Caution: May Contain Nuts

We spent the first few weeks of June on a field trip in the Eastern Province of Zambia.  This was our first time to stay in villages and “camp it out” with the whole family.  Having Abby along not only made this possible, but even enjoyable.

We started our trip in Lusaka, collecting a trailer load of the books, Bibles, and materials from the container.  Many thanks to those who have kept these supplies in prayer, the termite problem seems to be resolved, with no damage to ANY of the materials inside!  This is nothing short of miraculous when you consider the size and voracious appetite of African termites.  Abby helped Timothy load box after box on the truck, only grimacing a little as she got coated in dust, grime, and termite poo.



Before leaving Lusaka for the 10 hour drive to Chipata, we had to get Interpol police clearance for our truck, as we intended to take it into Malawi.  This is just one of the legal wrangles (read: government fund raising opportunities) involved with vehicle movement in Africa.  On the way out of Central Province, we stopped at Covenant College in Petauke, where Timothy spent many of his early missionary days.  We found that the three cattle he had kept while living there had become the foundation for a small herd, helping to support the ministry there!  The kids were very good on the road, although they were exhausted and cantankerous by the time we reached our friends’ lodging place in Chipata.  The Breytenbachs blessed us with rooms that night, in lieu of camping plots.  After the long day on the road, a hot shower and decent bed were an incredible and unexpected blessing.



Over the weekend Timothy, Abby, and I all had opportunities to speak, teach, and minister to various people.  Aside from preaching, Timothy was able to spend time training teachers and pastors and distribute a lot of Bibles and school materials.  Abby taught her first lesson to Africans, and she did a great job negotiating the language barrier.  Monica had a blast with the kids and showed her growing independence by heading into town all on her own.  AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!  Thank God for His protection over our little ones; Monica was brought back by a helpful (if incredulous) African youngster.  African children are NOT independent AT ALL.  Monica always astonishes our African friends with her confidence and ingenuity (to word it euphemistically).  Frederick was truly the prince of the party, as he was passed from lap to adoring lap all throughout our trip.  I don’t think his little body touched the ground for two solid weeks.

 

Saturday evening Abby had her first taste of village chicken.  She asked why I had just gotten chips.  She found out.  Most of the time we had our meals around a campfire or charcoal cooker (the gas cooker we brought along broke on the very first day).  Abby became quite a proficient fire tender (add that to her growing list of African skills).

“Ah…. … Ashley,” Dr Hassasing sighed as he leaned back in his worn, vinyl chair. “Didn’t I tell you NOT to take Frederick into any of the villages this winter?” The gentle Indian voice that generally brings solutions and comfort now sent a chill spike of worry down my spine. I HAD been told. I had even thought twice before popping Frederick into his little carseat and heading out for our two week field trip in the bush. But he’d only looked at Frederick for sixty seconds- what did he find in such a cursory examination??

I gulped and asked the question that every mother in Africa utters with trepidation, “What does he have?” I braced myself to hear the words “needs a hospital” or “blood transfusion” (not unusual with most African diseases).

“German Measles.” Hassasing had the nerve to smile.

Virtually irradicated in the West by the MMR vaccine, German “measles” (so called for the rash) is very, very common in all parts of Africa. It’s no more dangerous than the common flu if treated carefully and precautions are taken against the baby getting croup. GM gets out of hand in the villages because they don’t take care of the diarrhea, fevers, and hacking cough- in which case this relatively benign illness can quickly become fatal to a small child.

So, while I feel stupid for hitting the trail without the doctors blessing, I know we are exceptionally blessed that it wasn’t something worse.

Now I know that Dr Hassasing isn’t paranoid. He’s experienced. Praise God for the blessing of a good local doctor.

Oh, and I have German Measles too, by the way. Awesome.

We’re so happy to have Abby with us for the next two months! She is here to help us out, spend time with the kids, experience Africa, learn about missionary work, and lighten our life with her great sense of humor and beautiful smile. Frederick has already decided that she came for his exclusive benefit.

Besides filling our house with her fun-loving laughter, she has been incredibly helpful. Having an extra set of hands to help with the two babies has certainly made my life much more pleasant! She has also worked with several of the local missions, social work groups, and missionaries. We’re trying to give her a chance to experience Africa and ministry from a variety of angles. In June and July we are working with the OM Pro Christo mission doing various local outreaches. We’re blessed to live close to a large mission like this one, as they are more easily able to organize large scale outreaches. This will be a GREAT opportunity for Abby to flex her developing missionary muscles! ; )

Tomorrow we are heading for the Eastern Province and Malawi. This part of Zambia is quite different from Kabwe both in climate and culture. We’re “looking forward” to our first camping trip with both babies. And we’re soooooooo glad to have Abby along with us!!! (We hope she survives the 10 hour trip in the backseat with the babies…. maybe we’ll have to take turns….. )

Abby got a real missionary start this morning. We somehow didn’t communicate when she needed to be ready to go… so she got 15 minutes notice. She went from bed to dressed to the car in that time, missed coffee, and hardly got any breakfast. However, she walked out the door with a smile on her face, waving and telling me to have a nice day. Wow. Good job, Abby! (Watch out, mom & dad… this girl has what it takes!) I better be careful, though… if she keeps up like this, Pro Christo will try to steal her from me. Frederick would never forgive me.

Thanks to the Kutz Family for sharing her with us- she’s a real treasure!