Fun Fact for the Day

You might now know I’m a member of the Brethren In Christ Church of Zambia National Building Committee. A few times a year, the committee meets around our dining room table here at Nahumba. There are usually five men (deacons, pastors, church leaders) and myself in attendance.

As a committee, we discuss building projects, review use of funds reports and requests from various congregations, allocate any available funds, and always manage to laugh at a few jokes along the way. Before the meeting, we have tea and cake. When the meeting is finished, we eat lunch together.

More than once this year, the building committee meeting wound up on a day when Emma (our employee) was on holiday and Heather was out in the bush for work. It’s tricky to serve tea, answer the door, pull items from my office, check guests into the guesthouse, answer the phone, cook a meal, and participate in a meeting all at the same time.

Thankfully, this meeting Emma was home to cook lunch and Heather was around to welcome the first committee members. All I had to do was make copies, pull forms from my office, buy lettuce from the veggie man at my door, consult with Emma in the kitchen, prepare tea, take notes, serve water, wash hands before the meal*, set the table, serve the food, wash hands after the meal… and finally bid the committee adieu.

Our next meeting as a committee will be a trip to check on the state of one of our rural church buildings that’s been destroyed by termites. Promises to be another interesting adventure in the life of this accountant.

*Traditionally, a woman or girl of the house washes everyone’s hands before a meal, pouring water from a pitcher into a basin, moving from person to person until each person has been served. After the meal, the process is repeated, 

sometimes with soap to help remove bits of food.