Sites around town

Don't have a sprinkler- use a water bottle with a few holes poked into it!!

Nothing is wasted in Zambia- this is a grocery bag tied around the hose bib!! This was last week as all the people were in town for the President's funeral- The roads were lined with Military security.
This is the morning work truck- you better not miss the truck if you want to get to work!
Brett Favre says "The NFL doesn't want me, I'll just go to the AFL- African Football League"
Bridget- this one if for you!! Come on over- the restaurant is already starte!!

This is the Self-serve bank- not the ATM!!I have to take my camera everywhere with me these days so I can share all the sites with you!!

Have a blessed weekend!!

Good morning Madam!!

Meet Moses...my very friendly gardener...Moses is 35 years old. His parents live in the Western Province of Zambia with his 3 sisters and 1 brother. He also has a brother here in Lusaka that lives in the "compounds". Moses sends the money he makes working for us home to his parents. He is supporting his youngest brother by paying for his last year of high school.
Moses lives in our "guest house". This is a small house with 4 doors. One door leads to a toilet and shower. Our night-time security guard and our housekeeper use Moses' bathroom. Another door leads to a storage room where he has some broken down boxes and garden tools. The 3rd door leads to his room where he has a broken down cardboard box on the concrete floor and a blanket where he sleeps. (Erik bought him a mattress yesterday to sleep on.) He also has 4 shirts hanging on the window and 2 pairs of pants. He has a copy of the Poisonwood Bible, but he doesn't read. He also has one chair. The last door leads to a small kitchen with a sink and place to plug in a hot plate. He has a very small yard where he will keep our trash until trash day. He also has about 25 bags of soil- just a little bit of soil where he has put clippings and started some new plants. He is very resourceful!
Moses is a Seventh-Day Adventist so he doesn't work on Saturdays like most gardeners but spends that day in worship. He is also a vegetarian due to his religion so at lunch time when we have cabbage or some vegetable we like to share with him. I also shared a bag of Mike and Ikes with him:)
He speaks predominantly a tribal language but knows a little English. He smiles all the time!!

He loves my kids and Peterson. There was a man who lived alone in our house before us so he is not used to having kids around the house. He is very kind to them.

He wakes up around 6am and wipes my car down for me before I leave at 6:40 to take the kids to school. He also opens the gate and acts as security for us during the daytime. His main job is to take care of the yard and he does a most excellent job. He is definitely a talented gardener.

He has taught me much about the neighborhood and has helped make our adjustment much easier.

You have got to be kidding me...

Bradley was complaining over the last two days about a toothache. We thought it was some popcorn or ribs stuck in between his teeth. We brushed and flossed and brushed and flossed...He woke up at 1am this morning with pain, I sent him back to bed- he came in at 2:30am with pain. He tossed and turned the rest of the night. When we woke up late for school this morning- the left side of his face was so swollen. I felt terrible!!
We gave him some pain reliever and sent him to school- I ran into an American dad in the school parking lot that is an ER doctor- his daughter is in Bradley's class so he went in the class and said it looks like an abcessed tooth. I called a dentist that was referred to me and she saw him at 3pm. He made it through school and swim practice with some help from Tylenol.
The dentist finally saw us at 4pm- that was okay- I was thankful that she was able to see us at all. She was wonderful- so sweet to Bradley- it seems that his filling came out and his roots were exposed and infected- Ouch!! She wrote a prescription for penicillin and pain medicine- $10 total. Then she asked me where we were from- I told her Jacksonville, Florida- She just happened to go to college at Jacksonville University and still had friends and family in Jacksonville. Thanks be to God, once again. He is placing people in my path all over this country. What a blessing!!
We will go back Saturday to have x-rays and see if we can go ahead and pull the baby tooth instead of replacing the filling. Bradley should be back to normal in no time!! He invited his first school friend to come over and play Thursday. His name is Sid and he lives in a hotel- just like Zak and Cody!! He eats chocolate donuts for breakfast every morning!! Lucky kid!!

Goooo Gators!!

You would have thought that we were in Gainesville, Florida last night at a tailgating party. We spent the day at the Rafiki Village and when we got home- Bob and Jim were grilling some shortribs, baking some potatoes and steaming broccoli and carrots- They even bought a cake- Yummy!!

Erik downloaded Mick Hubert- Voice of the Gators- right into our family room. The Kaspers were all sporting our Orange and Blue and we had a great ol' time cheering on Tebow and the Gators!! What a great way to start the football season!! Erik and I are trying to locate the nearest Gator club for the next game:)

We had a very nice weekend- Friday night we were invited to the Cooks for dinner. When we arrived they asked how flexible we were. Their power had been out for several hours- a common occurrence in some areas of Lusaka- so we loaded up the van and went to a local Chinese restaurant. The restaurant is located in a warehouse in the fairgrounds- so you drive into the warehouse- the kids all played in the warehouse as the adults waited for dinner.

What a great time of fellowship and play time for the kids.

Yesterday, we spent the afternoon at the Rafiki Village. We met David and Nancy Writebol and Rose Allinder. Wow- what an inspiration. These people live 30 minutes south of Lusaka then turn right for about 30 more minutes down a very bumpy dirt road. They have about 60 acres of land and currently one dining hall, 3 classrooms, 6 dorm rooms, and the guest homes that the missionaries live in. Their hospitality was so wonderful!! We were able to see the way they run the orphanage- they showed us inside the classrooms as well as the new school building that is still under construction.

There are currently 32 children who are double-orphans, both parents have passed away. There are 6 mamas who take care of the children. The children are between the ages of 2-6. They are taught at the school and also have a bible study in which all the staff and children are involved in. The primary founder of the Rafiki foundation was very involved in BSF. All their support comes from donations and let me tell you- people have been very generous. This was a beautiful facility. There are 8 others in Africa with the same model. Besides financial assistance- there is also a need for tennis shoes and clothes. I know we could help, I just need to find a way to get things shipped over here at a minimal cost.

Lynn Bledsoe- any suggestions??

My kids loved playing with the children and the children sang some Bible songs for us.

Bradley and Chelsea were trying to teach them to swing.

Peterson also got his first "Zambian cut". The groomer was called Mutt Cutts. He looked great and it only cost 120,000 Kwacha, about $40.

My kids have started their own blogs:

Chelsea- Zambiangirl.blogspot.com

Bradley- Zambianboy.blogspot.com

Have a blessed week!! Happy Labor day!!