What a day!

So. . .what does a smelly shower, backed up sewage, and more bugs pouring out of the facet than water, all have in common? Trust me, you don't want to know. This has probably been the most challenging day since we arrived in Zambia, for Jason and me anyway. For the kids it's one exciting adventure after another.

The good news is that my most wonderful and talented husband actually fixed the sewer. Wait a minute, I shouldn't use the term "fixed" because that is almost impossible to do here. He bought us more time until the next sewage crisis erupts. But right now, that's good enough for me.

Why the bugs, hundreds of them, started flowing through the shower head and facets when we turned them on, I have not a clue.

We lost power tonight during MMT so we cut it a bit short but it was an awesome class for our children. We are at the point in the curriculum where an overview of the Old Testament was the topic. The kids' eyes really lit up when Jason was covering other points in history that happened at the same time different parts of the Bible were written. History is their favorite subject so it really struck a cord with them.

It's going on 2 am here so I will close for now. You are all so near and dear to our hearts. Thank you for your love, concern, and mostly for your prayers. We appreciate you!

Blessings and joy,
Beckie

Rumor has it. . .

that our electricity service is scheduled for a two-day outage beginning tomorrow which means no internet, running water, (unless you count the rain running off of the roof during a downpour) and of course no refrigeration. This time, we are prepared!

Jason filled 2 liter milk jugs as well as fabric softener and bleach bottles with water and set them inside our very small chest freezer this morning. Once the power goes out, we will immediately transfer the milk to the freezer where it will stay frosty until electricity service is restored. Hey, kind of like camping!

I spent the last few hours answering emails, typing lessons, and printing all of the classwork for the next two days. Tuesday night we will enjoy MTI class with the Matambos by candlelight just like we did last Thursday when the power was out AGAIN. Bridget and Augustine take utility outages in stride. They enjoy MTI so much that a little problem like no lights to see and take notes by is no more than a minor nuisance.

I look forward to getting my camera out tomorrow. Our kids have busied themselves after school by making dolls and houses using material and cardboard scraps. Their creativity never ceases to amaze me. They have created whole families. I'll quit describing their masterpieces here and let you wait for the pictures later in the week.

We have another new student joining us tomorrow morning. This one is Bridget's younger sister. Her education was interrupted when her mother became ill and was hospitalized. Since then she has remained home to care for her mother and do household chores. She desperately wants to learn. Another one of Bridget's siblings is moving back from Lusaka to attend to their mother's needs freeing Prudence to come to school here. According to Augustine and Bridget, Prudence is very excited about learning here with us.

Well, it is now wee hours on Monday morning so I need to close and get some sleep. I will post again later in the week when our power is restored and I have some fun images to share. Until then. . .

Blessings and joy,
Beckie

THE RAINY SEASON

I have always feared the rain. Crazy but true. From my earliest memories, gray clouds and rainy days have made me sad and like most people, I don't like to be sad. I find that I am more tired, less productive, devoid of creativity when clear blue skies give way to cloud blankets and drizzle.

When we moved from the soaked Willamette Valley to the high desert of Central Oregon, almost every morning greeted us with bright blue skies. Our first year as Redmond residents, we received a whopping three inches of precipitation. Jason and I promised each other that we would never take the beauty and near perfect-weather of our new home town for granted.

In researching Zambia, the annual rainy season lasting from October through March or April had me more than a little concerned. Now for those of you unaffected by seasonal changes, this may be nearly impossible to understand. For the rest of us, you know what I'm talking about.

Imagine my pleasant surprise when I discovered that I thoroughly enjoy the rains of Zambia! For one thing, it rarely drizzles. Spectacular thunder and lightning displays usher in most of our downpours. The tin roof capping our home amplifies every drop to the point of drowning out conversations. Seriously! All of us race to the windows, partly to close them keeping the water outside where it belongs, but also to watch the systems cycle through.

At first I thought it was the newness of living in an unfamiliar culture; but soon recognized that it's a culmination of things. The anticipation around town leading up to the rainy season is almost electrifying. People busy themselves by purchasing treated seeds, forming new hoes and shovels out of whatever scrap metal they can find, and talking about when the first rains will fall.

In Zambia, rain means life. Without a healthy dose of it, crops fail, people and animals starve. Heavy downpours clear the air of smoke and ash created by burning garbage while washing the same off trees and bushes revealing the most luscious green shades I think I've ever seen.

The photograph at the top of this post is right up there with my all-time favorites and one that is most certain to refresh fond memories when our season in Zambia is through. It was captured from our front porch area (also known as veranda here). When we think of Africa, we often think of suffering, diseases, and death. But there is also a natural beauty here that is indescribable.

I pray this finds you all enjoying your Saturday. We celebrated a day with electricity, running water, internet. . .you know. . .all of the luxuries. Thank you once again for your encouraging emails and phone call attempts. We are unable to use Skype phone until our internet service provider repairs a problem at their base station. Strangely though, I can receive your voice mails on my computer and I must say, we all enjoy listening to your messages.

Blessings and joy,
Beckie

IT'S A SAD DAY FOR THE MATAMBOS

We knew something was wrong by the way Augustine climbed the stairs. He began by saying that Bridget was too upset to come over with him. What could be wrong? It seemed to take forever to finally discover the reason for their gloom. Naomi decided to go back to the compound to live with her family. Back to a life of hard labor, leaky roofs, little food, and lousy education. For Augustine and Bridget, this was an enormous disappointment.

They love Naomi very much. I was homeschooling her along with my children to get her caught up academically to age level. At fifteen, she barely reads, has little to no comprehension of what she does read, and her math skills are that of an American first grader. Caylie out performs both Farai and Naomi in math and reading. Augustine and Bridget had talked with Naomi's mother about her education and the opportunity available for her to work with our children. At the time, her mother was happy for her daughter.

But a new life means new changes. There is no supervision for kids in the compounds. Although their days involve back-breaking work, they are free to roam and socialize while completing their chores which often leads to life-changing consequences. There are no security walls or watch dogs like we have here. Many children who call the compounds home, wander with others until late at night or early hours of the following morning. Family rules are non-existent.

Any American teenager would find it difficult to make such a drastic transition; but Naomi's decision was rather unexpected because of the harsh conditions she returned to.

I was somewhat surprised that her mother even considered allowing her to live in another family to begin with simply because a fifteen-year old girl adds much needed assistance to a widowed mother of ten. Please do not misunderstand me; I am NOT doubting her mother's love. I do not pretend to relate to a mother so impoverished that feeding and educating her children requires one or more of them be placed in other families. I live a very privileged life and I know it.

I can enjoy homeschooling and watching my children discover the world around them because I am not completely consumed with tasks required to keep them fed, dry, and educated. I hope to never become so narrow minded that I would pass judgment on another mother who does not share the same luxuries.

Adoption is a brand new concept to most African nations and Zambia is no exception. Adoptive parents around the globe have many resources available to help them prepare and understand what their new family member(s) experience as they are moved from one life to another even if that is still in the same country. I devoured books and experiences from parents who had been there done that.

Bridget and Augustine had no such books or training and are therefore taking Naomi's move personally. They are heartbroken over it. They had brought her in as their own daughter. Instead of doing hours of chores, they placed her in our homeschool so that she would have a better education and all of the opportunities that come along with it.

We have seen many families who inherited children from dying or poorer than poor relatives. Most are treated as unpaid servants in their new homes. This wasn't the case for Naomi. But she missed her family and her way of life.

Augustine compares their experience with Naomi to that of our Sierra Leonean children which is hardly fair to her or to them. He sees who Isata, Shauna, Steven, and Sia have become after YEARS of living in our home within our family structure. I tried to explain that our children, particularly Isata grieved for months after joining us but they didn't have birth families living within a forty-minute walk to run home to. Our situation is completely different.

Please join us in praying for encouragement for this family. They are Augustine, Bridget, and Farai. I know they have become dear to many of you, as you have come to know them through my writings. It brings them much comfort to know that you will all be praying for them. Me too!

Blessings and joy,
Beckie

POWER OUTAGES

This is just a real quick note to let you know that within minutes after posting to yesterday's blog, we lost electricity and water. The difference this time was that the whole country of Zambia lost electricity and water. We still don't have water but the power is back and so is the internet, HOORAY!

If you send me an email that I do not respond to within a few days, please try again as chances are high I didn't receive it. I try to answer each and every email.

My cell phone barely works; I've learned not to count on it at all. Our internet is out much of the time which means our Skype calls are not working either. Our son Justin called last night but our conversation ended within a few minutes. UGHHHH!

The good news, as far as water is concerned, is that this is the rainy season. We bought a third rain barrel (approximately 75 gallons each). Jason created a contraption that automatically fills the second barrel from the overflow of the first. We have two barrels; the Matambos have one. During one of Zambia's impressive rain storms both barrels fill within thirty minutes. We are catching rain from the roof so it isn't safe to drink but we can wash clothes and flush toilets with it. After treating it with bleach, we can wash dishes as well.

Anyway, please know that your emails and prayers encourage us more than you can ever imagine. We don't take them for granted. If you do not receive a response within five to seven days, I most likely didn't get your message. Please don't give up! Just send it again.

Blessings and joy,
Beckie

MAKING A DIFFERENCE ONE FAMILY, ONE LEADER AT A TIME

In a previous post, I introduced you to Dainess Chibuye (pictured below with her children), a young mother widowed shortly after the birth of her fifth child. She feeds her children through inadequate earnings received after breaking large rocks gathered by her children into smaller stones with a sledge hammer and selling the pieces as gravel. She attends the Matambo's church and they know her well.

Counter-clockwise from left to right: Kennedy, Dainess (mother), Within (yes it's her real name), Kasongo, and Musonda. Not pictured is oldest child John. December 2007

I knew before moving to Zambia that my most difficult challenge in living here would be feeling overwhelmed by the enormous needs. I was right. The day I went to the compounds with the Matambos to see their church and meet some of the people living in the surrounding area, we drove past hungry children, through raw sewage to reach the church which sits right in the middle of it all; AND this is within a forty-minute walk from our home.

As I toured the church, viewed the termite mound from which the bricks for the church were formed, and met several mothers along with their children, I smiled and chatted; yet inwardly I felt as if grief would crush me to the core. There is no way we can change the suffering of all the impoverished people living in this beautiful country. Yet if we concentrate on possibilities instead of limitations, we will accomplish our part of God's plan in Zambia. No one person or organization can erase the hardships most Zambians live with every day.

Dainess Chibuye, appears to be malnourished. One obvious solution to at least part of Zambia's orphan crisis is to help parents get/stay healthy so that they can raise and care for their own children. This woman's children have already experienced the death of their father. I pray they don't lose their mother as well.

"We" meaning all of those who support our work here, bought 50 kg of mealy meal and a jug of oil purchased at a "bring your own container" bulk oil center for Dainess and her children. Nshima, Zambia's staple food along with vegetables fried in oil, provides much needed calories for the strenuous work required for daily survival. We will continue our monthly support as long as it is needed.

I so wanted to deliver these treasured foods to the family myself but for a number of reasons, knew that it must be Augustine and Bridget who would present the gifts. When the poor of Zambia see a white person, they think "provision." They believe that we are capable of fixing their problems with large sums of money and we just can't nor should we.

I believe that it will take Zambian leaders of families all the way to leaders in government who are willing to believe, trust, and act as though there are solutions other than corruption that can change their lives for the better. Our part is identifying and training such leaders who will put God's ways to the test even when it seems the only path to success is to take advantage of people around them.

Why Augustine and Bridget? Because they are already ministering to the sick and feeding the poor here in Ndola. They and their church leaders have built a church from the ground up and planted the surrounding fields with peanuts and corn. We are only assisting what they already have in place. And our huge garden? We have more corn growing than we could ever eat. Augustine and Bridget will give much of the harvest to widows who will then sell it in the markets. With the money they earn from our garden, they can buy treated seeds (seeds are treated to prevent consumption by termites) and tools for planting their own gardens.

Zambians themselves must see that they are the people best suited for making lasting changes in their compounds and communities. They are smart and resourceful. They are incredibly strong. They know which plants, fruits and mushrooms growing in the wild are safe to eat. They are experts at surviving conditions I can't even imagine living in and they do so every day. I have tremendous admiration and respect for Zambia's people. It is "I" who learn from them instead of the other way around.

We sent Augustine with the boys' camera to get these photos after delivering the mealy meal and oil. The little boy on the left is not one of Dainess's children but the little one behind him is her youngest, Musonda.

Unfortunately, not all of Dainess's children were present when Augustine delivered the food. But for those of you who pray, please pray for each one of them by name: John, Kasongo, Kennedy, Within, and Musonda, the little one peeking from behind the mealie meal.

We are blessed to partner with the some of the most loving, gracious, caring people on the planet. TOGETHER we make a great team. We pray with thanksgiving for each and every one who supports our ministry with prayer, encouraging emails, and/or financial giving. Jason and I are truly humbled by knowing that so many believe in what God is doing through our family here in Zambia. We never take any of you for granted!

Blessings and joy,
Beckie

SHAUNA NICOLE ZAINAB SIBLEY: Our Miracle Daughter

Shauna's 13th birthday was three months ago today, the day we moved into our Zambian home. We had been waiting for what seemed like forever to move from the guest house we shared with eleven other people to a rented home of our own. Recently, I read through my posts of that time and realized that I had completely neglected my daughter's special birthday. We went out to eat the following day, but it just wasn't the same.

When Shauna first arrived at age 10, a tough exterior protected the loving, sensitive little girl within. That tough exterior lasted just a few short weeks. While Shauna is growing up way too fast to suit her Dad and I, we celebrate the beautiful young woman she is becoming and the awesome privilege we are given to guide her into adulthood.

Below Shauna models a new skirt and matching hair band her daddy made for her.





Jason loves to build things. When I told Justin that his dad actually made skirts for all of the girls, he said "did he over engineer them?" I laughed so hard! Justin knows his dad very well. I'm sure these skirts will last many life times!

Blessings and joy,
Beckie

LORD, HOW CAN WE FEED ALL OF THESE CHILDREN?

It is very common for children from either the compounds or the streets to knock on our gate in search of money and/or food. We never give them money as alcoholism is a very real problem here in Ndola and there is no minimum drinking age. Any five-year old can buy and drink beer and they often do.

One day last week, our children looked up from their school books to see a bunch of kids coming into our yard at Augustine's invitation. What made this group different from the others is that there were sixteen kids instead of the usual five or six. It is extremely difficult to see this in my own front yard instead of on television or in magazines. Yet, this is why we are here. It is why we came. And it is why so many people back home continue their faithful support of our ministry.

Not owning a vehicle has changed the way we accomplish our tasks and oddly, opened doors right here in the Northrise area of Ndola. Opportunities to touch lives literally walk through our gate loaded with burdens of all kinds on a daily basis; yet where do we start? The needs are enormous! Which ones do we attend to first?

My personal Bible study has me walking with Jesus through the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Talk about an excellent example of keeping focused in the face of a needy world! I know I've said this before, but I will say it again, the Bible has literally come to life for me in a whole new way since moving to Zambia.

Many Zambians struggle with the very issues that were present in Jesus' day. Life for them is about getting clean water to drink, finding a dry place to sleep, and food to feed their families. Women chat together as they wash clothes, pound vegetables, and shell peanuts. Life for the average person in Zambia is about daily survival.


Augustine supervises the kids as they weed and clean up the yard in exchange for Karate classes. Notice how small these children are compared to him. He is only about 5'4" tall himself. These kids are all tiny for their ages which is a result of malnutrition along with many other variables in their lives. One of the boys is seven years old. The rest are between twelve and fifteen.

I knew these children were all hungry but where was I going to find enough food to fill sixteen empty tummys? We do not keep much on hand as our refrigerator is very small. I had just read about Jesus feeding the 5,000 men and their families with just five loaves of bread and two fish. I prayed with my daughters that God would provide. And He did!

While the kids were busy cleaning the yard, the girls and I looked through our kitchen to see what we could find. We found that we did indeed have enough rice to make a huge pot full but nothing to go with it. About that time our vegetable lady arrived with more vegetables than she ever brought before! The girls and I jumped up and down with excitement knowing that these kids would not leave our home hungry. Rice, vegetables, and soy pieces made a well-balanced lunch. We praised the Lord as we prepared the meal.

We enthusiastically prepared lunch for all sixteen children. It is a great privilege to reach a hurting world; at least the part of it that comes into our lives.

Shauna, our little CEO in training, had everyone organized in no time while I grabbed my camera and caught these images.

Isata said, "Mom, it makes me sad that these children don't know if they will find food to eat during the day." She made sure we got all the spices just right.

My sweet boy studied ant behavior while all of this was going on. No matter what he is doing, he will always stop with a smile if I need something. This afternoon I just wanted his picture. All four of our Sierra Leonean children were tiny and hungry just like these kids when they stepped into new lives on American soil. When I see hungry kids, I see my own little ones before they joined us. They are miracles for sure.

Just look at their adorable smiles! Surely I am a blessed mommy.


I told Augustine that we wanted to feed the children. Even he thought there were too many. After reassuring him that we did indeed have enough food, he read the Bible and prayed with them as we dished up their meal.

I doubt that any of these kids had ever tasted rice before, especially since we added onions, curry, and bouillon cubes. Since we do not have mealie meal for Nshima, rice, vegetables, and soy pieces for protein were the day's menu.

After the meal was ready, we realized that we were short plates and silverware for such a large crowd. Augustine had been saving all of our yogurt containers for several weeks which worked perfectly. Between the forks, large and small spoons, we found enough silverware as well. It didn't take too long to realize that most of the children had never used eating utensils before. They learned quickly!


The containers hold about as much as three or four individual yogurt cups in the States.

The little girl pictured above is no bigger than our granddaughter Caylie. I thought she was about five until I got a better look at her. She is actually eleven years old! I estimate that she wears a child's size 5 clothing. If you look at the group picture posted above, you can see how small she is compared to her friends. And. . .all of them are super small as well!

Did we cure hunger either spiritually or physically for these children? No, and that bothers me more than you can even imagine. So what did we accomplish besides emptying our cupboards? We did what we could for that day. Focusing on what we can't do rather than on what we can will only paralyze us in our steps. The needs are too big for us. We must trust in God's sovereign plan.

Augustine is a natural born leader and all of these kids look up to him. We realize that our outreach to them will happen through the Matambos and leaders like them. Many Zambians look to wealthy countries to change their own. But I am convinced that huge sums of money from the outside is not what is needed here. Godly, moral leadership is. We are discipling Augustine and Bridget several times a week. Strengthening them in their Christian walk will equip them for the enormous task ahead that is most assuredly theirs.

They are exploring the possibility of using their church building as a trade school during the week so that these children and their families can learn skills that will help them provide for their families. It is vitally important that these children find healthy ways to occupy their time. Many do not attend school because they lack uniforms and shoes. Those who manage to meet these requirements still attend school sporadically if at all simply because they do not recognize how education is going to change their lives. They and their parents, if any exist, know that while requirements might be met this term, they may not the next. So why bother at all?

Another hurdle to overcome is learning English. Education is done in English, laws are written in English, all of the stores operate in English. Not knowing Zambia's official language puts people at a terrible disadvantage right here in their own country.


Every day we pray that God will use us to accomplish His plan for the people of Zambia. The true needs here are not what they may seem. For changes to last long term, they must come from Zambian leaders. These children need strong Zambian role models. Outside people and their programs come and go. Raising up leaders full of integrity, moral character, and dedication to worshiping God by serving His people will impact Zambia for generations to come.

Thank you again for partnering with us in this great land. Together, we are making a difference!

Blessings and joy,
Beckie

HOMESCHOOLING IN ZAMBIA

Disclaimer: while I thoroughly enjoy educating my children at home for many reasons, I do not think the same choice is the best one for all parents or all students. It works for us and our children for the very reasons it might have a detrimental effect on other families. So while I speak positively about homeschooling my children, I am not sticking my nose up at those who put theirs in public or private schools. In fact, both of our older children attended public as well as private schools.

That said, what an honor it is to teach a child how to read, calculate numbers, research, and to appreciate other cultures. I never grow weary of hearing, "Hey mom, guess what I discovered!" This year, everything seems to have clicked for all six kids. With so much to explore outside, they often wake up before 5 a.m. to begin their studies giving them all afternoon for outdoor adventures.

Caylie is learning to read. Listening to her sounding out words and asking questions about the stories she reads brings tremendous joy to my heart.

One of the daily assignments is to present five things learned that day to the rest of the family during dinner. All six are learning to choose interesting topics as well as different ways to deliver information so that everyone else might want to explore the topic further.

Living in Zambia has opened a whole new world to our educational experience. Instead of interrupting the school system, we continued with the same curriculum, the same schedule, but in a completely different environment giving new meanings to familiar subjects.

I never hear, "When am I ever going to use this stuff in real life?" Mathematical understanding and quick facts recall benefits us with each trip to town or even when our vegetables are delivered to our home. I spend an average of 20,000 kwacha each day on vegetables. While this sounds like a lot of money, it is only $5. The kids are multiplying and dividing throughout their days as they figure out prices from tomatoes to taxi services. They are motivated to learn.

I snapped a few pictures this past week of the kids doing their school work.

Farai and Naomi are a bit overwhelmed by the amount of studies packed into each day but they are very good sports about it all.

Isata did her presentation on the anatomy of the eye.


Above, Sia helps Caylie with her subtraction problems.

Below, counting beans makes the problems understandable to her. Papa calls Caylie "our little bean counter."

Farai enjoys our animal books.

We are trying to wait patiently for Sharon and Debbie's visit which is less than two months away. Every day the kids pray that their trips to and from Zambia will be safe.

We love you all and miss you gobs and bunches!

Blessings and joy,
Beckie

GARDEN UPDATE

It's hard to believe we moved into our home almost three months ago. As soon as the first rains marked the official end of the dry season, Augustine began preparing our huge garden for planting. Click here for a view of the freshly tilled soil.

The corn has grown so tall, it dwarfs our adventurous children. I hope you all enjoy these pictures as much as enjoyed creating them.

Maize reaching for the sun.

This maize silk was so pretty, I just had to photograph it.

Maize isn't the only thing growing fast. Our baby Sia is now taller than Shauna! She is still the clown of our family keeping us laughing every day.

Does it get any better than this for two adventurous brothers?

Carlin and Steven led Isata and I to their "secret hideout" where all of their exploits are planned.

One last photo. . .the beauty of Zambia is breathtaking. What an awesome privilege it is to live here. Our kids make new discoveries every day. Today they found three chameleons in our yard. I got some pictures of them but will wait for another time to post since it is 1:00 in the morning!

I love you all and miss you tons!

Blessings and joy,
Beckie

SCRUB-A-DUB-DUB

Jason and Carlin decided to "shower" during one of Zambia's infamous down pours after the water in our neighborhood was shut off for four days. Yes, FOUR DAYS WITH NO SHOWER! Oh, and the really "fun" part of it all is that there is never any communication or warning. So when the water is gone, which it often is, we don't know if we should expect it back within an hour or a week.

Even though December is technically a summer month in the southern hemisphere, it can be very cool particularly during heavy rains. Carlin has always wanted to bathe in the rain so he and Jason quickly grabbed their swim trunks, soap, and towels and ran outside. I followed closely behind with my camera.

It looks like showering in the rain is one of those life time must dos that can be safely crossed off of Carlin's list.

Okay, back to my story. We have been without city water for four days. Let your imagination run wild with this one for a minute. There are twelve people living within our fence boundaries including the four Matambas. Imagine not being able to flush the toilet, shower, make rice or Nshima for four days without scrounging for alternative water sources. Thankfully, we are right in the middle of the rainy season so we have collected nature's liquid gold into every bucket, pot, and barrel we could find. Most of the water is used to flush toilets. Our drinking water was safe and sound since we buy it in 5 liter bottles.

Just like most American parents, we taught our children to flush the toilet with every use. I remember feeling the thrill of victory when a newly potty-trained little one flushed the toilet without prompting. Well. . .when you have no water for several days, the rules are forced to bend. Every time someone moves toward the bathroom, we remind them of the no-water mantra:

If it's brown,
flush it down.
If it's yellow,
let it mellow.

I know this is disgusting, but you just have to find the humor in some of these "adventures." Carlin was saying, "well if we still lived in Redmond, we could . . ." I reminded him that if we lived in Redmond, we wouldn't have any of these issues. So the next time you flush your toilet when it's "yellow" or hop in a nice warm shower, or push the button on your dishwashers, imagine how complicated life could become if you couldn't do ANY of those things.

Now that the water is running and toilets are filling again, I can honestly say that we are blessed to experience living in the beautiful country of Zambia. Every day is a new discovery. There are many frustrations for sure, but we thank God for placing us right where we are for such a time as this.

Blessings and joy,
Beckie

NEW BEGINNINGS

I've shared snippets in previous posts about our friends the Matambas whom we have grown especially close to particularly through the four weeks before Christmas when they joined us nightly for Jotham's Journey. Since they live in our back yard, they are in position to watch our family and how we relate to each other.

They are fascinated by adoption. While it is very common for adults to care for the children of deceased relatives as best they can, it is almost unheard of for a family to "adopt" orphans as true sons and daughters, particularly if no biological connection exists. Augustine and Bridget have both talked with Isata, Shauna, Steven, and Sia about what it is like to live in our family. Once they realized that all four children are truly our son and daughters as if they had been born to us, they were ready to add to their family as well.

Bridget's cousin, a mother of ten, was widowed about four years ago and struggles to feed and educate her children with the money she earns from breaking large rocks into gravel. The oldest has gone to live in her mother's village. Another lives with a relative. Augustine came over two days ago with a big smile on his face announcing that he and Bridget have adopted 15 year old Naomi, third daughter of Bridget's cousin. Since they are biologically related, no legal process is necessary.

Isata and Shauna are thrilled to pieces to have another girl close by. Farai spends a lot of time with Steven and Carlin. Now the girls have a new friend as well.

Naomi will start school with us and Farai tomorrow. Zambian schools are closed for summer break until January 7. Since we didn't begin until late October, our children study six days a week except Christmas and New Years days. Farai has been working with us during his break and now Naomi will join us as well.

Augustine and Bridget started checking books out of the little library we managed to bring with us. Jason brought some of his favorite reference materials. This year, our children are learning about cultures around the world through a variety of literature. Zambians to not have the opportunity to learn this way in their government schools. Augustine is like a kid in a candy store as he loves to learn.

Jason began teaching Ministry Training Institute classes last Thursday in our home. He has been a part of MTI at our home church for the past three years. This year I get to join in, (HOORAY!) along with our four oldest children. Augustine and Bridget are so excited about MTI, they requested that we meet three days a week instead of one. We agreed on two, Tuesdays and Thursdays. After each class, they return home, look up the scriptures in their notes, and discuss what they learned with each other.

What an awesome privilege it is to study the Bible so intently with a couple who soak up every second of it. Our own children are thoroughly enjoying MTI as well. They especially enjoy talking with Bridget and Augustine during the days about what they learned and how it applies to daily life.

I snapped this picture before class tonight.

Clockwise from top left: Naomi, Isata, Jason, Shauna, Steven, Augustine, Bridget, and Carlin.

Jason travels to Mufulira beginning this Saturday to teach MTI there once a week for the duration of the course. We had hoped to have a vehicle by now but they are outrageously expensive. Those imported require a hefty duty tax of 70-80% of the vehicle's cost. We had to use most of the money we saved for a van to get into this house. So Jason has worked out a fee agreement with two different taxi drivers who will alternate Saturdays.

I will end this post now while it is still January 1, 2008! It is approaching midnight here and I am beginning to fade fast.

Blessings and joy,
Beckie