Blessed to be a blessing... and blessed again

Our purpose going to Lusa today was to bless the children…and bless Mama Yoba with about $500 to finish her house, along with 300 meters of wire and a whole lot of window putty (two of the remaining needs). (Click here for that story) But I think every person with us today would agree that we left with more than we came with.

As our three vehicles turned off the tarmac into sloshy mud puddles, bumping along to Mama Yoba's house, I was overwhelmed with excitement about the gifts for Mama Yoba.  But, we decided we would give the gifts to the children first, and then surprise Mama Yoba as we prepared to leave.

When we arrived, 92 children were seated at tables,patiently waiting and separated by age. Regina told me some of the kids arrived as early as 6 a.m. (We arrived at 10.). Several of our friends from the mine came along, including four children.  The kids handed the small packets of candies and toys and noise makers to the community children. The Lusa kids waited patiently until everyone had their gift and I told them to open the goodies. Almost immediately, the whole room broke out with the sound of noise makers.  After a few minutes,Mama Yoba quieted the kids, and then had them sing to our group what has come to be one of our favorite songs.

“Come and see, come and see, come and see what the Lord has done; come and see what the Lord has done…”

handing out the gifts

Moses, son of Jillian - love this family!

Mama Yoba giving necklaces to the kids with our group

Mama Yoba prayed in Thanksgiving, and then I was confused as she brought in a small box.  Inside were several child-size necklaces that she and Regina must have made since I was last there on Thursday.  She then went to each of the children in the group we brought, and with a young Zambian girl, handed out the necklaces and helped the kids put them on. I just wanted to cry.  That woman just amazes me and I think that small act made this one of my best Christmases ever.

As our group prepared to leave, I told Mama Yoba we had a surprise for her.  As we handed her the supplies and the money, I have to say, it was the first time I've seen her speechless (anyone who knows Mama Yoba knows she is never at a loss for words).  She thanked each person in our group and just had a look of shock on her face.  Then Luke and I pulled our TV out of the trunk.  One of our friends at the mine blessed us with a really nice television a few months ago.  Immediately we had decided to pay it forward,so we had told Mama Yoba that we were going to give her our TV – but only when her new house was finished (extra incentive to get it done!).  Today, we took it with us, and I told her that it was because she should have everything she needs to finish her house now. 

Window putty for Mama Yoba's  new house

Now I just have to prepare myself because she’s been saying from the beginning that when her house is finished, we have to go out there and stay up all night praying and blessing the house and celebrating…. 

When Two Worlds Collide

I remember the day well. Luke and I were at Lusa teaching a Bible study and nutrition lesson to members of the community. The rain started coming so violently that our voices couldn't be heard over the pounding on the aluminum roof. So we sat, waiting out the storm. As we yelled to each other occasional thoughts or questions and cooked some pumpkin seeds over a brazier (as we had just taught on their nutritional value), we began to wonder where Mama Yoba was. I walked to the front veranda as lightning struck somewhere nearby, to find her mopping the veranda, catching buckets of rain water, tirelessly working to take advantage of the “free water” – all while singing a song.

I asked her what she was singing and she told me it was a song she learned in grade one at a private school in Lusaka. She went on to tell me that she didn't stay at that school because she was diagnosed with Type I (Juvenile Onset) diabetes at a very young age. Her father didn't think she would live long, so he decided to not “waste money” paying her school fees.

But she’s outlived most of her family, managing her diabetes through diet and the occasional trip to the clinic to have her blood sugar checked - and she still going strong (though her blood pressure shoots up any time she gets stressed).

So she has spent her entire life trying to give others a chance, people who've otherwise been written off as hopeless, useless, “too sick,” “too poor,” and so on. She defied the odds and knows that sometimes those who have to prove themselves in life are the ones who go the farthest. There’s a saying in Zambia that says “those who go alone go fast, but those who go together go far.” She dedicates herself to helping others go far.

Many nights she doesn't sleep, delivering babies in the community, making jewelry to sell to help fund Lusa, or worrying about her family and community members. Lately, she’s been worried about her house caving in while she’s asleep. 

You see, Mama Yoba has been building a new house for more than 20 years.  Many times when she had a bit of money or a stack of bricks ready to use, someone would come and ask for assistance: pastors needing bricks for their homes, friends needing money for medicine or funerals, or even repairs needing done at Lusa that in her mind, were more important than her own house. She’s a firm believer that when a man asks you for your tunic, you give your cloak as well. 

And through all this, you would think the community would absolutely adore her, but on the contrary, many talk about her because of some unfortunate circumstances that happened regarding an outside organization helping at Lusa a few years ago. Many only come to her when they’re in need, and often do so demanding her help. When her husband died, his family came and ransacked her house for her belongings (which is a fairly common occurrence here). She’s even been taken to court for “Satanism” and when the judge ruled that she clearly was not in the wrong and suggested she sue them for defamation, she stood firm on her beliefs and simply “turned the other cheek.”

Mama Yoba and Regina making jewelry
in their current home (taken in 2011) 

Don’t get me wrong – sometimes Mama Yoba is downright stubborn. But overall she is one of the most giving, selfless, strong individuals I know. And we hate the idea that every time it storms, there's a chance her house could collapse.

But her new house is almost done. Luke and I have really encouraged, challenged, donated, and even pushed her to finish this year. Bit by bit, brick by brick, she’s getting there. And when I went last week, she was down to countable needs – a few sheets of glass and putty, wiring, a few pockets of cement….

Enter story number two (I realize this is getting long…). Our involvement with the expat community has often provided great benefit to Mama Yoba and the children and benefactors of Lusa. We often take them carloads of gently used clothing and toys from friends at the mine – bringing such joy and meeting great needs. Our friends are glad to donate to a worthy cause and we’re glad to create a bridge between two very different communities. Rarely, though, do the two worlds actually connect (with the exception of craft markets where Mama Yoba and Regina and I sell the jewelry).

But this Christmas, our friends at the mine wanted to teach their children about giving. This week the kids and their parents got together and put together 100 sachets of candies, pencils and small toys to give to children in the community.  And we knew of no better place to distribute these special gifts than at Lusa. So as the emails have gone out inviting participants to come out to Kimasala on Christmas Eve and I've made the arrangements with Mama Yoba, we asked our friends if they would be willing to help Mama Yoba finish her house. And the response has been amazing. Emails went out beyond our church community and donations are coming from people we've never met. Tomorrow after church we are collecting several hundred dollars worth of kwacha, to present to Mama Yoba, who thinks that we’re coming purely to the benefit of the children.

And I feel like the greatest Christmas blessing for us, aside from the birth of our Savior of course, will be having the opportunity to bless Mama Yoba and Regina, our special friends and amazing examples of generosity and humility, in this awesome way.  

Selling Lusa jewelry at a craft market at the local mine

Merry Christmas everyone!
Click here for the rest of the story

and the inner Cookie Monster comes out...

With Christmas coming quickly upon us, I thought it mostappropriate to start our “Best Recipes of 2012” with cookies.  I make a lot of cookies.  And we eat a lot of cookies.  And thanks to a little secret I'vediscovered, our cookies are fairly guilt free.

Meatball Cookies

Okay, so it’s not that big of a secret.  Basically, butter is crazy expensive here andI don’t much like baking with it anyway, because, frankly, I want to be able toeat a gajillion cookies without feeling too bad about it…. So I use mashedpumpkin.  I’d tried bananas.  I’d tried applesauce.  But things usually turned out kinda funky andI wasn't keeping hubby happy either. J  But pumpkin is amazing.  In pumpkin season I bake several of them,mash them, and then freeze two-cup portions for pie and smaller portions forsubstitution in baking.  And it works –for oil, butter, margarine, shortening – I substitute baked pumpkin 1:1.  Great for cookies, cakes, and breads. Infact, Luke actually prefers some recipes with the pumpkin over the oil. If youuse pumpkin, though, baking times will vary andyour treats will be best if kept refrigerated.

Now that the secret is out, on to the recipes.  Of all the amazing things we've tried thisyear, we've narrowed it down to these top three new cookie recipes.  And let me tell you, we made the peanutbutter chocolate chip ones just last week, and could not keep our hands off ofthem!

(I've noted mypersonal changes in parenthesis)

Peanut ButterChocolate Chip Cookies (courtesy of a Tasteof Home magazine from 1997)

½ cup butter or margarine, softened (use pumpkin!)
½ cup sugar (or Splenda)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup chunky peanut butter
1 egg (or large egg white)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup old-fashioned oats
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used 1/2 cup m&ms my mom sent –becauseapparently that’s all that comes in a single-serving bag anymore, and ½ cupmilk chocolate chips)

Cream butter and sugars, beat in peanut butter, egg andvanilla. Combine flour, oats, baking soda and salt and stir into the creamedmixture. Stir in chocolate chips and drop by rounded tablespoonfuls (I didteaspoons – makes way more!) on an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake at 350 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool 1 minute before moving to a wire rack.

Incredibly addictive…

And number two, which Luke probably wouldn't have put onthis list because he’s not much on meringues, but I absolutely love these (andcan’t make them this time of year because the humidity is crazy intense)….

Double ChocolateCloud Cookies (From a cookbook called “Light Cooking”)

3 egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
¾  cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
½ cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300. Place parchment or silicone baking matson cookie sheets.  In large metal bowl,beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugarand vanilla, beating until stiff peaks hold their shape, sugar is dissolved andmixture is glossy. Sift cocoa over egg white mixture is glossy. Sprinkle cocoaover egg white mixture; gently fold in until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake 20-25 minutes until dry (or turn the oven off at 20 minutes and letthem stay in as long as you like while it cools). Peel the cookie s off thepaper/mats and cool on wire racks.

This recipe calls for a chocolate drizzle glaze on top, buteven being a chocolate lover, I don’t find it necessary.

Meatball Cookies (fromAllrecipes.com)

Don’t be put off by the name! Or the look! These. Are.Amazing.

3 cups all-purpose flour (or 1 ½ white, 1 ½ wheat flour)
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup chopped walnuts (I can’t remember if I skipped this completely or did ½cup peanuts…)
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp allspice (which I don’t have, so I just threw in a bit of ginger, andextra nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon)
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 ½ cups white sugar (or use Splenda for part)
3 eggs (or 2 large egg whites and 1 egg)
½ cup butter, margarine or shortening (or pumpkin!)

Glaze: (this makes A LOT – more than you really need for thecookies – feel free to halve it)
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ cup milk

Preheat oven to 350. Spray cookie sheets with nonstickspray. Cream the fat (or pumpkin!) sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, stir the flour, 2/3 cupcocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.  Add this to butter mixture.  If too sticky, add more flour. If too dry,add a little milk – you want it to be a consistency that allows you to roll itinto ½-1 inch balls.  Add nuts (optional)and mix with hands.  Roll into balls,place on the cookie sheets and bake 10-12 minutes or until cookies arefirm.  Don’t overcook.  Remove from the oven and let rest for a fewmoments.  Remove to wax paper or bakingmats. Combine ingredients for the glaze and when cool, pour a small amount ofglaze over each cookie.

And remarkably, they do look like meatballs, but taste oh somuch better. 

Close runner's up included Rocky Road Cookies, Iced Pumpkin Cookies, and Gingerbread cookies (that tasted fantastic but wouldn't roll worth a darn).

Cooking School

Just to be clear, I'm not pretending to be like Julie in the movie Julie & Julia as I tell you about a little challenge I took this year... Especially because:
A. French cuisine looks kind of gross - other than the desserts, many of the foods in that movie made me want to gag
B. Julie lived in New York, and had access to whatever she wanted for cooking, and
C. I failed to post progress through the year so I probably won't remember most of what we tried and you won't hear the stories of taffy that wouldn't pull or upside down cake that didn't fully cook.

That being said, my New Year's goal for 2012 (yes, I said "goal" - a little less binding and sure to fail than a "resolution"), was to try at least one new recipe every week. Even with trips to Thailand, Ethiopia, and all around Zambia (essentially putting us away from home for 8+ weeks), I can say we tried well more than 52 new recipes this year. Some weeks, that's all I made! Leaning on a stack of cookbooks, the good ol' Internet, and a few fun recipe apps on my phone, I set out to keep hubby well-fed while not making the exact same meals week after week.

Was it challenging? Sometimes. Finding substitutions for ingredients is always an interesting experiment. Unexpected power outages didn't help much either. More than anything though, it is probably one of the few tangible things I could cling to through some rough patches of emotional blah this year. Add to it our weekly "alphabet date nights," themed around a letter of the alphabet, and we've eaten some fun, usually tasty (with a few flops), and creative meals. Luke and I will probably disagree on our favorites, but in the following posts, I'll provide some of the "best recipes of 2012" - at least in our minds.

Dig in!!

(pictured: ratatouille-stuffed pepper halves, a recipe that I wasn't even going to try to feed Luke, but I absolutely loved it!!! )