Alendo Amene Anabwera Lero...Guests Which Came Today

What an awesome day filled with much laughter and many friends! I was overwhelmed with true joy because of the blessing that God has given me in these special friends in Chipata. I am going to miss them terribly! The first visitor was Mama Dorothy and her 3 friends. Mama Dorothy was who I spoke of in the previous blog. She is 56 and the most upbeat and precious woman! I told her how amazed I am each time I see women carrying things on their heads here in Africa. She asked me if my Mama in America carried things on her head and I said, "Iyayi, Americans ali ulesi" which means "No, Americans are lazy!" She laughed so hard! So she came today so I could get a "snap" of her! Check out all that is on their heads! AMAZING!

Mama Dorothy and me

Our second visitors were Miriam Phiri and her precious daughter, Chimwemwe. Chimwemwe in Chichewa is JOY! We have the same name! So this was a special time for us! Miriam is one of the leaders at Umodzi Baptist and has become a good friend of mine! She is precious and her smile and her laugh are contagious and genuine.

Finally, today was the day that I prepared (with Zeria's help) our favorite Zambian meal of nshima and rape! It took me about an hour and a half to make, but it was SO yummy!!

I am cutting "rape" which is like collard greens which was our relish with nshima!

Yeah, stirring nshima looks SO simple, but after one burn and a sore arm it was complete! Zeria and I laughed so much while I was cooking it!

Feels Like Home

No pictures today just a day full of laughs and smiles with my Zambian friends. God truly has blessed our family with great neighbors while we have lived in Chipata. Here was my day...and I look forward to a FUN day tomorrow..there WILL be pictures from the events that are scheduled!

* Had a great visit with my neighbor, Mama Dorothy. Lily, Easton, and I shelled corn with her at my friend Salomi's house. Mama Dorothy is the first African woman that I have seen with white, tan, and black hair! She is 56 and for this culture that is rare. She has 3 daughters and only 2 of them are living today. Once again, something that is not unusual, many parents outlive their children. What a fun time we had laughing about life and our differences! Tomorrow she is going to carry a bundle of wood on her head for me to take a "snap" of her! (snap is picture!)

*I learned that I don't know how to really cook okra. So, I am being taught VERY soon! Make a long process short, Zambians burn all their corn cobs in a tin with holes in the bottom. After they have burned they will pour water over the ashes and then they use the ashes to cook the okra. This ash is called "soda". I hear it is incredibly difficult, so we will see!

*Finally, today I taught my first Bible study in Chichewa at Umodzi Baptist. The lesson was on Lot's wife. The lesson we learned from Lot's wife was to leave our sins and our material possessions behind and focus on Jesus Christ and Heaven. The ladies invited me to teach again next Thursday and I am very excited!
Praise the Lord for such a culturally rich day and a day FULL of language experiences! HE IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!!!

White Man Running

When I woke up this morning I never knew that our family would have such a FUN day with the Adair Family and some Baptist churches in Lusaka. Today was the "Baptist Olympics". The events included running, basketball, soccer, volleyball, and several games for the children. When we arrived we were excited to see Zambians race each other! We NEVER knew that we would be included in the festivities! The pictures below tell the story better than I ever could!
I must add this note: MaryMargaret and Joy were training for a half marathon before coming to Zambia and Kendall still loves to run! So, we weren't completely unprepared for a good race against AFRICANS! I mean crazy..as a runner (retired or current) you dream of running against them because they are the BEST in the world! ENJOY!!!

Lily won her race! She was so excited about her race that she just kept on running WAY past the finish line!

Oh the race of the century...the MAMA race! Look at those 2 missionary mamas with their skirts on and me in flip flops! Oh it was so funny to do this!

This was the most fun race I have ever run in! I didnt lose but came in near the end...I laughed the WHOLE way!

This was the second attempt at Easton's race. The first time the kids just ran in all directions! SO, we decided to have the kids run from one parent to the other and it worked MUCH better!

"Come to Mama, Easton!!"

A proud Mama!!

And the race we have all been waiting for, the Daddy race! Look at Kendall, he was in his element on the start line with the Zambian men!

LOOK AT KENDALL! He was in first place for a few seconds!
He finished in 3rd a step behind the 1st place runner!
What a FUN day! Lauren doesn't look comfortable here, but she really was! Once again today we were reminded of our love for the Zambian people!

Reunion with good friends

Today is Memorial Day and here in Zambia MaryMargaret and I had a special time with a good friend that we do not get to see very often. Edina is a seminary wife in Lusaka. Her husband, Collins attends the seminary and he is a church planter. We had the awesome privilege to meet Edina and Collins at our 40/40 Safari Orientation a year ago. Since then, MaryMargaret has given birth to Hutch, Edina to Zigni, and our family added Lauren! So today, we were at the seminary and were able to hug each other's babies! HOW FUN!!! God is good and has allowed us to have SWEET fellowship with our fellow missionaries and national friends in Lusaka! Praise Him!

(left to right) Hutch, MaryMargaret, Lily, Zigni, Edina, Easton, Joy, and Lauren.

The African Carnival

On Saturday, I took Lily to the International School of Lusaka for their carnival. She had a great time getting her face painted and riding a horse ALL BY HERSELF! I was so glad that Lily was able to experience a carnival!

Southwestern Seminary 2+2 Program

Southeastern Seminary was the first seminary to offer a degree in International Church Planting called 2 plus 2. The students spend two years in the classroom in the States then spend 2-3 years on the mission field applying what they have learned. During those years on the field, professors will come and teach classes that apply to life as a missionary. This picture is of the first 2+2 missionaries from Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. The two classes offered this year were Missionary Anthropology and Family on the Field. We have really enjoyed our time of fellowship with our fellow missionaries. What an honor to be apart of this program and to spend time with professors on the field. It is a huge encouragement to us as missionaries to have those instructors that we respect come to our home and minister along side us in an educational setting.

The SWBTS 2+2 students and their families.

Our Family

What makes a Mama smile....

While in Lusaka, the Kim Family who serve in the Copperbelt Region of Zambia, were also at the guest house. Their son, Enoch, is in Zambia for the summer after completing his sophomore year at California Baptist University. Enoch really enjoys photography and took some pictures of the children and me while Kendall was attending his classes for his seminary degree from Southwestern. Enoch did an amazing job! As missionaries, we have learned to truly appreciate each other's gifts and talents. I was so blessed by the time and the talent that God has given Enoch. As a mother it is nice to have some good pictures of my children being themselves. Enjoy and pray for Enoch as he returns in the fall to CBU to begin his Junior year. Also pray for the Kim Family as they serve in the Copperbelt.

Lauren's Baby Shower in Chipata, Zambia

Lauren Callaway has now been officially dedicated to Jesus by the precious women of Umodzi Baptist Church! Today these women came to our home and had a baby shower and dedication for Lauren. It was such a sweet time for me to spend with the women in my home. They were so happy to come and we had a great time!
Just to give you an idea what happens at a Zambian baby shower here was the program... the women came into our home and sang praise songs; we had a devotion; then they gave me a bowl and told me to sit and they all came by and gave us gifts of laundry soap, socks, money, and a basket for clothespins; then we prayed and danced and sang our way outside. We went outside on our porch and we got in a circle and each of the women took a turn holding Lauren and danced with her in the middle of the circle while the rest of us danced and sang. Of course when it came my turn I tried to shake my hips like they do and I was pretty much a HUGE entertaining act for the women! It was so fun to laugh that hard with the women. They were crying they were laughing so hard! Then we ate potatos and rice and had Kool-Aid to drink. They were so funny because they had never had Kool-Aid and because it was red they said that they were getting more blood in their bodies! HA! Then we spent time singing some of my favorite Zambian songs. At the end of the party, I looked at the clock and 3 1/2 hours had passed, but oh what a joyous day it was!

Easton loves the Zambians, he sees no color.
Singing in our home


Easton with another friend, he ate a whole bowl of rice and potatos!
Funny story, this lady had never seen a picture of herself and she wanted to see the hole where her tooth used to be! I just love this picture! Priceless!