Happy Birthday

Things are progressing well.  Lots of trips to stores and sites to get stuff and deliver it or check on progress and get contracts signed.  We also taught a 5th Sunday lesson on Family History and Temple work.  Strengthened our testimony of this important work of salvation on both sides of the veil.

Taking in supplies for the Harper Medical Clinic

Putting beds together and checking equipment in the clinic.

More supplies for the clinic

We hope this clinic will be a blessing to many in this community.  The closest clinic is 18 kms away which is a long way when you have no transportation.

The interior of one of the Lupani School existing classrooms getting a face-lift. 

Patching and getting ready to paint. 

Lupani school students in between classes.  Because their classrooms were being painted, some classes met outside under the trees.

The older kids having fun posing.

The painted new 3 classroom building.  The contractor is finishing it up this week and they will be able to hold classes in it as soon as the desks get manufactured and delivered.  We will begin scheduling a closing ceremony soon.

Grandma teaching the Sisters and Elders how to clean their apartments at Zone conference.  Believe me, some really need this instruction.  But most are doing a great job keeping things clean.

Birthday girl got a new apron.  A young man in our Stake who is going to Uganda in April on his mission made it. 

Two baptisms today.  Sister Doris and Brother Samuel (can't remember last names)
Missionaries are Elder Davis and Elder Latola

Out and About

Grandma had a Mission Sisters Night while Grandpa found a good Indian restaurant.  They had dinner, devotional, and Grandma gave a talk along with others.  Sisters sang a song too...

We drove to Chisamba to talk with their Education District leaders.  Grandpa loved it because it was a farming area.  The district has a lot of challenges we hope to help with a few.  

Found where our favorite milk comes from.  There really is a difference in milk tastes.

These yellow flowering trees are in bloom everywhere.  

Stopped by the Chainda clinic.  The church is helping build a maternity building.  It is progressing well.

Inside the Chainda Maternity building.  The church will also be providing a mechanized water pump and storage tank with piping into the clinic.  Now they get water from a hand pump outside the building. 

At one of the major roundabouts there is a chicken in the middle because there is a chicken farm nearby.  They were going to destroy it and replace it with something else.

But thanks to the community, everyone wrote in to "Save the Chicken" so our beloved chicken is now safe.  

On our P-day we visited a local game reserve and went on the game drive.  Saw many animals but many were hidden in the tall grasses that have grown through the rainy season. 

Elephants would only give us their best shots.

Wildebeasts hanging out.

A shot of the Savannah land with a watering hole. 

Ostriches.  Some big birds!

There's a small giraffe in there somewhere

A member of the antelope family (can't remember the name).  Male's horns curve back but the females are straight.  This poor guy was relegated to the bachelor herd.  May go challenge the dominant male later to impress the ladies.

As we were leaving these kids were so excited to get on the truck for their drive.  

We do some flat checks so Grampa was trying to figure out this shower.  The shower head kept plugging up so the sister took it off and prefer just the stream coming out of the pipe.   Like bathing under a hose.

Elder Davis's washing machine.  All the young missionaries wash by hand. 
We are thankful we have a real washing machine.  

Youth Day

We continue to enjoy seeing progress on many projects and experiencing the African culture. 

More bunkbeds for the Mazyopa community school.  The youth were very grateful.

Visited the Mulenje School and saw good progress on the teacher's house.  When finished the government will put two teachers here and open the school for Grades 1-4.  Kids now walk for miles to school. 

Grandma telling them how to build the teachers house.

Equipment for the Harper medical clinic being unloaded.  The closest clinic is 18 kms away so the 11 surrounding villages are very excited to have medical facilities closer to them.  An organization "I am Zambia" built the clinic and the government will provide medical staff but the church is providing all the beds and equipment needed to open it up.  

I'm sure that box weighed 300 lbs, right?  

More cabinets/equipment for the Harper clinic.   Beds and exam tables will be in the next load.  

This week they celebrated a national holiday called "Youth Day".  There were youth parades, marching, games, speeches focused on the importance of and potential contribution of the youth.  It was a great holiday that recognized the youth of the country.  On a morning walk, found all these people exercising at the University as part of the celebration.

The church is also helping another clinic build a maternity wing at the Chainda clinic.  Every time we have visited this clinic there are hundreds of women with babies getting instructions or immunizations.  Much needed maternity wing.  Getting ready to pour the slab.

Progress

The highlight this week was our Stake Conference.  It was excellent and the building was filled to the brim.  Many local members gave great talks and Elder Matswagothata, an Area 70, spoke.  We were challenged to be better parents and examples, serve diligently in our callings, minister to others, share the gospel, seek to attend the temple, and draw closer to Christ.  Sorry no pictures of conference. 

  This week we visited many ongoing and potential projects.  

Lupani School building continues to rise.  Hope to complete in early April. 

 

Mazyopa school now has walls and a roof.  Cement floor and plastering is next.

Community men digging a Latrine at a health clinic where the church is providing medical equipment
 

One class at a community school.  These community schools struggle to get consistent teachers because they aren't government supported.  We are hoping to help them finish a small two-teacher house.  They have made all the bricks and have the sand and gravel already. Once completed, the government has agreed to send paid teachers. 

This community has already dug the foundation for the teachers house.

We were also impressed that they have a school garden to provide some food for the students and teachers.  But cattle keep coming in and destroying their vegetables and plants.   So we hope to get them some fencing.  

This school also has a grove of banana trees that they provide to the students.  Too often they only get one meal a day so growing food is very important to them.  They also want buy 200 chicks to raise then sell for meat to provide funds for the teachers.  They would use some of the proceeds for buying more chicks.  Sound like a great sustainable effort.

We Washingtonians are fascinated by these banana trees where the bananas grow upside down.

On our travels we see a lot wild orange sunflowers growing. The bushes and trees here have beautiful colored flowers too.

These seem to be just like our yellow sunflowers but they are orange.

Look, a two headed goat!  Ok, not really but we do see a lot of goats around.

This week was International Women's Day.  To celebrate here they had a big parade with many, many women's groups participating.  We had a better video where you can hear each group of women singing but it was too long for the blog, sorry.  

A recent convert family just had a new baby, Lehi, with his older brother and sister looking on. So cute!

The Musonda family, recent converts.  They are so faithful and growing so much in the gospel.  He was just called as the Sunday School President.