We had a great day today. This morning we went to say goodbye to the District Commissioner. Then we unloaded door frames and cement and loaded the rest of the blocks to go to the plot.

Then we went to Kitwe to the Hotel Edinburgh to eat lunch. That is a nice place to eat, and it overlooks Kitwe. Also CNN was on and it was all about Paul Harvey. That was neat to be able to see. We had the buffet, and Clara and Caleb enjoyed one of their nice steaks. We wanted to celebrate Jennifer's Birthday (which will be March 19) with a great meal. Then we went to some shops and got her a Birthday gift. We all had a great time. Caleb got a "Cooker Switch" to fix the power to the stove which went out yesterday. This one should last for a long time. Caleb is a pretty good "handyman."

When we got back to Kalulushi, we went to the plot for the last time while here. It was very dry, so we walked on it and got some shots. Oh, I did find the one slick spot, and my feet went out from under me and I fell down hard. I can attest to the concrete being very solid now. It was pretty funny because I was videoing at the time, and got my own fall on video. That's how fast it happened. We laughed when we saw the video. I didn't even know it was still going. I referred to myself as "Humpty-Dumpty," but I don't think Clara could relate to that analogy.

Hey everybody in Michigan, please crank the temperature up before we get home!!! Please!!! We are used to 82 degree days now. Think you can come close to that? Even fifty degrees would be tolerable. So, crank up those heaters and open all your doors and windows and get it hot for us!

Thanks,

-Dr. Ben

 

 

Unloading door frames and more cement bags.

 

Loading the last of the blocks that were in Jennifer's front yard. It looks bare now.

 

About one third of the Bible Institute Students I taught on Sunday Afternoons the past three weeks. Our study was in Ephesians.

It is shortly coming to a close. Not only our trip, but also the use of the blog. I'll probably keep the blog for church purposes, just to keep people informed about what is going on, but Zambia things will come very sporadically in the future.

Well, we said our goodbyes to the people in the church today. They were most saddened by our leaving, but appreciative of our coming. Jennifer was not supposed to be teaching Sunday School class while we were here, but there were about fifteen of the children already at the church when we got there, so she decided to sing some with them, give them a Bible quiz, and a short lesson. I got some pictures which I will share below. I also got one of her holding one of the Zambian babies during the singing service. I preached on "Are you a Genuine Christian or a Fake?" They actually applauded at the end of my message. I didn't know what to do, so I gave the invitation anyway. I was wondering what I would think if the people at home applauded when I got through preaching. I would probably think they were happy I finally finished. We have a few days left, and I'm typing this just before I go and teach my last Bible Institute class. I am taking them through Ephesians this year. Three classes was really good to get into the word for them. The Police Officer I have gotten to know was in the service this morning for the first time. He has been a regular at the Bible Institute on Sunday Afternoons though.

 

Jennifer Greeting the children in her class

 

Daniel came up to sing a song for the class.

 

Teaching them a lesson on God looking on them from above.

Today was a day of visiting for Pastor Frazer, Bro. Evans, and me. We visited in several Zambian homes, were welcome in most but not in all. We were able to present the Gospel to everyone though. The last one I was in this evening was a Mr. Mulenga and his wife Emily's house. They are wonderful servants of God. He went to Bible school with the Brethren back in 1986. Since then he has started several churches, but is not a pastor but simply a Christian man who loves the Word of God. We were there when they had about 20 orphans from Kalulushi, which they invite to their house on Saturdays. They feed them and then give them Bible lessons on large posters which are from Creation to Christ. They are self-supporting and use all their money they make from their business to put into the ministry. When I closed in prayer it seemed like Christ was right there in the room with all of us.

Halfway during the day of visiting, I went home for lunch. At that time Bethany was not looking so good. She had, according to Jennifer, several symptoms of Malaria coming on. We took her to the Clinic in Kitwe right away to get her tested for Malaria. Every American has different symptoms when it starts coming on, but Bethany was bitten by a mosquito about 10 days ago, and that was just about the right gestation period to get the disease. So all the signs were there. However, there are so many headaches and stomach aches which all of us experience over here on almost a daily basis, that we just don't know what is what when it comes to how we really feel. Plus, the anticipation factor works on our brains also. She was very brave with the taking of her blood, and we had to wait several hours (about 4) before we could call and get the results of the test. Well, when I was at Mr. Mulenga's house, Jennifer called me and told me the test was negative. I was rejoicing inside a whole lot. I could just see us getting on the plane together on Tuesday and one of us coming down with Malaria while flying. I would rather it be me than my daughter of course. Jennifer is sending home Malaria medicine (the new good modern stuff) with us just in case. We have read the medical books over here that tell us that American doctors do not know how to treat Malaria in the U.S. So, it would be best if we treated it ourselves. There is also a place in London that is the best in the world at treating tropical diseases, so that would be an option once we get to London if either of us have it. Don't worry about us though. We really go through great precautionary measures to keep away from mosquitoes. And you moms teach your children about the Malaria-carrying mosquito, the Anopheles mosquito. It's very fascinating.

Bethany standing in front of the Company Clinic is Kitwe. She looks awfully happy for her symptoms.

 

Still a smile on her face. Not every mosquito carries the disease, but you can tell the one that does by how it bites you. It's probiscus enters with its body at a forty-five degree angle, and not parallel to the skin. I had a mosquito land on me while at the hospital with Pastor Frazer, but I smashed it before I could tell which angle it wanted to take. The best mosquito is a smashed mosquito. Mosquitoes that bite you during the day are okay also. But watch out for those at dusk.

OUCH! I remember this pricking thing during Chemotherapy. I cringed when the thing snapped.

 

They put it in a centrifuge to draw the heavier Malarial parisites to one end so they can tell if the person has the disease. The reason we had to call back was because the lab technicians were gone for a few hours when we got there. I was so glad when I heard the results.

Today was a day of meetings for me. The men loaded almost all the blocks from Jennifer's house to go out to the plot. That took about five or six trips loading over 350 blocks per load. There are only about 100 blocks left here at Jennifer's, but those will be taken Monday when the 30 bags of cement and five door frames are brought here to store in her garage. One door frame is a double door which will be the entrance to the church building. There were so many men out today to move the blocks that it didn't take very long at all. More and more people coming to help all the time shows me how excited they all are about their church being built.

I met again today for about an hour with Mr. Mutisa. We discussed several things pertaining to the church, the orphanage, and other past issues of importance. I did get to witness to him, and he confessed to me that he was "not a dedicated Christian," but "considered himself a God-fearing man." I told him to not let Christians he has known that have not represented Christ well hinder him, and that even though Christian missionaries may fail or lie in front of him that Christ has never failed him. I believe he appreciated my straight talk. I presented him with a copy of the new Law Center book "Approved by Man." He said he would always cherish that gift. He then stood up (which was difficult for him because his right leg had been broken a while back and he was on crutches), went to his bulletin board and removed a picture of himself which he signed and gave to me. He did ask me to have my church in the states pray for his broken leg. It was crushed a while back and he indicated it would never heal properly. He actually drew an arrow on the picture he gave me so that we all would know which leg to pray for. He said he wanted "specific prayer."

This afternoon, Jennifer and I met with the social children's head in Kalulushi, Mrs. Mumba. She is such a kind lady and wants to help the orphans in the area. She already treasures Jennifer as a friend and "partner" in helping orphans in the future in her district. I read the report which she sent to the capital to her superior about Jennifer. She was so excited because Jennifer would be approved to be having the first orphanage in her district in the whole Kalulushi area.

 

The men loading blocks to take to the plot so that Evans can start laying block for the walls. These are blocks which they made last April and May. That is Pastor Frazer in the middle of the picture in the gray shirt almost facing the camera. Notice he doesn't have his glasses on, so he will see 100% better by this time next week.

 

The Secretary, Jennifer, and Mrs. Mumba, the Kalulushi District Children's Head

 

District Commissioner Joshua Mutisa and me. I'm the one with the facial hair. Oh, and that's the book I presented him in front of me on the desk.

Today I met twice with the District Commissioner today. Mr. Joshua Mutisa is the highest officer in the entire area. He gave me a lot of insight into past situations he has handled, especially those pertaining to me personally. I so appreciated his wisdom in dealing with situations. He dealt with one as I sat there with him when the head police investigator came in with a situation I cannot put here on the blog. Maybe I can tell about it when I get home. I have access to him now, as he is appreciative to see me. I have another meeting with him in the morning.

We also went curio shopping for a bit today. That was exciting. I think I'm good at bargaining and negotiating. I did read my book on that subject.

The church men continued taking loads of building sand to the plot in anticipation of the walls going up. Tomorrow they will get thirty more bags of cement and the five door frames. That will be a great start to the walls going up. Here are some pictures of our loooong Saturday of the slab.

 

Caleb drawing water from the well and filling containers. You can partially see one of the other wells in the background.

Yesterday, we visited another group of missionaries who are very good friends of ours over here. We saw many people who we have known in years past. I will tell you all about this day when I get back. We had a wonderful visit with them.

Today was about priority #2 on my visit over here. That would be Pastor Frazer's eyes. He wanted me to bring him glasses from the states, which would have been approximately $300. When I went to the eye clinic in Manistee, the Opthomologist explained to me that Pastor Frazer didn't need new glasses, he needed completed cataract surgery. When they took out the cataracts, they did not put implants back into the eyes. Therefore, he has to wear basically coke-bottle glasses. We went to two really fine eye surgeons today, one in Kitwe, and one in Ndola. The first one referred Pastor Frazer to the second one, who would do the surgery. But we spent all day waiting for doctors again. Finally, about three p.m., we got in to see the referral doctor, who examined his eyes again. I have pictured that exam below. He stated that with two implants, that Pastor Frazer would be able to probably see 20/20 again. That would be for the first time in over twenty years!!! Until I came over, no one had ever explained to him the simple implant procedure which would revolutionize his vision. Believe me, I've ridden with him driving with his coke-bottles, and it's not fun. I really committed this to the Lord before I came. The average cost of the implant in the states is about $3000 per eye; so two eyes = $6000. The Surgeon below took into consideration that we were both pastors, and that he was doing both eyes. He said he would do each eye for 1,500,000 kwacha, or both for 3,000,000 kwacha. Folks, that would be $300 per eye! That's one-tenth the price of it being done there in the states. So, we scheduled an appointment for his first surgery on the day we fly out, next Tuesday. For the price of the thick glasses I would have had to bring for him, he can get one eye implant done. I'd call that a good deal. It really pained me to see him have to read his Bible with those thick glasses.

Please pray for these surgeries. Once he can really see again, he will have a whole new life. He will also know exactly how blind he is now. I was in the exams with him, and he cannot even read the top line of the chart without his thick glasses. The doctor told him his vision now was like walking around in a swimming pool, looking at the world like he was looking through all the water in the pool.

On the building front: Tomorrow they will bring ten loads of building sand to the plot. This, thirty more bags of cement, and about two-thousand blocks from Jennifer's house will be moved in the next few days in anticipation of Bro. Evans laying the block. So, we haven't slowed down on the building. We have just been waiting for the slab to dry out and harden, which takes five days.

Thank you so much for your prayers. For the building, for Pastor Frazer's eyes. For us and our trip.

-Dr. Ben

 

Pastor Frazer's final exam for his eyes.

 

Showing him the difference between his "coke-bottles" and the implant as to how well he will eventually see.

Hi there! We had a day of R&R, but it still wore us out. I took Pastor Frazer to Kitwe today in order to see an eye doctor. He had cataracts taken out of both of his eyes years ago, and he can hardly see well without his thick glasses. We went to one of the hospitals that has an eye specialist, but it was not her day to be there. So, we went to an Optometrist, who only wanted to sell us contact lenses. Now, the contacts would be better than the glasses, but Pastor Frazer needs a procedure done that will correct the previous cataract surgeries, which was explained to me by a specialist in the Manistee Eye Clinic. But the Optomitrist did show me Pastor Frazer's eyes under his scope so I would know how bad they are. I saw the white, blank area at the top of the iris in both of his eyes. Since we wanted a consultation with an eye specialist, we went to another large hospital (the Miner's Hospital) in town. It just so happened that this same specialist was there on Mondays. She didn't see us (no pun intended), but we did get an appointment for Wednesday morning. We'll see what it would take for Pastor Frazer to be able to see much better than he does now.

While we were running around to eye doctors, the three youngsters (Caleb, Jennifer, and Bethany) were doing some shopping. We met them for lunch and had "Chicken and Chips (French Fries)." Then we came back home and before I met with one of the businessmen in town who wanted to come and see me, we decided to work on our sequel to our "Slasher Blades" movie. Below is the result. I hope it brings a smile to your face today.

We are all so worn out from today that I almost decided to not make a blog entry. I certainly haven't taken the time to upload any pictures or videos, although we have many we took today at the plot. The preparation for laying the slab was done today, which consisted of nine piles of 20 wheelbarrow loads of sand per pile and 20 wheelbarrow loads of stones on top of the sand. Those nine piles are laid out over the entire foundation of the building. Tomorrow morning, the entire church will turn out for the slab work. The men will show up here at Jennifer's house at 5 a.m. in the morning to load the cement onto the truck, then go out to the plot. The women will be making trips back and forth to the well to draw water to fill the two barrels which the men will use to add to the cement piles. Oh, five bags of cement will be added to each sand/stone pile, then the water will be added, which will all be mixed by shovels of the men. It will be an all-day job. Long, hot, and tiring. Caleb and I will help the men as much as we can. I won't do all that much myself I'm sure. The girls will help the women with the water and lunch for everyone. The foundation is the most important part of their building, and the part with the most work. That is true of Christianity also. We have the foundation, Jesus Christ. Without Him, the building will fall.

We also went to Kitwe to check on getting Caleb's visa extended past 30 days. They gave us the process, which is for him to go back on March 14 and get a 30-day extension, which he will have to do again the next month. While there, Jennifer and Bethany went to get Mealy-meal from a store. I went to get them after we finished and saw the men carrying two Mealy-meal bags on their head unloading a truck. So, when Jennifer bought the 50 lb bag of Mealy-meal, I put it on my head like those Zambians and carried it to the car, about 200 yards away. I did not know until Jennifer told me that the men here do not carry it that way (the men who worked at the store had to to unload the whole truck fast), but the women carry things on their head. When I went past ShopRite, I saw several women pointing at me and laughing at me. I pointed back and laughed with them. I know it looked funny to see a big white pastor with a bag of meal on his head walking through the parking lot. Oh, well, when you're a whimp like me, maybe you ought to learn to carry stuff on your head. Right?

Here is a video of Caleb from Sunday that I finally got to upload. It's not high quality video, but the audio should be good. I can't upload as high of a quality video on the internet from over here. Maybe I will replace them when I get home to DSL. -Dr. Ben (a very tired camper)

 

I am feeling much better today. I still don't want to eat ever again. Jennifer and Bethany came into the living room with Sweet Avocado spread on bread, a normal Zambian breakfast. I couldn't look at it. I did want to try to upload another video or two. This is one we did the other day when we were waiting on the men to get back to the plot from getting another load of stones. This came to me while slashing grass. I was thinking "Slashing," and "Blades of Grass." So, it was a natural. Hope you enjoy our first attempt at moving-making.  

As I sit here typing this, I have not eaten for a day and a half. Somehow I got one of those Zambian stomach flu bugs and it has taken its toll on me. It all started on Tuesday night as I went to bed. I had a sleepless night, a fever, and was losing everything in my entire system. On Wednesday morning, I could not move; albeit, no position was comfortable. I thought I was going to Die (uh-ree-uh). Fortunately, I had Dr. Caleb and Nurse Jennifer and Nurse Bethany to take care of me. They went and got medicine for me and forced me to take it. I was in no position to refuse them. So, I wasn't able to update the blog for a day. I'll try to do better now that I am getting better. Now, not even a P/J sandwich sounds good. This is referred to as a Zambian Diet Plan. If this is what it takes to lose weight, I don't want to.

-Pastor Ben

Another hot day was upon us today. It has not rained in two days now, so the rainy season may be over. That is both good and bad. The good is that we can work on the building as much as we can. The bad is that the rain makes it cool off during the day. We went to the plot early and while the men took turns tamping the gravel to level it for the slab, others were slashing. Slashing is a natural for me because it shows off my golf swing muscles. I can now slash for an hour without resting. However, it was very hot today, so we were all drained after a couple of hours. I also took some doughnuts to the police station (don't laugh folks). I went from office to office meeting the different police, giving them a doughnut (like a cream-filled long-john) and witnessing to them about the Lord. There is such freedom over here to witness to the people; and they listen closely to the Gospel. I would tell them about the church and Pastor Frazer (whom most already knew because he has passed out Bibles to the police officers), and then I would ask them if they knew the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. Some of them smiled and stated "yes." I did pray for the traffic Constable in his office. He was shocked, but thanked me. It is very hard to go continuously for us because of the altitude and the heat. This is a very high altitude, almost like Colorado, so the air is thin. You can't do but about half as much as you could at home in Michigan before it gets to you.

Bethany is being a blessing to all by her servant's spirit. Caleb is getting to know the men, and invited Kenny over for a while last night. Kenny brought Daniel, Pastor Frazer's little boy. I think Daniel really warmed up to Caleb. They went and had Caleb's Machette sharpened (something said about hunting crocodiles). No, there are not many crocs right around here, but you know how young men are. Don't worry, I'll try to keep a watch on the Crocodile Hunters. "Crimey, his teeth are that looong! And look at this video of this crocodile with my arm in his mouth!" Yeah, we'll keep a close eye on these guys.

Well, our Sunday services are over well before those in the states. Both choirs sang three songs each. I'll upload a portion of the Youth Choir song later. Caleb sang and played "When the Roll is Called Up Yonder." I preached on "Sowing and Reaping" from Judges 1 and Galatians 6. The service lasted about two and a half hours in all. Then we came home and had spaghetti. I went back to teach the Bible Institute at 3 P.M. for a couple of hours. We are going through Ephesians. I also answered any questions the men had. I told them, "I don't know the answer to every question, but I know the answer to your question; so just ask it." We had a great class. now we are all resting as the storm is coming. We are in the dark but I am online to try to get this blog entry up before the lightning hits. So, here are pics from this morning. I will upload videos later when I can be on a little longer. I have videos of Caleb singing and portions of my message.

Have a great Sunday, and I trust the Lord met with you at the services in Mesick.

We love you all,

Caleb Singing and playing in the Serivce.

 

Caleb singing and playing with Pastor Frazer and Potiphar.

Dr. Ben preaching, Potiphar interpreting in Bemba.

Today we spend the day going around ordering and picking up all the building supplies for the slab. That included 50 bags of cement, another wheelbarrow, rakes, special tools for laying block, plastic roll, and concorse wire. After delivering these supplies to the Jennifer's garage, we went out to the plot to deliver another truck full of gravel. We are all so worn out from the previous two days that we came back to Jennifer's to rest. Jennifer asked, "Can we just call this 'Nap Afternoon'?" I agreed. The church people are still working at the plot for the rest of the day.

I'm going to take a short nap. Enjoy the video.

NOTE: .The video is finally processed. Apologies to those who patiently waited. -Dr. Ben

Dr. Ben     

Today we went to the church plot where they were spreading the stones for beneath the foundation. We dropped Caleb off with Clara and went grocery shopping in Kitwe at Shoprite. We got enough groceries for a couple of weeks or so. When we got back to Kalulushi and put the groceries away, we got back out the the plot and didn't see Caleb. The three of us slashed a lot of grass for over an hour. I practiced my golf swing a whole lot. Then the truck came back delivering another load of gravel. I looked into the distance and saw the truck coming into the bush. Standing up looking over the cab was Caleb and a couple other Zambian men. The video I uploaded and linked is during this time when Caleb got back with the rest of the men to off-load the stones. Pastor Frazer came over to me and told me how much he appreciated Caleb. "He is a hard worker and makes the other men want to work harder." Pastor Frazer also said he allowed Caleb to drive the truck on two trips to get stones. The stones were about ten minutes away. So, he has already made an impression on the people. He already knows most of the men's names. We came home later and ate Nshima and vegetables and some chicken. Bethany, Jennifer, and Caleb ate traditional Zambian meal. I put butter and salt on the Nshima and pretended it was still on the cob. (Nshima is the cornmeal that is the staple food here in Zambia. We are very tired now. Caleb looks like a "Redman." The sun here is so different than back home. It is in a way "magnified" by the rainy season's humidity. We have to stay hydrated all the time.

Tomorrow we pick up more supplies for the foundation. We will ride with Pastor Frazer in the truck.

A new video is at the bottom of this page.

.

Caleb's first Caterpillar.

 

"AH, ah got it on my tongue..."

"Not Bad. Think I'll try a termite next. I just love this free sampling at the market."

Yes, folks, TERMITES. YUMMM!!! Caleb liked the caterpillar better than the termite.

--Dr. Ben

Well, we were met at the airport by Pastor Frazer and Bro. Evans and Jennifer. In the morning we will take Jennifer grocery shopping and then go to the church plot to work. Caleb has decided to go to the plot early in the morning with Kenny and Clara to start working. They will be shoveling dirt all day. Pastor Frazer and Bro. Evans will be picking up more stones. They explained to me the process of doing the foundation, which will take about a week to do by hand. It reminds me of how much we take these things for granted. Just call the Cement truck, have them come and pour it; an hour or so of hard work. Well, that's not Zambia. We will be laying a foundation of rocks, then plastic sheeting, then mixing a section of the slab at a time. Along with that, we will be putting Conforce Wire into the cement and let it harden. Hopefully, I can upload some video of the process. For now, we are exhausted and need a good night's sleep.

-Pastor Ben

Hi again. We just arrived in South Africa at the Johannesburg airport. It is about 44 degrees here. The flight from London to here was about 10 and a half hours. Fortunately, for the first time on a long flight, I was able to sleep most of the way. Of course Bethany did; she can sleep anywhere with all the practice in the back seat of our car on trips. Caleb didn't sleep much; possibly much too excited to be travelling with me :-). He has fully recovered with a Caffe Mocha from "Caffe Ritazza" in the eating mall. South African Airlines still has the best meals of any I have been on. I got another hat for being out in the sun so much. Caleb is looking for a cell phone now since they are cheaper here than in Zambia. Jennifer just e-mailed and said she would be waiting for us at the airport in Ndola (pronounced "In-doe-luh"). Thanks for all the comments. It is a blessing to know people are following our journey even though we have just begun. I always realize that jet-lag is not so bad coming this way. You just have to stay up for 24 hours and spend five of that walking through London. Then the long flight to South Africa is much easier on which to sleep.

-Pastor Ben

We arrived in London at 6 a.m. and would not leave London until 6 p.m. Doug Truitt gave me an option for spending the day. So, we hopped the Heathrow Express Train into London's Paddington Station. From there we walked for about an hour until we realize that we ("I") didn't know my way around London. We ended up circling around and going right back to Paddington Station. Finally we ("Caleb") stopped someone and asked directions. After a bit we found Hyde Park, a large park, about three miles long. Following the maps through Hyde Park, we found Green Park. Walking about a half mile into Green Park we came upon our destination - Buckingham Palace. After Buckingham we were so tired (Caleb carried his backpack the whole way), that we caught a double-decker bus (sat on the top of course) and went across London seeing whatever sights we could see from the bus. After crossing London to the far South side, we  got another bus ticket and returned to Paddington Station. As we crossed the Thames River again, I said to Bethany, "Look, it's the Thames!" She didn't respond. She was asleep. We all slept on the return bus for a bit. Then we got one of those London meals - a Whopper from Burger King (we were soooo hungry by then it didn't matter). All in all we spent about six hours walking and riding around London. After sitting here in the airport for almost five hours after we returned, I'm very glad we spent the first six hours walking around. I think I'll sleep on the next flight.

-Dr. Ben

P.S. The Buckingham Palace uploaded video is below at the bottom of this page.