Inward Renewal

One of the great things about my current responsibilities out at Ciyanjano is the fact that I have to fix things myself.  Hands-on, practical things really get me excited.  Here I am fixing the leaking shower in the leadership retreat center in preparation for an AWANA Zambia leadership booking.  I’ve learned to never throw anything away in Zambia, because it’s more than likely that yesterday’s junk will be today’s solution.  That’s exactly the case here.  I fixed the rubber gaskets on this shower using ones I recycled off a residential plumbing disaster.

I thought I would post some of the more positive pics of Ian’s b-day.  In spite of the day getting off to a rough start with the ants, we managed to celebrate.  We invited some friends over who have three boys, 7,3 and 1.  The two youngest really get along well with Ian.  They came for a mexican(ish) lunch and then we went to a local arcade complete with bumper cars.  Ireen and their oldest really enjoyed the bumper cars when they could get through the wild and crazy “line” of children all eager to push their way to the front.  Ian and the younger boys enjoyed the more subdued kiddie rides.

We got home and had the birthday cake.  As soon as I lit the candles and we started singing, Ian blew them out.  I had to relight them 3 times before the Happy Birthday song was over.  It’s almost as if he was saying, “Look, I’m 2 and I know what to do with these candles.”  It was a big day for Ian and he was more than ready to go to bed that night.  He got a “2″ sicker from our neighbor which he proudly stuck on his PJs and showed off before “night, night”.

I hired a graphic specialist to paint the Ciyanjano logo on the wall fence out at the mission’s retreat center.  The graphic designer said that he had the ability to make an exact copy of the logo.  Of course, we’ve learned never to take a salesman literally, but the font that he used was so completely different than the font that Andrea designed the logo with.  The risk that we take when a “mom and pop” establishment is hired to do the work is both unnerving and comical at the same time.  One thing is for sure, we really needed to repaint the sign at the property’s entrance so that visitors could easily identify that they have now arrived at their destination.  After pulling up to the sliding gate they can see a larger Ciyanjano logo painted on the wall fence.  I’m curious what others think?

Later this afternoon we will have a little cake celebration for Ian’s birthday so we hope that he’ll enjoy that.  I thought I would start his B-day off by taking him out for a ride to Ciyanjano – which he always loves.  Ireen was so excited she came along with him.  As usual, he and Ireen love to play with Katherine Sakala while I was tending to other things.  This morning I needed to repair a leaking shower.  Then I heard Ian screaming.  He and Ireen were covered with mpasi (red ants) that were biting them all over.  The ants had crawled into his socks, up his pant legs, and into his diaper.  Ouch!  These biting ants are notorious for stinging really bad.  I quickly stripped him down to his birthday suit and pulled off all the ants that had burrowed themselves in.  He screamed and screamed!  Eventually, Ian calmed down and the stinging subsided.  I scoured his clothes looking for any remaining ants.  Unfortunately, it was a traumatic birthday morning for him.  He slept like a baby all the way home.  When back at home, I gave him wheel barrow rides around the yard which helped him forget everything.

Today we are celebrating Ian’s second birthday!  Two years ago today, we took this picture of Ian’s little scrunched up face.  He was born at 7:50 PM on a Wed. evening…. weighed in at 3.33 kg or 7lbs 3 oz …. measured 47cm long or 18.5 inches long.  We gave him the name Ian because it means “God is gracious”.  We are so thankful to God for the gift that he is and are so proud of our little man!

A picture of Ian and Ireen together in a flower patch.  When we’re outside tending to plants, they catch the fever too and take an interest in growing things.  These flowers were absolutely brilliant and aromatic.  Ian is just beginning to learn how to smell flowers.  He stuck the flower up into his nose to get a good sample.

A couple of days ago, a young man named Mark brought a gift to our front door.  He completely surprised us by wanting to gift his first banjo to a young boy – and that young boy happened to be Ian.  Mark is known in our community for spending his free time playing a guitar and writing his own songs.  Sixteen years ago, it was his dream to be a musician.  Not being able to afford a guitar, he set out to hand craft a simple banjo for himself.  All he needed were a few wires, a plank of wood, a few nails and an old oil can.  With the wire, he made bridges and strings.  With the nails, he made tuning pegs.  He carved out the plank to be the neck of the instrument.  He put a lot of effort into it this banjo so it had much meaning and value to him.

We asked if he would play a few songs; which he did. He even recorded a message to Ian for our video so that when Ian got older he’d know who gave him the banjo.  Zambians are very generous people and love to share their blessings with us.  At times, it’s hard to be recipients of such generosity.  Nevertheless, in Zambia it’s always important to honor the gift-giver by receiving the gift with open hands.  Gifts are a seal of relationship and solidarity, so we accepted it with much gratitude.

Owning a new guitar, Mark saw no reason to have two instruments; so he chose to share the excess with someone else. Us. Living in Zambia, we see this all the time – it’s just part of life here.  The community shares commodities for the betterment of others.  Rarely do Zambians store their excess.  To store excess is considered wasteful because the potential to benefit others in the now is “lost”.  Certainly there are examples whereby Zambians may have the need to store (like their maize crop yield) but even then they share generously with others and the general trend is not one of hoarding.

Living in such an environment we too have become active participants.  As westerners we find this prevailing attitude towards “things” to be a really constructive challenge to the way that we live our lives.  I can’t help but think of the words Jesus used in Mark 12:48 when he was explaining the meaning of a parable to his disciples, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.”

Most missionaries get some sort of formal cultural training and orientation before they head to the mission field.  The better their pre-ministry cultural training the more they learn to value their new host culture.  Some training programs immerse missionaries from the outset into their new host culture.  To live in the village for a few months, without ammenities and modern conveniences, a person learns how difficult survival can be and how much others are needed.  It’s then that a person begins to learn to appreciate local wisdom, ingenuity and assets.

When I first came to Zambia, I had it drilled into my head that I wanted to embrace this ideal.  My goal was to become more and more dependent upon Zambia, because after all I came here to build relationships and learn.  But inevitably, I found myself falling back into my own world – to a zone of comfort.  Rather than putting myself forward I found myself withdrawing.  I’ve found that the more I withdraw the less I sense a need for other people.  And when life is lived too long like this, its a slippery slope towards thinking that Zambia primarily needs me and my help.

But self-dependence can also quickly disintegrate in Africa.  Life happens here in such a way that others have to be called upon.  Take for instance a trip our family made to Malawi and back.  The trip was a long one, driving long distances through seemingly uninhabited country.  Things were going great until we had car trouble… Pulled over on the side of the road in 100 degree heat, hours away from the next town, with little hope of help, gets your heart pumping fast.  To look around, there’s not much to speak of.  No convenience stores, cell coverage, water, repair shops, or towing services.  What can a family do in this situation?

Well, we started praying.  God seemed a lot closer when our machine of dependency was in need of repair.  Secondly, we started racking our brains together to isolate the problem – squeezing every last bit of auto wisdom out of each other – hoping collectively we might solve the problem.  Then, as a last resort, we consulted Zambians.  It was uncomfortable at first, but we finally asked around for help.

It’s amazing how willing Zambians are to help.  It’s part of their culture and values.  They are used to needing each other because unforeseen life situations happen and resources have to be collected to find a solution.  In our case we barely rolled into the Chipata AutoWorld where we talked to someone who called someone who called someone.  In no less than 30 minutes, two Zambian mechanics showed up out of the woodwork and diagnosed our problem.  I was soooooo relieved and endebted…

It was a good lesson that I needed to learn again.  Being in a tight spot where I needed others was really a wake up call about how we live our lives day to day.  The longer I’m in Zambia, the more I realize that I need Zambians way more than they need me.

Late last year, Action Zambia undertook a project to put a perimeter fence around Ciyanjano (our campground and retreat center for Lusaka churches).  It was a big step forward for the ministry center as preparations are being made to run youth camps and church retreats on site.  With vulnerable children present, the ministry felt that some level of security needed to be ensured.  The work for that project is now complete.  For more information and pictures about the perimeter fence, download the presentation by CLICKING HERE.

Over the holidays, Popop (Stanley Armes) got to spend a lot of time with Ian (Stanley).  Reading is one of Ian’s most enjoyable past-times right now, so Popop more than indulged him.  Ian’s all-time favorite book is Richard Scarry’s “Cars and Trucks and Things That Go”.  Here you can see the two snuggled up together early in the morning.  Popop’s embellished reading captivated Ian…and the rest of the house.