Blogging.... I haven’t done it in two weeks I think, and I am so out of the “groove” I have a million stories to tell even just from two weeks. First one is my came on MOnday! I cannot believe it is almost a week since she came.... in some ways I am counting the days, but at the same time trying to enjoy every minute. She just fits in so well in our house and always has. I had Malaria for the first few days she was here, so that kinda put a damper on it, but I loved seeing how my kids remember her, and not only that love her so much. I love it! and DANG can she blog! wow! read her blog for what happens here, cuz could never write that much!
So a couple fridays ago it was the DTS 2010 graduation here on the base, the day before I was getting my hair braided by a girl named Nancy from a small poor community a 2 and a half hour walk from us, but it is only about 45 minute walk if you catch a bus between walking. So anyway, she came to do my hair, and it took 9 and a half hours! SOOOOO LONG (to be honest by the end I was getting a little irritated by the braiding, and Taliah was pretty mad too).
Anyway, she was shy at first to talk to me, but after a few hours she loosened up and we talked, she told me her story. And I was really shocked how much death one girl could experience in her life. Her mom and dad had 12 children, she is one of three left of all 12. She is just 22. She has seen 4 of her niece and nephews die, one of those in her arms in the waiting room at the hospital. Her dad died the night before she took her grade 7 exams, of which she nearly failed most of them. (who wouldn’t). If you understand what exams mean to kids in Zambia... it is their lively hood at that age in so many ways, it;s what gives lots of them hope for the future. So it is more then devestating when you don’t pass. When she was writing her grade 11 exams again a few days before her sister (the one closest to her) died suddenly, she was pregnant with her second child 7 months. Both the mom and the baby died. She left a son. Nancy barely passed those exams. Went home and never went back to school, she has taken care of her nephew since then, clothed him, paid for his education (which she does mostly by braiding hair around our community), he is now 16, and will be done his high school in three years. She is looking forward to going back to school once she has put him through school. His school fees and food will probably come to $600 a year for her. She also supports her mom at home. Of corse there was more detail in her story, but through it all I was thinking this girl CANNOT be for real, seriously! She kept saying she would go back and read Job in the bible and see that she hadn’t even lost as much as he had, Job lost EVERYTHING, and she still has her mom and a brother and sister. She tells her mom who grieves all the loss she has had as a mother and wife, she tells her to look at what she does have, and to praise God that he hasn’t taken the rest of her children. ! In a way talking to her scared me and challenged me... I saw a real story of an incredible amount of loss in one story, and I though, so it can really happen.... people die, I could loose so much... it’s possible. And how would I respond? She has such a spirit of thankfulness, and desperation for Jesus. She told me how she cannot turn to men, because they will just use her and leave her, she only focuses on supporting her family, and honestly, you look in her eyes and you can see she has gone through everything she shared. It is so painful. I wish I could pay for both her and her nephew to finish school, of corse that is my first reaction. But on the other hand I see God is there, He has been there. And I was touched to the core. Maybe I will be able to help them with some money, but with or without, I know God knows.
On a purely happy and proud note: SETH IS OFFICIALLY POTTY TRAINED! I don’t even ask him anymore, he just goes on his own, I don’t even know half the time when he has gone to the toilet! Even in town, and if by chance he naps, NO WET PANTS! So SO SO happy about this one of corse, it makes life and laundry so much easier! I was no nervous about potty training because I was thinking we can have kids and then we are expected to just know how to do things!? I was so nervous I wouldn’t be able to do it. But it doesn’t take much brain power I found out : ) haha After my fair share of poo down his leg, pants, and other places.... poo now goes in the toilet. Thank God!
Two days ago there was an absolutely horrible accident down our road. A mini bus carrying from what he heard 9 people and the driver was hit by a semi truck full of rocks, the mini bus was peeled back, totally destroyed on the left side and back, all the seats were crushed... all 9 people died, a horrible death. The driver survived, but lost both his legs. All these people cold be anyone, could have been us, or our dts students who were coming back from town at the same time... or our friends wife who was coming back from town the same time. So far we think we did not know anyone on the bus. They have left the bus on the road and people have surrounded it now for two days, I think it was good to leave it for a reminder and warning. But it is terrible, and is a devastating week for alot of people in our area.
This morning some of us YWAM staff were having a meeting about todays kids ministry, planning the day... amoungst planning games and songs, HIV/AIDS comes into these conversations. We are concerned one of the younger girls in our group is positive, she comes with sores, and has for a while now, and has been orphaned, she is about 12 years old and lives with a relative close to us. A couple children that used to come every week right on time (who contracted HIV/AIDS from their parents) have moved away because their grandfather sold the farm they and their grandmother were living on. Both their parents have died from what zambians some times call “the dose”. Now we don’t know where they are, but are going to try and find out. Their HIV was advanced enough already they are on ARVs. These are things these kids deal with, so many of them positive because of the parents, at no fault of their own. God have mercy on the kids, and give us wisdom in these situations, and the little influence we have on their lives. I spent most of the program sitting with one of the cherish girls, she is now over 15, but was one of the teen moms who come to cherish, she is not married andlives with relatives, and is a child in so many ways still. She told me “lets go play the games! Come on!” About to leave her baby sitting alone, I said I would watch the kids while she went to play. We talked a little bit, she said my baby look like a good girl (they are a few months apart), but mine is a bad baby! I asked why she wasn’t good, and she said she cries at night, and I said oh ya, how many times does she get up? And she said once, so I told her that is normal, and her baby looks like a good health baby girl. I can see she gets frustrated with having to be responsible at times, although I am sure she is doing a good job, and loves her baby. But you can see she want to get up with the other kids and just be silly.
At the end of the program we walked the kids to the end of the YWAM road. (My mom had brought a bag of 100 pens for the kids, I was thinking after a few days of thinking about it, maybe they would be a lame gift, I mean a pen.... how cool could that be?! you know.) But I was SO WRONG. At the end of the road we asked them if they wanted pens, and vinj almost got trampled by them! So we tried to get them in a line, giving them one at a time, it worked for about 30 seconds, then they swarmed us again, I know they were worried they were’t going to be enough for all of them, so survival mode in a way comes into play, they were even lapping and pushing the little ones out of the way.... I stood back for a minute and thought... “for a pen..” wow. We had 100 pens, and we ran out before every one had one, but the last 4 were ok about it, (older girls). I know there were a few who lied that they hadn’t got one, and got two. But can you blame them? There faces are so sweet, and I am falling in love with each one more every week.
I am thinking about christmas coming up, and I hope we can do something special for them.
Any ideas?
I think thats all for now.
I love you all, and miss so many of you so much.
Plans for tomorrow... church, meet a few people in town to give forms to, take mom to the market, and visit our dear friends wightson and linda. AND if we are lucky Toby will make it to Lusaka tomorrow, and Seth will be SO HAPPY to see his uncle Toby. (And so will I )
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