Grinda

Most white people, Indians, and wealthy Zambians hire workers. It is very typical for one family to employ a house worker, yard worker, and night guard. When we lived in Zambia before, we had a yard worker, Mulenga, who became our very closest friend. I was always hesitant to have someone working in my house all day!

The missionaries who lived here before us had a house worker and they asked me if I would be interested in keeping her. I told them we would give it a try, and so far I am loving it!! Grinda speaks excellent English but also Tonga. She is a Christian who attends the Brethren in Christ church. She has 3 girls ages 11, 8, and 2. She is 27 years old. Her husband is a Christian as well and is a block builder. (He will probably help us make blocks for the orphanage!)

Grinda comes each day from 9-2ish and cleans my whole house!! She does dishes throughout the day, sweeps and mops the entire house, and cleans the bathrooms - every day!! It's a huge blessing because meal preparations and the kids keep me so busy, but things in Zambia get so dirty with all the dirt, so I can feel free to let Cason crawl around knowing Grinda has cleaned it all :)

I'm sure it sounds weird to Americans back home, to have a house worker, and I admit I could probably use Grinda two days a week and be just fine, but she is the main provider of her family's income, knowing that she has a steady job that puts food on her table and pays her kids' school fees. So I'll just have to get used to having someone in my house all the time, cleaning up after me! :)
Grinda playing with the kids outside