I'm sorry it's been so long...

Please ignore the rough-draft look of this particular post because it is indeed a rough draft. We have just been informed that we will be without internet for several hours starting any time. I am sending it through only because it's been way too long since the last one and I know many of you are waiting for an update.

First I want to thank all of my dear, precious family and friends who prayed for me and sent messages and e-cards during my recovery from my second bout of malaria. Knowing that I am loved and adored by some of the most wonderful people on the planet is tremendously encouraging. I expected a faster recovery simply because I caught it quickly this time but that's just not how it works. Still, I am back to all of my usual activities including long morning walks with all of my children which I enjoy thoroughly.

The sewage problem is ongoing; HOWEVER, the flow through our yard stopped after twelve days. As bad as it was at our house, the situation just two doors down (where the blockage is) was even worse. In fact, they had sand bags strategically placed to divert the flow from entering their house. It completely covered their driveway, flowed past their WELL, and into the ditch along the road.

The sewage flow has ceased for now. The supervisor in charge told Jason that it will be another two weeks before the problem is solved. Seriously I don't know how that can happen but who knows! I know that you read over "the supervisor in charge" part above because in the USA, solving problems, particularly those involving raw sewage flowing through residential areas, is just a phone call away. Here, it is almost impossible to even know where to start.

It's amazing how God really does use catastrophes for good when we least expect it. You may remember my telling you all about the knock at the gate shortly after we moved here that brought the shocking news that taxes had not been paid on this house in years. We, yes you read that right, WE had seven days to pay them or everything on the property would be confiscated. It seems that all bills that occur on a property stay with that property when the tenants or even owners move. So it didn't matter that we had just moved in, that our landlord had assured us all taxes, electricity, and water bills were paid, we were in serious debt to the city of Ndola simply because we moved here!

Anyway, some day I will write a book but for now I can sum it all up by saying Jason has met many people at City Hall who have helped without any bribery on our part which is nothing short of miraculous. ***We will not pay bribes no matter how bad things get because we refuse to fuel the corruption that keeps Zambia in poverty.*** So, he called the lady in the property tax department who told him how to contact the person in charge of water and sewage. Not only that, she went with Jason to the man's office. Within 48 hours, the flow through our yard stopped.

Today, Jason saw one of the people who lives on the property with the blockage. She told him that the workers said they had to get the problem fixed because someone (thank you Jason) calls and visits every day to check on their progress.

I need to close this for now because we were just informed that our internet will be interrupted for several hours and I want to be sure I get this update posted before that happens.

I love and appreciate all of you who continue to support us through prayers, letters, messages, and even through Facebook. Your notes of encouragement are absolutely refreshing. Thank you!

Blessings and joy,
Beckie

Family crisis in the States, malaria, and raw sewage...what a week!

and it's only Wednesday! I debated about whether or not to write this post as I know it will not come across as upbeat or encouraging. I like sharing all the good things. They are fun to write about and ohhh so fun to experience. But life isn't all about good or fun times. It is also about pain, loss, disappointment among other not so fun experiences.

Read on for a full explanation of this photo...

Last week, we received word of a family crisis back home. There is nothing like waking up, checking my email, and receiving a message from my always level-headed son like the following: Please call, emergency! I guess the only thing worse is not having reliable phone service with which to make the call. I phoned multiple times, left messages, and received no response. Why you may ask? Because my calls were going straight to voice mail and Justin didn't get my voice mails until TWO DAYS LATER! So when calling didn't work, I came to my trusty computer and emailed, twice. Guess what? The emails didn't show up either!

Finally, our service was restored and his call came through. It was so good to hear his voice and to discover that the crisis did not involve either him or his lovely wife. Yet the news was still horrible.

Of course my adrenaline was racing, heart pounding, and I couldn't sleep. Please don't tell me, "You just need to trust God." I do trust God and believe in His sovereignty. That said, I live in a human body that reacts to terrible news and always has. It's just that now I'm a bit older, okay a lot older, and stress deals a major blow to my immune system. So what happens then?

Malaria. Yep, I started feeling sick within a couple days and by Sunday I knew malaria was attacking me once again. We keep the medication on hand at all times so I began treatment Sunday morning. Even though it was caught early, malaria is extremely painful. Kind of adds insult to injury as my mom use to say.

Now if that weren't enough, Saturday night we noticed an unusually strong odor coming from the boys' room. Jason checked the sewage system and once again, the sewage of five other houses was backed up to our system. He called immediately and was told someone would be out the next morning.

By Sunday morning, raw sewage was running through our yard just like it did last August. It is now Wednesday and the problem is no closer to being resolved. The guys come out around 10 a.m. and go home at 1 p.m. I am not remotely kidding about this.

I snapped the picture above from our front porch in the pouring down rain. What you see in that image is raw sewage in our yard. The stench is terrible. Of all the inconveniences we've experienced during the past year and a half, the sewage issues are by far the worst. So when you add family crisis and malaria to the sights, sounds, and odor of flowing raw sewage...well...this is not a good week for us.

Just so you know, I'm feeling a thousand times better than I did even yesterday so I am on the mend. Thank you to each and every one of you who prayed for me and sent sweet, encouraging messages. Truly, knowing that you are out there, that you love me and my precious family, means so much.

I also want to thank our dear friends and family who are sharing the crisis at home with us. Your love, devotion, and willingness to pray and do all that you can truly means a lot. It is said that you really know who your friends are when you face crises. I believe that to be true. And you know what? We are surrounded by the most devoted, loyal, loving family and friends in the whole wide world. Of course I didn't need a crisis to figure that out. I've always thanked God regularly for the relationships I hold so dear.

I also want you all to know that just because I get discouraged does not mean I have lost faith or hope. Not at all. Even the great people in the Bible went through tough times and found themselves struggling with discouragement. So I will close with one of my favorite scriptures:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heats and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:6-7

Blessings and joy,
Beckie

A "Kodak" Moment

Do you remember the old commercials where a proud mommy snaps a photograph of her child learning to walk and the announcer says something like "this is a Kodak moment"? The whole point of the commercial is to get you to buy film to capture all of those priceless milestones.

Well thankfully, I don't have to buy a boatload of film to capture special events occurring in our family life since we discovered the wonders of digital photography. And it's a good thing because this mommy enjoys many, many priceless moments each day.

The girls and the boys have an agreement. The girls are responsible for cleaning the kitchen and the boys take care of the chicken house. So imagine by sweet surprise when I saw the following:

Steven and Carlin decided to bless their sisters by doing the dishes along with their own chores. But that's not all. Look at the next picture:

Their loving big sister, Shauna, read to them the entire time. Seriously, I LOVE being a mom.

And now comes the picture below. To give a little background, the neighborhood sewage lines backed up again. Jason says, "you know you're in Zambia when you have the sewage number on speed dial." Anyway, he called again when the the workers didn't arrive and the man says, "Go get them. They do not have transport."

I just had to get this shot. Here he is explaining that we don't have transport. Ya gotta love it!

Later in the day we talked about how different our lives will be once we return home. Isata said, "Do you remember how we use to complain about emptying the dishwasher? I will NEVER complain about that again!" We all chuckled.

May God bless you all with "Kodak moments" this week!

Blessings and joy,
Beckie

Around the House

Since my last post was a bit heavy, I thought I'd lighten the mood with some photos illustrating a few of our routines.

We bought a push mower since those with an engine are over $1,000. I can honestly say that our grass is cut using pure Sibley "man" power! Notice the chicken? Yep, we still enjoy them. Each one gives us an egg every day. It costs hardly anything to feed them since they forage for bugs, fruits, grasses of which we have ample supply. Eggs are about twice as expensive here than in Central Oregon. We have eight more hens coming within a week or two which will help our cut protein expenses. But if truth be told, we enjoy the chickens so much, that we want more. Since they earn their keep, why not?

I also want to point out the beautiful greenery. When I left for the States the last day of September, everything was covered in dirt and dust. Most vegetation was dead or dying. Then the rainy season came and washed it all away. The country looks completely different at this time of year. Who would have thought that Beckie Sibley would enjoy RAIN?

Shauna and Sia are hanging sheets and towels to dry. This is part of our back yard.

Above Steven mows the football field. This push mower is much more efficient than the slasher. Most gardeners in our area use a machete like tool to hand slash the grass. While I've seen some of them cover a lot of distance, it is still much slower and not nearly as uniform.

Today was Isata's day in the kitchen. We have five avocado trees in our yard. The largest one is producing the most delicious fruits ever! If you don't believe me, just come on over and taste for yourself. The other four are different varieties that will begin dropping avocados later in the season.

Our mango trees are finished and the guava is on it's way out. It is such a treat to have fresh fruit growing in our own yard. The kids are in heaven.

I included the photo above so that you can see the transmitter responsible for our internet connection. It is the little white square near the top of the pole.

And then there are the gorgeous Zambian skies. During the rainy season, the sky is a beautiful cobalt blue. The clouds are in constant motion. Once the dry season is in full swing, the air is polluted. So, we soak up all the beauty we can during this glorious season.

Thanks to Linda Burwell, I have the DVD she recorded the Thursday night I shared our Zambian adventures with our home church, City Center Church in Redmond, Oregon. Watching it brought back so many warm memories. Thank you to every single person who attended. I was overwhelmed by your love for our family and your interest in our work.

Truly, we are supported by the most loving people ever. God blesses us deeply through our relationships. I love and miss you all more than you can know.

Blessings and joy,
Beckie

Cultural Differences in Money Matters

Sometimes it feels like we take three steps forward then two steps back as we relate with a culture so different than our own particularly when it concerns money management.

A book that I consider required reading for anyone planning to live and work in Africa is African Friends and Money Matters by David Maranz. Although I read it before we left for Zambia, the insights shared within its pages really began to jump out after we found ourselves trying to set up a home and establishing our ministry once we arrived.

Nothing could be more different between American and Zambian cultures than the way money is handled and managed. Some things considered completely ethical in one culture definitely are not in the other.

For instance, in our American mindset, money is set aside for budgeted expenses. A person may have a thousand dollars in his account but knowing it is all allocated to pay bills, will consider himself to have no money to spend. If someone approaches him with a need, no matter how intense, he will not take funds allocated for the budget. And...this is considered being a wise steward of one's finances. In fact, not paying the bills because the money was spent elsewhere, is considered unethical.

Not true here in Zambia. If money is set aside, it will be spent as needs arise. If someone comes wanting money for food and you have money set aside for rent due next week, you are expected to give it to the immediate need and worry about what is due next week at that time. Not giving someone money if you have some set aside for any reason is considered selfish and unethical.

Okay, now imagine these two cultures living together. There are times when both sides consider the other to be mishandling funds due to the very different ways money is managed.

Every time we leave our home, we are asked for money. Several times a month, people will knock on our gate asking for money for various reasons. Since we began looking at buying a car, it is assumed that we have disposable income sitting around so again, we are asked for money, large sums of it in fact. We are constantly asked to give, often by total strangers. If we say no, we are perceived as being selfish and unethical.

On the other hand, when we give money toward a specific cause, we expect it to be used for exactly that and require records and receipts. When we discover that it was not used as allocated, we consider this a misuse of funds and as such, unethical. And we are disappointed.

Please pray for us as we continue to navigate these cultural differences. It can be exhausting dealing with this on a regular basis. Need I say we are feeling weary right now?

Thank you for your continued love for me and my family. No matter what goes on in our daily lives, we know we are treasured by many of you reading my blog. I appreciate you more than you could ever know.

Blessings and joy,
Beckie