Pages

Recent Posts from the Mumena Team

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Davis Zambia News: April 2008

Greetings from Mumena, Zambia,
Hope this month finds all of you well.  We Davis’s are all fine on this side of the world.  The month has passed quickly and lots has happened.

 

Two seminars were hosted by our team in April.  The first one was another leadership development seminar on “Teaching Christ and Him Crucified”.  These seminars continue to be welcomed and well attended by church leaders from the Kaonde congregations.  The second seminar was specifically requested by one congregation.  It was a family seminar to help them learn how to have more Godly families.  It was taught and attended by both men and women.

 

Noah and Bryson continue to enjoy their long days in the sun having fun in the African bush.  Lately they have been spending much time climbing trees and riding donkeys with their friends.  Tomorrow they will be helping, Savannah, one of the other missionary kids, celebrate her birthday by going swimming in town.  Noah received some good news this month.  We found out that the container has been delayed and instead of arriving in May it will not arrive until June.  Since our school books are on that container that means school will be delayed as well.  I think Noah is the only one who thought the container delay was good news.  Please pray the container does get here before our scheduled summer activities.  There are lots of needed supplies coming to make those events successful.

 

I have been able to have some good visits and practice my Kikaonde this month.  I’ve spent a few mornings with Josephine, a Christian woman who lives in Konkwa, a village just a few kilometers from us.  She and some other women have helped me learn some vocabulary.  One day she also fed me some delicious fried sweet potato chips.  Not only have I worked on Kikaonde but I also have learned some interesting cultural lessons.  One lesson is in how they describe familial relationships (older brother, younger sister, etc.).  The other lesson came when Josephine’s husband came to tell me that one of the ladies who is normally present for our visits wouldn’t be there for our next visit.  I asked if it was o.k. with Josephine if I came any way and I thought he told me yes, but it was my decision.  I told him I would show up as planned.  But when I arrived the door was locked and no one was at home.  On looking back at it I think he was trying to tell me in a polite way that Josephine wouldn’t be home and that I shouldn’t come.  Learning the cultural cues can be just as important as learning the actual language.

 

We are one month closer to being ready for our summer volunteers.  Last week Brian and I made a trip to Chingola, which is 2 ½ hrs. away, in order to shop for food and supplies.  We had three carts of stuff and it was a bit embarrassing when we checked out.  People starred at us and the cashier asked us lots of questions.

 

Next week our new team mates, the Loves, will arrive in Mumena.  That’s the beginning of three months of people coming and going.  But I’ll talk more about that next month.

 

Please keep our family and ministry in your prayers.  May you be blessed this month.

Brian, Sondra, Noah, & Bryson

No comments: