More Pictures!

I didn't think that a nine year-old girl could ask me a question that would fill me with such sadness and make me reflect on life on general, but that is exactly what happened a few nights ago at dinner. I was sitting next to Beatrice, and throughout the meal, she was peppering me with questions: do you have a dog? How many sisters do you have? What is your favorite vegetable? But her second question broke my heart: do you have a mother? It was a question asked in passing. Only five words. But I cannot describe the impact that it made on me. Most of these kids are orphans, but there are some whose parents are in jail. Others have been abandoned. It breaks my heart that we live in a world where little children cannot assume that you have a mother. She is only nine, yet she has already gone through so much. I don’t know any nine year-olds in the States who would not assume that you have a mother. A child might have parents who are divorced, but he would at least have a mother. Here, you cannot assume this. 

School let out today for three weeks. I'm going to miss those students from the community. During the break, we short-termers will be organizing activities for the kids who live in the Rafiki village.

I also have a prayer request; the water situation here is critical; We are having water shortages in the Rafiki Village. It is the dry season in Zambia, and sometimes that means water challenges, but now they suspect a leak. It’s been difficult, as we are worried that we will run out. Please pray that they are able to locate and fix the leak and have enough water in general. It’s been an adjustment for me personally, since this means that we can’t take daily showers or do laundry. Please also pray for everyone in the village to maintain uplifted spirits and attitudes of grace and unity as they are experiencing these challenges and difficulties.

Last Sunday, I had the privilege of being invited to visit with two of the teachers, Pauline and Mackley. They picked me up, and we walked from village to village, visiting their homes and the homes of several of the day students. I got the chance to go into many of their houses as well. It was very neat to be able to meet the students' families. There was so much to take in and process and remember. It's a completely different world out there, even from the Rafiki village. It is a common saying that a picture is worth a thousand words, so I am not going to describe the surrounding areas right now in detail. Instead, I will post pictures to give you an idea.

This is what it looks like outside of the village. Please note the beautiful shade of the dirt. 

I'm not being sarcastic here: I really do like the color of the dirt. It lends character to this place.

This is one of the little shops along the road. 

This is the interior of one of the shops. Well, part of the interior. I thought the wall of cloth looked neat, so I had to take a picture. 

This is Chipego (the one holding the toddler). She is a day student in the kindergarten class. 

The main road outside of the Rafiki village is being repaired. (Which is nice, because it makes it a lot less dusty.) These road workers saw me taking pictures and started waving and yelling. They wanted me to wait "for permission," which I infer meant to wait until they could gather around and pose. 

The posed shot.

Some women hand-washing their clothes.

These people were building a house. The second time I passed it, I saw a little boy wearing a hard hat.

Mackley demonstrating how a water pump works. 

Another picture to give you a feel of what the surrounding area looks like.

Some friends of Mackley's.

The local bar. Loud music in English emanated from a radio there.

Oh, how I would love to master this skill.

The first time I saw an ox cart, it was a slight "culture shock." It was my first weekend here, and one drew up outside of the kitchen to deliver supplies.