A Day in Town

Going to town should be a special treat when you live out in the bush, but actually, coming back to the bush is the special treat.

Each week we have to make a trip to Choma, the town nearest to New Day Orphanage, to buy groceries for the orphanage, for ourselves, supplies for the store, building materials, fuel for the generators and vehicles, and other things that come up.

We got a late start because of lots of business to take care of before leaving the orphanage, so we arrived in Choma about 10:30 a.m. We knew we had a lot to accomplish, so we went in two vehicles so that we could divide and conquer. The Morans went off to put in the order at the butchery, while we dropped off the order for the New Day Store at “Happy Investments.” We knew that it would take them several hours to find all the things on the list, because the typical Zambian store does not have everything you need, so they go and find it at other stores and sell it to you. We also stopped to check on our order for window and door frames and they assured us they would be ready by 2:00 p.m.

After we both finished our first assignment, we met at the bank so that we could get money out of the ATM. The lines were long as it was Friday and I guess everyone was planning a BIG weekend. We wanted to buy groceries last so that the food would stay as fresh as possible, so we went and ate lunch at the outdoor restaurant at the Choma Museum. The big trees provided some great shade and a cool breeze was blowing. If we could have stayed there all day, our outing to Choma would have been very restful.

After lunch, we divided up the grocery buying, and while the Morans headed to the grocery store, we headed to the open market to buy vegetables and dried fish. The market was crowded as usual, but we were able to buy what we needed and get back to the store to help the Morans as they checked out. We found them with looks of frustration on their faces as the people behind them were actually pushing their groceries forward thinking this would move things along faster. Maybe Fridays are not such a great day to shop.

Next we set out to pick up the “promised” window and door frames frame and get fuel. We were thinking we would be back at New Day by 5 at the latest. However, when we arrived to pick up the order, we found that they were not done. They still needed to be painted. Finally, Wes made an agreement with the shop owner that if they would give him the paint, he would paint them.

While Wes and Josh were at the shop trying to sort out the problem, Christy and I and their two children, Riley and Wes went to a little coffee shop across the way and had ice cream. What a refreshing treat on such a hot day. Little did we know we would wait in this shop for nearly an hour.

Wes and Josh finally settled the  problem with the frames, but now there was a traffic jam in front of the shop that kept things from moving. When this cleared, the guys tied the door and window frames down in the back of the vehicle, and off we went to get fuel.

There was only one station in town that had fuel, so the line was long and it was obvious that it was going to be a battle. Thankfully we got in the queue (the line) of vehicles and inched forward. Of course there were those who were trying to push their way in, but we managed to keep our place. When we finally headed out of Choma, we all breathed a sigh of relief that we were going back to the bush where all we have to listen to are drums beating at night, cow bells waking us in the early morning, and the sounds of birds singing. I’m glad we live in the bush!

Happenings at New Day

Here are a just a few things that have been happening around New Day Orphanage.


Birthdays are a BIG deal here at New Day, and last week Muchoni celebrated his seventh birthday.  I’m sure it was his first birthday party ever, and he seemed pleased. The children and staff chased him around with buckets and cups of cold water—which has become the “birthday tradition” here at NDO. It was a very hot day, so he didn’t seem to mind a bit. The party ended with cake and drinks, and a present. After the party, the children enjoyed some tumbling fun with Josh and Christy Moran who had them line up to do some fun flips.

Muchoni enjoyed getting wet on such a hot day!

The children laughed and laughed when Josh and Christy lined them up to do flips

Wes and I continue our work of putting together our house, which is coming along slowly. We are hoping that our kitchen cupboards will arrive soon so we can have a place to put things. We've made a makeshift kitchen, but we are eating most of our meals with the Morans, who are staying in the Tidwell house while they are in the states.

Speaking of the Morans, God knew that we would need some help in these early days at New Day. They are helping us in building projects, cleaning projects, shopping and organizing as well as helping out with the Bible studies that are ongoing here at New Day. Thanks Josh and Christy, Riley and little Wes, for coming to Zambia at this time!

There is some building going on at New Day, and Wes and Josh are in charge of making sure the workers are in place each day, have the materials they need, and are doing what they need to be doing. The second orphan house is one of these projects. The bricks were made a long time back and the foundation poured, so last week the men put up the walls, and now they are waiting for the windows and doorframes to arrive so they can continue.

There are lots of other things happening around here, and one of those is the education of the children. I’ve been dropping in periodically to visit the school. I've enjoyed sitting in on the Math, Phonics and Tonga classes. Teachers Abigail and Hildah are doing a good job and the children seem to be having fun while they learn.

Teacher Hildah used a fun song to teach the children counting and simple addition



We are still waiting for the electric company to hook us up and turn us on. Wes paid a visit to them recently, and they showed up today to look things over. They have made us a promise that they will come back two weeks from now to finish the work. We are praying that they will keep their promise this time.

Speaking of electricity, it is time to turn off the generator and go to sleep. The days are very hot now, but the Lord has blessed us with some cool nights so that we can sleep.



Our New Home

After five months in the states, we are back in Zambia at our new home at "New Day Orphanage." Although we have lived in Zambia for 13 years, we have never lived in an area as rural as the one we are living in now. Our last home in Gwembe was a rural village, but there was a lot of English spoken there, at least half the homes had electricity and running water, and we would see an ocassional vehicle pass by our home. But this is not the case in Mapanza, Zambia, where the orphanage is located.

New Day is off the main road, which is a dirt road, about a mile. It is completely surround by rural villages. It is not the prettiest place in the world with all the tall grass, red dirt and thorn trees everywhere, but the sunsets are amazing, and the skies on a clear night are brilliant.


On the first morning after our arrival at New Day, I began the process of unpacking boxes. When I reached down to open up the first suitcase, a small rat jumped out, touched my hand and ran off. Surprisingly I didn't scream. Such critters are part of rural life in Zambia.

Another part of rural life is DIRT! I've lived with dirt the last thirteen years, and even before that in Zimbabwe, but Mapanza dirt is different--it is red. I don't think that we will wear too much white at Mapanza. Amazingly, however, the Zambia women who come to wash our clothes by hand are able to get the clothes remarkably clean.


Probably the most challenging part of life at New Day is the lack of electricity. New Day has been waiting for the electric company to finish the work so the electricity can be turned on for over a year now. In the meantime, a generator is used to pump water to the houses, to keep the food in the freezers cold, and to provide lights for a few hours in the evening. Sleeping is a challenge, but at least we have battery fans. One good thing about no electricity are the sounds--birds singing, roosters crowing, and cow bells, are just a few of the sounds that we wake up to in the morning.


Our new home is like a BIG village. We are not alone by any means. The Tidwells live next door and soon we will have a completed guest house which will house some volunteer teachers. Also on the New Day property are two staff houses, one orphan house, and a multi-purpose building (school/kitchen/dining hall). We can get good excercise walking from where we live to this area as it is about....


New Day also has a new church meeting temporarily on the property at what we call "The Shelter." The shelter is a round open hut (or rondavel). It makes a nice place for the new believers to meet each Sunday for worship. We call the new church, "New Day Baptist Church."


Well, this is just a preview of our new home. We have a lot to learn about life at New Day, but one thing we already know--there's no place like home no matter where you live! We thank the Lord for our new home and our new family.

Family Memories

During our time in the states, God blessed us with some special time with our families. Wes enjoyed getting together with his siblings at his mother's home for the 4th of July in Carthage, MO. They shared a traditional July 4th meal together and had some games and of course lots of laughs. 

Laurie’s family reunion was a little longer than a weekend. From July 19-August 3, family members from Washington State, California, Bristol, England, North Carolina and of course Nebraska  came together for some great family memories like:  fun with nieces and nephews, a family fun day at the church, a softball game, trips to the zoo, and celebrating birthdays.

The hardest part was saying good-bye and realizing that it will be a long time and many miles that will separate us all, but we are so grateful that the Lord allowed us to have these very special memories.

It was a joy to meet my new niece, Christiana who belongs to my brother Jim (in the background).

He and Wes are the same age.

 Two trips to the zoo with my nieces and nephews was a special treat. Above, my six-year old niece, Anita, (from Washington) relaxes on a butterfly bench at the Omaha zoo. Below, my three nephews Augie, Dakota and Vanya share a special bonding moment.

Augie and Dakota are from Bristol, England and Vanya lives just a few blocks from my parents.

Nieces Amanda Gowen (from everywhere) and Ashley Heggi (California) share a private joke during an "Apples to Apples"game at our family fun day.

One of the highlights of our family time was a family baseball game. Above my parents prepare to hit a home run, or at least give it their best effort!

Fiftieth birthdays only come once, so we threw my brother Mike, from England, a surprise party. It was lots of fun! (From left to right: sister Pam, brother Mike, me, brother Craig and in the background, sister-in-law, Pru.)

For my birthday, the girls went out for a brunch, and my nephews sang happy birthday several times and gave me silly cards. It was a great day!