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.