Weekend to Malawi

Half of the Zambia Lusaka Mission is in the country of Malawi.

All the other couples in the mission travel back and forth to Malawi, as do the young leadership missionaries.  The previous  mission president often took the office couple with them when they visited but it never worked out for us to make the trip.  Whenever it was brought up the mission president agreed that it would be beneficial to see Malawi and what actually everyone else in the mission was talking about, but when dates were suggested it wasn't a good time.

Finally, the public affairs couple felt a little sorry for us and invited us to go with them for a weekend to see the Lyles in action with a Helping Babies Breathe project.

We headed east and we got to see what was beyond the airport while heading towards Malawi.

Zambia looked pretty much the same to me.  Once you are out of the big city there are cattle carts.

We started to see more hills and interesting rocks.

This time of year is harvest season and the bags are starting to pile up along the highway.

The yellow sign says they are buying maize, soybeans and sunflowers.  The sign on the building is for the Patriotic Front or PF party.  It promises "lower taxes, more jobs and more money in your pocket."

I was noticing more bicycles and more people repairing them.

Finally we reached Nyimba, a town just above the Luangwa River, that is known for all the baskets displayed and for sale.  It is a good spot to get out and stretch your legs.

Lots and lots of baskets and grass woven items in many shops.  We seemed to be the only travelers at the time.  There were a few trucks but no buses.  

Their handicraft was beautiful, but business seemed a little slow.

So slow some sellers took a break.

Or just day dreamed about ?

There is a police check there and a wedding car was coming from the opposite direction.

Tom Humpherys was very patient while the policeman carefully took his time to read his license.

Dried fish were plentiful.

A carload of Zambians stopped for a snack.

Kristi and Shauna Humpherys checked out some of the fruit called masawu.

It is sort of like a tiny apple.

I am still fascinated with these dried ? (fish?)

To me caterpillars and kapenta or dried minnows look good compared to these.

The sun is good for the fish but not for the ladies.

I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere and the townsfolk just watched the world flow by.

She is waiting for a bus and I wonder where she is headed or how far.

Just east of town is the Luangwa River with a nice bridge.   Just a few miles off to our right is the country of Mozambique.  It won't be long now until I am in Malawi. 

Another Zambian Birthday

I can't believe I am older than a country. 

Zambia will celebrate 50 years of Independence this October and I have just celebrated 67 years on this earth.  Every time someone asks me what I miss from home while living in Zambia, I do not hesitate and reply - ROOTBEER.  It is nowhere to be found.  My daughter-in-law Kim sent me some root beer extract but I haven't found dry ice yet.  I am still looking.  I could make it with yeast but then I need a lot of bottles with lids that are topped very tight.  I was on the hunt to make root beer, but not doing very well in my pursuit.

Then my birthday came for a second time in Zambia and I had a hard time figuring out what was wrapped in that shape (12 cans) and so heavy, so I knew it wasn't shipped for me from America.

WHOOPEE !  ROOT BEER !

Kristi says she can't reveal her source but I am very very happy!

LDS Charities - Wheelchairs

I do not think there is a greater need for wheelchairs in Zambia than anywhere else in the world.  The problem is they are hard to get here and very, very expensive.  There are several designs that utilize bicycle parts to transverse rough terrain.

They are basically good but tend to not be fitted properly for long-time use and frequently cause sores that are rarely treated and can develop beyond an easy cure.

 

Below is Elder Allen Lyle with part of a shipment of over 300 wheelchairs on his porch that he and his wife will distribute in Zambia, along with 50 walkers and 150 pairs of fancy crutches.

LDS Charities is the arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that funds these humanitarian projects.  This was printed on the boxes.

The Lyles pay their own way and living expenses while in Zambia.  After their time here they will go home to their grandkids just like we will, and others will come and take up the projects they are doing.

Along with the wheelchairs came a team of volunteers, who are experts in the assembly of the chairs and fitting them to those in need.  In the photo below they are training technicians, chosen by the Ministry of Health, from all over Zambia.

Here is where the technicians will learn about proper assembly.

Then they are instructed in the procedures to ensure that there is a proper fit for each recipient.

Once the theory was covered and a little practice took place, the local hospitals provided 30 patients for the technicians to share their new skills with.  Some came by bus, some by taxi or private car.

I got to gather a couple and help them inside.  They were so grateful.

Next they were processed so that any specific needs could be met.

Jobs were rotated and basic chairs were assembled.

Then the individuals were fitted properly.  I was really amazed at all the different measurements and adjustments to make sitting all day more bearable for them.

Below is Mary Chatanga.  She is twelve years old and has MS.  She is the daughter of Robby Chatanga, who cleans my office every week.  Mary's mother has carried her everywhere since she was born.  At twelve years of age she is getting heavier but still Mary's mother gets her on her back and moves her around.  This was a BIG day for the Chatangas.

Do you think Mary looks happy?

She now goes to school two days a week.  Next year she will be able to go every day.

What a life changer.

I get a little jealous of Allen and Karen Lyle.  Making people happy is what they do everyday.

I will show you more of what the Lyles have been doing in later posts.  I think one amazing thing about these projects is the many self-supporting church volunteers who serve all around the world.  When a dollar is donated to LDS Charities, that dollar goes to help improve lives and it is not used to cover "overhead costs" that many other charitable organizations take off the top of their budget.  

Just as it says on the carton above, LDS Charities goal is to "Strengthen Families."

Baptism

When you are on a "mission" for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an overriding primary goal is to bring souls to Jesus Christ.  That relationship is between an individual and Jesus.  It is important that a missionary show how to develop that relationship but to make certain that the missionary is not somehow acting as a go-between and gets in the way.  Each person must decide for themselves to make such a serious commitment.  It is a covenant or promise that you make with God and He in turn covenants or promises with you.

The two sister missionaries below are Sister Nakitende and Sister Jones.  They have taught many and brought many people to Christ.  When they asked Kephus whom he would like to have baptize him, he said he would like me to perform the baptism.  I was honored.

This photo was taken just before the baptismal service began.

On the left is our Branch President, Anthony Mulenga, the Branch Mission Leader, Sianga Chizoka, Beaton, (also being baptized that day), Kephus, myself, Sister Nakitende and Sister Jones.

The commitment to be baptized begins with having faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Redeemer.  This faith will naturally lead to repentance and a desire to change your life.  The act of baptism is a commandment and follows the example of Jesus' baptism by being fully immersed in water.  Such an act symbolizes a cleansing and rebirth.  It represents the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the end of your old life and the beginning of a new life as a follower of Jesus Christ.

That is it.  That is the gateway to eternal life.  Sometimes folks will forget about the last part - in the scriptures it mentions the importance of "enduring to the end".

Having just endured another birthday, I am realizing that the enduring part just might be the hardest.

The best thing is as I read the scriptures and try my best, I realize that Jesus has taken up the parts I fall short in, and that knowledge brings REAL peace.

"Doctor Livingstone, I presume?"

That famous quote above by the newspaperman/explorer Stanley was supposed to have been uttered on the shores of Lake Tanganyika when Stanley did catch up with Dr. Livingstone.  Livingstone was trying along with several others to find the true source of the Nile River.  Historians doubt the utterance of that phrase but the meeting took place and made both men "rock stars" of the Victorian age.

Dr. Livingstone's mistake was to not search further north around Lake Victoria, but instead headed west where we were now traveling near the Bangweulu swamp looking for the source of the Nile.  

The roads are better now and improving daily.

Bananas are always available and help the growls in my stomach.

This was on the road to where he finally died.  I am not sure it would have helped him then, or me very much now, as I am not very proficient at providing serious "Self Help" medical care.

Maybe a bicycle and a fresh goat would have helped his travels and illness.

Charcoal and stoves and brooms made out of tree limbs with frayed ends were for sale for us.

Finally, 30 kilometers off the main road we found the national monument.

This plaque marks the spot where Dr. Livingstone died.  He was in his tent when the malaria and dysentery finally caught up with him.  A few weeks earlier he had some porters take off with his chest of quinine medicine and a lot of food.  As he was exploring the lake and swamp it got to be too much for him and his two loyal porters took him to this village on high ground.

After he died they gutted him and buried his heart under a Mvula tree.  Then the two loyal porters bundled him up and toted him 1000 miles to the east coast and shipped what was left of him back to London.  He is now buried in Westminster Abbey minus his heart which was left in this spot.

It is sort of a fascinating tale and there are many, many books about him and the other explorers of the time.  Not all of the books agree and some of the later ones try to sort out the fact from the fantasy.

We signed the register with Barbara the caretaker.  I noted that we were the first to sign her book and pay in over a month.  She showed me a book another traveler had given her.  I think the gift was probably given out of frustration to help her tell as accurate a tale as possible.

Barbara keeps the place tidy and it is a pleasant place to visit.

We turned around and headed back the 30 km to the tarmac to try and get to Lusaka before dark.

Everyone is always so friendly and I always feel badly about the dust I am leaving behind.

It has been a good week for me.  I have learned so much more about Zambia.

Perhaps, like Dr. Livingstone, I might leave a little bit of my heart here too.

Wetlands of Zambia

Lake Bangweulu proper, could be classified double or triple its size in the wet season.

I was excited to see more birds as we drove along.

Then we dropped down to sort of a flood plain from Samfya and everything got extremely flat.

The termite mounds poked up above the grass.

I hadn't expected such a vast flood plain and swamp.

In every direction there was nothing but water and grass.

I did notice something out a ways so I stopped and saw a boatman poling along.

Then it became evident that this road/causeway was a high refuge for many, many people living on the steep banks on both sides.

Then we saw there are people living everywhere on and near the water.

When they hear a truck coming they appeare out of the grass and offer to sell us fish.

This tree provided enough high ground to build a small house.

Apparently, there are islands in the lake itself and many islands in the swamp that people live on.

There are eight main islands that have villages on them and another seven that are islands only in the flood months.  Herds of lechwe (sort of a small antelope/deer) are supposed to be abundant, but we didn't see any.

It is a way of life that is far removed from anything I have experienced.

The Luapula River is the main channel that drains the Bangweulu Swamp and will eventually end up joining the Congo River.  At the point of crossing the river a remarkable bridge was built in 1983 that gave Zambians access to a large part of their country from the south.

The bridge is over three kilometers long.

I was mesmerized by the endless water and the numbers of humans who have made it their home.

I can't imagine trying to navigate on the water with very tall grass blocking your view and an ever changing pattern of channels.  I was told that there is quite a bit of smuggling that takes place between the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) and Zambia in these areas in the traditional dugout canoes.

It felt like we were their only hope for selling a fish, but I am certain the wholesalers come through and offer them a little, just enough to sustain life.

It was Lake Bangweulu and the swamps that David Livingstone was exploring looking for a source of the Nile river when he died.  I am hoping to find that spot to cross off of my "bucket list."