This morning was our first trip out to the “Bush Country” of Zambia to attend church and do another food distribution for over 100 families who are caring for orphans. We headed to a small village called Kamena, which is where Ketty and Navice raised their family. The group caravanned out to the village on the 40 km trek through the pot holed filled gravel road in 2 big trucks and the minivan. Honestly it was so worth every bump in the road, because the Zambian countryside is beautiful. I sat in the back of the truck trying to take in the splendid country I am now living in.... The children in the villages we passed would run alongside the vehicle as far as they could go in their bare feet waving and yelling Muzanga, Muzanga (white person, white person).
When we arrived at the church and our ears were filled with the glorious sounds of the Zambian people singing worship praises. I just had goose bumps, because it was some of the most beautiful music I had ever heard. They don’t practice like a choir, they just sing what melody is in their heart and the acapella harmonies that their voices produce are simply amazing. (I have video I will post sometime when I can a faster connection). The church service was great! Jeff Dodge from Iowa gave the message and afterwards Pastor Navice organized the children and their caregivers outside to deliver the food. It was good for us to greet some of the people (most did not speak English) and it is really neat to see how far a handshake, a hello, and smile go…
I think one of the things that really stuck me about today was the women and how tough they really are out here. These women would receive a 50kg bag of corn, which they would split into two bags. One bag would go on their head and the other bag would go on their back (half of them were also carrying a child or a baby). Now we had some pretty tough guys in our group lifting those bags from the truck, but they were pretty tired at the end of the distribution. These women would then walk the rest of the afternoon to their homes (probably about 20 km) and they were thrilled to be receiving that kind of supplement. I guess it really makes you realize how easy our lives our in the states.
Next we headed up to the Kamena school to meet with the headmaster, Mr. Morgan. The building had 5 classrooms and an office. There were 4 teachers including Mr. Morgan to teach over 300 kids (approximately 80 kids/class). The school is able to fund 3 of the teachers but the 4th teacher’s wages are paid by the other 3 teachers, because they were in need of the help. The school had received supplies from a group a few years ago, including a couple packs of color crayons and they were still using those same crayons today. Unreal… most kids in the states would go through a pack in half a semester. It was also fun to learn that Mr. Morgan was actually the person who came up with the name of the Hope Children’s Center. He had told Navice why don’t you call it Hope, because that is what is providing for these children. A future, where they can receive the food they need to grow strong and an education to expand their minds. All in all, this was an awesome day for me, probably one of the best ever. It was a very humbling experience to meet the people and see the needs of others around the world.
I think one of the things that really stuck me about today was the women and how tough they really are out here. These women would receive a 50kg bag of corn, which they would split into two bags. One bag would go on their head and the other bag would go on their back (half of them were also carrying a child or a baby). Now we had some pretty tough guys in our group lifting those bags from the truck, but they were pretty tired at the end of the distribution. These women would then walk the rest of the afternoon to their homes (probably about 20 km) and they were thrilled to be receiving that kind of supplement. I guess it really makes you realize how easy our lives our in the states.
Next we headed up to the Kamena school to meet with the headmaster, Mr. Morgan. The building had 5 classrooms and an office. There were 4 teachers including Mr. Morgan to teach over 300 kids (approximately 80 kids/class). The school is able to fund 3 of the teachers but the 4th teacher’s wages are paid by the other 3 teachers, because they were in need of the help. The school had received supplies from a group a few years ago, including a couple packs of color crayons and they were still using those same crayons today. Unreal… most kids in the states would go through a pack in half a semester. It was also fun to learn that Mr. Morgan was actually the person who came up with the name of the Hope Children’s Center. He had told Navice why don’t you call it Hope, because that is what is providing for these children. A future, where they can receive the food they need to grow strong and an education to expand their minds. All in all, this was an awesome day for me, probably one of the best ever. It was a very humbling experience to meet the people and see the needs of others around the world.
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