28 April – 3 May Today is my first day of Internet since my previous email. I arrived safely in Swaziland (SD). I went from the huge Tambo Airport (named after Oliver Tambo former General Secretary of the ANC during “The Struggle” aka Apartheid) to SD airport. Peter and Mary Jean Kopp greeted me and […]
Is It Christian to Have Fun?
I played golf the other day with two strangers. At the end of the round, the woman said, “I’m surprised to hear you are a pastor–(Uh oh)–you were too fun!” (Whew!) That’s not a very strong affirmation of people in my profession, is it? But my guess is, that might be a common perception of […]
The Lion, the Witch and What Might-Have-Been
Do you remember who died on November 22, 1963, six days following the founding of Chapel Hill Church? Yes, JFK. But early in that same day, C.S. Lewis collapsed and died in the bedroom of his home, “The Kilns” in Oxford, England. At that moment, President Kennedy’s motorcade was just leaving the Dallas Love Field […]
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Training in Neighboring Villages
24 & 25 April We trained teachers from neighboring villages Wednesday and Thursday. Fifteen of the anticipated 47 teachers appeared Wednesday morning. By afternoon we had an additional 3 teachers. Unlike Lusaka, most of the teachers in Eastern Province are male. Four female teachers joined the training. English proficiency was less than Lusaka as well. […]
BOMA Church Training
23 April Tuesday in Lundazi was again quite warm, 91+ in the BOMA church where I trained. The 3 top trainees from last summer arrived on time eager for training. The other 5 had not learned of the training. We discovered 1 of the 5 left his village and could not be reached. Kondwani phoned […]
Kataji, a Village Outside of Lundazi
Today we drove 30 minutes out of Lundazi to a village, Kataji, where there is a community school and a Strengthening Children group. The leader, Musipasi distinguished himself last summer by grasping the concepts. The children in his group sang, reviewed lessons learned in the group, and put on a play, “Bouncing Back to School.” […]
From Lusaka to Lundazi
Saturday we drove from Lusaka to Lundazi in Zambia’s Eastern Province. Kaunda, a Bemba named after the first elected president of Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda, drove Kondwani and me. We began at 0730 and arrived in Lundazi at 1800. We made several stops along the way but obviously we drove for a long distance. Along the […]
It’s Been a Busy Few Days in Zambia
16-19 April During day one of training I met with lay counselors I trained in 2012. Each had led a Strengthening Children group. I heard their perspectives on progress made in the groups and positive outcomes, including those who participated began to demonstrate improved school achievement. Sadly, pre/post data were not collected. I believe data […]
Thursday in Villa Hortencia
Thursday (Day 7) – Villa Hortencia (our village)Norma Nordquist posting… Galations 6:10 Therefore as we have the opportunity let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Dear friends, Another glorious day with our Villa Hortencia friends. After trekking up a steep, rocky mountain path, we arrived […]
Does God hear our prayer?
I was frustrated with Larry’s idea of God’s provision when we were newlyweds. He believed that God could provide through unexpected checks in the mail and prayed accordingly. I was more like, “It’s time to take on a second job,” not sit around and pray. God would provide, certainly, via my hard work. Six years […]