My day in Zambia

My name is Glenda Rountree from Louisville KY. This is my second year at this location for a Medcal Mission. I volunteered to come with the early group, hoping to contribute something worthwhile prior to the team arriving.

The jury is still out on how much I am contributing, but the journey has been extremely touching and my outlook is changing daily. Joe has been diligiently taking care of many tasks, including being the chief cook. Today I tried to relieve that burden and volunteered to prepare the evening meal. Mainly, northern beans and cornbread. Easy - right? Well, things are slow in Zambia. You can't just run down to the corner and get the needed ingredients. The stove works in slow motion and the end of that story is.... we ate the beans and everyone was very complimentary... but I am a very good cook and I know they were not that great.

Yesterday I witnessed the demonstration of Zambia Christian counselling. There is a major problem with theft - loss of jobs - loss of trust - and other emotional events occuring at the school. The wife of one of the accused came to Lori to explain the reprecussions that her family were experiencing. I sat and listened as Lori passionately talked about forgiveness, love and the need to go forward. It was so humbling for me to realize this family was in serious trouble and
I complain about such minor things as the weather.

God has been good and I am very blessed to be here. My prayer is that I will be the arms and feet of Jesus and touch many lives in a postive way.

fish for dinner?

Today I was helping the building crew. They let me install the 6 panes of glass for Stella's new office. They actually were impressed. I never told them I had glazed windows from my childhood. After lunch, we were laid block preparing the foundation for the new grocery store.

It is amazing what you learn while you are doing a job along side guys from another culture. I have to admit they have not taught me any new techniques over the past two years of working with them. Their ways are usually primitive and nothing I would choose to use back home. What I have learned from them are more in the ways of their culture,views on life and their curiosity of me and my country. Today a lady passed by us with a large tub on her head. She stopped and set the tub with it's contents on the ground. The guys stopped working and gathered around. I went over to see the excitement. She had a tub of freshly caught fish for sale.

I asked James,"How much are the fish?" She was selling 8 for 30 thousand kwatcha. That is about 9 dollars.I went inside my guest house to get my camera and while there checked my cash. I went back outside and gave 30 thousand kwatcha to Kelvin. I told him to buy as many fish as he could with the money and divide it among our workers. They all scrambled for a piece of plastic wrap off the ground to carry their fish.

We went back to work but with a different attitude. These guys were pumped. They were having fish for supper! I had no idea how many people I just fed for less than $10.I am sure there are many biblical applications I could ponder and apply. Maybe at a later date I will. For now I will rest tonight knowing the abundance of my life and the new friends I have met will have fish tonight for supper.

Corn is Survival

I have always liked corn. Cream corn, corn caserole, shoepeg corn, and corn on the cob I enjoy corn. Being from the southern United States and growing up on grits, I grew to have a great appreciation for the finer points of corn. My grandmother lives in the town where they had the International Grits Festival. Corn has intricately tied into my life.

Of course, corn was a side dish. Eggs, bacon, toast, and grits that was the order of the morning at Hink's Grill in Albermarle, North Carolina. But corn as main dish, corn for daily survival, corn as a staple food, that would be a stretch for me. Stretch or not, Zambains survive on corn. Shema, as it is fondly referred to, keeps a nation from starving to death. Shema or Mealie Meal, another common name, keeps Zambia and Africa from starvation. Never has corn ever been so important to me, you, and the world. Corn one of the most common crops in the United States.

It was not a year ago that I told my son-in-law that if I had the money I would open an Ethanol Plant. With the high prices and fuel shortages and Ethanol Plant, might bring a windfall of money. Well, that was a year ago. Today I fear that such production would bring about the starvation and possible genocide of many nations in our world. Do you feel these are strong words? Wild words?

Somebody has to be concerned about the starving, underprivileged peoples of this planet. Somebody has to speak a word for the hurting. Fuel or starvation....you pick!!