Mbila

Those of you who go to my church will know the name Mbila. For those of you that don't, its a village out in the bush where we have been involved in doing various things. We've built a clinic there amongst other things. The village is also served by one of the worst roads i have seen in my life!

Well i've spent 4 days there this week, camping out again. Its a farily remote place, deeper into the bush than the places we visited last week its been incredibly hot as well...in case you didn't know the dry season in Zambia peaks in October. It seems to be getting hotter by the week at the moment - we measured 29 degress in the shade this week

One of the things i've noticed about being in the bush is that most things just don't work very well...you get a bit fed up with it after a while. I've seen a school where all the desks are broken and the teacher hasn't been paid for months, ive seen a coffee plantation that has been ruined through terrible management, government workers who haven't been paid by corrupt officials who bank the money for themsleves, local people planting the wrong type of crop in the wrong type of soil

and don't get me started on some of the churches in the rural areas. One of the pastors here runs 13 churches...how is that possible? you often end up with a situation where a local from the village gets left in charge of a church, usually the teaching is very poor and the church remains very week

maybe this helps to explain what we are doing out here? not just teaching the leaders, but discipling entire communities. Strengthening the church, helping people to change their mindset., that they are the ones who can transform their communities...they don't need outsiders to do it for them! Trust me these people would be utterly lost but for the work of these few hardy pastors we have met and the work that Dignity are trying to do as well

Get behund them because its really amazing work..im only here for 6 weeks but the other guys from dignity are out here for 3 months. Its just the start....

Remembering

So im back in Chingola...after a week camping in the bush in Zambia. OK, i find camping in the UK challenging at times, so you can imagine how i was feeling about a week camping in the Zambian bush. Its incredibly dirty just about everywhere, its very difficult to find any shelter from the burning sun and then to top it all, on Wednesay, i woke up in my tent to find a rather large, very poisonous spider in my tent. I was starting to wonder what on earth i was doing out here...it felt a very long way from home!!!

Then i had a conversation with one of the pastors out here, a guy called Joel..a truly inspirational guy! He gave me a very similar prophetic word to one i had recieved several months ago at my church back in Manchester. It brought me sharply back to God and exactly why i had bothered to come all this way. It was about responding to what God had put on my heart, faithfulness, responding and obeying him, and the promise that he would use me!

I have preached 4 days this week....yes 4 DAYS....to various churches in the bush areas outside Chingola. The teaching has all been very simple, on prayer, but the people have really responded. It has been hugely encouraging for me to see God working so visibily. The people have really engaged, and have made some very small steps towards transforming their communities through the power of Jesus!

On a personal note, God seems to be opening up so much at the moment. Up until about 12 months ago, i had always thought my sense of calling related to practical work, using my finance skills maybe. Over the last 12 months, another avenue has opened up as well. Teaching, preaching, Gods word....we can help people with practical skills, but we can set them free with his Word. These two parts of my ministry have really started to come together as one ...its exciting!

What else has been happening. Well the president of Zambia, Levy Mwanawasa has died this week. He was widely regarded as a strong leader, very much anti-corruption. This presents a big challenge for the Zambians? They are rightly proud of their peace and development since gaining independence. When you think of their neighbours, places like the Congo, Angola, Mozambique and Zimababwe, you can see why. Those countries conjure up images of violence, war, poverty, and insecurity.

Zambia has 73 different tribes, all living together peacefully. There is a lot of interest in who will take on the mantle as the new leader and when the elections will be. There is some concern at the moment that there are no suitable candiates...we shall see!!!

The view from here

I want to share this note with you from a friend I recently met in Kampala. Nicole is working with Come, Let's Dance - an organization I've mentioned a few times before. They are my family when I visit in Kampala, often offering a place to stay & a lot of great fellowship.

This note touches on deep issues of what its like from this side, and I resonate a lot with Nicole's thoughts of despair and hope.

"Last Friday, I sat in an African clinic crying with Charlie, a six-year-old little boy who had malaria. As the doctor injected the iv, Charlie kicked, squirmed and tried to bite the doctor, and an aid had to hold him down because I wasn’t strong enough. Charlie screamed out “Mama” repeatedly, and I helplessly watched absorbing his wails for a non-existent mother. I tried comforting him as best I could kissing his forehead as if me being there made up for a mother that isn’t.

The next day, we went out to the village, where the Come Let’s Dance farm is, to do a medical outreach. Some of the teams that are here have pre-med students, and one guy John is a firefighter with some paramedic experience. They handled the big stuff while others played with kids, and others took care of the less serious ailments. For me, it meant that I ended up flossing kids’ teeth for a few hours. Teeth that had never been brushed let alone flossed, and were black and soft with decay. I was the cause of several bleeding gums, and a lot of tears from fearful kids. Since I was the only person dealing with teeth word got out, and so many people came to me and pointed out their toothaches, and severely cavitied mouths, pleading for me to do something. I can’t pull teeth, or fix cavities, or make the pain go away. I just had to say “sorry” in my makeshift Luganda accent and send them away. I never knew how much it hurt to look a destitute person, with no hope, in the eye and say “there’s nothing I can do.”

On Wednesday, our house got robbed in the middle of the day. In broad daylight, people sawed off the bars to our windows, climbed in, wrecked our house, and got away with laptops, phones, ipods, cameras, cash, and a passport. The only thing that got stolen of mine was my American phone, but Susan and the others staying with me weren’t so lucky. It was devastating to walk up our hill to the police station, looking at everyone that probably saw the thieves escape, and knowing that even though we’re here trying to help, we are all still targets.

This and so much more are the backbone of our days, and weeks, and when people at home ask, “how is Africa?” I think about the non-existent mothers, and the there-is-nothing-I-can-do's and the fact that at the end of the day I still come from a very different world. I’ve been thinking about how these experiences and the life I live out here are beginning to become numb and normal, but I got a wake up call this last week.

I’ve always been romantic, and ideal… when I first stepped off the plane in Africa last January I legitimately thought I was going to save the continent. I have now realized my naivety, and have grown aware and accustomed to my hopeless and discouraging cynicisms, not brushing them off, like I used to but instead welcoming them as my rite of passage into adulthood. Discovering that the world isn’t ponies and rainbows, and that a humanitarian revolution isn’t as easy as I thought it would be. I have begun to be lured by the darkness of a cynical view of life, considering myself more mature for seeing pessimism instead of optimism, responsibly understanding that negativity comes along with growing up.

Jeremy was reading a book called Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell, and he finished as we were having breakfast the other morning, and slammed it down on the table with a huge smile and said “wow, that was like the best book I’ve ever read… can I please read you guys part of the epilogue?” Susan and I agreed, and the part that hit me the most was as follows:

“I have lots of reasons for bailing on the whole thing… I have a choice. To become bitter, cynical, jaded, and hard. Anybody can do that. A lot have… there is a lot to be repulsed by… Or… I can choose to reclaim my innocence… we can insist that hope is real, and that a group of people… really can change the world. We can reclaim our idealism and our belief, and our confidence in the big ideas that stir us deep in our bones.”

I was slapped in the face by my darkened view of what it means to be a leader, and becoming a grown up. “Anybody can do that” the words continue to echo in my ears and through my thoughts and I have begun to understand the challenge that I now face. I don’t ever want to return to naivety and ignorance, but I want to see uncluttered reality embracing the horror and the wonder just the same, and decide to love it, because it’s life.

Two nights ago we all gathered for a group goodbye party at the kids’ house, because all the summer volunteers leave this week. We spent all day playing games, throwing kids up in the air, and holding them until they fell asleep. We had a huge dinner with all the Ugandan leaders, kids, and volunteers, and set up speakers and had a huge dance party in the lawn by candlelight. As I soaked up the wealth of new dance moves, (sure to make their way on to Red Robin mainline when I get back) all the devastation of the past two weeks seemed to slip into the shadow of the candlelight we were dancing in, because that night sums up why we’re doing what we’re doing. It’s about sharing a meal, building relationships, holding hands, laughing, smiling, dancing… it’s about community, and making enough room in the dancing circle for everyone that wants to join.

I don’t think I can save Africa anymore, I don’t think one day there will be no more orphans, I don’t think that one day we’ll stop being robbed… But I think sharing a plate of food with my Ugandan friend Ann, spinning Charlie around until I’m too dizzy to stand, and dancing until it hurts makes it beautiful anyway.

Loving, living, dancing,
Nicole"

A Good Day!!!

Today has been a pretty good day. I was preaching at a church in Chingola today, to about 100 people, and ive got to say im buzzing at the moment. I preached on faith (hebrews 11 if you're interested). I had no idea but it turns out the pastor and some people in the church were given the same message by God this week. Don't you just love it when God turns up!!! There was a real sense that the Lord is saying something to this church about the importance of faithfulness and how we respond to this challenge! it was exciting.

Anyway im off to the bush tomorrow until Friday. We are camping out in a village not far from
Chingola. We will use this village as our base, and travel out to see some other churches in the area each day, visiting rural communities, running some ministry time with them and basically getting alongside them. I am told that not many Westerners go into the villages and live alongside the people there so it should be interesting.

What else have I been doing with my time! Some finance stuff for the mission out here and 1 or two other practical things as well!

I was also offered the chance to go to Cape Town the other day, for 6 days in September . On Friday I was going. it was basically a holiday, no work involved. After some prayer though, i have decided not to bother. I am already planning 6 days in Livingstone at the end of the trip, to see Victoria Falls and some of the parks in that area. So if id gone to Cape Town i would have nearly two weeks holiday...it would have been nice but thats not really what i came out here for. There is a lot of work to be done with the Ministry here.

Baby Joanna photo shoot

Stella's baby, Joanna, is about 7 weeks old now. I wanted to share some photos with you - I stopped by today to visit and we ended up having a photo shoot of everyone there. Stella & Christine are both sad & uncertain about me leaving as now they'll have a whole new person to be their boss and we've become friends as well. I'm really sad to leave them as well. Such beautiful women!

Respect

We met some more pastors today...to set up our visits to the bush in the next 2 weeks. Its incredible to see how passionate some of these guys are about seeing their rural communities transformed. One pastor had workn up at 3am this morning, travelled over 30km on a fairly ropey looking bike to make our 10am meeting this morning. He got up so early because he didn't want to be late!!!!

The dedication these guys show is awesome. Makes me think about my own attitude really - i struggle to wake up for a 9.30 church service back home. Its really a privelige to be spending time getting alongside these guys.

We have now made plans to spend 10 days in the next 2 weeks out in the bush, visiting various village communities, taking part in what i guess you'd call some crusades, with some basic teaching and prayer, engaging the entire communities hopefully, not just the church leadership.

These villages are crying out for more practical help as well. Basic agricultural training would make a big difference out in these rural areas!

Anyway im preaching on Sunday, possibly to about 300 people. Its a great opportunity. Please pray that it goes well

Mission

So today we met a group of African church leaders from rural Zambia....to start a way forward for our mission here in the CopperBelt Province. Whilst it was fascinating, its also difficult to convey the amount of problems the rural church here is currently facing. Most of these churches are very poor as you can imagine and there is evidently a material need here. Perhaps even more sadly, though the churches are very divided and don't really to work together. I was astonished today to hear of one village, where no more than 5,000 people live, but are served by 13 different churches all of different denominations, and hardly any of them have any kind of dialogue with the others. The pastors are woefully under resourced as well. Most pastors in Zambia tend to head for the big urban centres, such as Lusaka and Kitwe, once they are fully trained, as its much easier to raise support there. I have an awful lot of respect for these guys we met today, who have responded to Gods call and are working out in the bush, sometimes totally overstrecthed.

It can be a bit overwhelming though, hearing about all these problems. Today reminded me of when I was in Angola a year ago, hearing about some of the problems that country is trying to recover from after 28 years of war

The next few weeks are certainly going to be challenging, no doubt about that, but this is where I want to be, right in the thick of it!! Im sure this is what God made me for!

Zambia

So, i've been in Zambia a few days now...its fair to say its been an interesting trip so far!!!

We spent our first night in Lusaka, staying with the African rally champion, who also happens to be a Christian and a huge man utd fan...so we got on well! On Wednesday we started to make our way North and West towards Chingola. En route, we stopped off at a friends house in Kitwe. I got into a conversation with this white Zambian guy, who pretty much talked at me for about an hour, telling me how proud he was to be Zambian and that he had as much right to be here as any black man. I wasn't arguing with him, but was slightly taken aback by how fiercely proud he was of his heritage. This guy was a fifth generation descendant from colonial Brits.

Anyway, we're in Chingola now. The accommodation is surprisingly good. I have a bed, there is running water and we even have a garden. With the sun shining every day, it doesn't feel too much like mission at the moment. In truth, we're getting everything set up in out two flats at the moment and the mission will start on Sunday. Needles to say there are a few things that don't work...this is Africa after all!! The toilet keeps leaking, the power keeps going out and my mobile phone isn't working properly. Ah well, thats part of the experience I guess!!!

And so it begins.....

So tomorrow i head out to Zambia....as part of my 6 week visit. Im flying out tomorrow evening from Heathrow. Im really hoping BA don't lose my bags this time - that would be the third time this year i would be extremely unlikely if that was to happen again!

I'll arrive in Lusaka early Tuesday morning, and then we'll make our way to Chingola, in the CopperBelt Province of Zambia. Chingola will be our base for most of the 6 week trip.

Im looking forward to the trip now. All the packing has been done, most of the funds have been raised and im ready and raring to go. i'll update you upon my arrival!

6 weeks

That’s how much longer I’ll be in Uganda. Half of me is elated to be home & with everyone I hold so dear in my life. Half of me is distraught that my friends here I leave behind – that life in Kaabong is soon to become memories instead of reality. But somehow there’s peace in that tension. I’m taking the time to truly experience each day here fully while looking forward to what is yet to come in these six weeks.

For those who aren’t yet in the know, my contract with Medair ends mid-August. I’ve extended a month to allow for a handover with the new guy taking my place. He should arrive beginning of September, which works out quite well! Back in May I really considered extending my contract until June 2009…and was pretty convinced of it. But after some prayer and a lot of talking it over I knew that taking a break and spending time with friends & family was necessary for me. With the anxiety issues I’ve had over the past 9 months, I really need to take it easy for a few months. So what better time to spend some quality time with my family? The plan is to head back to Denver for the last two weeks of September and then to go to Ohio for the next few months to live with the fam. And after that…well I’ve had a pretty good proposition for a place to live in Denver that I’m excited for. That’s where I’m planning to land in the beginning of 09.

And the details, well, I suppose they will fall into place, right?

Some pics from the past few weeks:

this one was taken by Jo in Kotido

this was taken by Jakob a few months ago in Kalapatha - but very normal around here!