It’s all change for me! I’ve now left Chingola, have been to an orphanage my church in Manchester supports and am now in Lusaka for a couple of nights before heading south to Livingstone for a week and then...it’s time to come home!
The last couple of weeks in Chingola were different, but great in their own way. Everyone else had packed up and gone so I was on my own tying up a few lose ends. If I’m totally honest, I was a little worried about being on my own - what if something happened, what if I didn’t know the way somewhere, what if I was lonely and wanted to talk to someone...oh yeah, I’d just talk to myself like I normally do!!
As is usually the case, I shouldn’t have worried! Things did happen...the car got a slow puncture; one of the pastors had slipped during the conference and as his leg wasn’t getting any better I took him to the hospital - turns out he’d broken it; I drove down possibly the worst stretch of road I’ve ever driven, and loved it (once I reached the other end and knew I hadn’t got stuck in any mud!) But, in all these things, provision was made and God proved faithful. Not once did I feel alone! I was well cared for with every need being faithfully met, from a car to follow along the rough road to someone to help me change the tyre!
The days were so full that I didn’t have chance to feel lonely at all really. Following on from the conference a number of small groups are beginning in local villages. Between them, Joel, Vincent, Ponde, Ranger and Caspa are going to try to visit each group once a month to encourage and support them. We all felt that it would be good to try and visit these groups in their first or second week to help them get going and as some of the “local” villages aren’t really local at all, I ran the jo-taxi service to help the pastors travel around them all. Whilst they can get there on their bikes, it can take hours to cycle the distance, so being able to take them in the car meant they could visit many more in the time they had.
During the two weeks, I decided it really would have been handy if my Bemba was better as I spent about an hour or two most days sitting in a room full of people all talking in Bemba!!! One day, we had started a group outside and the rains started so we all dashed inside. We had to stop talking for a while as the sound of the rain on the iron sheet roof was so loud you couldn’t hear each other speak. Before you know it, I was busy day dreaming...it occurred to me that I was sat in someone’s house, pretty much in the middle of nowhere, with a group of Africans in a torrential rain storm...and I just though, hmm, how amazing that I’m here! Beats sitting at desk in an office in Manchester city centre on a grey and wet day!
Other than my daydreaming, it was great to be able to see the number of people beginning to come along to join the small groups. It is so exciting to see what God is doing here unfolding before our eyes and I feel truly privileged to have been able to be a part of it all in some small way and be a witness to it! I really hope I can return some time in the not too distant future to see what God will no doubt continue to do here...
I also had a few other jobs to fit in, mainly packing up all the stuff that we are leaving behind here, which was quite a task. Sorting through everything seemed to take for ever, but it’s all sorted now! The hardest job by far was helping the pastors open a bank account. It just seemed impossible, although, it isn’t as we managed it! It was a close call in the end as, unbeknown to us, you have to provide all the information one day then return the next day to deposit some money and officially open the account. Thankfully, we went on the Thursday before I left and discovered we were missing a letter of reference. We then spent the rest of the day trying to sort this out and quite literally ran to the bank to hand it in to find they were locking the doors to go home, but kindly they let us in, which meant we could return on the Friday and deposit the money! Talk about cutting it fine...
Of course, I also found some time to have fun and took myself on a day trip to visit the chimpanzee orphanage about 40km outside of Chingola. I’d been meaning to go ever since I arrived here and never quite got round to it...typical! It was worth the visit, despite it being a long and bumpy road! The chimps were ace!! They were well cheeky and far more intelligent than I’d expected. Amongst others, there was a grumpy chimp called Nina who threw lettuce at my head and a camera shy chimp called Max who hid behind a load of hay whenever I tried to take his photo. A little randomly, there was also a massive hippo called Billy who is free to roam around the place (a little scary as hippos are dangerous!)
Quite a few times during the two weeks, I made some plans, but as the day went on, it became clear that my plans weren’t going to happen and that God had the plan for the day in his hands! My favourite example was the last Friday before I left. I’d got up and was annoyed that the puncture I’d had “mended” clearly wasn’t mended as the tyre was flat as pancake. So, the day got off to a slower start than it was meant to as I fitted the spare tyre (with help from Lazarus!) and then took the tyre back to the garage. Then I set off to meet Joel and as I was driving along the road I was thinking it was a shame that I hadn’t had a chance to say goodbye to Vincent. We were supposed to see each other the day before, but the plans had changed and it didn’t happen. As I was thinking this, I noticed a bike left at the side of the road and 200m down the road, there was Vincent! His chain had broken and he was stranded so looking for the missing link from his chain to try and mend his bike! So, Vincent and bike joined me in the car and we went to collect Joel. Also waiting with Joel was Caspa. His wife had had to go to a funeral in town and he wanted to go and meet here there, so I was able to give him a lift as I was going that way anyway. It also meant I got to say good bye to his wife!
So, we pootled into town, sorted all the jobs we had to do (mainly the bank account!) then I took Ponde home - with his broken leg he’s not really able to ride his bike at the moment! We had a lovely time with his family and his wife Mary nearly reduced me to tears when she gave me a proper african outfit made from chitenge that she had made for me! I was so amazed!!
All in all, it was a great day!
Well, all good things come to an end...and my time in Chingola was at it’s end. I finished the packing on Saturday, our friend who had kindly lent us all the furniture came and collected it and first thing Sunday (well, by 10am!) I set off on the 400km drive to Lusaka. It took quite a while and I’m now truly fed up of the one very cheesy tape we have in the car, but I arrived safely. I was particularly pleased that I didn’t get a puncture on route as I had no spare tyre, the mystery puncture still not being properly fixed. I would normally have delayed the journey by a day to sort it out, but I had a flight booked on the Monday that I couldn’t miss...so I prayed (as I know many of my friends here did) and travelled!
The next day I set off on my adventure to the Falconer Home, for those of you not from St Margaret’s, this is an orphanage my church in Manchester has supported for many many years. The home is a long way from where I was staying and I had heard that the road there was in pretty bad condition. As I was travelling alone and there’s no AA breakdown service here I decided it would be a little foolish to set off on my own on a long long journey to somewhere I didn’t know on roads that could be in any state, so I had managed to sort out flights with a small mission that fly doctors and missionaries around Zambia. It was very exciting getting in a tiny plane - I got to sit in the front and see all the crazy dials and controls as well as wearing comedy headphone-ear-protector things and a microphone to talk! Hee hee!! Felt a little strange though turning up in the middle of nowhere to be met by a group of people all standing far too close to the runway, waving and smiling!
It was lovely to be at the orphanage and they looked after me very well, although they kept insisting that I must be tired and need a rest! As I only had a short time there, I didn’t want to spend it resting!!!
Lilas Falconer who opened the home many years ago is a truly inspirational person - you can read the story of the home here http://www.thefalconertrust.org/page2.html The work at the home continues to this day! There are currently 135 children there from babies to teenagers. Many of the staff who work there now, grew up at the home and have gone away to train as medics, agriculturalists and what not, then returned to work there. Other staff come from the surrounding village each day to help with the day care of the children. All the female staff are called Mama What-Ever-There-Name-Is, so I became Mama Joanna for the duration of my stay!
It was quite intense being at the home - there are probably about 50 children under the age of 10 who are all well looked after and cared for, but still desperate for some attention and love from anyone who will give it. The staff do an amazing job, but they simply cannot give lots of one-to-one time to each child! Just walking down the corridor I would find at least one child hanging onto each hand before I knew it, if I sat down there would be one or two children climbing onto my knee and generally I had a crowd following me around! I remembered all sorts of stupid games and clapping rhymes to provide entertainment and generally had a great time playing with all the kids, but I can see how it would become quite hard to be there for a long time - however much “tlc” you give to one kid, you can be sure there is another one who will also need some! Although I’m sure I shouldn’t have made any favourites, there was one little boy called Gary, although he always spelt it wrong when he wrote it, so was generally called Gray...he was an absolute star and kept me entertained for hours and gave me a tour of the home! The older children live a little more independently in houses surrounding the main home. Here they cook for themselves and begin to take more responsibility for their own lives, but staff continue to live in with them to take care of them (and prevent any mischief!)
The overall running of the home now falls to Simon and Miriam, both of whom grew up their. Simon is the “handy-man” and general doer and overseer of all practical jobs. Miriam trained as a nurse and now works 3 or 4 days a week at the health clinic adjacent to the home and spends the rest of her days, evenings and weekends being mum to all the kids! She manages all this with an amazing sense of calmness and seemingly endless energy. I also had the joy of meeting Luke, the first child that was brought to Lilas Falconer about 60 years ago. He volunteers at the home and mans the reception desk and seems to make time to talk to anyone who wants to talk to him. He has a great sense of humour and a keen interest in what’s going in in the world and is frequently found listening to his radio to keep up to date.
Generally, I think it’s safe to say that the Falconer Home is a place of refuge for many needy children and it was a privilege to see a group of very dedicated people working together, putting in hours and hours of their time and lots of energy to selflessly love and care for children in real need. I’m so chuffed that I got to visit them all!
And on that note, I’m going to love you and leave you. It’s 11.20pm and I have to be up at 5am to get into town super early to get the bus to Livingstone. I’m making a return visit to see Victoria Falls with a little more water and hopefully spend some time in a game park, before returning home. My flight home is a week on Monday and I’ll be back on home turf on Tuesday 9th December. Although I knew my time here would go quickly, I still can’t quite believe I’ll be home in less than two weeks. Whilst I’m eager to see you lovely folks and look forward to spending time catching up with you, I am also really, really sad to leave here. The last few months have been a very special and I know I’ve learnt a lot and experienced many things that I never would back home. I consider myself very blessed!!!
Thursday, 27 November 2008
Saturday, 8 November 2008
every day's an adventure
Well hello again! Time continues to whizz by and another 3 weeks have gone since I last wrote. I’ve been super busy and loads has happened so I’ll attempt to sum it up here without writing pages and pages! Knowing me though, that might be a struggle.
Since I last wrote I’ve been to Lusaka for a long weekend, had a week at home planning the conference and then we had the conference last week. I’ll start with Lusaka as that was the first thing that happened...
John, Jude and the boys were heading down to visit a friend of theirs for a long weekend so I decided to hitch a lift. Lusaka is the capital city and I’ve not had chance to spend any time there until this weekend. As it happens some friends from England are currently working in Lusaka, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to visit Mia and Sian as well as spend some time in Lusaka.
So we packed up the car and set off...but, nothing here is ever without an adventure and, true to form, there was an adventure on route! The car had overheated previously but had seemed to be running ok for weeks, until we were half way to Lusaka in the midday heat and slowed down at a level crossing when the temperature gauge shot up. From that point on, we drove for 50 minutes to an hour before having to sit for an hour or so and wait for the engine to cool and refill the water. This was until the last part of the journey when we had to stop after 20 minutes and sit in the dark at the side of the road, thankfully by a petrol station so we could get lots of water to put in the radiator! We arrived in Lusaka about 5 hours later than planned and I didn’t make it to Mia and Sian’s until the next day. When I did eventually make it, I ended up getting a lift in Jon’s friend’s very nice subaru impreza! Jon’s friend is a rally driver and his car is fitted with all sorts of gadgets and goes very fast (that’s the technical way of describing it!) It was all I could do not to laugh when he accelerated and the car zoomed off leaving me stuck to the back of the seat!
I had a lovely weekend with Mia and Sian. They are doing lots of creative work with street children (http://www.myspace.com/creativekidsinternational) in the capital and are working alongside a theatre company. Barefeet Theatre (http://www.barefeettheatre.org) were working at a family day at Munda Wanga, a huge park just outside the city, and Mia and Sian were complimenting the street theatre with face painting! So, turns out a day of face painting for Love Burnage stood me in good stead and before I knew it I was surrounded by loads of little kids all wanting their face painted! Brilliant!!
The rest of the weekend was lovely and relaxing. We took it easy, had lots of good food and even went to the final night of Zambian Fashion Week, which involved some amazing outfits on the catwalk made with some great african fabrics. It was also the first time I got to use Zambian public transport as we use the car up here. The bus system is crazy but lots of fun. People talk to each other in buses here and it makes for an interesting trip. I bumped my head getting off one bus and a random guy stopped his conversation to rub my head better...bless him! We also got a taxi of death home one night, which had to be bump started after we had stopped for petrol and then the passenger door just feel open when we went round a corner - thankfully we were all in the back seat and made it home safely.
I ended up staying an extra day in Lusaka as the car wasn’t quite mended and then ended up getting a bus back up to Chingola anyway as the car still wasn’t mended. Lusaka bus station is quite a place. Before I got out the taxi I’d already had to shout at some guys not to carry my bags for me as I wasn’t going to pay them, then watched two guys have a fight (literally punching each other) over who’s coach company I was going to travel with (neither of theirs having seen the way they do business!) and ended up having to stand still and not move as some guy had decided he was going to show me where the coach company a friend had recommended to me set off from - again expecting me to pay him. Eventually he gave up and I wandered off to find the coach and was safely on route by 6.15am. I’m pleased to report that the rest of the day was fairly uneventful and I made it home safe and sound!
The next week was a little hectic to say the least. Jon and Jude were stuck in Lusaka waiting for the car to get fixed so Ruth, Andy and I were holding the fort up here. We were busy buying the fertiliser and cabbage seed for the five pastors, which you would think wouldn’t be too difficult, but turns out there’s a shortage of fertiliser at the moment as the main producer in Zambia shut down and it all has to be imported. After trekking round many shops we found one that was expecting a delivery later that day and managed to return the next morning and get all we needed...although it’s hard to negotiate the price when the guy knows you can’t get hold of the fertiliser anywhere else!
That day was also the presidential election day following the death of the president a month ago. People are very vociferous about politics here...it wasn’t unusual to hear a very loud political debate on a bus, or see a procession of cars plastered in political posters all beeping their horns with people hanging out of the windows shouting!
The next day was great. I had to sort out the food for the conference which involved a trip to Kitwe market, the largest market in the region we are in. It took about 15 minutes to walk across it, which was partly due to size and partly due to it being a Krypton Factor style assault course! Everywhere I went I was followed by shouts of “Hey you, Mzungu, buy this!” Mzungu’s (white people) are seen as being rich so people reckon we’re a good bet to spend money. We’re also a novelty which meant that people kept grabbing my hand and trying to talk to me. If I hadn’t been with Vincent I might still be in there now trying to escape!
It was while I was walking through the market that it dawned on me that I now no longer just enjoy being in Africa, but I actually love it! I know that sounds a little cheesy, but it’s true! I love the way everything is a little random, everyone is so friendly and each day is totally unpredictable.
Anyway, I managed to find all the food I needed and was also totally amazed by a guy who picked up the giantest bag of cabbages I’ve ever seen (about 40 cabages) and carried them to my car on his shoulders! He did look a little like he might fall over, but he did it! By the time I got home I was shattered from the effort of fighting my way around the market and haggling with people to get everything at a good price.
Oh, that was the day of comedy transport as well. Jon’s car never did get mended and he’d borrowed a truck with two seats and a double mattress in the back to make it a little more comfortable for extra passengers! In the morning I’d shared the back with a live chicken which I was a little scared of and on the way home I was squished in between cabbages, dried fish, beans and 75kg of mealie meal!
On the Sunday we packed up the cars and set off to Sekela where we were holding the conference. Sekela is a strange place, it’s a rural village but it’s right next to the main road! We set up camp next to the church (and the road....great, big loud trucks rumbling past through all the night!) under the watchful eyes of about 30 local kids, who didn’t stop watching us all week!
I think last week was the best week so far - it was amazing on so many counts. The conference itself seemed to go fairly smoothly, given that it was in the middle of nowhere and some amazing storms! We took a bit of a back seat in the leadership as the five pastors we have been working with stepped up to the mark and lead most of the sessions. This was great to see as it proves just how much they are onboard with what we are working towards and believe it’s part of God’s plan for their area. Another guy we have met came to help out and it was clear that they all hit it off and formed some strong friendship bonds in the time we were all together.
The people attending the conference all seemed to enjoy it...I say seemed as most of the conversation was in Bemba, the local dialect, so I had to read body language and pick up snippets of conversations! The week finished with the five pastors helping people put in place some plans for how to go forward from now and there are now 10 more small study groups due to begin in the near future. When I think about how many peoples lives this could now touch I find it really exciting!
The small groups will provide places for people to ask questions and gain some much needed teaching, starting with the basics of the christian faith and building on them over the next year. There are already lots of churches in the rural villages, but many are without any resources or teaching, many don’t even have pastors, many pastors don’t even have Bibles and people are held back by a lack of understanding with no way to learn more. There are of course some exceptions with some people of amazing faith who have learnt what they know of God through very real experiences and a living relationship with him and meeting these people is such a privilege!
For me the highlight of the week was spending time with the ladies in the “kitchen”! Despite the fact that their English was poor and my Bemba non-existent, we had a great time and I haven’t laughed so much in weeks. Everything I said or did seemed to amuse them, particularly the speed I walked at...way faster than the average african saunter. My skin going pink in the sun (despite factor 50) was hysterical and my attempts as speaking Bemba endless fun. My effort at cooking enshima resulted in fits of laughter as I had to give up being too weak to stir the huge pot of white, tasteless goop that is the staple food of Zambia! Best of all though was my inability to avoid the smoke from the fire and the resulting tears streaming down my face as my eyes just couldn’t cope!
Cooking involved an open fire with wood and charcoal and three big stones to support the pot. There was a bore-hole close to the church so we could easily get water - I tried carrying a bucket on my head but was nowhere near as graceful as the African ladies!
The ladies started teaching me some Bemba and ended up getting a few kids to help as their English was a little better. My Bemba is limited to kitchen phrases like “I am cooking chicken everyday” or “The smoke is going in my eyes!” but it’s better than it was. In return for their Bemba lessons I taught the kids a loads of silly tricks and games my Grandad taught me years ago. They thought it was hysterical and duly followed me round for the rest of the week. I was really touched when, as we were leaving, one of the ladies gave me a couple of rings and bracelets she was wearing as a gift and they managed to tell me in a mixture of broken English and mime that they would be sad when I was gone as they wouldn’t laugh anywhere near as much!
The week was also full of randomness! I was in the middle of a little Bible study outside when 6 piglets wandered by. When washing in the bathroom (a straw enclosure with a big metal bowl of hot water) I constantly wondered if a chicken might stroll in. Going to the toilet was best before dark so you could at least see the spiders! Every night I wandered if my tent would stay dry as torrential rain and huge winds battered around the tent. If it hadn’t been so hot I had to sleep on top of my sleeping bag I would have thought I was in Wales. I’m pleased to report though that my tent was a superstar and stayed dry. I had possibly the freshest chicken I’ve ever eaten given that it was running around in the morning, dead and plucked by lunch time and cooked to perfection by tea time! Each morning I was woken at about 4am by everyone getting up for an early morning African style prayer meeting....very loud and very long! At first it drove me nuts, I just wanted to sleep, but by the end of the week I was quite enjoying listening to it through my tent walls. It was quite amazing hearing the sound of 40 men singing and praising God with that much gusto that early in the morning!
The storms were astounding. One night we were stood outside watching 4 or 5 storms raging in all directions. The lightening was forking right down to the horizon in all directions and the thunder was so loud. Eventually one of the storms reached us and I had to dive for cover in the tent!
So as you can probably tell, I had a great week last week. The only down side was that the last day of the conference was the last time our team would all be together with the five pastors as Jon, Jude, Ethan, Josh and Jacob were starting their journey back to Burnage the next day. Even though I wasn’t actually saying goodbye to all the pastors I was still reduced to a crying wreck as it’s been such a special time so far. We had a time of prayer together and reflected a little on what we have done so far and what there still is to do. Overall, it was a positive time of encouragement...yet I still cried big girl that I am!
Jon, Jude and the boys set off yesterday morning and since then Andy, Ruth and I have been busy moving into their flat as the lease on our one ran out today. All done now! Ruth and Andy tried to visit Kapeshi yesterday to say goodbye as they leave on Monday, but had to abort the trip as the road is already impassable following a week of storms.
So, my time here is nearly over. The thought of leaving makes me really sad, but the thought of seeing all you guys back home makes me really happy! I think that I’ll be spending two more weeks in Chingola following up the conference and meeting with the guys to look at the next steps and help visit some of the people who came to the conference and encourage them as they start small groups. This may be made slightly more complicated by the current road conditions!
I was planning on driving to the Falconer Home, it would be about a seven hour drive I think, but given the current storms and worsening road conditions I have decided it would be foolish to set off by road. I would be travelling alone and have heard that parts of the road nearing Kabompo are quite pot holed. This would be hard work in the dry season but once the pot holes are full of water it’s a whole lot harder as you have no idea quite what is under the puddles. I’ve decided it would be better to switch my plans around and try and get a flight from Lusaka to the home towards the end of the month as I will be heading down to Lusaka anyway. I have contacted a small company who run internal flights to see if they have anything going in that direction anyway (which would make it cheaper!) and if they can fit me on a plane. I am really looking forward to visiting and hope that the plans can be put in place to facilitate it!
That leaves me with about a week left, when I’m planning a little holiday time with a return to Victoria Falls to see them now there’s been some rain (they were at their emptiest when I went in September) and hopefully popping over to Botswana visit Chobe Game Reserve and see lots of animals! Then it’ll be time to head home to sunny (or cold and snowy!) Burnage!
And that just about sums up my news! Once again, I’ve waffled on for ages and ages so I hope you had a comfortable chair if you’ve made it this far! One last thing...you are probably aware that I have been raising money to fund my time out here working with Dignity. I am well on the way to meeting the costs of the trip but am still falling a little short. If you feel it is right to do so, any contributions towards the costs would be gratefully received and can be made through my just giving page (http://www.justgiving.com/jobomohoho). Many thanks!
Well, I must go, it’s getting late and Andy is waiting at home to come and pick me up from the internet place...my love to you all. I’m looking forward to catching up with you all in about a months time!!!!!!!!! jo x
(ps. I tried to add to some piccies to this entry, but the internet connection wasn't having any of it so I'm afraid you'll have to look at them on facebook!)
Since I last wrote I’ve been to Lusaka for a long weekend, had a week at home planning the conference and then we had the conference last week. I’ll start with Lusaka as that was the first thing that happened...
John, Jude and the boys were heading down to visit a friend of theirs for a long weekend so I decided to hitch a lift. Lusaka is the capital city and I’ve not had chance to spend any time there until this weekend. As it happens some friends from England are currently working in Lusaka, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to visit Mia and Sian as well as spend some time in Lusaka.
So we packed up the car and set off...but, nothing here is ever without an adventure and, true to form, there was an adventure on route! The car had overheated previously but had seemed to be running ok for weeks, until we were half way to Lusaka in the midday heat and slowed down at a level crossing when the temperature gauge shot up. From that point on, we drove for 50 minutes to an hour before having to sit for an hour or so and wait for the engine to cool and refill the water. This was until the last part of the journey when we had to stop after 20 minutes and sit in the dark at the side of the road, thankfully by a petrol station so we could get lots of water to put in the radiator! We arrived in Lusaka about 5 hours later than planned and I didn’t make it to Mia and Sian’s until the next day. When I did eventually make it, I ended up getting a lift in Jon’s friend’s very nice subaru impreza! Jon’s friend is a rally driver and his car is fitted with all sorts of gadgets and goes very fast (that’s the technical way of describing it!) It was all I could do not to laugh when he accelerated and the car zoomed off leaving me stuck to the back of the seat!
I had a lovely weekend with Mia and Sian. They are doing lots of creative work with street children (http://www.myspace.com/creativekidsinternational) in the capital and are working alongside a theatre company. Barefeet Theatre (http://www.barefeettheatre.org) were working at a family day at Munda Wanga, a huge park just outside the city, and Mia and Sian were complimenting the street theatre with face painting! So, turns out a day of face painting for Love Burnage stood me in good stead and before I knew it I was surrounded by loads of little kids all wanting their face painted! Brilliant!!
The rest of the weekend was lovely and relaxing. We took it easy, had lots of good food and even went to the final night of Zambian Fashion Week, which involved some amazing outfits on the catwalk made with some great african fabrics. It was also the first time I got to use Zambian public transport as we use the car up here. The bus system is crazy but lots of fun. People talk to each other in buses here and it makes for an interesting trip. I bumped my head getting off one bus and a random guy stopped his conversation to rub my head better...bless him! We also got a taxi of death home one night, which had to be bump started after we had stopped for petrol and then the passenger door just feel open when we went round a corner - thankfully we were all in the back seat and made it home safely.
I ended up staying an extra day in Lusaka as the car wasn’t quite mended and then ended up getting a bus back up to Chingola anyway as the car still wasn’t mended. Lusaka bus station is quite a place. Before I got out the taxi I’d already had to shout at some guys not to carry my bags for me as I wasn’t going to pay them, then watched two guys have a fight (literally punching each other) over who’s coach company I was going to travel with (neither of theirs having seen the way they do business!) and ended up having to stand still and not move as some guy had decided he was going to show me where the coach company a friend had recommended to me set off from - again expecting me to pay him. Eventually he gave up and I wandered off to find the coach and was safely on route by 6.15am. I’m pleased to report that the rest of the day was fairly uneventful and I made it home safe and sound!
The next week was a little hectic to say the least. Jon and Jude were stuck in Lusaka waiting for the car to get fixed so Ruth, Andy and I were holding the fort up here. We were busy buying the fertiliser and cabbage seed for the five pastors, which you would think wouldn’t be too difficult, but turns out there’s a shortage of fertiliser at the moment as the main producer in Zambia shut down and it all has to be imported. After trekking round many shops we found one that was expecting a delivery later that day and managed to return the next morning and get all we needed...although it’s hard to negotiate the price when the guy knows you can’t get hold of the fertiliser anywhere else!
That day was also the presidential election day following the death of the president a month ago. People are very vociferous about politics here...it wasn’t unusual to hear a very loud political debate on a bus, or see a procession of cars plastered in political posters all beeping their horns with people hanging out of the windows shouting!
The next day was great. I had to sort out the food for the conference which involved a trip to Kitwe market, the largest market in the region we are in. It took about 15 minutes to walk across it, which was partly due to size and partly due to it being a Krypton Factor style assault course! Everywhere I went I was followed by shouts of “Hey you, Mzungu, buy this!” Mzungu’s (white people) are seen as being rich so people reckon we’re a good bet to spend money. We’re also a novelty which meant that people kept grabbing my hand and trying to talk to me. If I hadn’t been with Vincent I might still be in there now trying to escape!
It was while I was walking through the market that it dawned on me that I now no longer just enjoy being in Africa, but I actually love it! I know that sounds a little cheesy, but it’s true! I love the way everything is a little random, everyone is so friendly and each day is totally unpredictable.
Anyway, I managed to find all the food I needed and was also totally amazed by a guy who picked up the giantest bag of cabbages I’ve ever seen (about 40 cabages) and carried them to my car on his shoulders! He did look a little like he might fall over, but he did it! By the time I got home I was shattered from the effort of fighting my way around the market and haggling with people to get everything at a good price.
Oh, that was the day of comedy transport as well. Jon’s car never did get mended and he’d borrowed a truck with two seats and a double mattress in the back to make it a little more comfortable for extra passengers! In the morning I’d shared the back with a live chicken which I was a little scared of and on the way home I was squished in between cabbages, dried fish, beans and 75kg of mealie meal!
On the Sunday we packed up the cars and set off to Sekela where we were holding the conference. Sekela is a strange place, it’s a rural village but it’s right next to the main road! We set up camp next to the church (and the road....great, big loud trucks rumbling past through all the night!) under the watchful eyes of about 30 local kids, who didn’t stop watching us all week!
I think last week was the best week so far - it was amazing on so many counts. The conference itself seemed to go fairly smoothly, given that it was in the middle of nowhere and some amazing storms! We took a bit of a back seat in the leadership as the five pastors we have been working with stepped up to the mark and lead most of the sessions. This was great to see as it proves just how much they are onboard with what we are working towards and believe it’s part of God’s plan for their area. Another guy we have met came to help out and it was clear that they all hit it off and formed some strong friendship bonds in the time we were all together.
The people attending the conference all seemed to enjoy it...I say seemed as most of the conversation was in Bemba, the local dialect, so I had to read body language and pick up snippets of conversations! The week finished with the five pastors helping people put in place some plans for how to go forward from now and there are now 10 more small study groups due to begin in the near future. When I think about how many peoples lives this could now touch I find it really exciting!
The small groups will provide places for people to ask questions and gain some much needed teaching, starting with the basics of the christian faith and building on them over the next year. There are already lots of churches in the rural villages, but many are without any resources or teaching, many don’t even have pastors, many pastors don’t even have Bibles and people are held back by a lack of understanding with no way to learn more. There are of course some exceptions with some people of amazing faith who have learnt what they know of God through very real experiences and a living relationship with him and meeting these people is such a privilege!
For me the highlight of the week was spending time with the ladies in the “kitchen”! Despite the fact that their English was poor and my Bemba non-existent, we had a great time and I haven’t laughed so much in weeks. Everything I said or did seemed to amuse them, particularly the speed I walked at...way faster than the average african saunter. My skin going pink in the sun (despite factor 50) was hysterical and my attempts as speaking Bemba endless fun. My effort at cooking enshima resulted in fits of laughter as I had to give up being too weak to stir the huge pot of white, tasteless goop that is the staple food of Zambia! Best of all though was my inability to avoid the smoke from the fire and the resulting tears streaming down my face as my eyes just couldn’t cope!
Cooking involved an open fire with wood and charcoal and three big stones to support the pot. There was a bore-hole close to the church so we could easily get water - I tried carrying a bucket on my head but was nowhere near as graceful as the African ladies!
The ladies started teaching me some Bemba and ended up getting a few kids to help as their English was a little better. My Bemba is limited to kitchen phrases like “I am cooking chicken everyday” or “The smoke is going in my eyes!” but it’s better than it was. In return for their Bemba lessons I taught the kids a loads of silly tricks and games my Grandad taught me years ago. They thought it was hysterical and duly followed me round for the rest of the week. I was really touched when, as we were leaving, one of the ladies gave me a couple of rings and bracelets she was wearing as a gift and they managed to tell me in a mixture of broken English and mime that they would be sad when I was gone as they wouldn’t laugh anywhere near as much!
The week was also full of randomness! I was in the middle of a little Bible study outside when 6 piglets wandered by. When washing in the bathroom (a straw enclosure with a big metal bowl of hot water) I constantly wondered if a chicken might stroll in. Going to the toilet was best before dark so you could at least see the spiders! Every night I wandered if my tent would stay dry as torrential rain and huge winds battered around the tent. If it hadn’t been so hot I had to sleep on top of my sleeping bag I would have thought I was in Wales. I’m pleased to report though that my tent was a superstar and stayed dry. I had possibly the freshest chicken I’ve ever eaten given that it was running around in the morning, dead and plucked by lunch time and cooked to perfection by tea time! Each morning I was woken at about 4am by everyone getting up for an early morning African style prayer meeting....very loud and very long! At first it drove me nuts, I just wanted to sleep, but by the end of the week I was quite enjoying listening to it through my tent walls. It was quite amazing hearing the sound of 40 men singing and praising God with that much gusto that early in the morning!
The storms were astounding. One night we were stood outside watching 4 or 5 storms raging in all directions. The lightening was forking right down to the horizon in all directions and the thunder was so loud. Eventually one of the storms reached us and I had to dive for cover in the tent!
So as you can probably tell, I had a great week last week. The only down side was that the last day of the conference was the last time our team would all be together with the five pastors as Jon, Jude, Ethan, Josh and Jacob were starting their journey back to Burnage the next day. Even though I wasn’t actually saying goodbye to all the pastors I was still reduced to a crying wreck as it’s been such a special time so far. We had a time of prayer together and reflected a little on what we have done so far and what there still is to do. Overall, it was a positive time of encouragement...yet I still cried big girl that I am!
Jon, Jude and the boys set off yesterday morning and since then Andy, Ruth and I have been busy moving into their flat as the lease on our one ran out today. All done now! Ruth and Andy tried to visit Kapeshi yesterday to say goodbye as they leave on Monday, but had to abort the trip as the road is already impassable following a week of storms.
So, my time here is nearly over. The thought of leaving makes me really sad, but the thought of seeing all you guys back home makes me really happy! I think that I’ll be spending two more weeks in Chingola following up the conference and meeting with the guys to look at the next steps and help visit some of the people who came to the conference and encourage them as they start small groups. This may be made slightly more complicated by the current road conditions!
I was planning on driving to the Falconer Home, it would be about a seven hour drive I think, but given the current storms and worsening road conditions I have decided it would be foolish to set off by road. I would be travelling alone and have heard that parts of the road nearing Kabompo are quite pot holed. This would be hard work in the dry season but once the pot holes are full of water it’s a whole lot harder as you have no idea quite what is under the puddles. I’ve decided it would be better to switch my plans around and try and get a flight from Lusaka to the home towards the end of the month as I will be heading down to Lusaka anyway. I have contacted a small company who run internal flights to see if they have anything going in that direction anyway (which would make it cheaper!) and if they can fit me on a plane. I am really looking forward to visiting and hope that the plans can be put in place to facilitate it!
That leaves me with about a week left, when I’m planning a little holiday time with a return to Victoria Falls to see them now there’s been some rain (they were at their emptiest when I went in September) and hopefully popping over to Botswana visit Chobe Game Reserve and see lots of animals! Then it’ll be time to head home to sunny (or cold and snowy!) Burnage!
And that just about sums up my news! Once again, I’ve waffled on for ages and ages so I hope you had a comfortable chair if you’ve made it this far! One last thing...you are probably aware that I have been raising money to fund my time out here working with Dignity. I am well on the way to meeting the costs of the trip but am still falling a little short. If you feel it is right to do so, any contributions towards the costs would be gratefully received and can be made through my just giving page (http://www.justgiving.com/jobomohoho). Many thanks!
Well, I must go, it’s getting late and Andy is waiting at home to come and pick me up from the internet place...my love to you all. I’m looking forward to catching up with you all in about a months time!!!!!!!!! jo x
(ps. I tried to add to some piccies to this entry, but the internet connection wasn't having any of it so I'm afraid you'll have to look at them on facebook!)
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