Just like a good 'ol fashon barn raising.

So no new news on the Borehole. We started the day trying to lift up the tank stand. It was a cold rainy morning. No one was especially excited about what was before us, but with a few motivational words we all started lifting. It took a couple of hours, lots of chatting in foreign languages, and about a hundred different ideas. One broken rope and a couple dozed 6" nails, and one close call later, we had er up. there was much celebration. Daniel did some welding and is now rock solid. I went to the top tonight to see how shaky it was. it didn't move a bit. I'll get the tank up next week. Oh yeah, one last trip to lusaka to get a few things.

Well Drilling - please pray

The Well, locally known as a borehole. We are finally getting one put in, or so I thought. They are pretty expensive, but I found a guy who was recommended by another american guy who does boreholes with a smaller, more portable rig that is cheaper to transport to remote areas such as ours. Everything was fine, the price, the timing, and i had the confidence that they could get it done brfore i go. One week now. They came on sunday and started drilling, they got about 1/4 of the way down and they hit hard rock, they repeated this three times before they came to me today and told me that they were giving up. Bummer deal man, for me. Now what? Please pray that I would have wisdom and that the right solution present itself. There isn't much time left.

The Tower

So we had to build a tower to put the water tank on in order to maintain proper water pressure. This has been a hassle, because water towers are not in y realm of expertise, nor have I ever build, or put one up before. Seemed simple enough. with a little engineering help from Dahlberg, we got it all built. It is a tank, definitely not going to collapse. But moving it proved to be quite an ordeal. There were 50 people all barking orders in a language that I don't understand. At one point I told them that "I needed more Indians and not so many chiefs." they just looked at me with a blank stare, I guess when i said Indians, they were thinking of guys with turbans on their heads instead of the guys with feathers on their heads. Whatever. anyway, with the help of the truck we were able to move it. Tomorrow we get to tip it up. Hopefully that goes well.

Last trip to Lusaka

The last few days I took what I planned to be my last trip to lusaka before I leave for Iowa. It was going to be a day and a half trip, it ended up being a two and a half day trip. Everything takes sooo long to get anything done. The first day we went to the embassy to get my new passport, that was uneventful, then off to immigration. still not a big deal, as we were leaving we went down one of the most busy streets in the city. They had the whole street blocked off, a marching band and about 1000 people were marching with "Labour Day 2008" banners. I was confused. Last i checked, it was 2009?? anyway we took a lot fo side streets to finally get where we were going. Finally, I asked someone if it was Labor day, Of course it wasn't. "why were they marching", I asked. He then informed me that they were Just practicing for the real Labor day on May 1st, and they will do it a couple of more times before then too. it is no wonder why this country is so messes up.
I was able to get another huge load of supplies to put together the next couple of weeks. This trip to Lusaka made me glad that i had Randy to do a lot of these trips for me. We are planning to have the well driller here tomorrow morning to start. We have the pump here ready for installation. The water tower is built and being painted. we will then carry it to the place and tip it up. It will be very good to have clean water. Please pray that we could get electricity to the site before I go.
It is kinda surreal to think that I am going to be heading home in 2 weeks. the time has gone fast. this is the great past though, seeing it all come together. next week the facility will host the pastor training. Of course there will be a lot of things unfinished, but it is better than the grass huts they used at the site last time.
I got a ticket for driving without a license the other day on my way to Lusaka. I had an international license, but it expired in January. I wonder what all of the other officers thought when i showed them since January? oh well, I was in the wrong, so i paid the ticket and I didn't want to argue that one.
Today was the first time since November that I have had a Nshima craving. Those of you that have been here know what that means, the rest of you, ?ask someone who has. So we had some for supper tonight. complete with cabbage and scrambled eggs.
My friend Jen, from Minnesota, is still here heading up the painting crew. She is doing an awesome job and is planning on coming back for a while in July to finish up and loose ends on the painting and finishing details.
The rains are now over. This is the best time of the year here. No rain, things are still green and the temperatures are mild. It is kinda like early fall at home. It is the beginning of winter here. it will continue to get colder at night and still be nice (70's) during the day.
Not sure it I wrote it or not, but i will be home on May 2nd. it will be bitter sweet. but more sweet.

It's a wonderful Life!

Well, it doesn't always seem that way, but deep down, it really is(a wonderful life). The last few weeks have been a rollercoaster. I really don't remember where I left off last time, but we haven't let up on the building. Now we are painting, finishing floors, casting concrete counters, fixing doors, setting sinks and maiking electrical connections. It has been fun to stand back each day and see the progress being made.

I was fortuneate enough to have a group from Cornerstone church come to help with the work. They were a huge encouragement to Randy and I and help us accomplish a lot. I know that they were also touched by their time here. Also, my friend Jen, from minnesota is here visiting for a few weeks. She is helping with the painting and other fisinshes on the buildings.

During their time here we got to interact a bit with the orphans and their care givers. It was another reminder of why we are here doing what we were doing. So refreshing for that time to come now when the weight of the project and the "task at hand" gets so heavy. for more on this time check out the hope children's center blog. hopechildrenscenter.blogspot.com

When I picked up the group from the airport, I somehow lost my wallet which contained ,y passport, cash, credit cards, drivers license, etc. it was really embarrasing. Here I was, the leader of the group, the "guy on the ground" and Im the one making stupid mistakes. Oh well, humbling I guess. I went throught the process of getting a new passport, which was suprisingly easy.

We are down the the last few weeks. Randy leaves this wendsday. I have a couple more weeks and then i will be home. I should be in DesMoines on May 2nd. How has the time flown. I cant check out yet though, there is still a lot of work to do. I look forward to the day when the children will be cared for there. Already, some of the orphans have been stopping out the check the place out. They are blown away. Thansk to all who are making this possible for me and for the children here.

Pictures

Thimgs are going good. We are getting what the locals call "the last rains" We are waiting for the group to come next week. Also my Friend, Jen from Minnesota is coming to help with the ministry. It is going to be a busy week.

Today was Jack's lst day here with us. It is sad to see him go back to Omaha. It is clear that he touched many lives during his time here.

So last friday the reality hit me that the group coming from Ames would arrive in about a week. It was the first time that I thought "I'm running out of time" Now really, I have a lot of time left, bu it is officially crunch time. I spent the weekend getting caught up on paperwork, cleaning up at home and getting "ready" for being run over by this project. Monday, There was a new tone on the jobsite. There was no longer any time for messing around, no longer any time to put off the projects no one wanted to do. On a different side of things, Jack is on his final week here in Zambia. He has been taking advantage of each morning with the workers to teach them from the bible. That also set a more defined tone for the week. Overall, we have gotten a lot done. Lots of little projects, as well as beginning painting. That's kind of an exciting step, to get to paint stage. I'll post some picture soon.