This and That

Wednesday, February 9, 2011
It has been a quiet two weeks since I returned from Meheba Refugee Camp. We’ve had lots of rain but not too many power outages. I’ve spent some time in the lower primary classrooms at Lechwe, testing out my curriculum on bullying. It should be no surprise that six and seven year olds quickly understand the concept of revenge even though the word itself may be new to them. We are talking about power and how it can be used to build others up or tear others down. Soon we will move into talking specifically about bullying and how the Target, the Bully, and the Observers can all work to put an end to bullying behavior. I facilitated two parent workshops last week, sharing with them what their children will be learning about bullying this term and giving them tips on what they can do as parents if their child is being bullied or bullying others. The turnout was mediocre but those who came were very interested in learning.

From the time we returned from South Africa, Brendan and Jason had been working hard on their science projects. It is compulsory for Grades 5 and 6 to complete a project but optional for Grades 3 and 4. Jason and I teamed up and worked on “The Mummy Hot Dog” which dessicated or mummified a hot dog over several weeks. We measured it every few days and learned how the Egyptians dessicated the dead during their time. Brendan and Peter chose to work with magnets, testing whether two magnets of equal strength would have twice the power as a single. They tested this with many objects and through different mediums. While I was at Meheba, they had their science fair but it wasn’t until the Tuesday after that prizes were awarded. Three prizes were awarded to each grade and our boys both won third prize in their class. The top prizes were swept by the Indian community, little wonder. We were very proud of Brendan and Jason and the diligence they showed in doing their experiments and completing their projects. Their hard work paid off!

Other news in Kitwe is that they are putting up new stoplights (robots, as they are called here) at a few strategic intersections. It used to be that they were short and often hidden, and when visible they were hard to read because often at least one bulb was burned out of the three. Now the lights hang over the road, high enough for trucks to pass under. There are even turn signals! Those are a bit tricky though because the Zambian drivers are much accustomed to making their own rules with sporadic stoplights and so don’t always abide by the flashing turn signal. But in time, I am hopeful that people will obey the lights because they will work consistently.

Our garden hose (or hosepipe as we are learning to call it) was stolen the other night. It is a bit disconcerting to know someone is creeping around our backyard and taking whatever they can. We were robbed over our Christmas break as well, but that mystery is not yet solved, though we think we are closer to knowing what may have happened. While in Cape Town, we had another family staying in our house and we had asked them not to let the neighborhood kids into our house, as the temptation is too great for them to steal. Upon our return, we had heard rumours that there were lots of kids in the house. When we went to check out the story with the housesitters, they insisted that they stuck to our rules and made sure the kids played outside. Somehow some money was stolen as well as Brendan’s school dictionary. We found we just had to let it go because there were so many conflicting stories and no one was going to confess to the theft. The family that was staying at our house would often go back and forth to the house across the road, where the grandmother lives, and since there were three small children, several trips would be made. We now think that during one of those trips, one young lad with sticky fingers who watches everything very closely, took advantage of the few minutes the house was unlocked and the remaining kids weren’t looking, to slip inside and grab what he could. That is our best guess anyway. But it feels like only a few months can pass before there is a theft at our place!

And one last good thing, the road going to the boys’ school was recently graded. It was so full of potholes that we all crept along, bouncing and groaning. Now it is amazingly level and a pleasure to drive on. The question is why it took two years to do this . . .

Thursday, February 10, 2011

We recently met a new family who has moved to the MEF compound to work with the UCZ Theological College. They have four kids, two of which are boys near to our boys’ age. The father is Australian and the mother is British and they are all very lovely. We had them over for dessert Sunday afternoon and among other things, they asked about our time here in Africa. Frankly, we didn’t quite know what to say. We know that we will be asked this a lot when we complete our term and return to North America so it might be good to have an answer ready, especially since it is common knowledge that you’ve got only one or two minutes to respond before people lose interest.

There have been good things, like our recent time at Meheba Refugee Camp, but more often than not, we have been mildly depressed (and sometimes not so mild).

Sometimes that depression has been related to the poverty and sorrow we see around us. Sometimes it is rooted in self-pity for the negative experiences we have had. Or it may stem from the frustration at our partner organization and a profound sadness that it is so dysfunctional when it could really have a great mission and purpose. Or it may be regrets over our own inability to form very many close friendships here, or wondering if our contribution has made a difference. We feel like we have withered spiritually, atrophied intellectually and shriveled up relationally.

In the midst of these feelings, I keep reading messages about God working in darkness, or moving underground. And that God has a passion for new beginnings, and continually promises restoration. My new “Weavings” magazine arrived the other day. Tallu Schuyler writes in her article entitled, “We Were Like Those who Dream”:

“Underground, in exile, we are being repaired and restored for the next thing, for some newness. That God is scripting this newness for us is as certain as spring coming each year.”

I do often feel like I am in exile, living in a foreign land, even if it is self-imposed. When sharing this with Peter, he reminded me that the thing about exile is that you can’t return, and it is not about going back but about going forward. It is about God’s new beginning. Exile changes you, sometimes with awareness and sometimes without. I can see how I have become less generous, less compassionate, less loving, less gracious, less joyful. It seems like maybe I should have been growing in those areas instead of shrinking. But maybe this is another area that God is doing something underground and may only be revealed later. Maybe those things needed to be stripped away because I was hiding behind them and they weren’t as good or pure as I would have liked to think of them. Maybe the illusion of obtaining those qualities is no longer there and that could be a good thing.

I guess I will have to trust that the reparation and restoration are happening underground. One thing is for sure, I’m looking forward to “spring.”