Katakula

Katakula Church of Christ is farther down the road to Kabanga than Katungu, and the trail Ruhtt drove to get us there felt barely large enough for the bicycles that travel back and forth to the main road. She managed to get us there and back again without difficulties. Praise God! We each could tell stories for days about our few hours with this community, so I'll let the pictures speak, and you can ask us for the stories when we return.

This child (20 months) had just been recovered from a small tub of water near the bore hole pump. His mother was washing clothes, and he had fallen in face first. He was in the water for a short time, but was pulled out soon enough, and seemed to be fine.

The women were so happy to see us that they sang and danced and even invited me to join them. You should be able to pick out the only makua in the crowd.

We walked down to the baptistry, which also serves as a river. Ruhtt showed us a place where a snake crawled out of the river right after a baptism. It's appearance caused the people to scatter without properly greeting one another and welcoming the new Christian. I am continually amazed by the faith of these people -- I think faith in God must be very strong to be baptized in a crocodile and snake and bacteria infested body of water.

Ruhtt joined a game of soccer.

I noticed this very thin boy, and he allowed me to take his photograph while he posed with the dilapidated soccer ball.

The church building was almost full when David shared the lesson about Daniel and the lions' den to illustrate that God is supreme and no one can take His place. Everyone listened attentively except the two young ones who fell asleep on their mother.

Mrs. Mbumwae quized the preschool children, and the passed with flying colors. We were all very impressed with the preschool teacher at Katakula.

We shared pencils and sweets with the school children. Each little girl got a new dress, thanks to some generous seamstress in Canada.

We shared bags of jewelry with the women, and you can see how proud they felt to have such a gift.

After we feasted on nshima and chicken and chibwantu, prepared by these gracious ladies, it was time to leave. I met a woman who shared with me that she had suffered a crocodile bite some years ago and now must walk with a cane. Her cane was splitting, and she explained the woes of having to constantly find wood to make a new cane.

Sunday at Katungu

I'm too tired to write, so you'll have to be satisfied with pictures. I'll try to include captions.  We all really appreciated the fellowship we experienced on Sunday as we worshiped with our brothers and sisters at Katungu. 

All the seats in the Izusu were full, so David and Oscar rode in the back. 

Before church, we toured the newly built duplex for the new headmaster and another teacher. The builder graciously posed for me.

Shepherd, and Grandpa "builder" are answering Mary Beth's questions.

These girls are carrying water using the most common method.  I was delighted to learn that a bore hole has been dug for Katungu, so they no longer have to get their water from the river.

We decided that we could use some of our project money to help finish the windows in the two block building that was built by Care International.  It serves the pre-school, first, second and third grades.  The money will go toward window panes, completing the interior parging, painting and decorating the classrooms.  Thank you to all who gave, so we could deliver this valuable gift.David taught the morning Bible Class about the importance of not letting anything get between oneself and God.

After morning services, we each greeted everyone, and later, Mary Beth handed out sweets to the children.  The women sang the entire time.  It was a fantastic experience.

Sherry made a new friend, Charit, (pronounced Charlotte . . . or as close to that as possible for people who confuse the /r/ and /l/ sounds.

The sermon on Sunday emphasized that only Jesus can satisfy.  Amen!

Thanks for reading.  God bless you!

Siamabele -- Mary Beth

This group of people are very far away from anything that we would call civilization. There were many people, but we could not see any huts or lodgings. We had no idea how far anyone had come to be there. There hospitatlity was especially touching as they prepared their best food for us. We were allowed to sit inside on benches while they ate outside on the grass. As they were preparing for lunch, they started a song, and we could tell by their body actions that they were pretending to answer phones and saying, "hello, hello". I asked for a translation from Oscar, our translator, and he said it was a song about how God answers my prayers better than my friends will answer their phones. Then we talked about how, with God, we don't have to worry about signal or recharging the battery. At the end of the day we said goodbye and gave each person, both male and female, the bags of jewelry that we had prepared. We told the men that these gifts were for their wives. The women quickly put on their jewelry and began to sing. They danced with their hand in the air praising God. The women sang as they said goodbye and the sound was so joyful; it is such a beautiful sound. We had to say goodbye to each person at least three times with the special Zambian handshake. We were desperate to get to the main road while there was still daylight, because it would be difficult to find our way in the dark.

Siambele -- Sherry

Being at Siamabele had that same small town feel that being in Alabama has for me. I felt at home and welcome. The people all knew each other and really made me feel like I belonged. I would love to find a way to infect American churches with the enthusiasm that these Christians had for gathering together. I'd been telling Martha for days that I really didn't want to talk to the Ladies. She kept encouraging me, but finally on Friday night, she recognized how worried I was, so she said that if I really didn't want to speak that she would do it. All Friday evening and Saturday morning, I just kept praying. Every time Martha would say that I didn't have to speak, I would get more courage, and I would tell myself, "No, you can do this." On Saturday, just before I had to speak, I started to feel sick; I got really hot, and Martha thought I might have a fever. Mary Beth gave me some Tylenol, and Martha offered one more time to give the lesson, but I decided I would do it. At the beginning, I just kept praying that I wouldn't throw up, but once I got started, I started to feel better. The interpreter was a wonderful, lively woman named Royce, who seemed to know just how to communicate the message God gave me to share with the ladies. The other really faith-building thing that happened at Siamabele -- I ate village nshima right out of the community pot, with my hand! I just did what Ruhtt said and decided to trust God. I didn't get sick or anything . . . although Mary Beth said that I might still get worms a month from now.

That's it for now. --- Sherry

Siamabele -- David

David - Siamabele-5June2010

Greetings in Christ! I am writing just because Martha told me to...haha. No, I'm kidding. I just wanted to quickly share with you some of my thoughts on how the trip has been so far.

In one word: indescribable. Really, it has been amazing. The scenery is amazing, the people are amazing and the experience has been amazing. There are so many stories that I could share with you, but I would be typing until I got carpal tunnel syndrome if I tried to tell you everything here.

Meeting people like Oscar, Ruhtt and Sheperd and each teacher and leader at the various villages has been a true blessing. They are all great people who have great servant hearts for the Lord.

Specifically yesterday at Siamabele, we experienced true village life. The people were very interesting and far from any influence people closer to Kalomo. We taught lessons for their marriage seminar, and it was amazing to me how different their culture really is. Polygamy and women's rights in the church were very hot topics for the men that I spoke to. It was fun and challenging to do a Q and A session with the men after the lesson. The questions were absolutely amazing; things I had never even considered to be problems. With God's help I hope I at least planted a seed of change for them.

So I don't take too much of your time, I will sign off for now. Keep following this site and keep praying for our safety and health. We have been blessed greatly so far. Thank you!

Until next time,

David

Siamabele

I have no idea how many kilometers it is to Siamabele, but it takes 90 minutes in the Izusu, and Ruhtt could rarely inch the speedometer past 70 kph. Kadonsi led the way on his motorcycle because the turn off the main road is not marked, and the next turn is in the bush, and it would be impossible to distinguish unless you knew it well. After driving down this narrow dirt path with tall grass brushing the vehicle on both sides, we turned east and a wide area opened up. Ruhtt explained that this is the river, and you cannot cross it in the rainy season. After last Sunday’s rains, there was water pooled across the trail where the vehicle was supposed to pass, so Kadonsi led us through the marsh grass on the left side of the trail and the tracks we made soon filled with water behind us. Mary Beth was coaching Ruhtt from the back seat, so we wouldn’t get stuck. 300 meters more and we were at Siamabele Church of Christ.

A beautiful brick building stands out in the middle of nowhere, near a bore hole that is 80 meters deep, surrounded by grass, and bush, and trees of varying sizes. The smells of Zambia greeted me – dust, smoke, dry grass, people. Our excited hosts greeted us one by one and we were given seats of honor under the tree. Once again we were served chibwantu, but Ruhtt explains that we’ve already had breakfast, so there was no need. I think Mary Beth and Sherry were relieved; no one wanted to get sick because they ate or drank something that is foreign to their stomachs. Their courage had increased by lunch time when we were served nshima, village chicken and goat. The nshima was great, but even I passed on the chicken and goat. It was well cooked, but not my favorite.

Ruhtt brought us to Siamabele to participate in a marriage seminar weekend that began on Friday and would last through Sunday. It is difficult to describe what this is like because there are few points of reference in North America. Some of these people have walked distances from surrounding villages, they will sleep on the ground for two nights, eat every meal together (mostly chibwantu and nshima), and listen to speaker after speaker all day long. On Saturday alone, there were 3 presenters before lunch, (Mary Beth, Kadonsi and I), and 3 presenters in the afternoon (David, Sherry, and Mr. Mono). David spoke to the men, while Sherry spoke to the women. There was even going to be an evening meeting that began at 7 p.m.

One of the problems in this church is the way that men are choosing one scripture (1 Corinthians 14:34) and binding it in such a way that they are not allowing the women to speak at all – not in church, not at home, even to their husbands. That seems really ridiculous, but God taught me an important lesson today. Tradition can very easily get in the way of the identifying characteristics of a Christian, which are loving one another and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. There are other problems here, too, all of which would disappear if love and mutual submission ruled every thought and every action. I ask you, how is that different from my home congregation, or any other place? My prayer is that God will keep this lesson alive in my heart in the coming days when I return to the life I live “that side”. ----- Martha

This is the original meeting place of the Siamabele Church of Christ.

Here we are at Siamabele:  Sherry, Mary Beth, Martha, a church leader, David, and Oscar, our translator and friend.

Katungu

Katungu

Friday 4 June 2010

We awoke early so we could leave Namwianga to reach Katungu in time for chapel at 7 a.m. Katungu is on the road to Kabanga, and once again, there is no road to Kabanga. I love this drive because of the scenery, but the road is covered with washboards due to all the heavy truck traffic. Last year's new construction was not done properly, so there are holes in the road large enough to hide an elephant. Ruhtt had to dip and dodge and even drive slowly, which is a challenge in and of itself.

When we arrived at Katungu, chapel was in session, and we were greeted warmly by Mr. Pirhi, the acting headmaster. He paraded us to the front of the church and introduced us after the last song. I was so happy to find two of the teachers I worked with last year still remaining. I was very anxious to see if any of the Animated Alphabet stuck, and if it was being used for the instruction of English sounds. There was a little confusion about who would partner with each teacher, but we finally got the details sorted out. Mary Beth went to 4th grade; Sherry went to 5th grade; and I visited the 3rd grade class. David's assignment was to roam and take pictures because he was not keen on teaching math and oral language games to children.

Each of us had a great day, but my day was incredible. I cannot imaging a more valuable experience for a teacher than to see her student truly learn the lesson and then, even teach it to someone else. Last year, I spent one week at Katungu teaching the primary teachers how to use the Animated Alphabet to teach English as a second language to their students. We all worked very hard, and I had no idea if this experiment would work. As an Instructional Coach, I am supposed to check back with the teachers who have worked with me to see how they are maintaining the changes they have made. To leave someone on their own for a whole year is taking a big risk. Here is what I found at Katungu. The 3rd grade students remembered some of the actions and sounds we learned together last year, even though the teacher they have now is new to the school. More importantly, when they talked to me in English, I could actually understand what they were saying. That is huge! But that is not the best part.

The teacher who taught Grade 3 and Grade 1 last year is now teaching preschool. She found me during the morning break and asked me to visit her class. You cannot imagine how thrilled I was to find the Animated Literacy instructor's manual on the front table in her classroom. She invited me to drill the children on the sounds and the actions. This is just the beginning of the second term, and these little children have had 3 months of instruction and then a month break before returning to school the first of May. These children did not miss a single action or a single sound! I was overcome with emotion and had to wipe tears of joy from my eyes. I felt so proud of that teacher, and I stuggled for words to make her understand what a powerful thing she had done. If I never get another chance to share an instructional practice, I can live the rest of my life thanking God for showing me the fruit of my labor at Katungu.

After morning break, Ruhtt and Oscar separated the "teens", Grades 7,8,9, into gender specific groups so David and Sherry could talk to them about sexual purity. Oscar translated for David when it was necessary. Ruhtt translated for Sherry -- that's good for a laugh. Ruhtt's English is so heavily accented with Peruvian Spanish that I have no idea how the locals understand her. Her translation consisted of stick figures, explicit language, and circles on the chalkboard as she explained that sex is meant for marriage. I listened through open windows to both David and Sherry, and I can report that they both did an excellent job with the lessons they presented.

After lunch break, some of the church members who had finished harvesting their maize, and the teachers who do not teach in the afternoon came to the church building to hear David present a lesson on the supremacy of God. Two women had prepared a special treat for us, and everyone got to drink chibwantu. David and Mary Beth thought it was okay; Sherry was not too sure; I had two cups of this drink that you chew.

The school day ended with the presentations of gifts to the teachers, but the excitement of the day was not over. We returned to Namwianga in time to witness the JETS competitions. I have no idea what that stands for, but it is some kind of science fair/academic jeopardy. Junior and Senior categories exist, and we saw the competition where 4 teams of competitors from 4 different schools were given oral questions on a variety of topics. Each team had 25 seconds to answer the question in order to earn points. Johnson Auditorium was filled with participants from each school who cheered for their respective teams. It wasn't quite as exciting as watching a Jayhawk basketball game, but it was easy to tell that winning really mattered to each school. Kalomo High School won the Senior category by a narrow margin. Sherry, Mary Beth and I sat side by side trying to answer the questions, and we decided that these are really smart kids because we were not successful every time. All togther we must not be smarter than a high school Zambian.

More fun remained for us, as Sue served a traditional meal for supper, and Richard made us eat it in the Zambian fashion sans cutlery. So, we learned to work the nshima with our hands and scoop the "relish", (what we know as collard greens), with the nshima before raising it to our lips. Locally grown chicken added to the feast, and we were all full and satisfied when the meal ended. Soon after dishes, the sponsor students poured in to sing with and for us. It was a precious time of praise and thanksgiving. In my opinion, the gift of singing God has given to these people is beyond description. You have to hear it to believe it, and you have to experience it and even participate in it to fully appreciate it. Even after chocolate cake, some of the students continued to sing, and when we came to the words, "I'm going to sing and never get tired", I thought to myself --- these people are already there.

The internet is not cooperating, so I am behind in posting the blog. I will keep trying, and hopefully be able to get caught up. So much happens each day that I cannot even share all my experiences, much less comment for three other people. So, thank you for reading when the stories get long. Thank you for praying for us, and for commenting and emailing. We are thrilled to have you on this adventure with us. ---- Martha

 

 

 

 

Ruhtt is playing volleyball with the kids from Katungu. 

 

 

 

This is the assembly hall at Katungu.  Each grade stands inside the designage half-circle.