So, time is flying by! The rest of the gang here will be heading home or on with their travels in just over three weeks time and it’ll be all change! I can’t believe how quickly time is going by. But it is, and that’s normally a good sign in my reckoning - means that I’m having fun!
The last couple of weeks seem to have disappeared. I have that strange thing going on where I’m not sure exactly what I’ve done each day, but I know we’ve not really stopped. We’ve had our heads down trying to get the discipleship groups up and running and have been spending time with the five pastors, just listening to their thoughts and concerns and encouraging them.
We’ve been working through the possible ways to free up the pastors time to enable them to spend more time working with the church. I think a solution is within reach but it has taken a lot of cross-cultural understanding and careful thought and discussion to get there! In a nutshell, it involves growing a cash crop that will pay for an employee to work in their fields, growing both the cash crop and their normal crops. There is some capital required to get this up and running and we have been working hard to establish this in a healthy way - neither a straight handout or a loan seems helpful; a handout holding no sense of responsibility or accountability, a loan bringing extra stress to those having to pay it back and borrowing money having bad connotations here. In the end, we are looking to provide the capital and ask those benefiting to pay the first years profits into a central fund that will in turn establish a long term project that can raise money to support their ministry. This means that the five pastors are accountable to each other and know we are not giving out a loan for our own gain in the long term! It still needs some fine tuning, but at the moment everyone seems happy with the principles...time will tell how well it all comes together!!
Other than that, we’ve met again with some people who came to the September conference and just got to know them a bit more. We are trying to encourage people to look outside the town and consider helping their “neighbours” in the rural areas around Chingola. Some of the people we have met with already have a real heart for this and we want to take the opportunity to build links between them and the people we have met out in the villages.
In a couple of weeks time we’re running a four day conference out in Sekela, a rural village, but close to the tarmac (that is, the main road from Chingola to Solwezi). We’re inviting those we’ve met in the rural areas along with those from the towns and are going to spend some time looking at how some small scale things can be started in villages.
I’ve been given the task of organising the conference which may turn me into some sort of crazy hyper-organising lunatic, or I may just try to do it more African style and be relaxed about the whole thing... I was thinking about the food and realised that back home I could probably do it pretty easily, but here, I have no idea what-so-ever! I know I need lots of mealie meal to make enshima, but that’s about it. Thankfully though, Joel, one of the pastors, is helping me understand the different cultures and what I need to sort out! He pointed out today that we would have to bring live chickens as there will be no way of keeping them refrigerated. That’s totally correct of course...but ewww! I as going to offer to help cook the food (thought I’d learn a lot!!) but I’m not sure I could stomach killing and plucking a chicken. If a chicken is prepared for you it’s important to get to the pot early on...if you’re one of the last to get your food, you may end up with the feet or the neck - gross!! I have gone without chicken a couple of times rather than eat those parts!
Amidst all the work we’ve also found time to have a bit of fun and relax. The Witts & I went to Nsobe Game Park last weekend. It’s only a small game park, but there was lots of cheeky monkeys, antelopes and some giraffes. We paddled around the lake in a kayak type thing and melted in the roasting sun then I sat and read a book for hours. Perfect!
For those of you who have been reading my blog, you’ll know about the school at Kapeshi. We’ve set up a just giving page to help raise the money need to start them off with a bag of seed and fertiliser... you can find it here www.justgiving.com/kapeshi The initial costs will only be about £200 but it has the potential to multiply and support the school in the long term. Ruth’s spent some time putting together a long term plan to help the staff at the school see how some work now and forward planning could improve the schools financial situation. We are going back to the school early next week to catch up with them and see how they’re getting along with clearing the land needed.
Oh, something that I’ve not mentioned is the rain! The rainy season is beginning... Last Thursday we had a spectacular thunder storm and it rained from about 4 in the afternoon till the middle of the night. Now I know that raining for hours back home is common place, but it hasn’t rained here for months and it was proper storm rain, not just the annoying drizzle we get for hours at home. It made me want to run outside and get drenched, but I resisted the urge apart from a mad dash to shut the windows (which you can only close from outside because of the mosquito screens on the inside!) It’s not raining every day, but the weather feels much stuffier now and this morning felt almost english with an overcast sky, although the sun is breaking through now!
For those of you from St Margarets, I’ve been in touch with Simon from the Falconer Home and will be heading there mid-November...I’m just trying to work out the travel arrangements, which can take some doing here.
And Mum...because I have to take my doxycyline with food, I’m finally eating breakfast every day!
One last puzzling thing to leave you with…we always see bush fires that have been started by people clearing their fields. It amazes me that these don’t spread from field to field as the land is so dry and parched, but they don’t. I’m told this is because people leave a gap between fields and plant a certain type of tree in places, but why why why don’t sparks get blown onto other fields and set them alight too?
Friday, 17 October 2008
Friday, 10 October 2008
rabbits, chickens and purple trees
Now, it occurred to me that I’ve told you a lot about what we’ve been up to and the wanderings of my mind, but I’m not sure I’ve told you much about the every day things that make life so different to home! So I thought I’d fill you in a little bit...
I’ll start with the purple trees as they were one of the first things I noticed. I don’t know if you’ve read the book Mr Silly (of Mr Men fame of course!) but if you have you may recall that in Silly Town where he lived the trees had pink or purple leaves or something like that. Well, I got off the plane in Lusaka (after not much sleep for the last 48 hours!) feeling quiet disoriented (is that the right word Penny?) As we drove out of the airport and down the main road from town there was purple trees lining the street on either side...all of a sudden I found myself wondering whether I was about to see Mr Silly painting the leaves back to green as he did in the book!! On closer inspection, it’s actually the flowers that are purple and there just aren’t that many leaves so the whole tree appears purple.
While I’m talking about foliage, I’ll mention the grass. It’s just different to home. From afar it looks green and welcoming like our grass in the summer (when it’s not muddy and wet!) However, on closer inspection and sitting upon, turns out it’s hard and a little spiky. It doesn’t consist of individual blades but rather little mini-branch type clumps that lie flat along the ground.
One must beware sitting on the grass (well wherever you are!) here as well...you never know what size or colour of beastie may appear without warning! They are so varied and intricate...most of them have the same effect on me and make me do a girly scream, wave my arms around madly and dive out of their flight path! This causes much amusement to those around and me once I’m sure said beastie has gone again!
The oddest of all creatures has to be the flat spider. When someone first told me about the flat spider I thought they were talking rubbish - how could a spider look flat...but then I saw one! Their legs lie flat against the walls and their bodies just seem, well, flat! It looks like someone has already done the work of squashing it for you. Turns out though that as a general rule, the flat spiders are safe. It’s the not flat ones that you need to squash quick-fast!!
Another thing we see a lot of is the little geckos that are everywhere! They run past your feet when your sitting eating your breakfast...and they run fast!
As soon as you venture out of town into the more rural village areas you also see chickens all over the place! People keep them in their gardens, but not in coops like we would, just bobbing around outside the house wherever they fancy. Often, there’s a goat or two thrown in for good measure!
If you’re driving in the dark in the bush you are likely to get a rabbit stuck in your headlights! Having lived in the city all my life I’d never fully understood a rabbit being stuck in the headlights...but now I do! They just run and run and run in the direction the light is shining and they can see where they’re going. If you’ve got any locals in the car, they’re all for running it over so they can eat it for tea, but us soft english folks try to let them get away because they’re cute. Generally people find it hysterical that anyone would keep rabbits as pets...not just for food!
There’s a bird here that always whistles the same little 5 note tune - I can hear it now! At first I thought it was quite cool, but now I’m sick of the sound of it as it’s what normally wakes me at about 6.30am! Most annoyingly though, it gets stuck in your head and you find yourself whistling it when the birds not around.
Today is a special day...every morning since I’ve got here I’ve looked out the window to check the weather (as is necessary back home!) and there’s been glorious blue skies. The last couple of days it’s been blue in the mornings but I’ve noticed that the afternoons have been a little cloudy. I wandered outside before to fetch something and noticed that it was raining!! Not heavy, just a few drops, but rain non the less! The rainy season should start at some point during the next month and as far as I know that means it will throw it down every afternoon for a bit.
Onto a totally different topic...mosquito nets! No problem to sleep under, just annoying that every day you tuck in carefully under the mattress to make the net stay in shape, then you squeeze under one edge (which it is impossible to do in any graceful manner) and before you know it, the net has come lose in one corner and then the net is sagging a bit. Which, although it’s no real problem, annoys me and my need to have things straight and proper! The other thing about mosquito nets is that they mean you can’t really sit on your bed during the day - well, you can, but you have to untuck the net which magically pulls your sheets out too and generally it’s more trouble than it’s worth!
I’m still struggling a bit to understand people’s accents. Most people speak english with an african twist. The letters L and R seem to be interchangeable which meant I nearly had heart failure worrying about the liver snake someone was telling me about until I realised it was a river snake and I wouldn’t actually have a snake making its home in one of my internal organs. It’s also common for people to add “ee” on the end of words such as “like-ee” but to miss them off other words that should finish with an ee sound....for instance, ten thirty becomes ten thirt! Everyone works on the 24 hour clock and doesn’t say “o’clock” so time is referred to simply as eight or fourteen and so on.
The money is the strangest though, I just can’t quite get used to it! One pound is about 7000 kwacha, so everything is thousands and thousands of kwacha! It’s quite frightening at first when you spend say 50,000 kwacha on something! I’m beginning to get there very very slowly, but it makes doing the accounts quite bizarre – there’s just zeros everywhere! At the end of the month the queues for the cashpoint are phenomenal as everyone is rushing to get their money out!
So there you go - there’s a few of the things that add up to make life here so different to at home. They are the bits that make everything both difficult and exciting! There are many many more that I can’t think of at the moment (and I’m trying not to write a ridiculously long blog this time as well!) but I’m sure I’ll tell you about them soon.
And finally...in case you’re wondering what I’ve been up to this last week, it’s been a quieter one. We’ve spent the week at home planning the next month and making sure meetings are set up and the like for the next few weeks. It’s been a chance to sit down and take a moment to work out what needs to happen before the rest of the team leaves in a months time. Last night we had a prayer meeting which went well although I’m still not quite used to the loud african everyone praying at once thing! I’m getting there bit by bit but my englishness does get in the way somewhat!
I’ll start with the purple trees as they were one of the first things I noticed. I don’t know if you’ve read the book Mr Silly (of Mr Men fame of course!) but if you have you may recall that in Silly Town where he lived the trees had pink or purple leaves or something like that. Well, I got off the plane in Lusaka (after not much sleep for the last 48 hours!) feeling quiet disoriented (is that the right word Penny?) As we drove out of the airport and down the main road from town there was purple trees lining the street on either side...all of a sudden I found myself wondering whether I was about to see Mr Silly painting the leaves back to green as he did in the book!! On closer inspection, it’s actually the flowers that are purple and there just aren’t that many leaves so the whole tree appears purple.
While I’m talking about foliage, I’ll mention the grass. It’s just different to home. From afar it looks green and welcoming like our grass in the summer (when it’s not muddy and wet!) However, on closer inspection and sitting upon, turns out it’s hard and a little spiky. It doesn’t consist of individual blades but rather little mini-branch type clumps that lie flat along the ground.
One must beware sitting on the grass (well wherever you are!) here as well...you never know what size or colour of beastie may appear without warning! They are so varied and intricate...most of them have the same effect on me and make me do a girly scream, wave my arms around madly and dive out of their flight path! This causes much amusement to those around and me once I’m sure said beastie has gone again!
The oddest of all creatures has to be the flat spider. When someone first told me about the flat spider I thought they were talking rubbish - how could a spider look flat...but then I saw one! Their legs lie flat against the walls and their bodies just seem, well, flat! It looks like someone has already done the work of squashing it for you. Turns out though that as a general rule, the flat spiders are safe. It’s the not flat ones that you need to squash quick-fast!!
Another thing we see a lot of is the little geckos that are everywhere! They run past your feet when your sitting eating your breakfast...and they run fast!
As soon as you venture out of town into the more rural village areas you also see chickens all over the place! People keep them in their gardens, but not in coops like we would, just bobbing around outside the house wherever they fancy. Often, there’s a goat or two thrown in for good measure!
If you’re driving in the dark in the bush you are likely to get a rabbit stuck in your headlights! Having lived in the city all my life I’d never fully understood a rabbit being stuck in the headlights...but now I do! They just run and run and run in the direction the light is shining and they can see where they’re going. If you’ve got any locals in the car, they’re all for running it over so they can eat it for tea, but us soft english folks try to let them get away because they’re cute. Generally people find it hysterical that anyone would keep rabbits as pets...not just for food!
There’s a bird here that always whistles the same little 5 note tune - I can hear it now! At first I thought it was quite cool, but now I’m sick of the sound of it as it’s what normally wakes me at about 6.30am! Most annoyingly though, it gets stuck in your head and you find yourself whistling it when the birds not around.
Today is a special day...every morning since I’ve got here I’ve looked out the window to check the weather (as is necessary back home!) and there’s been glorious blue skies. The last couple of days it’s been blue in the mornings but I’ve noticed that the afternoons have been a little cloudy. I wandered outside before to fetch something and noticed that it was raining!! Not heavy, just a few drops, but rain non the less! The rainy season should start at some point during the next month and as far as I know that means it will throw it down every afternoon for a bit.
Onto a totally different topic...mosquito nets! No problem to sleep under, just annoying that every day you tuck in carefully under the mattress to make the net stay in shape, then you squeeze under one edge (which it is impossible to do in any graceful manner) and before you know it, the net has come lose in one corner and then the net is sagging a bit. Which, although it’s no real problem, annoys me and my need to have things straight and proper! The other thing about mosquito nets is that they mean you can’t really sit on your bed during the day - well, you can, but you have to untuck the net which magically pulls your sheets out too and generally it’s more trouble than it’s worth!
I’m still struggling a bit to understand people’s accents. Most people speak english with an african twist. The letters L and R seem to be interchangeable which meant I nearly had heart failure worrying about the liver snake someone was telling me about until I realised it was a river snake and I wouldn’t actually have a snake making its home in one of my internal organs. It’s also common for people to add “ee” on the end of words such as “like-ee” but to miss them off other words that should finish with an ee sound....for instance, ten thirty becomes ten thirt! Everyone works on the 24 hour clock and doesn’t say “o’clock” so time is referred to simply as eight or fourteen and so on.
The money is the strangest though, I just can’t quite get used to it! One pound is about 7000 kwacha, so everything is thousands and thousands of kwacha! It’s quite frightening at first when you spend say 50,000 kwacha on something! I’m beginning to get there very very slowly, but it makes doing the accounts quite bizarre – there’s just zeros everywhere! At the end of the month the queues for the cashpoint are phenomenal as everyone is rushing to get their money out!
So there you go - there’s a few of the things that add up to make life here so different to at home. They are the bits that make everything both difficult and exciting! There are many many more that I can’t think of at the moment (and I’m trying not to write a ridiculously long blog this time as well!) but I’m sure I’ll tell you about them soon.
And finally...in case you’re wondering what I’ve been up to this last week, it’s been a quieter one. We’ve spent the week at home planning the next month and making sure meetings are set up and the like for the next few weeks. It’s been a chance to sit down and take a moment to work out what needs to happen before the rest of the team leaves in a months time. Last night we had a prayer meeting which went well although I’m still not quite used to the loud african everyone praying at once thing! I’m getting there bit by bit but my englishness does get in the way somewhat!
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
a steep learning curve
So, already another week has gone by, and I’m not quite sure where it went! I know it took me a few days to get round to posting my last blog, but it feels like yesterday I wrote it!
The last week has been busy and jam packed but great. I do feel a bit like I’ve not had time to sit down and catch up with myself though which is why I’ve taken the opportunity to escape this afternoon. I’m sat in the shade overlooking the pool at the local Protea Hotel. The temperatures are reaching 40 degrees in the middle of the day at the moment so it’s far too hot to be out in the sun most of the time. Everyone walks so slowly here because it’s too hot to go fast (apparently) but I go with the walk-fast-and-get-in-the-shade-quicker option so that I don’t burn and die. For those of you who haven’t ever seen me in the sun, half an hour in our English sunshine can leave me looking rather pink, so I’m sticking to the shade and factor 50 combo! Seems to be working so far...not burnt and peeling yet!
Well, lots has happened this week again and it’s started of some interesting thoughts in my head that I’m trying to get straight. I thought I might take the opportunity of trying to explain them to you to try and figure them out properly for myself as well...so if it seems like I’m rambling, then, I probably am! I’ll sort of tell you about what’s happened as that will lead me on to where my thoughts have wandered through the week.
Since I last wrote we spent Sunday and Monday having our weekend (as we lost Saturday to the conference). I went to the anglican church near our house. It was really really similar to what I’m used to at St Margaret’s in many ways, but then it had a few bits that were slightly different and threw me totally! The ringing of bells for communion well made me jump!
I think Tuesday was spent at home - I have the joyous task of doing the team accounts so spent some time getting that up to date - Woo-hoo! It’s fine really, just a little tedious. I have to log all the money spent and file all the receipts so every penny (well, Kwacha) is accounted for. It’s a spreadsheet of joy I can tell you!!! (Sadly a little part of me enjoys the maths!)
On Wednesday we returned to Kapeshi to paint the second classroom and see how the people had got along with ideas for a community project to support the school. We had lots of fun painting again and then sat down for the meeting - I had to leave at this point as I was off somewhere else, but Andy & Ruth filled me in on what had happened at the meeting. Lots of people had had ideas, which was great! Sadly though lots of them relied on a large sum of money being injected to get them going...this is sort of what I touched on in my last blog. We want to encourage the people of Kapeshi to do something realistic for themselves - we only want to be the catalyst rather than becoming something they rely on. This isn’t because we mean and tight...it’s because for something to be sustainable, the community needs to be able to manage it themselves. Also, if we were to give one community a load of money, we couldn’t keep doing it for another community and another. However, if we can encourage people to work together and take ownership of a situation they can do the same for their neighbours and their villages. Sometimes though we all get stuck in a rut and can’t see a way out and we just need a helping hand and a gentle shove to get us going!
In the end, I think it was agreed that the community could start and sustain a small garden (when they say small garden, don’t think your average semi-detached burnage garden - think little farm garden!) to grow food to sell with the proceeds going to the school. The village is going to appoint a committee to run the scheme and once the ground is cleared and prepared, I think it was agreed that we would provide a bag of seed and fertiliser to help get them started and then all being well they should be on their way...time will tell! I don’t want to sound sceptical, but they have a long way to go. They have to begin the work which is often the hardest part. Hopefully they will grab this opportunity with both hands and see what they are able to achieve for themselves and their children!
While the meeting was going on, I had to go over to Mibila where the clinic that Dignity helped build is. I had the opportunity to meet George (the doctor) and his wife Mercy who’s house plans I am supposed to be looking at. Sadly, the making of the bricks required for their house has not yet begun for various reasons. This means that there is not time to build their new house before the rainy season begins and it is likely that this project will now have to wait to next year. I’m disappointed about this as it was something I was really looking forward to getting involved with and something I felt I might actually be able to bring some knowledge too - everything else we’re doing feels new to me and I feel like I’m just learning and being a pair of hands but not necessarily bringing much wisdom to anything. On the flip side though, as it has been becoming clear that the building may not happen this year it has also been becoming clear where there are things that will need my time so I think that once again, God’s pulling together plans in his own special way!
Back to the clinic though, it was great to actually be there. I’ve heard so much about it and seen so many pictures of it, it was a real privilege to be there in person! It’s now serving 2300 people and it sounds like George and his helpers have their work cut out! I’m going to take a look at the plans for the new building still and see whether I think there is any ways they could be improved on There is also an issue with the fridge that needs ventilating properly that I have to solve...
Thursday was spent out in the bush in Joel’s village, Ipafu, meeting with the five pastors. We are looking to use a discipleship course a bit like Alpha, but specifically written for people living in rural Africa so we spent the day having a look at this and seeing what they thought. It seemed to get the seal of approval from them so were going to give it a go in Joel village tomorrow. He’s spreading the word and we’re all gathering at 3pm tomorrow (that’s 2pm in England) to support him as he leads the session. We’re then staying the night (my first experience of night time in the bush...very exciting...and I get to pitch my tent...one of my favourite things to do!) so we can spend some time discussing stuff on Friday morning before heading home.
It’s particularly important that the pastors are happy with the proposals and the content of the course as it is them that will be running it over the next few months. As with the Alpha course, the idea is that you don’t have to be a fully qualified super knowledgeable vicar-y pastor type person, but just someone who knows God to be able to run the course with a small group. This means that others can take on the course to run in their own village over time...a bit like the domino effect but when you split one row of dominoes into two and they each branch out and keep toppling the next dominoes over.
We are also discussing ways that the pastors can free up some of their time. They are not like English vicars who get a vicarage and salary...they still have to work in their “gardens” (farms) and support their families so it’s important that we don’t ask too much of them causing difficulties in other areas of their lives. We are therefore trying to work through ideas with them of very practical and realistic ways they can free up some time.
I can’t really remember what happened on Friday, but I think I was at home as I know Andy was out with the car all day...Oh yeah, I was at home beginning to look through some of the discipleship material and get to grips with it all myself...it was good to have a day at home and not out in the sun!
Saturday was a really interesting day. A friend of Jon’s called Mark was here last week just for the week. He’s a photographer and has been photographing some families and projects out here for the last few years. On Saturday I was his chauffeur for the day, taking him around some wells that Dignity have been involved with getting constructed in some villages, along with a guy called Bill who is the local councillor. These aren’t yet finished, but are all dug and have reached water. There is just to top bits to build now and the winding mechanisms (no small job!) I got to adventure to some villages I haven’t been to previously which was great and meet some people who’s lives have been affected. Bill was given a very warm reception when he met us at one village with some villagers running over to give him a huge hug....but wouldn’t you hug a man who had made it so you didn’t have to walk 5km every day to fetch water!!
On Sunday we all went to a baptist church in a local “suburb” of chingola. The whole service was mainly in Bemba apart from Jon’s sermon (which was translated for the congregation) so I didn’t catch that much of what was going on, but it was an experience!
Monday was a pretty amazing day...and I think it was the day that has sparked off all the thoughts in my brain when it’s taken with what I’ve seen and experienced so far in my time here. We visited a christian training institute which was an amazing place! They provide training in teaching, agriculture, primary care and other very practical areas then send their students out to live in villages, passing on the knowledge to those around them. They see the building of relationships as essential before it is possible to win the trust of the people. Everything they were saying and doing was fantastic and really inspirational and throughout everything they are doing they interweave a belief in God and the need to disciple people rather than just go and evangelise then leave.
The buildings they are currently using as a base are on loan from the government and could be repossessed at any time. They are therefore in the process of building a new base for the college and, well, if you saw it you wouldn’t think it was in the middle of an African bush village! It looks more Scandinavian and it really is a beautiful place (check out my pics on facebook if you can...) What’s incredible about the whole thing is that it is being built by local villagers. The college has trained a number of locals in thatching, brick laying, carpentry and other practical skills and are now employing them to construct the new base. Throughout all this process they are building relationships with the people and having the opportunity to talk through everyday life with them and disciple them, teaching them a very practical christian faith that they can understand and relate to their everyday lives.
I came away from the centre amazed by the practical achievements and the dedication of the staff. However, the thing that struck me most was the feel and atmosphere of the place. It’s hard to explain, but the people working their carried themselves in a manner quite different to the people in most rural villages. There was a sense that the people had been empowered to help themselves to achieve something, to push themselves and really go for it. All the materials used for the buildings were sourced locally and this has lead to many others being involved in really simple ways, providing the materials and earning some money in the process.
In most villages people ask for money, for nothing! Personally I have been asked to fund a well in a village and also sort out a bridge (and not a small one!) and that was just on Saturday. As I mentioned before, people see white people as rich and themselves as poor. Generally there seems to be no hesitation from people to ask for handouts, to expect help for nothing. The difference I felt at the centre we visited was that people were helping themselves and were able to feel a sense of achievement because they were helping themselves.
This all led me on to thinking about what we are aiming for and what we can achieve. The plans we have for our time here are very similar to those at the centre in terms of discipleship and spending time with people rather than going somewhere, preaching and leaving. We are also looking to interweave the spiritual and the practical, which in Africa are generally much more closely linked anyway than in a western culture. However, there is no physical way we could reach the level of training and financial investment they have currently achieved...that’s come from 12 years of hard work!
So, my thoughts have been going something like this...in the time we have, what can we actually give the people that is of worth? How can we possibly help and make a difference to their lives? And how on earth can do we stand any chance of reaching any of the masses of people that are in desperate need of help? Well, when I think about all that, I realise that there is no way we could do practically make their lives better. As I think everyone knows it would take millions and millions of pounds to practically help all the people in Africa. However, somebody said something interesting to me...poverty isn’t what you have, it’s what you do with what you have. A villager may tell you they are poor, they have no food or money, they can’t afford to live....but the truth is, they have land, they have families, they have skills...actually they are blessed! If they can understand this and take a different view on life, I am beginning to think that this could be the key to them transforming their life. Now, I realise that some of this may not sound very sympathetic and that it may sound like I’m just saying - huh, they should do it themselves and stop moaning, but that’s not what I think at all!
To change the way we see our lives and think is one of the hardest things we can possibly do. If we can help people with this, then I think the rest, although it will no doubt be hard work, will follow. Now, I can’t go out and change peoples hearts and perspectives, but I do believe I know a God who can! The best I can do for the people I meet in real need, is to help them to come to know a God who really cares for them and wants to be involved in their everyday life. Most people here are acutely aware of the spiritual world, many are nominally christians who go to church. However, there is very little teaching and support. Religion stays in church and people return to their every day lives and begin to get buried by the every day pressures again - much the same as back home sadly. If we can begin to put in place the beginnings of a network that can expand of its own accord, that will help people to understand that God is bigger than Sunday mornings, and help them to grow real living relationships with a God who transforms...then I am beginning to understand, he can transform their view of their own life and in turn effect real practical change as well.
Add to this the basic understanding of Christianity that we are called to serve those around us, not ourselves and you have the basis of a transformation that can grow and grow....
Now, I haven’t got time to read all that through before I have to go, and I have no idea if any of it makes much sense, but it is what has been churning over and over in my brain. It’s something that I know people have said to me before, but I think I am finally beginning to get it for myself. By telling you the honest ins and outs of my thoughts, I hope it helps you begin to grasp it as well...I can tell you, my brain and fingers are now worn out! This was meant to be a shorter entry than last time, but once again...turns out I had a lot to say!!!! I guess that’s nothing new!
The last week has been busy and jam packed but great. I do feel a bit like I’ve not had time to sit down and catch up with myself though which is why I’ve taken the opportunity to escape this afternoon. I’m sat in the shade overlooking the pool at the local Protea Hotel. The temperatures are reaching 40 degrees in the middle of the day at the moment so it’s far too hot to be out in the sun most of the time. Everyone walks so slowly here because it’s too hot to go fast (apparently) but I go with the walk-fast-and-get-in-the-shade-quicker option so that I don’t burn and die. For those of you who haven’t ever seen me in the sun, half an hour in our English sunshine can leave me looking rather pink, so I’m sticking to the shade and factor 50 combo! Seems to be working so far...not burnt and peeling yet!
Well, lots has happened this week again and it’s started of some interesting thoughts in my head that I’m trying to get straight. I thought I might take the opportunity of trying to explain them to you to try and figure them out properly for myself as well...so if it seems like I’m rambling, then, I probably am! I’ll sort of tell you about what’s happened as that will lead me on to where my thoughts have wandered through the week.
Since I last wrote we spent Sunday and Monday having our weekend (as we lost Saturday to the conference). I went to the anglican church near our house. It was really really similar to what I’m used to at St Margaret’s in many ways, but then it had a few bits that were slightly different and threw me totally! The ringing of bells for communion well made me jump!
I think Tuesday was spent at home - I have the joyous task of doing the team accounts so spent some time getting that up to date - Woo-hoo! It’s fine really, just a little tedious. I have to log all the money spent and file all the receipts so every penny (well, Kwacha) is accounted for. It’s a spreadsheet of joy I can tell you!!! (Sadly a little part of me enjoys the maths!)
On Wednesday we returned to Kapeshi to paint the second classroom and see how the people had got along with ideas for a community project to support the school. We had lots of fun painting again and then sat down for the meeting - I had to leave at this point as I was off somewhere else, but Andy & Ruth filled me in on what had happened at the meeting. Lots of people had had ideas, which was great! Sadly though lots of them relied on a large sum of money being injected to get them going...this is sort of what I touched on in my last blog. We want to encourage the people of Kapeshi to do something realistic for themselves - we only want to be the catalyst rather than becoming something they rely on. This isn’t because we mean and tight...it’s because for something to be sustainable, the community needs to be able to manage it themselves. Also, if we were to give one community a load of money, we couldn’t keep doing it for another community and another. However, if we can encourage people to work together and take ownership of a situation they can do the same for their neighbours and their villages. Sometimes though we all get stuck in a rut and can’t see a way out and we just need a helping hand and a gentle shove to get us going!
In the end, I think it was agreed that the community could start and sustain a small garden (when they say small garden, don’t think your average semi-detached burnage garden - think little farm garden!) to grow food to sell with the proceeds going to the school. The village is going to appoint a committee to run the scheme and once the ground is cleared and prepared, I think it was agreed that we would provide a bag of seed and fertiliser to help get them started and then all being well they should be on their way...time will tell! I don’t want to sound sceptical, but they have a long way to go. They have to begin the work which is often the hardest part. Hopefully they will grab this opportunity with both hands and see what they are able to achieve for themselves and their children!
While the meeting was going on, I had to go over to Mibila where the clinic that Dignity helped build is. I had the opportunity to meet George (the doctor) and his wife Mercy who’s house plans I am supposed to be looking at. Sadly, the making of the bricks required for their house has not yet begun for various reasons. This means that there is not time to build their new house before the rainy season begins and it is likely that this project will now have to wait to next year. I’m disappointed about this as it was something I was really looking forward to getting involved with and something I felt I might actually be able to bring some knowledge too - everything else we’re doing feels new to me and I feel like I’m just learning and being a pair of hands but not necessarily bringing much wisdom to anything. On the flip side though, as it has been becoming clear that the building may not happen this year it has also been becoming clear where there are things that will need my time so I think that once again, God’s pulling together plans in his own special way!
Back to the clinic though, it was great to actually be there. I’ve heard so much about it and seen so many pictures of it, it was a real privilege to be there in person! It’s now serving 2300 people and it sounds like George and his helpers have their work cut out! I’m going to take a look at the plans for the new building still and see whether I think there is any ways they could be improved on There is also an issue with the fridge that needs ventilating properly that I have to solve...
Thursday was spent out in the bush in Joel’s village, Ipafu, meeting with the five pastors. We are looking to use a discipleship course a bit like Alpha, but specifically written for people living in rural Africa so we spent the day having a look at this and seeing what they thought. It seemed to get the seal of approval from them so were going to give it a go in Joel village tomorrow. He’s spreading the word and we’re all gathering at 3pm tomorrow (that’s 2pm in England) to support him as he leads the session. We’re then staying the night (my first experience of night time in the bush...very exciting...and I get to pitch my tent...one of my favourite things to do!) so we can spend some time discussing stuff on Friday morning before heading home.
It’s particularly important that the pastors are happy with the proposals and the content of the course as it is them that will be running it over the next few months. As with the Alpha course, the idea is that you don’t have to be a fully qualified super knowledgeable vicar-y pastor type person, but just someone who knows God to be able to run the course with a small group. This means that others can take on the course to run in their own village over time...a bit like the domino effect but when you split one row of dominoes into two and they each branch out and keep toppling the next dominoes over.
We are also discussing ways that the pastors can free up some of their time. They are not like English vicars who get a vicarage and salary...they still have to work in their “gardens” (farms) and support their families so it’s important that we don’t ask too much of them causing difficulties in other areas of their lives. We are therefore trying to work through ideas with them of very practical and realistic ways they can free up some time.
I can’t really remember what happened on Friday, but I think I was at home as I know Andy was out with the car all day...Oh yeah, I was at home beginning to look through some of the discipleship material and get to grips with it all myself...it was good to have a day at home and not out in the sun!
Saturday was a really interesting day. A friend of Jon’s called Mark was here last week just for the week. He’s a photographer and has been photographing some families and projects out here for the last few years. On Saturday I was his chauffeur for the day, taking him around some wells that Dignity have been involved with getting constructed in some villages, along with a guy called Bill who is the local councillor. These aren’t yet finished, but are all dug and have reached water. There is just to top bits to build now and the winding mechanisms (no small job!) I got to adventure to some villages I haven’t been to previously which was great and meet some people who’s lives have been affected. Bill was given a very warm reception when he met us at one village with some villagers running over to give him a huge hug....but wouldn’t you hug a man who had made it so you didn’t have to walk 5km every day to fetch water!!
On Sunday we all went to a baptist church in a local “suburb” of chingola. The whole service was mainly in Bemba apart from Jon’s sermon (which was translated for the congregation) so I didn’t catch that much of what was going on, but it was an experience!
Monday was a pretty amazing day...and I think it was the day that has sparked off all the thoughts in my brain when it’s taken with what I’ve seen and experienced so far in my time here. We visited a christian training institute which was an amazing place! They provide training in teaching, agriculture, primary care and other very practical areas then send their students out to live in villages, passing on the knowledge to those around them. They see the building of relationships as essential before it is possible to win the trust of the people. Everything they were saying and doing was fantastic and really inspirational and throughout everything they are doing they interweave a belief in God and the need to disciple people rather than just go and evangelise then leave.
The buildings they are currently using as a base are on loan from the government and could be repossessed at any time. They are therefore in the process of building a new base for the college and, well, if you saw it you wouldn’t think it was in the middle of an African bush village! It looks more Scandinavian and it really is a beautiful place (check out my pics on facebook if you can...) What’s incredible about the whole thing is that it is being built by local villagers. The college has trained a number of locals in thatching, brick laying, carpentry and other practical skills and are now employing them to construct the new base. Throughout all this process they are building relationships with the people and having the opportunity to talk through everyday life with them and disciple them, teaching them a very practical christian faith that they can understand and relate to their everyday lives.
I came away from the centre amazed by the practical achievements and the dedication of the staff. However, the thing that struck me most was the feel and atmosphere of the place. It’s hard to explain, but the people working their carried themselves in a manner quite different to the people in most rural villages. There was a sense that the people had been empowered to help themselves to achieve something, to push themselves and really go for it. All the materials used for the buildings were sourced locally and this has lead to many others being involved in really simple ways, providing the materials and earning some money in the process.
In most villages people ask for money, for nothing! Personally I have been asked to fund a well in a village and also sort out a bridge (and not a small one!) and that was just on Saturday. As I mentioned before, people see white people as rich and themselves as poor. Generally there seems to be no hesitation from people to ask for handouts, to expect help for nothing. The difference I felt at the centre we visited was that people were helping themselves and were able to feel a sense of achievement because they were helping themselves.
This all led me on to thinking about what we are aiming for and what we can achieve. The plans we have for our time here are very similar to those at the centre in terms of discipleship and spending time with people rather than going somewhere, preaching and leaving. We are also looking to interweave the spiritual and the practical, which in Africa are generally much more closely linked anyway than in a western culture. However, there is no physical way we could reach the level of training and financial investment they have currently achieved...that’s come from 12 years of hard work!
So, my thoughts have been going something like this...in the time we have, what can we actually give the people that is of worth? How can we possibly help and make a difference to their lives? And how on earth can do we stand any chance of reaching any of the masses of people that are in desperate need of help? Well, when I think about all that, I realise that there is no way we could do practically make their lives better. As I think everyone knows it would take millions and millions of pounds to practically help all the people in Africa. However, somebody said something interesting to me...poverty isn’t what you have, it’s what you do with what you have. A villager may tell you they are poor, they have no food or money, they can’t afford to live....but the truth is, they have land, they have families, they have skills...actually they are blessed! If they can understand this and take a different view on life, I am beginning to think that this could be the key to them transforming their life. Now, I realise that some of this may not sound very sympathetic and that it may sound like I’m just saying - huh, they should do it themselves and stop moaning, but that’s not what I think at all!
To change the way we see our lives and think is one of the hardest things we can possibly do. If we can help people with this, then I think the rest, although it will no doubt be hard work, will follow. Now, I can’t go out and change peoples hearts and perspectives, but I do believe I know a God who can! The best I can do for the people I meet in real need, is to help them to come to know a God who really cares for them and wants to be involved in their everyday life. Most people here are acutely aware of the spiritual world, many are nominally christians who go to church. However, there is very little teaching and support. Religion stays in church and people return to their every day lives and begin to get buried by the every day pressures again - much the same as back home sadly. If we can begin to put in place the beginnings of a network that can expand of its own accord, that will help people to understand that God is bigger than Sunday mornings, and help them to grow real living relationships with a God who transforms...then I am beginning to understand, he can transform their view of their own life and in turn effect real practical change as well.
Add to this the basic understanding of Christianity that we are called to serve those around us, not ourselves and you have the basis of a transformation that can grow and grow....
Now, I haven’t got time to read all that through before I have to go, and I have no idea if any of it makes much sense, but it is what has been churning over and over in my brain. It’s something that I know people have said to me before, but I think I am finally beginning to get it for myself. By telling you the honest ins and outs of my thoughts, I hope it helps you begin to grasp it as well...I can tell you, my brain and fingers are now worn out! This was meant to be a shorter entry than last time, but once again...turns out I had a lot to say!!!! I guess that’s nothing new!
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