We've got chicken

photo by Colin & Christy Zacharias

The second visit of the day on Friday was to Jane, my friends Claudia and Moe's sponsor child. What a sweet little girl! Again, she lives miles into the wilderness and you can't help but wonder how hard life must be for these families to travel, what must be a 2 day walking trip to Zimba, to get staples, and then having to carry them back. Utant told us they probably only go every few months and the purchases would be beans, maize meal, oil and salt. I purchased a 25 kl sack of maize meal, oil, beans and dried fish (a real treat so I'm told) to help the family out. Jane lives with her mother Grace, Grandfather Morris, brother Ephrim,age 2 yr., and sister Rachel age 1 yr. Jane helps to carry water from the bore hole a good distance away and she is in Grade 1. I asked the family what they hoped that Jane's sponsorship would do for the family and they told me they hoped for blankets, a school uniform and shoes. The group has found that all the families we have met seem to understand the help and work World Vision does within the communities. Health care seems to be of foremost importance to these rural people. World Vision has built the hospital you will be hearing about, but it is a good distance away from the family and Morris told me he wished for facilities that were closer.

Jane was very shy and wore a very pretty dress for my visit, but even though it was pretty, it was well worn and tattered. She was very excited to receive her parcel from Claudia and Moe and we have been making sure to have extra gifts for those unknown brothers and sisters. We have all pooled together any extras we have (which turned out to be a lot) and so far have managed to find enough for everyone. At one visit we handed out toothbrushes to all the neighbours who had curiously come to watch and one young man was seen jumping for joy! Would our children do that? I think not.

At the end of the visit one of the group noticed a boy chasing a chicken round the yard, ending up in the house, where he caught it. Grace went and took the chicken from him and to my great surprise gave him to me as a gift. It would have been so rude to refuse, but I certainly felt like it, as this family had so little. I have named him Henry and at the moment he is living at Lidia's house until we find a home for him, where they are not going to eat him for supper! The ADP staff wanted to bring him back to First Choice so we could have him for dinner next week and can't seem to understand that I can't eat a chicken I know.

Claudia...more will come about Jane and her visit, at this time I'm trying to take advantage of the internet and get a few stories up.

Till next time