Walls are headed higher for team housing at House of Hope.  Michael helped me up on the scaffolding and I could see Lake Karbia!  This place will have a view:) 

I was at Siakalamba School also near House of Hope enrolling orphans in Global Orphan Reliefs school program.  24 happy children!

Michael and I were so blessed to know Rev Anderson Mwikisa who passed away at the age of 95 years last week.   We know he was a General in the Lord's army and were touched with his humbleness and encouraging words to us over the years.  Rest in peace our dear brother.

We just did not have enough time to properly train our donated animals so we are hiring people in the community to plow for us.  We did use 1 animal and a borrowed animal when the children plowed with the first 10kg of maize. I was thinking maybe the seeds would be covered to deep becasue our boys had never done this before ...  Well all 20kg of maize has germinated and broken the ground well.  Oh me of little Faith.. Even our pumpkins and watermelons have come up nicely. 

We received a call after 8:00pm one Tuesday night that our night workers thought we had lost the water pipes into the well and no water could be pumped.  Well Michael went out early the next morning and went to a friends to get the well pulling equipment and pulled the pump to find the whole bottom pump cylinder was missing and had fallen into the well.  He searched all of Kalomo to only find a full replacement no parts could be found.  He phoned another friend who runs a well drilling operation and found the part needed.  We will need to replace the part after a trip to Lusaka.  So blessed that water was available within 36 hours of the break down.  Our girls went right to work pumping after it was fixed. 

Michael is teaching our older boys how to give their animals injections and treat them for tick disease.  So many wonderful things are happening at House of Faith.

It's that time of year again when the children get so excited for our Happy Birthday Jesus party at both Children's homes. They sometimes have a play, sing songs, play games and get treat bags and new shoes...  I love getting things together for this special day. This Christmas it was 110 treat bags for staff and children. 

There was a visiting team at the Mission here in Kalomo,  Victor and Royal were invited to be seen by them.  I was so blessed that all the information that was given to us about their CP and how to help them was already being covered by Frances their therapist.   We were given a few new tips on things and are so grateful to have such good care near us here in Kalomo. 

I received a letter that Miyoba ( our newest baby girl at House of Faith) relatives could care for her we had her on temporary care until paperwork could be done after her mom's funeral. She has grown so much in the 5 weeks we cared for her.  Keep her and her family in your prayers.  

Coming back into Kalomo with Miyoba and her Auntie I heard a loud noise and stopped the vehicle....   I checked to see if I had cell phone coverage and was thankful I did.  I called Michael and he came to help us.  Seems the front U Joint broke.  I am so thankful to have a husband who can do all things with the Lord's help of course :) Within the hour we were on our way back into town. 

We were so blessed to be invited to Zimba Church for Sunday service.  This is were we started 22 years ago.  There is a bigger church building now and we saw so many old friends.  What a special day.

It's that time of year when we are inviting all our extended care kids to House of Faith's Happy Birthday Jesus Party.  We visited Komona who returned to grand Parents last June.  We found her doing well and she was number 6 in her 1st grade class. She was not able to travel to our party Monday  so we gave her a special treat bag and a new outfit.  So thankful to see our extended care kids doing well.  Happy Christmas Komona...

Our rains are down from this time last year and we are desperately needing them to come. Our kids have planted their sunflower and need rains again before fertilizing their maize.  We have also planted about 28 trees oranges lemon guava and mango in a small orchard inside the newly fenced area at House of Faith that need rain.   

Our girls were returning from the fields not to happy I wanted a picture they are learning to do the weeding. Everyone has a role to get the job done at planting time.  Trying to teach life skills, everyone has to eat... 

Our older boys helped me clean and  set up the Activity Center for our Party.  All we need now is to decorate and bring out the treat bags, shoes and staff gifts. Baking cakes today...   

I am traveling out again with Michael on Sundays since he has finished doing Jesus Film weekend outreaches.  I have been blessed to see so many congregations building wonderful buildings all on their own.  First picture is where the church is meeting now and the second is their new building.   

The next several pictures is of House of Faith's Happy Birthday Jesus Party.  Everyone had a wonderful time.  One of our oldest children read the scripture of the Christmas story, then we sang songs Uncle Mike shared to make sure everyone understood the story.  Then we handed out staff gifts, treat bags, we had cake and then we gave out the new shoes.  What a wonderful time.....

The next few pictures is of House of Hopes Happy Birthday Jesus party.  Everyone had a fun time when Uncle Mike had the children help him share the Christmas story. 

On our way from House of Hope back to Kalomo on Christmas Eve I saw my Christmas Flower....  I don't know why but I search for them at Christmas.  So beautiful just wild in the bush.

I was so excited to see the walls for the bedrooms  going up for our  team housing at House of Hope... 

So blessed to visit another church before the New Year.....I loved their Christmas decoration so creative.  They have roofed their new church building. 

Our rains are not coming regulator we are just receiving a shower here and there.  Everyone's crops are at a critical time.  I've heard some places have not received enough rain to even plant yet.  Please Pray for rain.  Our children will be ok if their crops fail but so many families will suffer if their crops fail. I have seen floods happening all around the world over the Christmas season but here we are in drought :(   Our sunflower has germinated and fertilizer has been applied to our maize.  

So many wonderful things are going on with the fence at the Children's home.  We have been so blessed to fence in a very large area becasue of a price different and exchange rate that is very high at the moment.  It is wonderful to go and find no animals eating the flowers around the houses our garden or goats in the corn bins :)

The walls are going up for team housing at House of Hope.  Everything needs to be just right because it is a two story with a look out of Lake Karbia with stairs going up...

We are preparing for the rains and the children have cleared their fields and  are helping training our donated animals to plow along with Pastor Quinton's help.   I am so happy we are able to teach them this  life trait .... everyone needs to eat. 

Michael has replaced all the much used parts on the plow from last years work.  The children will be ready to go with our first rains. 

We received a call late Sunday night that a three week old baby girl was in need of a home her mom had just passed away.  We shared they should come in and go to Social Welfare and we could help them if it was approved.  The family arrived at our gate about 10:30 am Monday with Miyoba a beautiful little girl weighing 4kg.  Mama Benita at House of Faith will care for her.  The older children love having a baby in the house.  Keep her family in prayers as the grieve the loss of her mom.  

We were invited to a very special wedding here in Kalomo this month.  We met Eugen after we moved here in 2007.  We were far out from town on a Jesus Film weekend with a truck load of people from the church and we were ask to stop at a near by hut on our way back to town.  I walked with Eugen to quickly visit a very old blind man.  Eugen had found him while setting up the Jesus Film  showing and wanted to give him a pair of new trousers.  My heart was so touched that day I knew it wasn't easy for Eugen to find money for this gift. We are so honored by the people we see loving Jesus with their lives.  Happy Wedding Day!

Well the rains have started and I am thankful the dust has calmed down a bit.  Now it's time for mud driving :)

The Co Op in our area of House of Faith has not yet delivered seeds and fertilizer  and the rains have started.  I took out 10KG of maize seeds (corn) so the children could at least get something in the ground early. Please pray for all the area farmers  who will be delayed in planting. I was so blessed to see our young men handling the plow themselves this year. It isn't a easy task I tried myself last year. I am praying they did not cover the seeds to deep but they have to learn somehow...  

Mama Rita was overseeing the children in the field and making sure the girls were dropping the seeds correctly. 

Our kids are always watching and learning.  Michael has been busy with several maintenance projects before the rains and the children follow him around and just watching and  asking questions.

This is the first month since July Michael has not  had Jesus Film showings on the weekends.  When the rains are about to come it's time to stop until next year.  His Sunday services have been wonderful  as he continues to go out each week to a different area.

Every season here I have flowers to look forward to seeing and I found my red pops of color a bit late this year but finally there they where so beautiful......

We try to prepare our older children for life as best as we can before going back to relatives and one of the things we do is to make sure they have their National Registration cards.  Luuwo and Chimuka got theirs this month and Luuwo even received her voting card.  

House of Faith kids are always singing and marching...  love these precious little ones

Our work with Global Orphan Relief's Orphan School Program is almost ready for the 2016 school year.  We enrolled 73 children at one school and December 4th we will have our final number at three schools.  We are so blessed GO is sponsoring Orphans into the High School classes.  This is truly a blessing to see so many continue on until 12th grade. I am always blessed by the Headmaster, Deputy Head, Community Leader and Chaplin.  Mama Lizzy from House of Hope also went to help me.

The next few pictures are of the relatives who care for these orphans.  I was blessed to serve them, grandma's,  grandpa's, Aunties, Uncles, brothers and sisters trying to care for the kin. 

House of Faith has rented a house in town for our grade 8-9 and 10s. We are so excited for this new way of educating our older children so they don't need to cycle 8km each to way to school.  Keep us in prayers as we move maybe 10 children and Mama Benita into Kalomo.

Water in our well always gets low this time of year before the rains come.  We can not pump up into the tank just directly from the pump.  Our ladies who wash clothes for the children have to change the way they do things and wash from buckets instead of using the abundant water at the sinks.  So thankful for these ladies.

House of Hope kids enjoying a local wild fruit!