More on Elifer, Wize and Westone . . .

Last week we shared the story of Elifer, Wize and Westone and how we were able to visit where they live, meet their grandparents and give them some badly needed clothing, backpacks and bedding.

This week, we were able to unpack our duffel bags of shoes. We had the three kids come to the house after school and we fitted them with new shoes and did they need them! Each had been wearing a pair that was barely holding together. I gave Elifer a pair of sandals and a pair of black leather school shoes. Again, there was barely a response from her. The boys each got a pair of athletic shoes, and even though his were pink & white, Westone thought they were great! We watched for their arrival the next morning and each one had on their new shoes! Even Elifer had on the black leather school shoes, and she has worn them every day since. A huge thank you to those of you who donated shoes! They are appreciated more than you can know, and here they get more mileage than they were designed to get! 

Boarding Students vs. Non-Boarding Students 

We asked the Krauses’ if there was an identifiable difference between the progress that the boarding students make as opposed to those who live at home. They gave a resounding “YES!” They shared with us that most of the vulnerable students have never been exposed to the English language. They learn it when they come to MICS, as all the classes are taught in English. The students that live at the boarding house are immersed into the language and progress much more rapidly. That means that they do better in school. When they do better in school, they have a much better attitude toward school, toward their friends, teachers, and others. They will test out with much higher scores and go on to high school. They have hope for the future!

 Here in Zambia, advanced learning is a privilege, not a right. That means if their scores do not meet Zambian Ministry of Education standard they will not go on to high school. Their employment opportunities are few, and low-paying at best. Their future would be bleak.

Our hearts, of course, are torn for all of the students that do not have access to boarding, but especially for Elifer, Wize and Westone.  “God is this You asking us to step up further and sponsor these precious ones in boarding as well as school tuition and fees?”

Will you stand with us as we seek God’s will in this?

The Day to Day . . .

Greg, Ronda, Gil and Kathy, saying our good-byes!

On Thursday, we got up while it was still dark, loaded Gil and Ronda in the vehicle, and headed to the airstrip. Guillermo, our bush pilot, followed a few minutes later. After loading their luggage, we said our goodbyes, promised to email everything that happens, made plans to see each other in Wisconsin in December. We formed a circle for prayer, asking God’s Blessing, Favor and Will while we are apart. Then, the prop started whirling, and the plane edged away. Greg and I looked at each and said “Are we ready for this?” All we can say to that is: “This is so about what God wants to do that we have no fear.”

So what do we do each day? 

First, we try to be up, showered, dressed and have eaten breakfast before the boarding kids begin to arrive in our living room. They read quietly while waiting for all the others to assemble. Then the boarding father, Justin, usually arrives around 6:30/6:45, and leads the kids in worship and devotions, then prayer; then they head to the dining hall for breakfast at 7am. 

We make our way to the activity room where all the teaching staff gathers for announcements and prayer. At 7:30am, it is chapel time for the whole school. We worship & dance, recite scripture, make announcements and the students are dismissed to their classrooms by grade.

"Me, me, me! Take my photo!"

The girls are not different!

Reception class, aren't they adorable? :)

Usually there is one or two school staff waiting to ask us something, often the cooking and cleaning staff have a question or two. We finally find our way back to our living room and it doesn’t take long for the constant activity to demand our attention! It could be a sick student, a teacher that needs to go to a funeral of a loved one, a visitor at the door inquiring about any number of things, a plumber or electrician with a question or comment about the construction on MICS 2: the new dorm project, or someone needing books or school supplies. We we are “on call” all day long! We may make plans for our day, but it never turns out like we may have thought it would!

Greg knows his way to the hospital, having made four trips so far! We have pulled thorns out of feet and hands, cleaned and bandaged skinned knees, treated stomach & head pains, and given out lots of hugs to those who are homesick.

After school, boarding students come to our veranda to do their homework, read books or do puzzles.  They come back again after dinner, for evening devotions and worship. It’s just about 8pm when our house is empty and quiet again.

We have realized that we have become Mom and Dad to about 130 adults and children!

The Weekend!

Before we came to Zambia, our daughter LeeAnn told us, “You will need to plan some getaway time. This will be crucial to your endurance till the end!”  LeeAnn had spent most of July 2010 here in Macha with the Krauses. She knew what she was talking about!She also gave us a gift to send us off with.

Since we needed to do some major grocery shopping we decided that a weekend get-away to Livingstone was in order. We did a lot running around trying to find a place to fill our propane tank for our boarding house kitchen. We heard, “come back tomorrow” many times, never did find the gas. 

We visited Victoria Falls, Zambia. We’d seen the falls from Zimbabwe in the past but never from the Zambia side. We walked with lions and cheetahs, and took a sunset river safari. Check out the photos. (We will add more on facebook.)

Before leaving we found Shoprite, a large modern grocery store where we bought 2 carts of food and 100kg of flour! (That's about 220#)

We are back safe and sound; we are ready for another week of being Mom and Dad @MICS!

Thanks again for standing with us and praying for us! We love and miss you all!

Kathy & Greg

Greg walks Nellie, a 15 mo. tawny lioness.

This is what a hippo looks like when he's annoyed by a boat full of tourists!

"I want this cheetah to stopping licking me 'cuz it hurts! But OMG, there's cheetah licking me!"

Evening on the Zambezi River, time of day when elephants come to drink.

Vic Falls, Zambia! One of the Seven Wonders of the World!

Naughty, naughty baboons everywhere at Vic Falls! This one wanted his photo taken!