Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Last Day of School!

Bat Cupcakes!

Alex and her teacher.

Isaac and his teacher (& true love in red)

Eric called me at 8 this morning to tell me that the school needed cupcakes by 11am  No problem.  I decided to make bat cakes.  Why bats?  Because I wanted to pay tribute to the French School's theme this year:  Bats.  Or in French chauves-souris, which translated literally means "bald mice".  



After assembling 24 of these little devils bald mice, I carefully transported them to the school.  
  
Isaac's teacher met me and said, "Oh, those are so cute!  Unfortunately the kids have already had their party, and there aren't enough cupcakes for the entire school."

I glared at my husband who shrugged his shoulders.

Then the principal made an executive decision:  let's slice and dice 'em, so everyone can have a piece.  It was a brutal carnage, but the children thankfully devoured the treats.

And then school was over and out.  Done.  C'est fini.

Isaac has graduated Kindergarten and will be in the first grade in September.  Yay, right? 

Nope.  Here's the problem: so will Alex.  She just doesn't have enough French to jump to the second grade.   (Yet...)

Of course I tell her to persevere, work hard, and keep on keeping on.

You know, I do my best to lead by example...but see if I ever make another bat cupcake again.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Fishing for Tigers

"I have a moral problem paying bribes, but I have more-of-a problem paying a $100 ticket." --Eric Showell

Eric negotiating with the police.
The journey from Lusaka to the Lower Zambezi River takes 2 1/2 hours, unless you get pulled over by the cops.  I'm not naming names, but the driver of our car got pulled over TWICE:  once for speeding and once for passing illegally.

Eric, ahem, the driver bartered with both cops until he paid only a fraction of the initial fine.  The officers were so friendly that Eric joked with them, "I plan on passing illegally on our way home, just so I can talk with you again."
The ferry boat at the "dock".
Down the road a bit, we boarded the river ferry.  The kids and I had to exit the vehicle while the boat was on the river.  That way if the ferry sank, we'd float right down to the crocodiles.

Speaking of crocodiles and hippos, we saw 'em when we went fishing the next day.  Before we let our kids board the motor boat,  however, we zipped on some "life jackets."  I use that term loosely because, let's just say, these jackets have seen better days.  But that's ok.  I figured it'd be better to drown instantly than to be something's dinner.
What do you think of the life jackets, Isaac?
It's amazing to see wildlife on the river.  We saw an elephant get stuck in the mud on the riverbank just as we floated by.  I'm trying to upload the video, but it just isn't happening today!
Removing the hook.
This was the whole point of our journey:  catching Tigerfish.  Our pregnant South African neighbor caught the first fish, much to her husband's dismay.  Fortunately for their marriage, he caught an even bigger Tigerfish a few hours later.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Got Legos?

Options for the Most Vulnerable Children

My friends from Special Hope Network need our Legos and other educational materials.

I mentioned Holly, Eric, and Beth in this blog post.  They are committed to equipping the special education teachers in Zambia.  They've visited several classrooms packed with children with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and other physical or developmental delays.  While the Zambian teachers are committed, they lack educational materials.  I'm talking...

ZIP.
ZERO. 
NADA.  

Special Hope Network has someone who will ship materials to Zambia, if we can get them to Massachusetts in the next week or two.


That's FREE SHIPPING to Zambia. Something we don't take for granted in these parts!

I've made it easy for you:  just click on this link and you'll be directed to Special Hope Network's Amazon.com Wishlist.  You can purchase an item, and Amazon.com will ship it to the right address.  How easy is that?

Amazon Wishlist

If you have used supplies you'd like to send, email me and I'll give you the mailing address.  [sarahshowell at hotmail dot com]

Thanks for your support!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Mercy Ministries

3rd Graders
“God wants us to relieve suffering, pursue justice, facilitate reconciliation, and free the heart to love, but He desires for us to do so in a way that reveals His Character. It is not enough just to do well for others or to do things well. We must do well in our unique way in order to reveal the vast creativity of a God who loves to bring change through the most unlikely channels.” 
~ Dan Allender
Classroom at Mercy Ministries


"I lock my child in my house, so no one will rape him while I'm at work."  

Recently I watched a documentary about special needs children in Africa.  These words from a single mom  shocked me.   I assumed families hid their disabled children only out of shame.  It never crossed my mind they were protecting them from the monsters.

"A lot of people judge families who lock up their children, but I have sympathy for them," says Dorothy Phiri, the Director of Mercy Ministries International.  "I understand what it's like to have a child with special needs and to worry about her safety."

Dorothy's daughter Mercy has epilepsy and cognitive delays.  She and her husband Davison, a World Vision employee, launched Mercy Ministries to give children with special needs a chance to go to school.

Now there are 26 children in their special education program.  Once word got out about this unique school, other community kids starting showing up.  Now Mercy Ministries educates over 350 children of all abilities.

These children are hungry to learn, but their stomachs are empty, so Mercy Ministries feeds them lunch everyday.

"What do you serve?"  I asked Davison.

"Oh, whatever is available," he replied with a grin.  This couple has learned to be creative and resourceful.   And there is a whole lot of praying going around that place.

They have all sorts of projects going:  Kilns to make glass beads out of recycled glass.  A batik and sewing studio.  Construction for more toilets  (They only have one!)  A farm for produce.

This was such a fun place to visit, so I've decided to invest some time here.

"You know that I was a grant writer in Seattle, don't you?"  I asked Davison the other day.

He laughed and shook my hand saying, "Well, this is the reason why God brought you to Zambia, my friend!"

The sewing studio

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Special Hope

Sign Language Class
Last Wednesday we shared a very special dinner with Eric & Holly and Beth from this blog post.  These three Americans came to Zambia to work with children who have intellectual and developmental disabilities.  They are also here to train parents, caregivers, schools, and anyone else who will listen.

Holly and Eric adopted three Brazilian babies, now in their teens, with Down syndrome:  identical twin girls, and one boy.   Holly and Eric launched Special Hope Network, and soon Beth joined them in Zambia.  She adopted her little boy in December.

It hasn't been an easy year for these families.   A few days before Christmas, someone poisoned their dogs and stole their only vehicle.  It took three months to get the check (minus 15% of the vehicle's value) from the insurance company.

But they press on with a contagious joy.  On Fridays Holly teaches sign language classes in her front yard.  Last Friday twenty of us learned our ABCs, and some basic vocabulary.  Most attendees were teachers from the local schools, but there were also two parents:  me and a young mother with...wait for it...a 2 1/2 year old boy with Down syndrome!

When I asked Julie how she found this sign language class, she said, "Since Jack was born, I've Googled  'Down Syndrome Lusaka' to see what turns up.  This time Special Hope Network's website appeared."

After the class Holly, Julie, Beth and I chatted about the future.  We discussed doing something with Special Olympics Zambia.  Julie called dibs on canoeing (is this even an Olympic sport?), while Oliver and I will probably stick to soccer football.

As always, I'll keep you posted.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Sarah's Poem in French

"Forgive them Father"
Monsieur Guy gave us an assignment last Thursday:  write a poem in French.  I performed this piece for everyone, while Monsieur Guy accompanied me on his keyboard.  Everyone cheered, because they all know how obnoxious the bus drivers are.  The drivers are frequently drunk and aggressive, and the vehicles are notorious for breaking down in the middle of the road.

Ma Bête Noire

Tu es une bête noire,
mais tu es le couleur bleue.
Tu penses que to possédes la rue.
KLAXONNEZ!
GALOPEZ!
IGNOREZ la loi du traffic.
Tu me vois?
Je suis la Corolla.  Petite.  Blanche.
Blanche comme une ange.
Mais quand tu es prôche,
Je veux être un diable.
Un diable juste comme toi.


My Pet Peeve [literally, black beast]

You are a black beast [or pet peeve],
but you are the color blue.
You think that you own the road.
HONK! 
SPEED!
IGNORE the traffic law.
Do you see me?
I am the Corolla.  Petite.  White.
White like an angel.
But when you are nearby,
I want to be a devil.
A devil just like you.

This morning I grabbed a cappuccino at the local coffee shop.  I ran into Helen from Alex and Isaac's French School.

"How are you?" I asked.

"Oh...I'm fine," she replied. I figured she was just tired, because it was Monday morning, and she's got four children.

"I'm just grabbing a coffee before I head out to French class," I said.

She smiled, "Oh, you are taking French.  Good for you."

"Yes," I said proudly, "I even wrote a poem called Ma Bête Noir."

"Oh that's nice," she replied.  Then she dropped an atomic bomb.

"My 10-year-old son has cancer in his leg, so I'm headed to South Africa today for further tests.  Then perhaps we will have to go back to France for further treatment."  Tears welled up in her eyes...and mine.

My heart breaks for this mom as she combats a true Black Beast.  Kind of puts annoying mini-bus drivers into perspective, doesn't it?


Friday, June 3, 2011

Refugees

When my French teacher asked Jessica a question, she burst into tears.  She put her head on the desk and continued to cry softly.  Her sister Michele looked at us and shrugged her shoulders.

Monsieur Guy waited for a second, then suggested, "Why don't we come back to you later?"  He never did, because she cried for the rest of the class.

Before the lesson Jessica had given me a packet documenting her family's refugee story.  Her father and mother fled the Rwandan genocide with their four young children.  They resettled in Zambia.  Dad works as a doctor and mom as a nurse practitioner.  Their children have all graduated high school and plan to pursue university degrees.  Jessica wants to go to medical school.  Michele wants to be a pharmacist.  They are smart enough to excel in both of these fields.

Their dilemma is that the UNHCR and Zambian government are forcing them to repatriate back to Rwanda in December.   Zambia insists that Rwanda is stable.  The family wholeheartedly disagrees.  Their mother wrote:
Rwanda is in a silent war.  The Hutu and Tutsi are the same:  whoever has the power is oppressing the other group.  It is an ongoing cycle of violence.  The current leaders are now listing the people who are accused of committing the genocide with the intention of revenge.
For my family, it is especially dangerous:  we don’t belong to any ethnic group.  My husband is ½ Hutu and ½ Tutsi.  I am Tutsi.  We must find asylum for our four children, so they will not have to live again in that tragedy.
If they come to the United States they can apply for asylum, but there are no guarantees. 


While their case is processed, the family will be locked up in the Immigration Detention Center.   Men and women live separately and have little chance to communicate.  Detainees do not have the right to counsel, so they must build their own case.  If they can afford an attorney, it's critical that they hire a good person.  Many immigration lawyers will take their money and do nothing.   There is no downside to losing a case, because their clients are deported.




For this reason, I am researching some university options.  If anyone has an Alma mater that might be interested in some bright students, I'd love to talk with you!