MOMS IN TOUCH

The AISL (American International School of Lusaka) Moms in Touch group met this morning for prayer. (learn more at www.MomsInTouch.org). We prayed for our children, the new teachers, the school and even the ETHS Moms in Touch group which will be reorganizing soon in Evanston. The front garden and the pool behind the home where we met for prayer were crowded with cattle egret standing about and feeding and three violet breasted rollers were flying around with their iridescent blue wings catching insects. Google violet breasted roller and you will not be disappointed. Wonderful birds, God is so creative! Today we will learn more about driving in Zambia at the Embassy and we hope to attend the school information session on the IB (International Baccalaureate) program. It seems that you could miss out on a science in high school because you must intensively study the same subject two years for example 11^th and 12^th grade would both be dedicated to Biology and you might miss studying Chemistry or Physics. Please pray for us to figure out our transportation needs. Even tonight we need to figure out how to get to the school for the meeting. We have ordered a car but this will take some weeks to come. Jim can get rides from drivers to and from work but it is challenging for me to get places like the grocery store without a car. I have learned about some classes on Zambian culture and on learning Chinyanja. They begin Sept 5^th for the cultural class and the 26^th for the language class. They are three hours a day five days a week. The place is quite a distance from the house. We have been warned not to take the local minibuses. I am trusting God we will find a way to get around.

Yesterday we met Lisa Veitenhaus who volunteers with the Chikumbuso Widows and Orphans Project (http://www.chikumbuso.com/) where women crochet recycled plastic bags in to purses. Buying these purses supports families affected by HIV/AIDS. The bags are quite nice and may look similare to the mats Patty Bastian is making for the homeless. The project has a school with three hundred orphans and six teachers where the girls might be able to volunteer. We trust God will provide meaningful work for all of us.

Funeral Support

During our security briefing, we were told the guards at the gate to our home are employed by the embassy and are NOT our staff. Therefore we do not have to feed them or pay them as we would hired staff like housekeepers or gardeners. When we got home in the afternoon, one of the guards appeared at our back door and informed me his mother had died and he needed money to travel to the east. We talked for a while and I discovered he has a wife and three children here in Lusaka, that his mother was a Christian and that she died with family close by her. I contacted my cultural “authorities” on the issue. Everyone concurred, I did not need to give anything, but this kind of request is not unusual and to be expected somewhat regularly. In Lawndale collections are taken up all the time; for deaths, for birthdays, for folks on hard times, for special circumstances and losses. It occurred to me this morning, when the guard appeared with a letter from the security agency stating the truth of his claims that Nabal was in the same position we were. David and his men had been protecting Nabal’s sheep (read walled house) and Nabal had not asked for this protection (-neither had we. In fact the bars etc are rather distressing). When David asked  for “whatever comes to your hand or whatever you can find for them” in I Sam 25:8 it was quite similar to my guard who likewise did not specify how much he wanted or needed he just stated his situation (read help with funeral expenses). Nabal refuses help and as Abigail reports he is a fool, just as his name would indicate. Back to my dilemma, would a fool give or not give? In our American way of thinking, we might help family, a friend or a longtime staff member or close coworker but someone we don’t know who has to introduce themselves? This is almost like a beggar on the street. We might also consider it foolish to give without assuring the veracity of the claim and foolish to give knowing this might bring other requests. On the other hand, perhaps this African way is more Biblical. Nabal certainly suffered the consequences of his miserly spirit. God says, “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord. And He will pay back what he has given” Prov 19:17.

First weekend

Sat-We drove north to the Chamba Valley region and toured the Justo Mwala Theological School. A long history of collaboration with the PCUSA and the Outreach Foundation is evidenced by the multiple houses used for income generation, the classrooms and a beautiful new chapel in the process of being constructed. We were very pleased to meet several members of the CCAP church (a PCUSA partner church in Zambia) and faculty of the school and a recent high school graduate from Colorado Drew at a typical Zambian meal, hosted by PCUSA mission co-worker , Nancy Collins. She served shima or nsima (in Malawi) the corn-based boiled dough which we all enjoyed with greens, cabbage, potatoes and chicken. We began learning about the programs of the church and Nancy shared with us about the CCAP hope to do CHE programs in several areas. For more on CHE, Community Health Evangelism check the website www.lifewind.org.

Sun-We attended a CCAP church in Chawama a poor area in the south of Lusaka. They had just had a youth choir competition on Saturday so we were blessed to hear five choirs sing during the service. Almost all of the two hour and 15 minute service was incomprehensible, but the pastor preached in English (with a passionate, dramatic and vibrant translator translating into a local language) from Acts about the crippled man at the Beautiful Gate with a beggar mentality  challenging us all to live more expectantly, more dependently on God and more responsibly. It occurred to me the importance of Paul reaching down and holding out an arm for the crippled man to rise to his feet in order that he might be restored to health by God and the role we can play in God’s restorative plans for wholeness and healing of His people. Jim has been busily surveying vehicle options on the internet, remakes from Japan that come through Durbin.

Mon-I had my first opportunity to drive on the left with a right sided steering wheel, uneventful if not always clear what the rules are at a stop sign. It seems a person can pull out and block the intersection for friends traveling in cars behind them. Ruth thinks this is for funeral processions but I am not sure. It might be wise to attend the driving briefing this week at the embassy. Following the security briefing at the embassy and receiving our ID’s we dropped the boys back at school and Ruth, Mim and I stopped by the Zambian Ornithological Society signpost on Leopard Hill Rd. They directed across the road where we purchased a 6 month membership and Important Bird Areas in Zambia from their secretary. They have regular monthly bird walks see www.wattledcrane.com (I have to check the site myself). So far I have seen bulbuls, cordon blue (it’s a bird not food), pied wagtails and pied crows in the garden. I should have put a bird book in the suitcase, but one will eventually arrive either in our air or surface shipment I cannot remember where I put them. Tonight Ruth and I are going to attempt Caryl’s tortilla recipe (it’s flat bread right?).

Bread making

The first effort at bread making was a disaster. The bread tasted good but was only an inch and a half tall. I am not sure if this was because of the yeast, which did not bubble, the sugar which is very larg grained, the flour, the oven or the fact that i was using a bread recipe from Malawi that did not have any liquid listed so i went on the internet and checked out a few recipes and guesstimated the amount of liquid as well as which step to add it and when to knead and how long to allow it to rise. I bought a loaf of bread at the store today and will make another attempt now that Caryl and Alice have sent some tried and true recipes including my Grandmother Winifred's rolls. If this fails I will try a different brand of yeast.
This afternoon we are being picked up for a BBQ at the Ambassador's for new families to meet old families. I have learned of a Moms in Touch group that is meeting weekly. I know those I usually pray with Kim Klamm, Irene Doyle, Anne Peterson, and Julie Stamos will be excited to hear of this international connection.I am hoping for some new friends.

First Days

Monday- We have arrived safely at our temporary home (for the next few weeks), which is a massive, rambling place, that sits by itself on an enclosure that is rather running wild, with abandoned tennis courts, empty pool, and garden. Rascal, the cat, arrived fine and is checking out the new quarters, no worse for the trip. Orientation for school went well-- we exchanged money, purchased school supplies, an internet time card, phone cards, some food, had lunch out and a brief tour of the area. Our hostess here from the embassy drove us all around, took us to lunch and provided us with a dinner.Unfortunately, Jim just got sick this evening with stomach flu. We are wondering if it is something he had on the plane. I am hoping he will be the only one! Pray for Jim. His first day of work was to be tomorrow.Everyone has crashed for the night. I think I am the only one in pajamas.
Tuesday- The boys left at 6:30am for school today and first day went well. Jim headed off to work at 7:30 am and returned at 6:30 pm, doing well praise God. Today I cleaned up garbage in the driveway, put up the broken curtains, swept the floor, unpacked bags and stored the suitcases, did two loads of laundry with Miriam, went to the local store, cleaned vegetables in bleach, and realized all the things I failed to bring like cloth napkins and a cookbook. These are in the shipment and will arrive in about three months.It's very windy here with rattling windows and doors and cool so we are wearing sweaters. The high cement walls enclose three sides of this huge estate and can see the backs of houses with laundry hanging on one side. I have only seen the guard and someone checking laundry. I feel like we are in a secret garden.
Wednesday- I set out with the girls on a walk past the local garden center to discover what else is nearby. Although we did not go in we found several restaurants including a Subway, a clothes store, meat store, dessert store, pizza place that delivers, a Blockbuster video, and a grocery. The boys are making some friends and learning their schedules at school. Tomorrow I will try to make bread.

Pilgrimage and Prayers

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage” Psalm 84:5.

Pilgrimage-“life viewed as a journey”, “wandering over a distance”, “a journey  made to a place for a spiritual reason or to discharge some religious obligation.”

Travel with us on a pilgrimage. We know we cannot do this alone. We need the body of Christ to go before us and beside us. We ask you to intercede on our behalf because we believe that prayer and mission are inseparable.  In 2 Corinthians 1:8-11, Paul urged God’s people to pray for him, linking the success of his ministry to the faithful prayer support of the people of God. Paul described some of his missionary experiences as “hardships we suffer,” under great pressure,” “beyond our ability to endure,” and “despaired even of life.” But he speaks triumphantly of God’s deliverance, “God has delivered us” and of the role of the saints “as you help by your prayers” and the “gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.” Know that we are praying for you too.

Day 1 Our relationship to God-Pray that we would continue to mature in our personal walks with God, growing in grace and faith, personal discipline in our reading His word and praying (Eph 5:15-19), being filled by the Holy Spirit, (Eph 5:18) and not laboring in our own strength. Pray for the fruit of the Spirit and God’s love to be manifest in our lives (Gal 5:22-23).

Day 2 Physical and Emotional Life-Praise God for our safe arrival. Pray for our physical health (Psalm 1:3) and stamina as we face jet lag, cooler weather, various diseases (Jim has already recovered from a brief stomach flu praise God), for safety as the boys travel by bus daily to school, for wisdom about purchasing a car, and for the move to permanent housing which should occur in the next three weeks as well as the arrival of our household air and surface shipments. Pray for our emotional health that we might be protected from the evil one (John 17:15) for strength and protection (2 Thess 3:3) that we might guard against anxiety and worry and have deliverance from discouragement, loneliness and depression. In our loneliness that we would seek God who has promised never to leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) and thus experience fellowship with God in a new and deeply satisfying way.

Day 3 Our Family- Pray that our marriage would remain strong, that all of our children would grow in the Lord, for the boys as they start school; that they will be good students (Col 3:23), that they will be protected from attitudes of inferiority or superiority (Phil 2:3, Genesis 1:27), for sibling unity (Eph 4:32), that their unsaved friends will come to know Jesus (2 Peter 3:9), that they will choose godly friends (Eccl 4:10, Prov 1:10), that they will be firm in their convictions and withstand peer pressure (Eph 4:14), that they will befriend the lonely, discouraged and lost (Matt 25:40, Phil 2:4), for peace as we entrust our parents Alice and Norman Rubash into the Lord’s care, that God would be glorified in this time of stress by our actions and reactions. Help us all to handle stress, frustrations and unfulfilled expectations in a Christlike manner. We are not concerned that God remove us from trials but that we might honor Him in our responses. Pray that we can maintain strong ties with our First Presbyterian Evanston Church family.

Day 4 Cultural Connection and Adaptation-Pray that we might have the mind of Christ as we enter this new culture in humility and service (Phil 4:12) seeking a knowledge of God’s will for us, wisdom and understanding of the culture (Col 1:9-10), avoidance of prejudice “my way as the right or best way,” God’s help in learning the local language Nyanja and wisdom as to the best way to do this, discipline in spending the time studying and practicing, that despite language barriers we would demonstrate a strong Christian witness. Once when praying in Bench Caryl Weinberg prayed, “In the name of the Father, the Son and his wife” and got quite a laugh. We expect to make some equally humorous mistakes. 

Day 5 Ministry- Pray that we would have wisdom in discerning our role in the local church reaching the Zambian people and for the establishment of deep relationships with both Zambians and expatriates we meet. Pray in particular that Amy, Ruth and Miriam would be wise about what to pursue and what to leave undone as they seek to find where God wants them to serve. Pray for the CCAP church a PCUSA partner, the Justo Mwala theological school, our PCUSA mission coworkers Nancy Collins and the Ellingtons who we will meet for dinner Saturday August 20^th.

Day 6 Relationships-Pray that we would have a proper perspective and work as unto the Lord (Col 3:23), harmony in working with others, wisdom and discernment for Jim as he builds a team at work, humble spirits that are teachable and quick to surrender to the prompting of the Spirit and any need to seek forgiveness, insight into setting priorities and goals. We pray we might empower others in a spirit of community and unity.

Day 7 Country- Pray for stability during upcoming elections for President, for continued openness to the Gospel, for unreached peoples.