Work and Play

Greetings again from Africa! Today marks the one week mark since Megan and I left the States. It’s almost impossible to imagine that one week ago we woke up to a snow blizzard and temperatures around zero. While I am writing this blog update there are sounds of summer all about. The sun is not out but there is a refreshing breeze, green foliage all about and an ample supply of summer wildlife sounds (crickets, birds, etc). Below you can see a picture of where we are staying. This is Riverside Farm Institute from the elevated view of the mountain that the Institute is built on.
When we made the climb to see this view we also got a nice picture of Alex (Megan’s sister) goofing around on the trail.
While the climb up the mountain was pretty difficult (especially if you’re terribly out of shape) the view is certainly worth it. Perhaps this is a good time to mention the wildlife we have encountered. NO SNAKES YET! We are indeed happy about this. There have however, been a steady supply of spiders and lizards.
As you can see from above, that is indeed a Tarantula. It really doesn’t want to make us watch the movie Arachnophobia anytime soon. There is also a spider in the room with us where we sleep. He likes to sleep up next to my head (I’m really not joking about this one). We have been told he is friendly and that he won’t cause any trouble. I make certain to tuck in the bug net every night though as not to chance things. Lizards have also been spotted around here.
Chameleons too.
Funny side note about the Chameleon…the locals are deathly afraid of it…more afraid of it than any snake. We were told that the Chameleon has the capability to kill a snake and because of this it must be worse than the snake. A pecking order, food chain sort of scare one could say. We of course found this quite comical since the chameleon is actually harmless.

Well, as promised we also have an update on Ellen’s house. We were able to venture over there on Friday. As you can see below the foundation and cement slab have been finished. The first three “lines” of brick wall have also been laid.
Below is a picture of Dennis the official foreman on the Ellen House project. He was hired with the funds donated everyone from the States. It never ceases to amaze me what $2,000 will buy.
Based on our conversations with Dennis two lines of brick can be laid each day. This means that we may be here long enough to see the roof placed. If not we will get pictures and post them when we return home. The roof will be metal (very nice roof for this area) and after the roof is set the brick walls will be plastered and the house can be painted. The plaster will in effect seal the walls both on the interior and exterior. No detail seems to have gone unnoticed.

Well, we’re off to the next adventure. As more develops we will try to keep posting. Over-and-out from Africa!

Greetings from Africa

Greetings from Zambia, Africa! Megan and I arrived safely from the United States on December 23rd right on time. All of our flights were on time and we were truly happy to land in Johannesburg, South Africa which marked the end of the really long flights. An hour and a half later we were in Lusaka, Zambia (the capital city) where Alex (Megan’s sister) met us at the airport.
After loading our things up into the Land Cruiser we set out for Riverside Farm Institute (the place where Alex lives and works). We stopped at a Subway for dinner. Yes, there really was a subway in Africa. Four subs at the Zambian Subway cost about 30,000 Kwacha (Zambian currency). While it sounds terribly expensive the conversion rate is about 4,700K to one US dollar. This made dinner really only cost about $10.

The next morning when the sun cam up we were able to take a look around where we were staying. We are staying in the guest room attached to Alan an Pauline Knowles house (the Student Missionary Directors at Riverside). We have a flush toilet and hot water shower. Our bed has a mosquito net and is really quite nice. Megan and I have commented several times that it feels like we are living at a summer camp or maybe just plain camping.
After getting a quick look around in the morning we were off for the first adventure. We hopped in the Land Cruiser, loaded some supplies and were off to a bush clinic. It took abount two hours to get there and only 40 minutes of the journey was on paved roads as the rest was on dirt roads. This may be a good time to explain that when I say dirt road I really mean an oversized “trail” complete with rivers, falling rock, and excessive mud. None the less we made it to Lushomo (the name of the village where the clinic is located).
Above you can see Alex and I along with Chaluphia (the Zambian sent with us to serve as the clinic “doctor” or “nurse,” perhaps both). At the clinic babies and children were weighed (in kilos) and charted to make sure they were properly gaining weight. For those children who were not gaining weight we supplied additional food to their mothers to take home and use. We also administered vaccinations for tuberculosis, measles, HIB (diphtheria) and OPV 0-4 (whatever that is). We also gave vitamin A and MEB (a pill used for deworming, yeah, that one sounds gross but I guess from what we have heard it is quite common and not that big of a deal if treated). After we finished our work with the clinic patients we were able to meet and talk with some of the women and children who came to the clinic.
Megan and Alex especially loved seeing all the mothers and small children. I of course was reminded by Megan (my lovely wife) that she too would some day want children…not that I ever really hear the end of that one (thanks for all the reminders though Mom).

After journeying back on the treacherous “road” we stopped and bought some mushrooms from some of the locals selling them along side the road. There were gobs of mushrooms for sale. Folks here don’t buy just a small container of mushrooms but rather sacks of them for hardly nothing. No joke, you can buy a sack (larger than a grocery bag) for under $5.
The next day we were able to sleep in a little bit as it was Christmas day. Megan and I were so happy to get some rest that we certainly didn’t put up a fight to wake up really early. Anyway, after we woke up we immediatey started making Christmas dinner with Alex and Darby (Alex’s roommate here in Africa who is also a student missionary). We made a walnut loaf, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes (which are white as they don’t have orange ones here…although they taste exactly the same), chopped salad, regular salad and apple pie. We ate around 1pm (that’s 13:00 on this side of the world) and made new friends with Lori, Rodeka and Dean (missionaries from South Africa I believe). After wrapping up dinner we headed to the admin building, logged on to Skype and communicated with the families for a few hours. It’s really hard to believe that you can see and talk to family on the side of the planet!

After saying all our “goodbyes” and “Merry Christmas’s” we gathered up some of the presents we brought over from the States that Megan and Alex’s mom had purchased and went to Elias’s house. Elias is a man that Alex has been doing physical therapy with on his left arm which was caused by a tractor accident. He has a wife, two sons and two daughters. They are also providing for an orphan girl named Unice. Below you can see one of the presents we gave out to Tami, the youngest boy. Curious George seems to be a favorite regardless of where you are in the world.
Today we were off to Ellen’s house for construction. We took pictures but I forgot to grab the cord that connects our camera with the computer so the next time we post I’ll add pictures for everyone. Things are coming along great though. The concrete slab has been poured and there are 4 lines of brick up that make up the walls. The house will have three rooms when finished. Ellen and her family are extremely thankful and very excited about the new place to live.

Well, we need to get going for tonight (it’s already 9pm here…21:00 local) and we need to be getting off to bed. Please keep checking in with our blog as we begin to post pictures from Ellen’s house. Happy Sabbath!

Africa Update

Things are starting to get exciting! We leave for Zambia this Sunday, which means we are only 3 days away from our departure! We wanted to take a moment before we left though to thank everyone for all their support over the last few months. We have officially raised the $2,000 we needed in order to build the house for Ellen! We have also almost completely filled a suitcase full of markers, crayons, balloons, paper, etc. to pass out at the orphanages we will be visiting. We look forward to meeting everyone in which your contributions will help. Thanks again and stay tuned for updates from Africa!

Ellen's House

Hello everyone! We just received pictures from Megan's sister, Alex, in Africa. We were finally able to see Ellen and her current home! As many of you are now aware Megan and I will be traveling to Zambia, Africa over the Christmas and New Year holidays to join Alex for two and a half weeks to assist with various mission work. Among the several projects we will be assisting with is the construction of a new home for a woman named Ellen. Many of you have received letters in the mail in which we have extended the opportunity to help us raise the necessary funds to build a new home for Ellen. In the picture below you can see who we will be helping...

This is Ellen. When Alex sent us this picture she wrote, "She doesn't look her age at all! She is super active and takes care of a million children." Ellen has been praised by the staff at Riverside Farm Institute (the place we will be going in Zambia) as a dedicated worker and an excellent role model.

Here is Ellen and her current home. As we have already mentioned in our letter the roof is by far the worst part of the house. The tarp is really the only protection that is offered to Ellen from the elements. With the rainy season coming in only a few months a new home is certainly going to help in keeping Ellen and her family dry.

Above is a shoot taken by Alex inside of Ellen's current home. As you can see there is little room and the log in the front of the picture represents one of the several "supporting" braces that is holding the place together. The new home will be built from more durable materials such as concrete and metal. While the pictures look bleak there is good news! Donations have already come in and construction on Ellen's new home has commenced. Approximately $250 has been raised and is sufficient to begin work on the new house foundation. Below is a picture of the sand being delivered which will be used in conjuction with the cement foundation and floor.

Alex told us that she was able to ride along with Alan (one of the Riverside directors) when he made the sand delivery in this truck. The workers on the bed of the truck were picked up along the way and were eager to help out. The sand had to be delivered before Megan and I arrive because the truck will not be able to drive on the roads in December and January as the rainy season will be under way.

In the picture above we can see our team already at work arranging sand in order for cement to come for the foundation. We were even able to see Alex hard at work manning the shovel.

Apparently even Franzi and Danny, the children of Riverside's Senior Director, have taken up the shovel to help out. It's amazing what only one days work can accomplish in Africa! The entire foundation site has been preped and is ready for cement. With any luck additional funds will be raised through the various letters in which we have sent out. We truly hope that you have enjoyed seeing the pictures and are as excited as us to help build a home for a worthy friend in Christ in Africa. As more information becomes available to us we will be providing updates on the status of our fundrasing efforts and will hopefully be providing completion pictures and stories when we come back from Zambia in January 2009. God bless. Jeff and Megan.

Grand Opening

Welcome to our new blog! This is where you can come to see what is happening in our lives. Shortly after we get back from our Christmas trip to Zambia you will be able to find pictures and stories of our trip and building projects. In the meantime checkback to see any other fun posts. We love you all and hope your holidays are blessed.