Getting lost.

As I sit on a reed mat, drinking my Ricoffy and watching the sun go down just past the grass fence, I can hear in the distance the rhythms of traditional drums mourning the loss of a village chief. In what I wish was far in the distance, I can hear a young goat "mbuzi" hollering for her mother in a way that could easily be a YouTube hit. My sister, Annie, is around the corner, beating a bag full of maize with a stick in an attempt to sheer the recent abundant harvest. My friend Priscilla is inside bathing her two younger brothers while my mother is busy in the cook hut, smoke billowing out the glassless windows. I sit here reading a book with lines like: "The most likely to befriend strangers are those who have been strangers themselves. The best way to grow empathy for those who are lost is to know what it means to be lost yourself." I feel so grateful for the many moments I have felt lost on this continent, whether in culture, in language, on dark Zambian roads, in emotional immaturity, in identity, in heartbreak, in search of Jesus. It is when we are lost that we are found.

Joy.

Winding through the dusty paths in Mulenga, crossing through plots, passing drunk men and hundreds of young children, we came to Joy's house. It is a small rented room connected to a number of other rooms where families stay. We entered the room with Beauty and Sylvie, two beautiful care workers in Mulenga. We sat on the floor and were instantly bombarded by a number of children. Inny, 3, sat on my lap while his twin, Vinny, began playing in Will's. On the walk to the house Beauty and Sylvie were trying to explain how all the children were related and what the situation was. We knew all their names before meeting them, so the first 5 minutes was trying to figure out who was who. Ruby, 17, is the head of the house, and has an 8 month old baby girl, Mary. Her sister (call her the Big Mother) is the mother of Lea (7), Inny (3) and Vinny (3). Big Mother also is taking care of Joy (5), her grandaughter. Joy's mother ran out on her a few years ago. We were told Big Mother is a drunkard and was recently fighting with the neighbours. The neighbours called the cops and she ran also, leaving Ruby to care for all the children.

So here was Will and I, sitting with 5 abandoned children, Joy twice. Sylvie sat next to Ruby, talking quietly to her. Inny fell asleep in my arms within minutes of rocking him. Vinny continued very busily playing in and out of Will's legs, grabbing different toys, including a dirty chunk of foam that he wiped all over Wills' face. Joy sat quietly on Beauty's lap, looking too serious for a 5 year old. Baby Mary joyfully and gleefully crawled around the floor and was passed from person to person. Will was asked to pray. Just as Will began praying, baby Mary explosively soiled herself and the floor. After Will prayed, we sat. Sylvie continued to speak softly to Ruby, who looked very tired. I sat and watched Joy. She is 5 but appears to be about 2. Her hair is reddish and very thin. She sat on Beauty's lap and began combing through her own hair with a pink velcro curler. When I thought of her and the boy sleeping on my lap, I wept. How many times does Inny get to feel the safety and security of being rocked in someone's arms? What has being abandoned and rejected twice done to little Joy? As I stared at this clearly malnourished diamond, for the first time in my life I desperately wanted to find a way to take her home.

It was time for the children to go to the feeding point to get their only meal each day. Lea was attending the community school so got herself bathed and ready. Joy, too, bathed herself to get ready for the feeding point. We carried the children on our backs the entire way. Joy got her meal first. I sat with her as she ate. Still feeling heavy in my heart and tearful, Reuben (the coordinator) arrived back from his home visits. As soon as Joy saw him, she completely lost her mind. She called out to him, “Pastor!” He ran to her and gave her a high-five. I lost it again. She has been rejected twice, but has been accepted and is deeply loved by Reuben, Beauty, Sylvie, and many other men and women of God in Mulenga. And I know Joy knows it. I can see it in her face when she sees Reuben. I can hear it in her voice when she calls out for him.

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families ... “Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the Lord. “ I will protect them from those who malign them.”

And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay; purified seven times.

Psalm 68:5-6; Psalm 12:5-6

 Joy and Kristal at the feeding point.

The Real Africa

Tuesday, June 11.

The ladies started off the day with prayer. A small group of us women who live at Kachele Village gathered in the middle of the yard, sitting on tree stumps in the sun. We shared our stories to one another and then continued praying for the things on our heart.

Shortly after, we jumped into a tinted-windowed mini-bus and headed to Kitwe to meet up with the Service Centre team. We were warmly welcomed by Blessings, Towela, Mary, Clement, and Esnart. This a power-house of a team. A power-house of the most gentle and sacrificial, yet anointed and authoritative people. They shared about their hearts, about the work in Mulenga, and a particular child in Mulenga that touches each of their hearts.

The mini-bus then took us into Mulenga, a slum-compound on the outskirts of Kitwe. I first visited this community in 2009. A few things are noticed immediately. First, the only road that enters into the community is one that was built by the care workers themselves. Secondly, children are everywhere. The majority of the population is children. Thirdly, drunk men and women wander around everywhere from early morning to late evening. The best part about visiting these communities is not the adorable children we get to play with and hold and love on (although a plus), but seeing anointed men and women of God playing with, loving, and truly delighting in the most vulnerable children in the community. These are children whose parents are drunkards and/or prostitutes and/or deathly sick or children completely without parents.

We then proceeded to Luanshya to sit at the feet of James and Sukai. I continue to use the word 'anointed' because there is no other way to describe all the people around us. When I first met them, I found myself to be in the presence of people that completely exude Christ. I found myself wanting to be with them all the time, to sit and listen to them. Today during tea with them, Lisa leaned over and whispered to me, “I just want to cry this whole time. I feel like I'm with Jesus.” We sat together, hearing the story of how they came to be involved with Hands, how God has touched and changed their lives, and about the Jesus that they know. James, especially, has a crazy testimony of how God viciously chased him down. After James shared a word with us, we prayed and sang together, then came home.

Julia has been really wanting to lead us in communion (something she has never led or been involved in organizing before). When we returned home, we had a beautiful time of breaking bread and praying together. It's been really amazing to see people become inspired to initiate or lead something along the way this trip. I was so proud of Julia tonight.

I lie in bed tonight with a grateful heart, completely filled. I don't deserve to be here, I don't deserve to be with these amazing leaders of Africa, to walk with them, and I don't deserve to be leading an amazing family of random individuals who love God desperately and have hearts so filled with compassion. So all I can do is sit here and be completely grateful, giving God the glory and thanking him for his goodness and choosing me to be a part of it.

-K

in Photos

We made it to South Africa. Some proof of the journey along the way:

Kachele Farm, Luanshya, Zambia. Our home during
Hands at Work African and International Celebrations.

Waiting for food. Celebrations.

Celebrating with our volunteers from all over Africa.

A South African braai in anticipation of a certain upcoming wedding.

Our Hands at Work family.

Wedding.

Proof Will has spent time in the community since we've been here.

Kristal loving life.

Siyaphila

Mulishani from Zambia!

We have arrived and we are ecstatic! Just a quick update to essentially say siyaphila (we are alive). Flights were long but that's how it goes. We arrived in Zambia yesterday afternoon to a farm full of family and friends from all over the world, but most especially all over Africa. That first day Willis got busy helping get things set up for our Celebrations and I sat around blubbering like a baby. It feels SO good to be here. We missed these people like crazy. What a gift to have been part of these lives and to continue to be part of it, despite being in Canada for the past two years.

It's a bit surreal. Yesterday I found myself going on an 8 km run with George and Levy on footpaths through tall grass in 33 degree weather. Eish. That was a bit much.

As I write this, Willis is with a crew of men fixing the road. Living the dream.

Not sure when we'll write again. I hope to not write too often. It becomes easy to experience things through a blogger's eyes as opposed to one's own. But, just wanted to say we are alive and we love you all.

K (+W)


To Shelly - Sukai just hugged me. Be jealous. She's got a cute little fro happening right now. She's the best.

Africa, siyabuya namuhla!

Staring out at the Poplars and mountains as I write this, it's hard to believe our view will soon turn to Acacias and mounds of red dirt. We leave today. We are THRILLED! I could hardly sleep this morning. I have found myself frolicking around the house, doing absurd and awkward movements with my body corresponding with absurd and awkward sounds with my mouth. This is what happens to me when I'm excited.

Just wanted to write this so people know we will try to blog about our journey.

We arrive in Ndola, Zambia on Sunday and are there for a week. Then we head down to our homeland in South Africa for a month as we prepare and wait for our lovely team members to arrive.

HUGE HUGE HUGE thanks to all who have supported us with words, prayers, and moneys all along the way. We are truly grateful. We love our community here and are so excited to come back and LIVE among you!

Lots of love to you all!

K (+W)

Home and At Home

After two years of departing my long-time home in Africa, Willis and I will be returning. For a short stint, I assure you. We have the gift of returning for 3 months, two of which we will be leading a group of 8 fine individuals from Canada, Germany, and Australia, to and through four wonderful countries: South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi. I've met (mostly through skype) most of them and truly feel like it is a gift and an honour to be comrades with these folk, journeying together through bush and plain, urban and rural, heart ache and joy.

Home is something I've been thinking about lately. For years I have been dancing back and forth between the notion of my home being in Africa or my home being in Canada, but Willis and I feel truly blessed with a calm heart in terms of "home". We feel like we've finally entered into a time where we are no longer wandering. We are making our home in Calgary. God is lining up all kinds of great things: a house, a job I love, schooling Will feels excited about, beautiful community. It's happening. Our African Father, George, visited us one weekend a few months back and shared with us about the Israelites that wandered until finally they entered the promised land and ate fruit from their land. This feels like us right now. No longer are we on manna. We are eating from our land. And this land finally feels like home.