The Falls

Today was our first day full day in Livingstone. We again enjoyed a wonderful Protea breakfast and then headed to Victoria Falls. Victoria Falls was incredible! I never get tired of being there. It is such an exciting experience. The power and size of the falls is so humbling, it is an amazing thing to watch and experience. Our group first took lots of group pictures at the top of the falls and then we ventured down and across to the bridge to get a closer and wetter look. The large amount of mist that rains down on you is an awesome experience, and to hear the roar of the falls up close is just amazing. After being completely soaked and taking group pictures with water proof cameras we headed back to the entrance, and then ventured down to the boiling point. At the bottom of the falls there is an area where the water swirls around in a circle. I did not experience this last year but I was glad that I made the long journey down to the boiling point and back up again. I of course got as close to the water as I could. Ian and I ventured out on a rock that was as far as you could go. We were both enjoying the view on top of the rock until the rock was six inches under rushing water with us still on top it! We held on for a short while until the water reseeded, but this peace was short lived as I saw another surge of water heading toward us. I told Ian to hold on tight! We made it just fine. After that surge we hurriedly scampered off the rock back to higher ground.

Once we exited the falls we then had the opportunity to shop in the markets there. I found a painting of the falls that I really like, and I also bought some gifts for friends and family back home. The markets are always crazy, but I made it out with the things I wanted without spending too much money. The bus then took us back to the main strip where we were given money to get some lunch. A small group of us ate at the Hungry Lion (Zambian Fast Food) I got a burger that didn't taste so great, but I managed to eat most of it. We then walked back to the hotel and prepared for High Tea at the Royal Livingstone Hotel.  

High Tea at the Royal Livingstone again was a great experience. The food is great and the atmosphere is so much fun. The Royal Livingstone is a very nice hotel here in Zambia. Apparent the cheapest room is $500 a night. We come here to drink tea, eat delicious desserts, and then watch the sun set on the Zambezi. The tea was great, this year I got Apple Cinnamon tea. The food was good as well and the company was even better. During our tea time there was a zebra that walked through the grounds, only 50 feet away from where we were sitting! The sunset was also very enjoyable. It was so nice to take a break, sit and converse with friends, and watch the sun set. God is good.

Thank you for all your prayers and support!

Ben

Are you preaching?

This morning instead of going to the church at Namwianga I had the opportunity to go with Dr. Tullos and Ian to Webster's congregation outside of Kalomo. None of us had ever been to his church before so we didn't really know what to expect, and we didn't really have any idea how to get there. All we knew was that it was past the hospital on the left. After driving past it twice we got a call from Ellie. Webster apparently had seen us drive by and called Ellie to tell us where to meet him so that he could direct us to the church building. We found him and picked him up on the side of the road and headed to his church.

When we arrived he showed us the building and a plot of land next to the church where they are planning on building a new bigger building, and having the current church be a preschool. The church here was very nice compared to the Kasibi church. It was bigger and completely made out of concrete and brick. After the bible study Dan and I were informed that we were in charge of preaching and the Lord's Supper! FUN. We had been assured by Webster and Ian that neither of us would have to participate in the service, but both Ian and Webster were out with the children for children's church. Dan made up a short sermon on the spot, and I gave the communion comments. This is the first time I have had to use a translator. I had to break apart what I wanted to say in shorter phrases. Over all the experience was very enjoyable. God is good. The church service started an hour late, but Dan and I made sure that it ended on time with our short comments : )

After the service was over Webster took us to his house for a drink and to chat with the preacher before we left. I also got to meet 2 of 3 of his children, along with his wife. Webster then rode with us in the land cruiser until we made it to the main road, where he said good bye. Webster was very sad to say good bye to us. It was a sad moment for us all as we drove away.

Our last meal in Namwinanga was a group favorite, chicken spaghetti, then we packed the vehicles and left for Livingstone. When we arrived in Livingstone we had lots of time to relax and shower after days without water at Namwianga. Then as a group we headed to a dinner and had a wonderful time of fellowship and relaxation. At the end of our evening there the GA's handed out awards to all of us that usually consisted of inside jokes. IT was a very enjoyable evening. Our group as really bonded on this trip, we are not looking forward to leaving each other next week.

The rest of the evening we spent at the hotel resting and relaxing for tomorrow's adventures.

Please continue to pray for the group's safety as we stay in Livingstone for the next week.

Thank you for all your prayers and support

Ben

Good Byes

Today is our last full day in Namwianga. This morning a small group of students that needed extra hours due to illness headed off with supervisors Kara and Carol to the Havens. The rest of the group stayed behind after breakfast and packed up all of our supplies that we have been using the past few weeks and organized it into suitcases and put it in the HIZ storage container across from the Mann house. Once we were finished packing we were free to go to the Havens until lunch. I walked to the Haven with Ashley, Mel, and Dara. We arrived just in time to hang out in Haven 2 some play time with the kids before tea time. After tea time I continued to stay at Haven 2 with the kids there until it was shema time! Once all the kids were gathered to eat shema I left Haven 2 and walked to Haven 1 where I spent the rest of my time till lunch.

At Haven 1 I held Rita. She has grown so much since we have been here, and she is doing quite well. She has gotten over her pink eye and is feeding very well. I fed her and rocked her until she fell asleep. Next I picked up Irene. Irene is doing better as well. She has gotten over her sickness, but she still has difficulty feeding. She is becoming more expressive though. She smiled often as I played with her, which is always rewarding.

After lunch most of the group headed back to the Havens to say our good byes. I spent the first part of the afternoon in Haven 1 with Irene and Emmanuel. I fed Irene until Mel got there. (Irene is one of Mel's favorites) Then I played with Emmanuel the younger, Joy's twin brother (one of my favorites). He was so expressive and smiley today. I sat next to Chelsea on the couch who was holding Joy. We were both so pleased to see how well he was doing on the last day. When we first arrived he struggled maintaining attention or eye contact for very long, but today he was totally opposite. He was doing so well!

Eventually I had to put Emmanuel down and walk to Haven 2 where my true loyalties lie. Maureen was there to greet me, along with Twapegwa. Maureen spent most of her time that afternoon in my lap as I took pictures of the other toddlers around me. Maureen has become very attached to me and would push other children away from me who might have been interested in sitting with us. Oh Maureen. Eventually I put her down and picked up Marcus, who was crying. I think some of the children could since that some of the group was upset about the last day, because they were all whiny and crying. After tea time and eating bananas it was time for us to go. We all said our good byes to the children. I put down Marcus and said good bye to Twapegwa, Maureen, and Leah. It was time to go.

On the walk back to the house it was very quite until!... Jumping picture time! Last year Kara and I and others took jumping pictures on the path on the way back from the Havens to lighten the mood. This was very much needed again this year, and so we took some awesome jumping pictures to boost the morale before we arrived for dinner.

Tonight for dinner Rod made this wonderful delicious soup with wildebeest in it! It was so good I had two very large helpings of it. Apparently it is a South African traditional meal. I was very impressed. After dinner I spent most of my time with Webster and Justine. They were both very sad that we were leaving. Webster told many funny stories, and we listened to his favorite song "Good Girls" on repeat...many, many times. : ) Eventually it was time for bed. I left for Justine and Webster my head lamp, sweatshirt, and extra batteries. They were very thankful and I was glad to share.

Tomorrow we will attend out last church service here in Namwinaga, and then head to Livingstone after lunch, and spend the rest of the week there until we fly home on Friday.

Thank you for all your prayers and support.

Ben

Good Byes

Today is our last full day in Namwianga. This morning a small group of students that needed extra hours due to illness headed off with supervisors Kara and Carol to the Havens. The rest of the group stayed behind after breakfast and packed up all of our supplies that we have been using the past few weeks and organized it into suitcases and put it in the HIZ storage container across from the Mann house. Once we were finished packing we were free to go to the Havens until lunch. I walked to the Haven with Ashley, Mel, and Dara. We arrived just in time to hang out in Haven 2 some play time with the kids before tea time. After tea time I continued to stay at Haven 2 with the kids there until it was shema time! Once all the kids were gathered to eat shema I left Haven 2 and walked to Haven 1 where I spent the rest of my time till lunch.

At Haven 1 I held Rita. She has grown so much since we have been here, and she is doing quite well. She has gotten over her pink eye and is feeding very well. I fed her and rocked her until she fell asleep. Next I picked up Irene. Irene is doing better as well. She has gotten over her sickness, but she still has difficulty feeding. She is becoming more expressive though. She smiled often as I played with her, which is always rewarding.

After lunch most of the group headed back to the Havens to say our good byes. I spent the first part of the afternoon in Haven 1 with Irene and Emmanuel. I fed Irene until Mel got there. (Irene is one of Mel's favorites) Then I played with Emmanuel the younger, Joy's twin brother (one of my favorites). He was so expressive and smiley today. I sat next to Chelsea on the couch who was holding Joy. We were both so pleased to see how well he was doing on the last day. When we first arrived he struggled maintaining attention or eye contact for very long, but today he was totally opposite. He was doing so well!

Eventually I had to put Emmanuel down and walk to Haven 2 where my true loyalties lie. Maureen was there to greet me, along with Twapegwa. Maureen spent most of her time that afternoon in my lap as I took pictures of the other toddlers around me. Maureen has become very attached to me and would push other children away from me who might have been interested in sitting with us. Oh Maureen. Eventually I put her down and picked up Marcus, who was crying. I think some of the children could since that some of the group was upset about the last day, because they were all whiny and crying. After tea time and eating bananas it was time for us to go. We all said our good byes to the children. I put down Marcus and said good bye to Twapegwa, Maureen, and Leah. It was time to go.

On the walk back to the house it was very quite until!... Jumping picture time! Last year Kara and I and others took jumping pictures on the path on the way back from the Havens to lighten the mood. This was very much needed again this year, and so we took some awesome jumping pictures to boost the morale before we arrived for dinner.

Tonight for dinner Rod made this wonderful delicious soup with wildebeest in it! It was so good I had two very large helpings of it. Apparently it is a South African traditional meal. I was very impressed. After dinner I spent most of my time with Webster and Justine. They were both very sad that we were leaving. Webster told many funny stories, and we listened to his favorite song "Good Girls" on repeat...many, many times. : ) Eventually it was time for bed. I left for Justine and Webster my head lamp, sweatshirt, and extra batteries. They were very thankful and I was glad to share.

Tomorrow we will attend out last church service here in Namwinaga, and then head to Livingstone after lunch, and spend the rest of the week there until we fly home on Friday.

Thank you for all your prayers and support.

Ben

Farewell Friday

Friday morning I woke up to one of the most beautiful sights I have ever experienced! Biscuits with TWO bowls of gravy! It was delicious. I had my fill of the delicious gravy. God is good.

This morning I went to Haven 2 and worked with Mary and Maureen. I took both of them out to play on the play ground. We were having a great time until Maureen decided she needed to go to the bathroom. She started to pull down her pants, and I said, "No! Go inside! Toilet!" She fussed at me and started to do it again. I gave her the same response, which ended up in more fussing. Then she continued to want to go outside, so I said no, and picked her up and started to head inside the Haven. She started to wail, and continue to wail till we go to the toilet. And instead of going to the bathroom, she continued to wail. After wailing in the bathroom for a while I picked her up and found an Auntie and just handed her the screaming girl, and went outside to finish the session with Mary outside till tea time.

In the afternoon Maureen had forgiven me, and I had forgiven her, so we spent the afternoon playing in Haven 2. I took lots of great pictures of the kids. Maureen and Twapegwa hung out with me the majority of the time.

In the evening the power went out again! So we played nertz in the dark for one last time for a few hours. Seth decided to make some up some wonderful hip hop names for all of us. Seth was Sizzle, Hayley was Hezzy, my name was Boo, Courtney was Little C, and Kara was K-Dog. When the power came back on we spent time on the porch talking with Webster and Justine. Webster got married to Cat, and Webster and Justine organized a sit to show how the whole process  of dating and marrying would happen in Zambia. It was really entertaining, and much play-doh was involved.

Thank you for all your prayers and support.

Ben

No power? No water? Priceless.

Today the group woke up to no power and no water. We have had alot of water and power problems lately hopefully they will let up soon. The group is ready for warm showers and consistent electricity. Today at the Haven's I spent the morning with Maureen in Haven 2. She is starting to grow very fond of me. When the group arrives she always seeks me out, and then starts to whine if I don't pay her any attention....Perfect.

I spent time in Haven 1 as well with Cathy and Wilma. I took lots of pictures of the babies because our time is ending soon. I tried my hardest to get Wilma to smile/walk/crawl/anything. Not very successful. But I know she can talk, she talks for other clinicians. We just don't have the connection yet.

For lunch today we had the traditional meal of shema. I really enjoy this meal, and so I ate alot of it. I even went back for seconds. I was also very proud of Chelsea! because she actually tried the shema today and enjoyed it! And went back for seconds : ) So proud.

During the afternoon I went back to Haven 1 and spent time with the little babies there. They are cute and little. Some of them have grown so much since the beginning of the trip. It's been a great experience to watch them grow and develop these past six weeks.

Tonight the power went out from 5:30 to 10:30. This is probably the longest power outage we have had throughout the past six weeks, but I must say, this was the most fun power outage of them all. A small group of us, Ian, Mel, Dara, Kasey, Ashley, Cat and I went up on top of the storage container with sleeping bags and star gazed for 3 hours. There was lots of laughing and picture taking involved. It was probably one of the best nights I have had here in Zambia. God is good. He provides good friends, good fellowship, and a beautiful planet to enjoy. Thank you!

Thank you for all your prayers and support!

Ben

Monday through Wednesday!

I have been spending so much time enjoying my last week here, I have be slacking on writing posts everyday. So here are some of the highlights from the past three days!

The group is now finally healthy. We are doing well, and finishing strong. God is good! Also some of the children that we have been praying for have greatly improved as well. Christopher is now doing much better, along with Joel and Irene. Christopher no longer looks malnourished, and is becoming more vocal. Joel is also becoming more vocal as well. I have reports that is has been laughing! Irene is still has some upper respiratory issues that make it difficult for her when she is feeding, but she is doing better than she has been previously. Thank you for your prayers!

In the evenings here the group has been watching movies using the projector, and eating LARGE amounts of popcorn. We also have been having water difficulties. Many times there is no running clean water, which makes it difficult to wash dishes, or sanitize our tools, or wash ourselves. Apparently during the rainy season this past year they did not collect as much rain water, and so they are rationing it.

Tuesday night Kara and Dixie shared with us a special dance to celebrate two wedding anniversaries that we have in the group. Shaylin and Sarah. Their dance was very unique and will be forever memorable. I also had a great conversation with Webster, Justine, and Cat Tuesday night. They both were in silly moods joking the entire time, and Cat made them promise to teach her how to make Shema. They promised to teach her, so I am pretty excited to be apart of that experience. I always enjoy spending time with Webster and Justine. They are good men.

Today I spent alot of time with the kids at the Haven. I am trying to spend as much time as possible with the kids before I have to leave. This also means that the entire group is in a picture taking frenzy, making sure that we all get the necessary amount of pictures of our favorite, and not so favorite children. : )

Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Ben

Kasibi Sunday

Today we traveled about 45 minutes to the little down of Kasibi for church. It is a small congregation lead by Leonard, our cook. We filled the tiny little church building there. It was so full there was not enough room for everyone to sit. We were all packed in this little shack with homemade (not padded) benches for 3 hours. The service consisted of singing, bible study, the quintet singers, sermon, and then our group sang 3 songs. When we arrived the church always asks the guests to lead the service. Since no one was prepared to lead the bible study, or the sermon Rod, who has been a missionary in Zambia lead both, and Dr. Tullos did the communion comments. Even though the service was very long I really enjoyed everything that took place. The singing and the lessons were great.

After the service was over the entire church filed out of the tiny church building and lined up and as you exited you shook the hand of everyone in the line, making sure that everyone in the entire church shook hands at some point. The church did the same thing last year and I really enjoyed it. Then the church walked over to Leonard's house where he had prepared a large meal for our entire group. We had fried chicken, mash potatoes, and bread. Just like the States! When the group was finished eating the small band that came last year started playing, and everyone was invited to dance around the circle. Many of my classmates have been waiting for this moment the entire trip, and they quickly jumped into the mix. I however, was very content with watching. Sadly for me and Chelsea, we were drug into the circle against our will by Seth and Cat near the end of the dancing. Unsurprisingly my dancing skills have not increase in a years time, therefore what happened in the circle was neither exciting or anything to write about...at all. : )

Once the dancing was finished we headed back home. Lucky for me, I got in the same vehicle with the singing group, and they sang all the way back until we dropped them off. The rest of the day we spent relaxing. A group of us washed dishes after dinner and sang lots of our favorite church songs. We all had so much fun sharing our favorite songs and sing them with one another. God is good.

Thank you for all your prayers and support.

Ben

Jordan's Rock

Today was a busy day filled with wonderful experiences here in Zambia. Our day started out with some tasty Jungle Oats for breakfast and then the group made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. We packed the bus and left for Choma by 9:15. When we arrived at Choma we were dropped of at the gas station close to the markets and told to be at the museum lawn by 1:30! This time we had alot more time to spend in the Choma market which was greatly appreciated. The last trip to Choma felt rushed. Everyone again bought alot of chitengie material and Ian bought an axe! Because we had a larger amount of time I was able to explore more of the market this year. Ashley and I finished our shopping and then we headed further into the markets. Eventually we ran into Dixie and Kara who were busy buying lots of material for friends back in the states. We walked all the way to the end of the market strip, and then all they way back. It was neat to see all the fruits and vegetables for sale, I also got to see some home grown chickens in home made cages.

After adventuring through the markets we headed to the Spar to get some groceries. I finally found some one of my favorite drinks from last year called Lemon Twist. It was only available in a glass bottle. When I went to check out the clerk asked me if I had brought in an empty bottle. I replied no and so he added 1000 K to my amount (which is around .20 cents). All together it cost me 3000 K for the drink, around .60 cents. Awesome!

After we left the Spar we headed to the Museum where we had a picnic with the group and had an opportunity to purchase items in the store if we wanted. As soon as we were finished we hurriedly drove home to prepare for Ian's birthday party. Just like last year and the years before, Ian's birthday is always celebrated by going out to Jordan's Rock, watching the sunset, cooking hotdogs and smores, and singing. There is always lots of group pictures taken as well. This year we had a bigger fire than last year, so I got to enjoy watching my classmates try to cook hotdogs with short sticks while trying not to get burned. : ) Priceless. It was Cat's first time to have a real camp fire, cook hotdogs, and roast smores! I was given the task of teaching her how to make the perfect smores, which I did perfectly. (of course) : )

At the end of the evening we packed everything up and I was one of the lucky ones that got to ride in the back of Rod's truck! Imagine a well used 17 year old truck that lives in Africa. Sue said they used to call it the Prayer Mobile, because if you stopped praying, it would stop running. I was responsible for making sure supplies didn't bounce out of the back. Kara was with me as well, and was responsible for making sure the cooler didn't bounce out of the back of the truck, and Lindsey was responsible for making sure Kara didn't bounce out of the back of the truck. This was the perfect combination for fun and lots of laughter as we drove over the extremely bump roads in the bush. The ride back to the house was great as we held on for dear life at times and saw the beautiful vibrant stars. This evening has definitely been one of my favorite parts of the trip this year. God is good.

When we got back to the house it was time to sing with Webster one last time before we preform tomorrow. The practice went really well. Everyone was in high spirits and the singing sounded great. Webster was please as well. The rest of the evening I spent in the Mann house talking with Kara, Ashley, Mel, Sarah, and Cat until it was time for bed...and we had one of the best conversation topics yet...cake.

Thank you for all your prayers and support! Currently the entire group is healthy! Hurray! God is good!

Ben

Free Hug Friday

Today was another great day in Zambia. Working with the babies here is always so rewarding no matter which child you work with. They are all God's beautiful children, and every day I am so thankful for this opportunity to serve the people here in Zambia. God is good.

This morning Ashley was unable to work with the children because she had pink eye! eww. So I took Mary and Maureen outside to play during the morning language groups. They were fun to play with, they both like to run around and have fun. Everything went smoothly besides the time Maureen randomly pulled her pants all the way down and peed, and then Mary decided it would be funny to lift her dress all the way up! Lucky for me Mrs. Marritt drove by around this time....perfect. Then I went to Haven 1 and held some of the smaller babies there until it was time to leave for lunch.

In the afternoon I held Joy. She was so sweet the whole time and was making lots of sounds and smiling. She is doing very well. Its been very rewarding to work with her the past few weeks. I then went to Haven 2 and worked with the toddlers. They are always so much fun to work with. They are going to be hard to leave at the end of the week.

Tonight we had a movie night, and we all watched the Sound of Music. Everyone of course sang along. At the end of the movie, those who were still awake sang in the Mann house with Webster until it was time for bed.

Thank you for all your prayers and support!

Ben

Shema! Shema Shema! And Relish!

Today I got an early start and arrived at Haven 2 a half an hour earlier than usual. Since I was the only white person there, the kids overwhelmed me! But it was nice, exactly what I needed. Leah sought me out and crawled a great distance to sit near me. She is so sweet! This morning when the sessions started I again took Maureen out to play on the play ground. Today we tried the big slide, and with some assistance on the way down she had a great time! Eventually it was tea time and we headed back together, and then I left Haven 2 and worked with Virginia in Haven 1. Virginia is an older  baby in Haven 1 and should be walking by now, so I took her out on the front porch and practiced with her. Eventually she got tired of that so we laid on the concrete porch and talked it out until it was time for me to switch. Later I picked up Cathy. Today we played with the ball and I tried to get her to crawl. She did not like it one bit. She would just cry on the floor. Botias, another baby would crawl over to her and try to assist, but he was unable to console her.

For lunch today we had our traditional Zambian meal of Shema and chicken. Most of the girls this year do not enjoy shema at all so I had a very large portion of shema and was full the rest of the day. Because so many people dislike shema, I decided to make up many many songs about the shema. Kara also assisted. Shema, shema shema! and Relish goes to the tune of Peanut, Peanut butter! and Jelly! We sang many other great hits. I'm sure we will come out with a cd soon!

During the afternoon I held Rita. She was having a rough day. Her eyes were irritated again, and she didn't want to eat. Eventually she fell asleep in my arms after a lots of coaxing. I then headed to Haven 2 and hung out with the toddlers there until it was time to leave. This evening Ellie Hamby arrived, along with her son Cale, and James. They are here to get ready for the medical mission coming up in July.

This evening the power went out, so I went out with Ian and watched the stars for a long time. Then eventually we decided that sneaking up on the girls would be a fun idea. When the power came back on Webster lead us in some singing in the Mann house. Our group will be practicing alot to get ready for our singing in Kasibi! when we get to sing for the church there!

Later in the evening Ian found some Innova discs in the closet. Some Aviar putters and Shark mid range discs. These discs are used to play disc golf, one of my favorite hobbies! I am looking forward to teaching Webster, Justine and Ian how to throw them tomorrow.

Thank you for all your prayers and support!

Ben

Chicken Spaghetti!

Today we were back to our regular schedule for therapy at the Havens. This morning I again worked with Maureen. This time since it was so cold we stayed on the porch and played and talked. Maureen is very fun to work with. She talks and loves to interact with you. She is doing well, but I always get to work with her because she is a trouble maker if she sits in on a language group. : ) Got to love the trouble makers.

At Haven 1 this morning I worked with Cathy. Cathy always looks like she is in a state of timidity. Her eyes get really wide and her hands kind of shake. She is a fun baby, she is usually very content with just about anything you do with her, which is nice compared to those squirmy babies! Today I found out that she loves bouncing on the exercise ball. We bounced for a while, and then I got her to put weight on her feet while she held the ball. She really enjoyed it.

For lunch today we had the very famous chicken spaghetti! It was very good and many of us had second servings of it. Mrs. Sue also made this delicious milk tart. In America, we would call it a milk pie. In Africa, if you use the term "pie" the expectation is that it will be containing some sort of meat. If it doesn't contain meat, then it is called a tart. Interesting! I also found out from the girls that you are suppose to start peeling citrus fruit by the top...not the side...who knew? I'm not really that convinced this is truth. Moving on.

In the afternoon I spent most of my time holding Rita and Emmanuel. Rita's eyes are doing much better, I didn't see drops today and the redness and irritation is gone. I fed her for a little bit, and then spent the rest of the time trying to get her to fall asleep. Once Rita fell asleep I picked up Emmanuel (the smaller). He is doing much better as well. He had great eye contact and tracking today. And he would smile and vocalize a little for me. At Haven 2 I spent more time with Maureen. Of course Twapegwa found me for a little while. The Haven 2 kids seem to be doing better and better everyday.

Christopher, a baby that I have previously mentioned on this blog is doing better now. We are still keeping an eye on him, but he is doing much better! Thank you for your prayers, God is good. I do ask that you start praying for Joel and Irene. Irene is a tiny baby in Haven 1 and is sick, and Joel is a baby in Haven 3 that might have some issues with his liver being swollen. We are not quite sure about his condition, but we want to keep him in our prayers as well.

Tonight Kara and Dixie wrote a song to help cheer up Chelsea and Shaylin because of their eye conditions are still not completely healed. It was received very well. The entire group was laughing by the end of it. Today our new supervisor Carol and her daughter Laurel arrived here today. I look forward to getting to know them better as they start in on therapy tomorrow.

Thank you for all your prayers and support!

Ben

Tola wanana junza!

This morning I again enjoyed the wonderful Protea Hotel Breakfast. They had bacon, sausage, yogurt, potatoes, scones, and I ate all of it. It was delicious. We then packed our bags said good bye to Carla and then headed to ShopRite for some last minute groceries, and then headed home. While I was in the grocery I found that avocados are just as expensive here as they are in the United States, which was disappointing. I also found out that I should not venture down the candy/cookie/chocolate isle. oops.

We arrived back home in time for lunch and then we headed to the Havens to work for the rest of the day. I went to Haven 1 and worked with Nichole. I usually don't get to work with her because Dr. Tullos monopolizes her : )  but since he was still in Livingstone I got to work with her! YAY! Nichole is doing much better than when we first arrived. She was very vocal when I worked with her. We both had a blast making sounds at each other on the couch. Then I went to Haven 2 and played with the toddlers there. Marcus had a hilarious hooded sweatshirt on, and his hood was so big that it was blocking his line of site. He looked pretty goofy sitting there with a very serious face with a giant hood over his head. While I was in Haven 2, I decided to take lots of pictures of the toddlers. I got some great pictures of Mary, Chililia, and Curt.

On Tuesdays there is a scheduled power outage from 6-8 pm. Today it started at 5:30 and ended around 8:30. Whenever the power goes out, we usually play nertz. We played alot of nertz! and then we played ERS afterwards, which was the craziest card game experience I have ever had with Hayley, Courtney, and Seth.

Before I went to bed I talked with Webster and Justin. They were both excited that the group was back from our short trip. I talked to them for a while and mastered a new Tonga word "Tola wanana junza" Which means, "See you tomorrow"

Thank you for all your prayers and support. Continue to pray for the groups health, so that we can continue to do good work here.

Thank you.

Ben 

Moonbow Monday

Today is the day we head for Livingstone! This morning we did our morning sessions at the Havens. I worked with Maureen during the first part of the morning. I took her out the the play ground, and we played on EVERYTHING! I would pick the ADHD child to work with. We played on the merry-go-round, we played on the teeter-todder. We went down the slides, we played in the dirt, we put stuff in a can. We were everywhere. Eventually it was tea time and I brought her back to the porch, and then headed to Haven 1 where I worked with Rita, Emanuel (the small one) and Irene.

I worked with Rita first. I found her crying in her bed with a bottle, so I decided to feed her. She was fussy the whole time, and never got comfortable. I noticed that her eyes looked irritated, when I put her back in her crib, found out that she had pink eye drops! AHHH, Can't get away from it, but no worries. I'm immune. Then I picked up Emanuel and fed him until he fell asleep. He seemed to be doing better today when I worked with him. He was tracking me for a while, and more interactive than usual. After he fell asleep I picked up Irene. I don't work with Irene very often, but I know that she has some feeding issues. She was fine for me, she was sleepy and was feeding slowly, but she did well. When Kara's therapy group came in I handed off Irene to them and went back to grab another baby. Emmanuel (the big one) was awake and needed to be fed, so I fed him until it was time to leave for lunch.

For lunch today we fixed sandwiches and then ate them on the bus on the way to Livingstone. I ate my sandwich, and then slept most of the way there. When we arrived at the hotel we received our room keys and money for dinner, and then we were set free to get dinner. Kara, Mel, Darah, Cat, and I took a 30 min walk to ShopRite where we bought some chocolate, and then we ate at this nice sea food place called Ocean Basket. Their menu was full of puns and misspellings. It was a nice place, and the food was great too. We all ended up sharing our meals and split it up evenly at the end. It cost around 11 dollars for each of us to eat some delicious sea food...in Zambia.

We walked back to our hotel where we prepared ourselves for the Moon Bow. Three times a year there is a full moon in the correct position where the moon is so bright that you can see a rainbow in the mist of Victoria Falls. When we first got there we took lots of pictures of the falls, and then we prepared ourselves to get WET and COLD! A large group of us decided to walk down to get a closer/wetter look at the falls. Its basically like walking in a constant rain storm! The falls are so powerful! I was amazed again this year at God's wonderful creation. God is good. The experience of seeing the moon bow while be drenched by the great Victoria Falls was an experience that will never grow old.

After being completely soaked some of the group went to the shops, but Courtney and Chelsea decided to stay with me and see watch the falls a little bit longer. I took them to two or three neat spots that I remembered from last year, and we got some great pictures there too. On the bus ride home I sat next to Carla since it was our last evening together. When we got back to the hotel I took a nice warm shower and then hung out with Carla and Seth the rest of the evening. It was nice to chat with her and learn just a little bit more from her before she left. She will be missed by all of us. But I look forward to visiting her when she moves to Arkansas this summer for her new job.

Tomorrow she will be heading to the airport to fly back to America. Dr. Tullos and Ian will drive her to the airport and then wait there in Livingstone for our new supervisor to arrive. Ellie Hamby is also arriving here in Zambia on Thursday! So please be praying for all these different parties and their safety.

Thank you for all your prayers and support!

Ben 

Raised from the Dead

Today was the first time I attended children's church here in Zambia. Usually right before the sermon, and the girls and Dr. Weaver and other women in the church leave to teach the children's class. Last year I always stayed and listened to the sermon, and previous Sundays I have always stayed for the sermon. Today the group was doing a skit about Lazarus being raised from the dead. So the needed Seth to be Jesus, and I was Lazarus. I have to say, I think this was my best role yet. I was the most convincing dead man. I laid very still, no smile, and then when Seth said, Lazarus! Get up. I got up...pretty great right. All the kids were amazed I'm sure. Acting skills? Check.

During the afternoon, a small group of us went to the Haven to play with the children. I first went to Haven 2, but found almost all of them asleep. Apparently it was nap time. Marcus was awake in his bed, so I picked him up and sat in the chair with him for while until he got sleepy, and then I headed over to Haven 3. At Haven 3 the older boys room was wide awake! Caleb, Lincoln, Joseph, Sibajene, and Leo were pumped to see me. They all jumped in their beds with excitement. Lincoln and Joseph would put their backs against the wall in their bed and then fall straight onto their matrices, and start giggling. All of them were being silly the entire time! This is the best time to interact with the kids. They were all imitating everything I said, and were very talkative...besides Leo of course. But he was smiling!

When they finally calmed down I headed over to Haven 2 for a short while, and then headed back to the house for a shower. In the evening we all attended church. The power went out right before church started so they lit candles. The church building looked so pretty in the dark with the candle light and the singing was great! Eventually the lights came back on, just in time for the lesson. The lesson was a fun one. Roy Marrett talked about abstinence! a popular topic here in Zambia.

That evening we sang for Carla since she it was her last night here at the Mann house. We continued to hang out with her until it was time for bed.

Tomorrow afternoon we are headed to Livingstone to see Victoria Falls during the Lunar Rainbow! We are very excited about this trip! Please pray for safe travel! Thank you!

Ben 

"Pink eye go away, don't come back another day!"

On Monday we are going to Livingstone to see the Lunar Rainbow at Victoria Falls in Livingstone. Because we will be missing a day's worth of therapy, the group is working a full day today so that we can  get the required amount of hours in. This morning Chelsea continued to have problems with her eye. Her pink eye has not cleared up, and this morning it looked very swollen, almost like a small blister in her eye. Sue decided to take her in to Kalamo town, and I decided to go with her for support. Chelsea and I sat at the pharmacy for an hour waiting on the pharmacist to show up while Sue went shopping. In the meantime Chelsea taught me all about wedding rings... : ) and we took pictures of her eye. When the pharmacist finally showed up, we told him what products she had been using, and he looked at her eye. We now have some stuff that should work! We are praying hard that God will heal her eye.

During the afternoon I headed back to the Havens with the group. I spent the first half of my afternoon in Haven 1 with Joy. I fed her the rest of her bottle, and then got to hold her as she slowly spit up close to all four ounces back onto the blanket I was holding her in. It was frustrating to watch. She got the hiccups again, and that didn't help her mood either. I hope that she will improve soon. During the second half of the afternoon, I went to Haven 2 and played with the toddlers there. My mission today was to take lots of pictures and video of the kids because I haven't taken enough yet this year. It was pretty uneventful in Haven 2 today.

On the way back we walked the main road instead of the path through the bush. It was nice to all walk together and talk at the end of the day instead of walking all in a line. After dinner the power went off for a while, so we just sat and chatted until the power came back on, and then we headed to the Hamby house porch to sing with Webster. After singing with Webster, Webster told a funny story about the rat, which many of the girls videotaped. He is so funny and animated. I am going to miss him greatly when I leave.

Thank you for all your prayers and support! Continue to pray for the groups health! Pray that the pink eye illness is removed from all those who have it!

Ben

Seven Fountains Friday

It's starting to get cooler here in Africa. Usually in the evenings it reaches the low 50s high 40s, but it always warms up to around 80 during the day. The past few days it has been cloudy in the afternoons and getting cooler in the evenings. The night watchmen always are amazed on how lightly we are dressed.

Today I spent the morning sessions in Kara's language group replacing Cat because she had pink eye this morning. We first worked in Haven 2. Layla spent most of her time in my lap during the group, she was very active until the end of the session when she fell asleep. The next session I followed them to Haven 3 where I fed Adam. Adam is not a good eater. He doesn't close his mouth around the spoon when he is being fed and when he is chewing. So alot of what you put in, ends up all down the front of his shirt. A few times I was able to get him to get good lip closure around the spoon, but a majority of the time there was no closure. Eventually Adam was tired of eating so he would just spit it out all over me...awesome. Over all though I did enjoy feeding Adam, it was a challenge to get him to do what I wanted to do, and stay clean. I always enjoy a good challenge. After Adam was done eating, Lincoln, Adam, and I ran around in the tables (working out) eventually I had the idea to put Lincoln and Adam in walkers, and they enjoyed chasing each other and bumping into one another.  Eventually I found a toy that I could push around as well and run into them. After Haven 3 I spent the rest of the morning in Haven 1 working with the little ones with Kara's language group.

During the afternoon I went with Dr. Weaver to Seven Fountains, which is a smaller orphanage outside of Namwinga. Carla, Seth, Hayley, Mel, Alexandria, and I went and assessed 9 babies that they had there. We all hopped in Khaki Jackie and rode through the bush to Seven Fountains. On the way there there were a series of gates that we had to open and close. Jurassic Park references were made. Ms. Mann, the lady in charge there was really nice, and was very helpful. She is a missionary from Canada, and used to live in the Mann house where we are staying. It was fun to break up the routine and do something new for a change, and meet new people. We assessed the babies there, ate some snacks, and then headed home. The babies there were doing pretty well. They have a better Aunties to babies ratio because there are way less babies at Seven Fountains. Most of them were in great shape.

In the evening we had movie night! We watched "Faith Like Potatoes" It is a movie about an Irish South African Farmer and his family. Popcorn was made by the wonderful Ian Tullos, Kara Threm, and Dixie! It was very good popcorn. Afterwards many of  us hung out in the Hamby house until it was time for bed.

Thank you for all your prayers and support! Please pray that the pink eye goes away!

Ben

Thursday

Today I spent my morning in Haven 2 sitting with Memory. She usually likes to cause trouble and cry near the other language groups in the morning so I decided to grab her and work with her during the first session. Afterwards I went to Haven 3 and found Leo hanging out all alone, so we sat together and I tried my hardest to get him to respond to me. I had no success until I threw him in the air. Then he would laugh, and then go back to his expressionless face again. I did get him to smile a little when we played with the ball, but he is so good at remaining expressionless. It was then time for the big boy language session which I became a part of with Leo. The boys love going outside during their therapy time. I noticed today that they really enjoy the slide. We got a smile out of Leo and the other boys.

Because today is Thursday we had shema again. I felt bad because the girls hardly ate any of the shema this time around, now that they had experienced it once before. I would say maybe 25% of it was gone by the time I went through the line, and I was one of the last to go through. I grabbed a large portion of shema, but barely put a dent in it.

In the afternoon I worked with Joy in Haven 1. I fed her a bottle for the first half of the session, and then she spit it all up the second half. Fortunate for me, I kinda heard it coming and was prepared for the spit up. Then the poor girl wanted to go to sleep, but she had the hiccups which did not help with the spitting up situation. Needless to say, this was not a bonding moment for Joy and I...maybe another day.

The second part of the afternoon I of course worked at Haven 2. I worked with many of the children. After tea time, Curt was being mischievious so I ran after him and grabbed him and threw him upside down and started tickling him extremely hard. He was laughing so hard apparently he couldn't control himself and he peed his pants! I eventually saw it running down his leg and forming a pool on the floor, lucky for me I did not get any on me. Everyone was laughing, even the Aunties.

Later in the evening a group of us hung out in the Hamby house until we were kicked out, and then Ashley, Carla, and I talked with Justin and Webster about random things about Zambia. Justin always jokes about coming to America. Tonight he decided that he should run for President of the United States, and I am his campaign manager. We also talked about how to get a wife in Zambia. Webster paid 2 cows and $200 dollars for his wife. Apparently some wives cost more than others, but you can negotiate the price sometimes with the family. It was a very interesting conversation.

Thank you for all your prayers and support.

Ben