Missionary

People often refer to us as missionaries.  We always say, we're not missionaries, we just live here.  This picture helps to explain why:



Dedicated servant of God to Africa and Zambia for 54 years

Claudie Payton was a missionary in the traditional sense of the word.  She left her native America at the age of 36 to come to Zambia where she stayed until her death at the age of 90.  As far as I can discover, in that time she returned to the States only once for a period of 9 months. 
She remained unmarried, but was 'mother' to 41 orphans, of whom 23 died.
She took the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ to the villages of Siachitema district in the Southern Province of Zambia.
She started the Siachitema Mission, which included her orphanage, a school, a Bible College (now  moved to Jembo), a church, and now also includes a hospital.
She died at the age of 90 following a fall resulting in a fractured hip.  She was buried in the spot she chose for herself close to where she had lived and raised her children.  She was mourned at her own request, in the traditional Zambian way.

We are not missionaries in the mould of Claudie Payton, but we strive to serve our Lord where he has put us, whether at work in the UK or teaching English in Zambia. Surely every Christian should strive for an epitaph like Claudie's

Dedicated servant of God

Garden to Plate - nsima


Nsima, the staple of much of sub-Saharan Africa.  Basically stodge made from maize meal and water:

First harvest your maize

Remove the maize from the cobs

Dry it in the sun.  This takes longer than you'd think

Winnow

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Take the maize to the hammer mill to be ground into meal

Now you're ready for cooking.
Put a pot of water to heat.  When small bubbles begin to appear on the bottom of the pan, add a scoop of meal and stir well.  If you wait until the bubble begin to rise, your water is too hot and your nsima will be lumpy - beware!


Keep stirring.  When it is bubbling vigorously, put the lid on and turn down the heat.  BE CAREFUL - it burns!  Continue cooking for 15 minutes or so.

Stir again and add more mealie meal

Keep stirring.  It's getting stiff now



Add more mealie meal

 

 

Stir it in well

Until you can stand the cooking stick up in it! Cover and leave to 'rest' until the rest of the meal is ready

Serve with the relish of your choice.  This time, beef stew and green beans.

A Holiday by the Sea

At the beginning of June we took a train from New Kapiri Mposhi (north of Lusaka) to Dar es Salaam.  The train was 3 days and 2 nights each way, but it meant that we had a very relaxing week by the Indian Ocean.
Here are some of the pictures - not a great variety - we didn't carry the camera very much, too busy enjoying ourselves!

First the train:;

The cabin - four berth, all same sex so we couldn't share.

Sunrise - Zambia

Zambia

Zambia

The second morning on the train - Tanzania pretending to be mid Wales - that is bracken in the fore-ground.

Sunrise on the 2nd morning - Tanzania

Tanzania - misty mountains and the front of the train going over a bridge

Tanzania - mountains, waterfalls and farmland

Tanzania - mountains

Tanzania - rice fields

It was a very long train!

Tanzania has some big mountains

Dar es Salaam

 LOOOOOK!  THE SEA!

The Indian Ocean.  Warm and clear

We had a boat trip to the island you can see in the picture above.  Walked around the island, snorkelled over live coral, had lunch and sailed back. 





 

Sunrise

Big star with big starfish

The view from the bed

Tanker on the horizon, it kept us company all week

Another sunrise

 On the train again:

Tanzania - Baobab trees

That long train again, going through Tanzania

Garden to Plate - Rape with Bontele

This is the first of several posts showing you some of the preparation of the food that we grow.

First pick the rape

After washing, cut it up, being very careful to slice only the rape and not your fingers!

Cook with salt and a little water until it is reduced and becoming soft.  This takes longer than you think.

Add tomatoes (and onions) if you want to.  I added only tomatoes this time, but sometimes I use both and sometimes neither.  Cook a bit linger to soften the tomatoes.

Add bontele (pounded ground nuts)

Cook for a further 5 minutes or so, adding water to keep the mixture soft.  Stir until ready or it will stick and burn

Serve with nsima.  It tastes MUCH better than it looks!

Blind Snake

Amos met this one behind the house:

Village Visit

Bridget recently visited Siasinyanga village.  She went with her friend Edna to vista Agnes, Edna's mother.
Here are some pictures:

Morning grooming



Hanging out the washing

Mrs Kelvin cooking porridge

Wide open spaces

Agnes (in the middle) with her friends

Washing pots.  Sand is used as a scourer

Taking the cattle to graze

Going for water

Sunflowers

Chameleon

Kelvin with some of his class of 94 (!!!) pre-grade children

School playing field

Kelvin and Edna

Agnes, Bridget, Edna and one of the grandchildren

Kelvin, Mrs Kelvin and Kelvin Junior

Agnes cooking ochra

Guinea fowl that think they are chickens.  They followed this cockerel around all day long,

The homestead.  The building in the centre is the house, the round building on the right is the kitchen

More wide open spaces

Dawn

Shivering in the dawn as we waited for the transport home