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!

Good Ole Teacher's Day!

So today is Teacher Appreciation Day!  Today is celebrated like a national holiday.  Many private schools and government schools canceled classes today to celebrate the teachers.  The tradition is that the teacher would dress in their uniforms and meet at the school early in the morning.  Then they would all march together as a school to Town Center.  They would represent their school in the middle of town and then all the teachers would go celebrate together!  The difference is that our school is not high on the money chain and therefore we had no transportation or uniforms and therefore we were not able to march this morning but we did celebrate together!  The head master bought us all matching Chitangay’s and the some of the children brought us gifts.  Today I received cookies, juice, popcorn, suckers, and money!  The students gave us money!!!!  It was crazy.  They sang us songs of appreciation and I almost cried.  I was so touched that they would think to celebrate us and actually give us gifts.  After an hour of school, the children were released to go home and us as teachers met together for a short time.  After celebrating together we all dispersed and Sara and I were given a half day!  WHOO HOOO!  Yah!  Celebrate those teachers!  ;o)

Happy Teacher's Appreciation Day!

SLE

Oh the term "Community"...

So North Park I have a blog for you or I guess anyone but…

I know we talk a lot about the term community.  We talk about how we long for community and how we desire to be in community with other people.  We strive to create new events and new groups to build community on campus and even off campus as we all will graduate and then feel the void of community even more.  While being here in Africa, one thing that continues to come to my mind is the word COMMUNITY.  It could be because I miss my “community” that I build in Chicago; it could be because I miss my spiritual community that was so encouraging and consistent; it could be simply because I was able to pick and control my community at any moment in time and here, that is not an option.  Even though all those things have come to my mind at one point or another, I am beginning to realize that I am involved in a community here like I have never experienced before!

The community that I am surrounded by has included me without my permission or my effort.  I have been tossed into a family of people who look out for each other and care for each other rather well.  I have been included in events and activities without being asked.  I have been volunteered to do projects and participate on teams without given the option.  Community here just looks different.  What I am beginning to find is that there are very few requirements for this community.  Anyone is invited and everyone plays a role within the community whether they like it or not.  No one has to beg for participation or pull teeth to get people involved; people do it on their own!  It’s the craziest thing.  People here know that they cannot survive without their community and therefore it is a given.  It is amazing and even frustrating at times to be included when you did not choose to be included yet at the same time, everyone understands the roles of the body.  Everyone understands that this community will not function without them and they will struggle to move forward and continue moving forward if they are not invested.

A few examples that I have caught myself complaining about or feeling overwhelmed with are as follows: we are in the process of raising money and building a new church.  Here, they build the church building themselves.  I mean, they do EVERYTHING themselves, from making the bricks, to burning the bricks, to digging the foundation, to stacking the bricks, to making cement, to applying the cement, to cutting the glass, painting the rafters, installing the electricity.  They do it all and they do it all together.  One day at the end of our Sunday morning church service Pastor Charles said that they needed room to make more bricks and so we needed to move all 5,000 bricks to the side to open up space.  Every person from our church, young (6-years-old) and old (70-years-old), made their way outside where we formed lines and began hauling bricks back and forth.  Not a single person complained until I caught myself saying, “see now this is the kind of stuff we pay people to do in the States.”  What a horrible comment but true!  Moving dirty bricks would not be a first priority for the church while dressed in our Sunday best and counting the minutes on the clock.  I was amazed!  Not only was it every kind of person from our church, but it included people walking through the village as well.  People would see what we were working on and they would stop and help.  They would grab a shovel and begin to dig or join in the middle of the line to throw bricks from one side of the yard to the other.  Even at school today, the teachers asked the 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th graders to help move all 5,000 bricks so they can get put in place to be burnt and everyone ran outside and began helping.  After a half an hour or so, the kids got tired and restless but they began the project!

Another example is what we call maintenance.  The students come the first week of school and clean up the grounds.  They sweep the ground, pick up trash, water the dirt and flowers, wash the floors and windows, and pump water at the well.  Every day when the children arrive at school and every evening when they leave school they have cleaning groups that sweep and wash down the classrooms.  This is something that is normal here and the kids do it at every school whether in the city or the village, public or private.  In the States, many of our children would not be caught getting on their knees washing the floor with a rag or sweeping the dirt filled field.  Here, the kids don’t actually complain because they want their school to look nice and it is part of what they do; they work for the better good of everyone else who uses the school and the church.

A final example of ways in which I have seen community on a daily basis is in caring for people.  Things are done a little differently around here with children.  The children start school a little later and therefore they grow up around the house doing chores and wandering the village.  We will be sitting in the middle of class and a young boy will show up at the door with our teacher’s baby.  She will grab the baby and begin nursing him in the middle of class.  When she is done feeding him she will set him down and someone else will pick him up and bring him home.  Very seldom is it the same person looking after the same child but everyone takes responsibility for all people within their village.  Even at church, when a child begins to cry or is heading in a direction they are not supposed to be going, no one looks for the mother or father to grab and straighten up their child; the person who notices, picks up the child and cares for their need.  Everyone is a mother, a father, a sister, a brother, and a mentor.  Don’t get me wrong, there are defined roles that people play but the responsibility does not fall on that one person to have it all together and fulfill the duty at every moment.  The other day I was feeling sick when I arrived at school and I shared that with Teacher Judy.  She stopped what she was doing, stood up, and grabbed my head.  She began praying for healing and good health.  Judy understands the parts of the “Body” and she didn’t need to wait for a pastor or a certified church leader to come pray for me.  The Bible says to call on the elders to pray and she to can fulfill that role.

Now I think to myself, what kind of examples are these.  Does this happen in my life and I simply overlook them or is this a glimpse of what raw community can look like?  I wonder now, even as I write this, maybe I have experienced this before but I didn’t see it as an opportunity to involve myself in the community.  I think back, have I ever been asked to stay around late after church to do something unexpected and not so appealing?  Have I ever seen a change that needed to be made or something that needed to be done but I waited on someone else to do it?  Have I ever been so generous and eager to help someone whom I may not know but simply lives down the road?  Do I get annoyed easily when I am given great responsibility in projects without them even asking if I am interested or am I grateful because they have enough faith and trust in me to complete the job and complete it well?

How do we see our community?  Do we see them as a project with all these things they need to prove?  Do we see community as a single group of people or a large clan who all have something in common like: where they live, go to school, or what we enjoy doing?  Are our communities inclusive or exclusive… Seriously?   Do we welcome new people or would we rather it just be our close group of friends or our small church where everyone is easily identifiable?  How willing are we to go out of our way to move 5,000 bricks for a church we don’t attend or to hand dig a grave for a family we have no connection to but look to honor their grief and sorrow?

I am not saying that I have all the answers and I am surely not saying that this community or my community in Chicago is perfect, but I do believe that God is opening my eyes to new things.  I do believe that I am being shown glimpses of the body of Christ and how we really do need each other.  The Bible says in:  1 Corinthians 12:14-26

"Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.  If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body?  And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if the whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body.  The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.”  The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”  In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.  And the parts we regard as least honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care.  So we carefully protect those parts (or people) that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care.  So God has knit the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity.  This makes for HARMONY (community) among the members, so that all the members care for each other.  If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad."

Now, is this raw community?

Love, SLE