biscuits, sweets, juice, and made a HEAPING ton of popcorn for them all. One of my favorites, George, was put in charge of popping the popcorn, and I am fairly confident more popcorn ended up in his mouth than the bowl, but since after everyone was served seconds we still had leftovers, I would say it is ok. Hehe.

     Then Thursday, or course, was Thanksgiving! Obviously, seeing as Thanksgiving is an American holiday, they don’t celebrate it here in Zambia, and so bright and early Thursday morning Stacey and I packed up our lunch box with some peanut butter and jellies and headed off to school to meet with parents about their kids. Thankfully, we weaseled our way into only a half-day, and so by around two we were with our dear friend Kristin baking away. I am going to try to keep this short and just say how blessed I realized I was this Thanksgiving. Marci and Bill, two missionaries from the States, graciously opened their house this year to many displaced Americans, a few Canadians, and even a New Zealander! Marci even found a Turkey here in Ndola that was shipped all the way from the good ole’ U.S. of A. We ate, played some games, ate some more, and fellowshipped all night long. It still didn’t compare to being home with the fam, but it was pretty great non-the less. I realized this Thanksgiving what an amazing family I have been blessed with, and how grateful I am for modern technology and the chance to talk with home.  I love you guys.

     Finally it was the weekend. However, this past weekend was not one of relaxation as Stacey, Kristin (from Alabama), Kristi (from Canada), and myself were running a teacher’s training. It was the first of what is hoped to be many, and for a first run I would say we did pretty darn well. Teachers from our own nonprofits, as well as some outside visitors, were invited to learn about time management, lesson planning, resources, active learning, and multiple learning styles. I won’t lie, I was pretty nervous. Teaching in front of students, no prob bob, I have that nailed. Teaching teachers on the other hand, that gave me some serious anxiety. However, our biggest complaint was that we served the teachers N’shima and beans instead of Nshima and Chicken so I we did pretty good for ourselves. Way to be ZamTeach!

     Well I think that’s it for the time. Our friend Kristin is shipping out to the States this Saturday. I pray for safe travels for her, that she will be able to fully soak up her time at home, and a quick return back. Hehe.

Loves to y’all

Sara Anne 

SILENCE... Testing in Progress!

This week we are wrapping up school!  Monday and Tuesday the students are finishing their tests and then on Wednesday we are PARTAYIN` it up!  We are going to dance dance dance and eat "Popcorns".  On Thursday the parents... or whoever wants to come... will come to school and pick up the grades and then Friday...  WE OUT!  ;o)

Well, not really out but the students are officially done and I get to move on to be the Sixth Grade Teacher!  Whooo hooo.  My students have been doing decent on their tests but grading and expectation is just very different.  We will see how things pan out!  Thank you for Supporting and praying for our kids this term!

I was joking with some girls today and I asked them if their brains were in knots yet...  they walked around all day saying, "Our brains are in knots.  Madame Stacey said our brains are in knots!"  haha.  LOVE EM!

WE MADE THE TEAM!

On Friday, we got this great idea to go and shoot around after work.  There is a group of us that have wanted to play basketball but not had the chance.  So, Kristin, Aaron, Sara, Charlie Mumba, and myself all met up at the YMCA for a little basketball after work.  When we arrived, there was a group of girls running a practice on the court.  We stepped to the side and watched until they were finished.  After a bit Aaron asked if we could shoot at one end while they played at the other and they asked if we wanted to play 5-on-5 and SO THE GAMES BEGAN!

The five of us showed up to play horse, around the world, and knockout but ended up playing full court 5-on-5 with this team.  After playing for an hour or so, it got to dark to go on.  We called the game and began talking with the girls.  They asked Sara, Kristin, and I if we wanted to join their club team.  We were so excited and thought we were so cool because we MADE THE TEAM!  After basketball we went and celebrated with some gelato.

Little did we know that our first game would be the next day.  Saturday morning we got up early and took off for the courts.  We were supposed to play a game at 9am and noon but Zambian time really took over.  We arrived at the courts around 9:45am thinking that would be sufficient and we did not start playing until a little after noon.  We warmed up in weird ways and stretched in positions I had never done before!  It was crazy but so funny!  They gave us uniforms to wear and the only one they had left for me was a Medium.  REAL NICE EH?  ;o)  So, long story short…  our game last about 2 and a half hours and it was a murder.  When I say murder I don’t mean in the sense of score but literally, they tried to kill us!  The rules here in Zambia are a bit different and they don’t often call fouls and so it is straight up street ball.  Kristin was pulling all five girls from the other team down the court at one point and it was perfectly fine with the ref’s.  I was shoved from behind and bit through my bottom lip.  As many of you know, I have a short temper and it definitely got a little crazy from there on.  Finally the game ended and WE WON!  Supposedly we beat the number one team and the Ndola Woosters had never beat them before.  Whooo hooo.  Good work team!  After that day though, we are not sure when our next day will be.  Most of us thought we were going to die that day, out there on that court.  It was fun and I look forward to shooting around with them again, but we will see when that happens!   There is never a dull moment here in Zambia!

Finally, I will leave you with our team motto that the girls on our team kept saying:  If you ain’t sexy, you ain’t a Wooster! HA!

Pictures to come soon!

God is good, All the time, and all the time....

      On her flight to Africa months ago, Stacey met a girl named Kristin from Alabama who is working with an organization called Wiphan Care, and thanks to that connection we were able to hang out with multiple people from Canada, the U.K., all over the States and beyond last weekend. It was such a blessing. On top of just having some good ole’ fun swimming, dancing, exploring a farm, laughing, and openly talking about our observations on “interesting” things here in Zambia, God simply amazed me through these interactions. I met young people from all over doing God’s work and they humbled me like no other. No offense, but when I picture missionaries, I tend to NOT picture young women and men who are quite real, sarcastic, open, and yet still on fire for God. They challenge me to become more than what I am just by being who they are.

    On top of that, Kristin lent me some “light” reading. I have only gotten through the forward (written by Shane Claiborne who I now need to read more of), and the first chapter, and already its already drawing me to action….or at least trying to. The book is Make Poverty Personal. I recommend not reading a book like this if you like having an excess of money. Hehe. It hurts my heart a little bit reading it, because I like clothes, and shoes, and basically living comfortably. I’ll admit is fairly easy to follow this book while here. I mean, what am I going to spend except maybe a dollar on a bushel of bananas? Upon coming home, however, that is where the real struggle starts. Anyways, long story short, I love my Lord. Even though sometimes I don’t want it, He is showing me new things, pushing me to stretch my comfort zone, and placing just amazing people in my life to help me along the way.

If you care to read, below is an excerpt from my personal journal (journaling is a new thing for me here, I like it though), as well as one from the aforementioned book that just struck home.

Loves to all!

Sara Anne

Journal excerpt on 10.31.2011: God is soooo GOOD! I am so amazed by these women of God that have been placed in my life here in Zambia. I was seriously worried about my 2^nd three months here after my brief stint home for Grace’s wedding, but God just showed me again that I need not worry because He has my life in His hands. Time and time again here He has shown me how real and present He is. We (definitely including myself here) are so cynical in the West. We just need to stop over-analyzing and micro-organizing and just let God work.

Taken from Make Poverty Personal­ “…. If our faith does not bring justice flowing like a river, then we should cease the clamor of all of our religious festivals and gatherings and songs, for they are noise in God’s ears” Amos 5:21-24

BuSy BeAvErS!.!.!

Just when it seems like things are slowing down and becoming an everyday routine, life catches you by surprise!  Things here have been so great but so crazy!  I have told many of you individually that I met some really awesome girls here. 

One, Kristin Barringer, I met on the airplane on my way over here back in August.  She is working with another organization called Wiphan USA.  Through her I was connected to a few other girls from the UK and Canada.  I have joined their accountability group on Monday nights and it has been so awesome!  They are really great women of God and so much fun.  Last weekend we all went to this dance party at a friend’s house.  They set up a floor in their backyard and we just danced the night away while networking and connecting with tons of other people who are here in Zambia working on some project.  During the day on Saturday, we went out to this farm past the Village of Twapia where we work.  This family owns the farm from Indiana who were missionaries in Zambia through the church, but now run a farm.  On the farm they have chickens, vegetables, cows, and bananas.  David, one of our new friends, he showed us around the farm and let us greet his snakes and cow skins.  It was NUTS!  We went swimming in their lake and had some lunch.

On Sunday it was extremely hot here and so we went to church with Kristin and Hannah (a friend from Wales) and then back to Hannah’s house to swim and lay by the pool.  For a large chunk of the day, I though I was relaxing in Florida or maybe even the Caribbean...  Never been there but I would imagine that is what it is like!  ;o)

On Monday we spent another great day working at Wiphan!  Our seventh grade students were still writing tests and so we went to Wiphan and did some work at the school.  It was great fun to hangout with Kristin and see how other schools run and function!  On Monday night, we met at this restaurant called Mint Café, which their motto is: Inspired By Nature!  They have American food and the best Mint Chocolate Milkshake I have everrrrr had!  Five of us met right away to discuss a teacher training that we are going to run for teachers all over Ndola at the end of the month and then our accountability group met.  It is just a great end to a great day!

Prayer Request:

1.     ****  You can be praying for this teacher training that we are starting.  We are putting up flyers and sending letters to schools to invite them.  Hopefully it will be helpful and we will have a large number turn out.

2.     ****  You can be praying for our students, as they get ready to take their final exams.

3.     ****  If you can be praying for my Uncle Jack.  He just had surgery where they removed a softball size tumor from his colon and he is building up strength for tests and chemotherapy soon.  We pray for healing and good health!
           ****  Sara and I are applying for new Visa's and Permits so please PRAY that it goes smoothly and I don't have to leave the country!  It is all in the hands of the person I get on Monday!  Urgh...   

                                        LOVE SLE

Happy Independence Day!

          This weekend was jam packed with things to do!  On Saturday we were invited to a Zambian Wedding Event.  The actual name for it is called a Bridal Shower but they do things quite differently here.  So, the way it works is the couple gets married in the morning and then you have a bridal shower with just the women.  When we arrived at Shula’s Bridal Shower she was still in her wedding dress because they had just arrived as well.  Shula went and changed into her “party” dress and shortly after that the party began.  The family sets up all the gifts so that people can see what the couple got and you also present your gifts to the bride by dancing and kneeling before her to explain what the gift is and why you got it.  Sara and I put in money with the family we went with and we purchased the couple a new stove.  Nice gift eh?  Haha!

            So, the bride is hidden as she arrived to the party and then the husband’s family reveals her to everyone at the shower.  They then began presenting gifts, a pastor gives some words of wisdom to the bride, you eat, and then at some point the husband shows up for a brief time.  The groom is ushered in by his family who surrounds him and dances their way to where the bride is.  He brings flowers and cake and then kneels before her to present her with these gifts.  Then together they present gifts to their mothers and then groom is usher out of the party.  He goes and continues partying with the men as the bride continues with her shower.  Once the shower is over, they bride and groom meet up and begin their honeymoon.

            This particular shower began two hours late (Zambian Time at its finest) and so we did not have to dance up and present our gift in front of everyone!  I WAS SO HAPPY!  We did eat and then dance where Sara stole the show with all her fancy moves.  The Aunt of the Bride grabbed Sara’s hand and took her up to dance for the bride.  It was pretty funny if you ask me.  I find myself a little more shy when it comes to this…  overall, the event was fun.  We got to learn a new tradition, eat good food, and meet some new people who want to be our friends and hook us up with their sons. Ha.  YES!  Exactly what we were looking for the whole time!

           

 Then on Monday, Zambian Independence Day, we spent all day in Twapia at the church.  Many of you remember me talking about the construction of the new church building in earlier blogs and we have finally begun.  Today was a hard working day!!!!  Today, Sara and I, along with tons of other people from our church began demolishing our church.  We took the whole building down, moved tons and tons of wood (which we have at least eight slivers to prove it), burnt the roofing material which was like hay, and cleared the grounds so more bricks can be made.  In the new few weeks we will begin digging the foundation and building the new House of the Lord!  It is pretty awesome to be apart of something like this.  The pictures included here don’t quite do it justice but it was so fun! 

 I will have to say that today was my first real experience with dehydration and it was kind of scary.  I was able to catch it before I passed out but it was definitely a wake up to me.  We were just working working working and I felt like I was drinking a good amount of water but I stopped working for a brief moment because I had a painful sliver in my hand.  As Jane was working on getting it out, I began having trouble hearing and I started seeing black spots.  I asked her if we could go sit down in the house and I took a short nap before lunch.  That was the extent of my work for the day because I was not feeling to good.  Once we got home, I was able to refill on water and bathe.  I began feeling a lot better and so I am very happy to say that things are good.  I think that is all I needed to keep me drinking from here on out though!  Anyways…  stay tuned in here, as we will be keeping you posted on the progress of the new church!

HAPPY 47th INDEPENDENCE DAY, ZAMBIA!


LOVE, SLE

I'm a freak!

It has been awhile since I wrote, sorry about that. I find it is sometimes hard for me to put what I want  down in words, or I think I have what I want to write down, and then I find myself babbling nonsensically and writing in long, run-on sentences(as I am currently doing). ANYWAYS, let’s give this whole blogging thing another go…

I have been freaking out recently. Why you ask? Because the end of the school term is right around the bend. Now, am I freaking out because I don’t have tests written? No, that doesn’t really worry me. Do I feel like my kids won’t be able to handle the work? Not at all, I have full confidence in their abilities to ace whatever I throw at them. What then has me so anxious recently? I am freaking out because I just want more time. I love my class and basically just do not feel ready to be done with them. I feel like a crazy person saying that. What teacher wants school to last LONGER?! I thought I was supposed to be ticking off the day’s right now, anxiously awaiting what, for them, is comparable to our summer break. But I am not. Instead, I am holding onto to every minute I have with them, trying to relax and soak it all in like everyone keeps advising me to and I am failing miserably at doing. However, if you don’t mind, I would like to give you an example of a moment that I think will forever be engrained in my memory.

Tuesday starts the seventh grade exams. Now these puppies are a HUGE deal. These exams basically determine whether or not a student gets to pass onto higher education. It is an even bigger deal for Hope than other schools because it is the first year we get to be an examination center. That being said, school was slightly chaotic today. It is the last normal day of school for the seventh graders so they were simply stoked, desks were getting moved all around in preparation, oh, and Teacher Judy was at a funeral so I was all alone. Needless to say, I was a little hesitant walking into today, but there was no need as my class was a gem. And we were tackling some difficult subjects today. I mean, students don’t understand Idioms in the States, and English is their native tongue! Anyways, the moment…… As school was finishing up today, Stacey and I were trying to get a game of tag together for P.E. This failed, but, sorry Stac, I actually am kinda glad it did because that meant I was able to go back under the tree with my class for a little extra learning (I was kicked out of my classroom due to testing and therefore taught under a tree for a good hour and a half today). After ‘Around the World’, my favorite math game, I decided to try reading a few books to my class. I loved it and they completely amazed me. By now, most of the younger classes were letting out and playing on the grounds, but my kids just continued to listen to me read. It was such a calming moment. After finishing book #1, I gave my students the option of taking a little nap, breaking a few minutes early to play, or continuing to listen to me read. Not one student left. That just doesn’t happen in the States. You tell a class they have the option to listen to you read or go run and play, they run and play. Here, I didn’t even have to shush a student. Not because some didn’t talk, but because another one of my students would bonk him or her over the head so they could hear what I was reading better. Hehe. This is why I came to Zambia. It can be hard sometimes and I can lose focus, and I am so grateful for my class to bring me back where I should be.

On a fairly unrelated note, I want to send a thank-you to everyone who made my very VERY short trip home for the wedding so wonderful. I am so blessed to have been given the family and friends I have. You guys filled me up more than I can express and, actually, made it much harder for me to return than I thought it would be. Thank you for all of the prayers and well-wishes. Thank you for the coffee dates, late night chats, deep conversations in cars, make-up adventures, apple-cider donuts, quick luncheons, and crazy dances. Thank you for the words of wisdom, comfort¸ and sometimes just plain silliness. You are all amazing. I wish I could bring you all here with me. Seriously, if there was a way I could be in Illinois and Zambia at the same time I would probably do it.

Loves to you all!
Sara Anne

"Lovely Day, Lovely Day, Lovely Day... LOVELY DAY!"

This week was such a good week!  The fun started on Sunday when 7 of my students showed up to church to escort me!  We sat in a straight line and it was really funny.  I felt kind of weird because usually it seems to be the other way around, but I felt so cool to be sitting with 7 of my students and that they actually showed up.  I always invite the to church but not many of them show and until NOW!  I am looking forward to this Sunday in the hopes that the same seven are going to show up and maybe even more.

Sunday then takes me to Monday!  I get to school ready and prepared to teach Math and English and my teacher doesn’t show again.  I was not quite sure what to do so in the afternoon I took my class on a nature walk/scavenger hunt throughout the village.  I made them complete a set of tasks like: catch a lizard, 5 kids had to climb a tree, everyone had two greet 3 people, they had to find different shapes with trash or with rocks, and we had to find a baby boy who was 1, 2, or 3-years-old.  They loved it and I found it really fun to walk through the village and meet some of their families and neighbors.  The Tuesday comes and Sylvia doesn’t who again… I felt pretty confident by this point and we simply did work allllllll day!  They were a little upset because we didn’t play any games or go outside but hey, there are some days that you need to just get down to business right?  :o)  Now we move onto Wednesday and Sylvia is there but told me she was leaving for a funeral and would not be back the rest of the week and so from Monday-Friday (today) I taught by myself.  I translated by myself and I even taught Bemba yesterday.  I reviewed with another teacher and then I taught a lesson about verbs and nouns.  I DID IT!  It was hard and the kids laughed at me a lot but Teacher Judy sat in on my lesson and she said I did a great job!  Today turns out to be a proud day.  I am closing a week where I taught alone everyday and I taught all subjects.  My students were so gracious with me and I have learned so much.  I think it is kind of funny because a few weeks back was the first time my teacher didn’t show up and I started crying because I felt overwhelmed and lacking confidence; but looking back, I was being trained and tested for this week and I am feeling great!  I would be ok if Sylvia didn’t show up the rest of the term… ha.  I hope she does but it is good to know that I can do it, with the help of the Lord of course.

So I have a crazy story from the week and just to preface it, the picture is very graphic and kind of gross but one of my students Gregori came to school with a cloth tied around his leg.  

I kind of yelled at him and told him he had to take it off because he was looking ghetto and they are not supposed to wear extra attire.  Well… little did I know what I was going to see when he removed the cloth.  He tried to warn me but his English is not good so it was all in Bemba.  He removed the cloth and I saw what you see below.  I gasped and made some crazy distorted faces I am sure.  I rushed him to another teacher and then to the head teacher as if he was going to die and they were so calm.  They asked him what had happened and he said that he got burned while making Nshima for dinner with his family.  Some people told me I needed to pray for him because he must be contained by demons and others were like, “Oh, well you should probably go to the clinic because that doesn’t look very good.”  So, today I made him take the cloth off again and it got stuck on the wound and so I sent him early from school to the clinic.  I am hoping that he actually went and that the clinic can take care of it because I am not sure how good it is for that kind of wound to be open when it is soooooo hot here.  In closing on this, we shall see what happens from here but Gregori was so great about it and he said he didn’t even cry! Ha.  Great Kids!

LOVE SLE

Who Is This King of Glory?

           Friday night mama Sylvia and I got into an OPEN ENDED conversation about Zambia and what many Zambians believe.  If you didn’t know, Zambia was founded as a Christian Nation and therefore many Zambians claim to be Christians whether they actively follow the faith or not.  We were watching TV after dinner and the only two choices we had were music videos or church services.  We started watching a church service taking place in New York City and Mama Sylvia said, “Stacey, why are your churches in the United States so big?  It seems like everyone in the United States must go to church because every church I see on TV is so big with so many people; is that true?”  I thought to myself and I wasn’t quite sure how to respond.  I have attended a small church of 20 people that meet consistently on Sunday’s in a lunch room cafeteria and I have attended churches like Willow Creek, Harvest Bible Chapel, Park Community, and Mars Hill who have thousands and thousands of members.  Still, I am not quite sure how a church like Willow Creek came about or how to answer her question, but I do feel honored that I am apart of a church plant that has built itself up from the beginning. 

            My church in Chicago is called The Emmaus Community and it started with a handful of people meeting at someone’s house and doing Bible Study.  From there it grew, I believe, to seven family owned SUV’s carrying all the church materials to a local college where they would meet.  Then, God gave a woman of the church a vision for a vacant church building to become their actual home and that is currently where we reside today.  Now, Emmaus is no Willow Creek in size but God has blessed us abundantly above anything our Pastors or members could have ever imagined.  We meet multiple days a week for different activities and we try our best to live out the call of Christ, but it doesn’t have to do with numbers or how much Faith and effort WE can put in.  We don’t have the perfect pick of people, the biggest building, the smartest seminary students, or the wisest words every Sunday morning (even though they are pretty great, don’t get me wrong) but we worship a God that is wise, trust a Father that trustworthy, and prayerfully honor Yaweh for being all that we need!  I shared the story of Emmaus to Mama Sylvia and she responded, “Oh, ok.  I like that!  Very Nice.” Haha.  She is a wise woman of few words but shortly after that she was telling me about a new thing, a new idea happening here in Zambia.

            I heard stories about a few different pastors in particular.  When these certain pastors come into town, people flock to them as people flocked to Jesus when they heard of his presence.  Many Zambians believe that there are specific people who heal, special people who hold God’s blessings and can give them out, and a few people awarded the gift of seeing the future and therefore they have held onto this thought.  (This next statement was made as generalization and not meant about all Zambians, but a great deal of people are moving towards this mindset.)  When they are sick, they don’t go to the clinic or the hospital, they just wait for the healing pastor to make a presence near their city and then they go to him.  If someone is struggling financially or a widow, there are special places you can go and fill out paperwork at which time you will receive financial assistance.  Well, Mama was saying that many people do not accept the help that the government provides because they are “trusting in God” and they will wait for that specific pastor to come into town and then they will make their way to his conference or service as if he can save their situation.  Mama speaks of this from personal testimony of knowing women, as she herself has been a widow since 2003.  I was told that people here put pastor in high priority positions as they are the favored ones of God and it made me think.

            I first began thinking about how I view my pastors and what authority I give them or claim over them.  I then started thinking about the greater idea of the church and how we teach about spiritual gifts and parts of the body.  Honestly, I was kind of shocked that this sort of thing actually takes place and that people actually believe and trust in ONE PERSON’S gifts this much.  She was sharing with me that many people in Zambia believe in witch doctors as well and this creates a division among Christian people and the Church.  As bad as it is, she was telling me all these stories and all I could think was, “What?  This is crazy!  Are these people serious?”  Again, I didn’t know how to respond but I went back to the first thought that popped into my head; “how do I view my pastors and what authority do I give them or entrust to them in my life?”  As I thought about it more, I realized, I too am one of these people that put a pastor in a high priority place.  I think most of us are whether we would like to admit it or not, and maybe not to the extent of the stories above but in some cases.  I know that when I was struggling through the death of my cousin, uncle, friends, and grandmother all at the same time, I looked to my pastor to have all the answers.  I longed to be in her presence as I thought it would give me understanding and peace.  I feel as though I can even testify to this right now as I am in Africa; I often listen to Christian music and podcasts with the hopes that the song or pastor will give me wise words and answers to how I should deal with certain situations that I am currently facing. 

            I am beginning to realize that as I mature in my faith and who I am in Christ, very little of this comes as truth!  No person can ultimately give me the right words to say or explain the right way to problem solve a situation.  The only one that can satisfy those needs is Christ Himself.  There is no pastor who knit the words of their sermon together so perfectly; there is no church who welcomes everyone and honors where that person is in their journey exactly; there is no answer that is sufficient enough for a mother or father who has to bury their 17-year-old daughter because of a disease like Malaria as we have had to do this week.  The only one who can do these things and do them with perfection is God.  This is why many pastors pray before they preach and say, “God, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be honoring and pleasing in your sight.  God, may your words be my words.  God, may any thought or word that is not of you quickly leave my mouth for I am simply a conduit, a vessel for your plans and purpose.”  The church exists to bring God glory and bring God praise whether we do it with perfection or in ultimate chaos. 

            So, Mama Sylvia has a friend who came over later in the night.  Her friend is traveling up to Israel for a vacation.  She is a single woman who is very intelligent and has a lot going for her.  She shared with us that she struggles to believe that God has blessed her and that she is worthy of it.  She has been baptized before and claims to be a Christian but she will be going to Israel to be baptized again at the mark of where Jesus was baptized.  She told us that she believes once she is baptized there, in that one location, then God will show her greater favor and she will now receive more blessings.  She currently believes that her first baptism is not quite “good enough”.  Mama Sylvia responded to this, “So the water in which you are baptized makes all the difference on whether or not you receive blessing and favor?”  There was no real response to that and then I was brought back.  I was listening to a sermon by Pastor Judy Peterson from North Park University’s Chapel Service last week and she was talking about community and all the things that divide our church communities today.  She ran off a list of things such as: worship styles, race, class, political conviction, biblical interpretations, a preference for a small church to a large church, and theological differences.  Then, she talked about the reason in which we should stick it out, come back together, and remain family. 

            I am not quite sure why I was reminded of this sermon but I think it plays an important role in answering the question that titles this blog: “Who Is This God We Serve?”  Who is this God that we devote our lives to; that we sacrifice our best and even our worst for; that we divide amongst our own families and friends for?  Do we know this God and do we really understand His power and ability?  I think this is what it all comes down to.  Every story, every situation, and every thought written above boils down to ones knowing and maturing in their Christ like Character.  Do we, as followers of Christ and as the Church, Trust in His provision?  Do we, as followers of Christ and as the Church, allow Him space and access to move and transform our daily lives?  Do we, as followers of Christ and as the Church, allow such things to distract us, detour us, and divide us as the body?

I don’t know… do we?  Do I?  Do you?  Does the Church?

-SLE

All Alone...

           Today was my first full day on my own… but really, on my own!  Sara is on her way back to Chicago for Grace and Carlos’ Wedding and today my teacher didn’t show up, AGAIN!  I am starting to think that something is up because my teacher does not come to school very often or so it seems.  When I woke up this morning, no offense to Sara, I really enjoyed my morning.  I hit snooze from 5:45am until 6:18am when I finally rolled out of bed and got in the bath.  Then I took my time getting ready, reading, the bathroom was open at any moment I wanted, and wandering because NO ONE was home.  Humphrey left before I even got up this morning, Savour is gone at school as well as Marvin, and mama Sylvia never greets us in the morning because it is to early for her. Then I made my lunch and had left over noodles for breakfast.  I went to school to find my great morning not so great any longer.

            For the first 5 minutes I freaked out because I was left alone again and then I remembered back to the other days I have been left by myself and realized it is not that big a deal.  I survived once, yes with tears, but therefore I can and will survive again except today was tear free.  After the initial shock of being by myself, not having Sara there, and not having our “head teacher” or principal there, things got better and we had a good day.  Today I made up a music lesson on the spot where I played the students all different kinds of music.  We listened to Dolly Parton and The Dixie Chicks to Aerosmith and Bon Jovi to Kanye West and Usher to Justin Bieber and GLEE to Mary Mary and Kirk Franklin to Michael W. Smith and the North Park Worship CD, and then ending with Slap D and Mackey II, which is Zambia Dance music.  The kids sang and danced; they even gave me blank faces and asked me to switch the song on a few.  It was really fun to hear them identify instruments and voices as well as simply sing English songs.  Who would have thought that Justin Bieber would make it all the way to a little village in Africa! Ha.

            After school today, I sat with the teachers and did a short training.  Once we finished that I got to spend a good hour and a half at the orphanage with Joanna, Jane, Patricia, and Mavis.  I am in the middle of teaching them a few new songs for church.  Jane is the one who leads the Praise Team and so they picked out a few songs like: I Call You Faithful, All The Glory Belongs to You, Revelation Song, and My Life is in you Hands (or as Joanna called it today, “My Life is in Your Land”)!!!! Haha.  We all started laughing soooooo hard when Joanna said that and then we started making jokes about it!  Those girls…  they are just too funny!  The day started well and it ended well!

UPDATES: 

-       *     Praise Em!  We finally got water today after not having it for 6 days!  We have not been able to feed the students at school because we have not had water all week but the men came after school today and fixed it so tomorrow we should be all set!  FINALLY!

-       *     Tuesday we had a tickling match of Joanna, Jane, and myself against Mavis, Patricia, and Sara.  When I was chasing Patricia, I slipped on the rug and hurt my hand.  Today, the bruise on the lower part of my thumb is going away and the swelling has gone down! Ha.  Better me hurt than someone else, and yes, I probably deserved it! ;o)

Love, SLE

Update on Joanna!

Hello Everyone!

          Thank you all for your prayers and support.  We have an "official" update on Joanna.  She is home and attended school today.  Today we even had a tickle fight with the girls at the orphanage.  It was Joanna, Jane, and myself vs. Patricia, Mavis, and Sara and it actually ended in a draw but Sara is leaving tomorrow for the States and therefore they FORFEIT!  haha.  YES, WE WIN!!!!
          So, as far as Joanna goes, she is feeling better and they are thinking the chest pains have to do with her diet.  They are making her a strict diet to follow for a little while to see if that helps with the re-occurring pains that she is having.  We are really hoping this is true and nothing more serious comes from it.  All I know is that it was so refreshing and heartwarming to hear Joanna laugh today.  She seemed very happy and we are all very grateful for the many prayers that were tossed our way.  We thank God for her recovery and give Him the praise and the glory!

Hospital Trip...

Friday:

So we took our first and hopefully last visit to the hospital on Friday.  Our precious Joanna has been sick on and off and this last week has been the worst.  Joanna, for those who don’t know this name, is in Sara’s class.  She is a six-grade student who also lives at the Hope House Orphanage.  This seems like it is out of nowhere because last Friday we had a girls night with her and she seemed just fine. A few days later she began complaining about sharp pain in her chest and just not feeling well.  On Friday morning around 8:00am, Mama Maureen took Joanna to the clinic and then she was transferred to the hospital. 

At the end of our school day we were told that Joanna was taken to the hospital for them to run tests because she was not feeling well enough to eat and in very serious pain.  We went right after school to visit her at the Children’s Hospital.  When we got to the hospital around 3:00pm, Joanna was still waiting for her blood test results.  She was lying on a table in a large room with multiple other kids all getting looked at as well.  We were not able to go see her right away but could peak at her through the doorway.  Shortly after arriving her blood test results came back normal and so they admitted her overnight because they were not able to figure out what was causing this horrible pain and struggle.  Mama Maureen, Mambwe, Sara, and myself escorted Joanna up two flights stairs to her room assignment.  We let her get settled in and then Mama Maureen came and got us to come see her.

When we first entered the room, the first thing that caught my eye was the fact that Joanna was placed in a room with six beds all lining the walls.  When I say beds, I really mean oversized cribs.  There were currently two other children in her room and not much space for anything else.  There were a few chairs but not enough to cover one for every bed.  As Sara and I walked toward Joanna, she started crying.  It was such a sad moment and it took every ounce of my strength not to cry!  I am not going to lie; I was really scared when going to the hospital to visit.  I have a tendency to struggle in believing that healing is possible so I was nervous to go because a lack of faith and joy is the last thing they needed at the hospital.  After a few moments we told Joanna not to cry because she was going to be all right!  As Joanna lay scrunched in a ball with her IV hand raised over her head, we proceeded to ask if they needed anything.  We didn’t really know what to do or what to say, like we really needed to do either but…  you always want to, you know?  You want to fix the situation or make it easier in some way even when you know it is not possible.  So, I gave Joanna a kiss on her cheek and whispered to her, “Stay positive; you are going to be just fine; we are going to go get a few things for mama but we will be right back, ok?” In return Joanna shook her head and I told her I loved her and we left.

For a quick moment, I felt like Joanna was my child and I just wanted to sit next to her bed all night.  I fell into mom mode like I have seen done so many times before by my own mother while spending time in the hospital.  I wanted to ask the doctors what the hold up was and what their next plans were.  I wanted to know why people were just standing around and not giving us information and then I needed to stop and acknowledge a few things.  I had to remind myself that I am simply a visitor who loves this little girl; I needed to remind myself that I am not in the USA and that things are done differently here; I needed to remind myself that they may be doing all they can and there are other children here just as sick or even more sick.   We went to the next little village and picked up some bread, juice, fries, and AppleMax for Mama Maureen and brought it back to them.  When we got back to the room, Joanna was lying on her back and looking a little better.  We handed off the food and said our good-byes.

While on our way home Mambwe was asking us questions about how the hospital is different than the ones in the USA and he showed us the holding area for parents.  Outside there are two little places that look like a bus waiting area where the parents can spend the night.  Because each room has so many children in it, the parents are not allowed to stay at their bedside unless they are very serious (deadly) and so they stay outside on these little benches.  All the men stay in one area and all the women stay in another.  This was shocking to me because there is no way that I would be staying overnight in the hospital without someone with me, and that is just the truth! Ha.  I am a wimp when it comes to things like this and so we continued talking about what hospitals are like in the States.  He was wondering what nurses and doctors wear and how they are run.

Once we were dropped at home, I couldn’t help but think about the hospital and Joanna all night!  I tried to think about something else but it was just not working.  I decided it was a good opportunity for me to turn to God and figure out how to trust in what I told Joanna because I did feel confident that she would be all right.  So I began reading all the accounts of how Jesus healed people in the New Testament.  I read through a few Psalms where people were praising God and God was identifying His strength.  Then I came across Psalm 41:1-3 says, “The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble.  The Lord protects them and keeps them alive.  He gives them prosperity in the land and rescues them from their enemies.  The Lord nurses them when they are sick and restores them to health!”  Then I read Proverbs 17:22 that says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a persons strength.” Then finally in 2 Corinthians 12 it talks about our weakness and how in our weakness the Lord is made strong.  With His help we will be healed and made perfect! 

Now, Saturday morning I received a phone call from Mama Maureen stating that Joanna was released from the hospital but they are not sure what the problem is.  Joanna said she is physically feeling better but they have not found out the cause of her pain.  She was taken home where she will rest and be taken back to the hospital on Monday for more tests as long as she continues to feel ok.

Thank you all so SO much for your prayers and support.  I am grateful just as I know that Joanna and they rest of our family here is very grateful.  I ask that you continue to pray for her though.  It is not the best feeling to be physically better but not know where the problem is or when it will come back!  I will keep you all posted.  Thanks again!  Love you!  SLE

UPDATE- Sunday:  Joanna was brought back to the hospital and is currently admitted.  She phoned today and said she was feeling a little better but she will stay at the hospital again overnight where they will run more tests again tomorrow!  PLEASE continue to pray for her!