Imagine

Imagine looking out your train window and seeing this mountain of waterfalls!

The view was a reality for Heather on her trip to Zanzibar in April.

Cuties

I felt certain you'd agree.

Splurge

I absolutely love fresh strawberries. Even after working for a strawberry farm five summers as a teen, I still love to pick (and eat!) strawberries. It’s cold season here in Zambia, but I know it’s warm season in Michigan. When I close my eyes and turn up my imagination, I can almost smell fresh strawberries. I can picture the sun rising on Logan’s seventeenth birthday and my family enjoying a birthday breakfast of fresh waffles and strawberries before the dew dries and my brothers spend the day baling hay…

But I’m not in Michigan, and strawberries don’t seem to be popular in Zambia. More than once I was tempted to buy a box of strawberries out the truck window from a street vendor at a stop light in Lusaka, but I resisted the urge. The berries looked so amazing and tasty, but… they were a special price.

 

little box of yum!

Finally, last Saturday afternoon at the filling station at the corner of Levy Junction, I caved. I told the fellow his first price was too expensive for me (it was), but when he dropped 5 Kwacha off the asking price, I just couldn't refuse.

I’m pretty sure I just have that look about me—the look that says, “I’m a sucker for strawberries.” I know that vendor could tell I would love a little box of strawberries.

What’s better than enjoying a little box of fresh strawberries is sharing them with friends who loved them too! [“Share half with me, and half with you, and we’ll both eat it all up. YUM!”]

PS- while we’re on the subject of fresh fruits I love in Michigan, just want to share that we saw canned blueberries in Lusaka. Any guesses on the price??

K50, which is about $10! Sucker or not, I left the blueberries there… every single can.

Rab's

I was so happy to find Rabs Classic at Pick ‘n Pay in Lusaka… warms a special place in my heart and takes me back to my time in the Warm Heart of Africa (Malawi) four years ago. In fact, it was exactly four years ago today when I boarded a plane from Blantyre to South Africa and began my trek home to Michigan!

friends

Malinda and Heather

We're going to miss Malinda terribly in 2.5 weeks when she leaves our Nahumba neighborhood and flies back to life in Pennsylvania. Though plans changed a bit from our original scheme to take a bus trip together to Lusaka before Malinda's departure, in the end, we still had the privilege of spending the weekend together in Lusaka. We're also looking forward to joining Malinda on her final trip to Livingstone where she has booked an elephant back safari! We still have 16.5 days to enjoy each other's company on this continent, and we aim to make the best of such a grand opportunity :).

Disappointment

pre-mold shot

My elation faded to disappointment when I discovered the pitas I bought in Lusaka molded the day after I purchased them. I haven’t seen pitas for sale anywhere since I left the States, and though I made my own pocket bread a couple months back, it’s not the same. I was looking forward to stuffing said purchased pockets with all sorts of veggies (and the $5 mustard I purchased in Lusaka. Yes, I miss spicy mustard that much). 

Oh well. Life goes on.

Levy Junction Mall

When we stepped into Levy Mall, I felt a whole lot farther from Nahumba than the five hour road trip it takes to get to Lusaka! 

My FAVORITE discovery at Levy was Food Lover's Market... where I purchased about, um... 10 different specialties from their bulk food section. My selections included dried apples, seed mix, rice crackers, sunflower seeds, and yogurt covered raisins.

Runner up to Food Lover's was Pick 'n Pay. Talk about variety! That store was packed with options and choices and brands and selection like you wouldn't believe (then again, you probably would believe...).

As I perused the aisles, I of course found some items I didn't want to live without. Meanwhile, Heather and Malinda visited Mugg and Bean for a coffee treat.

ps- As for the Levy Mall ice cream report: Steer's ice cream is nothing to shout about. In fact, I was positive I tasted a hint of steak sauce in the "chocolate" sauce...

Seven

Oh what fun it is to have a seven-year-old birthday party with friends!

Do you ever wonder...

my office door

Just what sort of work does that Julie gal do over there in Zambia??

My official title is Financial Secretary for the Brethren In Christ Church here in Zambia. Duties include:

• Communication between the Stateside office and the local church
• Disbursing funds for a sundry of projects- including finances for compassion ministries to orphans and widows, hospital equipment and supplies, economic development, study aids for pastors, leadership training, and school fees for scholarship students
• Accepting and reviewing Use of Funds reports
• Banking
• Data entry— tracking funds
• Paying employees (monthly)
• Paying the bills—electricity, fuel, etc.

part of my office

Heather and I also manage the church guesthouse… which means keeping the calendar of bookings, purchasing supplies, ensuring everything (plumbing, etc.) is working properly, answering the door at any time of day or night, collecting money, writing receipts, and cleaning and prepping the rooms for guests.

In addition, I...

• Oversee the operations (and pay employees) at a guesthouse about an hour away, out in the bush
• Am in charge of the upkeep for the three mission vehicles (includes road tax, insurance, maintenance)
• Am a member of the national building committee (responsibilities include hosting the meeting and serving a meal once a quarter, funds disbursal, and reporting)
• Often have impromptu meetings on the veranda from guests requesting all sorts of information and items—everything from basic building plans for a rural church building to wanting to borrow a shovel...

a late night money-counting party...

There are probably some other responsibilities I forgot, but this gives you a little flavor of some of my work responsibilities here in Zambia.

It Never Gets Old

just a little more water than when we visited in November :) haha.

We took Stacey to the Falls before she left last week. I will never cease to be awed by the majesty of The Smoke that Thunders-- the splendor that points to the Creator.

Peace

A Zanzibar shot from Heather's trip

"The wind stopped blowing.

The waves stopped splashing.

All was still as still could be."

~Read Aloud Bible Stories by Ella K. Lindvall~

Stacey Homemaker

Heather's friend Stacey stopped by for a visit this week (on her way home from a work trip to Uganda)! We had lots of fun introducing Stace to our life here in Choma. And... after we went chitenge shopping in the open market, we came home and sewed pillowcases for Dustin and Stacey's living room back in PA. While she was here, we also taught her a few tricks in the kitchen, like how to make guacamole, tortillas, and homemade pizza.

the little things in life

I was so excited to open a package of goodies from Betsy today.

Treasures galore, including a pot scrubber!

Sisters are amazing.