Hal and Janis

      The Lusaka Zone is the largest in the mission. Don’t you love seeing all these happy faces? Of course what 18-21 year old isn’t happy when he/she is eating! My responsibility for Zone Conference was to cook!! So roast, potatoes and carrots was the main coarse. The USA missionaries loved it…not so much the African missionaries. But all express gratitude!  If anyone has suggestions on what to feed 26 or so hungry missionaries, I’m all up for suggestions!! I’m serious in this request!!! Crock pot meals are best because the meeting places do not have kitchens or refrigerators and we have to transport the food. A funny thing happened while Sister Hales and I were making the gravy: we stirred and stirred and stirred the gravy, waiting for it to thicken. Sister Hales even went to the grocery store while I kept stirring. Finally, after a long time, we decided the gravy was thick enough so we turned the stove down to one. Within seconds the gravy started to boil! Everything in Zambia is b

  We were invited to have dinner with a family here in Lusaka. They have become good friends with the Hales so we all went together. I’m quite leery of eating in strange places and strange foods but we were assured that we would be okay. The Quero’s are originally from the Philippines but have lived in Zambia for the past six years. Very nice and gracious family. Brother Quero is a counselor to President Whiting. He works with the Pathways program. There is a huge push Pathways in this area. Education is so vital!! Guess what they fed us? New foods…at least to me! Hal ate rabbit when he was younger so no big deal to him! I was brave once again and tasted rabbit. So out of my comfort zone! Have you ever seen an avacado this big!

 When the Hale’s left they left a backpack for Gift. You should have seen the smile on his face when he saw this soccer ball!!   Gift is 15 years old. He always has this huge smile on his face! Once the missionaries started teaching him, he never missed coming to church for months! He loves it! The bishop of the ward where Gift lives didn't think he should be baptized because he didn't have any family support and because he was so young, but the missionaries were persistent and the bishop eventually gave his approval. Gift was living with his "auntie," as she was called. He is an orphan.  A member of the ward started tutoring Gift to help him do better in school. I asked him what he liked best about school and his answer was, "Anything when I learn something new!" He said he liked math, but I learned later that he doesn't know his multiplication tables.  FYI the schools here are extremely poor...poor as far as facilities goes, poor in having qualified te

                                   Nshima                                             and Chicken…the sauce was good                                                  Fish                                        and the vegetables included eggplant, spinach, onions   This is take out in Zambia. A typical selection of food: Fried Fish, chicken, vegetables (eggplant, spinach, onions), and nshima. I didn’t try the fish; the chicken was good; the vegetables were barely tolerable; and nshima is the thickest, most bland substance on earth! Give me credit for trying! Nshima is the most staple food in Africa. It is made from corn. They use their fingers to scoop any other food on their plate. Since it is so thick it is extremely filling so those who are hungry only need to eat a little bit to fill full. 

We were initiated into church really fast!    Last night at about 8:00 PM, we received a call asking us to speak in church the next morning!!    So much for preparing! Not only that but we learned that no one in the two different wards that we would be attending plays the piano. We were told that they try to sing a cappella and they do so very poorly!! Slow and off key!! So guess who played the piano in both wards we attended today? To say the least, I was a bit nervous because I have not sat down to a piano in at least two years! Miracles happen because I was able to play all of the hymns that had previously been chosen. At first, I would have to wait at the end of each line for the congregation to catch up. By the second and third verses we were all together!   😀 The people who spoke and those giving lessons, as well as those who made comments have strong testimonies! I especially enjoyed those who spoke of and related experiences in their lives about the importance of the temple. 

  Grocery shopping is quite the adventure here! Since we’ve gone to the grocery store a couple of times, we thought it a good idea that we actually figure out what we are spending! Zambian money is the kwacha. On a daily basis the kwacha value changes because the value of the dollar is decreasing. Basically however, one kwacha equals about 16 cents.  Here are a few things we did a cost comparison on: Milk costs K38.99 per 2Lt or $2.33 per half gallon. That makes it about $4.66 per gallon! Butter costs K124.99 or $7.49 per pound! The sales tax is 16% but only on some things. Some produce, milk, eggs, and meat are not taxed but paper goods, like toilet paper and cheese, bananas, and carrots are taxed. Not really much rhyme or reason that we can figure out.  Gas costs about $10 per gallon!! Ouch!!! It is no wonder the people eat nshima as their staple food and walk!!

We got up early this morning so we could be at the immigration office by 6:00 AM! The office didn’t open until 8:00 but we came early so we could stand in this line and hopefully be one of the first to get in. Typical of government offices (we think it is bad in the US, it’s worse here), there were a lot of people (employees) standing around and only one or two people actually doing any work! I was told to go to one desk, but after standing there for a minute or so the lady “working” there looked up from her phone, glared at me, then told me to go to a different desk! Not too friendly here or maybe they just don’t love their work! Anyway, we got our permits to stay here. One of my responsibilities will be to bring the missionaries here when they come into the country and go through this same process! About once a month. Not really looking forward to this. Not the greatest picture here but oh well, it is what it is.

     First impressions: Things are old: the housing, the cars, the infrastructure. Even though the airport terminal is new (within this past year) it still looks like an old building. People try to be helpful and they are kind and friendly. Driving is intense! Left hand lane! A lot of walkers! Very clean! No trash on the streets, except old run down, not drivable cars. People sweep the streets. Our places of living are very clean! Blow dryers knock out power. I’ll have to plan ahead when fixing my hair.

  I cannot imagine fulfilling this assignment without the training we are receiving from the Hales!! We have some mighty big shoes to fill! They have been so fun and patience and such amazing teachers. Too much to learn in just a few days. We will really miss them when they go home next week! Hal’s responsibilities include the finances, housing, and vehicles. My responsibilities include immigration, correspondence,  and travel. And feeding missionaries at district and zone meetings. The elephant in this picture was made from bottle caps by a local street vender. The artisan also made a huge gecko (about 8 feet long) and a butterfly which will stay with the apartment. The Hales are having the elephant shipped home.

  And we’re off!! For an adventure we never dreamed of! Every emotion possible has come into play the past few days but with faith in the Lord we are willing to serve where he has called us to go….Lusaka, Zambia! The flight was incredibly long; 33 hours! We were so happy to arrive at our destination with all of our luggage! This is Doha, Qatar. It was 10:00 pm when we landed here. We thought it was  interesting that even though the streets were all very well lit, we could not see even one car!! Maybe no one goes out at night?? The airport was very clean and modern. Signs claimed this to be the best airport in the world.  We were really happy to see that all of our luggage arrived with us! Once we arrived in Lusaka, Elder and Sister Hales, greeted us at the airport and immediately started training us. So much to learn in just 10 short days. However, the best intentions couldn’t prevent the weary travelers from nodding off so they took us to our flat and we fell asleep faster than ever b

  Marjorie Pay Hinkley once said, “We each do our part and we each have our story.” This has become more evident as we have been here at the MTC. There are 125 senior missionaries at the MTC this week…the largest group since Covid. As we have heard their stories we have been amazed at their devotion, sacrifice, and love for the Lord each of them has.  The four couples in our district will be friends forever! Their testimonies and gospel insights enlightened our minds and strengthened our own testimonies. Elder and Sister Stone, from Idaho Falls, are headed to Florida. Hal and Grant Stone worked at the same facility out at the site. They were so surprised to see each other and delighted to renew their friendship! Elder and Sister Archie, originally from back East but more recently from Las Vegas, Nevada will be serving in the visitors center in Washington D.C., just in time for the extended open house of the temple there.  This is their third mission!!  Elder and Sister Elsmore, from Te

                                        Jessica wrote, “We held a “surprise” party in the construction zone of our house. 😂. It was the only way we could keep the secret of my parents getting a mission call. Everyone was surprised. I’m  the only one who knew it was coming cause I saw a letter one day early in January on the kitchen table. So I planned the party😁. I made the puzzle map of the U.S. cause me and my parents thought it would definitely be a states mission. But…they are going to Zambia (in Africa)😅. I don’t know who is going to be more shell shocked- my mom or my dad. If you know my mom, she does not like big adventures away from home. This will definitely be the ride of their life!”