Last week, I
went with my friend Tom to his farm, about 30 miles outside of Mansa. The last 4 miles we literally went
off-roading as the dirt road changed to a trail. We arrived to his little grass hut in the
middle of nowhere…I mean nowhere! The bush goes on for hundreds of miles in
every direction. I got a demonstration
in Bee Hive making the Zambian way…out of a certain tree bark, put together
with natural fibers from nearby plants. Amazing!
We then
walked about a mile through the grass and light forest to the closest water
source … a small stream. There, a garden
had been planted. As we walked back
through the shoulder high grass, I saw something move off to the side…a large
Cobra…getting out of our way. I in turn
tried to get out of its way! Mr. Cobra
was about 8 foot long but I did not insist on taking precise measurements! My Zambian buddies just said, “Better than a
Mamba…Cobra’s don’t chase you”. The rest of the walk, my eyes were riveted on
the ground. I guess I can add “Cobra” to
“My List of Animals I Ran Away from in Africa”.
On Sunday,
it’s Church! African Church! If you
count prayer time, Church starts about 8:00am and ends about 1:00pm. My new job is to teach the Bible Study from
9:30 to 10:00. This is essentially the warm up act for the service to
come. You see, in Zambia, you get to
combine church with aerobics. I bring a
sweat towel and water bottle just like at the gym! The choir starts and then the singing gets
going and then the dancing begins. This
goes for a good hour. I admit, it is
joyous and fun! After the work-out, the sermon starts and goes for about 1 ½ to
2 hours. Finish with the offering and announcements (with the ever present
electric piano accompaniment). You
really need a nap afterwards!
Some of you
have asked, what are my living conditions like? OK, primitive by western standards but
remember… I am in the top 1% of the wealthiest people in Africa! It’s just how
you look at it. I have a small 1 bedroom flat attached to the Orphan
Center. I have a kitchen with butane
stove, hot and cold running water, a small frig, and a bathroom with a western
toilet and shower. I have a kitchen table and a small sitting area
attached. The electricity is shut off by
the power company for 2 hours every Tuesday and Saturday from 6 to 8 pm. I have adequate electricity on all other
times except from 6 to 8:30pm when the voltage drops due to the town’s usage
(just not enough power to go around). At those times I just light candles
(wonderful ambiance!). Ten feet from my
front door is the back door of a small restaurant (it seats 4 people). 20 feet next door is Bishop Henry Mumba’s
church. So I live off an alleyway which
connects to an unnamed dirt road. But if you need to find me, just ask anyone
for the “Big White Guy next to Bishop Henry’s Church”, guarantee you will find
me!
It is noisy
here. 4:00am on Monday, Wednesday, and
Friday, prayer meeting…very loud. The roosters also kick in between 4:00 and
5:00am, and the restaurant folks start cooking around 6-7am (this means the
live chickens are killed 5 feet from my front door….that rooster should
beware!). Kids start arriving around
8:30am. It’s noisy, it’s loud, and it’s
life in Mansa!
The market
down the street is a fascinating place! It is shaded from the hot sun by canvas
or burlap and is approximately the size of a football field. The pathways through the market have been
worn down over decades. There is color and oh, the blend of smells! Dried fish sorted by size with the
appropriate number of flies, fruit and vegetables, live chickens and other meat
(you don’t want to know about). You can
buy everything from ladies under garments to spark plugs….no I’m not kidding…one
stand had ladies underwear and spark plugs, that’s all…”Panties and Plugs”.
If you can’t
find what you need at the market, you can try the Shop Rite down the
street. This is as close to a super
market as you can get. You have to time
your visit to coincide with the produce.
There is always some type of shortage. It takes time to get used to the
different labeling. The sizes are metric
and the names on the labels are a bit strange…Biscuits = Cookies, Crush = Concentrated,
Minced Beef = Hamburger. The brand names are strange too…”Eat A Lot” cookies, “Chubby”
Chocolate Bars (you will be when you eat one!).
Along with
teaching and tutoring, I have been profiling the children at the orphan center and
matching their picture and name and history on my lap top. When I interview them, I ask, “Is there
anything that I could pray for?” Without exception all of their prayer requests
are the same, “Pray for my future”, “Pray that I can succeed in life”. They are all wondering if they have a future.
After losing parents to AIDS, being shuffled from relative to relative, being
called “Trash Kids” by the locals, they wonder if they have any worth. If you could spend just 1 minute with these
precious children, you will understand why I am here. You will know that they
are worth more than anything else on this earth. You will, like many of us who
have spent time here, want to do something more.
To learn
more about this Orphan Center and the others operated by Afnet or if you’d like
to get involved in sponsoring these children, go to http://www.afnet.org to learn about the organization and then click
on Afnet Aid or go directly to http://www.afnet.org/index.php/afnet-aid
Blessings to
you all,
Rob