Lusaka, Zambia in Pictures

Lusaka, Zambia is our new home town and we are really enjoying it!

It is still an Africa town, full of Africa customs and practices, 

but it has some modern conveniences that make life a little more fun.

This little gem is where I can get a deluxe pedicure every few months for $15!!

The traffic is a bit of a pain.
We have figured out the times of day to not venture out,
but every once in a while we have no choice!

There are some lovely, clean residential streets.

And this is the hospital that Lee stayed in for 4 days.

Fairview Hospital

There are a few modern conveniences that I am not so fond of.
This is a bag of "Crisp Lettuce". Notice that it says, "Washed and Ready to Eat".
But I thought it looked a bit dirty when I started to take some out of the bag for a salad.
I rinsed a handful in the green bowl with our filtered water.
What you see in the bottom of the bowl is the dirt that came off just a handful of lettuce leaves!!!!
Yuck!!!! Lesson learned!

Of course, being the capital city, we have a mixture of religions.
This is a big mosque.

Here is a small road heading into a neighborhood.

And another.

Many, many nationals still use charcoal to cook with.
This is a large charcoal holding area.
People will come here and buy bags and take them further out
into the neighborhoods and sell them for a profit.

Traditional medicine it HUGE in Zambia. 

This is another Traditional healer hut.

This is at the edge of one of the neighborhoods. They are called "compounds" here.
Only people with really good paying jobs live in town on streets like ours.
The rest live in compounds. Houses are on top of each other and living conditions are not very good.

This is a street "downtown". 

This is a dried fish market.

And, across the street is beans, rice, and other necessary stuff.

In the same area downtown you can get used clothes and shoes from the states.

Like everywhere else in Africa, we have vans that are the primary mode of public transportation.

Here is a van that belongs to "Prince Emma"....we laugh!

While you wait at traffic lights, you can shop for clothing.
Need a jersey? 

Remember the charcoal?
Here men are moving it through a major intersection on these carts.

It wouldn't be Africa without many soccer fields

People still carry things on their heads.

That is our new hometown.

It is working out pretty well for us.

Why not come for a visit?

We would love to have you.

Here we are at Game, a store owned by Walmart. It has a Walmart feel.
But, every time I have been in there lately I see rats running around.
We are still in Africa!

Keep the joy!
Tracy

Our Lusaka Church Home -- Woodlands Baptist Church

We are part of a sweet group of believers in Lusaka. This is Woodlands Baptist Church, named after the neighborhood that it is in. 

We have struggled some finding our place and role, 

but I suppose that takes time anywhere.

Here is the front of the church.

This is the inside (duh).
It is always packed by the middle of service with people having to stand/sit outside.

That would be the reason that they are building a new sanctuary.
(I am still not sure how I feel about this.)
This particular Sunday we were praying at the site of the new building, which is just behind the old.

It is predominately an English speaking church.
However, we do sing about half of the songs in one of 2 local tribal languages.

This is Pastor Chanda, a powerful man of God.

Here are the two song books that are used. 
We have the Baptist Hymnal and a traditional chorus book.
I think it is very interesting how all of our Baptist Hymnals are from churches in the states.
Did they get new ones and send us the old ones?
This one says, "New Conroe Baptist Church".

Here is our weekly bulletin.

Here we are on the Sunday we joined the church.

The girls are still not comfortable here. I don't know why.
Please pray for them to want to make relationships, because it is a heart issue.

Much Love,
Tracy

Bible Stories and Art at Woodlands School

Many of you know that I love to teach. And the younger the better. For the time I was in Mozambique I didn't have very many opportunities to use this passion that I have. I prayed that once we were settled in Zambia I would be able to get involve with school children. Praise the Lord that has happened. Towards the end of last year I was connected to the Head Master of our church's school. She and I enjoyed several conversations in her office about the school and its strengths and weaknesses. Their school year begins in January and ends in November. So we devised a plan where I could possibly help with a few areas that they felt are lacking after school started back this year. Since January I have been going once a month to their Friday afternoon staff meetings to teach them some creative ideas that they could use in their classrooms. Also, every Tuesday afternoon the girls and I go to the school and tell or read a Bible story and then do an art project to go with the story to the whole school. We group them 3 year olds-Grade 1, Grade 2-3, Grade 6-7, and then we do Grades 4 and 5 separately because they are crazy when put together. We do it all in about 2 hours! It is a blast! (At least for me!)

This is the school block. This particular day a huge rain shower almost washed us away!

The other side of the block

On this Tuesday we had taught the story of Noah. 

As an art project we did mosaic rainbows. 

This is the Grade 3 class. 

This picture gives you a look into the classroom environment.
They sit 2-3 kids per desk. The walls have some educational poster up, but not many.

The boys are using Q-tips to dip into the cup of school glue
to glue down their pieces of the rainbow.

Can you see their finished rainbows?

Emma loving the classroom work......not so much!
But she is smiling anyway!!! Kudos girl!!

This is the Grade 6 classroom, but the Grade 7s were in here as well.

Aren't they the sweetest things!?!?!
This was the day that we taught about Noah. Instead of the messy rainbows, for these little ones
we did a 3 piece ark with some animal stickers. They did really well.

This particular Tuesday we were doing Daniel in the Lion's Den. What a great story for these kids about how to stand for the Lord even when everyone around you is disobeying Him and how God is a faithful God.

I am totally in a happy place with these Grade 1 and 2 kids!!
Here I am telling them before we start drawing our lions that it is ok if their picture looks different than their neighbors. This a conforming culture with little value put on individualism. 
I am talking to the teachers as well.
They want everything....even in art....to look the same.

Sweet things!!!

Working hard on those lions!

Some of the boys working hard too.

This is the crazy Grade 5 class. 
I don't know why, but they have more energy than the other classes combined!

Lilly and Emma watching on the side lines.

One of the sweet Grade 5 girls.

And those boys......what a mess they are! But darling at the same time!

Now this one right here. I wish like crazy that I could remember her name. 
She has told me so many times!!!
She has some special challenges in school. And because of that she doesn't have very much confidence in herself.
Being able to do art has made her smile over and over. And Emma McDaniel has as her goal every week to compliment this precious one twice as much as the other kids are complimented on their work. Pray for her.
(I will write her name down and let you know it when we get back to the school after break.)

Here is that 5th grade class and their lions!

Every few weeks don't tell a Bible story in the youngest group (3year olds - Grade 1). I know. A missionary not taking every opportunity to tell a Bible story? Don't turn me in! Along with being passionate about God's word, there is also a kindergarten teacher and a lover of story books in me. So, on occasion I just read a great story to these little ones. In this classroom of 3, 4, and 5 year olds they only have a couple of tattered books. The other classes have NO STORYBOOKS.....grade 1 and 2 have no storybooks! The other grades have no Beverly Clearly or any other chapter books for that matter. The teachers never read to the students, except for from the textbook. I want to change that.....but that is for another conversation.....

Look at the smile of that precious one near the window!!

Look at them listening to and looking at my story, "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"!!!

This right here.....my happy place!!!

Sweet faces showing me their mice that they drew.

One Friday the school was having a school fair and asked the girls and me to come and participate. So we did....except for Lilly....but that is for another conversation too. So we made a few simple games, bowling and pin the nose on the clown, Meg look some face paint that we had. 

Emma and her bowling.
The next day she could hardly walk because
of the leg workout she got setting up her "pins".

The kids could wear regular clothes this day instead of their uniforms.

The face paint station and the line.

One of the tiny 3 year olds.

About finished!!

You know I am still amazed at the lack of resources that this "private" school has. The head master says that 90% of the tuition has to go to the teachers' salaries and to the few textbooks that each classroom needs. They have a small bit of paper and chalk and a small handful of toys for the pre-school room. Everything in me wants to go and collect what "I think" they need. But I can't do that. 

Much love,
Tracy