Farewell Kupus, Hello Whitings

This was the last week for President and Sister Kupu.  They roasted a pig and invited all the Lusaka missionaries for dinner.  Sister Kupu also had a Sisters night to say goodbye to the Sisters.  Really enjoyed being around the missionaries more this week.

At the Sisters night, they split the 12 sisters into 3 groups and asked each group to represent a nation
 that one of the Sisters were from.  This group covered Tonga.

This group covered Nigeria.  Each group sang a hymn in that country's language.

This group represented Ghana.
 As they came in they tossed flour as a token of light on the one representing the queen.  

Sister Missionaries from the two Lusaka Zones

Our Farewell feast!  

Elders goofing off.  Some of the Tongans took the head home
 because they said that was the best part, including the brain.  

Hungry Missionaries waiting for dinner!

The missionaries just hanging out waiting for the dinner decided to sing.  

Love these impromptu things.

Great group of missionaries from the two Lusaka Zones

A group of missionaries from New Zealand and other islands, 

entertained us with this Maori warrior chant. 

Incoming Whitings and Outgoing Kupus.  They have a 1.5 hour meeting together then
 the new President and wife are on their own.  They will be great!

Us with President and Sister Whiting and the Jones. 
The Whitings have a 15 year old son with them but we haven't met him yet.  

Yes we actually did some work this week.  Checked out the water to the Nchute School.
 Had to convert the community hand pump into a solar pump with tank and a 0.6 km line to the school.
 They are very happy now.

The Nchute health clinic also benefited because we were able to add a booster pump to get the water up the hill to the health clinic.  They are planning on adding a small tank and piping into the maternity ward and adding a sink and shower.  

Followed up with Tiyende Pamodzi primary school.  They have 2000 students in 7 classrooms so we are proposing that the church build a 3 classroom building on this site and provide desks.  They will also repair about 30 desks if the church purchases the materials.  The community is willing to provide materials or money for 10% of the project cost. 

We love to see gardens at these schools.  That shows good initiative towards greater self reliance.  

Non-government community schools here always have challenges paying for quality teachers and school supplies.
 This small school had set up a butchery to help pay teachers and get school supplies.
 But they needed some equipment to improve their profit.  The church provided a mincer and bow cutter.  

The Mincer.  Both pieces of equipment will allow them to supply other
 Butcheries and make a better profit for the school.  

Mission Wide Baptism

Last week we had our Area welfare manager come from Johannesburg to see several of our projects.  

While checking on Kaminembe School, we visited their community milling station.  All the families in the area bring their maize here to be ground.  Some goes to feed cattle but the fine stuff goes to feed their families.  Usually they harvest enough to sell about 3/4ths of it but this year because of poor rains, it will mostly be used by the local families. 

While checking on the Chainda Clinic, they were having a handover celebration for an internet/satellite system
 that China had donated to the community.  This was their school band.

At the Nchute school where we just finished getting water piped in,
the students were planting a garden for their science project.  

At the Mugurameno clinic the church flushed out this borehole and a lot of mud and rocks came out.
 So now the new solar pump that we bought can be inserted to provide the clinic with good running water.  

This is for our Grand kids to show them how bananas grow upside down in clusters.  This tree is at our Mission Office.

The church is providing the Jolly Horizon school that serves about 200 kids here in Lusaka, with materials for them to make desks.  To get the wood, they took us to a wood-shop where they planed the wood with large machines.
 OSHA would have a fit.  

5 high stack of sawdust sacks being carried by a worker on his head

The wood for the desk tops and seats being unloaded at the school.  

Father's Day cinnamon rolls!  Yummy!  The picture had to wait until we ate a few.  

The highlight of this week was the Mission Wide Baptism.  These pictures were from the Lusaka zones but similar numbers were baptized in Kitwe, Ndola, Blantyre, and Lilongwe districts. 

 It was an exciting day!

Members and Converts arrived on buses to participate.  The faithful Musonda family from our ward.

Just a portion of the crowd for the baptismal service. It was held at the mission office.
 You can spot Grandma standing by the bush in the very back. 

The Stake President and his wife seated with all the baptismal candidates.  

President Kupu spoke.  This is their last event and he was quite emotional.
 After 3 great years they are headed home to Tonga next week.  

What a sight!   There were 19 baptisms.  The few extra were the baptizers.   

Many young adults but a wide variety.  A 71 year old man who was a refugee from Angola was baptized.
 When he came up out of the water, he said "Praise God".  He said had waited a long time to find the church.  

These are some of the pioneers of the church here in Zambia.
 They will be amazed at how blessed they are as they continue to be faithful.  

Two of our referrals were baptized with this group.  Martin on the left has a shop around the corner from us and Grandpa has had several meetings with him to answer questions and read the Book of Mormon together.  Josphat Banda on the right is our guard.  His wife and children are also being taught but she doesn't speak much English so it is hard for her to understand.  We were very proud of these two.  Mr. Banda's son Joseph (4) is also shown. 

The missionaries serving in Lusaka with the new converts.  

After the baptisms, each new member bore their testimony.  Some very interesting stories.  

After the baptismal service, they fed everyone hot dogs and cake.  

They baked 26 cakes for this.

Members spread out eating.

New converts eating. 

Project Progress Checks

This week we checked on the progress of several projects and started exploring new projects.  

Finished Water tank and solar panels for Nchute school.  

Clean water now for the Nchute school community. 
We had to get a booster pump so water could be boosted up to the health clinic that sits on a hill there.  

Mulenje teachers house is coming along.  Floors just cemented this day.

Kaminembe School 3 classroom building being roofed. Window and door frames all in.

Youth at Mpango secondary school (where the church put in a new solar powered borehole) having their science and technology class project.  Learning woodwork.  

Newly planted school garden at Mpango school.  Being watered by new borehole the church put in.
They have 60 students that live there and the garden provides food for them.

We love the homemade toys they have here. 
This is made out of milk containers and lids and they just push them down the road.  

After a request by our mission president to seek to strengthen the areas where the church is established, we have been praying to be guided to projects in Lusaka.  We visited 3 schools and each needs many more classrooms.  This school has 7000 students Grades 1-9 and as is shown, the teachers have a huge challenge with 125 to 195 students per classroom/teacher.  They have to hold 3 sessions during the day to get all the grades covered.  We hope to provide more classrooms and desks (notice many children seated on the floors).

Ended the week with the baptisms of the Daka family.