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

Growing Pains

Solwezi is growing. By a couple of hundred people every day according to someestimates.  In some places in the world,the streets are apparently lined with gold. In Solwezi, they’re lined with people selling, people walking, peoplesitting, people driving, people biking, people peeing.  And by streets I mean street.  One. Singular.  The same street used bythe large copper mining trucks, buses coming through the country from Lusaka, mini buses, taxis, funeral caravans, and anyone in the entire province who needs to buy groceries at our Shoprite – the only grocery store within two hours drive any direction.  One street, on a sort of ridge between valleys, with every storefront, shack and market along the street, because anyone who visits can easily see that this booming mine city was never intended to be more than a small stop along the main road.

And it’s only going to get bigger.  The Kansanshi copper mine is already one ofthe largest and busiest in the world – and expected to double in size this year, adding the biggest copper smelter to facilitate outputs from several mines in the area.  Currently underway some kilometers out of Solwezi is Trident, a trifecta combining smaller mines into one huge one.  Where there are mines,there are jobs, and where there are jobs, there are people.  “If you build it, they will come” has never been more real. 

Westerns depicting the American Gold Rush would be very fitting for the situation here: promises to make it big and get rich quick are transplanting whole communities and families to the point that we can hardly call this “Kaonde country” anymore.  Traditional values and conservative dress are being replaced with cheap pornography and skinny jeans.  Bars and taverns (or tarvens, as the signs usually say) and swanky guest houses are popping up all over town.  Alcohol consumption and prostitution are increasing simultaneously, especially among transient truck drivers, leaving a devastating number of unwed mothers with STDs.

Where does this leave us? Living a block away from the one real street has its benefits.  For example, stocks run out fairly quickly at Shoprite when there are 50 million transactions a month, but we’ve learned which days the vegetable trucks are unloaded and know that if the eggs are gone today, we can stop by again tomorrow.  The increase in mine activity also means an increase in expatriates, many of whom have become dear friends through a small church fellowship we’ve helped to start.  They are also great contacts for the who, what, how questions in the way things work here.  Additionally, though we’ve spent a lot of time on our Kikaonde, the influx of people from all over the country (and world) means we are able to function almost entirely in English within town.

But there are a lot of downfalls as well.  Be it in a car, on a bike, or walking, the roads are frightening (we’ve found walking to be the safest, though not always the sanest).  When we first visited in 2009, things were so much quieter, and we just thought we’d bicycle everywhere when we moved here long term.  Not a chance.  Additionally, there are regular gas shortages and cars will line up waiting to refuel.  Whereas even 12 months ago we had extremely reliable power and water, the only consistency now is the inconsistency.  We’ve had some weeks in which we’ve lost power every night just around dinner time. The electrical infrastructure of the city can’t handle the load.  This was really the tipping point as we became overwhelmed by stress last month.

On a deeper level, the increase in transplanted families from other tribes is something local Kaonde churches for the most part aren't prepared to handle.  Add to that Jehovah’s witnesses, Muslims, and various “natural healers” and “Chinese medicine practitioners” handing out pamphlets and invitations and this little big town in a nominally Christian country is becoming confused. Especially confusing is the increase in access to Western television, music, Internet and culture.  For years many Zambians have assumed that what is American or European is Christian.  After all, the first “bazungu” (white people) to come to Zambia were missionaries.  We’ve had several conversations with Zambian friends here recently who were convinced that all Americans are Christian, and therefore every music video, fashion trend, televangelist, politician and even Peace Corp worker they are exposed to is also “Christian.”

A few months ago one of our older missionaries who has been here most of her life said, “things are a lot harder than they used to be.”  Yes, there is far more available when it comes to food choices, airlines in and out, technology, etc., but those are all things you can work around and or live without. The quiet life where everything was simple but simple made sense once you learned the system is a thing of the past. 

I’m not sure where I’m going with this, other than to ask that you pray.  Pray for Solwezi, that evil and corruption will have no power, and that the Lord will bring about a revival for His truth.  Pray for the churches here, that they may find innovative and inviting ways to reach out to the increasingly inter-tribal and international community around us.  Pray for the missionaries as we discern what and who to pour our lives into, as we react to the changes around us, and as we seek to maintain a moral standard and serve as an example to our brothers and sisters here.  And please pray for us as we respond to lewd comments and begging, intense foot and vehicle traffic, inconsistent utilities and other “growing pains.”