Mothers Without Borders, Zambia

West of Lusaka, Zambia, there is a school/orphanage that is called Mothers Without Borders.  The Senior Sister Missionaries were feeling that they should be doing more so they checked with the director and found out what needs could be met in clothing for Christmas.  Below are sisters Lyle, Humphreys, and Skidmore wrapping presents to deliver.

After an hour's drive we found the sign and the gate.

While waiting for someone to come and open the gate Kristi passed out some extra items to some women walking along the road.  Zambians are always gracious.

Once the gate was unlocked the four couples drove in to the complex.

Waiting for us were over forty kids that were left to spend Christmas with each other.  The majority of the kids do have some relatives who will take them to their homes for the holidays.  For these forty two kids though, this was it - a break from the usual routine and some old white people who showed up.

Josephine Daka is in our church Branch.  She is the social worker there.  She had each of the children introduce themselves and tell about their goals for when they are older.

We then had a little tour of the campus.

This is the kitchen.  Lunch was being prepared.  Boiled cabbage and spinach type greens.

It doesn't seem to matter what Zambians wear, it always seems to fit in.

More cabbage.

This was what was left over from breakfast.  It is nshima and ground nuts or peanuts crushed and mixed in for protein.

Washing hands is an important part of living here.

That little clothesline is a result of the children washing their own clothes.

Here is one of the helpers doing more wash.

That logo at first looked like a panda bear to me but I soon figured it out to be a circle of family.

All the presents were given by name and were size appropriate.

There was no rush to open and then hurrying to see what was next.  There was no "next".

Mangos are very prevalent this time of year so everyone is eating them.  You can buy a bucket for about one US dollar.

I would love to be able to paint what I see.

The sleeping quarters were full of bunk beds.

One of the humanitarian projects was to fix the inconsistent power and back it up with solar and batteries.

Kristi was feeling better about Christmas without the grandkids.

Another project the Lyles had worked on here was the building of nice outhouses by the football field.

Another bathroom was built closer to the fields where the crops are grown.

To be honest, I have thought about all the non-government organizations (NGOs) and the work they do in a place such as Zambia.  We all know there is a cost of operation and for those in charge the result seems to be that they live at a level far above their charges.  Yet, without them I am certain that there would be much more suffering in the world.

Should you have a little spare change, I would suggest you find an area that interests you and give of your time first.  When you do, you will know if you feel good to give that spare change.

Of course I still believe that the best buy for giving is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  If your donation is marked "Humanitarian" there is a very, very minimal amount that goes for overhead.  Most of the administrative costs are borne by couples like the Lyles who donate their time and money to oversee that expenditures are appropriate and wisely used.  This all comes under the umbrellas of "LDS Charities" which is very active all over the world.  We hear from friends who are now serving in Jordan helping Syrian refugees, the need is endless.

More Christmas Activities

Christmas came and went as fast as ever.  I will say this - the time has not dragged along and it seems like I just keep flipping the calendar every time I turn around.

Below are four missionaries waiting at the mission home that we put to work decorating the tree upstairs.  Elder Massey and Sister Griffus had just arrived and Elders Doig and Odunga were part of the shuffle of transfers taking place.

Pres. and Sister Erickson went to Malawi for ten days so asked if we would decorate in their home downstairs.  We used every ornament and garland we could find and it sort of looked like a cross between an English christmas and a Dr. Seuss effort.

We took our photo since we had spent the evening in their living room.

The upstairs fireplace just seemed to be missing something, so as my gift to the mission home I got two carved giraffes since we are in Africa and I think the home should have a little local flavor.

Before Christmas the couples got together and had dinner one night.  The following night we had a couples' devotional at the mission home where we shared a favorite Christmas thought.

On Christmas Eve the Lusaka district came to the mission home for dinner and a white elephant gift exchange.  These are the six sisters in the Lusaka district: Rakotoninandriana, Poteki, Khumalo, Jaker, Griffus, Chasinda. 

Half ate in the living room….

…..the other half ate in the dining room.

The highlight for me was my gift of two toilet paper rolls and a rag from the Elders' Matero flat.

At the beginning Pres. Erickson had made a big deal that all gifts must be removed from the premises and taken home….. so I stuffed this box in the back limbs of his Christmas tree.

Unfortunately,  I discovered the same box hidden in a box on top of the safe in my office a few days later.  I am a patient person and the time will come when I can gift this box again properly.

Dessert is always a big hit.

We stuck this wreath on the inside of the outside door of the mission home.  I got a fellow to do an Interpol check on the President's car before he drove it to Malawi and that Interpol fellow liked the little plaque that said "Return with Honor" so much that he came back and asked if he could take a photo.

The two branches had Christmas parties.  Here is a common sight of a family in a car.  Our branch has only five or six cars in the parking lot on a Sunday.

There is a kitchen in the church but this is where the water pressure is best so here is where the dishes are done.

At Christmas time Noel was baptized, which was sort of appropriate for the season.  He asked to have his photo taken with me.

We spend a lot of time going to the post offices in town.  There are three we frequent the most.  The first one is a P.O. Box number for letters.  (Although most of our letters now come directly to the mission home address:  14038 Katima Mulilo Road, Lusaka, Zambia).  If it says "Elder or Sister" then I think we eventually get them.  In town is the main post office where all the packages are sent.  If it will fit in a box on the back of a motorcycle, then we might get it delivered for a small fee.  If it is too big, then it goes to another post office and we need a tracking number to pick it up.  Parking is a REAL problem so most of the time I double park and Kristi goes in for 30 to 45 minutes to check if something has showed up for the missionaries.

The next problem for missionaries is if they are serving in the Copperbelt region or in Malawi, they must wait for someone to be heading in that direction to get it to them.  It usually isn't more than a week or two longer.  It really seems to be the best system so far, as the missionaries are transferred fairly regularly.

In the photo above you can see that Sister Skidmore is a happy missionary as she received a package for Christmas.  It is difficult to convey how important mail is to a missionary.  Emails are good but a letter in the mail is really something different and you become so happy for some missionaries, and then again it is heartbreaking to watch others that never, NEVER receive anything.  Many of our missionaries have NEVER gotten anything from home so you try not to make a big deal of the mail.

If you want to do some service,  ask a missionary who you know, who does get mail, if there is a companion or another missionary that doesn't get any, even an email.  You might email them a little note to let them know you appreciate the sacrifice they are making in serving a mission.

I hope your holidays were as full and rewarding as ours. 

 May 2014 provide you with many ways to serve.

Christmas Pageant

This photo is not the Christmas pageant, but it was a farewell dinner for the Louthans (standing).  They will be enjoying Christmas this year in their home, in Moab, Utah.  The other two couples, Skidmores, Humpherys were invited by the Lyles on the right to the "City of Hope" school for a Christmas Pageant.

The school is about 10 km south of Lusaka.  It now has an enrollment of close to 900 students.  I believe these round buildings are used for dorms for the students that live on campus (most do not).  Some were also used as classrooms.

Elder and Sister Lyle are working with the school to improve their water supply.  Since they started and gave them more vision for growing their own food, a larger portion of their 35 acres is now under cultivation.  They feed the children one meal a day.  Their goal is to be able to serve two meals a day.

This are the new classrooms that have just been completed.

The school is Catholic and is mostly supported by citizens of Czech Republic. 

Elder Lyle was given a warm welcome, as we all were.

The program was full and I thought, oh, this chair is going to get mighty hard.

I couldn't have been more wrong.  The program was utterly delightful and moved along quickly without a hitch.

The hall was very festive with balloons that said "happy 80th and 90th birthday" on them.

(Probably not a big seller).

The two choral groups did a great job and you could see the words of each song had great meaning to them.  The red shirts all said, "Hope for hearts, spaghetti dinner."

The Christmas story was beautifully told from the arrival of Gabriel, the innkeeper, and arrival of heavenly angels ...

The shepards couldn't find their sheep so each brought in a bleating goat on his shoulders.

The star arrived and was placed in the heavens ...

Three very wise men followed it, bearing gifts.

Mary took a turn and showed off baby Jesus.  Apparently, this baby Jesus is a girl and had the same role this year.  She looked like she had already been to Egypt and back.

The "drummer boy" was a real hit as he never missed a beat walking in banging on his plastic milk carton.  Here he is on his way out.

Afterwards, everyone posed for photos.

The all of a sudden a sort of strange, white, Santa appeared.

Everybody loved him.

These shepherds had lost their goats but were happy to pose for me.

I was finally in the Christmas spirit.  The best thing was that I was invited to attend next year.  

I will be there and I will find a seat where I can watch the goats a little closer.

Merry Christmas to all!

Lilayi Elephant Orphanage

On Saturday we headed south of town about 15 kilometers to the Lilayi Elephant Orphanage.

The resident baby elephants (under 10 years old) are taken care of, their wounds mended and fed every four hours when they are younger.  These go out walking with their handlers for most of the day.

At 11:30 there is a viewing stand that is open to the public for free everyday.  Of course donations are gladly accepted.  The docent chatted for thirty minutes and then right on schedule in walked the baby elephants.

They knew exactly what they were there for.

Most just took the bottles and fed themselves.  It took about 15 seconds to empty their bottle.

In thirty seconds it was all over, but you could almost see the little guys smiling.

Then is was obviously play time.

This was a Saturday so there were quite a few folks there.

The elephants just ran around and played in the mud and water.

This one kept swinging its trunk from side to side and slapping the water.

The docent said it takes several years for them to learn all the things their trunk can do and to develop all the muscles for them to accomplish all adult trunk functions.

If you need a break from the routine in Lusaka, this is a great way to relax for an hour.

It can only put a smile on your face and any donation is greatly appreciated although there isn't any pressure to donate.

Staying Dry

 Once a week we pass by this thatched roof.  I was surprised to see it stripped of all its thatching and preparations being made for a whole new thatch job.  There are quite a few older homes in Lusaka that have roofs of thatch.  Of course all the traditional round hut roofing is thatch.  Now-a-days it is either the cheapest means to keep the roof's integrity, when you do it yourself on a smaller roof, or it can be quite labor intensive and costly to do it correctly on a larger home.  Corrugated iron is the most common roof here.  If you have a little money then corrugated "tiles" are baked with a nice color.  Most are plain, noisy, hot galvanized iron, starting out metallic bright and slowly rusting in color.

These roofs last longer if they are steep.  The rain water just sheets off and there is little time for soaking in or a chance for the wind to drive the water up and under.

The material used is very important.  Cheap long straw can last up to 20 years,  good uniform wheat straw up to 40 years and the thick reed about as round as a pencil can last from 55 to 65 years.

Of course the technique for installation is very important.

Most thatched roofs get two layers.  A brow layer and a weathering layer.

Once it is all installed, and raked straight, then the art of trimming and shaping will take place.

I think I would want a safety harness on that steep roof.

Inside is neat and dry.

At the apex a cap is installed.  It used to be the signature of the thatcher by how it was all secured and stitched down, usually with a netting to keep the birds from disturbing it.

The cap is the key and this one is made of mortar.  Although the roof can last 50 plus years the cap and minor repairs will have to be looked into every ten years.

When I was in England for two years I loved the thatched roofed houses.  I was really fascinated with the old skills that are passed on.  I am certain that was what really attracted me to Kristi, when I found out that she was actually born in a home with a thatched roof.

In 2006 we took our kids over to have a look at their heritage and finding the house with a few new additions made to it was a real treat.  It is possible that some of that thatch was there in 1947 with one of the twin girls peacefully dreaming about her future husband. 

(Remember, it's MY blog.)   :^)

Kristi - 48 roses / 48 years

Kristi's birthday gift isn't much of a surprise for her.

  

I started to date her as just a friend because I didn't want to get involved with anyone before I left on a mission as a nineteen year old.  We were just friends that could talk.  I finally took her out a month before I left.  I knew I loved her but two years was a long time and there were no commitments.  For two years we wrote weekly and continued to chat about what was going on in our lives.

For her birthday that first year,  I had arranged to have delivered to her one red rose.  Well, I have kept it up for 48 years, adding a rose for each year that I have loved her.  Some years it was sort of tough.  Not much extra money for roses, so really some years there were other flowers, many years tulips.  Sometimes I had to just sneak in to a garden and get the right number in the dark.  Lately, it has been a problem finding a big enough vase to get forty plus flower in.  Fortunately, here in Zambia these roses are relatively inexpensive and very small, so they fit in a water pitcher quite nicely.

The problem I see now is that I can only fail.  When alzheimer's sets in or I turn the calendar and all the florists are closed, I will be in big trouble.  I have told my boys, don't start this.  It will only set you up to be in trouble some day.

In the mean time, Kristi is very patient, wondering when the flowers will show up.  I am just happy I don't have to include a card anymore.  She knows who sent them.