We made it home in one piece. It was a LONG journey (to say the least), but I am so glad I got to see my wonderful family!Our flights home were smooth as they could be and all our checked bags made it safely to LAX! Thank goodness:) After 35 hours of flying, I stayed in Camarillo with my Mom and spent two nights getting over terrible jet lag. Thanks for taking care of me mom:)

The End Leading to a New Beginning:

During our last few hours in Ndola, we had devotions like usual at 7:45am and I was in tears as the whole team in Zambia prayed over us for a safe journey home. I shook everyone’s hands goodbye while I had tears roll down my face. I really didn’t want to leave Africa. Two years later, here I am, back from the special adventure God prepared me for and sent me on. I learned so much from those beautiful people. Most unexpectedly, I learned and grew so much more in the Spirit of God. My heart will be forever touched by the children and kind people of Ndola. I am so blessed to have had an opportunity to travel to the other side of the world and try to make a difference. May all the glory go to Jesus.

This experience was so wonderful. Thank you for all of your encouragement, support, and love. I wouldn’t be here today without the special way each one of you has touched my heart and life. I love you!

Many Blessings,

Alyssa*

  Well, here it began and here it ends. Yet, I sense this is only the beginning of what God wants to do with my simple, little life. After only a short two weeks, I must endure another 25 hours of flying and a total of almost 32 hours when you include layover time, to get back to luxurious California to be with you. I am happy I get to see your faces soon, but my heart has truly been moved here in Ndola. Since I came face to face with how 80% of the world survives, I don’t think I will ever view life in the States in the same way. Funny as it may sound, the people who live here do not see their situation as bad as we westerners do. They just live more simply and are always welcoming. I bet everyone of us could learn a lot from these people. I know I sure have:)

   So now for my last Africa entry before I hit the sack. Today was our last day. We had devotions, where Rob led the Bible study and I sang for worship. It was such a blast to glorify God! Then, we had some down time, getting our stuff together and getting ready to go shopping and visit our well one last time. We hopped in the van around 11AM and drove first to the Fire Brigade because Rick (our team member) is a firefighter back in SLO and he really wanted to see a Zambian Fire Station. After, we got some more Kwatcha for Maureen and headed to a market on the outskirts of Ndola. It was our first time going over 35 miles and hour on a Zambian road, since we had to use a road similar to a freeway that was thankfully paved. We pulled over and went nuts! They had all sorts of goodies, including animal carvings, paintings, copper bracelets, and baskets. Most things were dirt cheap. If not, we bargained:) I got this incredible mural for K50,000 (= $10)!!!!! Oh Yea I bargained!

    Once we were wiped out from shopping, we went to lunch. We ate at our favorite place called ShopRite and we all got chocolate malts to celebrate our trip. From there, we drove to our well in Kabushi, where the drill was working and we actually got to see some action! I saw a lot of the same children and one little girl in particular that was absolutely adorable. I couldn’t understand her name, but I did get some pictures with her:) I will show you when I get home. The most comical part of our trip was how Maureen wanted so badly to carry a baby on her back all the women and girls throughout Africa. She tried asking young girls holding their brothers and sisters, but none let her do it. She even brought her Shitangae (the skirt material) yesterday to put the baby in, but no takers. Haha, Maureen cracks me up!

  Lastly, we stopped one more time on our way home to buy some more Shitangaes at the marketplace. I bought six more and cannot wait to share them! Unfortunately we were unable to go to a game park to see any “African” animals, but I am okay with that. I saw chickens, pigs, crows, butterflies, bees, dogs, more chickens, and a mongoose! I know I will be coming back to see the elephants and zebra someday soon:)  Tonight, after getting home, I packed and now need to get to sleep! Thank you for all of your support and encouragement, you mean the world to me and I love you so much!

Talk to you when I am home in the U.S.-

Alyssa*

  Sunday was pretty uneventful except for the fact that I stayed at home with Rob and uploaded more stuff on this blog I felt slightly ill in the morning and decided to stay home and rest. Major Brownie Points to Rob for staying home just to take care of me:):) I love him so much! We missed church and lunch out, but when the rest of our team got home we went for an evening walk (evening is about 5:30pm here because the sun sets around 6pm) and bought little goodies from the markets on the street near our house. We had Zambian cookies, drinks, and candies! Yummy:)

  Today was long, but blessed. We woke up early for devotions and then were off to find a site to dig our bore-hole well. We went around and then decided on a place in the middle of Kabushi (pronounced Kawushi). We hung out all day preparing the sight and taking film/pictures. We sang and danced with over 60 children who had come to see what was going on with all the noise we were making. After a few hours there, Rob and I were both tired and starving. We chilled for a while, walked around, and then finally went back into town with our team right before sunset for a delicious dinner at a restaurant.

Now, the story behind the well is that our church in SLO raised $5,000 to put in a well that would benefit the most needy community. While selling water bottles with the words ”Sent 2009″ for our trip over the period of a few months, God blessed us with enough money to get  the well. It was pretty cool to witness the drilling of this well people sponsored back in Cali, halfway across the world!

  One other thing we saw today as we searched out well sites was devastating– women washing their clothes in run-off from a water treatment plant. This one location looked like paradise with banana trees, green flora, and vegetables growing all around. It did not appear to be Africa. The little river running through the lush surroundings was crystal clear and children were playing in it.Unfortunately, the water everyone was standing in was run-off, fresh out of a water treatment plant (imagine all our dirty toilet water being slightly sanitized and dumped). This is a main factor as to why people are sick and diseased:( We prayed for all those individuals…

  Tomorrow is our last day! Hopefully I can update you soon:)

Love and Blessings,

Alyssa

  Yesterday was a more mellow day. We woke up to devotions, where Bobby(my pastor) gave a message on giving our heart 100% to God and being transformed from the inside out. Then, we waited around for two hours until we left to check out some rural villages for a spot to put a well that we sponsored through our church. On our adventure, while traveling through Mushili, we met with this woman named Joyce who is running a Educational/Bible school that provides a meal for children who participate. Joyce told us that most times the meal they serve is the only meal the children get in the day. Now, this is no ordinary school. Imagine walking into a building that looks like a store front in a ghost town and inside there are only two benches that would fit three adults. It was a large place, with a lot of rooms and a ton of love. Although it was a newer building without furniture, these women who volunteered five days a week to help the kids have a hopeful future, had a heart of gold. We prayed over Joyce and her staff, then left for lunch. We decided the well would fit best near a church where it can be watched over because it is common for wells and public showers to be vandalized. The poverty makes people desperate.

  At lunch, I spent a grand total of $6.00(I gave ten with tip) for a cheeseburger, fries, and chocolate shake. I know, I know, I said I was going to stop eating meat, but I was informed that it is safer to eat the meat vs. the salad since they may not properly wash the salad. The place we went to eat was higher class, too. After, we went shopping for groceries and shitangae’s!!!! A shitangae is the traditional skirt the African women wear here and it is what I have been wearing. So, we went into this giant marketplace that is a huge maze. It reminded me of something you would see in Jesus’ time. I bought many of these skirts to bring back for only $2-$4 a piece. In the evening we came home and chilled out.

  Today we finally got to sleep in. We hung out at home until 2pm and from there we went into a village to show the Jesus movie. The turn out was incredible! 400 people showed up to see a film on Jesus’ life and around 40 people gave their life to Christ. It was a bit overwhelming and intimidating because I was the only white woman and the three guys were the only white guys. It was also nighttime and we were sitting in the middle of the huge crowd. I always stayed right near a guy or two for protection since the most intimidating individuals were the teenage guys. Otherwise, I really enjoyed it!

Oh yea, one other thing, I went to the bathroom in a latrine (an outdoor toilet). I cannot believe I did it! Basically, as we walked around these 3rd-world villages our whole time here, they had a little square of earth big enough for one adult to fit into, enclosed with trash and plastic bags. This was their bathroom. I never wanted to look into one until today. I had to go #1 soooo bad that I did it. All the square had was a hole in the earth for going to the bathroom in. I was proud of myself:)

  Well, it is time for bed! We are going to church bright and early!

Love you and will see ya soon,

Alyssa*

A Mapalo Woman...

  Check out Flikr, I uploaded more pics there!

Today was a little slower, yet very interesting. We had devotions in the morning and then left for Mapalo to deliver Biosand Filters so that the rural community can have clean drinking/cooking water. We drove to the same place I was yesterday for Hygiene training and delivered the filters to women who were in my class for that training. So this is the what and how on these incredible filters:     First, they make the filter out of cement here at the Seeds of Hope house, employing Zambians who benefit since employment is close to 80-90%! After they cast the mold, which stand 3 1/2 feet tall and is hollow in the center, they let water sit in the filter to make the cement stronger. From there, a few days later, the workers deliver the filters to women/households that have undergone the sanitation and hygiene training. The only way someone can get a filter is if they do the training.

    Wheel-barreling the filter to houses that are 3rd world, clay and thatched roofs style, one of the main workers explains and answers all questions about how the filter works and what the people need to do to maintain the filter. Rob and I stood inside the huts as we listened to and watched how the filter is put together and works. The filter is delivered hollow, but sand, and various sizes of rocks are put in to filter out pathogens on the day of delivery. In short, the sand suffocates pathogens and completely purifies the water. Along with a bio-layer that is at the top of the filter in two-inches of water, the water comes out so clean:) We use this same filter to clean our ground water for drinking and cooking! It tastes better than bottled water!! As we walked along the dirt roads to deliver the the filters in the rural villages, children called out to us, saying, “Mazungu!” They also stood at the doorways of the huts we delivered to, watching us as if we were giant lollipops;)

   Then, after delivering two filters, we went back to our meeting spot (on a main road in the village where women had tables set up trying to sell dried fish and yams) and we waited for a few hours for our truck to come pick us up. This was definitely Africa time. While standing around, a drunk woman walked by and started talking to us in Bemba. Supposedly it is very common for people to just be drunk all the time because they would rather feel full than starving. This woman wanted money from us. She had 8 children and her husband had died. She had to fend for herself, so here she was begging and paying her respects to us. It was very sad. We saw her two more times before leaving. Also, she was the third person who thought I could speak Bemba…I guess it might be because I wear Shitangaes(an African wrap/skirt). I also looked into her eyes as she spoke. I wish I could speak their language:) I am getting there slowly.  Finally our truck picked us up and I rode with most of the guys in the bed. What a blast! We bumped along dirt roads, waving to villagers saying, “Muli Shani”, and enjoying the warm Zambian wind. I never want to leave this place.

  Lastly, after dinner (Maureen made the best pasta ever!!), I washed my laundry in a bucket and hung it on close lines outside of our house. Then, I took my nightly shower (this is one of the best parts of the day after getting dirty) and here I am typing to you. I will let you know what we do tomorrow! One last thought, I never want to leave this place, I love it here!!!

God Bless,

Alyssa

   Monday and Tuesday we spent time (9am- 12noon) unpacking boxed donations for the orphanages. It was a lot of hard work. We still had a great time knowing all this work is for Jesus. Then we had lunch, which, by the way, is always much needed. We eat pretty normal (U.S. style), but I have found myself always starving by meal times. After lunch on both days, we visited an orphanage with hundreds of children. All of them ran up to us and called us “Mazungu”(i.e.- European/white person), grabbed our hands, and wanted attention. They were adorable! We hung out there for a couple hours and asked what they needed. On Tuesday, we showed up with close to 50 boxes of shoes & clothes, toys, school supplies, and diapers. That day we hung out for 4 hours with the kids. We didn’t hand out the donations, but rather played with the kids with a few of our favorite ,donated toys we had put to the side. The children ranged from newborn infants, mentally challenged, and up to 17 years old. I loved the new babies.

    The funniest thing was after the 6-12 month old babies finished their nap the nannies that work there take the babies out of their cribs and lay them on the ground. From there, they all crawl out of the room to the outside and sit on their designated mat. I don’t know how they know where to go or why they stay on the mat, but they do;) I also made a little friend named Dorca. She was mentally challenged, but she knew who I was and stayed glued to my side and hand, like a magnet. We also hung out with the physically disabled children, many of whom cannot walk and are laying on mats inside their room. This is where we brought laughing Elmo, who falls over laughing when you press his belly. Elmo was a hit with all the kids! The saddest part about the time with the children at St. Anthony’s Orphanage is that Maureen (the head lady who works every day with the kids) said that it is rare that any children get adopted because Zambia’s government does not let anyone adopt the children outside of the country. We also learned that many of the kids have HIV/AIDS We did not know which ones had AIDS, but it was probably for the better. All the kids needed love and attention. This was especially obvious when we saw babies that looked like 9 months but were actually 3 years old!! I couldn’t believe it! We think it may be malnutrition before they went to the orphanage and never getting enough touch since there are a million kids and almost no nannies. Pray for these little guys…they need the hope and direction for their futures.

  Leaving the orphanage, we were flat out tired. Every night we come home so tired, we share the impressions we had for the day, and then pray for each other and the Zambians.     

    Today we had devotions at 7:45am and then left for hygiene training. Maureen and I (the Maureen on the team from my church) went to Mapalo village with one of the head women named Flavia who runs the hygiene training. Driving out to this rural compound (this is the Africa you see on T.V.) we went to a school that was inside a walled area to teach the women how to wash their hands (right up your alley Rochelle), talk about town problems, and discuss hygiene. We listened the whole time as they spoke in Bemba (their native tongue). We sat next to our own personal translator and the women chatted about how to solve their problems. I took many pictures and cannot wait to share them with you!  The neatest thing was hearing about the traditions that are standing in the way of change. Many believe, for example, because they used to live one way, they should still be able to cook and drink water the same way in current times. One specific example is traditionally grandparents wash their hands in a bowl of water and then give that same water to their children to drink. Can you imagine?? This experience in the school was like being a part of a tribe in Africa. It was basically a town meeting, the women openly breast feeding with the men right there and everyone was in traditional dress.

  To answer Roche’s comment/question, the people are incredibly welcoming, warm, and friendly. Everyone waves at you, smiles, and says “Muli shani=how are you?”. My reply is always “Bwino=similar to ‘bueno’ in Spanish”. Haha, picking your nose in public is also common. Everyone does it–> I have yet to have a desire to do that;) Also, I dress like a nun! Skirts to the ground,tennis shoes, and long-sleev shirts. I also have a wide brimmed hat that is very feminine:) Good times.

  Well, I must be off to bed. Sleep deprivation has the best of me at 6:30am!

Love and blessings,

Alyssa*