Our Last Visit this Trip to the House that GEMS Built

Wow! Can’t believe where the days are going! They are just flying by, seems I get up and do a few things, and the next thing, I’m sitting here journaling my day.



Another sunny day, not sure what happened to the rains, but I’ll take sun over rain any day, especially knowing I’m going home to Michigan where I might not see the sun again for months. I do wonder how my body is going to respond to the cold, I am always cold, but not since I’ve been here. Now, the coolest my body has been is probably 75 degrees, one of the mornings when I woke up. It is usually around 81 to 84 degrees when I drift off to sleep, and around 77 or 78 when I wake up around 5 AM. To come home to a thermostat set at 70 is going to seem like I’m freezing! Should be interesting!


Today, Catherine arrived about 8 hours and we rolled out the batting, and began cutting it, first in 4 meter lengths, then 16” strips, and the in 8” squares, and then cut the 16” in half. We got 190 squares out of the 4 meter section. We got 9 – 4 meter sections out of the roll.

Cutting the batting into 4 meter pieces

Even Siwale was helping

While Catherine was cutting, Siwale and I went to the Bible Society. I purchased 12 Bibles, and told them we would be back to buy approximately 500, the last week of April. She said she would be sure to have them in stock for us in April. I priced the larger print Bibles, but the cost is so much more, the small print NIV are 50,000 and the larger print is 180,000. That is a huge difference. They did have a really nice Children’s Story Bible there for 35,000 that would be great for the Awareness groups at GEMS.


Then back to Kamwala, would this be my last trip this time? Maybe, maybe not, we need one more roll of batting to have enough for the fabric we have on hand for the clubs. Siwale said he could get that if I wanted him to next week. We’ll see what tomorrow holds.


One thing I learned is to watch very carefully, the shop owners in Kamwala don’t like it when you tell them they shorted you. As Catherine and I were cutting the prints, there was one that was only 8 meters instead of 12. I took the fabric back with me this morning, and Mr. Patel was not there, only his nephew, who waited on me yesterday. When I said we were shorted he became very angry at one of his employees, which I felt was very unjust! He had handled every piece we bought yesterday, and he didn’t notice one was less fabric. When Mr. Patel was doing the counting last week, he picked one up and said this is not right, they measured and it was a short piece. I commented on how well he knew his product. He said after a while you can feel if it is 12 meters or 8 meters just by the weight. They gave us another 4 meters, but it was not a happy experience. Then we went to the store where they have the batting, and we only got 36’ meters out of what was supposed to be 40 meters, oh boy, that didn’t go over well either. That shop owner says he is a very honest man, and if he said it was 40 meters, it would be 40 meters, and he accused us of cutting it wrong. So he took the 40 meter roll of batting we were about to buy, and unrolled it and measured it for me, and it was 40 meters plus. He was not about to give me any money back or make any restitution for the so called shortage, as he put it, “you must have measured wrong!” I paid  for it, and Siwale stuffed it in the back seat, this time without the dirty plastic, because they took that off to measure it, which both Siwale and I appreciated! We brought the batting back and then Siwale and I headed to Arcades, Siwale needed to return a lock he got for the gate, that wasn’t big enough, and I needed to make some copies, we were back in short order.


We got back to the service center to find Stephanie and Catherine sitting on the floor cutting batting. They were cutting the squares to go with the fabric that is going to Ndola. Catherine said the last time they gave Ndola 4 meter pieces they cut it poorly and wasted lots of it, so if she cuts it, it will be right! Sylvia was suppose to come today, but as of now hasn’t shown up. I’ve called her multiple times, I’ve sent her two text messages, I’ve called Judith’s phone, and I got nothing. I called Grace back and she called Sylvia’s son and left a message with him, about picking up the fabrics, and still haven’t heard from her or has she returned any of my calls.


Thursdays are suppose to be Catherine’s day away from the service center, but she came in this morning to get the batting all set for Ndola. We had PB &J’s together, and then we packed up the batting, she started off just before 13 hours.


Stephanie and I headed over to the House that GEMS Built, and spent some time with the kids. The GEMS team gave them a CD/Radio/Tape player and a CD of the new CD by Sarah Berry with the recording of the African girls singing the last song, for Christmas. We bought one for each of the four EOH houses in Lusaka. I had dropped the ones off to EOH houses one and two on our way back from Arcades this morning. Charles was there and he is quite a young man now, said to say hello to all the GEMS ladies. Bringing them to house three and four, was much more fun, because other than Charles, we know all the kids at these houses. Juliet was there, but Florence had gone to the clinic and got back got about a half hour before we left. We gave the kids the CD players, and they were so excited. Usually we greet them indoors and then head out to play games, I said lets go out and I need to get pictures of everyone to bring back to Auntie Jan, so I did that, and we took some pictures of the kids, and then instead of wanted to play a game, they wanted to go back inside and dance. Juliet went and got a cassette tape, and dance they did! Oh my, it was so fun watching them. They all danced in a circle and then one at a time they would go into the middle and do a special little step, Stephanie and Auntie Barb both had to dance too! They had such fun; it was so good to see them so happy! After dancing they played a game, a relay game, they had two teams it was the boys against the girls. The game is one that we play with a coin and if it is heads the first person is the only one with their eyes open and they squeeze the hand of the next person, and right down the line, the one at the end you grabbed the bottle first won. They used a bottle cap, right side up no squeezes, wrong side up squeezes. They played and the girls won every time, so they mixed up the teams, and then the winning was more even. When they tired of that one they said teach us a new game, Stephanie didn’t have any, so I reverted to our old stand by for our GEMS girls. The rhythm number game! One, one –six, six Six, six –twelve twelve. It took them a few minutes to catch on once they did, they loved it, and they played it for over an hour. Finally, around 3:30 I told them one more round, and I think they went three! But then it was time for us to go, hugs and loves, and Esther asked for a grade 8 English book, Ida for grade 5 books, Math, English and Science. They so badly want to learn. They carried our bags and walked hand in hand with us back to the Service Center, more hugs and the girls all grabbed some flowers for their hair and to carry back, and then they were gone! Until April!

Esther

Ida

Cholwe

Lisa

Billet

Maya

Clement

Dixon

Cynthia

David

James

Dan

Michael

Dorcus

Edna

Mary

All the kids from house 3 & 4

Trying to figure out the new CD player

Dancing for Jesus

Playing the squeeze game- eyes all tightly closed

Playing the Rythum Game

Stephanie checked her emails, then I checked on the storm that is supposed to be a blizzard back home, doesn’t sound much like a blizzard, just winter in Michigan.


I made supper, guess what it was…..if you guessed chicken you are correct! How many ways can you prepare a chicken breast in Zambia? I think I feel a cook book coming on, in that regards!


Now, we are sitting here in the dark, and waiting for the power to come back on. I even went and took my bath after the power went out, because if I wait, the water is turned off. A lantern gives just enough light in a small bathroom, to make it work!


What a joy to spend the afternoon at the house, and see the kids laughing, joking, teasing and between the boys there was some pushing and shoving, just like kids everywhere. What did I see? I saw kids who love to be together, being part of a great big family, with loving mom ma’s showering them with love and affection. Florence sends her love to her American family, she pointed to the picture of the team that hangs on the wall. She said, “That is the team, but I too, am a part of the team!” We all work together for these kids. She was so thankful for the CD/Radio! “Thank everyone, for me and send them my love!”

More great presents to store in my heart and bring home with me!