Afrikan Adventure: City Dwellings

As the ides of September have come and gone I write you from my new city dwellings. This past week I relocated all my belongings to a new abode which is located more in the city of Lusaka than where I was at the farm which was about 20km outside of town and took anywhere from 15-30 minutes to get to, depending on the road and what large truck decides to pull out in front of you and go at idling speed all the way…not that that has ever happened, it’s just hypothetical.

So the new place is a small, small, house on the property of a bigger house where a family on our team, the Allens, currently reside. So it’s nice in that I have my own space yet I’m not totally isolated either. Not only do I have the Allen family to keep me company but it seems a plethora of cockroaches and spiders. Last night I killed four cockroaches and two big spiders in the span of about half an hour. My method of operation was a can of “killing” spray which I realized a little two late was probably the wrong method in an enclosed space as I felt a little light headed the rest of the evening.

So moving has been a big part of my week here. Those pack-elephants just don’t move as fast as one would desire.

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to record the choir from the church by the farm of which some good friends are a part of. They sounded great although insisted on using this cheap keyboard complete with drum loop to play along with their singing on distorted speakers and they wanted that to be recorded with them. I loved the sound of them just a cappella so we recorded each song a couple times with the keyboard and then I made them sing it a cappella. They are coming again next week to finish up. They wrote all the songs themselves which is quite amazing! Now is the tedious process of editing it all. I’ll post some clips on the blog when I get a chance.

I had a good time with the kids at Chisomo again on Tuesday. They are also great singers so I’m setting up a time to record them as well. Guitar teaching is going well. Tomorrow I’m giving the “string changing” lesson as one broke the other day…most likely from all the killer 80’s solos I’ve been teaching.

On Saturday I had the youth from my church trek out to the farm to play soccer and some games. It was a typical Zambian event of meeting at 1pm, which actually meant 1:30pm, leaving for the farm at 2pm. Finally getting there at 3pm after picking people up. The original plan was to leave at 3:30pm or 4pm but ended up leaving at 5:30pm and by the time I had dropped everyone off and gotten lost in the process and back home it was about 7pm. But a good time none the less.

This afternoon I had a meeting with the Kasupe Rural Health Committee of which I am honoured to now be a member of. The topic of discussion was getting mosquito nets to distribute to the hundreds of needy people in the area as well as bags of lime which is used to sanitize the pit latrines. If you recall from previous writings and blogings this is the committee of elderly women who I made push a Landcruiser when I killed the battery on our home visits…and they still allow me on the committee!

For all of you in Abbotsford I hope you partook in the feastings at the annual MCC Sale, an event like none other. I can’t believe I missed it…and all that fine Mennonite cuisine and quilting. I think I shall attempt to make some Portzelky. There’s nothing like drowning your sorrows in fried dough, am I right!?

Mit herzlichen Grüßen,

shannon

“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.…He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls”

~ 1 Peter 2:2; 24-25