Above: Grinding up the maize into mealy meal...three cheers for yummy Shima.
Above: No wonder the women are ripped. This is HARD work.
Above: Check out these digs for the chickens.
Above: Yes, this is an ant hill.
Above: Their dish cabinet.
What a special day and amazing family. Until next time. Brucie.
“In this world you WILL have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
I don’t pity the people I meet here. That’s not what they need. They need fulfillment. But so do Americans. So do I. I’ve realized that we are all yearning for something that nothing worldly can supply. Sometimes we search for it in relationships, material goods, medication, alcohol, etc., but our souls are restless for something more. Sure, these people live on very little and have less access to medical care while Americans drown in stuff, but neither way is satisfying.
There is so much brokenness in the world – not just Africa. The more I learn, the more frustrated and skeptical I become, but at the same time I realize that there is hope. Why? Because I serve the God of hope who is sovereign and omnipotent.
We want answers and solutions now, and while I believe it’s vital to keep striving and working towards fixing problems and serving our brothers and sisters, we need to keep in mind that this brokenness will not be gone until the Lord comes back. Humans are not the answer. We may not cure AIDS. We may not end world hunger. We may not eradicate poverty. But Christ will…and that’s reason enough to hope and continue working. Until next time. Brucie
Above: Uncle Joe
Above: Christina and I playing with the other camera..paparazzi shot :)
Above: Close-up Selfies :)
Above: haha love this one
These pictures don't necessarily apply to my post's content, but I want you to see what I'm seeing...and how stinking happy I am to be here :)
In my history class today we watched a documentary that ripped the rug out from underneath of me. So often, Americans get weak in the knees when they see pictures of starving children and immediately flip open their checkbooks and write huge, fat checks to various foreign aid organizations. But, have you ever questioned where that money goes? Have you ever wondered how even though millions and maybe even billions of dollars of aid are poured into developing countries each year, those countries are still full of starving children and failing economies?
The documentary we watched was about 3 brothers and a cousin who spent six months traveling in Africa (Cairo to Cape Town) trying to figure out where the money is going and if it is being effective.
What I am learning is that so many Americans come in with a “savior” complex thinking that we know exactly what Africans need and exactly how they should do things. But if that is the case, how is there still such underdevelopment?
This is the part that blew my mind. One village/town has about 2,000 children who are sponsored by some organization, but the children rarely see any money. Most of that money goes to community development rather than directly to the children people think they’re sponsoring. Community development is great, but that is not necessarily where people think their money is going. Now I am not trying to group all sponsorship organizations into this statement, but that’s a little distressing. I have NEVER questioned where my tithe money goes…never.
But I think we need to be more aware of where our money goes. We need to ask questions and give to organizations that empower people rather than enable. I think it is so great if people are giving more money, but principles from the book When Helping Hurts is putting a lot in perspective for me here. How do we give in a way that is a hand-up, not a hand out? I haven’t figured it out. I’m frustrated because I want to know how, but like so many things here, I haven’t found the answer and it’s way too early to make conclusions.
I am overwhelmed by all of the differences. My history class has sparked so many amazing discussions, but it has made me realize how little I know. I’m loving this, but on information overload. Until next time.
Brucie
Here I am monitoring BP during surgery. Future OR nurse? We'll see about that :)
When in Zambia, do as the Zambians do - gnaw on sugar cane. Can't tame the sweet tooth.
After a week learning at the Salvation Army Hospital in the rural city of Chikankata, the team is at “home base” in Choma. It was a fabulous week and honestly I wish we were still there because the opportunities were pretty crazy – plus we start looonnngggg class days this week.
I so wish that I could document every little detail from Chik, but I’ll give you some highlights.
*Day 1: Helped out in the ART (Antiretroviral Treatment) clinic and had my eyes opened to HIV/AIDs. I still can’t wrap my mind around this virus…no two patients look the same.
*Day 2: Spent a solid 7 hours in the OR observing different surgeries including two hysterectomies (I got to hold lemon-size uterine fibroids) and a burn debridement (these burns were unbelievable).
*Day 3: Went into the community with the HAR (HIV/AIDS Response Team) – this program is unbelievable. It reaches out to patients and also OVCs (Orphans and vulnerable children). I was absolutely blown away by this program – its response to the AIDS epidemic is amazing.
So here’s where I’m at right now in terms of this trip - I’m going to be pretty transparent here for a few. I wish I could transfer everything I’ve seen to you all because you seriously wouldn’t believe it. I almost feel like this is fake – definitely an out of body experience. I am feeling A LOT of guilt (let me preface by saying that I know that is wrong, but I’m being honest).
I know that God is looking out for these people – and they know it too because their faith is unbelievable. However, I’m struggling to figure out why I’m here. I know 100% that God wants me here, but I almost feel like I’m at a museum or something. I observe things, take pictures, and then go home.
I want to do something tangible. I want to empty my wallet, distribute all the clothes in my suitcase, something – but I know that wouldn’t be effective.
I also know that Americans often come in with the mindset of doing rather than being, but I just wonder what these people think when we just come to their homes, ask them questions about how hard it is to be 60+ years old, raise 6 orphans, and have to provide food for all of them, and then say thanks and go.
I’m going back to America in 2.5 months, but this is their reality. I resent my upper-middle class status. I don’t understand why there is such disparity between my life and theirs. But I don’t know what to do with all of this because I see joy in their eyes that rich westerners don’t have.
I can feel myself almost shut down because I have no idea to respond. I am trying to remember that God is just as much here as he is in the States and that he is the God of hope….not hopelessness. But it is very hard to keep that perspective. This experience is tough in more ways than that, but it is good. Until next time.
Brucie
Our team stimulated the local economy in a major way today. The Zambians are unbelievable artists and craftsmen – I have never seen such beautiful woodcarvings, paintings, and textiles. I am pretty excited about all of the goodies I am going to bring home, but it got me thinking about something. At the market we were all hoping to bargain to get the best deal possible, but the craftsmen we bought from were trying to make enough to live.
Bartering is fun, but I have seen unbelievable poverty here, and getting a deal doesn’t seem like the biggest deal anymore. Yes, some of the merchants may try to take advantage to wealthy westerners, but I paid unbelievably little for things that took days and even weeks to carve. About 5,000 Kwacha = $1. I did not pay more than $60,000 Kwacha for any of my purchases…that’s less than $12 for ridiculously intricate pieces.
So who is in the wrong here? The merchant trying to get a few extra bucks out of me or me being selfish and trying to spend as little as possible. My Zambian friend Martin told me that I needed to buy from him because today was his 24th birthday. 15 minutes later he told my friend it was his 26th…Martin ages quickly apparently. So he was probably lying, but let’s be real, he needs the money more than I do. I think I’ll be all right if I spend a little extra. Now I’m not going to let myself be completely ripped off, but I’m going home to my middle-class home in a few months while he stays here carving to survive.
It’s counter-cultural to think about how others will benefit in a situation rather than myself, but I think I can see the Lord already trying to teach me that. I pray that he will continue to open my eyes to things in Zambia and change my heart to live for more than myself.
Until next time. Brucie
Greetings from Zambia!! The capital, Lusaka, has fairly decent internet - (we’re all squeezed into a bedroom waiting in line for the single Ethernet cord, so I thought I’d check in quickly and catch everyone up on this adventure so far. After close to 22 hours of flying (thank goodness for Tylenol PM and lots of movies – Don’t let Twilight fool you, Robert Pattinson is actually a good actor), we arrived in Zambia.
Lusaka looks much different from what I saw anywhere in Sierra Leone. It is very westernized and we spent much of today at a modern shopping mall, aka an arcade. Lots of people drive nice cars and there is a golf course near where we’re staying. I’m sure that things will change once we leave the capital on Tuesday, but it’s funny how what we expect isn’t always reality.
Something that amazes me (not in a good way), are the disparities between the wealthy and the impoverished. Here we were at a shopping mall packed Range Rovers, nicely dressed nationals, and expensive clothing stores, but right outside the gate there were beggars who pleaded for assistance outside of our car windows and people sleeping on cardboard surrounded by trash. How does that happen? I’m still working over the concept of giving a hand-up rather than a hand-out…does our idea of helping actually hurt rather than empower?
Well, the adapter is buzzing at me like an angry hornet (that can’t be good), so I think I’d better cut this off and unplug my computer. Until next time.
“For by him and for him all things were created.”
