A Long Obedience: We Are Here

Our FM plane that will take us to Macha.

We are here in Macha, Zambia and we have hit the ground running!

We flew into Macha yesterday, to a welcoming party including several American flags waving and lots of cheering! When you fly into this village in the bush you feel like a celebrity!

Dan works on the plumbing.

Greg checks out the new water tower.

After a tour of the new water tower, well-pump, and water mains, we took a look at the projects to get a lay of the land and understand what needs to be done. Dan and I determined which projects would require our attention and which ones we could assign to workers. Dan & I will be responsible for the plumbing, hooking up the new building to the water supply and also installing a power box for the water system. With the help of Mike, our *Tongan contractor, we will hire workers to cover the water pipes, do interior/exterior painting, hang doors and the clean and polish the floors.

Greg Krause, Dan Green and I get ready to dance!

Today, Tuesday, we started the day by joining the teachers and students for chapel. Zambians love to dance so it was no surprise when they welcomed us with singing and dancing. Then out came the *chitenges! They wrapped them around our waists and that was our invitation to join them! Dan was really nervous because he didn’t know what would happen next. I knew what was coming, and it was a lot of fun!

Our goal today was to get the water hooked up to the new building but we realized that we were missing some parts. There was only one thing to do; so Dan and I jumped in the LandCruiser and went to *Choma to buy them.

It was fun to drive the Zambian roads and highways again. When we returned to Macha, I gave Dan the royal tour around the hospital area, * the fires, and market. By the end of the day today, we got most of the water hooked to the building from the water tower.

Tonight we went to Guillermo and Mary Ann’s for prayer. John Sperling, Chris and Marlys Book and another couple were there. It was good to be with old friends again. Dan gave testimony of how the Lord called both of us independently to come for this time and purpose. What a great way to end the day!

Tonga: one of 77 of the Zambian tribes. Macha is Tongan and most Zambians in Macha are from this tribe.
Chitenges: 4 meters of brightly colored fabric used for clothing, aprons, baby carriers, blankets, dancing and more!
Choma: this is the nearest city with a commercial district. Choma is approximately one hour from Macha and only half of that journey is a paved road.
The Fires: Near the mission hospital is a clearing where several fires are always burning. Family members of hospital patients will camp out at the “fires” while their loved one is hospitalized. Most hospitals here do not provide round the clock care or meals, so it is necessary to have a support team in place.

Dan Green, Greg Krause, Ronda and Gil, around the dinner table..

God made our travels smooth and on-time. We had a great time in Lusaka staying at the Flying Mission base with our good friends Sue & Joel Bolthouse. Their hospitality is always warm and fun. It’s pretty cool that we can just walk out the front door and climb in the plane!

Thanks for praying for us, and please don’t stop!

Pray for us as we continue to make strides in completing the work here. So much to do in so little time; pray that God will multiply our efforts.
Pray for reliable and honest workers to shoulder the load.
Pray that we would always be alert to the prompting of the Holy Spirit so that we can respond immediately and obediently.
There are always so many that need a touch, a word of encouragement or instruction. Pray that we will be discerning in it all.

Grateful for your partnership in this endeavor,