Mission life in Zambia continues to careen around blind corners every day. The biggest surprise lately is when we have power. July is the middle of winter here. The electrical demand increases as everyone who can afford space heaters turns them on, overloading the power supply and ultimately keeping us in cold darkness with our useless little ornamental heaters. Warm dinner and warm water have become luxuries. When the power goes out, our electrical water pump goes out. The longer the power is out, the greater the odds that our internet will not come back on when the power does, and when that happens, we are not happy campers. During the available power surges, we have to rush to catch up with our office work,thus, we have fallen behind in our correspondence and blogging, for which we apologize to our loved ones.
Ultimately, we try to keep ourselves laughing at our antics while we try to keep all our balls in the air. This morning we had to be out the door by 6:30 to deliver the bi-monthly allotment to the missionaries. We had many supplies and other sundry details to load in the car since we would be far from home for most of the day. We made three or four false exits, locking the door behind us, only to rush back in for something else. Finally, Rand ran out one last time, locked the door behind him with the skeleton key and waited for me in the car--but I was locked inside the house. He apparently wasn't thinking when he locked it, and since I'm usually the locker-upper, he thought I'd be coming along. So while he was waiting in the car with the engine idling, I was pounding on the door, laughing. It is a funny feeling to be locked inside one's house! Finally I called his cell phone and asked to be let me out. We laughed about our ongoing Laurel and Hardy act all the way to the first Elders' flat.
The first time we delivered allotment to the missionaries, we were so upset at their living conditions. Not only were the flats sadly dilapidated, they were filthy. Today, Rand and I were quite pleased with the improved conditions-- mopped floors, tidy rooms, clean toilets and tubs, wiped-out fridges, cleaner kitchens, and we didn't run into one cockroach!!! All because of a checklist and a chocolate bar (and a few stewardship/cleanliness talks)! Aahh, the miracle of chocolate! If one area isn't done in a flat, no one in the flat gets chocolates. After nearly 100 inspections in 6 months, today was the first time that all 8 flats got their chocolate bars. It's fun to have the missionaries greet us with mops, brooms and rags in hand ( I love that look!), and proudly show off the fruits of their labors. They are now confessing that a worn out flat can have an improved spirit when it's clean.
We've been trying our darnedest to get out of our office and do some much needed shadow leadership and even just basic mingling with the masses. With 10 branches needing attention desperately, it's a challenge to know where to put our efforts. It is a daunting task to learn all the people and where and with whom they belong. Since they all have the same coloring and the women sport different lengths and styles of plaited hair or wigs every week, we are uaually befuddled. If remembering hundreds of unfamiliar names, which is basically like memorizing phrases of a foreign language, is supposed to help our "mental plasticity," we'd hate to see our withered brains without it!
One of the branches sponsored an Open Day (Open House) for their newly refurbished chapel last Saturday. Rand and I tried to help the leaders plan and delegate and follow through. In the final hours, we had to summon the missionaries' help and try to pull it together so it would not be an embarrassment to the church. It certainly was not the success that it could have and should have been, but there were a few bright and even funny spots. One man heard of it and he brought his wares to sell. While no one was paying attention, and even with the help of a member, he set up a selling table in one of the rooms. When we discovered him, he was funneling people in there instead of them funneling into the missionaries' room. Rand came to me and said," I've discovered an African Amway scheme right in the church this very day!" Rand helped the helper-member out the door his wares!
The missionaries only got a few referrals for the day, mainly because the members didn't get the idea that this wasn't THEIR day, it was a day for them to share with others. But the members had a great time and they were fully instructed in the the Restoration, the Plan of Salvation, prophets, temples, eternal families, the structure and programs of the church and world-wide missionary work. They are always amazed at the scope of the church that they belong to. It is truly a marvelous work and a wonder, and to see that wonder through their new eyes is delightful.
It is a big task to ask of Africa --- a lay-leadership church with many programs and meetings, most of which require phone communication and/or travel to and from activities and meetings and members' homes in far-reaching areas. The phone costs and travel costs are all-prohibitive here, and sometimes it appears so crippling that we loose focus of a brighter day for these pioneers in the next generation or two.
Finally, I must write the most significant news of our mission, and that is that our new mission president and his family have taken their place in Zimbabwe. Pres. Edward Dube and his wife Naomi, and their four adorable children, started their mission tour 1 day after President and Sister Dube returned from the MTC. The schedule they keep is unbelievable. The whole family goes on the first tour. Rand and I had the pleasure of enjoying the whole family as we escorted them around and about Zambia. The stories of their gospel sojourn as one of the first temple-endowed families in Zimbabwe, make the restored gospel look so obviously glorious. Our Zone Conference with Pres. Dube was completely spellbinding. He had every Elder and Sister participate in some way, an amazing demonstration of keen leadership and spiritual insight. It sounds as ifPreach My Gospel will be used to calibrate all efforts. Hurray! We saw the same focus work miracles in our past mission and we are encouraged to be part of such focus and action again. At one point, Pres. Dube dropped to his knees and in a hushed, yet firm voice, he declared, "I learned when I was Stake President to drop to my knees and to stay on my knees for as long as it took to feel that there had been communication between myself and the Lord." He moved his head deliberately, finding the eyes of each missionary with whom he was now on eye level, and then he solemnly said , "I promise that I will drop to my knees over each of you. Only then will I make transfer decisions (pause) . . . along with the many other decisions that I will need to make. (pause) And now, I am on my knees, asking each of you to work obediently and diligently with me, as we petition our Heavenly Father together, to guide us in this great missionary cause."
We are thankful that Pres. Dube has listened to our concerns carefully and is already taking steps to help us solve them.
We want to express our love to our family and our deep appreciation to them for being supportive of us. We miss them all more than words will ever say. How grateful we are to our Heavenly Father for sustaining our parents during our absence. We know they are praying for us, as we are for them. We feel the strength of the prayers that are offered in our behalf. Thank you to our friends and relatives who drop us notes saying that we are in their prayers and they have put our names in the temple. Some days we feel more buoyed up than others, and those are the days that probably come with the gift of many prayers. Thank you all so very, very much and may God bless and keep you.
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