Cheshire Childrens Home

Yesterday we had the privilege of serving with angels. We spent four hours at Cheshire Children's Home, a Catholic run home at for disabled children. One of the members of the Lusaka Branch arranged for the Lusaka West Zone missionaries to help with an activity for these children. The Zone Leaders invited some of the senior missionaries to attend with them. There were 1O Elders, 2 Sisters and 2 senior couples who participated with various other volunteers from the community. The children were ages 6-14, so we were told. However, we later learned that one sassy young lady, who was no bigger than a three year old, (if that big) was actually 16. She was as cute as could be and had quite the attitude. It was fun to watch her try to keep a stern face, only to be ambushed by a huge smile when Elder Bodily pretended he was going to tickle her.

This is Kabwe.  There is another picture later where we got her to smile.

 

 

Many other children had various, fairly severe handicaps. There were those in wheelchairs with obvious deformities to their legs or spines. Some were mobile through the aid of a walker. Several seemed mentally impared. Others looked to be suffering from the effects of cerebral palsy. One had only one leg, another had no legs. Those who could walk had legs that were deformed and walked with much effort. There was an adult attendant there who had no hands. A cheerful nun informed us that these children are being taught to be as independent and self sufficient as possible. The goal of the school is to help them become a contributing member of the community. Unfortunately, many children with such deformities and handicaps are an embarrassment to their families and are kept hidden away in their homes. When they are discovered it is often too late to try and rehabilitate them.

When we first arrived at the school we passed out soda pop to these lovely children. They were so delighted! They wanted more. They knew which kind they wanted and how to communicate that to us. There was tons of soda pop and the children had no problem consuming it just about all, even though we tried to stall them.

After the drinks we helped these children get to a bounce house that had been set up on the property.  We were touched to see a child, who looked to me like he needed a wheelchair himself, pushing an even less mobile friend in a wheelchair. That kind of service between the children was a common sight.
 

One girl in a wheelchair was holding a soda bottle to the lips of her friend, who was also in a wheelchair and apparently not blessed with the use or control of any of her limbs.  We marveled that these children have so little temporally and physically, yet they still serve one another. What Christ like beings!

At the bounce house we had so much fun watching these children act like almost normal kids. Actually their joy seemed to surpass that of normal children as they bounced and rolled into one another, laughing and experiencing a degree of mobile freedom. There were huge smiles on their faces and delight in their eyes.

They were having the time of their lives!

















Peter, the boy with no legs, entertained us with flips, summersaults and handstands as he sped around the bounce house. What a talented athlete he was!

He'd bounce himself right on top of a bounce house lower wall and then comfortably rested.

 

 

When he wanted to get some place other than the bounce house he joyfully rode on the back of a specific volunteer, hanging on with his arms around his neck. The love between Peter and this particular volunteer was so obvious to all. These kids were in heaven as various volunteers and missionaries interacted with them.

After the bounce house the children were treated to a live band and dancing. Many could barely walk, but when it came to dancing they could follow the beat and move to it. Even those in wheelchairs bounced to the beat or had someone bounce their wheelchair to the beat. Some, like Peter, danced as a volunteer held them in their arms. They are Africans and rhythm is in their blood. One young man with Downs Syndrome was a remarkable, excellent dancer. It was fun to watch him. 
We  wondered how he learned to do his moves so well? The children and volunteers all had a glorious time. It was a true celebration for us all.

The girl on the left danced and walked on her knees. We don't know how she did it on the rough concrete


Finally our little friends were served by the volunteers a generous helping of cooked lunch, followed by yummy cake. Being at this facility with the children and other volunteers was beautiful and delightful. The event was a Christmas party a generous benefactor has been providing for these children for the past five years. It seems that it was a Christmas gift to us as well. On reflection of this service it feels like we volunteers were the actual receivers and the children were the ones giving to us. They showed us the face of our Savior.  We felt immense gratitude that these children would come to earth under what appears to be such undesirable circumstances to teach us profound truths about love, gratitude and having having a cheerful heart and attitude in all circumstances. The Spirit was felt so strongly that more than one of us struggled to hold back the tears.

Thanksgiving American style

We are sure Thanksgiving is celebrated every day in Zambia.  But the traditional way it is celebrated in the US is not practiced here.  Since there are a number of American missionaries here President Erickson decided to have a Thanksgiving meal in the Thursday evening.  There were all of the usual foods found around the table in the States.  Sister Bodily fixed a turkey, stuffing, 2 apple pies, 2 pumpkin pies, 8 dozen rolls and the green beans in mushroom soup.  The young missionaries (and some of the seniors) put away a lot of food.  When it came time for pie they barely got it in.  When some of the young African missionaries were asked what kind of pie they wanted they asked "is it chicken or beef".  We had to explain to them about apple, pumpkin and banana cream pie.  

We met in the cultural hall of the Lusaka building.   30 young missionaries and 10 seniors missionaries.

Had lots of leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls and sweet potatoes.  Even had a couple of pies left.

One of the sister companionships sang the primary song "My Heavenly Father Loves Me".  Sister George is from Rexburg, Idaho and Sister Rakotonindriana is from Madagascar so she sang one of the verses in French, one of her native languages.  They are such good active missionaries.

How to make things in Lusaka

This is a picture of a local carpentry/upholstery shop.  The mission buys products made in this shop.  We were there to order a pulpit for one of the places where some members meet.  Cabinets on the left, furniture on the right and the treadle Singer sewing machine at the bottom.  One of the workers was cutting in the hinges for a cabinet door.  He didn't have a wide chisel so he took the blade out of his plane and was hitting it with a board instead of a hammer.  Whatever works.

Humanitarian Projects in Malawi

October 23 we left Lusaka for Blantyre, Malawi to conduct a Helping Babies Breath training with our partner, the Malawi Ministry of Health.  Elder and Sister Humphreys, Public Affairs missionaries, went along with us to guide us to our destination and help with the project.  In the past these projects have had specialists from the US come and help with the training but for this one there were native people who had been trained by the US staff so they were conducting the actual training.  Our responsibility is to make the arrangements and do the logistics.  We stopped along the way in Lilongwe, Malawi and stayed in a mission flat in a compound where other MLS senior missionaries live.  They live in this compound.

 

Here is the flat we stayed in with the Humphries. It has two bedrooms, both master bedrooms.  Because there is so much traveling by the senior missionaries the mission rents this flat for the seniors when they are here in Malawi.  It ends up cheaper than hotel rooms.

 

 

This is the dry season in Africa but hopefully you can see why they call it Eden Estate.  All of the Senior missionaries think that this is a vacation home.  You come here and don't want to leave.

 



While in Lilongwe we were able to check on another humanitarian project, clean water.  There are several bore hole projects that have been done in Malawi in the past couple of years.  We were taken to one that is over a year old.  It was out in the bush north of Lilongwe.  Here is one of the sites.

 

 

The next day we visited another more recent site with the site monitor.  This one has some issues so we went to all of the 10 bore holes.  This area is very close to the city and has about 80,000 people living in the villages.  It was interesting driving to all of the boreholes as we drove on trails between house were the mirrors on the truck almost touched on both sides.  Some of it was not fit for a car.  Here is one of the 10 bore holes.

 

 

Here are some views from the villages. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then went down to Blantyre to particpate in the HBB training.  Here is the chapel that we used for the training.  It is a real nice building.  There were 28 nurses or midwives that were trained for 2 days on how to care for a baby that is not breathing when delivered.  We didn't do much else in Blantyre except for the training and then we returned to Lilongwe.

 

Here is a picture of the road heading into the roadside market in Blantyre.  Every city,town or village has it's roadside market.  The sign is advertising for the cell phone service here.  Cell phones are everywhere, even in the villages in the bush you can buy cell phone air time.

 

 

Here are some pictures on our way back north to Lilongwe.

 

 

 

 

 

Back in Lilongwe we visited another water project.  This one is at an orphanage where the church installed a bore hole with a solar pump.

 

 

It serves the orphanage and their garden.

 

 

Grandma is a magnet for the little kids.  Here are some of her friends.

 

 

  We are amazed at what they carry on bikes.  The one in the back has bags of homemade charcoal.  Most native families cook outside with this charcoal.

 

 

October 31st we arrived back in Lusaka.

 





Grandma's trees of Zambia and Malawi

 

 

 

Flamboyant Tree in Lusaka

 

Jacaranda Trees at the City of Hope school near Lusaka

 

This is a tree with a massive trunk. A Baobab tree in Zambia on the road to Malawi.

Plumeria tree in a village out in the bush in Malawi.

Peach colored Plumeria in Blantyre, Malawi.

 



 

 

Flamboyant tree along the highway in Malawi.

 

 

Mystery tree in Blantyre, Malawi

 

 

 

Typical jungle tree but the jungle is gone.

 

Special District Meeting With Elder Quentin L. Cook

Monday October 20th was a special day for the Lusaka District of the Zambia Lusaka Mission.  Two special meetings were held under the Direction of Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The first was a Priesthood leadership meeting where he talked to the brethren about the Prophetic priorities.  The first two are to strengthen the priesthood and to strengthen the families.  This is pertinent as the District is preparing to be a Stake.  The second meeting was for all the membership of the District. These meeting were held on a Monday because of the schedule that Elder Cook had so he could visit a number of different southren African countries in a limited amount of time.

Here is a gathering of the Saints after the meetings.

There is a Church Distribution center in the Lasaka building and after the meeting we were waiting in line to make an order.  It took a while as things move a little slowly here.  As we were waiting Elder Cook came by and greeted us again and mentioned that he had heard that we had left, he thought, 23 grandchildren at home.  We told him that we had left a number at home but that it was 35.  He said that would be a blessing to us as there were 35 little children who were praying daily for us.  He stopped for a picture with someone and then told us we needed to have a picture with him also so that our grandchildren could see us with him. It was his idea.

Elder Quentin L. Cook with Papa & Gradma for the Grandkids

We are at the mission home today so we are going to add another blog while we have internet access were we can attach a picture.  We have been to a couple of the competed projects so I will share pictures of them.  There is a contrast in these two schools where projects have been completed.

This one is City of Hope run by the Catholic Church.  Several wells were fitted with solar panels and pumps. The tower with the tank is for water for the large two story building in the background.

This other one is a school where the roof was collapsing so the roof was removed, walls repaired and a new roof placed.  This one is run by some kind of government agency.

Here are some of the kids at this school.

Fast Sunday

October 5th was our first Sunday at our newly assigned Branch.  President Erickson asked us to attend the Matero Branch which is located in the north part of Lusaka.  It belongs to the Lusaka District, one of three districts in the mission.  It is located in one of the poorer areas of the city and they meet in a house that has been converted into a meeting house.

The testimony meeting was a "Testimony" meeting. No travel logs, thankamonies or long discourses. They don't have much and don't go many places so all they have to share is their testimonies of The Savior and His gospel.  It is what should happen on Fast Sunday.  There were only 2 vehicles at the meeting, ours and the other senior couple who are assigned to the Branch.  Everyone walks to church and for some it takes an hour.  Some of the members of the branch meet at the Elders Quorum Presidents home a couple of the weeks during the month because the chapel is so far for them to walk each week.

Arrival to our home for the next 18 months.

We have now been here a total of 4 days.  This is what we saw as we were brought to our flat by Elder and Sister Skidmore, the office couple.

Their assignment was to keep us awake until night so that we could sleep all night.  They took us to the Mission Home and then out to dinner and finally back to our flat.  They were mostly successful seeing we had been traveling on very little sleep for the past 38 hours.  When we went inside the gate this is what we saw.  Our flat and vehicle are on the left.  Elder and Sister Humphreys live on the right.

Four Sister missionaries live on the far right.  Our day and night guard/gate keeper stays in the shack on the left.  They plant and keep the garden.

The rest of the pictures are from the inside of the flat.

 This is our office.

To the right is our kitchen.  We are pretty safe as you can see the bars on the inside all of the windows.








Below is our dinning area with a nice large table.

Living room.

And where we sleep under a mosquito net.  We have yet to see a mosquito but it is the dry season here.

We are quite spoiled with our living accommodations compared to most of the people of Zambia.  There are a small group who have a lot more.