Today started a 5 AM with the rush of getting out the door to go to Mansa. See Mansa is a town about a 3 to 4 hour bus ride from our village. Yes, you heard it, a bus ride. At present, we do not have a vehicle to run around in. So we are taking public transportation. Amy and I both went as it was the monthly shopping plus I needed to pick supplies at the hardware store. Once we got out of the orphanage, I noticed that our unfinished wall was a bit moved. Apparently the earth that was being held up by the 3 course wall got a drenching and that compacted the soil down causing the wall to move off the foundation. After examining it further, I found out the the cement mix was poor and some of the burnt clay bricks were soaked thru and just crumbled at my touch! I am contemplating what to do. We have 3000 bricks still waiting to be built with, but now I have my doubts with the quality of the clay. hmmmm
Well, we went to Mansa, did the ATM, got the shopping done and picked up pipe fittings. By 12:30 we were back on the bus returning to Kazembe. We got back just in time to greet a friend, Sanjay and a secretary from the Lions club from the next town over who arrived to use our Internet. So they stayed for dinner. Oh yeah, both babies, Jennifer and Queeny were here for about 4 to 5 hours. Jennifer is happy with the baby room and us, but Queeny is still crying for her uncle. We tried cookies, milk, playing toys, etc. but when her diaper needed changing, ohhh boy. We told the guardians to bring them by 9 AM tomorrow and leave them until 4 PM. So it will be a big, loud day tomorrow.
Well, we went to Mansa, did the ATM, got the shopping done and picked up pipe fittings. By 12:30 we were back on the bus returning to Kazembe. We got back just in time to greet a friend, Sanjay and a secretary from the Lions club from the next town over who arrived to use our Internet. So they stayed for dinner. Oh yeah, both babies, Jennifer and Queeny were here for about 4 to 5 hours. Jennifer is happy with the baby room and us, but Queeny is still crying for her uncle. We tried cookies, milk, playing toys, etc. but when her diaper needed changing, ohhh boy. We told the guardians to bring them by 9 AM tomorrow and leave them until 4 PM. So it will be a big, loud day tomorrow.
At 6:50 PM we had a power cut. This has been going on weekly. The electric company (Zesco) calls it "load shedding", in other words, there just isn't enough power to go around. In the evening, everyone is using their electric stoves. So all the villages and non-towns get cut from around 6 PM to 9 PM. Well, by 9:40 PM our electricity came back on! But this normal candle light time we have been enduring for the past 5 years has now come to an end. Last week we got one back-up supply battery inverter. I connected it to our main house and now our light can stay on! Praise God! We still need three more systems to completely maintain our Orphanage. Lord willing soon, because the baby wing still goes off in a power cut.
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