It has Just Begun!

Bemba Lesson One:  Mulishani (Hello, How are you?)

                                  Bwino  (Fine, doing well)

     My flight here was sooooooo great!  I got on the plane in Chicago and sat next to a woman named Cindy.  She was from Washington D.C. and was intrigued by the book I was reading.  We began talking about the book "Heaven is for real" and the conversation carried the whole plane ride.  She wished me well and we exchanged information!  Then I boarded in D.C. and sat next to a woman and her two-year-old who were from Gambia.  She loved American and Americans and told me all about her vacation in the States and how she would love to move there.  Once we stopped in Senegal, I had a whole row of four seats to myself but invited this nice woman from Texas to come join me.  She was originally from Durban, South Africa and her and her son were heading back to visit family.  She showed me how to eat our certain plane food, chicken salad crepes and this special salad.  She shared a lot of her story with me and told me a lot about her nursing job in the States.  Once arriving in South Africa I meet up with Ann Courtney.  Hannah Covert connected me with her through her son Paul, who currently lives in Chicago.  She was super gracious and so nice, especially when my luggage weighed 200 lbs and we had to travel to her car!  :o)  That night we went home to her house where I cleaned up and then off to this beautiful mall we went.  She showed me around Joburg and then we went to dinner with her son Daniel and his wife Megan as well as their two young children Jude and Bailey.  THEY ARE SO GREAT!  We had Greek food and then went back to their house for tea and coffee.  Saturday morning we woke up early to go have breakfast with Paul's sister and then board my last flight.  The flight was quick and I met a girl named Kristen who is from South Carolina and living in Ndola.  She is here until December working with another organization and so we swapped information and are working on connecting this weekend.  It was really exciting to see how God placed people in my path and how not having movies on my horribly long flights could actually turn out good. haha.  

     So, today is my third full day here is Zambia and we are coming up onto Sara's second month!  When I arrived on Saturday, I was greeted with such a warm welcome!  It was so fun to finally be here and be with my "family".  We spent most of the day at the house hanging out with Mama Sylvia, Savour, Marvin, and Humphrey.  We had a family dinner and then a SERIOUS dance party!  ha.  Sunday we got up early and headed off to church.  I was welcomed by the kids at Hope House and the teachers from the school.  We tried hard to prepare ourselves as school was starting the next day.
     Today was our second full day of school.  I am in 5th grade and Sara is in 6th grade.  I am realizing more than ever how hard the language barrier is.  The toughest part for us has been relating to people and expressing our idea's and confusion.  In school I have been teaching Math and English and Sara is teaching English and Social Studies.  We have taken on a bit of a role at the school and trying to navigate what that will look like long term.  Sara and I will be running a reading program starting next week for the school and so much of our time has been spent on planning that out.  Monday-Wednesday we will have all grades and then on Thursdays we will be doing teacher trainings.  Currently, we have two students here from Stanford doing research and they have been an easy go to point.  It seems easier to transition when you are not the only one transitioning... you know?  :o)
     So far, things have been a bit overwhelming and seeming a little crazy.  Expectations that I thought I didn't have, have certainly come out and been altered and emotions have seen all areas.  We are so happy to be here though and I know God has big things in store for us.  I trust His plan will be accomplished even though I am not sure exactly what that is at this point!  Sara and I ask that you would keep us in your prayers and if you feel the need, we would love to hear from you via here, email, or snail mail!

Much Love!  SLE

Pabwato, an ant hill, and passport drama

 TOP NEWS IN ZAMBIA….IT’S ELECTION TIME! That’s right people, the presidential elections for Zambia are September 20^th and campaigning is in full force. I’m going to preface this now by saying that if anyone has heard the State’s warning American’s against coming here because of possible political unrest, or telling American’s currently living in Zambia to stock up on food, water, and shelter because of these elections that cautions like that are just plain silly. Zambia is extremely peaceful. Let me paint you a picture of election time here. Basically the two main parties (MMD which has been the ruling party for the past 20 years and PF which has been trying, and failing, to gain control, yet seems to have more favor here) are paying supporters to drive around with music blaring asking for support and passing out bracelets, shirts, chitengs, etc. in hopes they can bribe voters. President Banda is quite blatant in his bribing, creating a huge football stadium in hopes that the masses will come out for him. However, don’t kubaba, or don’t tell them. This means that one should take any and all gifts, be it monetary or whatnot, that President Banda is offering, but don’t tell him that you are actually going to vote for PF. My host brother, Marvin, has become quite the politician as of late, campaigning for PF during the day, and then campaigning to my mom and me at night. It is quite an exciting time to be here, actually, not scary in the least bit. I highly recommend anyone to visit if they want a good political show. Hehe.

Life has become quite busy for me as of late. School starts on Monday, so this week Teacher Judy and I have been monitoring our sixth graders while they clean up the school grounds. Since this tends to be boring work, we decided to play some educational games after working to treat the students that actually showed up. This has just filled my heart with joy. I wish I could put into words the elation I feel in being so blessed to have this classroom of mine. The excitement these kids have to learn is just incredible. I must admit, I was hesitant on how some of the games I found would fly, but there was no need to be. In just the three days that we have been playing and learning together I already see my students becoming more at ease with me, and understanding my fast, jumbled talk. I love them.

As mentioned before, Hope Fellowship is in the works of building a new church. Now last week I thought I would be building every day. However, office work kept piling up, and cars kept breaking down, making it only possible for me to come alongside the construction crew on Friday. If any of you have heard the term ‘back-breaking’ work, yet never experienced it, try destroying a termite hill with a pick. Five days later and I still have the blisters to prove how hard the work is. Props to the men and women who do it day in and day out. I would chip away at a section of the hill for about a half hour, and the lead man would come and kill it in like five minutes. I may have some typing skills, but they sure trumped me Friday. It was a wonderful experience to work with those men, though, and prove that we Abusungus don’t fear a little dirt, sweat, and sore muscles.

Oh, the passport drama! Stacey, listen up here. So upon arriving in Zambia over a month ago I was stamped as only a visitor even though my visa clearly states I am here on business. This means I was only given 30 days in the country before having to either ship out or somehow get it re-stamped. Being the forgetful person I am, thirty days came and went, and a week later I remembered that my visa was expired. Let me tell you, even when the passport control people jokingly say they are taking you off to jail, it is not so funny. Thankfully, the lady who was/is assisting me in this whole matter is ever so kind and loves the reason I am in her country. Therefore, instead of taking me to jail (which she legally could have done) or making me pay some exorbitant fee, she just gave me another 20 days to get things all settled. Unfortunately, this means that I will have to leave my lovely Zambia before those 20 days are up and return making sure to inform the border control that I am here on BUSINESS!!! Fortunately, leaving the country only entails maybe a safari trip in Botswana for a day or two. So Stacey, when you fly in, even though you are super jet-lagged and it is taking all of energy to just stay awake, make sure they stamp you as Business and not Visitor. They probably won’t say anything to you, they will just take it and stamp it, so be persistent.

I thank you all who may be reading this, and a special thanks to all who are praying for me. I had a super cheesy quote to share about how beautiful life is, and something about how great God is, but of course I left that journal at home so instead you get to read about me babbling about the quote. Hope you enjoyed it!

Love,

Sara Blumenshine

Is it the 25th yet?

HEY EVERYONE  (Even Sara):
     Man how time is ticking, but not quite ticking fast enough.  I have had a great few months preparing for Zambia but now it is just time!  I am so grateful for the many of you that have financially supported my trip and prayerfully committed to supporting our trip!  The count down is on...  19 DAYS!  Today is officially my last actual day in Chicago!  I am packing and heading to Michigan tomorrow afternoon and then the days get even busier than before!  I am feeling so many emotions at this point it is hard to distinguish what is real, what is in the moment, what is God, what is nerves, or what is genuine freak/worry!  ha.  Thursday I was able to meet with Sue Braun (Sue works at University Ministries, North Park University) and she was very gracious and helpful about all of those emotions.  Today is a good day!  I am very excited and through my conversation with Sue, I have been able to label many of those above emotions.  I have been able to see the point of reference and understand it better.
     I am SO EXCITED to read through Sara's blogs and it makes me even more ready to go!  Thank you all so much for all you have done and the journey has already begun but will get even better in 19 DAYS!
     Chicago folks, I will be back in the city the 12-14 with my brother Eric and then again on the 22nd of August till I leave on the 25th!  I would love to see you before I go!  Love you guys and Sara, hope your well.  Give our family love for me!  See you soon girl!  :o)

Love, SLE

Things I've learned this week in Zambia

1. Three HUGE bottles of water is still not enough to keep you from getting sick 
2. I love antibiotics
3. Testing week in Zambia is just as boring as in the States
4. The word 'wart hog' is pronounced warth-og (you might think this one is pretty inconsequential, but you would be surprised how confused ones students get when you pronounce it the American way)
5. Don't attempt jumping jacks with a classroom of sixth graders while in a loose-fitting skirt
6. Hangman is an awesome classroom-stalling game wherever you go!
7. I am so blessed to have been given this opportunity(okay, I already knew this one, but I thought it was a good list-closer and I liked having seven lessons. It was a good odd number, kinda like me) 

Love and Blessing to you all,
Sara Blumenshine

I'm a bad blogger

So I have been here in Zambia for over a week now and have yet to write. Sorry my, possibly?, faithful followers. Fear not, though, life is amazing here. I am safe, healthy, and loving life. That is not to say there aren't things I am having some difficulty getting used to. Moving slowly and not be certain of what I am doing, when I am leaving, and even where I am going some days has been an adjustment I am still working on.

I have been racking my brain trying to think of what would be best to write about in my very first blog while here, and decided to settle on what am I loving best here. The people. The Hope Ministries community has been blessed with so many amazing individuals and yet they are so humble about how wonderful they are. Upon arrival, I was given the welcome one expects from their family. Open arms, huge hugs, dinners fit for Thanksgiving(replacing the turkey with Nshima of course), in short, the best welcoming one can imagine. Every day I am here I think they cannot make me love them more, and then every day they do.

My house with Mama Sylvia, Savour, and Humphrey already feels like home. I come home from a long day of work and feel relief when I walk through the front door. They have bent over backwords to make me feel comfortable. Heating up my water early in the morning so I can take a bath, finding out my favorite dishes and perparing them for me even though it is certainly not their cup of tea, bringing me along with their friends when I am sure I am slightly embarrasing with my very loud voice and Western ways, disrupting their sleep to make me breakfast in the morning, in short, I love them. I could not imagine a better place to live while here.

If the amazingness of the people here stopped there I would feel overly blessed, but it does not. Mama Mareen, Pastor Judy, Ba Gertrude, Mama Lillian, the list just goes on and on...I could write pages and pages on the generosity I have received and it still would not be enough. The children sing to me and I cry, the ladies at church pull me up to dance with them and I am overcome with joy, the women engage me in a spiritual conversation and I am compelled to change.

I have rambeled on for quite a while now and still feel I have not even skimmed the top of what I want to say about the people here. You know, Ba Charles told me last time I came that here in Ndola, Zambia they are all about ubuntu, or the people, and he wasn't kidding.

Love to you all back home,
Sara Blumenshine

P.S. Pictures are currently all old, new ones to upload....eventually....

And Away I Go.....

Well here we are, less than 24 hours until I embark on my first of three flights that will take me to my final destination of Ndola, Africa. It is hard to put into words how I have been feeling these past few days. In one moment I feel overjoyed, stressed, overwhelmed, humbled, and then overjoyed again… all in one little moment! It has been such a whirlwind experience that I still cannot find the words to describe.

This experience has truly shown me what Christ can do when one allows Him to actually work in your life. I have some difficulty doing this. I like having control in my life and often do not take the time to stop and listen. This is why I am so grateful for my amazing friends and family that encourage me to stop, listen, and then actually take action. I do not know where I would be without these individuals. I wish I could make a list and thank you all properly, but it would never do justice to the gratitude I feel to you remarkable people. Therefore, I thank you here. I thank you for supporting me both during this time of preparation and before. I thank you for believing in me when I often doubt myself. I thank you for loving me, even when I know I made it difficult to love me. I thank you for listening to me cry on the side of your bed, or venting all of my frustrations in the middle of your living room. I thank you for the words of encouragement, the laughs, the tears, the often necessary hugs, the cups of coffee, the walks, and the listening ears(be it in person or far away). I am forever grateful and blessed.

Teaching has always been a passion of mine. Teaching in Africa, however, is a new one. Ever since my brief ten day trip through North Park University ended in January 2010 though, I knew it was one that could not be shaken. It’s strange, I do not yet know what grade I will be teaching, or the curriculum I will be following, but I have never been so excited for a classroom. I have seen how amazing the teachers and students at Hope School are, and I know I have no need for fear. The desire these students have to learn and the commitment the teachers put into teaching those touches my heart. Even though I will be going there to teach, I already know I will be doing a good deal of learning as well. It is not a time for me to come in and impress upon them my Western ways, but a time to come alongside those in Zambia and work with them in wherever they desire me to go.

Well, everything seems to be ready. My bags are packed (basically), my itinerary is printed and all in order, my hair has been cut way short in preparation for the heat I am about to face daily, now I just need one final good night sleep. Yeah right….

If you so desire, I pray for safe travels as I am flying out there alone, and an open ear to what God is calling me to do whilst I am serving in Zambia.

Love and Blessings to you all,

Sara Blumenshine

Bowling To Africa

Fundraiser ONE!

On Friday June 3rd, 2011 we put on a bowling fundraiser in Muskegon Michigan.  We had 65 registered bowlers and a handful of people who showed up to hangout and support.  We bowled Scotch-Doubles and did some pretty awesome raffles.  It was such a great night of togetherness where I was able to share a piece of my story and passion for Africa as well as answer any questions that people may have had.  At the end of the night our bowling winners were: 1st Place- Percy Scott and Stephanie Ernvall and 2nd Place- Robby and Vi Robinson!  GREAT JOB EVERYONE!

I want to give a special thanks to all of our donors such as Bob-Hi Lanes, Lincoln Golf, Gaylor Golf Package, Swirled Cupcakes, The Harris Family, Olive Garden, Trophy House, Meijer, Johnny Carinos, The MAC, and my parents!  I especially thank my family for being so kind and gracious with me through the stressful moments of planning and organizing.  You guys worked very hard and I am so so SO Grateful!  Thank you to everyone who came out to support and donated!  Overall we were able to raise $2250 towards my total trip cost!  I cannot thank you all enough for showing up to support me and what God is doing in my life!  WHOOOO HOOOO!

Much LOVE!