Sunday, June 27, 2010

Heading Out

Well we are headed to spend the week in Mapanza. I'm a little bit excited--to go camping--in the bush...what is wrong with me??!! Oh yeah! I have a house to sleep in, a bed, a toilet, and a cooking pit!! Why shouldn't I be excited?!

We are also going to show 2 World Cup games using a projector and a sheet--should be exciting!! We'll see how it goes...Go Ghana!

Blu plans to spend most of his week getting the rest of the trusses up on our house. He will also have people starting to dig foundations for the multipurpose center and the female workers' house. They will also probably pour the ring beam on the first orphan house. I get to mark where all of the electrical stuff goes on our house and then I'm going to start cleaning our yard.

I have my camera, so expect a blog with pics and our monthly newsletter next Saturday!

Have a great week!

Monday, June 21, 2010

Witchcraft

Witchcraft has such a strong hold on people in Zambia. It is seldom talked about, but everyone knows it is there...even in the churches...even among some Christians.

Last week, Pastor Maxwell called Blu to let him know that Margaret's mother, a woman who is known as "The Old Woman," was ready to give up her life of witchcraft. She had gone to a witch doctor, and he had given her many different items that she needed to pray to...seeds to help her crops grow...a reed from the river to help her get more water...etc. She came to a point where she realized that these items could do nothing to save her, and she wanted them gone. They were ready to hold a bonfire to burn her witchcraft items!

Maxwell told some people in Mapanza Baptist Church, but they did not want to attend, for fear that "something bad might happen." So Blu and our four volunteers from the USA attended the "ceremony." What an experience...
These were some of the items used

The old woman took an axe and broke the items before throwing them into the fire

Watching her old beliefs go up in smoke...

GOD IS GOOD

Another Team Gone...

WOW! We have had volunteers for most of the month of June, and they have gotten A LOT done in Mapanza!!! Enjoy the pics of progress!
Trusses going up on our house (Braxton should not be up that high!!)

Gorgeous sunset picture

Look at these gorgeous red reeds growing!

The orphan house (looks good, huh John?!)

Pastor Maxwell and his beautiful family (Priscilla, Lwiito, and Baby Blu)

Mapanza Baptist church members on Sunday morning

Enjoying some pb&jelly for lunch!

Eric gave the headman his sheriff's badge, and the next day the headman showed up with it proudly sewn onto his shirt!

Blu let the headman shoot his gun..he'd never touched a gun before!

The crew just before leaving the bush--see the trusses on our house in the background!

The finished product of the ceiling in the workers' house

Eric somehow got roped into putting the toilet in....an African toilet with Italian instructions...I don't think he enjoyed it!



This was 3:30am...the rooster interrupted a dream he was having that his wife was meeting him at the airport and he kept hearing a rooster and thinking, "why is there a rooster at the airport??" :)

Eric seemed to always get the septic jobs

This is the cooking pit the guys built for me for when our family is there camping out!

The ceiling in the workers house goes up!

Blu finally got the rabbit! After six shots! The guys said the rabbit finally just threw its arms up and surrendered...

This was the guys' favorite pet rooster that woke them up around 3:30am every day!

Blu puts the sink in the workers house

Thank you Alvarado guys for spending TWELVE nights in the bush to work on the orphanage!! Thank you wives for letting your husbands/son spend 18 days away from you!! Thank you FBC for supporting them! We love you!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

My Daddy

Some of you know my Dad, some of you don't. Those of you that do know that he's an amazing, godly man! He got saved after surviving colon cancer in 1983 at the age of 31. He soon felt called into the ministry, packed his family up to head to seminary, and has been a pastor for the last 21 years. Here are some things I got from my dad:
1) My beautiful blonde locks :)
2) Awesome calves..seriously..
3) The ability to ALWAYS be on time (and usually 15 minutes early) anywhere I go...
4) My 3 point shot (unfortunately, the half-point hook shot didn't take)
5) Responsibility--he taught me to do what I said I was going to do when I said I was going to do it
6) A tender heart..he cries reading Hallmark cards and I guarantee you is crying right now...
7) The fabulous Winsman Wit
8) A hard work ethic - the man works two jobs, (pastor and teacher), does weddings, funerals, visits people in nursing homes, works out (occasionally..), loves yard work, and rarely sits down
9) My 42 domino strategy..
10) G-O-M: God, Others, Me...
11) The importance of Bible reading-he has read through the Bible each year for the past kazillion years..
12) And most importantly...he taught me that if you train up a child in the way he (she) should go, she will NOT depart from it.

I love you and miss you Daddy! Happy Father's Day!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

World Cup Fever

The World Cup is this thing where all these teams gather and kick this black and white ball around. Ok, just kidding, but seriously...we Americans don't care quite as much about soccer as we do about American football (sorry Jordan Cherry)!

So we were in Livingstone, tourist capital of Zambia, with our volunteer team the night of the USA versus England match. Soccer is HUGE in Africa, and we were all hyped about the game because:
1) we were picked to lose
2) we were surrounded by Brits
3) we are loud Americans and we like to win...at everything

So about 10 of us from the team gather at the bar with about 30 VERY drunk Australians, Britains, and American college students. Our team is standing back, drinking some cokes (seriously!) and ready for this game to start. The National Anthem is played and we remove our hats, put our hands over our hearts, and sing proudly. Wow I am really stretching this story out...

So anyway, the game starts and I lean over and ask "What color are we?" Me, Blu, and Eric all agree that we've watched maybe 3 minutes of soccer in our lives..combined. So, everyone passes the blame on this one, but SOMEONE informs us that we are white. So we're cheering and booing when someone falls down and finally screaming when the white team scores a goal!! High fives all around--we are excited!! We can win this!!

We look to our left and notice that the loud Brit girl is cheering too...hmm..why is she cheering for us?? Then we look on the screen and wonder why they keep showing a red and white flag. Must be some other country that is cheering for America to win??

About 5 minutes into the game we realize we are navy, not white. We last about 3 more minutes and head to bed--who cares about soccer anyway, right?? :)

Monday, June 14, 2010

Just some pictures

So yesterday I heard Jimmy talking in the other room, saying, "Yeah that's beautiful. Now what about the other cheek? What color there?" I peeked in the room to find him helping Cambree put on makeup!! LOL

We went to the market here in Choma on Sunday afternoon so the guys could buy some Zambian material for their wives. Braxton was VERY specific about what he wanted--he has a project in mind!

He's a handsome boy--looks just like his daddy!

Probably my favorite lady in the bush--Joyce :)

And this is the chairman...he's kinda a dirty old man but I still like him :)

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Volunteer Team

WOW what a week!! I lost my camera!! And I dropped Braxton's camera and broke it! :( So I borrowed Eric and Jimmy's memory cards and used most of the pictures they had taken to give you a glimpse of what has been happening in Mapanza this week!

Yes, the women set up the tents at the campsite while the guys were working!!

Tooth brushing around the borehole at night

The Original Three Stooges :)

10 of the 13 on a game drive at Vic Falls (the other 3 were white water rafting!)

On the way to Mapanza...it took them 3 1/2 hours because they kept having to stop and retie things back on the trailer that were falling off!

The ladies spent a couple of hours prayer walking one morning--it was amazing and so refreshing for me to remind me of WHY God called us to start New Day!

We got the workers' house painted! Zambian men kept coming in to see because they were amazed that women knew how to paint!

The walls on the orphan house going up!

This was the finished product of what the team did in just 4 days!! When they got there, there was only one row of bricks!

Riding on the Big Blue Turtle--the ACTS bus

Mulenga got to see Victoria Falls for the first time and he had a blast!

Max and Mulenga spent a lot of time together this trip

Max, me, and John ready to start the day

Max hanging out on the ceiling putting beams in

Max and Max, the pastor of Mapanza Baptist Church

Max sat on this rock enjoying the view for about 15 minutes straight--he was in awe!

John and crew dusting bricks getting ready to lay them

Jimmy in jet lag--ha ha :)

Jimmy and Eric looking like farmers discussing their crop :)

The Alvarado guys with the headman who came to visit to see what was happening

The guys chilling in their "home"

Working on the ceiling in the workers house

Gloria, on the far right in the red sweater, shared her testimony with all of the workers one morning!

Gloria, Max, and John enjoy the fire

This is what the orphan house looked like when the week started!

Eric in the septic tank, chiseling out holes for pipes

Eric and Max enjoying their morning grits around the fire

More dusting of bricks--my LEAST favorite job!

Dave at Vic Falls with a fellow "musician"!

The Alvarado guys built the four corners of the orphan house! A Zambian guy kept coming by to check Eric's work and remove his walls so Eric finally found something else to do before he hurt somebody :)

Poor girl loves the mornings about as much as her mama does!

Calem and Brandon building walls--they worked HARD in the hot sun all day on those walls!

Caedmon and Cambree helping to get water

Braxton in jet lag!

Braxton builds trusses for our house!

Eric and Braxton working on trusses

Blu and Max working on the ceiling

Love this pic of Blu and Max!

Typical Blu...

The back side of our house--looks so good!!

I wish I had more pics of more people on the team, but alas, my camera has disappeared!! We are so grateful that people would give up time and money to come to Zambia to help us get New Day up and running!! Thanks everyone!! We will treasure your friendships and remember this past week forever!