We made it!

After 6 hours of bus travel and about 23 hours of air travel with a 4-5 hour layover in London, we are home!!  We were greeted at the airport by my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, as well as our volunteer driver from church (thank you so much Frank W), as well as Kwynn's family.

See mom at the airport was very significant for our family an in particular for Crystal as when we returned home 2 years ago from South Africa Crystal's parents were at our house to greet us.  It was really one of the last times we saw dad when he was still pretty healthy and before treatment ramped up significantly.  Crystal had mentioned to me a few times on the trip that she had hoped mom would be there at our house when we got home.  Well mom, you stepped it up by being at the airport...thank you so much!

So now we start back into life here at home with the fresh memories of our friends in Africa, the wonderful people on the Hands team at Kechele an in South Africa at the Hub, the fantastic and selfless caseworkers in the communities that we visited, the amazing workers in the Service Centre, and of course the orphans and the widows that we had the opportunity to care for for 2 weeks.

For some folks they look at these short term missions trips with skeptical views.  Some people look at these trips with questions like "what long term impact can a team of 12 have in a country 23 hours away and an ocean away, in only 2 weeks"?  Well, I would like to relate a story that I have used with my staff at work on numerous occasions and one that Crystal was able to share at our debrief in Zambia before we left.  There was a little boy who was walking up and down the beach and as he walked he would reach down to the sand, pick up a starfish and throw it into the ocean.  You see, the tide was out and there were thousands of starfish on the beach that would shrivel up and die in the heat of the sun.  An older gentleman came walking down the beach and could see this young boy in the distance and was confused as to what the boy was doing.  The gentleman walked closer and could see him reaching down and tossing the starfish into the ocean.  The gentleman thought he would give the youngster some elderly advice and so he spoke up.  Young man, there are thousands upon thousands of starfish on the beach, and you are wasting your time throwing the individual starfish back into the ocean.  There is no way you can save all of them.  The young boy smiled, knelt down and picked up another starfish, and with joy in his heart tossed it into the ocean.  He looked up at his elder and said, "I made a difference for that one!".

Well, we made a difference for that one!  For careworkers like Jack, the 3 Mary's, Joyce, Angela, Amela, Edward, Boaz (teacher), and Jean.  For kids like Exudah, Anna, John, Reuben, Frieda, Stephan, and so many others.  In Matthew 25:34-40 it says:

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'  "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we se you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'  "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'

Thank you so much for your prayers and your support of this trip.  By partnering with us in whatever way you were able, you helped in throwing some starfish back into the ocean, one at a time.  Thank you!

A couple last comments.  Celine is doing well back in Zambia.  We were able to Skype with her this morning at 7am our time (4pm in Zambia) and she was in her room and she looked good!  A bunch of the folks at Kechele took her out for lunch yesterday for her birthday and she even got a few gifts (thanks to our friends there for making our little girls birthday special).  Please keep praying for her and don't forget to follow her ongoing adventures in Africa at myjourneysinafrica.blogspot.ca.

With love and thankfulness,
Frank

Mixed

As a father, today was one of the most difficult days of my life.  Today (Saturday morning Aug 2nd), Crystal and I and 3 of our children hopped on a bus at 6am to make our way from Kachele near Ndola to Lusaka to head home.  Only one thing was missing...we left Celine in Zambia to begin her year of service with Hands at Work.   Now, don't get me wrong, I am excited for Celine and I support her as she follows God's direction for her life, but for some reason I never thought of what this day would be like and how truly hard it would be.

So the bus started rolling and I looked to the window of the dining room and saw my little girl, the little girl I had the privilege of welcoming into this world 19 years ago (officially tomorrow the 3rd), and I lost it.  The tears flowed for the next hour as I leaned forward with my head in my hands and I sobbed.  I was leaving my firstborn in a country 23 hours of flight time away and I even had some shortness of breath.  She isn't living a days drive away (even though I know that would be very hard too), she isn't going to university and living in a dorm away from home (again a change that would take some getting used too); she is a long, long ways away.

I was relieved to hear a couple hours into our bus ride from Christa through a text she received from the farm that Celine was doing well and her and Ashley were watching a movie.  I felt a bit better but the tears continued to flow on and off throughout the day and now as I sit on the plane from JoBurg to London and the tears came again, I felt compelled to write to try and deal with some of the emotions I feel.

Celine will be well looked after by the Hands family and she is a strong young lady but that doesn't take away the fact that her daddy will not be there for her at the end of a long day when she had a rough day and just needs to talk. She won't be there on Saturday mornings for waffle breakfasts.  She won't be there for evening meals, she won't be there at Christmas, and on and on.  Daddy is taking this pretty hard;  harder than I thought I would.

But, as I said earlier, she is following God's leading for her life and so I allow Celine to spread her wings and I will pray for His protection over her every day.  I will email her and message her and skype with her (maybe not every day but...), and we will remain connected daddy to one of his little girls and Celine to her family.

Celine, as you read this I want to publicly (through this blog) tell you again how proud I am of you (and each of your siblings and your mom share that).  You are a beautiful young lady that is following not only a dream but, and I can't say it enough, God's leading for your life.  I love you, I admire you, and my tears, while bringing up sadness, are only there because I left a piece of my heart and my family a long ways away.  And by the way, I am so glad that you kept my hoodie with you as I feel like you kept a part of me with you there.  And that makes me happy!

One last thing, it is so interesting to see patterns in life repeat themselves.  When your mom and I started getting to know each other off she went to Briercrest, 2 provinces away for a year of bible school.  Your grandpa, who drove long haul truck to Ontario at the time, loaded up your mom in the truck and off they went to Saskatchewan, mom sobbing the entire way and I have to believe grandpa was shedding tears as well; especially after unloading your moms stuff and then hitting the road seeing mom crying in the rear view mirror.  Uncanny, but I now can appreciate how hard that was for grandpa.  Dad, I know you would also be so proud of Celine, and, I get it!!!

Love you Celine and happy 19th birthday,
Daddy


Hmmmm..... My turn now to write. Like frank said, we are on route to Heathrow and then home. I have taken my sleeping pill; just waiting for it to knock me out!!!!! It is a long travel time to Africa, but always well worth it.

As before, 2 years ago, I feel mixed coming home. I love Africa and it's poor and vulnerable people. Such selfless and loving folks who give me life lessons each time I am with them. I love this country and feel for its people who live in poverty, war, injustice, etc. Over and over again I have been shown love and generosity and patience. Oh such patience these people have; to answer my questions, wait for us as we make just "one more stop" on the way back to Kachele for the day, and walk with me and us to homes that are a long walk for us all. Along paths they have already trodden that day as they came to the school to serve the kids and now take us along those same paths to visit the homes of the children in the school; only to turn around after we leave and walk back home again. Such smiles and generous grace!

I knew a long time ago that my heart lay partially in this large and beautiful country. The people, their stories, the stars and sunsets...... All call me here. And like Frank wrote in an earlier blog, we feel at peace this time returning home to our country and our family and friends here, while at the same planning on investing our time and money to help give the African people a hope and a future. God will direct as he knows best.

All this to say, while in the past, my heart has stayed partially here for Africa itself. This time is different. This time I leave a piece of my heart, myself here with Celine. It felt so strange to leave her here. To leave her; knowing it will be a year til we see her in person again. At our stops on the bus ride to Lusaka, we kept counting her, then realized that, "oh yeah, she isn't with us". It's not a good feeling. I tried to be strong, and in many ways I felt strong. I wanted to support my hubbie and our other children through this ordeal. I feel so happy for her; that she is pursuing her heart and God's call. And I feel especially proud of her courage, given that she deals with anxiety on a daily basis. Talk about a huge step forward in her personal growth!!!!

But as we walked across the Tarmac to walk up to the plane, steps to take us out of Zambia, my tears fell. All I wanted to do was drive back and go get her. Knowing her fear and apprehension (all so normal at this time); I wanted to run back and rescue her. Take her in my arms and not let her go. I remember distinctly the day she was born; so many pictures of her life now float across my mind. I'm sure other passengers wondered what on earth this adult woman was doing crying on the plane!

But, I knew I couldn't go back and get her. I know that she is in the best place at this time. That God has her here in Africa to do a wonderful work in her life and in the lives of people she will work alongside. That His purposes are greater than what we are aware of. I am convinced that He will care for her, tend to her needs, and love on her. He will use others around her to be the mom I cannot physically be at this time. And I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He will be with her in her highest highs and her hardest lows. He is a good God. And she is His precious child.

"So Celine, if and when you read this, remember my words to you over the last few days. That you can do this, that I am proud of you, to remember why you wanted to come in the first place, and to pursue God with all your heart and mind. I know a bit of how you feel; panicky and fearful. But trust in Him who is greater than he who is in the world. And remember how quickly a year goes by, how much you will grow and become an adult young woman who deeply loves God and others, and how much you are loved. May God bless you and keep you until I see you again."

Much love,

Mom

Bittersweet

It is 3:45am here in Zambia and I am up in the living area of the farm house by myself.  This last 2 weeks has been another incredible experience and I feel that Crystal and I and our family have been very blessed to share this as a family for a second time.  Crystal and I have talked in recent days about Hands at Work and specifically Africa, and we both feel such a draw to Africa and to helping the most vulnerable widows and orphans on this continent.  At the same time, while 2 years ago we came back struggling with living in North America with so much while the poverty in Africa is so great, I believe we are coming back this time with a different perspective.

A friend of ours challenged us in recent months to be able to hold different emotions and feelings at the same time.  You can hold anger of a situation and love for the people involved in a situation in your 2 hands at the same time without minimizing either one.  In the same way we can support, love, and encourage Hands at Work and Africa in particular while still living in North America; BOTH/AND.  This may seem basic for a lot of people but it is something that Crystal and I have really had to work through.

So, will we come back to Africa?  Lord willing I believe we will.  It is the desire of our hearts and hopefully we can share the vision of Hands at Work with others along the way through things like this blog, through word of mouth and hopefully by bringing another team in a couple of years.  But in the meantime, we will support from Canada with some of the resources that God has so richly blessed us with while looking for opportunities in our own backyard to support the less fortunate.

The next couple of days here in Zambia will be bittersweet.  Today we will go to Maranatha for the last time.  We will say 'see you later' to careworkers and children that we have come to know, love and appreciate over this past 2 weeks.  There will be laughter, smiles, and then tears from everyone on our team.  Each of us on our team of 12 have connected to the community and to individuals in the community.  For me it will be saying goodbye to John, a young boy about 3 or 4 years old, Exudah, a young girl of 5 or 6, and Jack the 50 year old leader of the  CBO.

John was my little buddy from about day 2.  John had a permanent place on my hand for most of our time on Maranatha.  I would hang with other children as well, but undoubtedly John would end up holding my hand and looking up with his great big smile time and again.  Exudah was the little girl that latched onto me the first day in community.  This is the little girl that had a burned finger when we arrived and was very sad, but whose whole complexion changed after I held her and prayed for her and touched her finger.

And then Jack.  I haven't talked about Jack in this blog, I don't thing, but he is quite a guy.  Jack was a Zambian premier league soccer player when he was younger.  He and his twin brother were both very good and both were on the national team.  In 1993, they were surprised to be left off of the roster for Zambia for the Africa Nations Cup (I believe it was that tournament but I may have the name wrong), but in hindsight being left off the roster allowed Jack to have the ministry and impact in Maranatha that he has today.  The plane carrying the Zambian national team crashed on the way to the competition, killing all on board.  Today Jack is married (30 years) and has 10 children, 4 grandchildren, and looks after a feeding point that feeds 100 vulnerable orphans at Maranatha.

In 2 days we will say goodbye to Zambia (for now) and we will say goodbye to Celine for a year.  Celine is excited about the coming year and she is ready to start on her own, but dad will be choking back some tears on Saturday.  It is hard for me to fathom that my little girl, only 19 years old (on Sunday) will be about 23 hours of plane travel away from us, but she is following a dream that God has placed on her heart and I can have confidence that while I am so far away, her Heavenly Father will be right beside her and leading her.

So with all that being said I hold happiness and sadness, smiles and tears, and confidence and fear, in my hands at the same time - bittersweet.  And in all things God is Good, All the Time and All the Time, God is Good!

Frank

Thoughts on life in Zambia

My thoughts swirl about as I want to say so much, but don't quite know where to start. Zambia is so very different than home. Such a mix of things I don't understand. Some humorous, like their many road signs with funny ads. Such as:  "Yesterday's meals on Wheels" (on a sanitation porty potty truck), and "Hot or Not restaurant" and "A Man's Meat is a Woman's Choice" and finally "Women, It's Time to Take Back the Remote Control". The first one made Sherry and I laugh until we almost peed our pants!!!!!

The food here is SOOO different from home. They eat Nsheema (a very thick porridge like substance made from maize) at nearly all meals and will eat a small amount of stewed cabbage or spinach, along with fish with it. I really did try the fish (the small hard ones as opposed to the bigger slimy looking ones), but simply couldn't do it. In South Africa I kind of liked the pap, but not so much here. The first day in community Logan was one of the first to get a plateful, poor guy, his eyes looked a bit terrified. I saved him though by telling him it was okay to give some back to the cooks. Frank ate a total of 30 or so, and Rayna actually liked them! Rob did his fair share also. Way to go team! Tonight we are heading to Sukai and James' home for dinner. They are local Zambians who work very closely with hands and often have volunteers for dinner. I am excited. They have 9 children, so will be loud and fun! Hoping for rice and not Nsheema!

Today we went to a new community called Chabuli. It is a rural community with about 23 careworkers, all organized by an amazing Zambian woman named Jean. They are a well established CBO with about 150 kids they care for. They are the first community of Zambia hands to establish a garden. Let me paint you a picture of what this involves.

Presently, they have 17 rows around 125ft long that house onions. In winter, they plant beans in those same rows, along with an additional 12 or so extra rows. They also plant popcorn fields and maize in a large plot across the road. Those crops work better with more rain, and so produce better in summer. To keep these onions healthy, they water them daily; careworkers on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and the children Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. They hoe the rows with a small hand held row with which we bent over and tilled the land in between plants, and hand weeded (done 3 times a week). To water the plants requires so much more than we do in Canada. We hand pumped water (back breaking work for us soft Canadians) into buckets, then carried the buckets row by row to gently pour the water over the fragile plants. On days that the pump isn't working, they walk a quarter mile to the well, and carry the buckets extra far. To say this is hard work doesn't do it justice! A careworker told me it takes 8 hours to finish the job daily. Wow!!!! I hope  will never grumble again about having to water my plants with my hose daily. This puts me to shame!!!!

I walked with Jean, Christa, Logan, Kwynn, and Alexa to Judith's home. It was a walk on a narrow path through bush and weeds. Judith is a 64 yr old woman caring for her 12 yr old grand daughter, who has lived with her since she was 2, when her mom died and her dad left them. Recently in May, Judith's husband died after 9 long years of illness (lying under one shade tree after another during the long days). She has been doing all the work for the last 9 years. However, now that her husband has died, she feels very lonely. Other than neighbours, she is only with children. There mills about her home many children who seemed to come and go. They are  neighbours' children whom she watches while their parents work in the fields. She asked for prayer re comfort in her loneliness, and the ability to care for her grand daughter. She has another 10 children in neighbouring communities, but expressed sadness that they do not visit her. They did build her a home in 2010, when her home collapsed in the rains. She allowed us to look inside. To see inside some of these homes astounds me. I wonder what they think. Do they feel judged by us? I hope not. They are very likely completely unaware that anything like our homes exists. Esp given the fact that Jean asked us if we had similar trouble keeping our cooking fires burning when the wind was blowing hard like it was today. At any rate, the filth and smell and dirty broken stuff everywhere saddens me. Why people have to live as such. But by other standards, Alexa commented to me that she showed pride in her home (which we complimented her on), had a roof over her head and sometimes food to eat. Hmmmm.....different perspective.

A thought about Judith's situation weighs on my mind. Here is a recently widowed 64 year old woman living a life of extreme loneliness; having lost her companion and best friend. I cannot help but contrast her with my mom. At 64, she too has recently lost her best friend and companion and feels lonely. However,  the big difference is that my mom is surrounded by support and friends to walk her journey with her. To be with her and talk and laugh and cry with her. Judith has no one but her grand daughter to walk with her. To cuddle with her at night to stay warm because they don't have enough coverings. Such a huge contrast. Glad for my moms support network; will pray for Judith and her situation.

C

C

Some Logan thoughts

Friday, a wonderful day. Though we were tired and ready for the weekend, everyone woke up relatively chirpy and ready for the day. We got ready and boarded the bus, at about 8:30; so relatively speaking, we would arrive at community around 10:00! I wasn't super excited for the day; I was tired of being touched grabbed, and I just wanted the weekend. But the day turned out to be fantastic. At the beginning, it was the careworker appreciation time. We sang songs and danced. The smiles and laughter that the careworkers show, is literally irreplaceable. Through so much pain and suffering they still have joy and smiles on their faces. We first world people are so selfish, yet we don't even know. We complain and whine when we don't get our way, yet these people have hardly anything. After the singing, we said bible verses of encouragement to them, while we washed all their feet. I was nervous, because I don't even like to wash my own feet, let alone someone else's, but it turned out to be ok. We ate cake with them, and then we gave them their gifts. They loved them. My friend named Kwynn and I sent to deliver two gifts to the workers that were making the food, they were so happy. They bounced up and down and gave us hugs. That was cool. After that, we continued the day like any other. I was able to hang out a lot with a girl named Exudah, she was very shy and hardly said anything, but on the inside she was precious. During the day me and her played and danced around, then later I gave her some piggyback rides before lunch. I don't think she wanted to leave me, but I made sure she did; cause believe me, she needed to eat and I needed to help wash hands and dishes. After lunch, she lay on my lap for awhile, as she played with a stick in the dirt.
Later, we ate with the care- workers. This meal, was probably the best meal we had had, so far. It was n'chima and beans, instead of n'chima, spinach and fish. I felt bad, because Exudah was left alone, but I knew on the inside that I probably shouldn't have had her right beside me. Unfortunately, after awhile she started to cry, so Kathy ( an awesome friend on the team) picked her up and cuddled her. I was super jealous, I kept on walking past her, hoping beyond hopes, that she would reach out to me. But this was to no avail. Instead I was able to toss a ball around, with a boy that was probably just a tad younger than me. He was very good, he caught most of my throws, and I caught most of his, ( though I did drop a few, cause I was trying to look all cool)! About 10 minutes passed, and it was time to go. I said good-bye to this awesome boy, and the rest of the careworkers and then we left. Wow what a day in community.

Logan

A Bleak Existence

On Friday I, along with with Rob and Alexa, visited a neighbouring community. It is one that is even poorer than Maranatha. We took the bus along a very narrow road close into community and then walked the rest of the way in. Although there are some men living here, most are gone working in the DRC. They ride or walk a bike miles into the DRC, buy 3 10lb bags of coal, each worth K25 (equal to about $4.50). They then walk their bikes miles back home, spend a night sleeping, then walk the next day to Ndola (MANY miles away) where they sell each bag for K50 (equal to about $9). So a 2 day trip brings about $13 or so. By the way, the minimum wage here is $6 for an 8 hr day. Keep in mind that food in the grocery stores is generally more expensive than at home. Yikes!

Although this  community is right on the border of the DRC,  thankfully most of the fighting is in the northern half of the DRC and so this community doesn't see much harm that way. Their harm comes in the form of starvation.

We visited 3 homes that day. The first one showed signs of joy and happiness despite their poverty. The children all sat close to us, smiling and acting all shy. I loved touching them and seeing them slowly open up to me. Their smiles, at first tentative, broaden to grins that spread across their entire faces. It is so beautiful. I could see, despite the bleakness of their future, a hope and a joy that defies reason.

The remaining 2 homes broke my heart. For in both of them, the dire circumstances of their situations spoke louder than words. The children all huddled in the dirt on a mat around their mothers; none offering even a slight smile. There was no hope in their eyes; only a cloud of despair. Babes sucked from breasts that surely were nearly devoid of milk; trying desperately to get the nourishment they needed, to no avail. For when the moms aren't eating themselves, what could possibly exist in their bodies to nourish their babies? When we asked those 2 moms what they wanted us to pray for, they said for food and help for the children. We found out later that these people may only get 1 meal every 3-4 days. Crazy to think of! Horrifying even. How can that exist in a world where people throw out food by the tonnes? Where we in America (and many other nations) think nothing of spending money daily on coffee, muffins, and ice cream? Where so many of us have more money than we really need? For "needs" are very different from our "wants". Are they not?????

Questions I ask myself. But I am learning that there are some questions which have no answers. But that gives us no excuse. No excuse to live lives of luxury while others are suffering.  Does this mean I cannot enjoy some of what god has given me? I believe no. I don't think god calls me or us to completely deny the material or family blessings we have. For to do so would be ungrateful. BUT, I do believe god calls us to walk alongside the poor and suffering. To share what we have, to advocate for others, to listen and obey The Lord as he calls EACH of us to look out for others. Not only overseas, but also those who walk among us in our neighbourhoods, our own communities. For even here in Zambia, I see the dire poor, and then in town I see those with more. Do they share and walk alongside their neighbours?

 I know it will never happen, but I would love to see a world where the playing field truly is level. Where there are no rich and no poor. No hierarchy. And I guess I will one day; in heaven. But somehow that does not comfort me much. For as a Christian, I am called to be part of bringing gods kingdom to earth now. Not just "wait it out". Not just live for myself. Not just trust that the poor will one day "get their reward" so why do anything now. NO! My god and my heart tells me that I need to help and love and care now.

And so I wrestle with these thoughts. But somehow I feel more at peace with them. Knowing that I want to do my part in walking with the poor and suffering. In following gods heart for them.
In asking him to show me how to daily live in ways that care for the poor and suffering. How to love and care for my brothers and sisters in Africa across this vast ocean as well as at home. And when I make space for god then I can be confident He will show me the way. For my heart feels just as called here as it does to canada. And I want to make a difference wherever my body stays.

Thanks again for listening. And to rather heavy words. My next blog might be lighter, I will try. :)

C

Admiration

The last couple of days have been awesome and challenging at the same time.  A friend of mine allowed me to bring his old guitar to Africa.  It has been in other parts of the world when he served with YWAM (India for one) and he gave me specific instructions when I left; if you want to play in the rain go for it (there won't be any rain here until December), if you want to let the kids play the guitar, great, but use it and abuse it!  Thanks Nathan!

So the guitar was delayed in its arrival in Lusaka.  All of the other luggage came through A-ok, but the guitar was missing.  It finally arrived Tuesday night at the Ndola airport and has been used ever since; for our nightly debriefs and for community visits.  On Wednesday we made Salvation bracelets with the children.  I gave them a short message explaining the different coloured beads on the bracelets and what they represented (Growth, Sin/mistakes, Christ's blood, forgiveness, and eternal life) and sang some Bridge kids songs.  What an awesome privilege - loved it.  Then I went outside, sat down on the dirt with the guitar and played for about 30 minutes with about 20-30 children crowded around me.  I would sing, sometimes just strum, and sometimes let the strum.  The smiles, the laughter...worth every minute!!

Yesterday (Thursday) while 9 of our 12 were still on home visits (we got done a bit earlier) Rayna, Logan and I were on for serving lunch with the careworkers.  We washed hands, dishes, and served.  The sad part was that we ran out of food.  About 15 kids didn't get the lunch.  I was told later that when teams like ours come in kids that aren't registered with the feeding program will sometimes come and try to 'sneak' in.  It broke my heart.  And at the end of the day these 'sneakers' are also some of the vulnerable kids of the community there just isn't the funding there for them, yet!  There are currently 100 children registered in the feeding program and another 50 that need it (for only $20/month food, education, and medical care - just saying :)).

Jack, the leader of Maranatha (who is 50 with a wife, 10 children and 4 grandchildren), said how appreciative the community is that we are there, that we can show them such compassion and pity.  I looked at him and said that we don't feel pity.  Compassion and empathy yes, pity no.  Admiration, YES!  Just one more amazing example.  Patricia is a careworker with a 6 month old baby (Manga) and a beautiful 6 year old girl Exudah (picture below - kind of my little girl at community).  Patricia walks 5km to community, teaches at the school, goes on home visits and then walks 5km back home, everyday Monday to Friday - ADMIRATION!!

Today was another wonderful day in community.  It was careworker appreciation day which involved a time of worship (with both English and Bimba songs), our team washing the feet of the careworkers, and then giving them the gift that were so generously donated by many from our church.  It was so humbling to wash the feet of these careworkers who give of themselves so selflessly day in and day out.  During worship, 2 of the careworkers took turns playing the guitar for the Bimba songs (1 could play and the other well, not much musical ability!!).

I will close with a funny.  The sticker on the front of our bus is handed out by the insurance company when people buy insurance.  Zambia is a Christian nation but this is incredible..."this bus is protected by the blood of Jesus".  This begs the obvious question...would insurance companies in North America ever consider such a thing??

Frank







 

In Zambia and loving it!

Here I am in Zambia, Africa and I am having the time of my life. Everyday in this place is a God-given gift. I love this place so very much and it has been an amazing experience. Today we didn't spend a lot of time with the children because we went on longer Holy Home Visits. But while we were with the children we sang songs and a little girl named Frieda started to fall asleep in my arms. When we did go on the home visits, me and 5 others went to another community called Katetaula on the border of the Congo. I went to 3 houses with my mother and my uncle. The first house was a family with 8 children and 10 grandchildren. The next house we went to the woman was 31. She had 5 children the oldest being 18 and the youngest was 1. She had taken in 3 of her sisters children when her sister passed away. Her husband was in the Congo collecting coal to sell so he was not there. The next home we went had there was again a mother with her husband was away in the Congo for coal. She was 34 and had 8 children. The oldest was 20 and the youngest was 1. They were beautiful children. I think the saddest part of my day was that these mothers who were still very young had had children at the ages of 13 and 14. I can't even imagine that. Then we went back to the care point and soon after we went home. Over all, it was a very good and meaningful day. I really love Maranatha!

Alexa

Speechless

As I sit here in the middle of the night, I realize i have only a vague idea of what date it is. Oh I know it's Thursday, but that's it. Time seems to pass differently here. It goes by slowly; without an agenda like we have at home.  There are many things Hands does in a day, but in community, we are simply loving and playing, listening, putting a hand on a shoulder, smiling and walking alongside others. I do not miss my life back home, but I can easily say that knowing I am only here for a short 2 weeks. If I were committed to a year, my heart would feel otherwise I'm sure!

I have wanted to blog earlier, but time has not allowed me to. So when God woke me up over an hour ago, I first resisted, then figured I may as well do it while the house is quiet. Last night we watched a movie played on the outside white wall of the house, under the brilliant Africa sky filled with an amazing abundance of stars, while drinking hot chocolate (with the most flavourful delicious marshmallows I've ever had!). It was a surreal and lovely experience. Our community in which we serve is called Maranatha, and it is an hour and half drive to get there. So by the time we get home, have dinner and a time of debrief together, we are all exhausted and fall into bed. So, all that to say, here I am.

I feel often that I am literally in an advertisement we often see on tv for world vision where we see the bloated bodies and dire poverty. Our team has stepped into this world and it is shocking to see it firsthand. To touch those whose faces don't get wiped, whose clothes are tattered, and who seem oddly not anxious about racing to their only meal of the day. It is an honour.

I have not been aware of what others in my family have blogged yet, and I am definitely too non techie to even know how to check without someone guiding me, so if I repeat anything, please forgive me:).  

As you likely know by now, Hands at Work, is a local nonprofit organization built around the values of Christ to walk alongside and care for the orphans and widows. It is located in 8 different African countries at this time. Zambia has the largest number of local communities hands helps sustain (I believe 23) compared to 6 in South Africa and even less in the 6 other remaining countries. The Zambian team here works with these communities, along with the communities in Malawi and the DRC, so their jobs are very full and busy. Never enough workers for the field, as is common everywhere. Hands, since 2012, has been working to partner groups/communities around the globe with the local communities here in Africa. To give us someone specific to pray for and love on from afar. And so that is how we have ended up serving in this particular community of Maranatha. When we and others from the abbotsford area return, this is our "home" community. For instance, it was neat for Cady to see and say hi to a few people her friend Sam had met in March and for us to do the same from our friend Zuke. The connections grow.

And so here we are, serving and walking alongside the children and careworkers in this very rural and poverty stricken community. The school here serves around 100 children, with at the very least 50 more on the high priority list waiting to be funded to attend. To receive care and love and a meal a day. The majority of these children who come are orphans, with either one parent (usually dad from abandonment or death) or both parents gone. Living perhaps with an auntie or a grandma. Neither of which has any means by which to feed another mouth. There are 19 beautiful careworkers, headed by Jack who is the leader. 3 teachers, Boaz, Jack, and Patricia (who walks daily a very long ways with a baby on her back; only 3 days younger than Oscar, and a sweet 5 year old in tow) daily teach the children lessons in Bemba (the local language) and English.  The others work to prepare the meal (more on that another day!!!) and help manage children (you can imagine the busyness of that with 100 little bodies between the ages of 3-12). Most of them are under 10 and some of the older ones (by that I would mean 6 and up) carry their baby siblings on their backs as there is no one to care for them at home.

They come joyfully to school with their torn clothes and dirt covered bodies. I was asking Ma Elizabeth (a lovely Zambian woman who works tirelessly on behalf of all the 23 communities) yesterday who potty trains the littlest ones. This came from helplessly seeing a young girl just pee herself right near me. Heartbreaking as no one even bats an eye or cleans her up. She told me that the careworkers work to train them when they see it. But it is hard to "catch" them ( as we all know from past experience of parenting). Most of them do not own a pair of underwear so that is even more challenging. And there are no pull-ups here!!!:) I asked her how many pairs of clothes these children own and if they have pjs. They would own 2 at the most and no pjs. They wear their clothes day in and day out, until they are literally falling off them. I noticed a little boy wearing small rain boots. The left heel was completely gone but he could still wear it as the top half and toe part was kinda intact. He is lucky to have shoes. I assessed a young handicapped boy's foot yesterday. He had badly burned it (unsure of how long ago) and was wearing an old dirty kerchief around it. I was pleased to see that it will likely heal, but was appalled at the general condition of his feet. I don't know if dirt or just very thick layers of dead calloused skin were his soles. Logan commented on how he felt so bad for them as he noticed what rough condition their nails and toes were in. Cady then jumped in and suggested foot washing, which, while we can't do for 100 children, we can do for 19 careworkers (and are doing so this Friday, can hardly wait!).

The material poverty here is staggering. It is much more so than in South Africa (and we thought that was bad enough!). However, the love they have for one another and the stronger family structure that exists is a blessing. Compared to SA, where social poverty (very poor family structure with so many children fending for themselves, and sadly a greater abundance of  crime and sexual violence) is so prevalent, these children at least have love. They generally are safe from predators. I asked Christa and Devon (an Ontario young man working here) which is worse. The material or social poverty. After some thought, they both said social. For at least with material poverty, children are usually loved by someone and most are kept safe. That being said, there are bars in Maranatha where the men drown out their sorrows in booze. A cultural problem around the globe! And then these men are unsafe.  But doors are locked at night to keep them out. Sherry and Logan and I went to Anna's home. She is the auntie to sweet Alice. Alice can't always get to school. When Anna has to work her fields in the DRC, Alice has to go along, as there is no one safe she can leave her with. Alice's uncle stopped by while we were visiting, reeking of alcohol and being overly friendly. Not a relative you'd leave your child with. Again, a similarity across the globe. No loving mother would leave her child with someone she sensed was unsafe.


Well, I think I will sign off for now. I have so much in my heart and mind to say, but my words are getting rather long, and I don't want you using my blogs as your sleep aide:). Perhaps if I were ever to write a novel you could use me as that!

It has felt good to blog and I thank you for bearing with me. For listening to my thoughts and picturing with me the lives people live here. While it causes my heart to break, it also causes me to feel immense joy as their joy is contagious.

Talk again soon,

C  

Maranatha

Today was a great day.  We started with our orientation to the farm/building where we are staying, then had our orientation to Hands at Work, and then we were off to Maranatha to visit the community we will be serving in for the first time.

We arrived at Maranatha to the cheers and laughter of a hundred children approaching our bus and then getting on the bus when we opened the door.  As we exited the bus each one of our team was greeted with handshake after handshake from these beautiful children and the kids wouldn't let go of our hands.  By the time all 12 of us had exited the bus we each had 4-5 children trying to hold our hands all at once.  Wow!

The purpose of today was to meet the careworkers, get to know their names, and learn about the Maranatha community.  Maranatha started in 2005 under the leadership of Jackson and Angela.  Jackson is 64 years young and Angela is 45, having been married for 30 years with 10 children and 4 grandchildren.  Their passion and energy is contagious.  The community cares for 100 children with food, medical care and education.

We spent time singing and playing a game with the careworkers and then went on to wash the children's hands, feed the children their lunch, and then wash them again.  After this we broke into groups with some of our team and a few careworkers, in order to get to know them even a bit more.  Celine, Alexa and I met with Angela (Jackson's wife), Patricia, and Mary.  These women have given of themselves to the Maranatha community from 5-9 years and work tirelessly with the children.

The whole day was amazing, but 2 things stood out above the rest.  First, meeting a young 6 year old girl named Exildah (careworker Patricia's daughter).  She sat down beside me when we were having our small group chats with the careworkers.  She didn't smile at all but stayed close to me.  She had a bad burn on her right hand and her mother told me she had that for the last 5 days and there was nothing to put on it.  I asked if I could pray for her and so I put my hand on hers and prayed for her.  Within minutes she had sat a bit closer to me, followed by her left hand on my arm and then her right hand on my arm.  Lo and behold Exildah was my friend the rest of the afternoon, holding my hand and smiling the rest of the time I saw her.  When I was on the bus and we were leaving, we blew kisses to one another...words can't adequately express!

Second was the children when we were leaving.  They ran after our bus for quite some time and wouldn't stop.  Every time we thought we had turned a corner and were on our way some of the children would have caught up and were waving and cheering for us.

As we drove away every one of our team were moved by what we had seen and experienced.  I am so excited to see what God has in store the rest of our time here.

Frank

Arrived!

Well! we have finally arrived here in Zambia; exhausted from travel and very glad to sleep in a bed. My writing won't be long or too contemplative tonight. I want to sleep. Although, thanks to a special "loan"  from mom, I did sleep all the way from London to Joberg last night - thanks mom!

It's kinda surreal to be here; after over a year and a half of planning. We have set foot on African soil once again. The fire burnt smell in the air is familiar as is the dust which swirls around our vehicle as we headed to our first stop. I told Kathy and Rob and Sherry that they are our test cases for leading, as we haven't led a team like this before. And we will learn from things we do in these two and a half weeks.  Like forgetting to tell them NOT to let a young man help them with baggage outside the airport, cause they are just wanting money from barely even touching your bags! Sorry Kathy and Sherry!

We decided to do our safari first off this time. We are currently settling to sleep in real beds horizontally (the little things we take for granted!).  We go on a drive safari tomorrow early am, followed by a cheetah experience (will find out what exactly that is) and then Christa is arriving to take us to our new home near the community of Maranatha, where we will be serving. We still have a 6 hour bus ride ahead of us, but that's okay. Cause in a third world one realizes many things, one of them being the privilege to fly to another country and the luxury of that in and of itself.

So, with that said, I'm going to say goodnight to Logan and then drift off to a much needed sleep.  (Frank fell asleep within about a minute of lying down!)

Fortunate to be here,

C

Celine's blogpost

www.myjourneysinafrica.blogspot.ca

Here we go - 6 sleeps before take off!

Well all of the planning is done, all of our team meetings completed, all of our vaccinations received, and in 6 days we leave for Zambia.  To say we are excited would be an understatement.  We are excited for how we will be able to touch the lives of those we meet but also excited for how we ourselves will be touched by the people we meet.

We leave with the Hands at Work mission clearly before us, to, through relationship with Hands at Work in Africa and the Church inside of Africa, challenge, encourage, develop and support the ministry of servant hood among those in need in their community.  We believe the biblical mandate to care for the dying, widows and orphans is not only for the Church in Africa, but also elsewhere, and Hands at Work in Africa (Canada) Society will be a prophetic voice to the Churches inside Canada, challenging them to fulfill their mandate.  

So with that said, thank you to those that have supported us along the way (financially and in prayer) and we would so appreciate your ongoing prayer support.  Specifically:
1. For travelling safety, both in transit as well as on the ground in Zambia.
2. For physical safety for the team.
3. For "God moments" throughout the trip; moments where God touches the lives of those we are in contact with but at the same time touches us.
4. For Hands at Work as an organization as they seek to be God's hands, feet, and eyes to the most vulnerable orphans and widows in Africa.
5. For Celine as she will be staying in Zambia in August and then travelling down to South Africa in early September for her long term missions intake (staying for 1 year) - for strength (physical, emotional, spiritual).

That's it for now, but stay tuned...

Thank you!

Thank you to all those that supported our Online Auction.  While the method we used to conduct the online auction was not the most conventional, we were very happy with the results and very thankful for the support of those who bid, those who passed on the information, and those who just stopped by for  a look!

Please stop by this blog site this summer for more information about the trip and about our experiences in Zambia.

On behalf of Zambia122014,

Frank

Zambia in pictures

The Auction - open March 21-April 17, 2014

Contact us at zambia122014@gmail.com to bid on an item.  If you are outbid, we will contact you to give you another chance!!

Essentially if you are the highest bidder, you will simply make a donation to Hands at Work (using project/giving number STM-14-067) in the amount that you bid and receive the item/service.  Simple!  Credit cards can also be used.  Simply fill out the giving form for Hands, attach your check or credit card info and return to us.

Thank you for your support!!

The Items and Services!

SERVICES:

1.   An elegant dinner by candlelight for 4-8 people served at the Letkeman home - SOLD

2.   The opportunity to safely leave your children (up to 3) in the care of one of our very reliable teens while you go out on a date with your significant other. Up to 3 of these for bid - SOLD

ITEMS:

1.  2 dozen homemade buns (delicious family secret!) - SOLD

2.  2 - 2 loaves Paska (easter bread) with cream cheese icing - SOLD

3.  1 manicure by European Day Spa

4.  1 pedicure by European Day Spa - SOLD

5.  $25 gift card for Old Spagetti Factory

6.  2 - $10 gift cards for House of James (bid as individual items) - SOLD

7.  2 - $20 gift cards for Red Robins (bid as individual items) - SOLD

8.  $50 gift card for Safeway - SOLD

9.  $50 gift card for Costco - SOLD

10.  $50 gift card to Lepp's Farm Market - SOLD

11.  4 gift bags from Lou’s Bar and Grille (containing $25 gift card, hat, beer mug, t-shirt and a couple extra goodies for the redneck in you!) - SOLD

12.  A weekly supply of baking 2 dozen cookies or brownies for your kids’ lunches or your staff at work.  Good for one month - SOLD

13. 4 - $25 gift certificates to Paliottis - SOLD

14. 2 - 30 lb boxes of frozen no chemical spray blueberries donated by Blueberry Junction on Huntingdon Road in Abbotsford.  Retail value $70 per box! - SOLD

The Team

Frank, Crystal, Celine, Cady, Alexa, and Logan Letkeman

Rob, Sherry, Skylar and Rayna Puittinen

Kathy Redekop

Kwynn Vanderwoerd

We all attend The Bridge Fellowship in Matsqui Village.  You can read all about our church at www.thebridgeonline.ca.

To contact us regarding the online auction (March 21 to April 17, 2014) you need to e-mail us at zambia122014@gmail.com.

Who are we and what are we doing?

We are a team of 12 people of various ages and experience levels who have come together to walk alongside these caregivers; seeking to encourage them and help lift off the burden they experience. We will walk alongside them in rural Zambia, visiting homes where they ensure the children have access to basic health care, food and education; helping with chores, visiting with women and children along with way, assessing childrens’ health and safety (and then bringing up concerns to the hands at work team to ensure those dire concerns are met). We will help in the preparation of their daily meal, and play with the children while they are there. 

In order to do this, we need to raise up funds to pay for our airflights, meals and basic lodging while there, and transportation. This is where you come in. Would you be willing to partner with us by bidding on the services and or items, listed in the next blog, which interest you, or else by giving a tax deductible donation to Hands at Work using our team number (STM-14-067), which ensures the funds get directed to our team?

If so, then as of Friday March 21 you can start e-mailing us at zambia122014@gmail.com with the item you are bidding on and the amount.  Bidding will remain open until April 17th at which point the highest bidder will be contacted and arrangements can be made.

Hands at Work - Their Mandate!

Hands at Work is a nonprofit organization which seeks to partner with local communities in several countries within Africa to provide care and support for their most vulnerable children and women. 

Presently they are striving to reach 100,000 orphaned and vulnerable children in some of Africa’s poorest places, ensuring children have access to basic health care, food, and education. They seek to do this by finding  leaders (usually church men) within those communities to raise up care workers from amongst them who go to homes, identifying which children are most at risk; and provide regular home visits as well as a basic meal and play time each day. These are all volunteers; folks living within their own poverty, who selflessly give of their days, 5 days every week of every month to work on behalf of those even more vulnerable. 

Most of these volunteers have their very own sad stories and Hands at Work comes alongside them to train and encourage them to help and give in ways that aid these children greatly. Many, if not most, of these vulnerable children are child led homes; meaning that they have no parents to provide or nurture them. Instead they rely on the daily meal and play time, and time away from the bleakness of their homes, that these caregivers provide in local care and feeding points.