TIA!!

This Is Africa!

Namwianga was hit last weekend by one of the worst storms of the past 5 years; it tore off roofs, blew down fences, and damaged trees. We experienced straight-line winds, hail, thunder, and lightning! What made it most exciting was being caught out IN this storm! A few of us had walked to Kalomo that morning and the storm began while we were on our way home. We sought shelter at the Namwianga clinic, but not before we were soaked to the bone and shivering cold! We then watched and listened as the storm was loosed!

The recent increase in rain has plagued us with millions of insects! We first experienced an ant infestation in our house; they came in large numbers under our front and back doors and got into everything! Next came the flying termites; they’re a couple centimeters long and have wings similar to dragonflies’. They are attracted to light and come out only at night, so it’s best to leave porch lights off! Otherwise they will accumulate in layers, one on top of another, right outside the front door! These also crawl under the doors and get into our house! I feel as if we’re getting a taste of the Old Testament plagues!

And if the bugs’ just existing wasn’t enough, here they are also a snack. The Zambians catch the termites, roast or fry them, and eat them! They are called “nswa.” Soon after the termites’ appearance, Charity (one of our GBCC friends) brought us a bag of roasted nswa. They taste like burnt popcorn, but are small enough that it’s difficult to chew and swallow them – they just stick in your teeth!

I haven’t yet learned how to prepare nswa, but last night Falesi and Christine (GBCC girls) taught Katie and me to make nshima and several kinds of relish. Nshima is Zambia’s staple dish, made from ground maize. It’s eaten with “relish” which could be meat, vegetables, or broth. We had green beans fried with tomatoes, okra boiled in water and baking soda, and kapenta – baby fish!

This week we are studying for finals and spending as much time as we can with our GBCC friends and haven babies. Kiki is finally taking her first steps, and I’m hoping Bethany is close behind! It is my goal to have them both walking by the time we leave!

On Thursday, as our “final” for our Tonga class, we will be performing skits – in Tonga – during GBCC chapel. The President of Harding, Dr. Burks, arrives with his wife on Saturday and will be with us as we travel to Kenya and Uganda.

Please pray for us as we prepare for our trip to Kenya and Uganda and especially as we wrap up things here and get ready to leave Namwianga. We prefer to not talk about it, but as the time draws near we are faced with reality, and already we are experiencing the difficulties of saying goodbye.