Loadshedding

Elder Phelps setting up a gas cookstove for the missionaries to use when they can not or choose not to use their electric stove. African missionaries tend to prefer the gas stoves. These are kind of a pain because the tanks of gas have to be refilled multiplied by a bunch of missionaries!! And that means more work for Elder Phelps or Zone Leaders (the only ones with vehicles).
 

All of Zambia is on Power Load shedding mode. This means that a rotation happens throughout the country where the power will be shut off for certain lengths of time.

From a news article the beginning of January: "Zambia will begin experiencing rotational load shedding as a result of a planned generator outage at Maamba Coal Thermal Power Plant for routine maintenance and a drastic reduction of water for electricity generation at the Kariba North Bank."

So how are we dealing with no power from 8 to 12 hours everyday? That is right EIGHT to TWELVE hours of no power every day! This started 10 January 2023. 

So far our own power has been off mostly while we sleep, going off at about midnight and coming back on sometime during the day after we have gone to work. Counting our blessing here!!! 

                                              

Getting ready for the day, putting on makeup, eating breakfast in the semi-dark is doable:) Even the geezer has enough hot water in it to take a quick shower! All water tanks are on the outside of buildings. Kind of works well because if they ever spring a leak, it is outside! Which this one did a few weeks ago!

The hours that the power is off varies throughout the mission. Some missionaries have to deal with power being off in the evening after being out all day.  This proves challenging because they can't cook. So a lot of peanut butter sandwiches were being eaten! And they all complain a lot!!! 

                  

                                     We keep a pretty decent supply of drinking water.                                          

          Little solar powered lights give off a little bit of light but not much. At lease it is a little bit. 

                                              

                         These lights were hanging in the window of one of the missionary flat.

Especially in Malawi where there is much more load shedding that in Zambia, some of the apartments have been supplied with an invertor which will keep a few lights running and enable the missionaries to charge their phones. (Phones are used a great deal in missionary work these days)! It will not generate enough power to keep the refrigerator going, so we all just hope that the power doesn't stay off TOO long!