Luggage and a Nasty Fall

Just wanted to give a little update on the luggage...based on a call to the airport this morning, all the luggage is there, and they said they will have it shipped here Nahumba Mission. We are still waiting to see it, so pray that they find their way here.

Today was another beautiful day....warm and sunny with a nice breeze. Late this morning we all walked into town, and had some lunch together at a little shop in Choma. On the way home,(a 30 minute walk) my Mother tripped on a big rock that was sticking up on the path and fell forward on the dirt path. I was walking in front of her; Brent was beside her. She fell into me and it was quite scary. She broke her fall with her hands, so her hands hurt and she scrapped open her thumb. She also hurt her knee; just a few scrapes on it, but it seems to be getting pretty sore for her. After getting up from the fall, I was supporting her as she stood and she looked a bit pale so I started praying for her. Within seconds I could feel her slithering to the ground as she passed out for a moment. We helped her lay down while Brent ran up ahead to get Dad, Doug, Dar and Matt, who were not aware of what happened. Mindy and I kept talking to her and fortunately she started keeping her eyes open and talked a little. She got the wind knocked out of her. By the time the rest of the gang came back she was doing better, but still quite pale. She kept saying she was ok, and could walk home, but I insisted we call for a taxi. At that moment, a group of people stopped by, and I heard one of them say, "Esther!" Here it was someone who knew my parents and she had the number for a taxi and called right away...thank you Lord! Then a little bit later, another lady came by and it was one of Mother's dear friends whom she had not seen since we had arrived. Mother was so happy to see her! Even though she kept saying she thought she could walk back, there was no way we would let her (I can't fault her too much....sounds like something I would say!) So she and I rode the taxi home while the others walked. She will be ok, but please pray for her knee. She has slept most of the afternoon since we got back, and they whole ordeal wiped her out. On just about every walk we have taken in town, she and I have walked hand in hand. I feel bad that I was not holding her hand this time; we'll make sure she has one of our hands from now on.

Thanks for your prayers. We know the Lord is the Blessed Controller of ALL things.

Resting in Him - Beth

Family Arrives ... but No Luggage!

This morning Given drove my parents to Lusaka,(a 3-4 hour drive) to pick up my brother Doug, his wife Dar, their daughter Mindy and her husband Brent, who are coming for an 18 day visit. They left this morning at 6:00, early enough to do some grocery shopping for the many items that are not availableor are too expensive in Choma. I just received a call from my Dad telling me they arrived safely, but with no luggage. The next flight from Johannesburg is tonight, and they were told their luggage will be shipped here to Nahumba. Please pray that it arrives on Saturday. As much as we want to believe them, things like this here are different than in the states, so please pray all 8 pieces arrive soon. We rejoice that they have arrived safely, and we will share whatever we can with them until their belongings arrive. My niece's husband, Brent, is quite tall, so I don't think Dad's or Matt's pants will fit him, but hopefully it won't be long before we see that luggage. They did pack a spare set of clothing in their carry-on, so that sure will come in handy.

It will be great having them here. I stayed back at Nahumba and will have supper ready for them when they arrive. Emma is working for us today; she baked bread and made a favorite dish of my Dad's...Tonga cabbage. We tend to call everything they make here "Tonga" something...Tonga chicken, Tonga soup, Tonga nshima. It's all very good.

Matthew stayed yet another extra day in Sikalonga, so today the folks from there brought him back, since they had to renew visas and do some shopping in Choma. He had a great time, and met many wonderful people. They played games together, worshipped and worked together, and took a long hike to beautiful waterfalls. Fortunately he had his camera with him, so he has some nice pictures.

Yesterday was a day for Mother and I to remember....now my girly friends will appreciate this, but you men probably will not be able to relate...Did you ever have one of those "failures in the kitchen" days? Well, yesterday was one of those days...our supper just was not turning out the way we anticipated....one flop, some overdone muffins, and veggies that were overcooked...well just as we were trying to figure out how to "redeem" this meal (fortunately this one was just for my parents and me!) - the electricity goes out! Mother and I "lost it". We were laughing so hard -my poor Dad - I think he was ready to ship us both back home! He just shook his head at us, and Mother and I tried not to look at each other much, or we would crack up all over again ....oh laughter is such good food for the soul. :)

Thanks for your prayers - we are all well and feeling stronger every day. We thank the Lord for his continual faithfulness in our lives.

I will keep you posted regarding the luggage.

Thankful for the Cross - Beth

Prayer Request and Making Friends

The last few days I haven't felt the best in my stomach. John and Esther Spurrier were here last night and John, who is a Doctor, mentioned that the doxycycline for malaria shouldn't be taken on an empty stomach...oops! I had been taking it at night on an empty stomach, so I am switching that today. I didn't take any last evening, and the pain in my stomach is gone, but I still feel some blahness and rumbling down there. Hopefully it will pass soon ... thanks for your prayers!

Yesterday a guy named Siggi, that my parents know stopped by here and was going to Sikalonga (an hour away) for the day. He asked if Matthew would like to ride along with him. Matt was eager, cause he really enjoyed his time with Dr. (Dwight) Thomas and some other folks from there - they allpicked us up from the airport. So later in the day I got a radio phone call from Dr. Thomas asking if Matt could stay till Thursday! They wanted him to go along with them on hike to a waterfall, and someone would be coming to Nahumba on Thursday and could bring him back. So, I miss our boy....it's different without him here, but I am sure he is having a great time. He didn't go with any extra clothes, but Dr. Thomas said he would fit in fine - they go for days without changing!

Last night we went to good friends of Mother and Dad's - Moses and Noria. What a sweet couple. Noria is so hospitable. Shortly after arriving, she comes in to greet us carrying 2 rugs that she made. They were gifts to us. Mine said "NICE" , which meant that it is so nice of me to have come to Zambia. Mother's said "FEEL FREE", which meant Mother and Dad should feel free to come again any time! Then she gave me a beautiful chitangi, royal blue with white daisies on it. It is a piece of material that the women here wear; they just wrap it around their waist and tuck it in...I think I will pin mine just to make sure I don't lose it! I love it and will enjoy wearing it. I have been living in my denim jumper so it will be nice to wear something different, and the ladies like when we wear chitangis like them! We had a nice evening - Moses is an evangelist; he used to be the farm manager here at Nahumba when my parents first came, so they know Moses and Noria very well.

Today Mother and I walked up to an older couple who has lived here for over 20 years. With just 2 very small rooms in their home, and a hut outside for their kitchen, their 4 grandsons are living with them. He is the night watchman here for Nahumba. What a precious, humble couple. I took some clothes, socks, soap and lotion to give to them and they were so grateful, so humbled and couldn't find the words to express their appreciation. The day before Mother had ordered some fritters from her, that she makes, and we went to pick them up. When she gave them to us, she would not take anymoney. This was so hard - not to pay for them. She insisted that this is her gift to us. Amazing. Rare. They ask for nothing. They do not understand English, but fortunately their nephew was there and interpreted for us, so we had a wonderful visit, and I prayed before we left. As Mother and I walked home, we talked and cried - so humbled by their contentment in the Lord, their joy and humility. Gives new meaning to the word "rich."

A Story and some Highlights ...

Here is a funny story from our flight here: It was the middle of the night and most people were sleeping. My Dad and Matthew were. As I was sitting there, I heard Mother whisper my name across the aisle, but it was a frantic hushed tone of a whisper...."Hey Beth honey - I just got my glasses out of my purse, but I can't find them anywhere. Can you see if they are on the floor anywhere?" Well, as soon as she said, "I just got my glasses out....", I thought I knew what was coming, but I let her finish :) My hunch was right! So when she finished, I didn't say a thing but just pointed to her eyes. She had a puzzled look on her face, so I pointed to her eyes again! I had to point to her eyes THREE times before she realized what I was doing. Upon "getting it" and reaching up to find her glasses upon her nose, right where they belong, we both laughed so hard (but as quietly as we could since just about everyone else was sleeping!) we were crying! For a while, I couldn't even look at her, or I would have lost it! The look on her face was priceless and we have had a good laugh with that one a few times since!

Last night we were invited to a potluck/bonfire/worship meeting with some other missionaries from other churches here in Choma. It was a great evening and we managed to stay warm around the fire. We were grateful that it wasn't quite as chilly as the previous few nights. We sang songs and choruses that I knew (even some Matt Redman songs!) and heard about some of their experiences reaching out to the people here. It was wonderful worshipping the Lord together with other Christians, in a foreign land. It gives you a whole new perspective of the Gospel being preached to the nations! The ride there was quite an experience! Bumpy roads have taken on a whole new meaning for Matthew and me now. Evidently in the rainy season, it is even more interesting - The huge ditches we went up and down in, would then be filled with water! One of the families there had some boys close to Matthew's age, and they were from Florida, are homeschooled and they immediately become good friends! They would like to have us over to their home, so we are looking forward to that.

So far, we haven't had too many different foods, but we did taste our first "nshima", which is ground corn mashed up. We both ate it, and decided it's "ok", but it sure would not be our choice of food for every meal of the day, which is what most of the people here have. Apples, bananas, peas, cucumbers, carrots and tomatoes are plentiful right now, so we are enjoying them. We went to the butcher in town yesterday (Friday) for chicken and he won't have any till Tuesday. We did buy some nice beef, though. That is more plentiful these days, and actually was rather cheap – about $2.50/lb..now that took some conversions on my part, kwacha to dollars and kg to pounds! Ken would be so much better at figuring out this stuff...yes, I still miss him :)

A final highlight...singing "Jesus Loves Me" and This Little Light of Mine" with 3 litle boys who were outside kicking football. They have a sweet little addition to the chorus of "Jesus Loves Me" that I am so eager to share that with my grandchildren! I want to learn it in Tonga as well, so we'll see how that goes.

If any of you youth campers have stories to tell, Matthew would love to hear from you, so just email them to my daughter Sarah!

Leza amulongezye!
Love, Beth and Matthew

Reflections from week one in Nahumba!

Greetings from Nahmuba! Well, life in Nahumba is quite different than what we are used to, yet we are finding ourselves adjusting quite well. When we first got here, we stayed in a guest house, just a stone's throw away from the main house. The days were very busy with many people coming and going, and we got a taste of what it is like to be the hostess at Nahumba as we saw the many meals that Marian served and we were amazed at her obvious gift of hospitality and her heart for people. Yesterday, Marian left for the states and now we are in the Main House, while my parents take over her job. So now we are settled in to our home for the rest of our stay...with Matthew and I sharing a bedroom (until my dear husband joins us, then Matthew will find himself sleeping on the sofa!) We are doing well, and we have had some good laughs as well as some opportunities to grow in sanctification!

Here are some random thoughts as I reflect upon our first week in Zambia:

- It's a long way from home!
- The people are so kind and friendly.
- Upon walking downtown in Choma (about a 30 minute walk from Nahumba and not a very big town), we didn't get too far, as we kept getting stopped by people who knew my parents and saw them for the first time since we arrived! The other day I think I counted 7! Here you don't just say hi and move on; you converse about their family, their job, their health and life in general. I rather enjoy that!
- The greetings of joy and jubilation in these people as they welcome my parents "back home" :) Some of these greetings have moved me to tears as I see how deeply they love my Father and Mother, and how much it means to my parents to be here again.
- I learned the hard way the importance of a transformer, but all is well, and nothing of value got ruined!
- I will forever be grateful to be able to do every load of wash with clean water. Today we did 6 loads of wash and my Mother informed me that we use the same water for every load...Matthew's dark, dirty clothes won the prize to be the last load! They got relatively clean :)
- No dryer, so every load gets hung out and every day seems to be a perfect day to hang out wash. It was dry in no time at all.
- If I greet the little children in English, they just look at me. If I greet them in Tonga, they always laugh and greet me back. It must sound funny to them to hear this white woman "try" to speak Tonga!
- I am surprised to see so many people have cell phones; a very big development since my parents were here 4 years ago. Evidently it is a very prestigious thing to have.
- The evenings and mornings are very chilly, and I am so glad I brought my flannel pajamas! It warms up outside during the day, but inside remains rather chilly, especially with the concrete floors.
- Given and Emma are dear friends to me already. They are the 2 workers my parents had when they first came over in 1989 for a 3 year stay, and they are still here, and so very helpful and kind.

- Matthew is enjoying working with Given. I think he will learn a lot by watching him work. Given is a very talented, hard-working man who can fix anything...sorta like my son-in-law :)
- A highlight of the church service was the Tonga singing. There were various groups...youth, men, and women. What a beautiful sound they have as they harmonize with no instruments.
- My first experience (and my last!) buying produce from sellers in town on the street was interesting to say the least. Once they saw I was interested in buying bananas, they came from all over, all talking at once, pleading with me to buy their carrots, cucumbers, avocados, tomatoes, peas, onions, etc! From now on, I will choose another way of buying!
- Figuring out and handling the kwacha is interesting; they have no coins, just bills, and it ends up being a lot of bills...not used to that :)
- Although Matthew and I brought many clothing items to give away, already I wish I would have brought more. I have so much more than them, and that is hard to sort through, knowing that the little we will give can only go so far. I am seeing why my Dad has often said, that his experiences here usually don't answer his many questions, but rather, create more unanswered questions.

Well, that is enough for now. Thanks for your prayers. This next week, I hope to engage in some conversations with some of the young girls that live next door, and some of the women that live in Nahumba, now that we are settled in at the house. Please keep my Mother in your prayers as she is fighting a bad cold. And for those who care....Yes, I miss Ken very much
and wil be so eager for his arrival in NINE weeks!

For those at Youth Camp, we are thinking of you and praying for you, and Matthew is missing being there. With being 6 hours ahead of you, we tried to be aware of when it started today. May God meet you all in a significant way. We are eager to hear the reports when it's over!

What a mighty God we serve. I marvel at his mercy and love, and how wonderful it is to share with these Zambians, the same love and mercy from our gracious Savior.

Eager to hear from you - Leza amulongezye (God bless you!)

Arrival!

Mom and Matt have arrived in Nahumba! From what Dad said yesterday, it took awhile and there are lots of adventures to be told (maybe we'll hear some in an upcoming e-mail!). The electricity was down when she called, but she sounded happy to be there.

A Note and Some Facts

Glad you have visited my blog! It is so kind of Sarah to set this up for me, and I look forward to communicating to family and friends through it. With one week to go, I have mixed emotions....much anticipation of this amazing opportunity Matthew and I get to experience with my parents, but at the same time, there is an ache in my heart as the time approaches when I will be separated from Ken for 10 weeks. We are holding each other longer and closer than ever these days and it's quite sweet! I love Ken so much and will miss him terribly! God has been so good to give him to me.

However, I have a wonderful few days ahead to get my mind off the sadness - Hailey, Justin and Ryle will be with us from Tuesday evening until Friday evening, when the whole gang will get together at Ryan and Hollis's for a family gathering. Being with my grandchildren always makes me smile, so I know it will be a fun few days. I am basically packed and ready to go, so now I can enjoy my family for this final week before we fly to Africa. We're also looking forward to celebrating with the Miller family as my nephew, Jeff, gets married this Saturday, so it should be a fun week ahead!

In case you wanted to know, we will depart from Baltimore 9:05 PM Tuesday June 12 and arrive in London 9:25 AM June 13. After a 10 hour lay-over there, we leave London 7:15 PM June 13 and arrive in Lusaka 6:15 AM June 14. I am truly looking forward to stepping out onto African soil and meeting the dear people my parents have loved for so many years!

Zambia:
- the size of Texas
- 11 million people
- English is official language, but there are 36 different languages and 82 ethnic groups
- 2/3 of primary school age children go to school, but only 10% of 1st graders graduate from grade 12
- Life expectancy is 37
- 600,000 orphans out of 4 million children
- one sixth of adults are HIV positive; main cause is unprotected heterosexual activity
- 2/3 of people earn $1 / day; $1390 is the average income per year