Monday, July 4, 2011
Blog Address Update
We have a new blog now. You can find it at twoservingandsharing.blogspot.com This new blog covers both our ministires and will be updated regularly. Thank you.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
April and May Update
Hello. How are you guys? I hope this update finds you well. Sorry that this update is a little late in coming. Thank you very much for your continued faithful financial and prayer support. It is greatly appreciated. This last month and a half has been busy with finishing work at the hospital, the annual missionary retreat, parking up to leave Zambia, and getting married at the end of May.
April 1st was my last day of work at the hospital. Boy the time went by fast. We got a couple things finished like the second phase of the electrical upgrade. This included moving the meter and putting in larger cables to supply the hospital. Also the old water tanks have been replaced and don't leak. These were both answers to prayer. There are a lot of projects I was unable to get to like redoing the ceilings in several office rooms. The new out patient building in only partially done and the doctors are handling the rest of that. The incinerator was always pushed lower on the priority list by more pressing things. All I can say is time flies.
For our missionary retreat this year we went to Swaziland for a few days. We had a good restful time. We had also a lot of useful meetings there. We stayed in beehive huts in a camp ground. It was good to see all the Africa area missionaries again.
My fiance and I left Zambia on April 14th. It was sad to go. The people we had lived and worked with were very sad to see us leave. I was sad to go as well. After spending a couple of years in Zambia it was starting to feel like, and it is never easy to leave home. Upon arriving in the US , Selinda took a different flight to Canada , and I continued to Wisconsin .
Being back in the US in nice, but things and people do not stay the same. It was almost like getting to know everyone all over again; but it is good to be with my family and friends again.
Now for the upcoming news. Selinda and I are trying to hammer out the last minute details for our wedding on May 28th. The wedding bands were finally purchased a couple of days ago. So I think that the big things are all taken care of now. In the next couple of days we will be headed out to the East coast to get married. After getting married, we will begin to travel around and do fund raising in order to go back overseas. Thanks again for your support.
April 1st was my last day of work at the hospital. Boy the time went by fast. We got a couple things finished like the second phase of the electrical upgrade. This included moving the meter and putting in larger cables to supply the hospital. Also the old water tanks have been replaced and don't leak. These were both answers to prayer. There are a lot of projects I was unable to get to like redoing the ceilings in several office rooms. The new out patient building in only partially done and the doctors are handling the rest of that. The incinerator was always pushed lower on the priority list by more pressing things. All I can say is time flies.
For our missionary retreat this year we went to Swaziland for a few days. We had a good restful time. We had also a lot of useful meetings there. We stayed in beehive huts in a camp ground. It was good to see all the Africa area missionaries again.
My fiance and I left Zambia on April 14th. It was sad to go. The people we had lived and worked with were very sad to see us leave. I was sad to go as well. After spending a couple of years in Zambia it was starting to feel like, and it is never easy to leave home. Upon arriving in the US , Selinda took a different flight to Canada , and I continued to Wisconsin .
Being back in the US in nice, but things and people do not stay the same. It was almost like getting to know everyone all over again; but it is good to be with my family and friends again.
Now for the upcoming news. Selinda and I are trying to hammer out the last minute details for our wedding on May 28th. The wedding bands were finally purchased a couple of days ago. So I think that the big things are all taken care of now. In the next couple of days we will be headed out to the East coast to get married. After getting married, we will begin to travel around and do fund raising in order to go back overseas. Thanks again for your support.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
March Update
Thank you for your continued support. It is appreciated very much. The rain is continuing to fall, the mappopwe is getting tall and is almost ready to harvest.
Things here are going well. I am finally getting strong again after having malaria. Zesco, the power company in Zambia , came and did the necessary work to complete the electrical upgrade, and I-TEC came completed their work also. Leading up to this time, I was really pretty worried that Zesco would not get the job done, because they had come to do the work for the whole previous year. But in the end it all worked out. God is good.
Zesco sure made me sweat a lot. I had been working with them for the past year; trying to get them to come and run the new underground cables and move an existing overhead line. In August they came and moved the overhead line, but the underground part was not done. I would ask them about it and they would say, “We will come next week”. That week never came. The I-TEC team bought tickets and set a date they were coming. I communicated that to Zesco, and was told they would come. They never did. Finally the day arrived, I-TEC showed up, but still no Zesco. It was not until the second day that the I-TEC team was here that Zesco came. Then they did the job. They waited till the last possible minute. I was worried, anxious, and nervous about it. I probably have fewer hairs now, but they came and did a good job. Both groups worked well together and the job is finished. We had been praying about this for a year. Sometimes I do not understand Zesco’s timing or God’s timing, but in the end it all worked.
The upgrade will help the hospital with some of their voltage problems; however the power is generated or transmitted at such a low voltage that it is hard on equipment. Now the main electric cables at the hospital are big enough to help alleviate some of that problem. What ultimately needs to happen is for Zesco to generate the voltage at a higher level. But until then we do what we can.
I have been given a new name. It is a Batonga name. They call me Chimuka. For much of staff at the hospital I am not Jesse; I am now Chimuka. The name means ‘one who arrives late’. If a woman is overdue with a child and then the baby is born; they usually call them Chimuka. It also means ‘why did you not arrive sooner.’ I do not know exactly why they call me that but I kind of like it and have accepted it.
Things here are going well. I am finally getting strong again after having malaria. Zesco, the power company in Zambia , came and did the necessary work to complete the electrical upgrade, and I-TEC came completed their work also. Leading up to this time, I was really pretty worried that Zesco would not get the job done, because they had come to do the work for the whole previous year. But in the end it all worked out. God is good.
Zesco sure made me sweat a lot. I had been working with them for the past year; trying to get them to come and run the new underground cables and move an existing overhead line. In August they came and moved the overhead line, but the underground part was not done. I would ask them about it and they would say, “We will come next week”. That week never came. The I-TEC team bought tickets and set a date they were coming. I communicated that to Zesco, and was told they would come. They never did. Finally the day arrived, I-TEC showed up, but still no Zesco. It was not until the second day that the I-TEC team was here that Zesco came. Then they did the job. They waited till the last possible minute. I was worried, anxious, and nervous about it. I probably have fewer hairs now, but they came and did a good job. Both groups worked well together and the job is finished. We had been praying about this for a year. Sometimes I do not understand Zesco’s timing or God’s timing, but in the end it all worked.
The upgrade will help the hospital with some of their voltage problems; however the power is generated or transmitted at such a low voltage that it is hard on equipment. Now the main electric cables at the hospital are big enough to help alleviate some of that problem. What ultimately needs to happen is for Zesco to generate the voltage at a higher level. But until then we do what we can.
I have been given a new name. It is a Batonga name. They call me Chimuka. For much of staff at the hospital I am not Jesse; I am now Chimuka. The name means ‘one who arrives late’. If a woman is overdue with a child and then the baby is born; they usually call them Chimuka. It also means ‘why did you not arrive sooner.’ I do not know exactly why they call me that but I kind of like it and have accepted it.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
February Update
Wow! It is February already. The rainy season is in full swing… lots of rain. The mapopwe (corn) is growing well. Also there are lots of mosquitoes. As I have found out because I have recently gotten sick with malaria. But I am on medication now and starting to feel better. Please pray for a speedy recovery.
Thank you for your continued support. It is greatly appreciated. The projects at the hospital are going pretty well. The new water system is working well; and the out patient department building is coming along. We are still waiting for the power company to come and finish their work. Please keep praying about that.
There will be a lot of changes happening with me over the next few months. Selinda and I will be leaving for North America in the middle of April to prepare for our wedding (to be held on May 28th).
I also have recently been accepted as a long-term missionary with Global Partners. Because of our new status, our budget will increase, so we will take the coming year to visit churches, reporting back to those on our team, and visiting new ones. We will also spend time getting to know each other's families and adjusting to married life before returning to the field. We will attend Global Partner's missionary training institute (MTI) in June 2012 and our goal is to be funded in time to head back to the field as soon as MTI is finished.
So Selinda and I will be visiting churches from the beginning of August 2011 until the end of May 2012. If you would like to have us come share about the work in Zambia , we would be happy to! Just let me know
Thank you for your continued support. It is greatly appreciated. The projects at the hospital are going pretty well. The new water system is working well; and the out patient department building is coming along. We are still waiting for the power company to come and finish their work. Please keep praying about that.
There will be a lot of changes happening with me over the next few months. Selinda and I will be leaving for North America in the middle of April to prepare for our wedding (to be held on May 28th).
I also have recently been accepted as a long-term missionary with Global Partners. Because of our new status, our budget will increase, so we will take the coming year to visit churches, reporting back to those on our team, and visiting new ones. We will also spend time getting to know each other's families and adjusting to married life before returning to the field. We will attend Global Partner's missionary training institute (MTI) in June 2012 and our goal is to be funded in time to head back to the field as soon as MTI is finished.
So Selinda and I will be visiting churches from the beginning of August 2011 until the end of May 2012. If you would like to have us come share about the work in Zambia , we would be happy to! Just let me know
Friday, February 11, 2011
Winter Months
The winter months back in Wisconsin... December, January, and February are the rainy months in Zambia. It is when everyone plows and plants. They plant mapopwe (corn), indongwe (peanuts), pumpkins, and sweet potatoes. It does not rain everyday but usually every other, and it rains hard. It will storm for a couple of hours and there will be six inches of water everywhere. That is extreme. Usually the rain is not that extreme. Nobody here complains about the rain; they know it brings life. During the dry season everything dies or is dormant. So it is very brown and dusty. When the rains start the grass, trees, bushes wake up and turn a beautiful green. It does not take too long maybe 1 or 2 rains and everything is green. The grass around grows very tall, and fast... to about 10 feet or so. The contrast is remarkable.
During the dry season, out in bush ones sees all the run off riverbeds that are completely dry, but during the rainy season those fill with water... gouging and reshaping the landscape. A few weeks ago we walked to Church in the rain. It’s three miles. When we crossed one such river it was just a trickle, but upon returning a few hours later we found the river raging. It was knee-deep and running fast. I had to stand in the middle of the river against the current helping the others across. People cross such rivers daily to get to work or home or wherever else they may be going. Within a few hours, after the rain stops, the river is just a trickle again.
Also, rainy season brings mosquitoes and malaria. The hospital is filled with people this time of year who have it. There are many kids that die because of it. I also got it. It is not fun at all. I guess what I can relate it to is a really bad flu. One's body hurts bad, no energy, a nasty headache, and diarrhea. Oh yea, and a fever. If left untreated it will kill. So, I am on medicine and resting. Hopefully, I will kick it soon.
The land during the dry season-
Wet Season -
During the dry season, out in bush ones sees all the run off riverbeds that are completely dry, but during the rainy season those fill with water... gouging and reshaping the landscape. A few weeks ago we walked to Church in the rain. It’s three miles. When we crossed one such river it was just a trickle, but upon returning a few hours later we found the river raging. It was knee-deep and running fast. I had to stand in the middle of the river against the current helping the others across. People cross such rivers daily to get to work or home or wherever else they may be going. Within a few hours, after the rain stops, the river is just a trickle again.
Also, rainy season brings mosquitoes and malaria. The hospital is filled with people this time of year who have it. There are many kids that die because of it. I also got it. It is not fun at all. I guess what I can relate it to is a really bad flu. One's body hurts bad, no energy, a nasty headache, and diarrhea. Oh yea, and a fever. If left untreated it will kill. So, I am on medicine and resting. Hopefully, I will kick it soon.
The land during the dry season-
Wet Season -
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Wedding
I am finally getting around to updating my blog. Thanks for your patience.
I had a neat opportunity last month. I got to attend a wedding of one of our Church members. It was about 45 kilometers from where I stay-way out in the bush. Selinda and I jumped into the back of the Lorrie truck with about 75 other people. We were scrunched together very tightly. It took us about two hours to get to the marriage house because of the road and also no brakes on the truck.
This wedding was not held in a church because the church building that was there was too small for all the people. It was held at the bride’s house. After arriving, I was ushered to sit with the bapati (the very important people). These were the pastors that were part of the service. We sat, chatted, and drank cibontu, waiting for the ceremony to start. The ceremony was to start about 9 hours, but in usual African fashion did not start until 13 hours. Before the service started, the place was a bustle of activity. The guests were constantly streaming in; some of the ladies were cooking nsima, chicken, vegetables, and goat for the wedding reception. The participants in the wedding were dressing and getting ready to dance. The wedding itself took place under a tent in the middle of the yard. The bapati and I sat in front while under the tent was left empty for dancing. The guests/spectators were seated all around the edge of the tent. The music was extremely loud and there was lots of dancing.
Everyone was so excited and happy to be part of this monumental occasion. The whole ceremony and dancing took four hours.
Going to this event, I learned the power of presence. The family was just so happy that we came. I did not do anything, but just being there meant so much to them. I was very blessed to be part of this-spending time with the people and being part of this special time in their lives.
I had a neat opportunity last month. I got to attend a wedding of one of our Church members. It was about 45 kilometers from where I stay-way out in the bush. Selinda and I jumped into the back of the Lorrie truck with about 75 other people. We were scrunched together very tightly. It took us about two hours to get to the marriage house because of the road and also no brakes on the truck.
This wedding was not held in a church because the church building that was there was too small for all the people. It was held at the bride’s house. After arriving, I was ushered to sit with the bapati (the very important people). These were the pastors that were part of the service. We sat, chatted, and drank cibontu, waiting for the ceremony to start. The ceremony was to start about 9 hours, but in usual African fashion did not start until 13 hours. Before the service started, the place was a bustle of activity. The guests were constantly streaming in; some of the ladies were cooking nsima, chicken, vegetables, and goat for the wedding reception. The participants in the wedding were dressing and getting ready to dance. The wedding itself took place under a tent in the middle of the yard. The bapati and I sat in front while under the tent was left empty for dancing. The guests/spectators were seated all around the edge of the tent. The music was extremely loud and there was lots of dancing.
Everyone was so excited and happy to be part of this monumental occasion. The whole ceremony and dancing took four hours.
Going to this event, I learned the power of presence. The family was just so happy that we came. I did not do anything, but just being there meant so much to them. I was very blessed to be part of this-spending time with the people and being part of this special time in their lives.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
December/January Update
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I hope that your Christmas and New Year's celebrations were Christ filled and spent with family and friends. Christmas for us here in Zambia was pretty quiet and restful. The four of us missionaries in Zimba had a meal together and took a much needed nap. I cooked up a rack of lamb and it turned out very tasty.
The way the Zambians celebrate Christmas is somewhat different than how it is celebrated in the US . For them it all revolves around the Church. In each Church, people give a few Kwacha so some food can be bought. They have a meal together on Christmas Day. There is a church service that is held on Christmas Day itself. It usually lasts all day or most of it anyway. They sing and dance, do some skits and have a message. After all these are finished, they have the meal. The meal consists of nsima, chicken, and vegetables. By the time they are done eating, it is getting dark so everyone heads for home. They usually do not exchange gifts with one another.
There is an extreme split here. There are those who go to Church on Christmas Day, and those who go to the bar. That is how the day is spent. Very few people stay home for Christmas. So the town is loud with music and the people at the bars.
How did you celebrate Christmas?
The New Year's celebration was very similar. Those who go to Church usually go on New Year's Eve, in the evening, and spend the night. They have an overnight prayer meeting. The night is filled with prayers of thanksgiving for allowing them to see the New Year, and prayers for the upcoming year. Other people go to the bar. The town is loud with people yelling and firecrackers going off all night.
The four of us just visited with each other and had a New Year's BBQ. It was a good time, and again we got some much needed rest. I think we were all in bed by 9:00 pm.
How did you welcome in the New Year?
Thank you for your continued support. The prayer and the financial support is very much appreciated
The way the Zambians celebrate Christmas is somewhat different than how it is celebrated in the US . For them it all revolves around the Church. In each Church, people give a few Kwacha so some food can be bought. They have a meal together on Christmas Day. There is a church service that is held on Christmas Day itself. It usually lasts all day or most of it anyway. They sing and dance, do some skits and have a message. After all these are finished, they have the meal. The meal consists of nsima, chicken, and vegetables. By the time they are done eating, it is getting dark so everyone heads for home. They usually do not exchange gifts with one another.
There is an extreme split here. There are those who go to Church on Christmas Day, and those who go to the bar. That is how the day is spent. Very few people stay home for Christmas. So the town is loud with music and the people at the bars.
How did you celebrate Christmas?
The New Year's celebration was very similar. Those who go to Church usually go on New Year's Eve, in the evening, and spend the night. They have an overnight prayer meeting. The night is filled with prayers of thanksgiving for allowing them to see the New Year, and prayers for the upcoming year. Other people go to the bar. The town is loud with people yelling and firecrackers going off all night.
The four of us just visited with each other and had a New Year's BBQ. It was a good time, and again we got some much needed rest. I think we were all in bed by 9:00 pm.
How did you welcome in the New Year?
Thank you for your continued support. The prayer and the financial support is very much appreciated
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
