Hi all,
Back in Samfya to check on the projects Africa Hope Mission is working with.  Just arrived yesterday.  The above picture is a house I am building to house teams, Mark is on the right.  It has awesome views of Lake Bangweulu.  It will have 4 bedrooms, 3 baths and a big great room.  It is moving fast!
Things are continuing to progress in Zambia in general.  The town of Samfya has a new grocery store with more in it.  There are many more cars, new things happening all the time.  The rural area though continue to struggle.

After a two day journey driving from Samfya to Lusaka, the capital, to begin our trek back home, we met up with Shadrick at one of the new malls in Lusaka.  Shadrick Puta is a young man from Samfya with the dream of being a clinical officer (like a physician's assistant in the states) to help the people in the rural village.  He was one of the kids supported through high school from his church, the Assembly of God, from SCCP and is forever thankful for the opportunity.  Though both of his parents are alive, they are both elderly, father 70, mother 65, and he is the youngest of 9.  4 of his siblings past away, likely of HIV, and that is why he was designated as vulnerable by his Church for this support.  He did well in high school and always liked science.  He knew from God that he was to learn how to help his people with healthcare, but had little ways to figure out how.  He was accepted into school for clinical officer but had no money to go.  He spent 3 years living with his brother selling CDs on the street to try to save up to go to school for healthcare, praying that this will get him through it.  He only had enough savings for the first semester, out of total of 6 semesters over 3 years.  He was able to spend his 6 week clinical time though in Samfya working along side Dr. Lushiku, the doctor we had worked with over the years at Samya Hospital.  Through his church and Dr. Lushiku, he connected with Carmen who thought of our Africa Hope Mission scholarship program.  With references from Dr. Lushiku and his pastor, along with verbal recommendations from leaders from SCCP we  agreed to support him for the rest of his schooling.  God has put it on his heart to work back in the rural areas of Samfya and he is dedicated to learning as much as he can.  So far he is doing very well in school, getting As and Bs at Kafue Institute, living there on his own at this private school about a 12 hour drive from his home in Samfya, where his parents are very proud.

This is Hudson's Church he helped to found a few years back.  They call him "Papa Hudson" here.  It is what they call "Open Brethren."  Open to singing and clapping and not so many rules like the women all need to wear head covering.  We met in Hudaga's new pre-school.  There is a call for much celebration in this community, God is good...all the time!

All in all, Samfya has come a long way from when we first starting coming.  The town has brand new paved roads with curbs and drainage ditches.  Economy is growing, more shops appear all the time.  There is are new town markets.  Most churches in town are doing well and SCCP has pretty much put itself out of business for the town and is now working out in more rural villages with partner churches.  The new hospital is up and running, even the old run down stage 2 clinic is looking a little better and is mainly for out patient care.  Trainees for health are coming through the hospital regularly, more higher paid employees are here too.  More cars are on the road, HIV stigma has been relieved in most areas, there is another brand new gas station.  There even is a brand new very big luxurious lodge almost completed on the shores of the lake up the road.  Ten years has made a huge difference here, it is hard to recognize the old Samfya.  Challenges remain but God has been good so far.  Now the needs are more in the rural villages, which are not so far away!

Charles of Kaishe demonstrated his model farming techniques to us.  Here he is in front of his compost heap - taking green and dried grass mixing with water and animal manure, turning regularly until he gets a nice mulch.  With this infertile land, they have discovered if they dig 6 inch holes about 2 feet apart in their field, filling each with this compost it will lead to better crops.  It takes more work for the first two years but once established, re-using the same holes over time, work and yield greatly improves and is much better for the environment than what they presently do which is to burn the fields about this time of year right before seeding time which needs to occur before mid November when rainy season begins. 

Carmen and I got to sit down with some local Church leaders at their farm in Kaishe.  These leaders are attending the Extension Discipleship training program from the Samfya Bible College.  They appear to be growing in faith with this program, are encouraged that it can help build some Church responsibility to both lead others to faith in Christ and to help support their community.  Charles is here in red strips helping us communicate with Frances and Emmanuel.  They identified care of widows and orphans along with little knowledge of the gospels as two major challenges in their community. 

This is Wathabu Simfukwe on the left with Cephas on the right.  Wathabu is the new principal of the Samfya Bible College who helped create their new extension program with the hope of training and empowering the rural churches on discipleship, worship, and community work.  It is with their hope and vision that we are trying to improve the outlook of Kaishe.  With Bright Hope World and Africa Hope Mission, 30 church leaders and members from 6 churches in Kaishe are undertaking a 2 year discipleship extension training program from the Bible College in the hope of being able to work together on better community efforts to improve this village.