Thursday, September 13, 2007
12 September 2007
I’m sorry for the abrupt end to yesterday’s post. When Jason and Pastor Bonaface returned, I had to leave immediately as a taxi was waiting for us outside. There is much to get use to.
I am writing these journals on my own computer and then putting them on a key card that I borrowed from another guest at this guesthouse. I have to give it back to him Friday as he and his crew are going back home to the U.K.
Life here is both challenging and fun. For example, we just sent the boys out to shower (the shower, toilets, and kitchen are all detached from the building) and they came back in saying the light is out. Jason went to the person who is in charge of that stuff and he said, “Yes, it is dark in the shower room. The light bulb is burned out.” And that was that.
Jason asked him for a light bulb and offered to replace the broken one himself. He replied, “No more light bulbs, they are all gone.”
Jason then scouted around here and found one that we could do without for a few hours while everyone showered. By the way, there are only four lights in this whole sleeping part of this guesthouse. So every one of them is needed.
He replaced the light bulb, flipped the switch and. . .nothing. The switch is broken. Okay, we all still need to bathe. So there is another area with a bathtub. The boys got all ready and. . .no hot water.
The girls mentioned the night before that they got shocked when they showered. Noooooo. . .that can’t be. It must have been static electricity, right? Evidently not. Carlin received a jolt when he tried to take a bath in cold water. Okay, we give up. No bathing tonight!
And yet there is so much about Zambia that we are well suited for. Our children enjoy the adventures. Steven, Carlin, and Caylie are in heaven with all the bugs and lizards. Shauna, who was determined to not like Zambia, has changed her mind. She decided that this is a wonderful place to live after all.
Isata has taken over all the cooking and is doing a marvelous job. She found some chilies growing outside so she sautéed them with onions, added rice and created a delicious new dish. She is quite proud of herself. All of us have decided that when she grows up, we are all going with her to her new house!
Jason and I are looking forward to getting settled in our own house. We hope to look tomorrow. Everything here is done at a very slow pace. So while we plan to look at houses tomorrow, we aren’t counting on it.
Jason and Pastor Bonaface went to Lusaka yesterday to register with the American Embassy and to interview for our three-year missionary visas. He is still recovering from the trip tonight.
Lusaka is four hours away by bus. That is bad enough, but imagine being crammed in so tightly that you can’t even sit back in the seat. Once they arrived in Lusaka, all progress on our visas came to a screeching halt. At five o’clock, it was time to catch the bus and the only thing accomplished was obtaining a cashier’s check for the fees (which was a ridiculous ordeal) and getting a bite to eat.
Once again they boarded the bus and headed north to Ndola. The kids and I waited up until 10:30 p.m. then finally went to bed. We figured something happened to make them stay over in Lusaka for the night.
What really happened is that they broke down in the middle of nowhere without any water to drink on a hot day. Somehow, the driver finally got the bus running again. Jason walked through the door at 11 pm hot, tired, dehydrated and very little to show for it.
He did not have time to go to the American Embassy. We will try to register online.
I don’t want to make this too long and boring so I’ll close for now.
Blessings and joy,
Beckie
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
FINALLY!!!
I have tried since we left Portland to update this blog. There was no time in Washington DC and we were busy with a very sick little boy in Johannesburg, South Africa. Steven vomited most of the way over the Atlantic. Then Carlin started the next morning by vomiting several times, the last was just before we boarded the plane.
There is so much to tell you all that I hate having to cover technical issues. But. . .I want to let you know what is happening with our communication efforts.
At this time, we only have access to extremely slow dial-up internet service. I can't use my laptop because it is set up for wireless which we have not found in all of Ndola, so far. I hope that changes once we can connect at our own house. So that means I probably won't be able to post pictures until I figure something out.
I think I know where "old computer heaven" is--in Zambia! I'm sure all of these are refurbished cast offs. What I am doing is writing daily and then posting to my blog when I can get to the internet. This was the first time it was possible.
For some reason, my Yahoo email is acting up. I can get emails just fine but I can't compose a new one nor can I reply. It's been frustrating to read emails and not have the ability to respond.
Jason and Pastor Bonaface dropped me off here and will be back at any moment.
The cost of transportation here is very high. Here we are in Zambia but we are rather tied to the guest house because it costs too much to transport our family anywhere.
There is so much to tell you all that I hate having to cover technical issues. But. . .I want to let you know what is happening with our communication efforts.
At this time, we only have access to extremely slow dial-up internet service. I can't use my laptop because it is set up for wireless which we have not found in all of Ndola, so far. I hope that changes once we can connect at our own house. So that means I probably won't be able to post pictures until I figure something out.
I think I know where "old computer heaven" is--in Zambia! I'm sure all of these are refurbished cast offs. What I am doing is writing daily and then posting to my blog when I can get to the internet. This was the first time it was possible.
For some reason, my Yahoo email is acting up. I can get emails just fine but I can't compose a new one nor can I reply. It's been frustrating to read emails and not have the ability to respond.
Jason and Pastor Bonaface dropped me off here and will be back at any moment.
The cost of transportation here is very high. Here we are in Zambia but we are rather tied to the guest house because it costs too much to transport our family anywhere.
9 September 2007
Zambia WINS!!!
All around us car horns are honking and people are cheering. Zambia’s soccer team just beat South Africa. There is a 13” TV in the main part of the house where we gathered with the watchman and his friend to watch the big game.
It was fun to hear the Zambian announcer call each play in his wonderful African accent. What a privilege it is to live here! That said, we miss our family and friends in America!
All around us car horns are honking and people are cheering. Zambia’s soccer team just beat South Africa. There is a 13” TV in the main part of the house where we gathered with the watchman and his friend to watch the big game.
It was fun to hear the Zambian announcer call each play in his wonderful African accent. What a privilege it is to live here! That said, we miss our family and friends in America!
8 September 2007
Expenses are surprisingly high here in Zambia. I am glad I brought along my SQUARE FOOT GARDENING book, as it will be necessary to raise as much of our own food as possible.
We purchased a case of bottled water, which we emptied by the end of the first day. It is rather toasty here without air conditioning but we are adjusting. One way we keep cool is by staying hydrated. We are boiling available water and refilling our bottles regularly.
Keeping track of our water bottles and keeping them away from our little neighbor friends is requiring a bit of organization. We don’t mind giving them their own bottles, but we do need to keep them from dipping into ours for sanitation reasons.
We are washing our clothes by hand while staying at this guesthouse. Once we get moved to our own place, washing machines are available. THANK YOU JESUS! Dryers are also available but we will save a bundle by line-drying our laundry.
Rent is also surprisingly high for the conditions of the homes. Jason and Pastor Bonaface looked at rental properties yesterday. The first one was in such bad shape that Jason immediately dismissed it as an option. The second one rents for 3 million kwacha, which is about $750/month. A third home was larger but rented for $1,200/month. We were expecting and hoping for much less.
We really don’t have time to look around for houses, as this guesthouse, though cheaper than others, is ridiculously expensive for our family. It is really a challenge for me to spend this much for the conditions here. We are seriously considering a move to anything that works while we look for a more permanent solution. Living here in this guesthouse for any length of time is just not wise. Even if we rented something for $1,200/month it’s still better than the $2,000 we would spend here for the same amount of time.
The boys are absolutely enthralled with the many lizards here. They hunt much of the day unless they are playing Legos or soccer. We all look forward to our first church service in Zambia tomorrow morning.
We purchased a case of bottled water, which we emptied by the end of the first day. It is rather toasty here without air conditioning but we are adjusting. One way we keep cool is by staying hydrated. We are boiling available water and refilling our bottles regularly.
Keeping track of our water bottles and keeping them away from our little neighbor friends is requiring a bit of organization. We don’t mind giving them their own bottles, but we do need to keep them from dipping into ours for sanitation reasons.
We are washing our clothes by hand while staying at this guesthouse. Once we get moved to our own place, washing machines are available. THANK YOU JESUS! Dryers are also available but we will save a bundle by line-drying our laundry.
Rent is also surprisingly high for the conditions of the homes. Jason and Pastor Bonaface looked at rental properties yesterday. The first one was in such bad shape that Jason immediately dismissed it as an option. The second one rents for 3 million kwacha, which is about $750/month. A third home was larger but rented for $1,200/month. We were expecting and hoping for much less.
We really don’t have time to look around for houses, as this guesthouse, though cheaper than others, is ridiculously expensive for our family. It is really a challenge for me to spend this much for the conditions here. We are seriously considering a move to anything that works while we look for a more permanent solution. Living here in this guesthouse for any length of time is just not wise. Even if we rented something for $1,200/month it’s still better than the $2,000 we would spend here for the same amount of time.
The boys are absolutely enthralled with the many lizards here. They hunt much of the day unless they are playing Legos or soccer. We all look forward to our first church service in Zambia tomorrow morning.
7 September 2007
We have landed in Zambia! Although nothing about the trip has gone as expected, we rejoice in the fact that we arrived safely in Ndola to the very warm welcome of our Zambian friends.
Remember when I told you that my top living priorities are internet service and indoor plumbing? We have NEITHER at the present time. Please pray that God leads us to an affordable place He has prepared for us. We are paying $70/day for a guesthouse that we share with up to six other people. It makes Motel 6 look like a 5 star resort.
The kitchen is detached from the house and so are the toilet and the shower. I am no saint. I finally put my foot down tonight when I went to use the shower and was told not to lock the door because it is virtually impossible to unlock from the inside.
Excuse me, but I refuse to shower in a public place, AT NIGHT, in a small building detached from the main house without the ability to lock the door. I marched back in the house and stated just that. Jason did not fully understand why I felt so strongly about the situation but he came outside and stood by the door while I washed my hair for the first time since leaving Portland.
This is just ONE of many incidents. And yet, I rejoice that we are here in Zambia. I am astonished at what Zambians accomplish with almost no resources. Seriously!
Our first day in Zambia, Caylie ran around looking at everything on the guest house property exclaiming, “I can’t believe we are finally in Zambia!” She loves the activity, the people, and all the new experiences. Her new best friend, five-year old Amanda, lives right here next to the guest house.
Isata, Shauna, and Sia have thoroughly enjoyed Amanda and her siblings. Steven and Carlin introduced 13-year old Warren to the wonders of Legos. Even grown men are mesmerized by them.
The LORD has shown grace to us in many ways and for each one we are enormously grateful. I can’t over-emphasize how comforting it is to know that we are loved and prayed for by so many of you. I pray with all of my heart that God will refresh you as you have refreshed us. We love you all. PLEASE UNDERSTAND that your role as “senders” is just as important, perhaps even more so, than our roles here in Zambia. We will never take your love and support for granted.
Remember when I told you that my top living priorities are internet service and indoor plumbing? We have NEITHER at the present time. Please pray that God leads us to an affordable place He has prepared for us. We are paying $70/day for a guesthouse that we share with up to six other people. It makes Motel 6 look like a 5 star resort.
The kitchen is detached from the house and so are the toilet and the shower. I am no saint. I finally put my foot down tonight when I went to use the shower and was told not to lock the door because it is virtually impossible to unlock from the inside.
Excuse me, but I refuse to shower in a public place, AT NIGHT, in a small building detached from the main house without the ability to lock the door. I marched back in the house and stated just that. Jason did not fully understand why I felt so strongly about the situation but he came outside and stood by the door while I washed my hair for the first time since leaving Portland.
This is just ONE of many incidents. And yet, I rejoice that we are here in Zambia. I am astonished at what Zambians accomplish with almost no resources. Seriously!
Our first day in Zambia, Caylie ran around looking at everything on the guest house property exclaiming, “I can’t believe we are finally in Zambia!” She loves the activity, the people, and all the new experiences. Her new best friend, five-year old Amanda, lives right here next to the guest house.
Isata, Shauna, and Sia have thoroughly enjoyed Amanda and her siblings. Steven and Carlin introduced 13-year old Warren to the wonders of Legos. Even grown men are mesmerized by them.
The LORD has shown grace to us in many ways and for each one we are enormously grateful. I can’t over-emphasize how comforting it is to know that we are loved and prayed for by so many of you. I pray with all of my heart that God will refresh you as you have refreshed us. We love you all. PLEASE UNDERSTAND that your role as “senders” is just as important, perhaps even more so, than our roles here in Zambia. We will never take your love and support for granted.
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