Lake Kariba

Friday, January 2, 2009
We are now back in Kitwe after a week spent in Lusaka and Lake Kariba. Our first few days in Lusaka passed luxuriously as we enjoyed the wireless internet at the MCC Guesthouse, and taking in two movies at the theater. Peter and I went on a date and saw the James Bond movie. We weren’t that impressed with the film but enjoyed doing something that we can’t do in Kitwe. Another afternoon, we took the boys to see Madagascar 2 and they thought that was great. We even splurged on popcorn and a drink during the movie, so un-MCC of us but it was fun! The remaining time, Peter and I went grocery shopping for our upcoming team retreat. That was even enjoyable as we could shop in different stores and find things we can’t get in Kitwe.

Monday morning we loaded up the trucks and headed south to Lake Kariba. The drive took 7.5 hours with five hours on decent two lane highway. The last 2.5 hours covered 60 km that was partly on potholed pavement and partly on dirt. Even though the last bit was bumpy and uncomfortable, the view was pretty. Most of Zambia sits on a high plateau so we had to wind our way down to the lake through hills and valleys.

Just as we finally arrived at our lodging, I got a text from Peggy, our househelp, that our house had been broken into. I called her back and tried to understand what had happened but between her accent and the cell phone, it was hard to figure out. I called another friend, Aruni, who was feeding Hero while we were gone and asked her to see what happened. Peter also called his colleague who notified security. From what we could gather, not much had been taken as the thieves couldn’t actually get inside but a few things were missing. We arranged to have Peggy spend the nights at our house for the rest of the week to keep an eye on things. At the same time I was trying to deal with all this, the team was trying to decide which of the two houses would be the main one and who would sleep where. When that was finally decided, I set to work getting dinner ready and trying to locate pots and pans that would aid me in that task. It was hot and humid and I still felt a bit queasy from the drive. When it was time for the boys to go to bed, their room was filled with mosquitoes and there was no mosquito net. It was a rough start to the retreat for me.

But things improved dramatically after that and we all enjoyed the rest of the retreat. This was a team retreat with only workers from Zambia. Our new Regional directors based in Johannesburg, joined us as well, Bruno and Lois Baerg. We had Reverend Mabuluki as a guest speaker and his family joined us too. So with Eric and Kathy (our Reps), Jocelyn, Ashley and Chris (our two SALTers), we were sixteen altogether. We had a lovely view from our veranda, overlooking Lake Kariba. In the evenings, after a gorgeous sunset, we could watch the lightning flash across the sky over the lake. It cooled down a bit as well which was refreshing.


In the mornings, Reverend Mabuluki led us in looking at the Kingdom of God and the hope that we have that shapes our work here in Zambia. His theology of the kingdom resonated within me and was markedly different from anything I have heard in Zambia before. When I asked him about it, he sheepishly admitted that he isn’t asked to speak very much in Zambia because his message is unlike the prosperity gospel and other theologies that are more widely known and accepted. It was very refreshing for me. I knew Rev. Mabuluki from TEEZ but it was good to get to know him better in this more relaxed setting. I was delighted to get to know his wife, Florence, and their teenage children. They also live on the MEF campus, near the front gate so it will be easy to continue this budding friendship.

In the afternoons, we were free to engage in different activities. Chris and Ashley took the boys on a long hike, exploring all around and seeing a bit of wildlife. We took at tour of the largest crocodile farm on the continent. They breed crocs then incubate the eggs. When they are three or four years old, they harvest the skins and sell the meat. Brendan and Jason each held a three day old crocodile! We went on a truck out to the breeding ponds where the huge crocs are and watched them get fed. A little eerie and fascinating at the same time.

Another afternoon, we went for a boat ride on the lake, and saw a bit more wildlife on one of the islands. We came across a pod of hippos and watched them from quite close. I’m usually freaked out to be near hippos on the water but we were in a big enough boat that they didn’t try to tip us. The boys also enjoyed the swimming pool and played long and hard with Peter, Ashley, Bruno, Eric and Kathy, at different times.

Ashley and Bruno caught in the water fight

The Mabuluki family had to leave early so the rest of the team brought in the New Year together. Ashley and Jocelyn arranged a “Fashion Show” that all of us were required to participate in. Using whatever we could find, we had to dress up in a way that depicted a theme for the coming year. Bruno, Jason and I were a team. Jason got stage fright at the last minute so Bruno and I had to pull it off ourselves. We had found African masks hanging on the wall so we held those up to our faces. He put a pillow under his shirt so he looked pregnant and I put a pillow behind me to give me an ample bottom. Bruno had his fishing pole and we danced around the room and then announced our theme: We were “expecting” to “catch” the African spirit. Brendan, Kathy, and Peter made diapers out of plastic bags and modeled those (obviously influenced by Brendan). Kathy even made hers saggy with a “full load.” But Chris, Eric, and Lois stole the show with their theme of gender balance. Lois dressed up as a man while Eric and Chris dressed up as ladies and served Lois on their knees (a traditional African custom). Chris looked almost sexy in one of Ashley’s little tops. But Eric made us laugh until we cried when he appeared wearing Kathy’s swimsuit with the top filled out with mangos. He later admitted that this one piece suit was a bit tight. I bet! Ashley dressed up as Eric, and Jocelyn as Kathy, and together they were the judges of the fashion show. It was hilarious to watch Kathy seeing herself depicted and laughing at all the little things that we notice and Jocelyn captured. The boys wanted to stay up until midnight and managed to do so. By 11:30, they were fighting hard to stay awake so I stopped playing our games and assisted them in their goal. At midnight we lit a few firecrackers and wished each other a Happy New Year and the boys promptly fell asleep. (I tried for over an hour to upload pictures of the Fashion Show but to no avail. Maybe that was meant to be!)

After a final wrap up session Thursday morning, we packed up and made the journey back to Lusaka. After a good night’s rest at the MCC Guesthouse, we continued the rest of the way to Kitwe. As we drove through the MEF gate, Jason declared, “It’s good to be home.” We all agreed.

Saturday, January 3, 2009
Well, the theft wasn’t too terrible so we are thankful for that. The only things taken were things the thieves could reach through the window since they couldn’t get inside. We had a clock/weather station that sat on our kitchen window sill that is gone and money that was on my desk, equaling about $30. Unfortunately, most of our screens are now damaged making it necessary to keep our windows closed to keep out the mosquitoes.

We’ve learned through the course of the day that our house was not the only one robbed. There have been a string of robberies here on the MEF campus. A MEF administrator who lives several doors down had their pantry broken into and things stolen while they were sleeping. Our next door neighbors found a strange man in their kitchen around 20:00, their son walked in on him and startled him away. That robber had torn the screen to unlock the door. Their theory is that he was looking for a place to hide and then after the family went to sleep, he could just unlock the main door from the inside and walk out with whatever he wanted. Another house was robbed and there was no sign of broken windows or locks. The family was inside sleeping. And when they woke up, everything in their living room was gone. They think that at dusk, someone came in and hid and then cleaned them out once the family went to bed. Someone even stole the sewer tops and hucked them over the wall. The security noticed they were gone and went in search of them and actually found the tops and retrieved them. There are even more stories going around, those are just the ones near our house. There are two security guards who “patrol” the 150 acre campus and me thinks it may not be adequate. We have always felt safe here at MEF but we will have to be more cautious now. Several mines are closing or laying off a significant number of workers. That combined with rising food prices makes for a desperate situation for many around us. We are locking up the house in the late afternoon as a precaution and generally keeping a lookout for anything or anyone suspicious. Like I tell others here, we were robbed in the US and Europe too so that is just a fact of life wherever we live, not something unique to Africa.

While in Lusaka, we were able to buy a new bike for Jason. We have been looking everywhere for a bike that has pedal brakes instead of handle brakes and they are virtually non-existent here. We discovered the hard way that Jason’s hands aren’t big enough or strong enough for handle brakes. Plus his old bike was difficult to pedal and the chain always fell off (partly a product of roads filled with potholes). So we finally found a bike that looks a tad bit sturdier than the cheap Chinese bikes that are sold in Kitwe and it has pedal brakes. Jason is in high heaven! He loves to make skid marks and go “speed fast.” He rode most of the day and paid for it in the evening. His legs were aching and he had blisters on his thumbs from gripping the handlebars. But he was happy!

Sunday, January 4, 2009
Peter and I both reported over lunch that this morning we felt old, but for different reasons. At church this morning, the youth led the worship time. I was surprised at how upset I was with how much cleavage one young teen was showing and bouncing around up front. I wanted to wrap her up in a chitenge and give her a lecture on healthy sexuality. Peter felt old when the three choruses sung lasted nearly 20 minutes, thanks to repeating the same thing over and over and over and over . . . We really are getting old.

While we were gone, Aruni took care of Hero, our cat, for us. When we heard about the break-in, she helped Peggy deal with it and talk to the security guards. Aruni is Zambian of Sri Lankan descent. Tonight we invited her and Nkonde, her Zambian “friend,” over for dinner. Nkonde was a bit nervous about coming but agreed and we had a lovely evening together. I had made vegetarian lasagne which Nkonde had never tasted before. After a bite or two, he said it tasted like pizza and ate heartily.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009
I arranged to meet with Patricia, the pastor’s wife who is in charge of Sunday School at church. I had put together lesson plans for the next two months and wanted to talk with her about the vision and needs of the Sunday School. I scheduled myself in for two Sundays a month, and told her that I would gladly prepare the lessons for the other weeks but someone else needed to teach. Instead of doing everything, I am trying to provide a structure and then finding ways to work together and build the program with church members involved. It is just very slow going.

After the meeting, Patricia and Rev. Habasila walked me out to my car. As I was about to leave, Patricia called out that now her 18 month old twins love to play peekaboo. When I preached, I used that child’s game as an illustration and discovered that no one had heard of it before. Leading up to the sermon, I had checked it out with Patricia and it was new to her. After my sermon, Patricia, who was leading the service, made a comment that she had tried that game with her boys and they had just stared at her like she had gone nuts. But apparently, she had kept playing it with them and now they love it. I felt very encouraged. I teased Patricia and her husband that maybe it wasn’t such a crazy game after all!

The boys are back at Lechwe School to begin their second term after a three week holiday. I was surprised to discover when I picked them up, that Brendan has a new teacher. His teacher was moved to a different grade when that teacher retired and Brendan has a brand new teacher, straight out of college and new to Lechwe. Some of the parents were outraged at this change but another parent, who also works at Lechwe, encouraged us all to give the new teacher a chance. Every teacher has to start somewhere. I thought those were wise words. Brendan didn’t particularly like Mrs. Daka, who seemed overwhelmed by the size and conduct of Brendan’s class. I think this could be a good change so we will wait and see.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Peter left very early this morning to catch a flight to Prague. He will be gone almost two weeks including a few days of travel on both ends. On Tuesday, Jan. 13, he is scheduled to make an oral defense of his dissertation. He will spend the rest of the time there making any necessary revisions to his dissertation, and researching for his classes that he is teaching at MEF and for articles that he needs to write and get published. I imagine he will make a few forays into the city because he loves wandering the winding streets of old town, but he doesn’t exactly have winter clothes to wear. I’m sure he will layer and borrow items as needed but the cold weather will undoubtedly be a shock to his system! The boys and I desperately wish that we could tag along but that isn’t possible this time.

So now the boys and I are on our own for awhile. Yesterday our water pressure dropped with out explanation and the car strangely stalled for no reason while driving and Jason’s handlebars locked up. All preparation for Peter’s absence, the perfect time for things to go wrong. Or maybe it was just getting it out of the way so that things will remain working while Peter is gone. The second would be a more positive perspective so I think I will go with that one.

Peter was sad to go, knowing that he will miss all of us. I hope that once he gets there he will enjoy himself a bit. We will miss him too but we’ll survive. The boys each happened to have a nightmare and wake up within ten minutes of each other, right at the time that Peter was preparing to leave the house. So we all got to say goodbye to him at 4:15 this morning. Jason and I couldn’t get back to sleep so we are a bit bleary eyed this morning. Please pray for the boys and I as we transition back into the school routine, for safety and security here at MEF, and for us to have a good two weeks on our own. Also pray for Peter as he prepares to make his defense, the defense itself, and the research he needs to get done. Pray for his health too, as he encounters a very different climate and a new set of germs. Thank you.