Day 10

Today we left for Livingstone at 6:30 this morning, so we had to get up at 4:15. We took a small plane, with only about 10 other people on board. It was only 45 min. so we got there pretty quickly. We had a connecting flight in Lusaka, which was really confusing because they didn't give us our connecting tickets in Ndola. We took another small plane on a 1 hr and 15min flight to Livingstone. When we got there, we went to the hotel and headed to Victoria Falls. This time of year is when the Falls have the greatest amount of water. When we got there, we went through the dry parts first. It was absolutely beautiful. The sound was powerful and water sprayed up to create what they call "smoke that thunders". When we had taken lots of pictures and video, we got ready to get soaked. When we got to where you could see the ''smoke'' come on the path, we got on our raincoats and started through the puddles. At first it wasn't so bad, but after a while it became a torrential downpour. At home I would think that with the flooding rains were bad, but that doesn't even compare. The water sprays upward from the bottom of the waterfall, up 500 meters, and then hits us. It filled every crevices and made all the rocks and the path really slippery. We all got drenched, but it was a lot of fun and it was beautiful. When we got back out of the park, we took a look at all of the 'shops' nearby. Everyone made me really annoyed. They all said "Come in, no pressure, no pressure" and "We have the lowest prices". After I about had it, we left and went back to the lodge. At the lodge, we had lunch and then just hung out the rest of the day. Now we are getting ready for the safari tomorrow.

Day 9

Today we started by going to Bread of Life Church International. Lawrence also left today for the UN, and so we prayed for him this morning as well. We were at church for four hours, singing, handing out blankets, socks, jerseys, and a few Easter cards as well. Pastor Peter was preaching and was very enthusiastic about what he was saying. He spoke in bimba, so he had a translator. What surprised me was that there were three people from Switzerland there with Prison Fellowship. They introduced themselves and one lady quoted a lot from the Bible. Martha was also called up to introduce us, but we didn't have to do anything. After the service was over, we distributed the goodies. Not everyone was there, and a lot of kids from the Ridge Point sponsorship were gone. We finally left church at 2:22 pm,, four hours later from when we got there. We went back to Kaps and had lunch, packed up a little, and rested. Martha came by later to take us to the Chifubu market and I found some cool fabric. At the market, there was dried fish that smelled horribly, and caterpillars that made me want to run. There was also the smell of the pub, which was really bad considering that in addition to that smell, there was body odor as well. After the market, we went out to dinner with Jennifer, Agness, Martha, and the three of us to a restaurant by the airport. It was really small and cozy, it wasn't really that busy, so it was half quiet. I got Hawaiian pizza and had a piece of chocolate mousse cake after. We went to the airport afterwards to pick up a slip of paper for mom and then started to drop people off on the way to Kaps. We also had to pick up Martha's son, Daniel, from a friends house. When we got back, we finished packing and went to bed. Tomorrow we leave for Livingstone and have to get up at 4:15 for a 6:30 flight.

Day 8

Today was one of the best! We dedicated the Habitat houses in the morning, which was really amazing, and then did a blanket/sock/jersey distribution in the afternoon. For the Habitat dedication, it was at Bread of Life Church. There were so many people not everyone could fit. It started out by some praise and worship, which was in English and Bimba so we could understand some of it. The team from Texas was also there which was kinda cool. After the two songs, there was some words to be said by the pastors. Then there was a mini teaching, which was followed by the team leaders and Habitat representatives saying a few words. Then there was another mini message by Pastor Peter from Jubilee. Then there was the handing out of the awards, done by Voster and another Habitat lady. Even I got one. We then were invited up onto the stage for a prayer to be said over us. What they said was mostly in Bimba, but what I did understand was really touching and sweet. They then called to recipients of the houses up so that they could accept their new house, and then they were prayed over. There was more music and we were escorted out to witness the handing over of the key to the new home owner. The first house was finished and the second one was really close to being done. We then were brought back to Kaps after stopping along the way to drop people off for lunch. Daniel and Peter picked us up and we went to Pastor David's church after picking up Pastor Nickson, Wendy, and Belita. We got there and saw a lot of the sponsored kids. About four of them led in song, some of which was in English, and then we started handing out the blankets, socks, and in some cases, jerseys. The kids were so excited to get them they could barely sit still. I loved the look on the younger kids faces when I gave them their gifts. I was able to give Belita hers, which was really nice. After that, we took all the kids outside to get their picture for their sponsor. When all their pictures were taken, we let them go, and the ones that were still there had their picture taken as a large group. Some kids wanted a picture with me too, so we did that. When we left, we went to go see Pastor Nickson's church and plot of land. The church was made of wood, and it was really cool how it was built. They are going to build a new church to have and they have a garden. While we were there, Ray, a blind man, and his son, Ray Jr. came. Ray Jr. is sponsored and so he was at Pastor David's church as well. They got a Habitat house last year, but they are renting it out to pay off the mortgage. I used their story as part of my National History Day project last year. We then went to drop Nickson off and then went to Martha and Lawrence's house to pick up Lawrence. They took us to see where their new house was being built. It is huge and beautiful. The view is lovely, but there is a hotel being built nearby. There is also a stadium being built by all Chinese workers . At the entrance to the stadium, there is a Chinese arch with two dragons on top. On our way back, we saw where their boys go to school. When we got back, we just hung out and the Habitat team went out for dinner.

Day 7

Today we started by going to the Chipulukusu Clinic in Mapalo. It serves about 150 people a day and most of which have malaria, TB, sickle cell anemia, diabetes, or HIV. There were two small buildings that serve the Mapalo community. They have a total of five nurses on staff, and a doctor that comes every Tuesday. Mrs. Blystra interviewed John, a part of the staff there, and found out a lot about the clinic. He told us that it was a children's clinic that day, and so there was a lot of kids and moms with their babies waiting outside of the two buildings. When we left there, we went to visit Belita and her younger sister Beatrice. We sponsor Belita and brought presents for both of them, which included clothes, underwear, and a doll. They showed us their house, and we sat down and talked with them. Mom talked with their pastor, who lives right next door as we found out. Their aunt, Josephine, was out making a living for them. Their uncle isn't home very much, and he has some issues. We then went over to Pastor Nickson's house, who lives right next door. We talked and goofed around, and then left. We then went to Pastor Chris's church for Love's Kitchen, a feeding program for kids. I helped serve the kids, who got a whole lot of nshima and soy meat. It was a lot of fun getting to see these kids who were very vulnerable, sick, and/or orphaned get a meal. I learned that for some of these kids, this is all they eat. The feeding program occurs three times a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. After most of the kids were served, we headed to Pastor David's church for their feeding program. Mom helped serve those kids, who got nshima, a piece of sausage, and rabe (a veggie). The kids looked really happy to get their meal. When that was over, we went to lunch at Kaps. When Martha and Agness picked us up, we went to an Indian run store to buy socks for the sponsored kids. That took a while and then we headed to the Masala market. It was like a huge square with wooden stalls and a dirt/sand ground and it was really crowded. Martha told us that people are scared of rain more than they are cars. Thought that was a little strange, but oh well. So we walked around, but a lot of the vendors were packing up or had already left. I was really interested in the fabric, so that's mainly all we looked at. I found two really cool prints that I bought for a good price. We saw a lot of caterpillars, dried fish, live chickens which get bought and then butchered, eggs, second-hand clothes, and a lot of beans as well. It was a lot different from what I am used to and the smells weren't that great either. When we left, we went back to Kaps. We had dinner and I tried something new (which will remain a secret). Overall, it was an excellent day.

Day 6

Today we visited Support groups. The first group we visited was from the Bread of Life Church. An active support group consists of 10-20 members, all HIV positive. This one had about 15 present, but was missing a few. We talked to them, although most of them only spoke bimba, and hearing what they had to say was really humbling. I cannot even begin to imagine what it is like for these men and women on a daily basis. So when we were done at the church, they went to show us their garden. It is HUGE! They mainly grow foods that work with the medications they are on, but they also grow foods that they can sell. On our way back to the van, we stopped at a house. The girl who lived there was 11 and HIV positive. We heard her story and how the medication has helped her. I prayed for her and then we left. When we left, we went to the van to go visit the Habitat houses. They are really coming along nicely. After that, we went back to Kaps to have lunch and check on Lisa. She was doing a lot better and she came with us for the afternoon. I almost went and swam with Samuel, Martha and Lawrence's son, but decided against it. When Lawrence picked us up after lunch, we went to Pastor Chris's church. We met with the support group and passed out Heps, a protein supplement, to kids who are HIV positive. Pastor Chris showed us the new church that is being built, the two chicken coops, the schools, and the water filter. It's amazing what he is doing for the community. After that, we went to Pastor David's church and passed out Heps to HIV positive kids. He also showed us the garden and the chlorinated water filter. We then traveled to the chicken coop, which was still a part of Pastor David's church. Then we were taken back to Kaps to get ready for dinner. We ate at the Temfwe's, and had a nice conversation about Jubilee and other aspects of it. When it was all over, we were taken back to prepare for a good nights rest.

Day 5

Today we started the day by going to the Bread of Life Community School located in Mapalo along with the Bread of Life Church. Emmanuel and Samson are some of the staff at the school. Samson is the principal/administrator and Emmanuel is one of the nine teachers. At Bread of Life, they have a school, administrator's office (2 of them, one of which also serves as a knitting room for the local Support Group), a chicken coop and a church. It was really cool to see how the schools here are so different compared to the ones in the US. We were able to see some students in an extra help kind of class which was actually 7th grade! It was interesting to see what they were learning/studying at the time, which happened to be plant cells. When we were done there, we went to two homes of sponsored kids. The first one we went to was where Lawrence Chrisi stays. He lives with his aunt, sister, and three cousins. He was visiting a sick uncle at the time so he wasn't there and we talked with the aunt. It turns out that his sister has sickle cell anemia, and can't afford the right medications. Both he and his sister are in 5th grade and in Emmanuel's class. We didn't spend a lot of time there, and moved on to the child Ridge Kids sponsors. Josephine, who is the sponsored child, lives with her two older brothers, sister, mom, and step-dad. She was pretty scared when we came so we couldn't really find out much about her. When we were done, we went to have lunch. After lunch, we went to visit the girl my grandma and grandpa sponsor, Betha. We had some gifts for her so we gave them to her. She lived with four other people (I think) in a two room house. She loved them all a lot! When we left, we went to Jubilee for a strategic planning meeting. It was all about the near future of Jubilee and I found it kinda boring (mainly because I didn't get it) so I did homework instead. When it was over, Martha took us back to Kaps.

Day 4

Today we spent the morning working on the Habitat house. When I was working on it, it seemed to go really slow, but I think we got a lot done considering how high it is getting. Towards 12:00, we went to visit a Home Based Care lady, Grace, who is currently living in her mother-in-law's house with thirteen other people. She and her husband, Prosper, are building a new house of their own. They have eight kids of their own. We first visited where they were currently living, and then went to the one they have spent seven years working on. The house they share with her mother-in-law has two bedrooms and a sitting room. In the new one they are still working on, they have four bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, a sitting room, a playroom, a toilet room, and a bathroom. They need 60-70 more sheets of corrugated metal to finish the roofing. It looks like a mansion compared to the surrounding houses in the area. When we got back to the work-site, Daniel, a man from Jubilee, took us to Kaps so Mom could get the claim slip. I stayed back with Lisa Blystra, while Mom went with Daniel to the airport. The officer that needed to sign the slip was at lunch so she couldn't turn it in, but Nicole, a member of the Habitat team, had her baggage lost along the way and it had come so they took that with them. While they were gone, I got freshened up and did some homework. When they returned, Mom took a shower and we waited for Martha and Agness to come and pick us up for an appointment at Seeds of Hope International Partnerships (http://www.sohip.org/). What they are doing is really inspiring and creative. They recycle everything, and come up with the most bizarre things out of ordinary, everyday materials. When we left there, we went to QuickSave to pick up some sweets. They were out of ice cream, so I got a croissant instead. We went back to Kaps and had dinner, then we all gathered to review the day.

Day 2 & 3

Hey everyone! Sorry I wasn't able to post yesterday, our internet connection was down.

Sunday: Today we went to church for 3 hours! It was a lot of fun and we got to meet a lot of the sponsored children. We gave out jerseys to a lot of the kids. After church we went back to where we are staying and had lunch. After that, we took a road trip to a village in Mapalo, a surrounding community of Ndola. We visited a Habitat village where all of the houses where built by Habitat for Humanity. What was really cool was that all of the kids followed us around and wanted to be our friend. They were all so cute! When we did our round and ended back at the bus, we said goodbye. As the bus started to move the kids all started chasing after us. When they finally stopped, we were able to start the drive back. We got back and had dinner, and then went to bed. It was a really nice day, sunny, and warm.

Monday: Today we started working on the Habitat houses. We were divided into two teams, A and B. Mom and I were on team A, but we left right away to visit a church which is launching a program tomorrow which will really help with the community. We then went back to the build site and helped build it up. We got a lot done today and it looks really good for the first day. We took a lunch break at about 1:30 at an affiliate house nearby. After that, we went back to work until 4:00. We headed back and cleaned up. We ate dinner at 6:30, and we all hung out afterwards.