So we came back today today to the town of Choma after spending 8 days in the village of Simwaanda. It was such an awesome experience which I will be sure to update much more extensively when I have more time once I am back in the states. Some highlights are as followed...
-Successfully started a savings and credit association
-Cut a chickens head off
-Scared a small child who had never seen a white person before (unintentionally of course)
-Harvested corn
-Experience 8 days of life how the majority of people in the world live
-Killed, skinned, and gutted a goat.
-Met some great people
- and learned so many things
I'm so thankful for my experience that I had in the bush. I will never forget my time there. God has been so good to me and our entire time. None of us got sick in the bush, which in itself was a huge blessing.
This will most likely be my last update while still in Zambia. Tomorrow will be a day of relaxation and documenting our trip. Friday we are going to visit macha hospital to drop off some things that we were asked to bring and also go to the village of Simaubi to visit the associations that were started last year. Saturday we are heading to Livingstone for the day to go to a game park and to see Victoria falls. Sunday we will travel to Lusaka and then finally on monday we will be travelling back home to the states.
Thank you for all of the prayers, they are so appreciated and we have felt the effects of them in the blessings we have been receiving as well as pouring out into those we have been in contact with. Please continuing praying for the remainder of the trip.
Thank you all so much...
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Past couple of days...
Hello everyone,
It's about noon on Monday here, and we are currently in the town of Choma. On Friday we got to visit a microfinance institution in Lusaka and were able to go visit some of their clients and got to talk with them about how Microfinance has impacted there life. After that we went over to MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates) and heard about the work they are doing here. Overall it was a great day. It was really good to be able to hear from the microfinance clients to get a better perspective of how microfinance really works instead of just reading about it in books.
Saturday we made our way out to Choma where we are currently at. Since being here we have been reviewing the material that we will be teaching in the villages when we go there tomorrow. I'm feeling more and more prepared so that is good. Living in the village for the next 9 days is going to be a big challenge so I appreciate all of your prayers.
I was surprised to see how developed Lusaka was, while not as advanced as a typical city in America it was miles beyond what I would have envisioned. What's interesting is that the city just stops and the dirt roads begin. Ron Herr, the man that is our main contact here and is taking us everywhere we need to go works for Compassionate ministries. Which is affiliated with the BIC Church and has lived here for the past 7 years. He has been a great guide both in getting us where we need to go and with the culture. One thing that has struck me is that many people here will have cell phones or a tv and not clean water. Ron has said he has spoke with the people specifically about this issue and the people have said they value their cell phones more than they do clean water. It's somewhat puzzling and I'm not sure as to how to react or feel about the situation. We have been told that some people in the villages will have a cell phone or even a tv that they will run off of a battery! It's something that I am having a hard time wrapping my mind around.
That's all I have for now. I'll post hopefully soon after we're out of the villages. Thank you all for your support and prayers
In love
It's about noon on Monday here, and we are currently in the town of Choma. On Friday we got to visit a microfinance institution in Lusaka and were able to go visit some of their clients and got to talk with them about how Microfinance has impacted there life. After that we went over to MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates) and heard about the work they are doing here. Overall it was a great day. It was really good to be able to hear from the microfinance clients to get a better perspective of how microfinance really works instead of just reading about it in books.
Saturday we made our way out to Choma where we are currently at. Since being here we have been reviewing the material that we will be teaching in the villages when we go there tomorrow. I'm feeling more and more prepared so that is good. Living in the village for the next 9 days is going to be a big challenge so I appreciate all of your prayers.
I was surprised to see how developed Lusaka was, while not as advanced as a typical city in America it was miles beyond what I would have envisioned. What's interesting is that the city just stops and the dirt roads begin. Ron Herr, the man that is our main contact here and is taking us everywhere we need to go works for Compassionate ministries. Which is affiliated with the BIC Church and has lived here for the past 7 years. He has been a great guide both in getting us where we need to go and with the culture. One thing that has struck me is that many people here will have cell phones or a tv and not clean water. Ron has said he has spoke with the people specifically about this issue and the people have said they value their cell phones more than they do clean water. It's somewhat puzzling and I'm not sure as to how to react or feel about the situation. We have been told that some people in the villages will have a cell phone or even a tv that they will run off of a battery! It's something that I am having a hard time wrapping my mind around.
That's all I have for now. I'll post hopefully soon after we're out of the villages. Thank you all for your support and prayers
In love
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Arrived..
After thirty some hours we arrived in Zambia... It's good to be here... Not much to update on now. Tomorrow we will be visiting a local MFI as well as MEDA to see what they are doing and to just learn, it should be good. I'm excited for what this trip will hold...
In love,
Nick
In love,
Nick
Friday, May 14, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
One week
As many of you know, and if you didn't, you do now: I'll be leaving to go to Zambia a week from today. I'll be there for three weeks with a group of 5 other people, 4 current Messiah college students and one alum who is our adviser. We will be working in a rural village in the Southern part of the country to start 2 or 3 savings and credit associations (SCA's). I'm really excited for this trip and what it will hold. Micro-financing as well as SCA's are something that I have really developed a passion for. It is an outlet for me to use my business skills in a way which truly helps the poor. I have come to a disdain with the traditional forms of aid. Way too often traditional aid hurts those which it is trying to help. (To learn more about this read When Helping Hurts) Our SCA's will utilize the capital and resources that the Zambians already have, to truly empower them, rather than giving them the often demoralizing handout, that has become the common place, sadly. In addition to starting the SCA's well be visiting some established Micro-Financing Institution's (MFI's) as well as the SCA's started last year. We have also cleared an afternoon to visit Victoria Falls (it would be almost wrong to go there and not visit it).
Part of the trip that I'm looking the most forward to, but am also the most nervous for is the home stay. For 10 days of the trip I'll be living with a host family when we are not training or making site visits. It's going to be a definite stretch for me, but something needed. I've also heard from numerous people that the Zambians love to barter at the markets, so I look forward to that, and I'm sure I'll have a good story from that..
Our team has prepared well for this trip, learning both our teaching material as well as some basic culture. Prayer is always appreciated, though. I'll make a short list here to make it easier
-That people would come to the training
-That we would be effective teachers
-That we would put aside our western values, and truly learn from the Zambians
-That we would put aside our expectations for this trip, and just be the hands and feet, and do what we felt led to do
While there, I'll probably only update this once or twice, if that. We won't exactly have readily accessible internet while we're there... Although we will be staying in some missionary guest houses for part of our trip which I believe do, so I will try to update briefly from there. One of the other people on our trip will be keeping a more regular blog, which I will find the link to and and post here so you can keep updated through that.
If you have any questions about my trip, micro-financing, or anything really shoot me an email at nickmartinophotography@gmail.com
In love,
Nick
Part of the trip that I'm looking the most forward to, but am also the most nervous for is the home stay. For 10 days of the trip I'll be living with a host family when we are not training or making site visits. It's going to be a definite stretch for me, but something needed. I've also heard from numerous people that the Zambians love to barter at the markets, so I look forward to that, and I'm sure I'll have a good story from that..
Our team has prepared well for this trip, learning both our teaching material as well as some basic culture. Prayer is always appreciated, though. I'll make a short list here to make it easier
-That people would come to the training
-That we would be effective teachers
-That we would put aside our western values, and truly learn from the Zambians
-That we would put aside our expectations for this trip, and just be the hands and feet, and do what we felt led to do
While there, I'll probably only update this once or twice, if that. We won't exactly have readily accessible internet while we're there... Although we will be staying in some missionary guest houses for part of our trip which I believe do, so I will try to update briefly from there. One of the other people on our trip will be keeping a more regular blog, which I will find the link to and and post here so you can keep updated through that.
If you have any questions about my trip, micro-financing, or anything really shoot me an email at nickmartinophotography@gmail.com
In love,
Nick
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