Home Safe & Sound

An anxious group wait for Delta Flight #2565 to arrive via Atlanta.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder!


Thanks, Pastor Bob, for coming to welcome us home!



Our GoTeam, ready for some much needed rest.
Graig reports that our WaterAfrica Team arrived safely in Lusaka
today and was greeted by LuAnn Yocky.

"And Then There Were Four"
Johannesburg. Tuesday afternoon.

A quick recap: first Scott Fortmann departed early from Livingston, NEVER HAVING RECEIVED HIS LUGGAGE. Then Alan Shiffer broke off to attend a conference in Denver. LuAnn Yocky and Jill Sherman dropped the rest of us off at the Livingstone airport and started north for Lusaka again, where Jill will depart for PDX after a couple days. LuAnn meets another group there, a water vision group that includes several from our church. Finally, here in Jo'burg, Emily Hawkins transfers toward London to visit relatives in England.

ONLY FOUR ARE LEFT to return to Portland as a team. As in "The Fellowship of the Ring," several from our number are on separate adventures but in the end we will reunite, perhaps as early as this Sunday in church (except for Alan + LuAnn). We have loved serving God's people in Zambia, but we will love being back home with loved ones.

Please join us for our presentation Sunday evening, September 19!

Blessings on all who have checked in on us here!

Day 12: Relaxing and Packing, Ready for Home

The team started the morning by saying "goodbye" to Alan Shiffer, who leaves early to attend a conference in Denver. From the steps of the Livingstone museum, he waved farewell to us in our safari truck, and we proceeded to the nearby national park.

There we were delighted to see a wide variety of animals, including zebra, giraffe, impala, baboon, rhinoceros, warthog and wildebeest.

During the afternoon we had lunch at the lodge, then did a little last minute shopping before boarding the Lady Livingston for a gentle cruise on the Zambezi River until sunset.

There we spotted hippos, crocs, monitor lizards and diverse birds. We are grateful to God for these delightful forays into His creation, as a means of transitioning from "ministry in the bush" back in the direction of home. One team member, while taking in the beautiful sunset above the river, said, "My Dad made that." We are all grateful for the generous goodness of our Heavenly Father. We look forward to a smooth journey back to Oregon and our loved ones tomorrow.

May all who read this be blessed!

Day 11: Worship, Wonders, Reflection

Sunday, August 1, found us first at the David Livingstone Memorial Presbyterian Church, where Pastor Graig immediately noticed the nicely carpeted chancel that was the result of a gift left by last year's GoTeam. Although the lead pastor was not present, lay leaders did a capable job of leading worship. It was good to be among God's people for service to the Lord. Above the chancel was a huge banner with these words from 2 Chronicles 7: 15, 16 : "Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place... My eyes and my heart will always be there." Graig left an encouraging greeting for Libby during worship,who is the only one from the pastoral staff is present for worship this communion Sunday at LGPC.

From the church,we proceeded to Mosi-Oa-Tunya, "Smoke that Thunders", the local name for Victoria Falls. After the heavy rainy season, there is a high volume of water pouring into the chasm, and we were drenched by the "smoke"/mist of the falls. But what a natural WONDER! On the way back, we were thrilled to encounter a pod of "ellies", as Lake View's South African manager Keith would have said - about two dozen elephants refreshing themselves at a Zambezi tributary.


After dinner we met for our "final" debriefing, as team members were encouraged not only to process their experiences here, but to shape some "accessible" vignettes that they can share with folks back home, and to think about action steps that will help them support Sinazongwe in coming months.

The team now begins to "break up"... Scott Fortmann was able to get an early flight back to Singapore today, Alan Shiffer leaves for a conference in Denver tomorrow, and LuAnn & Jill will be heading back for Lusaka tomorrow after seeing the rest of us (Alan M., Emily, Graig, Laura) off at the Livingstone airport. But we may manage one more post before we leave; today our post-debriefing relaxation includes a game drive and a boat ride on the Zambezi... preceding our grueling journey back home tomorrow!

God bless each reader of this post! Thanks for your interest!

Local Fishing Activity

Day 9: "Leisure" at Lake View
Having said farewell to the World Vision staff on Thursday, Friday was designed to be a transitional day of exploring the Lake View area. In response to a request from Pastor Graig the previous year, Keith wanted to take the team out onto the Lake to visit the 3 islands that belong to the Lake View domain. However, we awoke to very choppy water, so that trip had to be delayed until afternoon. Team members found several ways to use the extra time. Some traveled with Keith to visit the local fishing activity and to see the ancient baobab tree that had fallen and produced delicious shitake-style mushrooms that had provided our dinner the night before.

Sinazongwe Clinic

Others wandered into town to look through the markets and visit the Sinazongwe Clinic, which includes a new HIV testing facility funded by the organization "Hoops for Hope". We are grateful for this new facility, as more and more people are being tested. It was interesting to see 3 different people wearing the LGPC T-shirts we had given out in Siabbeula the day before!

On the boat to Chikana Island

In the afternoon the lake was calm enough for us to visit Chikanka Island, where Lake View has development going on - a facility not unlike the existing lodge, but very isolated, designed for people on fishing adventures and for people who just want to get away from it all for a few days. What a treat! No GoTeam has yet been out on the Lake like this. What a thrill to return to the mainland just at sunset, in time for another tasty Lake View dinner!

LuAnn and Betty before team left Sinazongwe

Day 10: Farewell to Lakeview, Hello to Livingstone
Before the overcast skies came, dominating much of the day, there was sunshine for our farewell to Lake View Lodge and its super staff, led by managers Keith and Lee-Ann Coyne. Betty Mbewe joined us, as did Al Haamanjanji, along with bus driver Francis. We enjoyed a tasty breakfast built around delicious sweet corn fritters. After our treasurer Alan Marble and Pastor Graig counted out millions of kwacha to settle up our bill, we took time to thank and affirm (and tip) the staff, take some pictures, and exchange simple but meaningful gifts. With many hugs and handshakes, we boarded our bus and headed into the Sinazongwe zone, to see something we have never experienced in our 9 trips here.

The entire community was gathering to celebrate the annual Lwiinde festival, a kind of harvest festival of thanksgiving and prayer for the coming season. For many, the prayer is directed not to God, but to ancestral spirits. Animism is not yet dead here, but local Christians insist they are making progress, and this is borne out by the growing numbers in the churches of Siabbeula and Siabaswi. We were only present for the beginning of the festival, but we saw some mass dancing, some demonstrations of ancient hunting and war dances, and generally picked up the atmosphere of the festival as the crowds awaited the arrival of Chief Sinazongwe and his entourage.

Then it was time to hit the road. We headed south on the main highway (just two lanes), stopping briefly in Choma for lunch. While there, Pastor Graig and World Vision staff met with the leaders of Twachiyanda ADP, where Sherwood Presbyterian has had a significant ongoing relationship. During this meeting, the other team members visited the Choma Cultural Museum.

The trip to Livingstone went relatively quickly, as the road is MUCH improved over the last couple years, though still not completely paved. We arrived in Livingstone safely and were able to rest a bit before dinner.

Tomorrow will be a full day, starting with worship at the local Presbyterian church, followed by a visit to Victoria Falls and then a boat ride on the Zambezi River. In this place it is easy to praise God for the beauty of His creation!

Day 8: Final Sponsorship Visits, Final Debriefing and CELEBRATION!

On this last day of programming in the ADP, our remaining tasks dictated that we divide and conquer. While LuAnn, Alan S., Emily and Scott visited the sponsored kids of Fowlers and MacMillans, Alan, Bettirae, Graig and Laura visited 5 children in 2 zones. These were for Kubys, Pollards, John Skillern, Hilgaertners and Peggy Williams. These visits are significant not only for those in the sponsorship relationship, but also for the community. They learn that sponsors are very real people - not bureaucratic fabrications! - who deeply care about them and pray for them. These visits make it all real.

During the afternoon, World Vision staff and the GoTeam met for a time of reviewing the trip and assessing it, followed by an exchange of gifts and affirmation that left everyone feeling encouraged and optimistic. Among the LGPC gifts were beautiful handmade silver pendants, crafted by LGPC member Amelia Anderson. They had the names of female staff members and wives of male staff members stamped into them, along with the notation, "Isaiah 43:1-2", a particularly poignant verse for this flood-plagued region. These were delightfully received along with other gifts.

But the WV staff, led by manager Betty Mbewe, really blessed us this year with wonderful sport shirts celebrating the persevering 8 year partnership between us (see photo with new World Vision staffer Alan Shiffer). These shirts also have "World Vision Sinazongwe" and the Lake Grove logo embroidered on them, real keepsakes of high quality. We are humbled by these generous gifts and grateful to God Who formed the partnership and sustains it. "No one returns consistently like you; no one prays for us like you," said the manager. And we respond, "We don't have a choice: God leads us here and aside from that, we have grown to love you."

Closing our time with singing, we all headed home with joy for having been among God's people, as well as for experiencing in our unity a glimpse of His kingdom.

Blessings on all who read this!