Another Day in the Life
People are always asking what our life looks like here on the outskirts of Lusaka, and every day is quite different. Here is a look at Sunday!
After a windy night of branches and owls scraping the roof and barking dogs around the Kasupe neighborhood, we were up at 6am to the sounds of slamming bathroom doors and whistles in the campground. Kelly and I both tried to start the day with Bible reading and prayer time, while dealing with interruptions from the kids.
6:30am we heard a knock at our gate. A young lady brought her 3-year old sister to see us for some first aid. The little girl's foot was burned in the fire so Tricia cleaned it really well and wrapped it in bandages. It's not that we have special training... just things that others around here don't have: soap, clean water and towels, bandages, antibiotic ointment, etc...
7am gave the kids breakfast while we hear another knock with a man who needs medicine for a chronic eye problem. Also, he's looking for piece work (just like everyone else around here...)
Tried to get ready for church while at the same time getting our five kids ready for church. For some reason kids require about 24 reminders to do the same things they do every day. You can imagine I prayed for patience quite a few times...
I (Tricia) had made a too-quick promise for us to visit a church where one of the kids' former teachers is a leader, so we were making good on that promise.
We spent 3 hours at the church service where we were warmly received, but unfortunately strongly disagree with the doctrine and methods. We pray we can encourage the leaders in the church to consider more training and turn away from "health and wealth gospel, prophecy and calling down fire on witches" to the truth about our wonderful suffering savior, Jesus Christ.
Totally exhausted and hungry we made it home for a quick lunch and some quiet time before heading over to the Sakala house to visit their new twin girls! (I stayed home to prepare a massive dinner.) Very exciting to have these new babies at Ciyanjano.
At 16hours we were joined by the 4 kids from the Kakoshi family that will be staying with us Sunday to Friday during this school term. Our kids along with Janet, Ben, Prudence, and Hellen bathed and packed up supplies and snacks for their first day at a new school: Breath of Heaven Academy. Mark and Manny will be homeschooling this term, while the other 7 will attend BOHA.
Dinner and clean-up is quite a process around our house, but it is getting smoother all the time as the kids get better at helping out. We all sat around our two tables and enjoyed green beans, potatoes, and Hungarian sausages (along with a lot of bizarre conversation). Then reading time and teeth brushing, prayer, and bedtime where we sing to all the kids... I know they are quite big, but it is a tradition for us to sing to them before bed so we still do it!
I (Tricia) am such an early bird and I love to sleep so much that by 20hours I was in bed and asleep while Kelly stayed up and watched a show on the computer. Then, as he does every night at 22hours, Kelly got Mark out of bed to take medicine and then got Manny out of bed to use the toilet... and then he called it a day. Only to be woken up by Manny wanting to crawl in bed with us at 03:45 because he was feeling sick - it could be the 2-pence coin he swallowed the night before. He was in bed with Kelly while I dozed on the couch and Manny took the opportunity to wet our bed. And then the day really started! To say we could use your prayer is an understatement...
After a windy night of branches and owls scraping the roof and barking dogs around the Kasupe neighborhood, we were up at 6am to the sounds of slamming bathroom doors and whistles in the campground. Kelly and I both tried to start the day with Bible reading and prayer time, while dealing with interruptions from the kids.
6:30am we heard a knock at our gate. A young lady brought her 3-year old sister to see us for some first aid. The little girl's foot was burned in the fire so Tricia cleaned it really well and wrapped it in bandages. It's not that we have special training... just things that others around here don't have: soap, clean water and towels, bandages, antibiotic ointment, etc...
7am gave the kids breakfast while we hear another knock with a man who needs medicine for a chronic eye problem. Also, he's looking for piece work (just like everyone else around here...)
Tried to get ready for church while at the same time getting our five kids ready for church. For some reason kids require about 24 reminders to do the same things they do every day. You can imagine I prayed for patience quite a few times...
I (Tricia) had made a too-quick promise for us to visit a church where one of the kids' former teachers is a leader, so we were making good on that promise.
We spent 3 hours at the church service where we were warmly received, but unfortunately strongly disagree with the doctrine and methods. We pray we can encourage the leaders in the church to consider more training and turn away from "health and wealth gospel, prophecy and calling down fire on witches" to the truth about our wonderful suffering savior, Jesus Christ.
Totally exhausted and hungry we made it home for a quick lunch and some quiet time before heading over to the Sakala house to visit their new twin girls! (I stayed home to prepare a massive dinner.) Very exciting to have these new babies at Ciyanjano.
At 16hours we were joined by the 4 kids from the Kakoshi family that will be staying with us Sunday to Friday during this school term. Our kids along with Janet, Ben, Prudence, and Hellen bathed and packed up supplies and snacks for their first day at a new school: Breath of Heaven Academy. Mark and Manny will be homeschooling this term, while the other 7 will attend BOHA.
Dinner and clean-up is quite a process around our house, but it is getting smoother all the time as the kids get better at helping out. We all sat around our two tables and enjoyed green beans, potatoes, and Hungarian sausages (along with a lot of bizarre conversation). Then reading time and teeth brushing, prayer, and bedtime where we sing to all the kids... I know they are quite big, but it is a tradition for us to sing to them before bed so we still do it!
I (Tricia) am such an early bird and I love to sleep so much that by 20hours I was in bed and asleep while Kelly stayed up and watched a show on the computer. Then, as he does every night at 22hours, Kelly got Mark out of bed to take medicine and then got Manny out of bed to use the toilet... and then he called it a day. Only to be woken up by Manny wanting to crawl in bed with us at 03:45 because he was feeling sick - it could be the 2-pence coin he swallowed the night before. He was in bed with Kelly while I dozed on the couch and Manny took the opportunity to wet our bed. And then the day really started! To say we could use your prayer is an understatement...
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