Update from the last couple days

Hello, again! We lost our Internet connection the last couple days, but it seems to be working again now. Instead of going through each individual’s activities, I am going to give a general update of the different projects we have all been working on.

Thank you for your prayers for the water supply. After I posted the previous post, I found out that Larry, Bob, and John had already discovered a solution to the problem I had explained. By fitting some of the pipes inside each other they were able to make them fit. However, your prayers were still very much needed because, as seems to be the trend, as soon as we solved that problem a new one came up. Larry, Bob, and John started running the water from the new tank to test it, and found that there were little black chunks coming out. Long story short – the tank had been just sitting there for about a year, with the lid off. A giant hawk had made a nest inside the tank. When John climbed up the tower to look in the tank (the tank is about the size of a round kitchen table and about 10 feet high) he found six dead baby hawks and three dead rats amongst a ton of floating dirt and grass. We now are looking back at this and laughing, but at the time is was anything but funny. Larry, Bob, and John spent the day creating a make-shift net and fishing out all the carcasses and junk. Now that the tank is clean, we started working on hooking up the pipe we constructed to the pipe that is already in the ground. We had a lot of trouble connecting to the pre-existing pipe. We tried multiple times but it leaked every time. This was very scary because we had to cut off the water supply to the Women’s Shelter in order to hook up this new pipe; so if we could not re-connect it then dozens of people would be without water. In one last attempt, John and I tried some “MacGyver-ing” by wrapping the pipe in rubber and glue and calc.  It was mostly John’s work; I basically stood by and gave ideas. We left the glue on the pipe to dry over-night before opening the valve to test it. When Larry, Bob, and John returned this morning, they found that someone had come and opened the valve during the night! But praise God because the pipe did not leak! So the new water supply is now connected, which is a huge victory and success for us! This was our original goal and after many obstacles and challenges we have met our goal. However, we now need to test the new water and treat it for any bacteria we find in it. In the meantime, we are able to supply the Women’s Shelter with water from the old tank by closing our new valve and opening the old one. That is what we are working on now, but we have had a great accomplishment regardless because as soon as the water is clean it is only a matter of opening the valve.

In other news, Lindsay and I were able to observe some surgeries. I observed a C-section and Lindsay observed a hysterectomy. We both really enjoyed it! The medical people in our group have continued to help at the hospital and work with the Zambian staff. There has not been anything too unusual going on with them, as far as I understand. I apologize that I have so much more detail on the other projects; it is just difficult for me to explain the activities I have not been witnessing. However, Tehanne was able to work in the dental clinic that has been going on for the last two days. She has really enjoyed it! She has been working with a dentist and has been pulling teeth! She usually does not get to pull teeth in the States, so this has been a great privilege for her! She came back to the mission house beaming and with photos of her pulled teeth.

I have continued my teaching at the school. I am getting a lot more comfortable in this new environment. Lindsay and Tehanne came to school with me today and took pictures. And Derek, the teacher I am working with, gave us all a tour again. It has been very nice! The kids really seem to like learning about America.

Tonight we are having a dinner and inviting the people we have been working with. We are all very excited for this! We will have about 17 people total. And this afternoon Lindsay and I are going to see Derek’s home and family.

We are all missing our families very much and are looking forward to seeing you soon! As we put it at lunch, “Every day we enjoy our time here more and more, but every day we are longing more and more to come home again.”