Jumping High. Jumping Long

This is the season of sports at school.  Last week we caught some of the girls jumping events.

High jump:

Long jump:

Just chillin':

Meal

We have harvested our maize and now it has been ground ready to use:

News From the Chalk Face

I thought it would be good to give you a bit more info about our adult literacy classes, so I (Bridget) gave my class (the improvers group) a homework exercise to write a paragraph about where they live.  I told them that I wanted to show the people at home so that you could see if I'm teaching them ok and how well they are doing!
Here are the results:

Lalita and Rabecca did their home work together:

 

 

 

Lalita and Rabecca

 Bertha:

Bertha

Omega and Christine.  Omega is Christine's daughter, she is in the primary school where we teach, in grade 6, and joins her mother in the adult literacy class after school:

 

Omega and Christine

HIV Testing in the Community

Several of our friends volunteer in a local clinic and hospital working with people on ARV treatment for HIV.  One of them has recently been trained to do testing within the communities.  She will go to villages, remote from the town and therefor difficult for people to attend clinics for testing.  She was very keen to demonstrate the procedure to us.  It consists of a pin pricked finger, a carrier fluid and a strip of indicator paper.
Below is Bridget's negative test result:

The pale line in the lower white section shows a negative result.  If it was positive there would be a corresponding line in the upper white section.

Out and about in Choma town

Some random pictures taken in Choma itself so you can see some of the sights and some of the things we do when we go to town:

The walk into Choma recently, showing the last of the big flowers before the dry season takes effect and they all die back

Through the market

Amos reading with Royce

Crossing the market.  Sometimes there's a train in the way!

Choma High Street

Choma High Street

Lunch

New garage and very expensive pizza place

Shopping in the Spar

District Women's Conference

Women from across Choma District (23 churches in all), gathered for the weekend at Mochipapa PWC.  We (not Amos, obviously!)  ate together, learnt together, talked a lot and slept together in the church and a couple of the class rooms of the school.  We also got down to the business of choosing a new committee to serve for the next two years.
Here are some of the pictures:

Getting supper ready



Bed time

Getting down to the business of selecting a new commitee

Lunch time

 

Bridget all dressed up

 

Swearing in the new committee

Everyone greeting the new committee

 

Sunday celebrations

Back in the UK

We were in the UK for a visit in April.  It was lovely to see friends and family and breath in salt air and see so much greenery and spring flowers.  The cold got us ready for winter here, but it has not yet been as cold here as April was there!
Coming back to Zambia again, we have felt more than ever that we have two homes and are loved and supported in both places, so a big thank you to all of you who have made this possible.

While we were in our UK home we  (among other things)

walked on the beach:

 

 

and celebrated Christmas: