Big Snakes!

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