Day 2 of Camp

Reminder: This was written on Tuesday 6/28

Today was our first full day of camp!  I woke up a little worried because my vertigo was still there when I stood up.  There were times amongst all of the running and jumping about this morning that I thought I might either a. puke or b. pass out  because I could not stop feeling dizzy.  I literally prayed my way through and God is so good because he was able to deliver me from it all so that I could focus on my kiddos!  I  want to give him the glory even with the small stuff. 


Yesterday was honestly a little akward at times with my kids.  I mean I did run at them like a crazy muzungu (white) lady sweet and gentle woman that I am and hug on all of them as soon as I saw them like they actually knew who I was.  Bless their little hearts. I can only imagine what they thought of me. We did get to know each other and thankfully today was a different story.  They got off of the bus and greeted me like this...

I guess they like this crazy muzungu (white) lady afterall.  Thank goodness!  I was excited to see their little faces smiling back at me.  I knew that today was going to be a good day.

Yesterday I figured out really fast that they love football (soccer).  So today I came prepared.  I have no idea how to play soccer.  I mean don't get me wrong,  I know you are supposed to kick the ball and all but that's a hit or miss literally.  They didn't really care.  I had their hearts at "look what I brought".  Well actually it was more like the sight of the ball considering they don't understand English.  It was my ice breaker.  I know I know- cheap entertainment.  I have no shame in using this tactic to open their little hearts and souls.

A large part of our morning was spent in rotations so we could take official snaps (pictures) of all of the boys, size them for shoes (that they didn't know they were getting) and give them an opportunity to color (an incredible treat).  At first there was a frenzy for the crayons.  Remember, this isn't something they get to do on a regular basis.  This is a REAL treat for them.  It was a blessing to see the joy they had in doing such a simple task.  When they were finished we put their pictures in page protectors to keep them safe from the massive dust that one encounters from the moment they step outdoors.  Word is that they take the picture home and hang it on a nail as a prized posession.

(Ignore the 1/1/2007 dates.  My camera got confused for a moment.)

One of my kiddos named Elias is quite the little lady charmer and he loves to grab my camera and take snaps (pictures).  Some of the pictures you are seeing are his photography skills at work.  He took the following photo while she was taking his photo.  I love that they are feeling comfortable enough that they are showing their little personalities!

One of my favorite parts of each day is when we get to come together and sing praise to the Lord.  There is absolutely nothing like 750 little Zambian kiddos and 100 uncoordinated muzungus acting a fool and rejoicing together! FYI- Elias is the little guy singing to the camera the whole time.

One of the things we have been discussing as Americans is the complete lack of respect and value for women in Zambia.   There is a complete breakdown in the family structure and fathers are neglecting their responsibilities to be men, raise men and show their daughters what real men look like.  Instead they are beating their wives and children, raping young girls, prostituting them out to other men, and getting drunk or flat out just not being around at all.  Since naturally children learn by example this pattern is just repeating over and over.  Doesn't sound all that different from some of the stories I hear in our own country.  Scary thought.  What tiny little thing would have to change in our own country for us to end up like Zambia?  That's hard to chew.

We really focused on teaching the boys that they should honor and respect all women in their lives. We started by breaking cultural boundaries and having the boys serve the girls lunch. The boys didn't eat their lunch until the girls had theirs and during lunch they sat behind the girls in case they needed anything.  Afterwards they cleaned up after the girls.

Disclaimer:  I am a proponent of serving EACH OTHER but keep in mind that we were trying to shock their systems and challenge stigmatisms by being completely counter-cultural.

I have to tell you that there are so many simple things that these children do not know or understand because no one has ever told them or taught them.  So much of the knowledge that we take for granted is something that we are naturally taught along the way by someone somewhere.  This is not the case in Zambia.  No one tells them.  No one told their parents.  And no one told the generations before them.  Forget chivalry being dead.  It never even existed here. 

To my surprise just because of one simple discussion about respecting women and one simple task of having them serve the young girls I came over to our group to find this...

My boys had taken my chintenge out of my backpack and laid it out for me so I wouldn't have to sit on the dirt!  They thought about me and my comfort all because we simply told them that they should care about women.  I'm seeing a chain reaction...

Today was a joy.  Success feels like little ones initiating a hug from you because they are starting to trust you and your smile...even if they still can't understand a word that you are saying. It's only Tuesday and it's already starting to feel like we need each other.  I don't want to think about what Friday is going to feel like.

BLESSING TIME

This is George #2.

He is 8 years old.

When he grows up he wants to be a police officer.

He eats once a day.

He suffers from Malaria.

George is a double orphan and he lives with his Grandma and Uncle. Neither of them have work at the moment and they both beat him.

George lives in a 2 room house with 6 people. He has 2 older siblings that beat him and 1 younger sibling.  He sleeps on a bamboo mat with his Grandma.

George goes to a community school and wants to learn how to read.  He enjoys learning his letters.  He says he has good friends at school to play with.

George is sad that his parents are gone. He is afraid because strange people come in the door of their home.  He has dreams of witch doctors coming and taking him outside to beat him. He says he feels loved by God but isn't sure he is ready to accept Christ.

This is Andrew.

He is 9 years old.

When he grows up he wants to be a soldier.

He eats twice a day.

He lives with his mom and dad.  His dad just got out of jail for stealing.  He drinks and yells at the mother.  Mom does not work but sometimes dad sells tools. His parents pay for him to go to school.

Andrew lives in a 2 room house with 6 people. He is the oldest child and has 3 younger siblings. He sleeps on a sack on the floor with his younger brother.

Andrew goes to a government school and enjoys math. He says he has good friends to play with at school.

Andrew feels sad when he is sent home form school because his fees are not paid.  He is afraid because the witch doctor broke into his home and placed charms around the house.  His mother chased her out.  He has dreams that witches stab him and throw him into the river. He says he is not sure if God can love him.

We had an intense talk in our after dinner meeting tonight.  It literally shattered the earth from beneath my feet.  Stay tuned for details to come...

Day 1 of Camp

This post was written last week so 'last night' was actually last Sunday.  'Today' is actually last Monday. 

Last night I knew exactly what I was going to write today. I was going to give you a full schooling on Zambia-isms. It was going to be fascinating and witty. And then today happened...

Today we woke up on fire and ready to go and then we stood up...hello jetlag. We were determined though and nothing could stop us from our mission. We put on the full armor of God along with our camp shirts and sunscreen.

We knew ahead of time that today would not be a normal first day of camp. Last week the past president of Zambia passed away and today was his funeral which meant respect and national holiday (i.e. be quiet). While we were waiting to get our day of camp started we were blessed with the opportunity to go on a tour of Zambia. I thought I had seen everything when we came back in November but there is always more. We went to various compounds and another community school.

We were walking up to the community school when our eyes locked and I thought, "Isn't Michael Jackson dead?" I bet you weren't expecting me to say that. Apparently MJ is living in Zambia in the flesh.

This was incredibly random but such a ray of light in this dark place. How fortunate I was to meet these boys.

After our tour we rushed to our campsite to see our little ones. I ran to my group and oh how precious those 10 little faces were! These are my 10 boys. They are ages 6-11. I also met my Zambian partners Steve and Victor.

                                       

As I said before today we had to be quiet out of respect and we were actually fortunate to even still have camp. From the moment I saw their faces and for the rest of the day I had a flood of mixed emotions.

Why was I born in America with privilege and they were born into devastation?

Why are my children sleeping peacefully in their comfy beds while they sleep on sacks on the dirt floor with nightmares about witch doctors?

I thought we were all God's children. Does he love me more than them?

Will anything I say or do be able to give them hope in such a place of anguish?

In some ways I started out feeling a bit detached. Everything here seems so surreal eventhough this isn't my first rodeo. I feel a certain distance when I drive past them to rubberneck and take pictures. I feel sadness in my soul but it still feels like I am watching it on television. Yes, even when I hug them and touch them. When we arrived at the campsite it all collapsed in on me. You can't feel distant when there are 750 little eyes clearly in despair looking back at you. There is no denying the daunting task at hand.

After our prayer and worship time we went outside to get aquainted with each other. It turns out I have a rowdy group of little boys. They are busy, busy, busy! I am excited about their energy because the alternative is that they just sit and stare at me and I would have to pull everything out of them all week long. Rowdy children in Zambia can actually be considered a good thing because it means they are healthy.

Since we had a short day I only had time to pull 2 of them aside for "blessing time" (one-on-one time). Each day I want to share with you what they share with me so you can be in prayer for them. Yes, your prayers do travel across the ocean and they make a world of difference. Miracles happen here. We think that miracles are rare because we are so busy with our daily tasks that we fail to recognize them in our daily lives. There is no missing miracles here. God wraps you up in them every single chance He gets!

This is Gift.

He is 6yrs. old.

When he grows up he wants to be in the military.

He eats once a day.

He lives with his mom and dad.  His dad leaves to go work in the village (bush) frequently.  His father gives all of his money to the grandmother and does not provide for his children. Mom sells at market so she can provide food and schooling.  When his dad is home he beats mom.  Gift says he hates his father. 

Gift lives in a 2 room house with 5 people.  He has 4 older siblings that live with friends because there is not enough room or money to provide for them.  Gift says this is a good thing because they used to beat him. Gift has 2 younger siblings at home.  He sleeps on wood with his younger brother.

Gift goes to a community school just like the one pictured above.  He enjoys Social Development Studies.  He says he has good friends to play with.

Gift is afraid of dogs and witch doctors.  He has dreams that witches are flogging him and he wakes up with pain.  He says he feels loved by God but is not sure he is ready to accept Christ.

This is George.

He is 7 yrs. old.

When he grows up he wants to be a police officer.

He eats once a day.

He lives with his mother who beats him.  His father lives at a farm. His father brings food when he can. He loves his father and misses him.  His mother sells cigarettes to help. His older sister pays for him to go to school.

George lives in a 2 room house with 9 people.  He has 3 younger siblings and 4 older siblings. He sleeps on a bamboo mat on the floor.

He goes to a community school.  He enjoys math but would like prayers that he learns to read.  He says that he has good friends to play with.

George is afraid of snakes.  He has dreams about witches.  He feels sad when others are unkind to him and threaten him.  He says that he feels loved by God but isn't sure he is ready to accept Christ.

Postponing my posts

I have so many stories to tell.  They are typed up and ready to be read.  Unfortunately, it takes forever and a day to upload one photo to Blogger through my connection here in Zambia.  I have to buy internet by the hour so I can't exactly wait 30min. to upload one photo.  I can't wait to tell you all of the amazing things that have been happening!  In the mean time I will have to postpone until I get back...

In His Name,
Auntie Amba
Teacher Am-Be

Zambia Day 2 and 3

Day 2

We are in Zambia!  Finally!  If you read the last post you know that I was wandering around Heathrow airport all by my lonesome and patting myself on my back for being such a big girl.  I even managed to get to my gate by myself and believe me this was no easy task.  It involved going across the airport, down some escalators, onto an underground shuttle and then to the correct gate.  I did what they would do in Oz and "followed the yellow brick road".  Okay, okay, so it was more like yellow signs.  You get the point. 

Once I arrived at the gate I realized I was the first one there.  Those of you who know me have your mouths hanging open right now because you are in amazement that I made it anywhere on time.  Please close them so others will stop staring at you.  Thank you. 

As others began to approach the waiting area I tried one last time to locate neon orange bag tags or green rubber bracelets for some sign of other Camp Life'ers.  Success!  Apparently, we were all wondering where everyone was all day and DFW was so busy that no one found each other.  We ended up being a huge group!  Needless to say the flight into Zambia was a bit more chatty as we all got to know each other.

We arrived in Zambia Saturday morning and we were greeted by our Family Legacy staffers.  It was great to see some familiar faces.  The rest of Saturday was spent resting and having meetings to prepare us for the week ahead.

Day 3

We woke up early for church of course!  We had a great sermon given by Pastor Teddy.  The sermon struck a cord with all of us because he kept asking over and over, "WHO IS YOUR GOD?"  He used the scripture Matthew 6: 25-34.  I must confess that this is the passage I struggle with the most in life. I am a Worry Wart and a Control Freak! He placed special emphasis on verse 33, "But seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." He reminded us that the first thing we think of in the morning is usually the thing that we serve.  Did you think about breakfast?  Did you think about clothes?  Did you think about your beautiful children?  All of these things, even the last one, should not be the first thing we think about when we awake.  We should begin and end our day with the Lord.  I am 100% guilty of not doing this 100% of the time.  I consider myself to have a close relationship with the Lord but most of the time the hustle and bustle takes over and God gets penciled in where I can fit him or when I remember (eek!  That was hard to admit!). 2 of the volunteers that came with us were convicted and saved in that sermon!  They thought they were coming for kids they didn't realize God was bringing them over to his turf.

This afternoon we met our Zambian partners and learned about our groups that we will have tomorrow.  I will have a group of boys ages 6-9.  I am very excited and can't wait to meet them!

Prayer requests:

Please pray for the 10 boys that I will have this week.  Pray that they open their hearts so Jesus can walk in.
Please pray for my Vertigo!  This is the weirdest thing I have ever felt and it is not fun!  I don't want anything to disteract me from the work that God has called me to do!

I have to rush back to my villa now because there are lots of PB & J sandwiches to be made!

With Love,
Am-Be (Zambians can't pronounce r's very well so this is my Zambian name for the week .)

All by my lonesome

I have arrived in London and I must say they are having glorious weather! Too bad I won't be leaving the airport to enjoy it because I am all by my lonesome :( . I did manage to find more Camp Life'ers but not until we were going through the security checks here in Heathrow.

Somehow I managed to find my way around DFW, the airplane and Heathrow all by my self. This could have gone wrong especially because I can't find my way out of a paper sack. Let's all clap for Amber being a big girl! Now we all just need to pray that I find my next departure and make it there on time. In life I generally don't make it anywhere on time but these time changes really confuse me to make matters worse.

You should hear me talking in my head to God. I keep telling Him that I know I am not supposed to follow people but instead I should trust Him to guide me. So basically I am counting on Him to get me where I need to go. I always end our conversation by reminding Him that it is very unbecoming of a grown woman to sit on the floor and cry in the middle of an airport because she is lost. He responded by telling me to put on my big girl undies and deal. So, then I told Him that was rude and that sounds like something JB would say. Being the witty guy He is He reminded me that He made man in his image. I responded by telling him that it was okay because we all make mistakes. Good thing there isn't any lightening around.

I can't wait to get to Zambia so I can meet my kiddos and see what God has instore! Have I mentioned that it is winter right now in Zambia? I am excited to be out of the Texas heat for 10 days! I am going to try my best to blog while I am there but I make no promises due to the scarcity of their internet connection.

 

UPDATE:

I did manage to check off everything on my checklist before I left except one thing. Wanna guess what that was? Ding ding ding! You got it...LAUNDRY! Due to my illness I LOATHE LAUNDRY aka ILL I had a flare up so I had to stop before I required medical attention. I was able to get it all washed but hanging it all up is a different story. I am sure it will be wating for me when I get home.

I hope everyone has a great weekend because I sure will!

All by my lonesome

I have arrived in London and I must say they are having glorious weather!  Too bad I won't be leaving the airport to enjoy it because I am all by my lonesome :( .  I did manage to find more Camp Life'ers but not until we were going through the security checks here in Heathrow. 

Somehow I managed to find my way around DFW, the airplane and Heathrow all by my self.  This could have gone wrong especially because I can't find my way out of a paper sack.  Let's all clap for Amber being a big girl!  Now we all just need to pray that I find my next departure and make it there on time.  In life I generally don't make it anywhere on time but these time changes really confuse me to make matters worse.

You should hear me talking in my head to God.  I keep telling Him that I know I am not supposed to follow people but instead I should trust Him to guide me.  So basically I am counting on Him to get me where I need to go.  I always end our conversation by reminding Him that it is very unbecoming of a grown woman to sit on the floor and cry in the middle of an airport because she is lost. He responded by telling me to put on my big girl undies and deal.  So, then I told Him that was rude and that sounds like something JB would say. Being the witty guy He is He reminded me that He made man in his image. I responded by telling him that it was okay because we all make mistakes. Good thing there isn't any lightening around.

I can't wait to get to Zambia so I can meet my kiddos and see what God has instore! Have I mentioned that it is winter right now in Zambia?  I am excited to be out of the Texas heat for 10 days!  I am going to try my best to blog while I am there but I make no promises due to the scarcity of their internet connection.

UPDATE:

I did manage to check off everything on my checklist before I left except one thing.  Wanna guess what that was? Ding ding ding! You got it...LAUNDRY! Due to my illness I LOATHE LAUNDRY aka ILL I had a flare up so I had to stop before I required medical attention. I was able to get it all washed but hanging it all up is a different story.  I am sure it will be wating for me when I get home. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend because I sure will!

Scattered

First and foremost I want to thank everyone who supported me on my upcoming trip to Zambia.  Your thoughts, prayers, actions, words of encouragement, and hugs have meant the world to me.  The Lord has shown me his face through each and everyone of you.  I am officially on the countdown clock with 4 days to go!

Yesterday I had a show and a wedding, today was Father's Day (Happy Dad's Day BTW), the next 3 days I will have training for school, and then I leave to go back to Zambia on Thursday so that means I AM SCATTERED!  My brain that is.  I am blogging today and hoping to continue in the coming days and while on my trip but let's be real...who knows what I will actually get done.  So bare with me.

At the moment I am

ALL

                  OVER

                                        THE

                                                          PLACE!

I am trying to focus, have peace, and prepare for my trip but my head is swirling.  I started doing the laundry and then remembered I needed to write a To-Do List.  So, I began writing my list only to realize I never finished putting the laundry in the washer and forgot to close the lid.  Needless to say I just added those 2 things to my To-Do List. I wish I could tell you this was the only time I have done this but alas I must confess I am extremely ADHD which works great for my chosen career path but not so much for my chores.

So far I have managed to complete 3 things on my list- blog, start laundry, and write the list. Only 199 more things to do before Thursday.

Have I mentioned I am currently doing laundry?  Did I tell you I have a disease called "ILL"?  That stands for "I Loathe Laundry".  It's real. Trust me.  I hear many people suffer from this disease to which we have yet to find a cure.  Maybe I will raise money to find a cure.  Kidding. Kinda.  I actually know a few people who suffer from the opposit illness which oddly has the same initials "ILL" AKA "I Like Laundry".  From what I understand these people actually get some sort of euphoria from doing the laundry.  I think the practice should be outlawed before it causes some serious brain damage.  I think those people are weird.  Sorry if you suffer from "I Like Laundry".  I think you are a weirdo.  But who cares what I think?

I just wrote about laundry.  SERIOUSLY?  I told you I am SCATTERED!  Trying my best to get it together.  Basically the point of my blog today was to ask YOU to pray for ME over the next few days to get it together so I can be prepared mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually for my time in Zambia. Pray. Please pray.  I need it.

Stay tuned... (There's no telling what will happen in the coming days.  Our laundry conversation was pretty deep and challenging.)

Paid In Full...AGAIN!

I am speechless, ecstatic, overjoyed, amazed, grateful, and humbled!  

My trip back to Zambia is now paid in full...AGAIN! Thank you to each and everyone of you who donated and/or prayed for me.  I could not have done it without your support.  I was so worried about raising the funds this time around since I just had to raise funds 6 months ago, it is tax season, and all of the world catastrophes that are so in need right now.  We were really getting down to the wire when I started feeling worried and discouraged. 

I had actually started turning down money because I didn't want to take it if I wasn't going to be able to go. I wanted to put it all on our credit card and just worry about the details later but given the fact that we are trying to get out of debt I just couldn't reside myself to believing that was what God wanted.  I finally just prayed that if it wasn't in God's will I was okay with that but that I needed clarity so I could be confident in my decision.  I was really worried about letting down those who had already donated.  

I was a phone call away from canceling my trip when Grandma encouraged me to send out one last email explaining the situation just in case everyone didn't read through the newsletter (which I am so guilty of) or forgot.  Taking in her wisdom I sent out the email, threw my hands up and said, "Okay God. It's yours.  Whatever your will is I will be okay. " In 2 days the money tripled and kept coming in.  Some generous souls even called me over to pick up their spare change that ended up being over $500!!! Brings a new meaning to "Every penny counts!" Well, there was my clarity! How could I deny that?   God is so good and so amazing!  

We ended up still being a little short (about $1100) but I had my clarity so we decided to bite the bullet and put up the rest.  I knew I would have to work it off but that would be a small price to pay.  

Little did I know what God had in store...On Sunday after church another generous soul who I barely knew came up and asked how much I was short.  I told her and she proceeded to ask for a pen.  She then wrote me a check for the amount! When I saw what it said I boo-hooed like a baby, hugged her neck, asked if she was sure, and thanked her over and over!  She said God had laid it on her heart and I just couldn't believe it!  I am FOREVER GRATEFUL! 

God has his way and his time but silly me for doubting him for one second.  It was never that I thought He couldn't do it.  I just wasn't sure it was in His plans this time around.  I mean, sometimes even when we want to do good things God has different plans. I L-O-V-E when He reveals His plans!

Please continue to pray for me as I prepare mentally, emotionally and spiritually for my trip.  I will leave June 23rd.  Oh, and pray for JB as he gets to spend another 10 days with our precious little ones.  My pride wants me to say that it was so rough on JB and he bowed at my feet when I came home last time...but truthfully he is just as good a dad as I am a mom and he figured it all out just fine.  He even...hold your breath...cleaned the whole house and then some! Go ahead and say some more prayers for him this time around just in case the kids decide to tie him up or swing from the ceiling fans :).

Speaking of the kids...

I am not hiding them from you.  I promise.  JT broke my first camera, then I broke the 2nd one in Africa, and now our computer is fried thanks to the tornado that blew through Monday morning.  I have lots of them to share with you.  JT is getting super smart and Kate is actually growing an inch or 2!

Speaking of Tornado...

Don't worry we are all okay.  We had quite a bit of damage to the house, backyard and roof.  Not good considering our house is on the market :(.

Kate's Surgery

Say a big prayer for our little princess as she heads into surgery tomorrow.  She will have her adnoids removed and they will do some work on her turbinades.  She has so many issues with allergies and her sinuses so we are praying that these procedures will give her some relief and some much better sleep!  She is scheduled to go in at 10:45 am.  It will only be a day surgery.


Little missy is a little scared as any 4 year old would be.  She gets to wear her favorite pj's, take her Kiki (blanket), and her twin doll also named Kate.  Please pray that the Lord comforts her fears.


We will let you know how it all goes.


Hallelujah for SPRING BREAK next week!

Camp Life

 

Camp Life Here I Come!!!

I am so excited and ready for Camp Life this summer!  What is Camp Life you ask?  Camp Life is in Zambia every year during our summer months (their winter).  Kids from all over Lusaka, Zambia are bused in to attend Camp Life at the summit each week.  Think of it as an all summer long Vacation Bible School with a new group of kids and volunteers each week.  I will leave June 23rd and return on July 3rd.  

If you have been reading my blog you know all about my journey to Zambia over Thanksgiving this past year and you also know that my heart longs for the children of Zambia.  I don't know why God chose Zambia for me but HE did and I must obey him and go.  I have no clue what HE has in store for me there or if HE will keep sending me back, but if HE does I will go and go and go. 

Can you imagine going to a foreign country where Satan has such a strong hold and sharing Jesus for an entire week?  It may be the only time some of them ever hear HIS name.  It makes me excited!  I get to see them in Heaven some day and live an eternal life with them.

You should come too and you can... just go here (click on the word "here").  Maybe God has called you too but there are 1000 obstacles in your way like $$$, family, job, time, obedience.  Nobody understands all of that better than I do...TRUST ME.  Just remember that God can do anything so all you have to do is pray and believe.

I can't believe that it is already time for fundraising again!  God provided for me before and I have no doubt that he will do it again.  God is actually pretty cool.  When due dates arrived for my trip last time God would give me what I needed at the very last moment.  He likes to challenge me and stretch me.  HE'S God.  He gets to do that kind of stuff. He strengthened my FAITH.

My deposit of $1000 is due by the end of the month and I already have $500!  I serve an awesome GOD!  The remaining $3300 is due in April. That's a grand total of $4300!!!  Sounds crazy, but I ain't scared!  My God is mighty and HE provides.

You think you are just giving me $$$.  Guess what?  Your financial support could actually be sending someone to the Kingdom of Heaven!  Pretty cool huh?  Some of you will choose to support me financially or through prayer.  I NEED BOTH!  Pray for me!  It means just as much if not more than every penny I raise.

If God has lead you to support me on this trip you can mail a check to...

Family Legacy Missions International

5005 W. Royal Lane, Suite 252

Irving, TX 75063

*Put my name on the "notes" line of your check. 

P.S. My name is Amber Brewer :)

OR

Donate online...

https://donate.familylegacy.com/

*Put my name in the participants box.

Disclaimer:

Your support is guaranteed to change a life.  

Can you handle that?

Day 7- Out in the elements

What can I say??? I'm a  strugg-ler at the moment.  JT is sick.  Still.  Haven't had a full night's sleep in 2 weeks.  I know, I know.  Quit my moaning and groaning right?  "You're a mom. That's life."  I KNOW.  Did I mention that I haven't been getting enough sleep?  I need sleep. Ask my husband. He wishes I were getting more sleep too.  You only have to listen to me on the blog a time or 2 a week.  He has to listen to me every-stinkin-day.  He's over it.  Honestly, so am I.  Now I'm getting sick.  We're going to the dr. tomorrow.  Did you read my last post about what happened last time I took JT to the dr ??? Let's all have a moment of silence and pray for my day tomorrow.  It's a rare day off...praise the Lord...God bless Dr. Martin Luther King...May God rest his soul...Amen.  I NEED this day off and I prefer for it to be a drama free and vomit free day. Seriously, let's pause.

And all God's people said...AMEN.

Ok.  I'm better now.

Day 7-
On day 7 I was able to visit my next school.  I had been expecting the same set up as I had seen in the days before.  I was a bit surprised when we pulled up to the school.  This school was how shall I say this...out in the elements.  There was no wall or gate around the school.  It was smack dab out in the middle of the neighborhood, area, region, slum.  Whatever you want to call it.  I will admit my first thought was, "Will we be safe?"  I definitely paid more attention to my surroundings (my Dad and Pawpaw taught me well).  I stepped off of the the bus and to my surprise I didn't feel scared.  Remember- I am a very fearful person.  My fears have kept me from doing many things in life.  I had peace.  Thanks God, Big Man Upstairs, Supreme One, Holy On High, Sir, Dude, Mr. Boss Man. 

The neighbors stared but they smiled too.  The kids were ecstatic!  We were the entertainment for the day and we were blessed. 

The school was a house (a completed house) and the windows had bars but the actual windows were open for air. And flies.  I had to mention those.  I'll tell you more later.  Children from the "neighborhood" (again, I use that term loosely) who were not students would come and watch through the bars on the windows.

Again, I was very impressed with how the teachers were applying everything they learned in training.  I need a whole post just about all of the teachers.  Wait...I think I did a few of those in the beginning.   They are AMAZING!  They do what they do everyday with nothing because they have been given servants hearts.  Their reward will be in Heaven.


One of the other American teachers sponsors a girl in the school.  When we arrived she was disappointed because the girl was not there.  We received word that she had stopped coming.  It was a bit discouraging.  Another student took the "administrator" to where the girl was staying.  Remember...no streets, no house numbers, no organized neighborhoods, no rhyme, no reason, only word of mouth. That's how they navigate 'round those parts. Ironic,  I just taught my kids a lesson today on how to use a compass rose and streets to find things.  Another reminder of how lessons are not universal.  There's a whole other world out there. 


They ended up finding the girl and bringing her to school.  As soon as she walked in you could see it.  Her head was low, there was a heavy weight around her.  She DID NOT want to be there.  She was virtually silent.  She would not make eye contact.  I don't know her full story but try to imagine all of the atrocities I have told you all about.  Any one of those things would be enough to shake a persons soul.  Was it Satan with a grip???  I'm not sure.  It was painful to see.  Physically she was there but truly, she was NOT there.  She was a teenager so I tried to think of teenagers here in the States.  What teenager wants to go to school???  Maybe school was just as much a drag for her.  I reviewed my surroundings.  I had to be honest with myself.  There was no sugar coating it.  One look at her and I knew she was fighting many battles inside.  I wonder about her.  What happened to her.  If she has been to school since that day. If she knows Christ. I didn't take a photo.  It didn't feel right.


We continued on with our testing for the day and unfortunately it wasn't much different than the day before.  The ability to read was a luxury.  One of the things I liked most about the testing was that I got to put a face with the name.  I got to conversate with the kids.  Well, kinda.  Some of them weren't exactly prepared to talk to the red head from Texas who talked real fast and smiled way to much. I can be a bit overwhelming.  I get it.  Someone was excited to talk to me.  Guess what her name was???  Her name was Kate and she smiled like me.  I told her my daughters name was Kate and she hugged me and said she wished she was my Kate.  Sniffle. Tear.  I wish she was too.  I could have 2 Kate's in the same house.  I mean come on...it's not like they would have the same name and be twins. I don't think it would be too confusing.

I also got to teach some lessons.  This was a challenging day for me as a teacher.  I was stretched mentally.  My first lesson was fractions with teenagers.  Let me set this scene up for ya'll...I have taught pre-k, kinder and 2nd grade.  Our fractions are minimal.  They wanted me to teach improper fractions.  Ummm come again?  You say what??? I mean I don't want to imply that I am less intelligent and I did pass college Business Calculus after the 2nd time and all but math ain't my thang. Math makes you think and remember stuff.  Let's just say I like literature, I like to imagine, to create, to feel, to express to ponder.  If ya'll haven't noticed that about me yet you must not read my chapters long posts therefore you must not be reading this.  So back to improper fractions.  What are those again??? You know...like a bizzillion over 1/2 a bizzilion.  Ok. Got it. 


First, I wanted to review with them and make sure they understood fractions to begin with.  In the teaching world we call it "assessing prior knowledge."  "Everyone know what pizza is?."  No.  "What about pie?" No. I had to think quick.  Luckily I had a yellow notepad with me so I gave them all 2 pieces of paper.  We folded and made fractions with the paper.  Not bad. Now we were on to improper fractions.  Umm yikes.  I could have just written numbers on the board but just looking at numbers can be confusing even for a teacher like myself.  I imagine I am not the only one whose brain works this way.  If my boss is reading I am sure she is taking mental note to NEVER EVER allow me to teach math above 2nd grade.  I had to get creative.  Good thing my brain is not lacking in the creative juices department.  The class had students with a wide variety of ages because they test into a grade.  There was a really tall kid and a really short kid.  I called them up to the front.  I told the short kid to get on the tall kids back.  No problem.  Proper fraction. Then I told the tall kid to get on the short kids back.  Laughs. Giggles. Problem.  And thus I visually demonstrated improper fractions as I wiped the sweat from my brow due to all of the work my brain had to actually do.

On to the next class...
The next class was the "littles".  It was a class of kinder, 1st and 2nd graders.  Teaching this class was a struggle even for a well seasoned "littles" teacher like myself.  First, there was a wide range of knowledge, learning abilities, ages, and languages.  Their teacher was trying to translate for me but that proposed an issue in itself.  Depending on where in Zambia they are from it is possible that they may speak different dialects.  This teacher in particular travels 30 miles by bike each day to come and teach her students.  Her dialect is different from theirs.  Add a teacher speaking a different dialect to translating for a teacher who speaks the Texas version of English and you might end up with a mess.  Not to mention I was teaching a lesson on money and I hadn't quite learned all of the conversions for Kwacha.  The layout was helpful to the teacher but I am afraid the lesson was a loss for the kids.  Rest assured they did enjoy watching me teach them.  I mean literally "watching".  At the end of the lesson a little girl (who was smart as a whip I might add)  whispered something to the teacher and the teacher began to laugh.  Being a nosey rosey I asked what she said.  Here is her response so you can all laugh as well... "She said she do not understand you English but she think you hair is prettiest she ever seen." End quote.  Glad she got something out of the day.

At the end of the day or "knock off time" the students decided to hang around a little. The time we had with them after school was amazing and priceless.  We taught them all sorts of games like red rover and simon says.  They loved playing with us but we loved playing with them more.  They did not want to go home.  At one point I stopped to look around at all of their smiling and laughing faces.  I wondered how many of them would go home and endure pain and suffering.  You can't help but think about it.  You can put it in the back of your brain but it creeps back in. Kids who were not from the school came to join us too.  My favorite was a little baby about a year old.  His father was building a house across from the school and we had watched him mix and pour and set every block all day long.  I think I have already showed you this photo but by the end of the day this was his progress.  Not the whole thing.  Just the blocks you see baking in the sun.

As we were playing it began to rain.  All of the kids scattered.  Playtime was over.  At that point we realized our bus was over an hour late.  We hoped they had not forgotten us or there hadn't been a problem.  We waited and sure enough they arrived. If it weren't for my kids and my husband I might have liked to stay.

It was Thursday so that meant it was Thanksgiving day.  They don't celebrate our freedom in Zambia.  Go figure.  We went to the strip mall and had a meal at a restaurant (yes they had a few of those) which always feels weird to tell people but I must emphasize we weren't in the "bush".  The restaurant was called Mike's and it was the equivalent of a TGI Fridays.  They had American favorites with an English twist like cucumbers instead of pickles on a burger.  No turkey and dressing. Well kind.  One of the girls on the trip had a sister who sent this along with craisins and candy corn.

At the end of the evening we had a special trip that will take its very own post because we were probably the only ones who will to experience this particular event and it deserves its' own amazing post.  And that was a really long run-on sentence.  And I just started a sentence with "and".  Again.  Dangit.

Update:  
Since I began writing this post on Sunday evening it has now become Wednesday. We went to the dr. on Monday and JT has another ear infection.  He did cooperate. He did not vomit on me.  His nose did gush blood which he commenced to wipe all over his face and clothes. The first time he had a nose bleed I almost passed out.  I had to call my husband and his sister to ask what to do.  At school we have nurses for that bodily fluid stuff.  I did better this time.  I gave him some wipes so he could clean it up.  Kidding. Kinda.  Last night was our first night to sleep through the night in a few weeks.  Praise the Lord! See, your prayers are working even though you haven't prayed them yet.

Pardon This Interruption

Before I begin episode 7 in this series I feel that I must destress by venting to all who read my blog tell you about my Monday.  It is officially my supreme opinion that no work should be done on a Monday.  Nothing, nada, zip.  Mondays are dreadful, dreary, despicable, unproductive, miserable and accident prone. Nothing good can come from a Monday. Can you tell I'm teaching adjectives in class?

First, JT was running and he ran into a room that was dark where he proceeded to trip and fall right onto the edge of the bed.  He ended up with a gash above his eye.  I left work early to take him to the dr. My mother in law told me that he had a funny cough.  On the way to the dr. he began to bark like a seal (cough) and I was pretty sure I knew what that meant.

Once inside the dr. they took his temp and of course it was 101.  The dr. entered the room and asked JT if he could take a look at him to which my son gave the reply, "NOPE."  Just as plain as it could be.  He had the, "I'm not in the mood for you dude" attitude going on.  The dr. was amused and, of course he looked JT over anyway.  The gash above his eye could have used a few stitches, of course, but with or without stitches he would have a scar.  By that point it was technically too late for the stitches to do their full job anyways.  I could have had my sons face sewn up while he screamed and thrashed about like a mad man only to have him rip the stitches out when they were done because he was PO'd at us for doing them in the first place (yes, my son is like that) OR I could just let the butterfly bandages suffice.  I chose the latter...of course.

Next, the dr. heard the seal bark and proceeded to tell me that little man has croup, of course.  He sent us home with liquid steroids for him to take once he had a meal.  We went home and had a meal, of course.  I told him it was time to take some medicine to which he replied, "NOPE." I'm not a fan of his new word. I gave him the meds and he immediately proceeded to bulge his eyes and stick his fist down his throat to self induce vomit, of course.  I grabbed his hand and said, "Don't you dare!  Take a drink of juice quick!"  He replied with a projectile vomit that could give the exorcist chick a run for her money.  Have I mentioned my strong aversion to vomit and my immediate gag reflex???!!!  It was all I could do to turn my head and not return the favor.  I commenced to holler at Kate to grab some towels faster than the vomit that my son had just spewed all over me.  JT wasn't a fan of the little bit of vomit that had landed on him so he began to move about to which I responded, "DON'T MOVE!"  I covered it up hoping that the dog wouldn't try to eat it while we were in the bath tub. Don't act like your dog wouldn't jump at the chance to eat some regurgitated pizza and green beans.  No judging.

Once were all cleaned up he was all chipper...until of course he woke up every 1.5 hours ALL NIGHT LONG because he was coughing due to the fact he had vomited up all of the meds the good dr. had sent us home with.  That's okay because I got the last word in all of it when he got to return to the dr. today for more steroids...in shot form.  Sorry dude.  You made me do it.

In case you are wondering...
I didn't cry.
I didn't vomit.
I did call my husband to inform him of what HIS child had just done.
I did call my mom to tell her what my son, who is just like her son, had just done.
I did have a small glass of wine.
Not that it helped considering I woke up every 1.5 hours ALL NIGHT LONG.
Please feel sorry for us both.
Like REALLY sorry.
No, REALLY.