Congratulations!!

...is what you'll be saying to Claudia and I in a year from now. That's right, a year from yesterday (to be precise) Claudia will no longer be Miss Braun, she will be Mrs. Brown. I know, I know, it's a big change and I'm sure it will be hard for her to adjust to it!! We are both really looking forward to sharing the day with all of our family and friends.

I also want to extend my congratulations to another friend (and fellow football player) of mine. On October 12th, Joel and Beth Corbeil became the proud parents of David Gerard and Catherine Marie. I'm sure they are both extremely happy. Here is a picture of them that Joel sent me and I thought I would share it.

As for the Lazarus Project, things are going well. The tractor is fixed (except the battery is low and we need diesel) but the starter works and it should be ready to go for this week. The garden is also coming along. We have more seeds and fertilizer so we can continue planting vegetables. There is always something to work on in the garden, but that's why I'm here!

Here is a sunset from the Lazarus Project. The sun and moon are usually beautiful here (kind of like Claudia!!!).

One of the boys found a dead bat and decided to carry it around with him. A whole bunch of the other boys followed him and there was a big crowd so I went to see what was going on. Raphael posed for me with the bat. I'm sure it's not sanitary for him to hold it, but then no one follows the 'rules' here like we would in Canada (except for me, I try as much as possible to be sanitary and avoid unclean things).

Sarah Neff (one of the interns that was here last year) sent me an e-mail saying she was glad to see some pictures of Shebo and Freddie, two boys that were there when she was here. She said they were two of the youngest (and they are) and I thought I would include another of the youngest who I have shown before. His name is Lazarus and I think he wants to be a farmer!! Yesterday, while I was working in the garden, he followed me around the whole afternoon and helped me water and plant (well he didn't actually plant but he did dig weeds up with the hoe). Here's a great pictuer of him 'practicing' a couple of weeks ago.

Not too much else is new here. I have been working in the garden and fields and will continue to do that. It's hard to believe I have been here for almost six weeks (Tuesday will be six weeks). Time flies when you're having fun!

I think I'll keep this post short and maybe I'll add one tomorrow with pictures! I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying themselves. Thank you to everyone that send me an e-mail about the updates and for those that have sent me addresses. If you want a letter or postcard from me, please send me your address and I will send something.

Goodluck and Godspeed

Another Week...and I'm Alive and Well!

Would you believe it if I said I've been here for a month? Well, last Thursday marked the day that I have been here for an entire month. Hard to believe, isn't it? That means I've been gone from Canada for more than a month, almost five weeks (tomorrow will be five weeks). A lot has happened in that time, as I'm sure many of you know from reading the blog.

And yet, so much has to be done in the next couple of weeks. We have to finish ploughing the fields and get the maize planted along with the soya beans. To do this we need to get the tractor working again. Hopefully that will happen in the next couple of days. We also have to plant more vegetables in the garden. I know that to a lot of you, it seems pretty simple. Go to the store, buy some seed, plant the seed. Find out what's wrong with the tractor, get the parts fixed (or buy new ones), and fix the tractor. But unfortunately, things aren't that easy in Zambia. It seems to take a lot longer to get things done here than it does in Canada (which is exactly what David Shelley, Sarah Neff and Jeff Taylor told me before I came - so really it's no surprise). Things are moving ahead, slowly but at least they are moving.

On Thursday, I went to see the Immigration Office to get a temporary permit (so I can stay here legally). It was actually the last day I had before I would have been in the country illegally. I had gone before but they told me I needed to get some things (a letter, a bank certified cheque, etc.) and come back. So I went back with one of the Pastors from Northmead and we got through everything. It is a really good thing he was there though because I don't think I would have gotten things done if he wasn't. Everyone was really slow and the cashier's office was closing so he talked to the cashier and got him to wait five minutes for me. Thank you God!!

On a completely different note, this Monday is Zambian Independence Day. It is Zambia's 41 year of being an independent country. Prior to 1964, Zambia was a British Colony, which makes life here a lot easier than it could be. Everything is in English. In a way it is very neat but very odd. The English almost seems out of place at times.

Unfortunately, I don't have any new pictures today. I was going to bring some but the electricity was off this morning when I left to come here and I couldn't get them off my computer. So you will have to wait until another day!

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying life in other parts of the world. Oh I almost forgot some exciting news: the weather! I heard that it was cold in Canada the last week or so. It's not cold at all here. In fact, yesterday the temperature reached 96.8F or 36C!! It's not humid here, which is a great thing, and usually it is windy. But yesterday there was almost no wind, so it was hot!! Today is also supposed to be hot (95F I think).

Ok, now that's all for today. Have a wonderful week! And if you want a post card or letter please send me an e-mail with your postal address and I will gladly send a note.

Goodluck and Godspeed

More Pictures

Now that it seems I am able to post pictures, I will add some more so people can have a better idea of what it's like here. Come to think of it, it's quite amazing that I can be in Zambia and communicate with people around the world.

This boy is named Shebo. His full name is actually Shebo Silishebo. In Bemba (or else Nyanja but I can't remember which), Shebo means Bible. So you could call him Bible. He along with both of his brothers are at the Lazarus Project. He is another boy that is a lot of fun and pretty cute (Claudia, I hope we have kids like some of the boys here...but we'll worry about after we're married).

About three weeks ago, I played football for the first time in Zambia. I played with most of the little kids and a couple of older boys. The guy in the blue shirt is Paul, who looks after the kids at night. We were on opposite teams so it was fun. I've played football a few times since then (including last night) and it is lots of fun.

I'm not going to try to explain this picture. I came out of my room and saw the boys rolling around in a big tin container. I have no idea where they got the idea but it was kind of funny. I guess as the saying goes 'boys will be boys' - even in Zambia!

Ok, so I've had a couple comments and e-mails about facial hair. I get the impression that it would not be the smartest thing to have a beard for my wedding. Well, just to set the record straight, I am not planning on having a beard. I only let it grow because my bag had gotten delayed and I couldn't shave for most of the first week I was there. To prove that I still don't have the beard, here is a picture of me and some of the boys that was taken last night. I do agree with the comments though, I don't think a beard would look good with a tuxedo either.

This picture was also taken last night. We actually did not have electricity for a little while. It happens here every Monday night and then sometimes some other evenings. It is an attempt to conserve electricity by the city of Lusaka. So for an hour or two every Monday night we are without power.

When this boy brought the bike over some of the other boys took turns riding it. Then I rode it a bit and even impressed them. I did a bunny hope (a jump with the bike) and the boys were surprised! They were pretty excited. It's funny how little things can amuse kids.

Well, I guess that's it for now. Today I was at church this morning and it was really good. Bishop Banda talked about God's view of nationhood and about the history and future of Zambia. It was very inspiring and made me want to be Zambian. I am blessed to be in such a wonderful country, full of people who love God and want to live out their faith.

I noticed last time I didn't say hi to other people that were in Africa but not Tanzania (specifically people in Ghana, Malawi and Sudan), so Hi!

One thing that people can pray about is for the leaders as they review and write the new Constitution for Zambia. It is quite important as it will set the course of the country for the future.

I look forward to hearing from people. I love everyone.

Goodluck and Godspeed

Life is Good

As the title suggests, life is good here. Things are coming along at the Lazarus Project (although not as quickly as they could be). We started plough the fields and have one field about 3/4 finished. The bad news is that the tractor wouldn't start on Thursday and Friday so not much got done. Hopefully this week will go better and more will get ploughed.

The garden is also coming along but we are in desparate need of fertilizer. We should be getting it early this week (we should have had it last week but things never go as planned here in Zambia).

As for the rest of life, things are going well. I was at a Thanksgiving Day celebration last weekend at the Canadian High Commission. I met a few other Canadians and we had a chance to play Cranium and have some nice desserts. There was some sort of pumpkin pie there but not the same as what I usually have in Canada. I took a cab for the first time to get there. I rode with Jess (who I met at CIL training in Toronto). On the way home, Jess and I and another girl named Jess shared a cab again.

It seems that I am able to add pictures today so I will add some new ones for people to look at. The first is a sunset from the Lazarus Project. The sun, moon and sky are pretty neat here. Yesterday we had a lot of clouds (more clouds than I've seen here except for the one day when it was cold and grey). When the sun sets it is really beautiful. I think when there is a full moon (in about a week) it will be very pretty right at sunset.

The second picture is Great East Road, looking back towards town. It is quite a busy road and there is usually a lot more traffic than this. You'll notice traffic drives on the left here, which makes crossing the street interesting. I have to be careful to look in the right direction before I cross. I'm used to looking for traffic in the other direction but I'm getting used to it.

The third picture is a boy named Lamech paiting a picture. He is an older boy that stays in the same building as me to look after the little boys that also stay there. He is nice and pretty responsible.

The fourth picture is Freddie and Lazarus. These two boys are pretty interesting. Lazarus is quite a character and you never really know what he is thinking. Freddie is a lot of fun and I know he really liked Jeff, the intern from last year. Lazarus is the one with the striped overalls.

Well, I guess that's about it for now. For this week, pray that we get the tractor started and can plough more for the fields. Pray also that we get the required supplies (seeds, fertilizers, tools, etc.)

I hope everyone is having a great time in Canada/Tanzania/Australia/United States.

Goodluck and Godspeed

Some Additional Notes

Hello Again!
I realized after my post yesterday, that even though I posted some pictures, I have left a lot of things out that I should tell people about. So without further delay...

Differences

Life here is different than Canada (but I think I've adjusted to it so it doesn't seem that different). I have to remind myself what it was like in Canada and then compare. Everything here is locked up or has bars in front of it or a guard and a wall/fence. I think most houses that aren't in compounds (large areas with brick houses that are kind of all attached) have walls around them, or else electric fenses. Some of the houses in the compounds have walls or fences too. And most places have guards either right outside the doors or just inside the main gate. Places like banks (and bank machines) have guards sitting beside them. Around banks the guards have guns. At the Lazarus Project we have an electric fence (about eight feet tall) and a guard. The guard (or the guard company) has someone there 24 hours a day. I think a big part of the reason for this is because everyone is so poor. So if there is an opportunity to steal something, usually it's not because they want it but rather because they need something to eat and it is a way to get money. On every window is usually some bars so that even if the glass is broken people can't get in.

I think it was Claudia that mentioned she saw someone carrying a pot on their head for the first time. I guess I have seen that too, but then I've seen people carry almost anything on their head. I've seen a mattress, shovel, brooms, pots, bags and I think even a tire (or as they spell it here, a tyre). I guess it's easier to walk longer with it carried on your head than using your arms. Speaking of walking, lots of people walk here (and they walk pretty long distances). They also take the mini-buses, which are usually crowded and if they aren't then the driver will wait until they are crowded. Would you believe that in a vehicle smaller than a cube van (somewhere between the size of a cube van and a Mini-van) you can fit sixteen people? Well, it's usually pretty tight but it works. It's really cheap for me to get downtown here. It costs about K2000 (thats 2000 kwacha - the Zambian currency), which works out to about fifty cents. So to get from the Lazarus Project to here (a place called Arcades where I can check e-mail, go shopping, etc.) and back again it costs about K7000 or about $1.75 Canadian ($1.50 US). Not too bad considering you hardly ever have to wait for a bus to come.

So what else is different? Well it's sunny all the time right now. There was one day that was cold and cloudy but it's been in the 80s (high 20s) pretty much every day. This is quite a change from Southern Ontario, where the weather can change drastically. (I'm reminded of what my climatology professor said, "Southern Ontario has the 'worst' weather in the world. And by 'worst' I mean the most variable and unpredictable weather.") Here the weather is pretty much predictable. It will be sunny and warm until the rainy season (mid-November) with usually a bit of wind.

Football (American Style)

Something exciting happened this week too. On Friday evening I was just walking around the Lazarus Project and one boy had a football (like they play in the US not a soccer ball). I thought that was kind of odd so I started to play catch with him. Of course, they play football, but the real football (soccer) so he didn't know how to throw the football properly. I showed him how to throw it and pretty soon there were other boys coming and wanting to play catch. Eventually the guard that was there joined in and we played catch with the boys for about an hour and a half. It was pretty neat and I'm sure it's something I'll remember for a long time. I can definately see how it will be great to have kids of my own (so don't worry Mom, you'll have grandchildren eventually - but probably not for a few years).

Church

I've been going to a church here called Northmead Assembly Of God. It is very similar to a Pentacostal church or Assembly of God church in Canada. The senior pastor, Bishop Banda, is the one that is in charge of the Lazarus Project, where I am working. He is very energetic when he speaks and the services are usually pretty long (today it started at about 7:30 AM and went to 10:45 AM). So Grace Christian Fellowship seems short compared to here!! It is pretty interesting being the only white person in the service but I think I'm pretty used to it.

Other Notes

Today I am going to the Canadian High Commission for a Thanksgiving Day celebration. I know it's not the 'real' Thanksgiving but it will do!! For those of you in the United States I will remember you when it's Thanksgiving!!

Anyway, I want to thank everyone who has been reading this blog and for those who have posted a comment. It is always wonderful to hear from people, even if it's just a short note. I know Claudia and I will have many wonderful stories to tell when we return.

Until next time...Goodluck and Godspeed

Happy Thanksgiving

Although they do not celebrate Thanksgiving here in Zambia, I want to wish everyone in Canada a very happy Thanksgiving! The Canadian High Commission is having a Thanksgiving Day celebration tomorrow so I will be able to celebrate with everyone in Canada.

Sorry about the pictures from the last post. For whatever reason, Claudia and I (and our friend Vanessa) can not get pictures to post on our blogs. Maybe it has something to do with being in Africa, who knows! Anyway, I will send an e-mail with pictures attached so people can get an idea of what it's like here.

I've been here for two and half weeks now and I've been out of Canada for almost three. I am enjoying it here. The people are pretty friendly and I am getting to know people. I just tried to add a picture and it worked. This is the cooks at the Lazarus Project, a gentleman named William (who speaks French better than English so I've been practicing - boy am I rough!!) and me.


Since my bag got left behind in London and didn't arrive until the Thursday after I did (I arrived on Tuesday) and I left my razor in it, I didn't shave for 5 days. So I decided to not shave for a few more days. I think it wasn't until the next Saturday that I shaved (almost two weeks). Nick, you're not the only one with a red beard!!

Anyway, I guess the big news for this week is that I was out driving a tractor for the first time. I got to practice a bit on an empty field and then I had to plow a small part of another field for Oscar, one of the garden workers. I think I will be doing a lot more plowing in the next couple of weeks, as we have to get the fields ready to plant the maize as soon as possible. Besides planting maize, we are also going to plant soya beans. They are more profitable than maize so as long as we grow enough maize for the boys to eat we can sell the soya beans for some cash. They also help the soil a lot by fixing nitrogen that can be used the following year to grow other crops.

Other than that, not too much else is new. I am enjoying my time here and it is always nice to hear from people. Also, if you would like me to send you a post card or letter please e-mail me with your address and I will send one (my e-mail is dj4brown@gmail.com).

Here are the rest of the pictures that I couldn't post last time. The first is Frau Koehler (First Lady of Germany) who was here on the Friday after I arrived. She was with UNICEF-Germany. It was quite impressive actually. I imagine Claudia and her parents are a little bit jealous that I got to meet her. I would have spoken German but I only really know one sentence (and it's "Do you speak German?") so it would have been a dumb question to ask Frau Koehler.

The second picture is the boys at the Lazarus Project at church the first Sunday I was at the project. Brother Paul led the service and we had it right at Lazarus. It was pretty neat.

The third picture is what Nshima looks like (their main meal). They eat it at pretty much all their meals and it is made from ground up maize. Before it is cooled it's called mealie meal.

The fourth picture is Paul standing on a pile of garbage. We walk over this pile every time we want to go into town. It usually smells bad and it's not the greatest sight in the world (especially for someone with a BES degree or a health degree!!)

I guess that's all for now. I didn't bring any other pictures with me but I'm sure I will have more next time. I hope everyone is doing well in their respective countries.

It would be great if people could pray about the hiring of a new Farm Manager. Pray that the right person would be hired to help make the farm self-sustaining. Pray also that I get my VISA (to stay in Zambia) sorted out. It is never an easy task to do.

Thanks for all your support. Goodluck and Godspeed