Days 1-4 Review

Karen Baumberger

There is little in comparison to the amazing feeling you get when you hear the beautiful Zambian voices singing in perfect harmony and having the sounds resonate throughout a small cinderblock room.  The singing comes right from the soul with no inhibition.   I feel so free when I am here in Zambia which makes me wonder what inhibits me at home.  I realize here how reserved we are in the U.S. 

The second day here Paul and I facilitated a workshop.  Our trip is unique because our group from CPC consists of 4 mothers and their daughters as well as Paul with his daughter.  We thought we would have Zambian mothers with their daughters in the workshop along with us.  It was a bit of a surprise when we got to the room to find pastors, pastor’s wives and their sons!   When here, you never really know what is going to happen.  A day can be planned, but could easily do a 360 on you.  The saying of  ‘we are on African time’ is very true.   Things just seem to start when they start even if it was supposed to start an hour earlier.  I wonder if this way of life runs into business?

The workshop was a nice way to start the week.  We gained a perspective of societal challenges and family challenges that we most likely would not have gained had we not had the discussions.  We heard feedback such as “This day has changed my life”, “I realize I need to spend more time with my daughter”  The hopes and dreams of the Zambian and American parents for the children were basically the same; have a good education, be healthy, happy, God loving,  and to give back to the community (Zambians said, “Be a blessing to the community and family”) .    Both Zambian and American children found that their interests for their parents were similar – happy, long life, and to be secure.   The workshop was the beginning of a relationship that would continue into another day where we spent the entire day together.  Overall it was a great day of sharing and an opportunity to learn more about each other. 

The third day we visited schools which are run by the churches.  The government run schools can have 80-100 children in a classroom!  The private church-run schools have 20-25 students.   The churches here do so much to help the community.  They not only minister, but they run schools,  find vulnerable children (double orphan, HIV+, or just not being cared for properly) and ensure they are well fed and go to school.  Zambia is a Christian nation and it is actually written in the constitution.  This fact enables churches to be change agents.   The pastors are leaders in the community and have the opportunity to help.

Sustainability is critical towards success.  Though the poor give a financial offering in church (which is quite amazing), the church cannot do all of the great things they do unless they identify a way to be self sustaining.  The Jubilee Center provided the funds (through CPC) to build a store.  The profits of the store have enabled the feeding program (huge lunch of nshima, chicken and vegetables) to operate 3 days a week and feed 120 children.  As our Zambian friends would say, “AMEN!”

Later in the day I was able to meet Enoch for the third time (3 separate visits over 4 years).  It was quite disappointing to see what a difficult time he is having.  He became a double orphan at age 10 and life has been incredibly tough.  He cares for his 3 sisters, 2 brothers and now his grandfather.  He makes furniture which brings an income of $2000/year which calculates out to .91/day/person.  Enoch’s big brown eyes tell the story of his life and his future.   Leah and I left quite sad.  

The next day was amazing!  After a tough day with Enoch, we saw Pastor Banda, (Enoch’s pastor) and he told me that he realized that he was buying his furniture needs from other people outside his church.  He told me that he is now going to buy his furniture from Enoch and that he will introduce Enoch to other churches and schools for their furniture needs!  This is a phenomenal blessing and God at work!  

Today we were able to spend a day with the pastor we were partnered with during the workshop.  It was so wonderful to be with our partners from the workshop; to be a part of their family for the day was quite an honor.  I just love how the relationships with each other transcends the poverty and hardship.   Sharing our lives and seeing how God gives them strength is quite eye-opening.  It is wonderful to see that even through the most severe life situations there is great compassion, love, and hope for the future.

This trip has been quite interesting for me.  Past trips to Zambia had me leaving sad and torn about not only their life, but my life as well.  During this trip I am able to see past the poverty and into the souls of the Zambians.  I am able to see the work the churches are doing and the progress made to make the communities healthy and I am able to see the work being done to ensure dignity.  Witnessing their amazing love of God, the hard work to help those in need and seeing how God is core to all they do is a wonderful peaceful feeling for me and has transformed my faith and the way I view life.

People often ask, “What are you going to do in Zambia?” expecting an answer which describes a specific activity.  I realize that the sharing of our lives is a far greater gift than building a home and leaving.  Being able to talk about how God works in our lives, being able to share stories, laugh, sing, and just be with each other is inspiring!  I am truly going to miss Zambia!

Kathy and Kate's Post

Blog by Kathy and Kate Nielsen

"Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow."      Isiah 1:17

This verse is often quoted as Christians talk of justice. Today, for us, this verse came to life
We began the day at the offices of the International Justice Mission (IJM) and had the opportunity to hear about the work they are doing to seek justice, defend the cause of the fatherless and plead the case of the widow. In Zambia, when a husband dies, his family of origin often claims his property, including his family home, as their own, leaving his wife and children with literally nothing. Many women are unaware that this is prohibited by law, and find themselves hopeless. IJM has a focused, holistic approach to offer care and hope to these vulnerable families. We learned how they are offering legal assistance to help the widows reclaim their homes; providing aftercare which includes things like counseling, jobs skills training, and education for the children; and educating churches, encouraging them to be the voices that demand justice for the women and children of Lusaka.

We later traveled to the place where one of the widows IJM has been helping was staying (she currently has no permanent home). After two years of struggle, in July the courts ordered her deceased husband's family to offer restitution, and this August she will finally return to a home of her own. We wish there were some way to describe her eyes as she told of her gratitude for what God has done through the work of IJM, but the experience is difficult to capture. We can say God has led CPC to some AMAZING partners here and she was a beautiful testimony to the effectiveness of IJM.

We've been having a great trip here and can't wait to tell our stories when we arrive back home!! Hope all is well. Peace out ;D

Day 7 Brighton's new home, Chicken Program, and Feeding Program

July 28th, 2012
By: Leah Anderson
Hello everyone! I would like to start by saying we are superior to the high school group (the group that went before us) because no one...I repeat NO ONE has gotten sick or hurt! So let's keep it that way! Today we started off by visiting Pastor Brighton's new home. So far there are 3 rooms. The living room is really big and spacious. It will also be used for worship in his new neighborhood. There are 2 other rooms that will be bedrooms. Pastor Brighton said that they are still expanding the house so it's going to be huge! We were suppose to help build the house but the 3 rooms were already finished. He said he is excited about owning his own house with his family, his wife and 7 children. After we visited the new home, we went to Pastor Ngoma's feeding program where we saw 250 chickens that last year's high school group from CPC purchased. Pastor Ngoma's goal is to have 3000 chickens for the program. They sell the chicken eggs to make money and once they reach the 18-month point where the chickens don't lay any more eggs, they give the chickens to the schools for them to eat. We also got to go in the chicken coop! Not everybody went in there but we managed to convince Charis to come join us even though she was a little frightened. It was really cool to see the chickens and hear about the churches' hopes for the program. I was one of the people who prayed for Pastor Ngoma's program so that it will grow successfully. We actually had the privilege to visit Pastor Ngoma's feeding program at the school. When we got to the school, the kids were so excited to see us. We served the food to them, which included chicken, veggies, and nshima. One girl gave us her testimony and how she is HIV positive. She gave us pins and rings that represent HIV. One thing she said that stuck out to me was that no one knows that people have HIV on the outside so it shouldn't affect what's on the inside. We later learned that everyone at the feeding program was HIV positive, but like she said, we can't tell by their appearances. It was amazing to see all the kids with smiles on their faces too! As we were leaving, we were in the van when Allison's sunglasses got stolen off her face. A man just reached through the open window and snatched them right off her face. He didn't run away, he acted like nothing had happened. We stopped the car and as soon as we did that, he ran off. Peter, from the Jubilee Center, got out of the van to try to find the guy and get the sunglasses. Unfortunately, we never found him.

This trip has impacted me in so many ways. I love seeing everyone praising the lord and worshiping him. AT the feeding program, a little boy, probably around 10 years old, prayed for everyone and it sounded like he was an older man. The passion they have for God is unbelievable and amazing! When they all sing, they are not afraid to sing as loud as they can. When they pray, it sounds like they are talking to God in person. This trip has gone by so quickly, yet I feel like I've been here for so long. I've met so many amazing and friendly people that I will never forget. 

Day in the Life

Day 6

By Charis Tshihamba

7/26/12

Today we all visited the homes of the families we met on Monday. On the way to the homes, we made a nickname for our driver, Peter. We were talking about how adorable and fluffy, so we decided to call him Fluffy. My dad and I visited the house of Pastor Joseph Banda and his wife, Catherine. He has five children, two of whom we did not meet. We met his son, Joseph, who is sixteen years old. We saw his daughter, Miriam, for the second time. We also met his baby named Enelos. About fifteen minutes after we got to their house, we went to the market to get food to make nsheema. There were billions of flies at the market. As most people know, I am deathly afraid of every bug, so the market was very scary. On the way home from the market, I heard Beyonce playing from two different homes. When we got back to their home, I watched the baby while Catherine killed the live chicken for our meal. Joseph Jr. came home after a day of school. The two dads were talking and somehow, piano playing was the subject of conversation. My dad told Pastor Joseph that I play piano, so Joseph Jr. pulled out a keyboard. Joseph Jr. played a cool catchy tune, then requested that I play something. I hadn’t played much piano in the past month but I still had a song up my sleeve. Unfortunately, about half of the keys did not produce any sound. I sounded like a young child banging on the keys. It was a bit embarrassing, considering I have been playing piano for over ten years. Miriam came home after the keyboard was put away. She took me outside and taught me how to play a few Zambian games. The ball we played with fell in the garbage hole a few times and got wet. That was when I started creeping into the house. I was ready to stop playing with the ball and start eating. After a day in the life of a Zambian, we went back to our hotel. All of the girls played a card game called Nertz. Allison and I were a team. Neither of us was good at the game, but together, we were decent. After playing cards for a while, the power went out. We played outside until the sun went down. After the card game, we all went to our rooms. On the way to dinner, we spotted an enormous spider, so we ran to the eating area. When we were in the eating area, the moms spotted another spider. This was the same kind of spider. Kathy killed it with her shoe. We looked at the spider and it had cheetah print. It is now called the cheetah spider. Dinner concluded the night. We all went to sleep and I was very paranoid, thinking about the cheetah spider.

Day 4 feeding program and clinic visit

Julie Eide "He is able to do far more exceeding abundantly than all we can ask or think" What an overwhelming.....sobering......amazing.......joyfilled......musical.......extraordinary day!!!!! Our day started with a visit to the local health clinic in George (the large community compound we have been working in). They see about 300 patients each day with only two doctors on staff. They handle everything from AIDS and tuberculosis screening/treatment to infant birthing and malaria. The waiting area overflowed with mothers and their sick children. The eyes of the children are the hardest for me to look at as they seem to tell the story of their suffering more than anything. Yet there they were, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers all patiently waiting, believing, hoping for help and health. Leaving the clinic we drove to one of the feeding programs that is located at one of the schools in George. This feeding program serves a healthy meal three times a week to 120 children. We were quickly absorbed in to the activities upon our arrival. Some of the girls were immediately lead off by the children to play futbol with the soccer balls we had brought...others sat before tiny little hands to have their hair braided.....while others just held close, those who wanted to be cuddled and loved. A very dull knife and squawking chicken awaited Karen for its be-headal (not a word I'm pretty sure). Emily followed up with be-headal number two and I followed up with the last chicken to be-head (videos available upon our return for viewing:-) Kathy was whisked away in to the kitchen to pluck the dead chickens that had recently been beheaded by the others.....swept the floor....stirred the shema ( similar to grits) and listened to hearts and stories of the Zambian women who running the feeding program. Megan, with her mothers heart, took the children one by one with the help of some of the other girls, to put a tattoo of a lamb and the words "God loves you" on their arms while she anointed them with with words of blessing and Gods love. After eating we asked the Zambian women if they would sing for us....I can not even begin to describe what it sounds like to hear the Zambian people sing.....it is truly an act of worship for them when they sing.....they sing with their whole selves....totally absorbed in their praise.....the result is breath-taking!!!!! Our next stop was the "market" where we were able to shop for traditional Zambian arts and crafts. The whole bartering gig definitely got mixed reviews from our team. I believe the Tamtes made the best bargains of the day. And finally we ended our day at a local pizza shop where we spent some time sharing stories of our day and our conversations. I will end by telling you what one very soft-spoken young man said to Megan as we were leaving the feeding program. He asked if upon our return we could bring some young boys as well as all these girls. Wishing all who are reading this that they could be here with us in this experience. We miss you!

Day 3 school and Family visits

Day 3 By Emily Eide 7/24/12 Hello Americans, This is Emily Eide reporting to you live from Zambia. Today was a very busy and fun filled day. We started bright and early by visiting Pastor Banda's school which is located at his house. We brought pens, pencils & sharpeners, chalk, composition notebooks and erasers for the children. The school rooms were filled with cheerful and bright children. In each room there were two classes being held in separate sections. We had the privilege of visiting three classes. We got to ask questions like "what do you want to be when they grew up" and they also got to ask us questions like "do you snowsurf". In each classroom we made them sing to us because if it's one thing I enjoy hearing most is their beautiful voices. The kids in each class, especially the kindergardeners were so well behaved and thought that going to school was a privilege. I have learned that if you want to make a Zambian's day, take a picture of them. Our next stop was visiting a school of orphans. We were introduced to a class of preschoolers that greated us screaming "how are you we are fine". While mingling, I met the most adorable three year old orphan, named Hope who had a sad look in her eyes. She had braided hair with beads on the end and soon after taking her picture wouldn't leave my side. Her favorite thing was playing with my long blonde hair. I finally got her to laugh after tickling her and throwing her in the air. Sadly when the time came to leave she started crying and they had to pull her away from me. I wanted to take her home with me! Our last stop for the day had each parent daughter team dropped off at the home of people in the church. My family was a widowed mother head of household who is HIV positive with three kids. My mom spent time with Prista, the mother hearing her story while I went out to the courtyard to play with all the neighbor kids. They taught me how to say "how are you", "I have no money", "clothes", and words they wouldn't tell me their meaning of in Nyanja, one of the languages in Zambia. The kids also taught me how to play netball and a game like dodgeball, we play in the united states. The kids play with a ball made out of a plastic bag filled with styrofoam found on the streets. At the end of our visit my mom made the most heart touching prayer for Prista and for the health of her family. To end the evening we ate at the restaurant called the backpacker. For dinner I ate catapillar. I bet you wish you were here :)!

Day 2 workshop with Zambian families

Day 2 By Allison Tamte 7/23/12 Today, we got the opportunity to spend the day with Zambians. Each couple got a Zambian family to talk with and discuss hopes/dreams for our families. We each got a partner to get to know and connect with. Some common dreams parents had for their kids were for their children to go to college and to always look up to God. Some common dreams kids had for their parents were their parents health and happiness for what they are doing. At lunch, they served us a grit like substance called nshima, chicken, and vegetables. We had to eat the whole meal with our hands and roll the nshima in a ball, dip it in sauce, and pop it in our mouths. After lunch we got to sing popular Zambian songs and popular American songs. After we had a fun time dancing and learning new songs, we heard Julie and johns touching faith stories. Finally, at the end, we got to make a pillow for our partner and write encouraging or inspiroring words on it. We learned how similar we all can be no matter where we are from. What a successful day!