Team Interviews

Listen to short video clips from different team members around the Ciyanjano chalet work site!

How the Chalets are Being Built

The following slideshows have been organized in a chalet by chalet progression.  I’ve also included some photos of other activities as well, like visiting missionaries’ homes, attending church, etc…

Work on Chalet #1 was started on Friday, 16 April (the day after the STT arrived in Zambia).  It took some time for them to get used to the scaffolding that they would be using for the duration of the project.  Lee felt like the wood platform needed to be strengthened up a bit (ironic, because our Zambian staff thought that they had fortified the work platforms sufficiently for “old” muzungu   Our Zambian workers had begun coating the timber pieces with black creosote paint, which caused fits for Dave who couldn’t see his mark points.  The building team decided to abandon the wood preservative for the time being.  Steady progress was made securing the joists, and rafters.  Pastor Bruce and Boniface fed, Lee, Pat and Dave 2×2′s which were needed for lateral support to fasten the meta roof to.  It was a good feeling for the whole crew, when Chalet #1 framing was complete.  Chalet #2 would be finished in half the time as the first.  Given the fact that I had taunted the team that I didn’t think they could finish the job before leaving Zambia, the men felt very proud that they had two Chalets under their belt after the first day.  (NOTE: Continued Below)

Work on Chalet #2 was also started and finished on Friday, 16 April.  With team members, cutting, measuring, hammering, painting and holding timbers in position, the second chalet was finished ahead of the threat of rain.  The Lord was gracious in that the work continued without event.   (NOTE: Continued Below)

In order to make the best use of the visiting team’s time, Jailos, Richard and Boniface worked on setting the header boards after Luke had notched out slots.  Poor Luke was using a simple mask while he used the angle grinder to cut slots in the asbestos/concrete pillars.  Covered with asbestos dust from head to foot, Luke valiantly volunteered to take the health hazard job in order to save the mission money.  He couldn’t justify the mission hiring out that work to a contractor so he did it himself.  Bruce & Lee pulled off a few stunt up in the rafters of Chalet #3 out of respect for their Hollywood namesake. The work day closed with a partial roofing of Chalet #2 with tin.  The team then cleaned up and headed into town to the Hilty home where Megan, Tim and Andrea hosted them for dinner.  Ian and Ireen enjoyed the extra attention immensely.  Pastor Bruce read them their favorite books before night-time.  Bruce and Lee spend the night with Singletons in Makeni while Dave and Pat spent the night at the Hiltys.  Dave was gracious enough to fix a few computer problems we were having with one of our laptops.  Sunday proved to be an interesting day, with Pastor Bruce preaching at True Worshipers Church.  Tracy and Karen took them for the day and treated them to Makeni hospitality.  Tracy & Bruce got up in front of the church to do the chitenge dance, pulling a few moves out of their worship closet.

(NOTE: Continued Below)

Chalet #4 was completed by noon on Monday.  I made another trip to TAP to pick up some more concrete/asbestos pillars for the tonga kitchen structure in the middle of the campground.  More 2×2′s needed to be purchased to finish the addition projects that we were going to add on to the week’s agenda.  Rather than sending Luke into Buseko’s timber market, I recommended that the whole STT come along.  Piling into a flat-bed pickup and Megan’s land cruiser, we headed towards a cultural experience.  The team marveled as we begun to wind through the catacomb maze of the market.  Finally, we all piled out when we came to the timber sales section.  Thankfully, Luke had already scoped out a seller beforehand so he knew what he was doing.  Nevertheless the STT got mobbed by a crowd wanting to sell.  Dave got to get a first hand look at Zambian carpentry and joinery.  The machines being used were old and archaic, but craftsmen could still make a nice finished product.  On the way home, the team got an eye-full when they came across construction scaffolding for a brand new building.  Timber poles were tied together in a massive web of wood.  Children along the water-logged Kasupe Rd. were out having fun with their toy creations.

Pastor’s Conference Videos

Here are a few short video clips of Saturday’s pastor leadership development conference.  Pastor Bruce McKanna, Elder Jamie Collins and PLD instructor Steve Allen were all guest speakers at the half day conference.  Rumor has it that the muzungu short term team from Illinois were dancing during praise and worship!

Progress: Three Chalets

Beginning each day with prayer, the Mt. Morris team has committed their work to the Lord because really the most important thing is to become an instrument used by God.  And then of course  safety and speed in their work have to be critically balanced with relationships and absorbing the culture.  I must admit that I was doubtful that Bruce, Pat, Lee and Dave would get the roofs on the chalets, but it’s clear I grossly underestimated these mzungu (local word for white men).  Laid out and designed by Pat, the team executed a stratetegy to put up the ceiling  joists and trusses in record time.  Its been an amazing process to watch.  In fact, they’ve moved so fast that I’m scrambling to prepare more work for them to do.  That’s how it is, the harder they work we reward their efforts by giving them more work.  But they’re being such a blessing to our Ciyanjano development.  Working together as a team in a day or two, we can accomplish so much more than we would by ourselves.  You might be interested to see the current progress at the end of Saturday.  Check out the pics below!

Team Worship

On Sunday, the Action Zambia team thought it would be good to come together to worship the Lord and pray.  Andrea and I were tired, but knew that we especially needed fellowship and prayer during the circumstances that we are going through.  Steve and Stephanie put together a program for the kids and Stephanie read from the Jesus Storybook Bible which was really good.  We watched a video sermon from C.J. Mahaney on looking for grace in the lives of the saints and His church.  The team prayed over us and our situation.  They also prayed for Ian who had a tough first night out of our home.  His fever seemed to be on the increase.  The Lord touched his body after the service and calmed his nerves enough for him to eat a little.  Right now he’s running around back to his normal self.  Thank you God!