On The Toot!

and so Chantal says the South African saying goes, on the toot means to be very busy and on the go which seems to be our everyday from sunup to sundown. but has been such a blessing to stay so busy in such a place!

Sunday we led both sunday school services so we did not get to see either service but as we heard the second service was in complete SiLozi and not translated like last week was super crazy awesome! Everyone had the nicest things to say about it. Jones, the man we helped with the bad leg, came for his first time. We chatted a bit with him and a few others after the services over some provided coffee and tea and even managed to learn some more of the local language. We waited after a while outside of the country lodge (where church is held for now) and heard the guards talking about mukua (so we knew they were talking about us) and waited for Mutinta an Onella, two girls from the youth group we meet with, to walk down. They finally arrived and they took us own to the town hospital through some streets and then to OK2 Restaurant where we sat and chatted a bit. They were having quite a bad day because one of their friends was found in a river in Koama on Friday who they had known since primary school. We ran over to buy some buisuits (cookies with creme) and then arrived back at country lodge just in time to watch Facing the Giants with the young adult homecell. After finding two taxis for the way back to base we stopped to fetch more buiscuits an while hanging out in LInas house, i ended up eating most of them and had quite a tummy ache the next morning. But that turned out to be a few days sickness.

Monday we went to the orphan school and then we were getting ready to start the first weeks of art class with ladies from church. But apparently I looked a little disheveled and Marinette and company suggested I take a nap which I welcomed. Clarissa stayed busy with the art class (which is for ladies of the church with no jobs and very little money) and then we went to the OK restaurant to have our final hang out time with the fellas. They went to Muwawa for most of the day but we all met up to go to eat. We had a lovely time and then loaded Chris and Ivan to Lusaka for their trip home. It was very sad to see them go, they provided much entertainent and great american company. I still didnt feel well so we declined for coffee an went to bed as soon as we arrived back on base at like 22 hours.

Tuesday it was quite weird not waking up the boys for breakfast or hearing them around the camp but I was still sick so I got up with Clarissa then retired back to the tent after Jill gave me some hydrate. Later she checked on me with buscuits, and then a few hours later with some jelly (jello). She was very kind to keep looking after me! It was lovely being looked after so kindly all the way in Zambia! Clarissa CRAZY kept busy ALL day. She ran her two older classes at the orphan school, then lunch all by her lonesome, then we took laundry up to Jess' which mostly she took care of, then went back to do the art classes again, then back up several times to hang up our laundry and put more in then hang up again. We went to jess' and Clarissa and her had veggie burgers loaded with so many things. We sat up with Chantal an chatted with her family for a time making assessmet charts for the next day but I had a bad headache so we retired early again about 22:30.

Wednesday we woke up to go about 30 minutes away to Namushekede orphan school with Chantal. We arrived and there was no teacher and few children so we went to visit the tiny cute market. The school was held in a church builing made of bamboo and straw. The teacher never arrived so Clarissa started assessing the children with Irene the interpreters help. They knew little to no conversational English so i walked around and we mostly just starred at eachother until one started drawing in the sand. So I got down with her an drew letters and pointed for her to do so and soon enough all the other children were gathered writting in the sand copying the letters and numbers i was making then I just said a letter or number and they were draw it. I cant believe I had a whole school day just in the sand. By the time Chantal got back from her meeting the other kids had gotten out from other primary schools around the village and heard there were mukua so they also came to watch. One informed us that the teacher had not been there for the past 3 days so that is why there were so few children an also that the person who makes their porraige had also not been there since the previous Friday. Apart from this upset, this school is a commuity project made so that if all the mukua left the school would not collapse, but we do work along side them to provide some support and manegerial help. We arrived back and prepared for art class again but most of that time I ended up finally connecting on the phone with MY MUM! then caught a ride to the leadership meeting with zander and linda. The power is still out at the community hall so most of the meeting was held by two lantern lights. All of the missionarys who live on the base were invited to the van collers for bry dinner after the meeting of lasangua, boravorst, steakish, and butterrolls (of which i ate quite too much because all I had eated was a few crackers the past days).

Thursday we woke up and im actually still a bit sick but I cant stand just sitting around doing nothing so i went to school and i think the movement actually helped a bit and by lunch I was fuly prepared to gorge myself. I caught a ride with Shontell (ive been spelling it wrong this whole time) to shoprite and picked up some healthy food for me and the woman so we can finally start getting some good stuff in us so we can stay upbeat. While we were there, some other americans came in too and i couldnt help but to stare. We said we were real zambians now cuz we just stopped an watched the new mukuas shop around. haha. Then we helped Jill and the ladies do another art class of making beads out of newspaper an making beautiful paintings on cloth. The profits of these will go to the village of hope orphan community. We are beginning to grow quite fond of seeing them and their children everyday and see them create and laughing when they called us our Lozi names Longuwey and Enungey. Juliet an declan have also joined us to make some art while its here. Then I went uphill and we are going to keep lihannas cats fed and grass watered while she and the others are away in Fuo (i opened my big mouth the Jess and we will be watering her sand grass too, haha). Clarissa finished the bindings for the needed books while i lamenated some more (which we have been doing in our 'spare time' after lunch before art classes for a weeks time). These giant flip books will be heading out to the way out bush where people do not know how to read or even know what a pen is. So they will be left with them and used as the village Bible as of sorts because they are just pictures of different stories of the Bible. We headed to Jess' then to cut some more art stuff that will help the people remember what she has told them because they cant just open up their Bible to remember the stories since they cant read. While clarissa and james finished typing up exams for the pastors at the training center, I watched jess make our supper. Everything it consisted of was something i had never had; maggi noodles (similar to ramaan), sweet chili sauce, pizza herbs, milk and mayo dressing, baby marrow, butternut, and then strong peach juice. They were taking so long so she just kept adding toppings. It was funny of note!

The pastors at the training center are leaving tomorrow for their own villages, most of which are hours away. It will be so quite without them having class and breakfast and lunch and dinner and sleeping all around us. We interviewed each of them in between lamenating and whatever else on tuesday and got to know then quite a bit better. One of them had 7 children and another has 9! They also gave us names, Mbyoti (blessings) for Clarissa and Sepo (hope) for me. They keep asking us when we will come back..

I am very excited to be giving the orphan school children donated beanie hats in the morning because when they come in it is very early and very chilly and they are mostly almost shivering because they have little cover. Also Lihanna gave us the body soap, laundry detergent, and vaseline that we give them at the end of every month. Tomorrow will be like Christmas! It is crazy but these kids are almost taking over my mind. I missed them too much to stay away another day. Tuesay when i didnt show i was heading down to get some water and one of my students was climbing the hill to leave and saw me, came running saying something in Lozi, jumped up for a hug and waved his picture he colored at me, and it pretty much made my day. Then Monday when it was free play time Mukubuta who has difficulty doing most things on task or anything school related that we encourage, like even coloring or counting to 5, came to sit on my lap, and just free drew in my notebook which she always refuses to do. then turned my notebook over and without me saying anything started counting the dots all the way up to 20 which we were sure she couldnt past 8! I was so surprised i yelled for teacher Margret to come and give her some praise. Even though today she wouldnt not listen to anything i asked. ohhh kids. :)

Right now we are busy making 140 invitations for a ladies get together July 4th (be praying that many show up and loving fellowship is had). Later we will be making about 50 mens invitations for the same day with the theme of 'men as heads of the household' with the thought of bringing many in with that but then showing them they most also be servants as well (also be praying many show up and learning is had). Tomorrow we will hopefully finish some namecards we actually havent started yet and clean out and prepare all the tents for the van Collers home church Table View team coming in onn Saturday from Capetown.

yeah.. so... very much so on the toot. but incredible thankful for it!
God is working some crazy things in Western Province!

thanks for the prayers.
love!

Carlie