Our First Week Living as Zambians!

Sunday- The team, and Pete, made a VERY bumpy journey to Kamfinsa Church. WOW. What an amazing church experience! The service started at 9.30am and we didn’t leave the church until 1.30pm- it was 4 solid hours of powerful preaching from Pastor Albert, beautiful harmonious singing, lots of loud prayer and some crazy African dancing. We all loved it! After church we were invited to Pastor Albert’s house for some sweet potato lunch and we began to get to know him and share with him. We are very much looking forward to getting stuck into serving his community and working alongside him in our ministering. Before leaving, we purchased a live chicken from Pastor Albert, which sat with Tim in the boot, oblivious that it was about to become dinner. Pete gladly showed the team how to humanely kill, pluck and gut before Natalie and Jo cooked it as part of their first roast dinner.

Monday- Today Pete continued with a town and ministry orientation. First stop was Lifeline- a Zambian charity which focuses on providing home-based care to families who are affected by AIDS. There, we met with Lene, who we will be working alongside and who will also be providing some of our lectures later in the programme. At Lifeline they have recently finalised a new design for a water pump called a Zoe pump, which is very exciting and could potentially save a lot of lives! Watch this space! From Lifeline, we drove onto St Anthony’s Orphanage where we were greeted by a swarm of smiling children who just wanted to be loved and played with. We also visited the Cerebral Palsy unit and the baby unit. We can already tell we are going to make many friends there and have lots of fun with all the children. From the orphanage, we made a quick visit to the Masala Market-a maze of stalls selling things ranging from fruit to second hand shoes. The girls bought there first lengths of Shetengi material to wear as a proper African skirt! Once you get past the smell, it is an intriguing place and there may even be some possible ministering opportunities there. After a busy morning, we headed back to base for some lunch before heading out down the road to Farm Fresh. Another one of our ministries where we will be helping plant fruit and vegetables which can then be sold to financially aid a schools missions charity.

Tuesday- We said our goodbyes to Pete before he started his long journey back to the UK (Pete thank you so much for all your help and encouragement! “Up there for thinking, down there for dancing..”) With Pete gone, the hard work began- we got stuck in with the workers on the unfinished guest house next door. We started with some painting inside and then moved onto some hardcore manual labour outside, moving cement sand from one pile to another in the warm Zambian sun. We were introduced to Fred- the head builder at MFA- a very typical slow paced smiling Zambian. We were also introduced to Desmond- the head gardener at MFA- a passionate and joyful soul. We are hoping to learn a lot from them both and that they will teach us some language! We experienced our first big Zambian storm in the evening which left us without power so we sat around by candlelight.

Wednesday- Still no power! Jim and Jan are starting to get withdrawal symptoms from their morning caffeine fix! Jo and Jim went to pick up a pig with Pastor Albert this morning- the latest addition to his household. They heard it squealing before they saw it! It sat in the boot with its feet tied together, letting out some interesting smells during the hour long journey home! Meanwhile, Jan, Tim and Natalie continued moving the sand which meant having a lot of drink breaks because the sun was hot and the work was hard! While we were working though, we were able to learn a few Bemba words and phrases. Also pleased to announce the power returned early evening!

Thursday- The whole team was moving the sand today. We got ourselves into a rhythm but it didn’t make the job any less physically demanding! After a morning of flat out shovelling  and scrubbing the car clean of pig mud, we made our way into town to visit the internet café to have some contact with family and friends back home. We came home and had our first Bible study together as a team since arriving in Zambia.

Friday- We all woke up ACHING this morning but had to power through and keep going with the sand. The end was in sight so we worked hard as a team, sweating profusely, until our task was finally over! We then took a rest by helping Desmond plant some grass whilst he taught us some more of the Bemba lingo- we are going to be fluent upon our return! We had another thunderstorm in the afternoon which cut work short so the team had a relaxing evening which ended with a film before bed.

Saturday- We started with our morning run and everyone completed it in under 24 minutes- we are going to try and get it under 18 minutes by the time we leave! After freshening up, we had our first morning at Isubilo where we spent time with the varying aged children- talking with them, playing with them and sharing with them. We even stayed to eat Nshima with them for lunch! Nshima is interesting- a maize meal which resembles mashed potato but is a lot heavier. Hettie, who is one of the main leaders at Isubilo- and has such a big, welcoming heart- invited us to an evening Braai which she was hosting- what a wonderful way to round off and celebrate our first week in Zambia!

  

Sunday 10th Feb

Woken up at 3.30am by our first major thunderstorm in Africa which lasted until around 8.30am (some 5 hours).  Jean Padbury said that it was the worst storm that she could remember! Met Tim on the way up to breakfast who told us that he had been up most of the night looking admiringly at the storm - awesome!!  We went to Christ Church Waterfall, where Natalie spoke brilliantly, on behalf of the team,  thanking everyone who had helped us and for the warm welcome and hospitality we had received.  We said our sad goodbyes with lots of photo taking.  After spending a relaxing afternoon around the pool we went to the evening service where Dorian (the Pastor)  challenged us about our faith and  we said our goodbyes again .

Monday 11th

Our team devotion was again on the theme of Taking steps of Faith, we looked at the story of Joshua and the Israelites crossing the Jordan River.  Today was preparation day for Forest View Primary School for the visit to the Mangrove Swamps in Durban (not Mangoes as one team member kept calling them!).  In the afternoon we visited Waterfall College to have a look around and met the Principal- the team were very eager to see the school as they had worked with the majority of the school during the month.  It was interesting to see the students in their normal environment and meet the teachers again.

Tuesday 12th

Another early start as we were on the road by 6.45am to go to the Mangrove Swamps.  Team had a great time exploring the boardwalk, learning about the Eco system of the Mangroves and the three different types- Red, White and Black. Adam also taught us about the Red Mangrove Swamp Crab  and Fiddler Crab which live in the area. The team led warm up activities for the grade 4's from Forest View School, before the students went with Adam and David to learn about the different parts of the reserve (half to the Mangroves, other half to the estuary, then swapped) and to do some clearing up of the pollution left by humans!  Watching the Red Mangrove crab was fascinating- when a leaf dropped from the tree, crabs from the surrounding holes raced up to fight over it to store back in their hole as food. Dave also caught an enormous crab which intrigued both the students and us!  The day finished on a high with Pancakes made by Natalie and Jo..well it was Shrove Tuesday!

Wednesday 13th-

Left at 7 to go to Alverstone Wildlife Park which was only a short drive away. When the grade 5's from Forest View arrived the team led the day programme with minimum input from Adam, utilising skills gained from previous programmes.  Although they were very eager to take part, it's fair to say they were a little noisier and chaotic  than some of the older students we had previously worked with. Natalie and Jo led a devotion with the 48 students which went well.  The day was very hot and we all suffered from the heat, having to reapply the suncream at every opportunity! In the afternoon Nan (a friend of Jeans) came and gave us a talk on HIV and AIDs in South Africa which was very informative and is sure to serve us well in the upcoming 5 months.

Thursday 14th

Relaxing final day in South Africa. Everyone in the house woke up to a Valentines heart from Natalie. We went for a not so early "jog" as a team seeing as we will be doing them on a much more regular basis in Zambia! After breakfast we had a team devotion, packed our cases (some quicker than others!) before relaxing by the family  pool.  Just before lunch we visited the Tshinga students and said our goodbyes-  they had all made a goodbye collage thanking us for taking them to Injuisthi.  In the evening we said our goodbyes to the Padbury family, with a final meal prepared by the wonderful Jean. We also celebrated our personal achievements, Valentine's day and Meg and Adams last evening at the family home also. Meg and Adam move into their first marital home this weekend and are very excited about having their own place and own space- definitely something to celebrate! The girls decorated the table with origami heart napkins, red table cloth, champagne flutes, Lindt chocolates and candles- very apt for the occasion!

Friday 15th

4.30am depart for airport.  Both flights were on time and we arrived early in Ndola to be met by Peter (last year's team leader) and thankful that all our luggage had arrived safely.  Peter treated us all to an ice cream at Jacaranda Mall, where he explained - in the nicest possible way - that only one of the guest houses was habitable, and our first project would be to help complete the second house.  He then drove us to Mechanics for Africa (MFA in future) where we began to settle in - Tim is sleeping on the couch, and we have nowhere to store clothes at the moment.  They have given us two weeks (African time) for the completion of the second house and for storage furniture to arrive.  Sharonne and Charlie Watt were very welcoming and showed us around the plot of MFA.  Sharonne provided our evening meal and they prayed and anointed the house seeing as we are the first people to stay, sleep and eat in the new houses.

Saturday 16th

Started the day with a jog led by Peter who had prepared the route with Shaun.  After breakfast we visited our first ministry, Isubilo where we met Hettie and Andy Patching.  Isubilo is serving the local community running health projects to support  people who are  suffering  from HIV/AID's and Poverty. They are also working with approx 150 single/double orphans  to help improve their education and life-skills.  We will be helping there every Wednesday afternoon and Saturday morning when in Ndola and hope to bless the children and the leaders there. The onsite medical clinic is already proving an interest to Jo!

Peter took us on orientation of Ndola and we did some food shopping.  After lunch Peter showed us how to erect the tents we will be using when away from Ndola on excursion.  Our challenge is to beat Peter's time of 5 minutes for dismantling and putting tent away..watch this space!  Evening finished off with team time chilling out and watching a DVD.

Prayer points

Thanks for safe arrival

Pray for Charlie and Sharonne Watts (our hosts) and their need for a suitable, safe, working car

Pray for the work at Isubilo and for more volunteers to help with teaching the children.

                               Sunday 3rd - Saturday 9th  Febuary.

A few somersaults and some twisted lines later.....we all survived the sky dive!! It was amazing to climb out on to the wing and have the wind blast your skin clean off your face and then to just let go.. All procedure went out the window (haha) and we were all relieved to see the canopy come flying out, the feeling of peace was remarkable as we slowly floated to the ground and gracefully landed (except Jo who was directed into a bush and slid along on her belly!). In the evening we went to the church to thank God that we had all conquered our fear and trusted in Him.

Monday 4th

Monday was a preparation day for the camp we would be running Tuesday through to Friday. We were busy adding the finishing touches to devotions and buying enough food for ourselves to survive in the wilderness.

Tuesday 5th

We set off at 6am for the long drive to the Draakensberg mountains, more specifically the Injisuthi nature reserve. We spent the rest of the day running activities for the school children from Tshinga Training College (down syndrome and special needs school) including a freezing cold dip in the stream. Throughout the day a very shy autistic boy, who had just started at the school, gradually came out of his shell and started getting to know his new classmates. Being outside really seemed to help him, that is the power of God's creation and the affect it can have on people.

Wednesday 6th

We spent the morning with the Tshinga children until the grade 11 and 12's from Waterfall College arrived. Then it was time for Jo, Tim and Natalie to start their outdoor adventure while Jim and Jan stayed down with the Tshinga children, who went on their own slow walk up Henighan's Pass.   Jo,  Tim and Natalie set off on what should have been a short 4km hike to the caves we were sleeping in, 3 hours later we arrived. This was mainly due to a few 'slow' walkers, who received vast amounts of sympathy from their peers who were 'patiently' waiting behind. Once we eventually arrived at the caves we settled in to our sleeping bags and started cooking our meals, or at least that is what would have happened if Tim had remembered his dinner! Just before bed we climbed up above the cave and spent the most amazing hour star gazing and reading Psalm 8 to the 43 teenagers. The nearest town to Injisuthi is 60km away, so there is no light pollution at all.  Meanwhile back at camp the Tshinga students had survived their walk and cooled off in the river, followed by another game of cricket.  The evening finished off with a Braai, and we had a visit from the Genet (Wild cat)

Thursday 7th

Tim Jo and Natalie's  day began at 2am, then 3am, then 4am. All because we had to be woken every time a student had to go to the toilet (the toilet being a large mountain and a small spade, you can imagine the rest). Jim and Jan had a more leisurely get up with Tshinga Children and sorting out a flat tyre.  Up on the mountain later on in the morning the head boy discovered that two boys had smuggled a bottle of alcohol and some cigarettes in their bags and so they were swiftly sent home. But on a more positive note we then left the caves and traversed down to a beautiful waterfall. All the AQ team were needed to help the youngsters to avoid falling down the sheer drop at one point of the descent. We ate lunch (by now Jim and Jan had hiked up to visit for the day) and then headed back up to the caves to see some ancient bushman cave paintings. Then an optional hike was suggested to the top of the nearest mountain, the 10 guys that went managed the 10km round trip in an impressive 2 hours (including a 25 minute break at the top!).

Friday 7th

Another early start meant it was time to clamber down the mountain to base camp where a huge brunch was prepared for us by David and Jean. A well earned rest was had by all on the long drive home and we were all racing for the shower! Jim and Jan drove into Durban to swap the hire car. Friday evening is our evening off so after dinner we went out for a delicious pudding and chocolate overload!

Saturday 8th

Our final personal challenge was today. It involved swimming with sharks.... without a cage or any protection whatsoever- all we had was wet suits and snorkels. It was amazing to see black tipped and tiger sharks come within feet of us as we flapped around about 2 miles out to sea. They moved so gracefully around the water and were so fast! It was an incredible experience and not one many people can say they have done! Thankfully we all returned home without unscathed from the sharks, however Natalie did get stung by a blue bottle jellyfish.  Sadly today was also the first day we had to take our anti-malarial tablets and we all were physically sick or queasy at some point of the morning!    

This is our last week in South Africa, before we head out to Ndola, Zambia, so please pray for safe travels and easy adaption to Zambian culture. 

                                              Saturday 2nd February - Week 2 

Sunday: Today we did our first Sunday School Lesson. It was hot. It was noisy. It was Awesome! We focussed on the Parable of the Sower, acting out the story with lots of audience participation and dramatic dying seed moments. After another amazing brunch from Jean Padbury we had a well needed chill out before we headed back to the church to lead the evening service. We each shared our testimonies and everyone spoke amazingly well. God was definitely with us, as we were all nervous.

Monday: We spent most of the day preparing for the school programmes in the week to come, all working together as a team to come up with activities (not games!) to do with the teenagers including the David Padbury 'Fast Ball' that Natalie, Tim and Jo will be planning and running the whole programme for Waterfall college on Wednesday, with some well needed help from Adam (David's Son-In-Law). After some flip-flop shopping for Tim the whole family settled down for a competitive game of Pictionary (It's more exciting than it sounds!).

Tuesday: We were back on the beach with 40 18yr old boys from Pinetown School. It was raining but that didn't stop us from having some fun and helping the boys develop some team building skills. It was a completely different dynamic to the guys from the school we worked with last week. We had to do a lot of thinking on our feet and directing the boys away from chatting up 'hotties' on the beach! But all great experience for us. After an early start we didn't arrive back until 3pm, where we unpacked the bucky (truck to you and me) and reloaded it again with equipment we needed for the next school programme tomorrow. Then straight into final planning and running our programme by David for any tweaking needed, then off to a church Bible study group and finally bed. Exhausted!

Wednesday: Another early start for Natalie, Tim and Jo as they went off to do the Waterfall college programme working with yr 9-10 on their own. It all ran smoothly with our activities working well and some great support from Adam. Natalie and Jo began to learn the importance of speaking loudly and clearly with everyone's attention when you have a group of teenagers more interested in chatting than listening to you!

Thursday: A slight lay in, much to the enjoyment of Natalie and Jo. Then it was off to help out with Tshinga College, a small school on the property where we are staying for students with Learning Disabilities ranging from ages 13 - 20.  Here we had such fun playing games, teaching the same parable as we did for Sunday school, planting some seeds and doing gym with them. It was great to see the joy on their faces as they tackled a challenge they thought they couldn't do.

Friday: Today was team day - SAQ TEAM ASSEMBLE! We all headed into Durban City in the hopes or fears of jumping off the top of the stadium on the Durban swing. However the swing was shut and so we ended up going to Usaka, a water park and Marine world. This was a great time for getting to know our team better and learning that Jan is a 'beast' when it comes to waterslides. Nothing fazes her! Jo also conquered her fears by doing a gentle waterslide!! We also got to see penguins, seals, big sharks and amazingly colourful fish (God must have had fun creating all the many different types). Natalie, Jo and Tim also got to live out a dream as we all watched a dolphin show.

Saturday: We woke up early to drive to an airfield near Umbumbulu. We spent 6 hours going through drills and learning the techniques to go down on a solo skydive (Static Line- for those in the know!) "ARCH..LOOK..HANDLES..RIGHT..LEFT..ARCH." We learnt all the lingo for any emergency and became more scared than when we started the day.

Tune in next week to find out who survived the jump on Sunday!!!