Visit to the Shenks' --or-- Hunter's House

this cape buffalo greets all who enter the Shenks' house

       

I woke up Tuesday morning dreaming I was at the J.R. Shenk Museum of Animals. 


Actually, I was in the spare bedroom at the Shenks’ house in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, surrounded by hoofed lamp shades, painted elephant ears, a variety of horned antelope heads, elephant feet seats, and a stuffed leopard. 

Over their forty odd years (or is it fifty-odd?) on this continent, Jake has cultivated his avid love of game hunting. He can keep an audience of young and old entertained for hours sharing hair raising tales of hunting adventures!

see what I mean about a museum?! I wasn't entirely dreaming.

lion skull, and the top of an elephant tail!

Jake with a lion and a hippo he shot

Jake at work in the office
(that's a painted elephant ear on the wall)

this picture is for Josiah

this cape buffalo overlooks the Shenks' patio

Indeed. That is another painted elephant ear up on the wall!
note that the lamp is made from a massive antelope horn!

One of the items on my wish-to-do list since last year when I met the Shenks was to visit Jake and Nancy in their home. It was a joy to be with them, visit their “museum,” and get a glimpse of life in Bulawayo these days.

how's that for an elephant boot?! (I think it's a rubbish bin)
oh- notice the hippo foot at the base of the antelope horn lamp as well

one foot, two foot
red foot, blue foot
elephant foot... uh... never mind...

Thanks, Jake and Nancy, for a great time! It’s been a blessing to get to know you over the past two years.

this lil' fellow watches over the dining room

back behind those family photos is a collection of hippo teeth!
crazy.

PS- sorry, no pictures of the Shenks’ son’s sausage factory! His Bulawayo based butchery is famous for its specially blended Russian sausages.

[um, and… yeah… blended is the word.    Wow.    Fascinating as it was to tour, I don’t think I’m cut out to work in a sausage factory… no pun intended.]

Amos Edmund

still on the lot, fresh from Japan via South Africa

As you can tell from recent posts, this month’s every-day happenings have been sprinkled with a generous dose of incredibly happy moments...

One of which was collecting the mission’s “new” (used, imported from Japan) Toyota Prado. Hours of time and massive amounts of energy and effort have gone into securing this new member of our mini fleet.

oh yeah.

Perhaps if you imagine the process of purchasing a vehicle in another country, you might begin to understand the THRILL I felt after signing the final paperwork and driving the Prado off the lot last week in Livingstone.

The Lord definitely supplies us with the strength and endurance to complete the work He entrusts into our care.

my attempt at one of those Wheeler-Dealer photos

Without further adieu, meet Amos Edmund (Amos for short). His name (we wanted something meaningful and prophetic) means:

• Amos- Strong
• Edmund- Happy Protection

I’m so thankful for God’s provision of Amos. May his kilometers be many, and may those within his doors be blessed with safety. May Amos be a tool for the work of the Kingdom.

Cookers, please note the incredible tinted windows!

open & load
simple & wonderful

nothing like a freshly washed car :)

good tread, eh?

incredible hauling capacity. love the fold-up back seats.
Amos has seat belts for eight passengers!

Yes, Amos is an automatic! And, though two years ago I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to honestly make this statement-- truth is: I very much enjoy driving manual. I mean, not that I don't have fun driving automatics...

I'm super excited about the thought of the ease of driving Amos in Lusaka, but, for most other driving I do here in Zambia, I prefer a stick shift vehicle (of all the Prados we looked at we only saw one that was a manual, and the frame was rusted). I am, however, definitely NOT complaining about Amos in the least ;) ;)

a fave feature for sure

...on the road again...

singin' "fiddle-y diddle-y diddle-y de..."
(Betsy, that's for you :) )

PS- When you come visit, there’s a chance you’ll get to experience Amos’s smooth and strong ride… but I’m pretty sure he’s going to be popular, so you may want to book in advance ;)

Magical

a selfie out the huge window directly across from my bed (with a feather duvet!),
looking out into one of the lovely gardens of the cottage where we stayed in Harare

I didn't know what to expect of our week-long holiday to Zimbabwe, but it was fabulous. We started out with a day in Bulawayo visiting the Brethren In Christ church offices and spending time with our regional administrators, Jake and Nancy, in their home. We ended up on a bus with cardboard seats and no safety belts winding through the hills (mountains?) of Chirundu Way en route from Harare, Zimbabwe to Lusaka, Zambia-- okay, so maybe that wasn't the best part... but... 

looking out into the garden from the sitting room

the courtyard in the middle of the house

flowers in the courtyard

In between, we stayed with Sara's newlywed friends Doug and Chloe in this magical English cottage. 

We also visited coffee shops, joined them at their church and Bible study functions, sat by the fire eating stew, off-roaded a mountain on Saturday afternoon, and... relaxed in the peacefulness of life sans work, cell phones, and constant knocks at the door.

It was bliss.

It was magical.

It was a true holiday

my bed with the feather duvet

bougainvillea is always gorgeous

Sara's charming second story window

another view to the courtyard in the middle of the house

Transient

Something I'm not sure I could/will ever get used to is the transiency of life as an expatriate.

Earlier this month we bid farewell to Lisa, a volunteer nurse who moved to Zambia about six months before Heather and I arrived. Throughout our coinciding time in Zambia we shared good times-- like our weekend in Lusaka during cold season (more tea, please), and our July 4th picnic lunch. Our countless chats-- often perched on the counters-- here in the kitchen at Nahumba made the kitchen seem like the most natural place for our quick good-bye photo the other night.

Lisa- blessings upon you. Go well, and stay well. 

I'm thankful for the opportunities we had to spend time together over the past year-and-a-half.

we got him!

*Another post that is not for Mom*

The Shenks (our regional boss) took us back to Bulawayo with them Monday (7th). On the way, we met up with a snake crossing the road. There was a small "babump" as we ran over this slithery reptile, and Jake was so proud of the kill that we turned around and stopped to snap a few photos.

To all the other Cookers: does this remind you of Uncle Paul and wood chucks?  ;)

silence

Sorry for the recent blog silence… which represents one of the best holidays in the past few years of my existence. I’ve just returned from a trip to Zimbabwe, visiting friends and relaxing. I have pictures to show and tales to tell, but… we’ll have to wait for the internet to cooperate…

So, if the tea kettle gets repaired soon (it’s been in the shop for weeks now…) and the electricity stays on, and if I don’t get run over by a taxi or semi truck when crossing the street…

I’ll be able to tell you more about my Zim-venture.

Until then-

tootles.