African Storey

Christmas Storey: Shannon's Christmas Address

2008-12-25T20:46:00.000-08:00

Christmas Storey: Shannon's Christmas Address

“And so this is Christmas and what have we done, another year over and a new one just begun.”

I figure if the queen makes a Christmas address why shouldn't I, the peasant. My Christmas address is much the same as my current address...my parents house. I digress. One year ago I found myself in shorts in sunny South Africa for a little Christmas hiatus from the rigmarole of life in Zambia. I was 10 months into a fairly challenging year on the mission field in Lusaka, Zambia. Two months later I returned home where my senses were bombarded with the comforts of home...family, friends, and food! A week after I set foot in Canada the youth pastor at Bakerview resigned. Two weeks after that I was sitting bewildered at my new desk as the “Interim Youth Director” now in charge of running two weekly youth programs. With head still spinning from what the last year had brought this new endeavor was a frightening challenge before me to say the least. But by the grace of God I've somehow made it to today. I sure do love the students I work with a whole lot. If it weren't for them I don't know why anyone in their right mind would do this job!! The future is uncharted. The timeline of this job is still as ambiguous as it's ever been. And as for what comes next it is about as certain as the weather forecast. Boy, these update letters were sure easier to do when I did one every week.

As for Christmas I suppose I will address it. After all this is a “Christmas Address.” I'm not a huge fan of the holidays. I love Jesus and the whole revelation of Emmanuel- God with us...but all the hoopla of the holiday season seem to make a lot of people stressed, weary, and sad. But my favourite part of the whole shebang is going to church on Christmas eve. I remember as a kid the anticipation of knowing what the next day would bring, sitting in a candle lit service in a taffeta dress and tights that I probably begrudgingly let my mom dress me in, singing Christmas songs, staring at the trees, and then getting a goody bag when it was all said and done. This year I, along with my good friends Chrissy and Margie, had spent the last five months planning and preparing for our Christmas eve service. Now that I work at a church I have to admit I'm not all that thrilled about church services anymore because it is usually correlated with work and stress, but this one was different. We had this whole service entitled “Awakening to Emmanuel.” Like I alluded to before, the idea of Emmanuel captivates me. We had this whole story of a woman's spirit awakening to the presence of Christ over a series of events interspersed with songs sung by the three of us and a youth choir with kazoos and festive sweaters. So Christmas eve finally arrived. And so did about a foot of snow. And just like that it was all cancelled. I guess for some reason this was all in God's plan. That's what I cling to anyway. That He knows what's going on and it's all under control. Heart broken I set my aggression to the snow shovel shovelling the street for about three hours.

When we were little mom used to take us skating and swimming on Christmas eve to try and tucker us out so that we would fall asleep that night. But always skating THEN swimming. Never the other way around. That's an ear infection waiting to happen. But now that we are older I shovel for hours and the Storey ladies three trudge through the snow by foot to the nearest Starbucks, where I forgot to get a decaf which then pretty much nullified all the activity of the day.

When people ask what Christmas is like in our family I often respond, “Well, it's just the four of us so it's pretty much like every other day of the year except we have better food and not as much is on TV.” And there you have it.
Here are some Storey Christmas Traditions:
- a shrimp ring on Christmas eve!
- the TV yule long
- presents on Christmas morning
- reminding my Dad of the Christmas he broke my new awesome Playdough press where you could squeeze out playdough into really cool shapes. I've never that one go.
- taking Christmas sweater pictures with Dana
- eating turkey dinner...followed by “well, if that's Christmas dinner I guess we've had it!”
- watching the Barenaked Ladies Christmas special on TV: “Barenaked for the Holidays”...the best!
- we don't light advent candles at the dinner table anymore because I play with them and mom gets mad...we haven't had any for many years.
- every year after the CBC news they list at a rapid rate everyone involved in the production of the news and every year Dana and I try and read all the names aloud as they torpedo by.

I hope your Christmas is filled with good times and all the things that it's meant to be about. May you know that God is with us this Christmas and in the year to come. And I'm not just saying that cause I'm a “pastor”! I mean that in a most sincere and un-cliche way.

Peace,
shannon

ps. if you have any thoughts on what I should be doing in a couple months when my time is up at Bakerview please tell me!!!

2008-02-18T23:24:00.000-08:00

Afrikan Adventure: 525 600 Minutes

Five-hundred twenty-five thousand six-hundred minutes. There is a little musical ditty that speaks of the minutes of 365 days and begs the question, ‘how do you measure a year?’ And so as I sit here in these insomniac, jetlagged moments I ask the same question. I’ve been back in Abbotsford a week now and still can’t seem to wrap my head around all that has happened in the last year.

The past year was really nothing that I expected it to be. It was a trying year filled with frustration, confusion, heartbreak, pain, growth, joy, and love. But what would I have ever learned if everything had gone smoothly and expectedly, am I right!? I think back to some of my most content and unexplainably joy and peace filled times of walking down dusty roads, the sun shining down, greeting neighbours as they walked past and sitting in the homes of my friends, listening to their stories and laughing together. Or hanging out with the youth at Chisomo drop-in centre, being dragged by the hand by two 10 year old street kids up the stairs of the waterslides at our Christmas party and seeing them just be kids again. Or experiencing the unexplainable way of how music and singing together has the uncanny ability to transcend all cultural boundaries. Or traipsing around the bush with kids looking for snakes and scorpions (even though I’m terrified of them) skipping rocks and shooting slingshots where there is no need to speak a common language, and the way there is nothing more beautiful than the smiles of these children. It’s not raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but these are a few of my favourite things! And so maybe nothing I did there was a thriving success by my expectations or this worlds standards, but maybe that was the point. I didn’t change Zambia. Zambia changed me. Jesus changed me. And so as the aforementioned song suggest to measure a year in seasons of love, in that case this year was a success in a more powerful way than could have been imagined.

But now I find myself back home trying to adjust back to life here. Many tell me this is the most difficult part, much harder than adjusting to life in the new culture. Right now it has just been so good to reconnect with so many people I love and have missed over the past year. It feels like some kind of time warp because it appears many of your children have turned into giants in just one year. I don’t understand how a human being can add that much height in such a short time. Must be something in the chicken! But there is a part of me that doesn’t want to let go of Zambia and the people I love there. I’m afraid of forgetting. Forgetting their faces, forgetting their pain, forgetting their courage and strength, and forgetting the way it all changed me.

I’ve heard it said that you leave your heart in Africa; it gets in your blood. And as I shared in front of the whole church this morning, it probably is not only in my blood but in my intestinal track from all the things I ingested there! (Don’t worry I have taken precautionary de-worming medicine as we do every 6 months!). Boy, it seems I just have a way with words and eloquent public speaking.

So now I’m stuck with the question: what now? My answer: I don’t know. I would love to go back some day for a longer period but as to when that would be I don’t know. And what am I doing in the here and now? I don’t know! I guess I need to find a job of some sort. Feelin’ a little lost! But what’s new.

And so I guess this is the last letter of this Afrikan Adventure. I thank you all again for all your love and support this year. It has meant so much to me it is really quite indescribable. I would love to get together sometime and hear what you have been up to and share more about Zambia! Keep in touch. God bless you. Signing off.

Love shannon

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16

2008-01-28T11:01:00.000-08:00

Afrikan Adventure: The 12 Days of Zambia

And so it has come to pass that time has held to its steady rhythm and I find myself with but twelve days left in this country. There were certainly times when it felt like I would never see this day (that made it sound like I live some kind of glorified Indiana Jones type lifestyle, don’t be fooled…although I do ride the minibuses on a consistent basis). This time feels somewhat surreal as I get ready to depart and reflect on the year gone by. There are a lot of things (people mostly) that I don’t want to have to leave behind here but at the same time am jubilant about seeing those I left behind a year ago. I leave Zambia on February 5^th and will spend five days in London visiting a friend and then return to Vancouver on the evening of February 10^th!

It is pouring here. I guess they don’t call it “Rainy Season” for nothing. Although this year there seems to be an excess of rain which is causing much problem. There has been a lot of flooding, houses are being destroyed, and roads are taking quite a licking. The orphan home that we work with is on the brink of flooding as right now the water is clear up to the doorstep. With all the water comes the increased risk of disease quickly spreading within the compounds (the poorest areas).

I had a good trip down south to Sinazongwe to spend time with friends who run a medical ministry down there, the highlight being Susan pulling a bug out of a child’s ear. I did not witness it but I trust her testimony of the event to be factual.

I am currently honoured to have my friend Anna Maria Enfield visiting me. She was part of the team I first came to Zambia with four years ago and has been in Uganda for the past two weeks and now here! There is also a team from California here so it’s a busy time but good. Today I took them to Chisomo Drop-In Centre, whom I’ve been working with, to show them around there. We had a fun time with the kids as usual. Each time I am with them I get sadder about having to say goodbye to them. It’s awful!

So I am attempting to wrap things up here and begin saying goodbyes. What strange things our hearts do to us. This year has been nothing that I expected it to be and many a time I have wondered what I was doing here and why God brought me here. It has held confusion, frustration and discouragement like I have never really known before but at the same time God has revealed Himself and worked in my life in ways that couldn’t have happened without this time. I’m at a loss with what to do with all that this past year was and has meant but I suppose it’s time to start processing it!

And so much like that beloved festive song “The 12 Days of Christmas” I have revised it for “The 12 Days of Zambia”…and yet I still have no true love to give me a partridge in a pear tree…or even a monkey in a mango tree. But then again, who gives away wild animals in fruit trees. That’s weird. I’ll leave you with that thought.

Love shannon

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” ~James 1:2-3

“… wealso rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly” ~Romans 5:3-6

2008-01-07T14:12:00.000-08:00

Afrikan Adventure: Auld Lang Syne

Well, it looks like it’s another year over and a new one just begun. I trust we have all made lofty and unattainable resolutions for this year of 2008. I personally have resolved to swim across the Atlantic using only the butterfly stroke for the entire voyage. Moving on…my time in South Africa was grand. It was great to be able to spend Christmas with the Armes/Hilty family and see some of the beautiful country. South Africa is like a whole new world, a dazzling place I never knew! I arrived back in Lusaka on New Years Day after ringing in the New Year by going to bed at 11:55pm…I got up 20 minutes later to finish packing.

I arrived back in Lusaka to a climate that seems all too familiar. It has been raining like crazy here, in an unseasonably heavy fashion in fact. It seems that it is preparing me to arrive back in BC. So with the new year brings the task of beginning to wrap up here in Zambia. On Thursday night I had an “All-nighter” with Chisomo drop-in centre as somewhat of a farewell. Many of the youth will be going back to boarding school this coming week and since I will be leaving soon as well we decided to have one final shebang all together. The kids prepared songs, skits, and testimonies which were awesome. We had a nice meal of chicken and rice and then had popcorn and watched movies all night. It was a good time but a saddening realization of all the goodbyes that are looming.

This coming week I am headed down to Sinazongwe, which is in the southern part of Zambia, to visit Susan and Stephanie, former team mates who now work as a nurse and midwife down there.

And so I leave you with my new motto for 2008, but first how I came upon it. While in South Africa I stayed about 6km from my friends so they lent me a bicycle so I could get around and cycle to and from their house. I was pretty excited about all of this until I realized that the route to their house was almost entirely uphill. To top it off Port Elizabeth is a seaside city and for some reason the winds seemed to have it out for me. Every time I made the uphill trek it seemed like I would be cycling into gale force winds. You know its trouble when you have to pedal to go down hill. So on my final cycle, December 31^st, I was reflecting on the year gone by and thinking that this was a good depiction of what the past year has felt like at times. So if 2007 was “an uphill cycle into the wind,” then my new motto for 2008 is: “It’s all downhill from here!” I don’t know, call me an optimist!

Looking back on auld lang syne (times gone by) I can begin to see glimpses of how God has been at work in my life and those around me and that is just the tip of the iceberg as I try and begin to process this year gone by. I hope you had a happy and festive Christmas season. I thank you again for all your support and encouragement over this past year. I am so grateful and can’t even begin to tell you. Well, I guess that’s a lie because it seems I just attempted to. Anyway, take care and I look forward to seeing you soon!

Love,

Shannon

“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” ~Titus 3:4-5a

2007-12-17T13:37:00.000-08:00

Afrikan Adventure: Oh Tannenbaum

Well, well, here we are mid-December and still no sign of snow. I’m sure it won’t be long now before it comes. I usually spend my evenings sitting by the window wearing my toque and mittens on a string, clutching my “Crazy Carpet” waiting for it to come. But I usually get too sweaty and have to give up. Plus, this past week I’ve been reintroduced to the wonderful world of socialization as my friends, Stephanie and Susan, from down south are up visiting. It has been marvelous having people living with me other than the ants, cockroaches, spiders, and lizards...and nice that I don’t have to spray these guests with a Raid like agent.

This past week Susan found a 180cm, $20 Christmas tree at the store so she bought it. We brought it home and that evening embarked on assembling it. We soon realized why it was probably only $20 while all others around here seem to be much more. Turns out the bottom two pieces didn’t actually fit together as the “trunk” of the tree on both parts was exactly the same size making for quick improvisational tactics to get the tree standing. We tried several things involving sticks, branches and old plastic bags and finally after a treasure hunt around the yard in the dark found a piece of old piping which we used our MacGyver skills to contort into a perfect solution. So now we have our trusty Tannenbaum and a most excellent foam nativity scene sent to me in a package to adorn my humble abode in a Christmas fashion.

This past Saturday I had what will probably be on my list of favourite African memories. I took all the kids at Chisomo, the centre for street kids I have been working with, to this water park called Adventure City for a little Christmas party. There were 44 kids from the age of 10-18 and we had an awesome time. Christmas is a hard time for these youth as it such a family oriented time. It was awesome to see them able to just be kids, having a blast on the slides and doing crazy flips and dives into the pools. The safety standards are not quite what we are used to back home which makes for more fun as your allowed to do pretty much whatever you want on the slides like go down 15 at a time! My favourite was probably swimming with two little 11 year olds, Danny and Anna, and helping Anna conquer her fear of the slide and just trying to teach them how to swim. It breaks my heart that these kids are so young. Danny ran away from a family who was beating him and travelled 5 hours to Lusaka by himself and spent some time on the street until someone brought him to Chisomo. Anna was being sexual abused by her step-father and so followed her sister and ended up at the centre. And each one of these kids has a heart breaking story like this.

My involvement with them is like a catch twenty-two as the more time I spend with them the more I get attached to them and see relationships really beginning to grow and it kills me to think that I am going to have to say goodbye and leave them in a month and a half. My heart hurts just thinking about it. I am going to do an all-nighter with them in January before a lot of the kids who are being sponsored to go to boarding school go back, which will be like a last hurrah!

Action Zambia has recently rented a tiny office space in town so we can finally get our office out of a home so I’ve been putting time there painting and helping to get it ready to move into (not myself moving into…although that would cut down on transport time getting there). My idea of splatter painting in neon colours was not taken to like I was hoping. So instead I will secretly paint a delightful country mural with the art skills I learned from Bob Ross on PBS, complete with several “happy, little trees.”

Guitar teaching and bible study in Kasupe continues to go well. Peter, my guitar prodigy, is really catching on quick and a great youth so I’ve pretty much decided that I will give my guitar to him when I leave and hope that he can use his newly acquired skills to be a leader in the community and his church.

I also had a meeting with the Rural Health Committee this past week and we are hoping to do another day of giving out food and health supplies to really vulnerable families. This time of the year is when the food starts to run out as the crops are just being planted and won’t be ready for another couple months and last years supply has run out.

And that has been some of the highlights of December so far. I will be heading down to South Africa on Thursday to spend Christmas with friends from the team and their family who live there. I hope all the hustle ‘n’ bustle of the season hasn’t gotten the better of you and that are having a joyous noel. If you want to get away from said hustle just come here…there is certainly a lack of hustle in these parts! And remember the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear! Take care!!

Love,

Shannon

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

~Matthew 11:28-30

2007-11-29T07:30:00.000-08:00

Afrikan Adventure: Empty Space

I write you from a seemingly very empty space…and I’m speaking quite literally, not referring to my mental capacity. The house that I live in was furnished almost exclusively by another couple on the team that had moved into a place where they did not need much of their belongings, working out quite perfectly for the both of us. But oh, how the tides have changed. Said couple is now moving into an unfurnished home requiring said belongings and thus bringing us to the current state as I listen to the reverb of my typing, sounding much like the typewriters of old. So now I currently have a hot plate and blender to my name. It’s all one really needs really. Blending can be very cathartic while creating delicious treats that are easily accessible through a straw. And with all concrete walls and tile floors I’ve found entertainment in singing Latin words loudly and listening to it bounce of the walls. Plus, this pillaging has provided a much better space to practice my gymnastic floor routines.

Moving on…with such a transitional time in the life of Action Zambia there has been need for assistance in the administrative area so I have been working in our office at least one day a week to help out. So if in the near future this mission suddenly disintegrates you’ll know why.

This past week marked a significant national holiday for our American friends and seeing as this is a predominantly American team I stuck a feather in my cap and joined the festivities. There was no turkey but there was pie for which was something to be truly thankful for.

Last week I was able to finally visit a dear woman who is on the Rural Health Committee that I work with who just lost her husband. Mr. and Mrs. Sakala had been married 43 years this November. They had been living on a farm out near where I used to live but now she will have to move into town with relatives. She shared how here in Zambia widows are often treated very poorly…it was shocking to hear what families will do these poor women. Luckily, Mrs. Sakala’s family has been very supportive but that is not the norm. Often, families will blame the widow for the death and make her walk around on her elbows and knees and they will take almost everything from her home and leave her with nothing. And when she goes to stay with other family she must be in seclusion while the man of the house is there. I hope to be able to visit with her at the new place she is staying at here in town. It was shocking and heart breaking to hear that is how these women are treated here.

I was also able to participate in a seminar put on by our CROSS team (the HIV/AIDS ministry). For the last five months the team has been training individuals and leaders in several churches to better deal with the HIV/AIDS pandemic and equip them with some counselling skills. So on Friday all the people from the different churches worked with got together for a seminar. In typical Zambian fashion I was asked to lead the music last minute and completely unprepared but it all turned out in the end.

And those are the highlights of days gone by. Some days are good, others present ample opportunity for “character building” but it’s encouraging to know I’m not in it alone. I think having an empty home could be a good thing. All I really need is Jesus anyway. Thank you to you all for your love and support over these months and your prayers which I’m sure have done more than we could possibly know. Take care and stay warm…or don’t bother with a heater, just come here. We could blend and sing Latin words together!

Love,
shannon

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
~Jeremiah 29:13

2007-11-18T12:11:00.000-08:00

Afrikan Adventure: I scream, you scream, let’s all scream…ICE CREAM!

Have you even gone say 9 months without tasting the sweet, sweetness of real ice cream? And then one day, in a seemingly miraculous act, your dormant taste buds are reawakened to said sweet, sweetness, like manna rained down from heaven? And you think this is THE best thing that could have ever happened to you? And then half an hour later you remember that you are borderline lactose intolerant? But that first half hour was magical. This may or may not be a factual life story that happened recently. Dairy products are often very expensive and of poor quality here in Zambia. Therefore, when this mysterious “Sonia” and her “Italian Delicatessen” presents itself in the local grocer’s freezer, one must pounce, no matter the consequence.

Time seems to have quickened it’s step the longer I am here. I remember when I first got here it seemed like time crept by, everything was new and exciting and the days and weeks seemed to last longer. But now in the routines of life here, even though the pace of life is usually at a steady crawl, the days and weeks hasten by.

As I believe I mentioned last time I was preparing to embark into the world of sex education, helping lead two Saturday seminars for youth from a local church. And once again things did not happen as planned. The first Saturday we had put all this planning and preparation in. Including a somewhat awkward visit to the local photocopy place where the only male employee there was the one to help me make photocopies of female anatomy diagrams. We arose way to early to get to the farm, to be the location of the festivities only to have to eventually cancel because an hour and a half after we were to start only four youth had shown up, the rest at least another hour from coming. It was pretty disappointing. But it wasn’t all for not. We had an impromptu water balloon fight with the four that were there with the balloons I had prepared for a relay we were going to do. And we did a half day of discussion and teaching which I think went really well. The best laid plans…

For this past Saturday we decided to just keep it to a half day and have it at the church itself. Two hours after the planned starting time we began! I led some music to begin with and taught them some new songs which was fun. All in all the day went well. Most of the teaching and discussion was done in the vernacular which I think was good so they could really understand and discuss. It is such an important topic to tackle here, especially with the way it is handled traditionally and frequency of abuse and myths.

Last Sunday the women of our team sang at a church. I was playing guitar and when we broke into harmony suddenly loud noise erupted from congregation and I thought someone had passed out around me or something but I guess it was because they liked it, but I totally lost my concentration. It was a fun experience. Then today in church this massive millipede crawled right past my feet. As it moved past this elderly woman next to me turned to me with this terrified-like smile and sat with her legs straight out until it past. This is Africa!

It seems the rains have come. There is a wild lightening storm taking place right now. Although the combination of the heat and the rain often make for a less than pleasant environment, unless you’re a big fan of sweating. The other day I was walking and got caught in a downpour. I was in jeans which immediately changed states form being cloth to lead. Then the rain stopped and the sun came out again and it was like an instant sauna, except I don’t usually walk in lead “trousers” in a sauna (pants here means underwear…which has got us North Americans into some pretty funny situations). Really cleans out he pours. But I know here in Lusaka we have it pretty good compared to what it could be, like in other places in the world. So I will embrace it.

And that’s another lengthy snapshot into this adventure that is my life. Apparently it’s the middle of November, how did that happen? I can’t wrap my head around it and the climate here. It’s about time for those Christmas portraits! Book now, ask me how! You should all book your appointments with the Abbotsford Sears Portrait Studio now. Tell them Shannon sent you and I’m sure you’ll be in for a treat!

Take care of yourself now. Love and peace from Zambia!

shannon

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is a gift from God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

2007-11-06T13:37:00.001-08:00

Afrikan Adventure: Trimester Four

As I left you last I believe I was still holding out hope that the highly anticipated rains would make their traditions Independence day debut…but alas, my waiting was to no avail. They did not come. I went to bed with a heavy heart knowing something was a miss. I got over the devastation pretty quick. But never fear, today the rains came! It was a nice hiatus from the November heat…there are two words I've never put together before…except at home when my sister and I would insist on keeping the heat off in the house as late in the year as possible, until appendages went numb with cold, just to be obstinate, yet frugal children. I took advantage of running in the rain. It felt like the good ol' days in the motherland…and I don't mean Russia…I've never run there. But then it got dark and lightening came, and since I usually run holding a long conductor rod I decided it probably best to get indoors.

As you can tell, this past week hasn't really held all that much in terms of captivating action. I've gone about my business as usual: choir, teaching guitar, Bible studies, visiting people out in Kasupe, riding on mini buses and waiting for hours, the usual. Although this past week my patience seemed to hit an all time low with the unwanted attention I seem to attract from the men here for the fact that I am white, female, and out in the open. So of course why wouldn't you yell degrading comments at me! When I stayed in Mexico several years ago guys used to think that they could impress us by squealing their tires as they drove by…and let me tell you it worked. I was impressed every time. Not so here. But I feel my patience tank is topped up and I'm ready to take on another week.

It was also a hard week in that I received news of two deaths. That stuff never seems to gets any easier. One was the mother of a youth named Edmond leaving him now an orphan who can't afford to go to school and forced to live with difficult relatives. The other the husband of one of the dear ladies on the Rural Health Committee that I've been working with.

There are these ladies who sit on the corner of my street and sell produce and whatnot everyday. So one day last week I sat down with them and they invited me to eat nshima with them (the corn meal like staple here). It is usually eaten with some kind of "relish" or sauce. This day they had something I had never heard of before. I couldn't understand what it was but it looked like little green leafs in a bed of oil. I delved in (you eat it with your hands) which caused them great amusement as apparently my nshima technique could use a little work. With every bite they would be on the edge of their seat to watch me try and eat it and then would break out into laughter. I'm thinking of coming out with my own Zambian comedy special that just involves me eating nshima and saying my full name.

This coming week is panning out to be a busy one, which I'm all for. Among the delicacies mounted on my plate is this Saturday I will be joining with the CROSS team (our HIV/AIDS ministry team) to do a day long seminar for 20 youth on sex education with a Biblical perspective. This Saturday we will be meeting with the girls and then the next Saturday it will be with the boys. This is a topic that is not really addressed here in Zambia, at least not properly. So this a pilot project to see where youth here are at and get feedback and info on how we could structure a longer program for youth. So there is a lot of preparation still to be done for this.

I am entering my fourth trimester here in Zambia. Don't worry, I am not a pregnant sea lion nor alpaca. Rest assured I am not a pregnant anything but nine months have gone by since I set out from that blustery Toronto airport. My time here has been anything but what I expected it to be. It's been hard and challenging on a whole but I'm learning to count it all as a privilege. It's a privilege to be here, to learn the things that I am, to know these people, to get a glimpse at the things that break God's heart every day, to gain a new perspective on just how much I need a Savior, and to see just how great a Savior we have. So these last nine months have seen a lot of development in my thinking and in my spiritual growth…even though I spent a lot of time kicking, wanting to get out of here at times…going back to the pregnant sea lion analogy…or just a the pregnancy analogy. Looks like I'm all prepared for this Saturday!

Well, that's about it for this week. I should stop procrastinating further and get back to the tasks at hand. I hope November is treating you all well and you are enjoying your saved daylight. Thanks for all being part of this adventure. I can't seem to express my gratitude sufficiently. Take care.

Peace,

shannon

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.' The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." ~Lamentations 3: 22-26

2007-10-24T14:54:00.000-07:00

Afrikan Adventure: These flip-flops were made for walking

These flip-flops were made for walking and that’s just what they’ll do. One of these days these flip-flops are gonna…disintegrate right into the ground. So this week marked my first week without any sort of vehicle to use. For the past several months a team mate who was back in the states graciously let me use her vehicle while she was away. A humongous help. But those days are behind me now and it’s back to the world of public transportation. I prefer to walk when I can, I quite enjoy it really. It may not be the most efficient of methods of transportation, although, as a I found today, neither is the public transport system.

Today I spent approximately five hours in transport time to get to the farm and back for an hour and a half program. Here’s how it works. I had to get downtown to get on another bus to take me to the farm. However, at the bus station you wait until your bus is jam packed before you commence. Meaning if you get on and it’s not very full, you wait. The bus I got on was fitted for about 30. I was number 3. So after well over an hour the bus was finally full. Then of course we had to stop at the gas station. Two hours from the time I left home I had arrived at the farm (a trek that normally took me about 35 minutes by car). I had a lovely time teaching guitar and tutoring another youth in math (luckily it is grade 7 math). Then it was time to head home. The buses don’t frequent that area very often so I waited about an hour and a half for a bus to finally come my way. By the time we got back to downtown with all the stops another hour had gone by. By this time nightfall was fast approaching and not desiring to be traveling in a bus for another hour under the cover of darkness I opted to hire a cab to take me the rest of the way home. Perhaps walking isn’t as inefficient after all. But I was entertained by watching the events around me. Such as at the station men come around and try to sell you random things. I witnessed one trying to sell a man on my bus a pair of nail clippers. My busmate took the clippers, proceeded to clip his nails, and then decided not to purchase them and gave them back to the man at the window. Note to self: don’t purchase nail clippers at the bus station.

This past week there was another baby shower! This time it was for the wife of one of our Zambian team mate who works with the HIV/AID ministry. So Andrea and I did all this preparation and baking and it turned out to be one of the most awkward events ever! I think this was a little unusual for a shower to be had before the baby is born but the whole time the woman looked like she wanted to be anywhere but at this shower. I pretty sure it was just a cultural thing because at weddings and bridal showers the bride always looks like she wants to be dead too, when I’m pretty sure that’s not what’s really going on. We didn’t make them eat chocolate out of a diaper…maybe we should have, it may have been the kick start that party needed.

Today on the 24^th of October, the year of our Lord, Zambia celebrated 43 years of independence. I had a stunning sweater vest made displaying the Zambian flag colours and name which I proudly sported along with my Zambia toque. If you recall, I once mentioned that everyone told me that on this day is when the rains would come. Anticipation was high for me on this day and although at one point there were several clouds in the sky…no rain. I did see several people carrying umbrellas. And why wouldn’t they because they were probably thinking “it’s October 24th…it’s gonna rain!” There are still a couple hours of October 24^th left. I will not loose hope until the strike of midnight.

Living here in Zambia over these last through months has begun to paint a picture of humanity. I’ve seen the beauty of the people here, the preciousness of their souls, the forgotten and overlooked and shared glimpses of what God must see in his unfathomable love for those he created. But then the picture is tainted with strokes of deep sadness and the broken souls that each of us are. I think I used to see things to be more separate, like Zambia was very “other” from myself and my country. And superficially it is, we look different, the culture is different, the language is different, the economic conditions are different, our countries are separated by a vast space, and the surface problems may be different. But deeper at the souls of people we are really all the same. We all have this emptiness inside of us that aches for a relationship with Jesus. And we can try and fill it with stuff, or other people, or empty religion and trying to be “good.” But when it comes down to it none of that satisfies the void. Our hearts still ache for the restoration of that perfect relationship with our Creator that was broken long ago whether we realize it or not. It’s encouraging for me to think that whatever “programs” or “ministries” we have here aren’t in and of themselves going to make a difference, because sometimes I feel like I screw up everything I touch here. But it’s this relationship with Christ, no matter how cliché it sounds, that changes our lives and fills us with purpose and meaning and love. And it’s for everyone, no matter poor and overlooked or wealthy and noteworthy, free for the taking.

And with that I will bid you “adieu, adieu, to you and you and you” for the evening as I wait for the rain on this 43^rd Independence Day. I hope this electronic message finds you well. A reminder…you only have about three more months to come visit, so book your tickets now. Take care my friends!

Love,

shannon

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” ~ 2 Corinthians 5: 18-20

2007-10-13T14:28:00.000-07:00

Afrikan Adventure: The Guests

I am pleased to report that in the days gone by since I last wrote I have managed to keep all my digits and limbs intact and securely in place. My stitches are gone leaving me with only a memory of past events…and a nasty scar. I’ll be back to “Thumb War Champion” material in no time.

It’s been a hectic week with what seems not a whole lot to show for it but it’s been good. My friends Susan and Mike came up from Sinazongwe (Susan is the nurse who I used to live at the farm with who now works with an organization called Missionary Ventures International, and Mike is the also a member of MVI and the trusted team mechanic) on Monday…just in time to help me celebrate Thanksgiving: Canadian style with Americans! Nothing like forcing Americans to celebrate your holidays. I made a little makeshift feast and it was nice to have friends there to share it with. It’s just not the same if you have to eat a whole pumpkin pie by yourself. I even wore a “harvest sweater” even though it was 30 degrees Celsius outside.

So Susan stayed with me this past week and on Thursday our friend Stephanie (who I used to share a hut with!) returned from a short trip to the states. So there were three of us in this itsy bitsy house but it was fun. So I spent most of my spare time running around with them trying to help them get everything done and all the supplies they needed before heading back down to the bush and generally hanging out and catching up. We threw a baby shower for two of our pregnant team member (Andrea and Elise). It was a good time. I insisted that we incorporate a game that involved eating a mashed up chocolate bar and green jello out of a diaper with no hands. I hope that it sticks as a Zambian tradition and can be passed down from generation to generation.

This afternoon I invited my church choir over to my place for our practice followed by a little BBQ. It was fun to have them all over here. They brought all the sound equipment and seem to think that every song we sing should have a drum loop from the electric keyboard and so they pumped one out of the speakers. I’m sure the neighbours thoroughly enjoyed our time as well!

And so it goes here in Zambia. It’s been eight months and it seems the more time goes by the less I understand about why God put me here. God doesn’t really need me here, I mean, He’s God…he doesn’t need a broken human like me to do anything for Him. But I’ve been thinking that it’s like parents and children (I’m around a lot of children and wondering if I really ever want to embark on drudgery of parenthood:). Like when a parent lets their kid “help” them do something even though by doing it themselves said parent could complete the task immensely faster. They let their child “help” because they love them and that is how one learns and grows, even though the kid usually makes a bigger mess than to begin with and the parent ends up cleaning up the aftermath of the “helpful deed,” but the parent still loves them and is even proud of what would normally be thought of as aesthetically displeasing…or something of that matter. I think this is the way it is with I and God. I want to help Him. He lets me. I make a mess. He cleans it up and still loves me anyway.

Thanks to all of you who are here with me even though not physically. I miss you greatly. I end with the classic words of Stevie Wonder, adapted by Shannon Storey. “I just wrote to say I love you, I just wrote to say how much I care, I just wrote to say I love you and I mean it from the bottom of my heart!” Ahh, Stevie. Until next time...

love

shannon

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grown tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint.” ~ Isaiah 40:28-31

2007-10-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

Afrikan Adventure: All Up In Stitches…

Although there may occasionally be a dull moment here in Zambia, apparently not a dull knife. Opposable thumbs help to make us some of the most dexterous creatures on earth, but not so when said thumb is severed with a sharp metal object such as a knife. Perhaps severed is too harsh of a word…it makes me think like it is hanging by a thread. Not so in this case. It was a day just like any other, the sun was up, so was I, and there was a cabbage to be cored. But one slip of the hand and bam…blood everywhere. I kind of just stood there for a while wondering what to do next. This seemed like no match for my Dora the Explorer Band-Aids. So I wrapped the “opposable” in many paper towels and napkins and headed to the neighbours. Stephanie was kind enough to drive me to the clinic where my new good friend, Dr. Joseph from Egypt, kindly stitched me up; three in total. It was a gory scene but I watched every second of it. It even squirted out blood everywhere just like one of those fine television medical drama shows. But now I’m back home and admiring my new battle scars. Sadly, it was at the hand of a knife and cabbage rather than a crocodile. Check it out on the blog: shannonstorey.blogspot.com.

Until next time…stay safe and have fun!

shannon

2007-09-27T05:05:00.000-07:00

Afrikan Adventure: Snake Holder…

The days roll forth with their every steady timing and it seems that October is just a hop, skip, and four days away. As many of you are embracing the new found days of fall here in Zambia my long john and sweater days are far behind me (although not Christmas sweater days…I will wear a good Christmas sweater no matter what the temperature if one can be found, perhaps it’s called “sweater” for a reason) as summer sets in here. I have been warned endlessly that October will be the hottest month, so come Monday I’m expecting something big, real big…and hot. I have also been told by several Zambians that on October 24^th, which is Zambian Independence Day, the rains will come…always on October 24^th. So needless to say my expectations for the month are pretty high.

I have been back to Kasupe several times to continue with the choir, bible study, and guitar lessons. I have also spent time walking around visiting people including several widows in the area that I have come to know. These are probably some of my favorite times here in Africa, just being able to walk the dusty roads removed from city life and visit with people, and it’s probably something I will miss the most going back home where I assume it won’t be kosher to spend an hour talking to someone while at work. Or just showing up on peoples doorsteps…although I may keep that up, so watch out! I have been visiting one elderly man who recently lost his wife (the woman I wrote about in previous emails), Mr. Chilenge, who yesterday asked me if I told people back in Canada about the people I met here and if I would tell you about him. I said yes. Mr. Chilenge lives in a small house in Kasupe and desperately misses his wife of 47 years. His own body is failing him as he has been ill recently, I think partly the result of a broken heart. He also misses his wife’s cooking as he made a comment that his son “just isn’t able to prepare things like she did!” You can see the weariness in his eyes as life on this earth becomes so cumbersome. We spent time talking about Jesus, Heaven, and praying.

Coming back to the farm and Kasupe now that I don’t live there has opened my eyes how much I unknowingly invested my heart there with all the relationships I’ve made. And coming back and having all these kids from all over the area shouting my name and waving, it somewhat overwhelms me. It makes me think that maybe all the time I thought I wasn’t doing anything and was “wasted” may not have been.

Life in the city is going well, I’m all settled into the new place with my new friend cockroaches. We have a good time. It’s great to be closer to everyone on the team. Life goes on as normal…if you consider finding cobra’s eating frogs in your yard as normal. Swift action was taken to defuse the situation. Here I thought that I was getting away from all this by moving into the city, but instead there are more things living here inside and out than I ever saw at the farm.

Speaking of snakes, which just happen to be a high ranking fear of mine, I did something most daring in nature this past weekend. I held in my hot little hands the cold blooded stylings of a python. Yes, I held a snake. It was a highly supervised affair. I believe I am now in high contention to be Steve Irwin’s successor. I was thinking instead of Crocodile Hunter I could be “Shannon Storey: Snake Holder…But Then Get’s Kind Of Freaked Out and Has to Put it Down.” I think it’s catchy. I will post the pictures on the blog as soon as I get them.

And that’s been a recount of day gone by. I just wanted to take this opportunity to say I think you are awesome! Even if some of you who are reading this I have never met…I’m pretty sure that when we meet I’ll think you’re awesome. Thank you so much for your prayers and support…it’s what gets me through. All the best wherever this finds you. And please go out and enjoy the fall colours for me.

Love,

shannon

“We love because he first loved us.” ~ 1 John 4:19

2007-09-16T14:59:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-04T04:10:00.000-07:00

Afrikan Adventure: Seventh Inning Stretch

I hope you all had joyous Labour Day. I now certainly hope not to see any of you in a photograph wearing white. How appalling. That no white after Labour Day thing is a good rule of thumb for here, except everyday should be Labour Day because if you wear white you are asking for trouble. You’ll get a solid 10 seconds in your best whites before you look like a McDonalds swirl ice-cream cone of white and brown. Especially if you are 3 years old. I am not…but I have a young friend, Payton, who is. This Sunday he was wearing a brand new white shirt his grandma gave him for his birthday. As we were walking into church Elise, his mom, says to me, “so how long do you think that shirts gonna last?” Literally, thirty seconds later Payton is face down in the dirt.

I’ve been here approximately seven months now and it seems that the novelty of being in Africa is finally wearing off. Don’t get me wrong, I still love this place but all of the sudden one (being me) realizes that this is life. The things that used to be quirkily amusing now seem more annoying than amusing. Such as the street lights (which are called “robots” here…no, they are not electronic men/women, they are just like home) at major intersections that have been not working for the past 5 months and so it’s just a free for all to get through. For some reason it seems the four way stop procedure does not take effect here. Then there is the realization that the problems and pain in this country are far deeper than you could imagine and the overwhelming helplessness and exhaustion that brings. But then there is the upside to this seventh inning stretch, such as I’ve made some great relationships here, I’m getting a new perspective on life and what it is to be a follower of Jesus, and realizing maybe we in the West are not as lucky as we think we are.

The schools are just coming back into session now so this past week was again more quiet than usual. I had a good time at Chisomo on Tuesday doing a Bible study with about 25 youth. I have a couple new guitar students. The problem is that guitars are ridiculously expensive here so we learn on an extra one here at the farm.

Wednesday youth Bible study here at the farm continues to go well. It’s a small group but I think I prefer that because I seems to free everyone up to really ask some good questions and think about what we are talking about. One guy, Fisher, told me that the next day he goes and teaches the things he learns here with a group of his friends which was so encouraging to hear.

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to experience a Zambian “Kitchen Party”. This is something similar to a bridal shower. So it’s a little ladies gathering for the bride who is getting married and the event is geared at stalking up the bathroom. Actually, no, you may have deduced from the name that all the gifts are meant for the kitchen! So the bride comes in covered under a cloth being led in with her family in what looks kinda of like an African conga line…perhaps it could be a “Congo” line. Haha. Then they do a little dance. And the bride takes a seat in the front and has look down the whole time and look sad. There is a whole spread of food and plenty o’ dancing. The ring leader of the party kept looking at Elise and I and saying in Bemba that they were going to make the “Mzungu’s” dance. I broke out into a cold sweat and conveniently looked occupied and refused to make eye contact with the woman…I think she could smell my fear. The last time I tried the traditional dancing I think I dislocated a hip. They say that if I practiced I could do it…I would rather be able to walk.

Here’s the latest on what I’ve ingested. I went with a Zambian friend, Daliso, to this sketchy market place to eat what is called “set.” What it is is nshima (the thick porridge-like substance that is the staple here) served with a chicken head, chicken feet, chicken liver, and chicken intestine. What a treat! So I ate it all. It didn’t taste bad, it didn’t really taste like a whole lot. I ate the eyes and brains and all. Daliso said I could use another set of both. My mom would probably agree with this statement since I am enthusiastically eating this stuff. You can check out pictures on my blog: shannonstorey.blogspot.com.

Tonight I was driving home with Susan, who is back visiting from Sinazongwe for the week, and we drove over a snake. We were told that it’s not a good idea to drive over snakes because they can attach to the bottom of you car, get up under the hood, and slither into the car. We didn’t mean to run it over but she didn’t see it and only I did before it was too late. So we freaked out. Susan was driving and I was in the fetal position for the rest of the ride home. I don’t like snakes. But I would probably eat one.

We’ve made it through seven months! Thanks for taking on this adventure with me as we press on. I hope this letter finds you well. Feel free to drop me a line or seventy about what’s going on in your life…even some pictures…but remember I better not see anyone in white now. (Actually, I think that rule is ridiculous…I’m gonna wear nothing but white!)

Love from Lusaka,

shannon

“Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” ~John 4:13-14

2007-08-26T04:09:00.000-07:00

Afrikan Adventure: On the Move

As usual I will update you with the latest weather report here in Lusaka, Zambia. Things are starting to heat up as I have once again employed the use of the squeaky ceiling fan. The winds continue to blow creating clouds of dust that give me the illusion that I am getting a tan, only to come to the sad realization as I see my “tan” in a puddle on the shower floor.

This past week has been busy but good. I was involved with leading a workshop/Bible study on HIV/Aids at Chisomo drop-centre for street kids. You may recall me mentioning doing this back in May as well. So I was there every day and we had a group of 13 youth between the ages of 11 and 17 attending. It went really well. On Friday morning we took 10 of them to be tested for HIV. This is always a nerve racking experience. You can see the anxiety and fear on the kids faces as they wait in the waiting room to be called for the counseling, then get their blood tested, and nervously wait for the results. And it’s not only the kids who are nervous, I was pretty much a wreck. But the results came back and all 10 were negative! The look of relief and joy on their faces was priceless as they would walk out of the room after receiving their results. Although we did have one girl in the group who is 15 and already knew she is HIV positive. So hopefully the things that we learned and talked about in the workshop we stick with them and help them to make right choices and rely on God to face the struggles and temptations before them.

My favorite moment was when Mary, age 11, just found out she was negative and was talking to me a mile a minute, telling me she wanted to be a news reporter, her favorite, colour, her favorite food, etc. She went on non-stop for about five minutes straight. I couldn’t get a word in. She told me that when she became a news reporter she would buy me a big house and a nice car. I told her she didn’t need to. She insisted. Then was my favorite line. She takes my hand and looks and at me and says: “I will never forget you, Sheila!” Hmmm, seems like you already did!

So I will be working more regularly with Chisomo which I am excited about. I will be doing a weekly Bible study with them and hopefully going and teaching them some music. I also hope to go along with another guy to do outreach on a weekly basis where we go visit the kids still on the street, bringing the ones most in need to the centre, and also trying to reconnect kids with their families. Don’t worry, Mary, “Sheila” will be back!

This past week there was also a camp happening near the farm for about 40 orphans put on by a guy from my church who runs an organization called “In Community Care for Orphans,” the goal being getting sponsors to help these orphans continue to live in their community, rather than taking them out of it. So this was their yearly camp and on Thursday night I was invited to their campfire time to teach them some songs. We had a good time. The kids ranged in age from about 10-18. It was their last campfire so they were handing out prizes for different things like the “most helpful”, “the best example”, “most improved behavior”, etc. Coming from the West I was expecting the prizes to be some cool gadget or toy like we would give out at home, but was given a bit of a reality check when the prizes were actually things like soap, toilet paper, and toothbrushes. Things these kids needed desperately and were so happy to receive.

Then there were my usual activities at the farm such as youth Bible study, choir, and guitar teaching. And then of course there is my new nightly routine of thoroughly inspecting my mosquito net to make sure no pestly mosquitoes have infiltrated my defenses. There is nothing like waking up in the middle of the night to the gentle hum of a mosquito trapped inside the net with you, buzzing around your ear while you slap your head in vain trying to rectify the situation. Few things are more annoying…except maybe having a lion trapped inside your net with you. I’ve yet to experience it but I imagine it to be unpleasant…they are big, they purr loudly, and there mane would be all up in your face. It’s one thing to be eating my a mosquito…that itches. But being eaten by a lion…that hurts.

One more thing and then I must let you go. I will be moving come the middle of September into town. There is a small, small house on the property of one of our families which I will be soon occupying. This will mean that I won’t be so isolated from the rest of the team, especially as we have two new families joining us, and it will be more convenient as it will be a lot closer to everything. I will continue to keep up my ministry here in Kasupe but it will mean less driving as right now I am pretty much having to make the trek into town at least once a day and this way will only have to come this way a couple times a week.

So all in all I’m excited about this new chapter in my time here with moving and involvement with street kids. I hope you all are well and thanks you once again for what you mean to me.

Love from Zambia,

shannon

“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because

of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” ~Titus 3:4-5a

2007-08-18T04:08:00.000-07:00

Afrikan Adventure: The Windy City

The weather patterns in Zambia seem to work like clockwork. I mean you wouldn’t want to set your standard wrist watch to it, it’s not the atomic clock or anything, it just seems very predictable. Stable in a sense. You always no what’s coming. I like that. Because it seems like nothing else about this country works in this fashion, nor has anything about this trip followed this road called “expectancy.” So at least the weather can. They said it would get windy in August. So coming from BC where the only thing predictable about the weather is that it will probably rain when you really don’t want it too, I didn’t think too much about it. I was thinking maybe a gentle northeasterly wind to come passing through now and again. But no, they actually meant it gets windy. It’s like Chicago out here, the Windy City (which I recently learned bears political meaning rather than barometrical significance, but I still choose to think of it meaning the latter). In the mornings I sometimes lie in bed and listen to it. Sometimes it sounds angry. Like it wants to blow my humble abode clear over, sending my thatch roof a sail. Other times it sounds calming, like it is bringing forth something new or just letting you know it’s there. I like the wind. I like the way you can feel the wind even though you can’t see it, you know it is there…surrounding you, pushing you, holding you. It is real. The wind reminds me of God, of His Holy Spirit who is with us. And even though I know God is real, sometimes it’s nice just to feel Him, like the wind.

There hasn’t been a whole lot new to report going on this past week. It was yet again another goodbye as we saw the Stein family go back home to Minnesota after a year here. They were working with the community schools and Steve was serving as our interim director and with him leaving we currently have no one leading us here on the field. Tim Hilty is standing in as our “Officer in Charge” and I am thinking of making him a badge, vest, and beret to wear to all our meetings. But at least this week with another goodbye we got to say “Hello” to a new family joining our team, the Melville family, who I’m happy to say have greatly increased our non-American contingency as they are from the UK although were living in California. The common-wealth contingency is rising up here in Action Zambia! We and the Queen will eventually take over.

My weekly activities continue on as normal, although numbers seem to have dwindled this past week at the different events. Perhaps it has something to do with the schools being on break…or it’s me. I have started teaching one of the youth how to play guitar. So we’ve been meeting three times a week which is fun.

Finally, here is the latest rat report: I have not eaten any this week but as I sit in my hut there is the distinct aroma that is neither sweet nor pleasing, but rather the something dead. Now if you recall I mentioned previously about my rash outpouring of poison in a moment of intolerance and I’m sure all you animal rights activists are singing I’ve gotten my just dessert. I’ve searched everywhere, can’t find it. I think it may be in the thatch of the roof. I’ve noticed several fly larva showing up this morning…a sure sign of something dead Mr.Gondwe tells me. I guess I’ve learned my lesson. Just because something wakes you up every night doesn’t mean you should bombard it with poison. A lesson probably best learned before I have children.

And that concludes another long-“winded” August letter. I am so blessed to have people like you, who support, encourage, love, and pray for me…and put up with my nonsensical ramblings (because if you got this far, you indeed do!), it blows me away! I’m so thankful for you. Have a great week and eat something weird for me.

Love

shannon

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8

2007-08-06T04:07:00.000-07:00

Afrikan Adventure: And then there was one…

Hither, I bring forth to you another account of the events of days gone by. And it came to pass that it was week bitter sweet in nature…I ate a mouse Sweet & Sour style! Actually, that is a falsehood. It was for the fact that I had to say goodbye to my two good friends, Susan and Stephanie, with whom I have lodged with for my entire say here so far, Stephanie being my esteemed “hut-mate.” They have moved 6 hours south to a bush area called Sinazongwe to do medical ministry there with another organization. So this past week I, along with Tim, Andrea, and their daughter Irene Hilty, were able to go down with them to help them move and get settled in. It is beautiful down there and they are on a lake inhabited by many crocs and hippos…swimming is not encouraged! While there we unpacked their oodles of medical supplies for their clinics, painted the clinic, spilled the paint all over the floor, had to scrape it off the floor until it was completely gone, organized and inventoried all the meds (I think Andrea and I butchered every single name except for maybe Tylenol…and we barely pulled that one off…but we had a good time doing it). It was nice to be able to help them transition a bit. The directors are a South African family and I learned that every meal must have some type of gravy, and exorbitant amount of salt, and of course followed by a dessert, which no matter what it is they call “pudding” which must include a thick custard. So I took a little trip down heart attack lane…but I wasn’t complaining!

It was hard to see them go as that leaves me the lone single ranger here…although I through a mean “Solitaire Party” on Friday nights. But I’m excited for this opportunity that they have to use their gifts for God’s glory down there. And they are only a hop, skip, and a 6 hour bus ride away!

I returned to Lusaka to some sobering news. The elderly woman, whom I believe I mentioned in my last letter, who was suffering from a lot of pain in her back passed away while I was gone. I was shocked to hear the news. I still don’t know what she died from, and probably won’t, but was taken into hospital and then the doctors and nurses went of strike. That’s Zambian health care for you. It’s heartbreaking but a good reminder of the urgency this country needs to hear the hope of Christ for their salvation.

The youth choir continues to go well. I think close to thirty youth are showing up on a weekly basis…although it usually takes a good hour for them all to trickle in. We have a lot of fun, they aren’t the best singers in the world but they’ve got heart and enjoy swaying to the beat! We’re working on the singing part. I usually do a short devotional with them and this next week have invited those who want to do a Bible study to come on Wednesday afternoon.

Saturday kids club is also going well. This past week I led it by myself. Usually Chalo, one of our Zambian team members, helps out and does a bunch in Nyanja so they can understand more. So we sang a lot. I taught them a bunch of new songs. We learned about Noah and I showed them how to do three legged races (symbolizing how the animals went on the ark two by two!). We had a blast. It’s those times with the youth and the kids that make the struggles and challenges here easier to bare and remember why I’m here.

As for this weeks peak into the life that is Africa…several local kids killed a big spitting cobra right outside our property this morning. A couple weeks ago one of our guys found a dead one and brought it home and then put in on my doorstep, knocked on the door, ran away, leaving me with the nasty surprise. I was not amused. Although I was slightly amused when he did the same to Susan on her doorstep and she screamed.

Also, my hut, of which I am now solitude in, has rats. There is a small ceiling above the shower and bathroom of which the rats seem to make their nocturnal home. So often I hear them scurrying around and making a ruckus up their. They have yet to jump off down to where I am. So a couple days ago a put a big ol’ box of rat poison up there, box and all as it instructed me to and sure enough in the middle of the night I hear them going to town on that box…it was so loud couldn’t sleep. My only comfort lay in the cruel yet satisfying knowledge that their obnoxious little lives should soon be through.

Well, on that uplifting note I will draw to a close. I thank you again for all your support, prayers and encouragement. Words don’t seem enough to convey how much it means to me. I wish you well this week.

God Bless,

Shannon

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” ~2 Corinthians 4:17-18

2007-07-25T04:06:00.000-07:00

Afrikan Adventure: Team Time

The past three weeks held my first experience hosting a team here in Zambia and oh, the times we shared. There were 10 people here from California, most in their late teens or early twenties so it was great getting to know them and work with them. They were a great team and a huge encouragement to me personally, as times of late have been a bit on the discouraging side.

This past week we were able to meet with a local Rural Health Committee in our area consisting of five of the cutest old Zambian ladies ever. They do home visits to the many sick and vulnerable in our area. So I along with two girls from the team, one being a nurse, were able to come alongside them and join them. So on Thursday we had them select 8 homes that they thought were in the most need and we were able to go visit them and bring them a bag of Meali Meal (what they make the staple food out of) and a blanket. We had a blast with the ladies. I killed the battery on the truck midway through and so these five ladies and Alisha and Esther (from the team) had to the push the car as I attempted to start it. A feat I had never taken on nor conquered before. But after four tries the unthinkable happened and we actually got it started. I can’t believe I made five old ladies push start a land cruiser! But we were all quite proud of ourselves none the less!

It was challenging experience to see such heartbreaking need. Most of the families were widows who had taken in several orphans and the widows didn’t work or have much means to support their expanding families. One elderly woman was paralyzed from the waist down and has taken in several children. She would get herself around by dragging herself along the ground. The whole experience just seemed to reveal just the hopelessness that exists in this country and it’s hard to feel like there is nothing you can do to “fix” it. It just drives home that this country’s only hope is God and His salvation through Christ.

We were also able to visit an elderly woman several times in her home who was suffering from some severe back pain. The nurse from the team, Alisha, was able to teach her some stretches and give her several massages to help temporarily alleviate the pain. This was another situation were you just feel so helpless because you see someone in such pain and there is so little that can be done for them here.

On a lighter and perhaps more disturbing note…I ate a whole mouse! That’s right fur and all…it was cooked, don’t worry. It was actually not too bad, tasted like chicken. Although, lately I’ve found myself foaming at the mouth and have taken a craving to cheese and making holes in walls. I also managed to slip some dried caterpillars into the taco meet for dinner one night…I’m not sure if my shenanigans were appreciated by all. I suppose I should have warned them the dinner may contain traces of caterpillar for all those with severe insect allergies.

Then on Friday we invited a bunch of the people in our area over for an open house. So for the occasion we slaughtered a pig and two chickens and I had the privilege of slaughtering one of the chickens (as is the woman’s role here). It was a first for me…I’m thinking of opening a new business called: “Shannon’s Slaughter Shack!”

This Saturday is a sad day as I have to say goodbye to Stephanie and Susan who will be moving six hours south to work with another organization doing medical and midwifery work. I have lived with them for the last six months (and shared a humble hut with Steph) so it’s hard to see them go…and that leaves me as the lone single person here, but I’m excited for this opportunity they have. I will be traveling down with them this weekend to help them move and see where they will be living.

Our team is still going through some struggles and we are still very much in transition, topped with seeing two close friends leaving makes things a little discouraging for me personally at the moment. But there is still much to thankful for and with and for God I will press on.

So thanks for reading another verbose letter…I hope it finds you well. Check out my blog for pictures of events gone by, such as mouse eating and alike!

Peace,

Shannon

Mary Phiri Hupp

2007-07-13T08:50:00.000-07:00

“Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.”~ Psalm 77:13-14

A journey that started many months ago came to fruition this past week. I first met Steve and Patti Hupp in April when they came to Zambia for the first time to meet the little girl they were going to adopt, a two-year old heart breaker named Mary. In June Patti returned to Zambia to complete the adoption and bring Mary home, a process that should have taken no longer than three weeks…so here we are six weeks later to tell of the miracle of Mary. Trouble was a brewin’ when the courts went on strike the first week Patti and Megan (our missionary who helps facilitate adoption) were here, essentially putting a halt on any progress to be made. Working with the Zambian government is difficult at the best of times, it makes it even more difficult to work with when they refuse to work. The strike ended about a week later but the effects of the strike lingered delaying the getting into court to get things finalized on the Zambian side. Then a four day Zambian holiday put another obstacle into it all compiled with a stubborn passport guy (I believe Passport Guy is indeed his official title!) who has the ability to bring forth adult tears in his office, helped delay progress even more.

Finally, with things finished with the Zambian side it was off to the American embassy to get documentation and a visa so that Mary could go home. This has always been the smoothest part of the process…until this time. A new hard nosed lady in the embassy decided to make things difficult and was requiring that they provide the embassy with a death certificate of Mary’s mother to prove she was in fact an orphan and Patti was not abducting her. I don’t know if any of you have ever tried to find official documentation in Zambia but to give you an idea…the filing systems in government and official offices is comprised of stacks and stacks of papers on the floor with little rhyme or reason to it. So trying to find a death certificate from a woman who lived and died in a compound is nearly impossible. To complicate things further their flights were continually having to be pushed back and changed in the busy season of flying where little was available and the cost of changing was substantial, compounded by the fact that Patti had left her two young children and husband behind in Indiana for well over a month now. With this new requirement hope suddenly looked very bleak that realistically they could get what they needed and fly out mid Thursday. Suddenly the horrible reality set in that this adoption may not work and Patti would have to leave Mary behind because what the embassy required was impossible to find. Tuesday and Wednesday things did not go well again with working with the embassy and there was only Thursday morning left before there flight. There was only one hope of left of trying to submit a letter from the nuns and the orphan home where Mary was first dropped off to try and satisfy the requirements of the embassy. So under the cover of darkness on Wednesday we set off with a letter to be signed by the sister at the home which didn’t say what the embassy wanted but short of making things up it was the best we could do. We had the Sister sign it and raced to the embassy. I stayed in the car with Mary. On the way in Megan suddenly realized that they had the wrong paper and the one they needed we had left with the sister. So back to the nunnery! We got the right paper and raced back, not without a Chinese fire drill in front of the embassy so I could go park the car with Mary. Now this was a long shot by far but God is a God of miracles and on July 12, 2007 a miracle occurred. With hours until their flight was supposed to leave the embassy accepted the letter and granted Mary her visa to go home Indiana. To God be the glory because there was no way this should have worked in the situation we were in. So on Thursday Patti and Mary Hupp took to the air to go home. I think God taught us all a lot through this situation. Of the many things onne being the power and necessity of prayer. Another, that our plans are not God’s plans but he alone is God and is in control.

So that’s the story of Mary. We are so excited for the Hupp family. You can check out pictures on my blog and flickr site: shannonstorey.blogspot.com (go to the photographs link in the sidebar for more pictures). Take care!

shannon

I will tell of Your miracles, I will sing of Your deeds

You did not keep silent, You did not hide your power from us

Though our hearts grew faint and we could not see

Your remained faithful to an undeserving people

Your grace and mercy abounded

Christ has conquered our enemy

You made a way where we could not go alone

You led us despite our unbelief and have humbled us

Your work sings of your power and glory

You are the Living God, our life, our hope, our victory

May we live all our days for You, for You are good, Your love endures forever.

2007-07-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

Afrikan Adventure: Adventures of the Mini Bus

Have you ever had that sudden panicked yet sinking feeling while sitting on a mini bus in Zambia as you desperately search to find your wallet only to find the great abyss of nothingness in your bag and come to the realization you have lost your wallet? While neither had I until that fateful day we call yesterday, June 29, 2007. Amber and I had ventured into town on our old friend the mini bus. On the way in we had 22 people in a 12 seater! At the bus stations you usually wait until the bus is full before you go. So on the way home we got to the bus to find it empty which meant a nice wait for us. The beauty of this wait is that people come to your window trying to sell you such things as biscuits, candy, and men's underwear! So for our wait we purchased some biscuits which we shared with our new friends on the bus. To the man who tried to sell me the underwear I just looked at him and said in a confused tone: "I am not a man!". He left. So on this afternoon I took out my wallet to buy the oiliest samosa in the world and between that time and the time we left something happened and it was taken from my possession. It contained not only money but my credit cards, birth certificate, drivers license, care card, etc...plus I had grown quite attached to that wallet. So now it is gone. Even though it is very frustrating to have to go through the hassle of replacing documents and loosing money it is a good reminder of what is really important to me and that I find my peace and joy in Christ and not in possessions and money. God is continually teaching me lessons, and usually I'm not sure what they are when the event occur but I know there has to be a purpose.

This last week has been good. Amber and I have had some adventures on mini buses and exploring the town. The other day we went to this market place called Soweto which is extremely crowded and crazy. We had our friend Sam show us where to go...so it was a cool cultural experience. Then we men some new young friends at a pond near the farm where we chucked rocks into the water. I'll post pictures on the blog soon.

This week I also started a choir with the grade nines from the local school. The other day I went to the school to tell them about it and the headmaster introduced me and I will tell you that no joke of mine has ever gone over as well as the day I told the grade 9 class my full name. For some reason they found it hilarious. Then the headmaster told them that if they joined the choir with this "foreign talent" they could make millions and millions of Kwatcha (the currency here). Great! So we had about 18 show up on Thursday and we had a blast! We started learning a couple songs...they got quite into it and didn't want to leave, which was a nice sign. Then at the end I taught them how to do the wave. So I am looking forward to working with them more.

We have a team of 11 people coming today for three weeks so that should a fun yet busy time for us. Well, I need to get going...we have a hungry two year old here (and a twenty five year old). So I bid you adieu once more and wish you well back in the homeland. I miss you all.

God Bless,

shannon

"If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

~ Daniel 3:17-18

2007-07-08T08:48:00.000-07:00

Afrikan Adventure: The Mid Bleak Winter

It is official that I have become a big baby when it comes to cold as this past week I found myself dawning my long johns thrice times and wearing layer upon layer to bed. It is winter here in Zambia and my Canadian blood seems to have failed me...although I do come from the lower mainland, the "Africa of Canada" in terms of winter temperatures as I like to call it (actually, I've never called it that before...but I think it will catch on, just give it some time). This past week has been some of the coldest days I've experienced here in Zambia. Please don't be ashamed of me my Canadian brother/sisterhood, I'm doing all I can!

This past week Amber and I celebrated Canada day in style. I wore my Tim Horton's shirt all day long, Stephanie (my roommate) made us Canada Day Cupcakes, we handed out Canada pencils to kids, sung our anthem proudly to the netball girls, then had a maple syrup drinking contest...okay no maple syrup in Zambia but we would have if we could have. Speaking of Amber, it was a sad day on Wednesday when we bid her farewell as she made the trek back to Canada after 9 months in Malaysia and taking Zambia by storm. It was great to have her here, good times had by all. God really blessed me with the encouragement she was to me. And there may or may not be some video that I sent back with her...so keep get ready...or don't cause I said maybe not...but really keep more towards the former!

Right now we have a group of 10 people from California with us so it has been a busy but good time of getting to know them and show them around Zambia and working with them in different ministries. There is a dentist on the team so this past week we had two dental clinics for the community and many, many teeth were "extracted". So that was awesome because it is nearly impossible for the poorer Zambians to ever get any kind of dental care. They didn't let me near the drugs or instruments so I sat with the people as they waited and chatted with them.

I met again with my new high school choir this past week...they came back which is always a good sign! And I continue to ride the mini bus...a little theft won't stop me! I've started lifting weights instead in preparation for another incident! Still no sign of the wallet. I meet some very interesting people on the bus and it's a good time to talk to people and learn more about the culture which is why I like it. Plus the thrill of wondering if the door will fall off or who's lap you'll be sitting on next adds to the experience. The other day I sat next to this sweet 80 year old man who offered to buy me an ice cream from the vendor outside the window.

Today we visited a compound church where one of the guys on the team preached. It was pretty fun...very lively. They had that keyboard a rockin' and the feet a movin'! There were 5 of us who went and they made us all sit at the very front. Then at the end of the service they brought us all up to stand on the platform and presented each of us with a medium sized plastic fish as a gift. That fish is so cool! I'll have to take a picture with us and our gift.

So that has been another week in Zambia...living and learning. God continues to be faithful. Thanks for your support and encouragement. I miss you all.

God Bless,
shannon

2007-06-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

African Adventure: Winter Time

As I’m sure you all are dawning your socks, sandals, and Bermuda shorts right now, we here in Zambia are layering up like we are preparing to cross the Arctic Circle. The days grow shorter, the nights grow longer, the winds blow harder, and it seems my Canadian blood has grown weaker. I need some good ol’ Tim Hortons to thicken it up again. It seems that with the cold season the rats have come in full force. We hear and see them in our hut, in our kitchen, in our laundry room, and on our plates at night for dinner. Just kiddin’…not on our plates.

This past week I had the opportunity to speak for a couple of sessions at this inter-school weeklong convention on relationships and sexual purity. So when I was asked to do it I was not given too much information about it. I was told there could be anywhere from 3-100 teenagers, that I would just be speaking to the girls, and I had no idea how their English would be, and no idea what kind of venue we would be in our the resources it would provide. So I enlisted the assistance of my friend Amber, who is here visiting me, and we set off to the great unknown. We arrived to find out that there would be a few more than three teens…in fact that it would be more like 150 teenagers between the ages of 13-19 and that the boys and girls would be all together in this huge hall where you had to pretty much scream on the top of you lungs to be heard. Plus a short DVD we had hoped to play could not work. So we did a little improvising and dove in. It actually went really quite well considering we walked in cold to a group of teenage boys and girls to talk about a subject that usually would set the uncomfortable jokes and giggling ablaze. We did some interactive game type activities, had some good discussion, and all in all I think it went really well. There was quite a positive response. So I give all the credit to God because I definitely did not feel qualified to pull it off.

Since Amber is here visiting and we have Patti Hupp here to complete an adoption we took the bus down to Livingstone so they could see Victoria Falls. It was quite an adventure. The 6 hour bus trip turned into 11 as the bus broke down half way in. The bus also blared this Don Williams country CD at a ridiculous decibel level on speakers that could not handle old Don’s stylings at that volume. Then there was this very intoxicated man in the seat right behind us who eventually caused such a scene he had to be dropped off at the police post and then people on the bus got all upset that we were leaving him there saying, “We cannot leave our brother here!”. But we were fine with it as he had tried to grab Patti’s little girl. Then the next day we got pulled over by the police because we were unknowingly in an illegal taxi and were taken to the police station and still had to pay the fair. The police were very nice and understanding to us though.

So that’s another week ‘round here. Life in Africa continues to be an adventure and a lesson in patience. I have made fast friends with little Mary who is being adopted and lives with us right now. She has caught on to my “Cut the Pickle” game very quickly and I am very proud of her progress! So on that note I bid you adieu and wish you well. Your love and support continues to be a huge blessing to me.

God Bless,

Shannon

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” ~ 1 Peter 1:8-9

2007-06-13T08:31:00.000-07:00

Afrikan Adventure: Come and Go

The week has been a week of the airport. Tuesday saw the arrival of Megan and Patti…who are these people you might ask? I shall reveal it. Megan is one of the missionaries with ACTION Zambia who was home for three months who is involved with helping with adoptions here in Zambia. Patti is here adopting a very cute two year old girl named Mary. The adoption process can be an adventure into the uncertain as you are dealing with the government who seem to make decisions on a whim with no real consistency which can lead to much frustration. But so far the process is going very well which is awesome and Mary has been allowed to come stay with us at the farm.

On Thursday we bid farewell to “Lil’ Shannon” who went back to California after her three months here. I shall miss her and the connection we shared in name, although I will not so much miss being referred to as “Big Shannon”…although here in Zambia the bigger you are the better. People will often “compliment” someone with calling them fat.

We also said “Welcome on back” to Glenn Ripley, part of our team her who has also been in the states the last couple months, and his daughter Grace to complete their adoption process.

And then it was an exciting day this past Monday when I received my first visitor! My friend Amber Balzer, who has been home schooling her cousins in Malaysia for the last 9 months, has come to spend three weeks visiting on her way back to Canada. Because if I remember my geography right, Zambia is on the direct route back to Vancouver. So the farm is much more populated than it has been in weeks past, which I quite enjoy. Having a friend here and new faces who enjoy a good laugh and will participate with my in some good clean shenanigans with me has been like water for my soul…or chicken soup, if you will.

My afternoons with the netball girls are going well. They continue to find comedic value in my playing and spend much time saying things in Nyanja and laughing that I don’t understand. I usually just laugh along with them and play on. We have never played by the official Netball rules until one day last week when all of the sudden the rules went into effect so when I continued the way I had come to know they thought it hilarious and couldn’t understand why I didn’t know what I was doing.

There is a woman who injured leg about two weeks ago and the result has been a very swollen and painful ankle/lower leg so I have gone to visit her most days after playing. We are still not sure what is wrong, our nurse thought it was a blood clot but the measures we took to help the healing process seem to not be working. So I think I will try and get her to a clinic very soon if our nurse can’t help her. It has been a good opportunity to get to know the women in the area and even though I’m pretty much useless in the medical realm it’s been good to just be able to visit with her. It has also been an eye opener in how we from the west and Zambians, or Africans in general, tend to differ in the way they view the spiritual realm. The women think that the foot is a result of witchcraft, while we tend to view in strictly in the sense of a physical medical issue that has no spiritual influences. So it’s a good opportunity to really evaluate and think through some of these issues.

It was a sad day today as we buried a baby from the orphanage that we work with. Dalitso died very suddenly and unexpectedly last week which was very hard on the house mothers who took care of him. It has been my first real experience with a funeral and death since I’ve been here and really makes it hit home.

I continue to love the people of the church I’ve found here and getting involved. On Sunday we butchered the song “Power of Your Love” like I’ve never experienced before. After stopping and starting again half way through, the woman who sang the solo for the second verse took us into a completely new and unexpected key resulting in some very unpleasant sounding accompaniment coming from the keyboard and my guitar as we continued in the key that was planned for. But what can you do…I kind of like the bad music…it makes the worship more about God than the music itself.

And in my cultural experience of the week…I hate a whole chicken head, brains, eyeballs, beak, some sort of feather/furry exterior, the whole kitten caboodle. And I really didn’t even mind it…it tasted like chicken…hmmm, strange as that is.

So that’s been another week in Zambia. God continues to work in unexpected ways and teach me and stretch me. I thank you once again for your love and support.

God Bless,

Shannon

“All who are thirsty, all who are weak, come to the fountain, dip your heart in the stream of life. Let the pain and the sorrow be washed away, by the waves of his mercy, as deep cries out to deep…”

2007-06-04T08:03:00.000-07:00

Afrikan Adventure: Malawi Edition

Guess who’s back, back again…you guessed it, me. That’s what I like about you, you’re quick! I successfully diverted being eaten by lions and made it home safely from a two week adventure to Malawi. It was a fortnight ago that I and the Whitfield family, comprised of Luke and Elise and their three children, Macey, Emma, and Payton (ages:6,4, and 2) set out on a 12 hour car ride to Malawi. If that’s not good enough to make me never want to bear and raise children, I don’t know what is! Our mission was to visit the Burn’s family who are serving with ACTION in a small rural area called Ntcheu and see what was happening over their and be able to be a part of some of their ministries there. Setting out at 4:30am and with only one child becoming car sick, we successfully made it to Ntcheu.

Malawi is a beautiful country with lots of mountainous terrain, reminiscent of my homeland. The twisting mountain roads made me feel right at home. The Ntcheu area is in the midst of the mountains comprised of many small villages with the “boma” (city centre or the hub) being where we stayed where there was a couple small stores and a market areas. It was awesome to be able to be in a more rural environment. I think I much prefer it to the big city such as Lusaka.

The Burns family is made up of Chet and Leanne and five of their nine children that are living with them right now. There is Jeffrey and Eric (17 and 16) and then three adopted children: Peter and Silas (age 7, adopted from Ethiopia) and Elsie (age 4, adopted from Zambia). Elise and I became fast friends as she had finally found someone to play “Uno” with her and she taught me a new game called “Sherlock.” “D-d-do you wanna play Sherlock?” was a phrase I heard about 3-5 times a day. Although seemingly young and innocent, this girl didn’t mess around when it came to games…she was a tough competitor. If I lost concentration for one second she would capitalize on it and take me down.

I had the opportunity to spend some time in a village called Madzanje. God is doing some really cool things in the hearts of the youth there which as awesome to see. They have a group of youth (ages 14-25) from several churches in the area who have really stepped up as leaders and the light of Christ in their village. They have voluntarily started a kids Bible club on Wednesday afternoons as well as serving wherever they can in the community. For example, this week they constructed an outhouse and shower area for a widow in the village. And they do these kind of service projects every week all initiated by the youth themselves out of their love for God and desire to serve Him. It is pretty amazing to see the youth stepping up in this way and really being leaders in their village, especially as youth here are definitely not seen as the powerful or influential people of society.

I was able to attend the kids Bible club on Wednesday and bring my guitar and play a little diddy that we sing with the kids here in Zambia. There were about 250 kids which is pretty average and when those kids sing the decibel level is through the roof, it was awesome! After the club I attended the youth meeting which also good.

On Friday we went with the youth to help with the building project on the widow’s property. Elise, the kids and I sat with the her and many of the surrounding neighbours as the men constructed the structures. Not much was able to be said but we sang some songs and just seeing the deep gratitude the elderly woman had was a beautiful thing.

I was also able to attend a youth meeting at another church and was able to share my testimony with them through the help of a translator. Getting up and playing and singing in front of a group is way easier for me than speaking so this was a good stretch for me. We focused on how just going to church and doing good things doesn’t save you but it’s a decision to follow and be changed by the power of Christ only through whom that emptiness can be filled. And it’s because of this love that we desire to do good to everyone, not because it in and of itself saves us. This was a good reminder for me of why I’m here.

We attended two different churches on Sunday morning witnessing one young woman give her life to Christ. Then in the afternoon Luke joined the soccer team in Madzanje to play in a match in a neighboring village. I went to watch and hung out with a bunch of the youth girls from Madzanje. Here I really felt like was in Africa. The setting was beautiful, there were hundreds of people cheering and singing on the sidelines, a couple of the Madzanje youth where shouting out their own play by play commentary both in Chewa and English which was pretty hilarious, and there I was sitting on the sidelines gnawing on a piece of sugar cane with the girls. At half-time Luke shared and three young men made the decision to follow Christ that afternoon. So the real need they have right now in Ntcheu is for people to come alongside these people and offer follow up and mentoring/discipleship.

So we had a great time in Malawi. I was even able to hike on of the nearby mountains, although slightly more challenging in a skirt. It was great to be able to spend time with the Burns and see all the amazing things that are happening in Malawi.

But now it’s back to life in Zambia and cold season is upon us. It’s a good thing a brought my toque, gloves, and long-johns (I only wish I was referring to the doughnut here!), remnants from my time in Ontario. It’s strange to see leaves changing and falling, short brisk days and it being June.

I hope this dissertation finds you well. I am working on getting some pictures up on the blog hopefully this week. Thanks again for all your prayers and encouragement. I miss you all greatly! Take care.

From a computer in Africa,

Shannon

2007-05-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

Afrikan Adventure: Rice and Beans Edition

Another significant accomplishment was achieved this week in the life and times of Shannon Storey. The four of us “single” girls, as people like to refer to us by, embarked last Sunday on “The Rice and Beans Experiment.” Our goal: eat rice and beans for lunch and dinner for seven days and seven nights. My own personal terms and conditions included that I eat each of the meals with my handy, dandy travel chopsticks. This experiment was really just for fun, but it is also a lot easier on the ol’ food budget. Now before you think we are too hardcore I have to let you know that we didn’t eat the rice and beans plain, but with a plethora of other ingredients and some very tasty recipes. The mission was a success. I wanted to eat out of a coconut shell in my bathing suit to really complete the “Survivor” experience but we have no coconuts and cold season is approaching. I will post pictures of our meals on my blog soon.

This week I’ve delved full force into the world of netball. I’ve been playing most every afternoon with the girls and had our first Bible study on Friday which went well. They also started calling me “mzungu” (meaning white person) the other day even though they know my name and they found it to be quite hilarious. So it’s been fun hanging out with them. It’s nice to have a sport to play with them because they don’t really speak all that fluent English so it’s a good way to hang out and form relationships without worrying so much about language.

On Saturday I led some singing with the youth group at the church I attend which was good. They usually sing a capella out of the hymnal so it was nice to spice things up a bit. And then right after that was choir practice so it was a busy afternoon.

As of this week I am now an official “alien” of this country, so now it is more fitting when I “phone home.” We went down to this government building to get our Alien Registration Cards which is quite the little process. It involves traveling to many different rooms, often waiting for lengthy periods within each. As I have observed there really is no such thing as customer service in this country, which after working a Christmas season at the Sears Portrait Studio is kind of refreshing! But people will just stop in the middle of something and take a personal phone call or get up and walk away or what have you. So things can take a little longer. I got my picture taken for the card where the photographer had the fastest trigger finger of the Congo. I’m not even sure how she lined up the shot she brought the camera up and shot so fast. And our experience was complete with a power outage in the midst of things. So the whole process took pretty much all day by the time we got our cards.

I will be heading to Malawi next week for two weeks to visit a family who works with ACTION in a rural area. Apparently they have a thriving youth ministry happening so I’m really interested to see that and it’ll be fun to be in a more rural environment for a while. I am going with the Whitfield family, having three kids under 7, on the 10 hour drive in their 5 seat truck…experience: priceless I’m sure! I probably won’t have internet access while there so if you don’t hear from that is probably why. Or a lion ate me.

So that’s the latest from Zambia. I hope you all are well and had a pleasant Mother’s Day…I know I did (note: I am not a mother, don’t worry).

Take care,

shannon

“I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies”

~ Psalm 57:9-10

2007-05-06T07:57:00.000-07:00

Afrikan Adventure: Wedding Bells

I have something very important to announce to you all. I just can’t keep it a secret any longer….I went to a wedding reception today! Ha, I got you. I bet you all read the subject and first lines with bated breath and sweaty palms thinking, “could it be true, could it be true, she’s finally met someone!”. Well, maybe you didn’t think that at all, but I hope I tricked at least one of you. But it is indeed true that I went to a wedding reception. It was for our Zambian accountant, Bwalya, and it was my first Zambian wedding experience. Surprisingly it was very westernized. Nothing like what I would have expected. It was pretty much the same as back home with the exception that there were no tables so we just ate sitting in our chairs and the extended families of the bride and groom did this synchronized dance all the way from the back of the hall to the front. Something I think we should incorporate into our weddings back home…and I will be requiring it at mine so you better start working on your routine now cause with my Mennonite roots it will probably take until the time I get married to get it into shape!

In other news…I went to on a little trip to Livingstone this past week, home of Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It was pretty awesome if I do say so myself. Since it has just been rainy season there is a lot of “mist”, more like torrential downpour, and so as you walk through you get completely soaked…it’s awesome. It’s the most water pressure I’ve felt since I got here! I should have brought my soap and scrubbed up. It was also the day there was a lunar rainbow…where you can see a rainbow at night from the light of the moon…I may not have needed to explain that as you most likely got it from the name, but there you go. So that was really cool and we walked through again in the dark and got completely soaked. And being that it’s Africa the safety standards aren’t really what they are at home…so it was a little creepy walking around in the dark on a moss ridden, wet and slippery, stone path right next to this massive ledge with nothing more than an itsy, bitsy rope running next to you. Good times. We also went on a safari which was phenomenal…I’ll post some pictures soon on the blog.

I have also started actually playing netball with the girls in the afternoons. Some of those girls can come off pretty intimidating but I just put the elbows up and tell ‘em “Big Shannon’s” here to play! And so now they are asking me to get them jersey’s because the football team has jerseys that someone donated…so if anyone sees a set of matching jerseys for cheap let me know!

May is shaping up to be a fairly busy month. For one thing today is Cinco de Mayo which is a huge celebration here in Africa…just kidding! Although we did have a little fiesta meal of our own…complete with a worm in the cayenne pepper. The last two weeks of May I will be traveling to Malawi with the Whitfield family to follow in Madonna’s footsteps and adopt a child. Actually, to visit a family that works with Action there and see what’s going on. Apparently they have a thriving youth program happening so I’d really love to see that. It is way more rural there which I am excited to experience. All this while pushing the big 2-5 on the 19^th. Yes, that was your subtle hint to get your birthday poems ready!

So that’s the latest here…three months in. Homesickness comes in small waves, more like small ripples…mere disturbances in the water. But it’s nothing I can’t handle. I miss people more than anything…and nacho’s…for some reason I have this big hankering for nachos. I miss you all and your friendship and support continues to mean more than you know.

God Bless,

Shannon

“And we have this treasure in broken vessels to show this all surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

2007-04-25T07:55:00.000-07:00

Afrikan Adventure: Ants in my pants

The water is back! Ah, that precious resource. You don’t realize how important something is until you find yourself dehydrated and covered in a layer of dirt…although for that brief period I seemed very tanned! I’m sad my “Survivor” experience is over...for now at least. So this week’s African experience was we were invaded by biting ants. Thousands of them marching more than one by one and the little ones were not stopping other than to crawl up my pants and bite me. Yes, I really did have ants in my pants and they bit me. It was all such a pleasant experience. You couldn’t stand in one spot for very long or you’d be in trouble. We tried many things to get rid of them…the most fun being covering the ground with gas or nail polish remover and setting it aflame!

So the Netball field is up and running. Last week I was out there and had my first experience trying to play. I don’t really know how to play which is a slight problem when all the girls just keep yelling in Nyanja and I have no idea what’s going on. It seems to be a combination of handball and basketball. The girls are pretty intense. I am hoping to do a Bible study with the girls who play while Luke works with the guys playing soccer.

On Saturday I was at New Horizon Orphanage recording some of the girls singing. It was my first recording experience here and everything seemed to hold up and we were able to record about seven songs, some in English and some in the vernacular. So now I am editing them and hope to have them ready soon.

It seems I have come down with a bit of a head cold leaving me dazed and lethargic. I guess that’s what I get for eating things off the floor! I’ve been working on getting a bunch of music organized here at the farm to use with the team and the community. I am also hopefully going to be starting teaching some basic music classes at church, so I need to start getting curriculum ready for that.

So that’s the latest. Other than a little post nasal drip, I am doing well. The organization is going through a bit of a transitional period right now in leadership so a lot of formal ministries are on a bit of a hold, leaving me to have to be more “entrepreneurial” with finding ways to serve. So that can leave me a bit frustrated at times seeing all the need around and not really being able to get at it. So if you could pray that God would show me what I’m supposed to be doing here and just continue to bring people and opportunities for me to serve and love. I think my frustration partly stems from coming from a society where we feel the need to do, do, do and see results right away. So I continue to learn about waiting and patience! Thanks once again for your encouragement and support. I hope this letter finds you well and free of ants in your pants!

God Bless,

Shannon

2007-04-19T09:40:00.001-07:00

Afrikan Adventure: Desperate times call for desperate measures

Last week I had the opportunity to tag along with one of the girls on our team who was doing a weeklong HIV/AIDS course/Bible study at Chisomo, a centre for street kids. It was a really cool opportunity. Chisomo, meaning “grace” in Nyanja, is a place I visited three years ago when I was here and was a big reason I wanted to come back to work youth. They are now in a new facility where they can actually house about 40 kids which is awesome as the nights are the hardest time for kids on the street. They also provide three meals a day, showers, they have school rooms, etc. The week was really good. There were 10 kids in total who went through the course, ranging in age from about 14-17 years old. We talked about the specifics about the HIV/AIDS as well as the spiritual side and the implications of our decisions and knowing what it is to be created and loved by God. On Friday there was the opportunity for them to get tested, which is a big obstacle for people to overcome because if they get tested and are positive they risk being stigmatized and ostracized so the fear of what the results might bring often detour people from getting tested. By the time we got to the clinic all 10 decided they wanted to get tested and you could tell they were pretty nervous. I was pretty nervous too, as with 10 being tested the likeliness of at least one being positive was fairly high. And as things go here in Africa we waited…and we waited…and we waited. It took about five hours to get everyone through. And at the end of it all…all 10 tested negative!!! It was so awesome. You should have seen the looks on their faces as they each came out…it was priceless, they were so excited and relieved. We sang songs in the truck as we drove back, stopping for a celebratory ice cream on the way. They all said how they were going to make good choices and not waist their lives from now on. Although in a place like this with the pressures and temptations these guys face on a daily basis that’s easier said than done, but I know with God they can do it. So it was a good time to meet and hang out with these youth and I hope to be able to go back more regularly.

I continue to work with our Saturday morning kids club in our neighbourhood. Although this past Saturday only three showed up because of some miscommunication. But it was still good. We sang and bunch of songs and learned about day 5 of creation.

Then it was off to choir at church! I brought my guitar and we prepared a song for the next day. We also started learning a song in one of the vernacular languages which I was stoked about! That ones comin’ up this Sunday!!

The inklings of culture fatigue are beginning to set in . We have had some problems with theft just outside our wall fence with our water supply and as a result, where we once had just no water pressure or hot water, now we have absolutely no water at all. The pump is no longer working and so we no longer can bathe, drink, wash hands, or flush toilets and only have a small ration of water in a couple barrels. As of last night we have dug ourselves a nice little hole I like to refer to as “the Spiffy Biffy of Dreams” and no longer use the indoor facilities. It was all starting to get to me until Luke, one of our teammates, mentioned it’s kinda like “Survivor”. At that point I was all in! I’m gonna start eating just rice out of a coconut shell bowl, only wearing my bathing suit all day long, and setting up obstacle courses and food challenges. It’s pretty much my dream situation.

It has also come to pass that since there are two of us named “Shannon” here right now that the other one is referred to as “Lil’ Shannon” (being that she is younger than I), leaving me to be referred to as “Big Shannon”. I’m not sure how I feel about all of this, as flattering of a title as that is and all…

So this week…I am hoping to go to an all girls orphanage on Saturday morning to record them which should be good. I’m just hoping all my equipment will hold up to make it possible. Right now we have a couple, Steve and Patty Hupp, from Indiana who are starting the adoption process to adopt a little girl named Mary from one of the orphanages we work with. They are a great couple and we’ve had fun getting to know them and help them through this process. Today I went along to the orphanage and brought my guitar and sang with the kids a little bit…as well as held some pretty cute babies. There are these two year old twin boys named Peter and Paul, and then with the Hupps little girl being Mary…we’ve got ourselves a little group I like to call, “Peter, Paul, and Mary”. Although being two weeks old Peter and Paul just can’t pull out the low end tones on Puff the Magic Dragon like one would hope for…we’ll work on it though.

So that’s the latest scoop for the most part. There are definitely some frustrating times both in just living here and trying to figure out what I’m supposed to be doing here. It’s not all sunshine and lollypops, but I’m doing okay! I’m working on getting more posted onto the blog…stay tuned for “Big Shannon gets snotted on by an elephant!” (no joke). I’m also working on getting pictures posted from my Zanzibar trip. Thanks so much for all your prayers, encouragement, and support…it is more appreciated every day that passes! I hope this email finds you well. Take Care!

Shannon

Zanzibar

2007-04-10T07:46:00.000-07:00

Afrikan Adventure: 8 Weeks

It has been eight glorious weeks today since I arrived here in Zambia...perhaps not all moments have felt so glorious but none the less I am thankful to be here.

I have just returned from a week in Zanzibar (an island off the coast of Tanzania) where 6 of us girls had the chance to take a little vacation. It was so awesome to see the ocean again. It was my first experience with the Indian ocean and I have to say I think we got along quite nicely. Our first part of the week was spent on the eastern coast of the island by the beach. In the morning the tide would go way out and you could walk for miles. I thought that I would walk to India on or first morning but feared that with the tide coming in in the afternoon I would not make it back in time for dinner...and a girls gotta eat, am I right?! It was a strange yet welcome feeling to be in an ocean where you didn't have to spend the first 10 minutes psyching yourself up to go in further. The water was so warm...sometimes seemingly almost too warm as the climate was very hot and humid. I would have to say I spent most of my time in the water, exploring the sea life, and in the afternoon when the tide came in I would swim out to the dhow (the traditioal boats) and climb on and dive off.

Those who know my track record with me, exposed skin, and sun would be very proud of me. I wore my rash guard (those surfer shirts) which was possibly the best thing to ever happen to me. It kept my nights much more pleasant than those I have known in the past of not being able to move as the feeling of material on burnt skin was less than desirable.

We spent the last couple of days in Stone Town which has a very Arabic feel to it with some great architecture and doors and a cool little night market with super cheap sea food.

On Sunday morning we had our own little sunrise service on the beach. It was awesome although somewhat strange as Zanzibar is a prodominantly muslim place. Easter is probably my favorite holiday as it celebrates pretty much the foundation on our faith. My mind never seems to be able to fully wrap around the fact that Jesus gave himself for a world of broken and sinful people like me because of his unfathomable love for us. And we can do nothing but choose to receive this grace and be filled. Crazy, eh! As the sun rose over the Zanzibar horizon we reflected on how Christ was our light that came to shine on a dark world. Pretty amazing. As I go through the streets of Zambia I hear God saying how much he loves these people...he has not forgotten them. And I in turn feel this urgency for them to know this hope I have and the only thing that can fill that emptyness in your soul, that we will one day be together in a place far better than this one. So it was a good Easter, although I must say I missed eating the good ol' Mennonite Paska (a sweet, sweet bread with icing and sprinkles...sweet, sweet, bread!).

Back in Zambia I have been attending orientation meetings with the CROSS Project team and am initiating my work with research and development of a youth curriculum. This week I hope to work with a girl at the street kids drop in centre to do some teaching on HIV/AIDS which I am looking forward to. I am also hoping to spend some more time with her (Brenda Savillle from New Zealand) as she is doing what I hope to be doing and hopefully we can work together on a developing curriculum and working with youth, although her focus has been more on little kids and I on teens.

Other than that I continue my language study. I met with my tutor this morning. In Zanzibar they spoke Swahili so I leaned a few key phrases such as "hakuna matata" (which they say all the time!) and "poa kshiza kama ndiza" meaning "cool like banana!". I like to stick with the essentials like that.

I also got the materials to build the Netball field back at the farm which hopefully I can start playing with the girls in Kasupe (or neighbourhood) soon. Just need to find a ball now! So that should be a good way to connect with the teenage girls in the neighbourhood and burn some energy. I mean being chased by lions is fun and all, but it gets cumbersome at times.

I sent out an audio update last week although it was a very large file so I know a lot of you didn't get it. If that's something you would be interested in let me know and I'll see if I can shrink it down or spread it out into a couple emails. Also we no longer have internet at the farm so I can't call with skype as much anymore. So if you would ever like to call me you can do it for really cheap by using "Skype Out" and feature of skype where you can buy time and it works out to about 2 cents a minute although it is through your computer so you need a mic of somesort, but it works. My number as I believe you would dial it is:

011 26 0977 185773

apparently you can also find some cheap calling cards on the internet and such which you can use. Not that I'm pressuring you to call me or anything...just putting it out there! (subliminal message: call shannon now!)

Okay I shall call it quits now. I hope you all had an awesome Easter. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers...it makes me happy in my heart! I miss you all.

Love From Zambia,

shannon

One Month

2007-03-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

Afrikan Adventure: Where do we go from here?

Greetings and Salutations dearly beloved! Or as they say here in the motherland, “Muli bwanji.” Four weeks have come and gone and my Zebra riding skills still aren’t quite where I would like them to be!

So with orientation over this past week we said goodbye to the Ripley family (the team leader and family who are back in the states for several months) and hello Shannon, not me, but a new Shannon. She is here for three months to shadow the medical team. As you may have noticed, her name is the same as my name which creates confusion all around. Therefore, I have taken the name Shakira-Sholonda Jackson to avoid confusion…it really just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it!? Okay, perhaps that has not happened, but maybe it should.

This past week I had the opportunity to tag along with the Cross Project Team who works in HIV/AIDS ministry. I attended their team meeting, sat in as they wrote the curriculum for that weeks class and then attended the class with them. There is talk of starting a more youth oriented aspect which I am very interested in. Also this week I visited a couple of the community schools. These are schools in the compounds (aka the poorest parts of the city) that the local compound church helps run. There is typically about five different grades all being taught at the same time in the same room…pretty crazy.

On Saturday we had our little kids club and I learned a new game along the lines of “Duck, Duck, Goose” except you take a ball and chase the person you choose around the circle and try to peg them off with the ball. Pretty entertaining, I must say.

With my first month past here I have hit a bit of a funky state of frustration and discouragement. I am in a place where there is so much need and yet I feel helpless and like I am not doing anything right now. It is like I am in some strange warp, stuck behind barriers, both physical and cultural. I miss my home and the things I know, the people I love, being able to get to the places I want to go, being able to walk around by myself, and swimming in the public pool. Well, maybe not the latter! I am told this is a normal thing that happens to everyone and so I’m sure it will pass. God has brought me here and will continue to guide me. There is much I have to learn.

I hope you are all well. Let me know what you are up to these days…and feel free to send pictures so I can put you on my wall of fame!

God Bless,

Shannon

“And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again” ~ 2 Corinthians 5:15

Week Three

2007-03-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

African Adventure: The Graduate

Three weeks have past and things are rollin’ right along. The three months of orientation was condensed into three weeks due to the fact that the director and his wife who lead it are leaving for the states this Thursday. It may sound like I’m getting jipped here with only three weeks but I they don’t call me “sponge-brain square pants” for nothing…actually no one has ever called me that. So I am a proud graduate. I’m actually kind of glad now I can get out and do and see more instead of sitting in a classroom. Put more focus onto learning to carry massive amounts on my head. We still covered all the material there was to cover, we just had orientation five days a week instead of the three they usually do.

The weather continues to do bizarre things and the power continues to go out. When my mom told me to eat carrots because they would help me see in the dark I really should have listened. I think it was out almost every night last week. And since we are on a water pump when the power goes out we have no water either…leaving for a smelly environment of no bathing.

So I have joined the church choir! This past Saturday I and another girl on the team went to choir practice. It was so much fun, what a crazy gang. I brought my guitar and we taught them a new song which we sang on Sunday. This Saturday I am hoping to go to their youth meeting. I was hoping to do this this past Saturday but not having my own vehicle and living half an our outside of town presents it’s challenges with transportation. On Saturday’s we have also started a little kids club in the neighborhood. So we had about 15 kids show up and we talked about creation of the world, played a little game, sang a couple songs…it was pretty cool. So hopefully that will continue to grow.

This past weekend I also had my first experience driving here in Zambia. Yes, that’s right, yours truly behind the wheel! Just when you thought the streets of Lusaka couldn’t get any more reckless!! Actually it went quite well. It’s bit of an adjustment driving on the other side of the road and having to hold your cell phone with your other hand while driving and reading the paper. Just kiddin’. I found the hardest part was judging where I was in the lane and how much clearance you have on the passenger side. Only three pedestrians and one goat were injured.

So now with orientation over I am having the chance to shadow some of the ministries of Action Zambia to see where I think I could fit into. This week I am “shadowing” the HIV/AIDS team who provide education and resources to HIV teams and do a lot with training churches in how to respond to this epidemic. . The church in the past has been one of the worst contributors to stigma and ignoring the problem so this team is trying to work with local churches to help change that. One of the big philosophies of this organization is working through the local churches to bring lasting changes to communities as opposed to us foreigners just walking in, putting bandaids on the problems and leaving with no one to carry on the work. The HIV/AIDS team is looking to do more of a focus on youth and develop that area so I think that would be a really cool area for me to get involved with, although challenging. So I am excited about that possibility.

So that has been the week in an electronic nutshell. I am hoping to get my recording stuff up and running this week once I can get a proper power converter and hopefully start recording some stuff. Thanks for all your support, prayers, and encouragement. I couldn’t do it without you!

Love to you all,

Shannon

Ps. I ate fried caterpillars this week. I liked them. I also have acquired a taste for tea and drink it by the barrel cause coffee isn’t as popular.

Week Two

2007-03-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

Afrikan Adventure: Settling in

It has been a fortnight (also known as two weeks) that I have spent here in the heart of Sub Saharan Africa. Things are going well and I am lovin' life in Zambia! It has been a bit of an adjustment to slow down the pace of life a bit. Everything around here seems to take a little longer than it did back home and it's interesting to adjust to a very task/time oriented culture to a culture that is more relational and less concerned with getting things done. I felt that the year leading up to me leaving was a big lesson in being patient and now I see why! A case in point: on Monday I went down to immigration to get my work permit with the help of one of the guys from our team who deals with this stuff and knows what to do...good thing cause I would have been completely lost and probably ended up in the fetal position in the middle of the floor. We first had to go to this little room where our file was kept. The filing system was quite complex. Basically it was just stack upon stack of file folders stacked all over the room in a seemingly random-like fashion. Upon retrieving it they handed me the work permit (looks like a passport book) to make sure the info on it was correct. I noticed that my birthday was wrong and so I told them and immediately thought that that may have not been the best idea as I feared they would not let me take it that day and make me come back another day. They took the permit and left the room, then came back, helped a couple other people, talked on the phone, finally came back to me, made me follow this guy up to another storey of the building into another little room where a woman finally could change the date and then back down to the first little room. Then back up to another room where we had to get them stamped or something like that. I gave mine to Luke, another new guy here, who eventually basically had to physically section off a piece of the desk so he could get served. All in all in took a good couple hours. But I got my work permit and therefore I can stay in the country!!

Orientation continues to go well and we are making good progress and due to an accelerated pace we should be done by next week. The couple who is teaching it is leaving for the states for a few months so we are trying to get done before they go. Yesterday I had a true cultural experience of attending the Tuesday Veggie Market where all these little stands (or actually just on the ground) cram into this one area and you can get all these fresh fruits and vegetables. The place is packed out with people so you can barely walk and each vendor has a little scale and you tell them how much you want in Kilograms and they weigh it out for you. Most can pretty much get it right on by feel. A pretty cool experience.

There are certain times here that I have really felt I am in Africa. A few examples...
1. we bought our bread from a casino...and it was shaped like a crocodile
2. you stop in the middle of the street to buy a newspaper
3. at major intersections guys come up to your car to try and sell you stuff from nail clippers to fruit. My favorite item, however, are the real live puppies they try and sell.
4. the driving here is insane, all rules of the road go out the window...it's no holds bar...although I often wish I had some kind of bar to hold on to!

In other news...I am hopefully going to be starting a girls choir with some of the girls in the neighbourhood (grades 10-12) where I'll teach them some English songs and they can teach me some vernacular songs and we'll do a little Bible study as well. So I'm super pumped about that. If I can get the notice out hopefully it could start this Friday afternoon. I am also hoping to start getting involved with the youth group at a church I have attended the past two Sundays which meets on Saturday afternoon as well as getting involved with the choir. So I'm stoked about that too! Once orientation is over I'll have more of a chance to figure out where I fit as far as different ministries here. One that I am really interested is the HIV/AIDS team which is hoping to be able to start a focus on the youth which I would love to be involved in.

So that's pretty much life in the last little while. The power went out for the seventh time tonight. And the weather has been overcast and rainy...reminiscent of my mother land. Thanks for all your support and encouragement.
Peace and Love,
shannon

Week One

2007-03-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

Afrikan Adventure: Life on the Farm

Week one has come and gone. I arrived here in Lusaka with a pretty severe case of jet lag that had me wondering if I would ever be "normal" again…although if I was ever normal to begin with may be debated. I think I am back to my usual schedule of really waking up at about 10pm and not being tired when it's time to sleep. I think I may be part bat. It's that and the webbing under my arms that makes me think so.

It is a bit of a strange feeling to be back here in Zambia and have things be familiar yet already this is such a different experience from my last trip. I live out at the ministry centre called "The Farm" which is about half an hour outside of the city centre in a much more rural area. You go down this red dirt road that is sure to give the best of suspensions a run for their money. At the farm there are four other "single" girls, like myself, and then the director and his wife and two 5 year old adopted Zambian children. There is a main house where we cook and eat together and we take turns cooking dinner…although in my case I'm not sure if that is what you would call it.

Currently I have orientation five times a week. Tuesday through Saturday from 10-3 and two of those days we do language class in the afternoons which is cool. Muli bwanji? Or in my native tongue meaning, "How are you?" We are coving tones of great stuff issues to do with cultural integration

The big thing right now is to just settle in and engage with culture and start building relationships. On Saturday Megan, one of the other girls here, and I got together with a group of kids from the surrounding neighbourhood. She had invited 6 and about 25 showed up so that was great. Next time I hope to bring out the ol' guitar and do some singing.

We had an awesome rain storm last night. Rain and wind like nothing else. It even started coming in under our the door of our hut so we had a little flood on our hands. Luckily some quick maneuvers got our electrical devices out of the way in time.

The past couple of days I have been helping some of the workers clear out this area in the back of the property so we can use it as an amphitheatre or sorts for different occasions. So that's been fun to get my hands dirty and a little physical activity after sitting in class all day. Although you never know what you're gonna find out there. I picked up a concrete slab (yes, I have developed superhuman strength during my short stay here) to find little snake underneath. We also saw a wolf spider as we cleared things away.

So that's basically what life has been like my first week in Zambia. I'm excited about the time ahead. I'm really hoping to be able to make some good Zambian friends and really get into the culture. I didn't come here to live a Western life in Africa, which being in the capital city is easier than one might expect. I'm also looking forward to where God leads me as far what I'll be doing here. So you can keep those things in your prayers if you like!

The power just went out. It's my first power outage here!! Just thought you could share in my excitement! Well, I better put an end to this now before my battery dies. Thanks for all your support and prayers!

Sincerely from a very dark room,

Shannon

Touchdown

2007-03-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

Afrikan Adventure Commences!

I have successfully made it to Zambia!!! As did all my luggage...intact! It was a seemingly long journey. My flight from Toronto to London was good. I arrived on the plane to find a big, burly, bearded man who didn't speak English sitting in my seat. So I decided not to fight the matter and take a different one. All worked out fine. Then I had a lovely 12 hour layover in the London airport. I was told I couldn't get out of the airport without a visa...although I think that was wrong. Oh well. I spent many hours sitting and staring, walking and staring, staring at a book, staring at the clock...etc. Finally the flight from London to Lusaka arrived and I even managed to sleep and tiny bit on the ten hour flight. Although, note to self...stop eating the airline breakfasts! Things are sitting heavy in my stomach right now! I made it through immigration and customs fine and am now at "The Farm" which is the Action Zambia's property where I will be living in a hut with my friend Stephanie. How great is that...I live in a hut in Africa! We started orientation this morning right away and are just breaking for lunch right now. This still feels very surreal. Am I even here? It's pretty exciting. I'm a tad on the tired side right now, but my good friend caffeine will help get me through the day. Just wanted to let you all know that I'm alive and made it here safe and sound.

Reporting from Zambia,
shannon