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Background
of the trip:
Last year
Brian was getting ready to graduate from PHS and we sat
down as a family to discuss where we wanted to go for a
family vacation. We wanted this vacation to be memorable
and special since Brian was soon off to college and we
didn’t know if we would have many more family vacations
together. We decided that we would go to Africa. I had
always dreamed of a safari, Bill wanted to climb
Kilimanjaro and Brian wanted to serve there in some
capacity. Little did we know that in October, Brian
would be diagnosed with cancer and that he would be dead
a short five weeks later.
For the
memorial service we asked that in lieu of flowers,
donations be made to One Life Revolution, an
organization that was close to Brian’s heart. Our goal
was to collect enough funds to purchase a well in Zambia
and through the generous donations of family and
friends; we met and exceeded this goal. Since Brian’s
death we have been working with World Vision/One Life
Revolution to have this well dug and to be able to go to
Zambia and dedicate it in Brian’s name. We learned in
October that the well had been dug in the Makungwa Area
Development Program (ADP), Zambia and that we could join
a World Vision team going there in December. We made
quick travel arrangements and joined by some dear
friends we traveled to Africa.
And so our
journey begins... Bill and I, together with our good
friend Mike Stelle, who has dreamed of going to Tanzania
since his parents worked in the Peace Corps there many
years ago and who Brian referred to as his “hero”,
traveled to Africa and landed in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
on Dec 1, 2006 on the one-year anniversary of Brian’s
memorial service. As I step on to African soil, travel
weary from two days of non-stop flying, I am assailed by
so many emotions. I am excited to be here, getting ready
to embark on a personal, seven-day safari for which I
have dreamed, it seems, forever. Yet I am also feeling
the huge loss of Brian since this was the trip that we
had planned to go with him. It is a bitter/sweet moment
for me.
After a short
delay, we catch our flight to Arusha and upon landing
are met by our safari guide, Olotu. Olotu will be our
guide, driver and fountain of information on our safari
— we are happy he is taking care of us since he has 25
years of experience in safari driving.
We spend the
next seven days with Olotu exploring Tarangire National
Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Serengeti, Olduvai
Gorge, and the Ngorongoro Crater. I had to write a list
of all the animals that we saw because they were too
many to remember and each day brought a new species and
a new adventure.
It was every
thing I had dreamed it would be and so much fun. We saw
baby elephants and baby zebras, elephants playing at a
water hole, a lion eating fresh prey, two lions chasing
a giraffe right in front of us, wildebeest as far as the
eyes could see, hippos, a cheetah stalking gazelles, and
an elephant charging us and so much more. Each day
seemed better than the one before and every day was
exciting.
Masaii village welcome
One afternoon
we stopped at a Masaii village. The Masaii are a nomadic
tribe and are granted the privilege to live anywhere in
Tanzania that they wish. They believe that God gifted
the cattle to them, so the more cattle they acquire the
more wealth they have and hence the more wives they may
acquire. They stay in temporary huts, made from sticks,
dung, animal skins and rocks, until the cattle have
overgrazed the land, then they move to the next place.
We were greeted with a welcome song and dance by the
Masaii men and women. The men and women dance separately
so Mike and Bill were asked to join the men and I was
asked to dance with the women. The Masaii men are known
for how high they can leap, so Mike and Bill each took
the opportunity to leap into the air as high as they
could alongside a Masaii warrior.
 The women
make and wear beaded collars and their dance moves the
collar up and down on their neck. I felt a bit like an
awkward turtle dancing with the women, but they were
gracious to us and smiled encouragingly. The son of the
chief led us through the village giving us the history
of the Masaii, allowing us to go inside a hut and
visiting a kindergarten classroom where the children
sang the ABC’s for us. After purchasing some beaded
bracelets for souvenirs and a couple of Masaii swords,
we left the village and continued on our journey.
The lodges
that we stayed at each night were also beautiful and
unique. The first night was our very own tree house,
another night a luxury tent where I heard lions roaring
in the night, another overlooked Lake Manyara and still
another on the rim overlooking the Ngorongoro Crater.
That night there was a full moon and the crater was
illuminated by the bright light. It was a magical place
and I am thankful to have had the opportunity to visit
there.
 Visiting
Tumaini in Tanzania
On our last
day in Tanzania we went to visit Tumaini, a child Mike,
Jennifer (his wife) and two girls, Kayla and Madison
have been sponsoring for many years through Compassion
International. That morning, we met Mary, the Compassion
International representative, who drove with us to the
church and school that Compassion International has
built to help in the area where Tumaini lives with her
family. As Mike stepped out of the van upon arriving at
the church, Tumaini came running to him and gave him a
big hug. She recognized him from the many pictures they
had sent over the years. She looked at me and asked if I
was Jennifer, Mike’s wife, but sadly I had to say no,
though I gladly substituted for her while we were with
Tumaini.
 After
learning about the school Compassion has built and
seeing the new structure, we headed off to Tumaini’s
village to visit her home and her family. Her home was a
simple hut made of sticks, mud and rocks with a
corrugated tin roof. It had two small rooms with no
running water, no electricity and no frills of any kind.
Inside on the wall were a newspaper article, and a
picture with stickers on it that Mike’s girls had sent
to Tumaini in a previous letter.
 Because
Tumaini’s home was so small and dark, they had built a
shelter for our visit. It was built of sticks and
covered with a tarp and colorful fabric that I suspect
were the skirts of her mom, sisters and relatives. There
were small wooden chairs, tables covered with fabric and
flowers for a centerpiece. It was a beautiful gesture to
make us feel welcome from a family that had so little.
Soon after we
began our visit in the little shelter, Tumaini’s mother
began to bring in food for our lunch. She brought a huge
pot of rice, mystery meat stew and a plate of bananas.
My heart broke at the sacrifice this family was making
by giving us this food. Mary, our Compassion
International representative, advised us not to eat the
rice and mystery meat stew because she was afraid we
would get sick, but we ate as many bananas as we were
able. I did not in any way want Tumaini’s family to
think we were disrespectful or not honored by their gift
of food. In fact, I was humbled by their generosity,
love and gratitude they showed us. Mike had brought a
backpack to give to Tumaini filled with gifts bought by
Kayla and Madison. Tumaini presented Mike with a belt
and gave me a necklace, bracelet and earrings set. At
first, I just held them knowing they were for Jen, but
at Tumaini’s urging I put on the bracelet and necklace
and got a huge smile from Tumaini.
Once a
sponsored child herself
We had a
flight to catch and soon had to leave. After many hugs
and many, more pictures we loaded into the car and
headed to the airport. Mike was very emotional after
this visit and Mary, the Compassion representative, was
very emotional too. Once again, our flight was delayed
so we had an opportunity to talk to Mary further. She
told us that she doesn’t have the opportunity to go “out
into the field” for sponsor visits often. In fact, she
wasn’t supposed to be with us during this trip but had
to substitute for a fellow worker.
 With tears in
her eyes, Mary told us she knew how important it was for
Tumaini to meet and visit with Mike, her sponsored
family. She knew, because she was once a sponsored child
herself. Her father and her 11 brothers and sisters were
trying to make ends meet, when she was sponsored by
World Vision. At that point we all became emotional and
realized the huge impact non-profit organizations like
World Vision and Compassion International have on
children around the world.
To sponsor a
child through
Compassion International
Children of the Nations (COTN) in Malawi
 Our next stop
on our journey was Lilongwe, Malawi. We were greeted at
the airport by Monica, an associate working for Children
of the Nations in Malawi. Children of the Nations (COTN)
is a non-profit organization headquartered in
Silverdale, Washington. I was familiar with this
organization because I had gone on two previous
short-term mission trips with them to the Dominican
Republic. I am a huge fan of COTN, whose mission
statement is: “to provide responsible care to orphans
and destitute children, through the equipping of
nationals, giving children every possible advantage
available to grow in a stable, Christ centered
environment, empowering them to be the leaders of
tomorrow.”
We arrived on
a Saturday and were quickly settled in our own little
huts at the COTN mission center called Njewa. COTN is
building new short-term mission housing, which are
actually huts with grass thatched roofs. We were the
first visitors to inhabit the huts and once the
construction is completed and the glitches worked out it
will be an outstanding, unique place to stay while
working in Malawi.
 Later that
day we went to visit Chitipi Farm. Chitipi is an example
of how COTN works in Malawi. It is a home filled with
approximately 33 double-orphaned boys and girls living
as a family, presided over by a mom and a dad. The
children that live in this home were literally “at
death’s door” before they were brought here to live.
They were abused, neglected, abandoned and their stories
will break your heart. Here they are given a second
chance to live in a safe, secure environment surrounded
by the love of a new family. Looking at the smiling
faces that greeted us you would never guess the
atrocities they have suffered in their young lives.
The children
greeted us with a welcome program. Each child introduced
themselves to us by telling us their name, age, grade in
school and told us how happy they were to see us. Then
they continued by singing and dancing many beautiful
songs for us. I love African music and the joy that is
expressed in their singing and dancing.
The following
day, Sunday, we were invited to visit the church in
which Tom, who is the country director of COTN and a
pastor, presides. We were greeted warmly by all who go
to this church and Mike, who is also a pastor, was asked
to preach there as well. An African church service was a
unique experience for me. Once again, I loved the
singing and the dancing that seems to go on continuously
during the service.
The team of
five
We had to
leave a little early to pick up our friends, Scott and
Kevin Cannaday, at the airport, who were joining us for
this portion of our trip. Kevin was like a brother to
Brian and he desperately wanted to be a part of this
trip, serving in Africa and seeing the well dug in
Brian’s memory. Scott, Kevin’s father was able to
accompany him on the long journey and now our team of
five was complete. As soon as Scott and Kevin landed, we
told them to re-pack a small overnight bag because we
were headed up to spend two nights in Chiwengo Village,
a village where COTN has five more homes for orphans.
 Chiwengo
Village has a unique history and the homes there are
very different from most homes you see in Africa.
Chiwengo Village was built for his relatives by the 1st
president of Malawi, Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda. The
homes are very westernized, made of brick with running
water, electricity, flush toilets, and even asphalted
streets with street lights. There are approximately 72
orphans living in these five homes, each with house
parents, some with older girls called “aunties” or older
boys called “uncles”. There is a home for the teen boys
and one for teen girls. These children, like those at
Chitipi, are double-orphaned, losing both mother and
father, and have come from very heartbreaking
circumstances. One young boy at Chiwengo, Innocent
Mkungula, said, “When I try to recall my last experience
at the village and compare it to my present one, I feel
like I’m dreaming and cannot understand that I am still
alive.”
 We arrived at
Chiwengo late afternoon and immediately the children
gathered for a welcome program for us very similar to
the one we experienced at Chitipi. Each child introduced
themselves, told us their age, grade in school and how
happy they were to see us. They sang, danced, performed
some skits for us and overwhelmed us with their gracious
welcome. We spent two days interacting and playing with
the children, joining them for dinner, helping them work
in their corn fields and generally just being with them.
 I expressed
to one of the house parents that I felt bad that we
weren’t “doing” something, some specific task or chore
and he told me that they were happy that we were just
there, they were so encouraged by our presence and the
fact that we would want to spend time with them. They
made us feel so special, so in the end I wondered who
was ministering to whom.
To sponsor a
child through Children of the Nations
On to Zambia
We left
Chiwengo and head back to Njewa to spend the night. In
the morning we would begin the next phase of our
journey, Zambia and the dedication of the well dug in
memory of our son, Brian. Joseph, our World Vision
driver picked us up at the airport early the next
morning and we began the 2 ˝ - 3 hour drive across the
border into Zambia. World Vision Zambia has headquarters
in Chipata, a relatively large city located a short
distance over the border between Malawi and Zambia. As
soon as the car stopped at headquarters about five
people came out to give us warm greetings. One woman,
who stood about 5 feet tall, came and gave me a huge hug
saying she was so excited to finally meet us. This was
Elizabeth Q.Khosa Nkhoma, Program Manager for World
Vision Zambia. She knew our story and organized the
aspects of this trip. We all got back into the cars and
drove about 7 miles away to Mamarula’s, our
accommodations for our stay in Zambia. Mamarula’s is a
surprising little oasis in the middle of nowhere. The
lodge has lush, well-kept lawns and beautiful rooms with
hand-carved headboards and doors. Bill and I were
assigned the rhinoceros room, not at all what I was
expecting our accommodations to be like in Zambia,
Africa. After freshening up in our rooms we gathered our
team together. Sarah Lessen from World Vision,
Washington was here to greet us. Sarah was part of the
World Vision team that was instrumental in making this
trip possible for Bill and me. We have been working with
Sarah and others from World Vision, Washington since
Brian died. It was good to see her here in Africa, and
realize that our one year planning was finally
happening.
Meeting Chief
Nzamane
 We were now
two cars loaded with Lemke team (Bill, myself, Mike,
Scott and Kevin) and World Vision team (Elizabeth,
Joseph, Sarah, Gordon, Jonathan and Noble) and we headed
off to make a courtesy call to Chief Nzamane, the chief
of the area, at his palace. [Chief Nzamane is standing
between Bill and Joelene in the photo.] As is custom, we
stopped the cars about 50 yards from his house and got
out to wait for the chief to greet us. Since there were
so many of us, he sent us back down the road to meet in
his office. Chief Nzamane shared with us the history of
his people, their Zulu background and told us he ruled
over an area bigger than Washington State. He is a very
powerful man ruling over approximately 533 villages
comprised of over 100-200 households per village. He is
a very well-educated man having been raised in Lusaka,
the capital city of Zambia. When his father died he
became chief and returned to his home to rule. He
understands the challenges that face his people:
starvation, illiteracy, HIV/AIDS, lack of water, and
poverty. He is head of a pressure group that is trying
to pressure the government of Africa to help his people.
He praised World Vision for the work they are doing but
realizes that his government needs to do more to solve
these issues. We shared refreshments with the Chief and
then went on our way.
Our welcome
to Mchewele
 After
stopping for lunch by the side of the road we finally
began our journey to Mchewele, the village where Brian’s
well is dug. We were traveling on the main road between
Lusaka, capital of Zambia and Lilongwe, capital of
Malawi. To me the road looked like a one lane road full
of potholes, but it was the main road. Suddenly in the
middle of the road we spotted two teenage boys holding a
huge banner that read:
Welcome Lemke
and Dear Friends
In Memory of
Brian Lemke
We have
benefited Clean Water
Right at our
doorstep
Thank You!
Mchewele
Community
 A little
further down the road, two other boys on bicycles were
directing us down a dirt road to the village. Our cars
immediately became surrounded by villagers singing and
dancing a welcome song to us.
 We traveled
about a quarter of a mile with our entourage and rounded
a bend to see 60 or so children lined up and all the
rest of the villagers waiting for us to arrive. They
were all singing Welcome Lemke song in their native
language of Chichewa. Elizabeth, later, translated the
song for me, but I was grateful that I didn’t know what
they were singing at that time. I was already overcome
with emotion and my heart was bursting.
Dedicating
Brian's Well
The elders of
the village had a huge ceremony planned for us. Chairs
were set up for us across from the well and after we
were seated everyone introduced themselves, the elders
of the village plus all of us and the World Vision team.
 There was
more singing and the men and women danced some
traditional Zulu dances for our entertainment. One of
the elders of the village explained to us the history of
water in their village. He told us that they had to
travel 3 miles to Mukungwa stream to get their water.
The water was shared with animals and was dirty and full
of waste. They were constantly sick with stomach
problems. Then in 1968, they dug a shallow well, but it
too was open to the elements and was dirty and made them
ill. He explained to us how grateful they were to have
this clean water right at their doorstep and how
thankful they were to Bill and me and to Brian for
making this happen. He told us that Brian would never
die, but would always be with them in this well. Then he
presented Bill and me with the gift of two huge bunches
of bananas.
The ceremony
continued with speeches by everyone. They asked us to
speak as well and Kevin stood up first and made a
beautiful speech about how important it was for him to
be there. Mike and Bill both spoke but I was an
emotional wreck and had to pass on my opportunity to
speak. Next on the agenda was the official ribbon
cutting ceremony. The well, or bore-hole as they call
it, was enclosed in a small brick enclosure. A red
ribbon was strung across the entrance and after prayers
were said by many, I cut the ribbon. I was escorted to
the corner of the enclosure that was covered with a blue
tarp and unveiled the dedication plaque placed in
Brian’s honor. Then I pumped the bore-hole so Bill could
wash his hands and for each member of our team. Bill
then pumped it for me. I can’t adequately express my
feelings during this whole ceremony. Bill remarked that
it was almost worse than the funeral and though I agreed
and felt so much pain and grief over losing Brian, I had
only to look around to see the joy and gratitude that
was being showered on us by this village. They made me
feel so humble and totally overwhelmed by their
gratitude and very proud to be able to complete this
journey Brian started so long ago.
As soon as
the ribbon cutting ceremony was complete there was a
huge clap of thunder and it began to pour. The villagers
had prepared some houses in the village for us to visit
but were concerned about our getting wet and were
willing to cancel the rest of our visit. We assured them
that we were not afraid to get wet and wanted to see and
experience all that they had prepared for us.
Meeting
Florence, Joseph, and the villagers
We began to
walk through the village and stopped at the first house.
Inside the house we met Florence and her father.
Florence is the child that Mike and his family are now
sponsoring through World Vision. When we heard that the
well was being dug in the Mukungwa Area Development
Program (ADP), we asked World Vision if there were any
children that needed sponsors that would be benefiting
and drinking from Brian’s well. World Vision provided us
with the names of approximately 30 children. Mike and
his family, Bill and I, Kevin, many of our friends and
members of our church decided to sponsor these children.
During the well ceremony I noticed that many children
were wearing an identification number. I later found out
that those wearing a number still were in need of a
sponsor. Mike gave Florence a backpack full of fun gifts
that his daughters had bought and Florence and her
father presented Mike with a basket, a scooping spoon
and a bag of potatoes. Bill and I, also met Joseph and
his father, a child our dear friends are sponsoring. We
presented them with small gifts we had brought and they
gave us two spoons carved with wood burned designs. It
was such a precious gift given from the heart by a
family that has so little. We walked the rest of the
village and toured the other homes always followed by a
procession of villagers.
Finally it
was time to go. We began the parade back to the cars
with villagers singing, Zulu warriors dancing and women
and children following. I held the hand of a little,
wizened old woman and had a baby thrust into my arms. It
was either catch and carry her or drop her on the
ground. Thankfully I caught her and carried her along
with me for a time. We said our goodbyes and drove back
to Mamarulas. My brain was fried, my eyes were swollen
and I was an emotional mess. It had been a busy day.
Anyone
wishing to contribute to the
purchase of another well
can donate at FirstGiving.com
Visiting
nearby villages with World Vision
The next day
we spent with World Vision visiting some of their
projects in nearby villages. Our first stop was to a
large, almost completed, brick building that World
Vision is helping the community build called Chankhanga
Voluntary Counseling and Testing Center (VCT). This
building, one of three in the area, will be used as a
community center. Community members will have the
opportunity to go in privacy to get more information on
HIV/AIDS, counseling and testing. Literature and
materials will be available for their use. Previously
they had to walk miles for any kind of care or testing.
Child Immunizations will be done here as well as an
antenatal clinic. There is also a new bore-hole right
outside the building. We met a group of individuals from
this community who have been trained as care givers.
They each care for about five patients, making sure they
take the proper medication, their beds are in a clean
environment and that they have food to eat. Often times,
these care givers will provide food for their patients
from their own small pockets. They also care for the
orphans and the elderly. This is a group of deeply
committed individuals that recognize the problems in
their community and are helping the best way that they
can. Unfortunately, a number of their caregivers were
absent because they were attending a funeral in the
nearby village. Those that we met expressed their
gratitude to World Vision for helping them build this
center. In the other room of the building, we were able
to meet our sponsored children.
Exchanging
gifts (chickens!) with sponsored children
Kevin met
Charles and his mother. Bill and I met Ignetias and his
father, Harris, and our friend’s sponsored little girl,
Tiyitenji was there with her parents. Kevin presented
Charles with gifts he had brought from home. Charles was
a little shy, but Kevin’s smile was huge. Charles’s
mother presented Kevin with some beautiful gifts as
well. She gave him a mat used in their huts to sit on, a
scoop spoon, a walking stick and a live chicken in a
basket. I was laughing so hard when I saw the chicken.
Then Bill and I met Ignetias and his father and we
presented Ignetias with a few gifts. We also met
Tiyitenji and her parents and gave her some gifts. Then
it was our turn. Ignetias and his father gave us a spoon
they had made, some ground nuts and a live chicken. I
made Bill hold the chicken. Then Tiyitenji gave us
spoons they had made and….a live chicken. I had to hold
the chicken this time and was very nervous. Thankfully
the chicken behaved and I didn’t cause a national
incident by throwing the chicken in the air. Once again,
I was so moved by their generosity and their giving
hearts. I knew the sacrifice they made to give us these
chickens and I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to
take the chickens home with me.
Harris and
Ignetias hopped on a bike for the journey home, but
Charles and his mother went with us and all the
caregivers to Fisheni Village. In this village we sat in
another building that World Vision helped to build and
support. We met a group of widows and widowers and a
group of people who have admitted they have HIV/AIDS and
have formed a support group. One room of this building
is used as a maternity room and World Vision helped
train the woman who is the midwife. Previously the women
of this village had to walk over four miles to the
nearest health clinic to deliver their babies. As you
might imagine, some didn’t make it and some had their
babies along the way. This one, little room in this
building is very important to them. We walked through
the village always followed by a parade of children and
adults. They are very excited to have visitors to their
village.
As I
contemplated the last two days we have spent with World
Vision, I am amazed at all the wonderful things they are
doing. When I thought of World Vision before, I thought
of their child sponsorship program or their disaster
relief programs, but now I have seen how they work in
the every day lives of people in Africa. I have seen how
they make a difference in this world that has so little
and needs so much. We went back to Mamarulas for lunch
and had a time to talk, debrief and share with
Elizabeth, Program Manager of World Vision Zambia. We
thanked her for the amazing visit we had just
experienced and I asked her how often does someone come
to visit like we did? She replied that we were the
second to come this year. The first was a woman who came
alone to visit her sponsored child. She didn’t believe
that her monthly donation was really going to meet her
child’s needs. She went back home amazed as we are at
how World Vision cares for their sponsored children. Now
I understand a little why the villagers were so thankful
that we took the opportunity to visit. It just doesn’t
happen very often. I wish everyone could have the
opportunity to go visit their sponsored child, to feel
the love and gratitude they pour out on you, to know how
special you are to them.
I have a
picture of Ignetias on my wall and I think of him
everyday. I remember his face and the face of his father
when they met us. I just got a letter from him and
quickly wrote a reply adding some of the pictures we
took of him and his father. I know how precious these
pictures will be to them. I encourage anyone who is
sponsoring a child to write to them, to send them
pictures of you and your family. It is such a small
thing to us but huge to those in Africa.
To sponsor a
child through World Vision
After lunch
we said our goodbyes and Joseph drove us back to Njewa
and our little huts at the Children of the Nations
mission center. We still have two more amazing days to
work with COTN, but for that night we were all
exhausted, emotionally and physically from all we had
experienced with World Vision and went to bed early.
Mtsiliza —
graduation ceremony, a feeding program, teen homes, and
soap
The next day
we went to Mtsiliza, a village where COTN has a village
assistance program, a feeding program and a widows
program. Melanie and Amy are the other two associates at
COTN and they are teachers who are assisting at the
school in Mtsiliza. Today they were celebrating at a
graduation ceremony and we were invited to attend. All
the children from the school were gathered in the
courtyard and the teachers were announcing the top three
students in each class, plus those that had passed and
those that had failed. It was a chaotic time with one of
the teachers bonking heads of disruptive children with a
big stick. It was not the typical graduation ceremony
that I have witnessed here at home.
Later that
afternoon, we came back to Mtsiliza to help in the
feeding program. COTN feeds breakfast and lunch to
approximately 400 children in this village every day. We
were told to either jump in to help serve the food or to
help wash the hands of the children before they ate.
Bill, Mike and I decided we would help in the kitchen
and went in to lend our hands. The “kitchen” was a tiny
room with two open fires cooking huge pots of food. The
temperature in the kitchen was over 1000 degrees and I
knew that I wouldn’t last a minute in the heat. I
quickly decided that washing hands was a great idea and
went outside looking for the hand washing station. I sat
next to Junior who showed me what to do. The children
lined up with their plastic bowls and as they came by I
would scoop water into the bucket at my feet and pour
the water over their hands as they rubbed their hands
together. The children then took their clean bowls and
clean hands and went to the food line.
After lunch
we went to visit the two teen homes that COTN runs in
Mtsiliza. The homes are staffed and run like the homes
we visited in Chitipi and Chiwengo. The children that
live here have all come from dire situations. Some are
double orphans, but others were abused, neglected and
rejected by their families. Here they have found a
refuge and a new family. There are eight girls living
with an older woman they call “auntie” and in the boys
home there are also eight boys living with a man they
call “uncle”. Each home welcomed us graciously, singing
songs and sharing with us their dreams for the future.
One of the girls aspires to be president and others
accountants, teachers, and doctors. One of the boys was
amazingly gifted with musical talent and sang a song he
had written. The other boys also dreamed of careers in
the music profession or as an accountant, as a pastor
and radio announcer. I have no doubt that these children
will now succeed in where their heart leads them. COTN
has given them a second chance and a hope for their
future.
Our next
assignment was to assist in handing out soap. Once a
month COTN provides four bars of soap to each child in
the village. These four bars are used for all their
cleaning needs during the month, such as washing dishes,
and cleaning their hands, bodies and clothes. The
children were orderly and gracious in their acceptance
of the soap. When the soap was gone, we wandered into
the courtyard and found a group of children practicing
an interesting exercise. Each child held a pair of
wooden weights and at the direction of Frank, a man who
volunteers to teach these children, they would perform
different routines. Frank would blow his whistle and the
children would bang the wooden weights together,
combined with certain moves. It was amazing to watch and
certainly was harder than it looked. In fact, Frank
invited Kevin and Mike to join them in the exercise
which caused us all to laugh as they struggled to figure
out what to do and how to keep up. Frank had over twenty
different routines he had taught the children, each very
different and very complex. He dreams of taking these
children to the states some day and watching them
perform here. I have no trouble imagining these children
entertaining during the Superbowl half time celebration
and I pray that Frank can realize his dream, maybe not
at the Superbowl but at another venue where many other
people can watch and enjoy this talented group of
youngsters.
After a full
day at Mtsiliza we journeyed home to our little huts.
Our time in Africa was quickly coming to a close. We had
one last day in Malawi and decided to drive to Lake
Malawi. Lake Malawi is Africa’s 3rd largest lake and the
9th largest in the world. It was famously visited by Dr.
David Livingstone and therefore we decided we must visit
it too. The lake was indeed huge and we noticed what
looked like smoke in the distance. Julius, our COTN
driver, told us that the “smoke” was actually swarms of
some type of insect. We were grateful that the swarm
didn’t come towards us. We spent a few relaxing hours at
the beach then stopped at a curio market on our way home
to purchase our souvenirs and Christmas presents. The
next day we started our arduous journey home.
Home and
still processing
I’ve been
home for almost two months now and I am still trying to
process all that I saw and experienced in Africa. I am
still dealing with culture shock and trying to figure
out why we are a country of so much and Africa is a
country of so little. I gave a presentation to my
sister’s 7th grade, social studies class about a topic
they were studying entitled “Needs vs. Wants” and
watched the children’s faces reflect their shock at the
pictures I was sharing with them from our trip to
Africa. I will never turn on a water faucet again
without thinking of Mchewele, Brian’s well, and the love
and gratitude showered on us by the people there. I want
to buy more wells and sponsor more children but I know I
won’t be able to fix all the problems of Africa. I am
convinced that organizations like Compassion
International, Children of the Nations, World Vision and
the countless other non-profit organizations that are
working to help the needy of our world are making a
difference in the lives of so many people. I want to
scream from the rooftops for everyone to become involved
in any of these organizations, to help in any way, big
or small, because I saw that small makes a difference
too.
But most of
all, I want to thank our son, Brian, for having a big
heart and a desire to serve others, for sending us on
this amazing journey to complete a dream he had begun.
The
dedication plaque that sits in the corner of the well
enclosure read:
“Well of
Living Water”
Dedicated to
Mchewele Village in memory of Brian Lemke
13 December
2006
A young man
after God’s own heart
With a
quenchless thirst and desire
To love and
serve the Lord his God.
A man who
loved everybody in the name of Jesus.
Death does
not win
It is not the
end
It is the
beginning
Well done, good and
faithful servant
~ ~ ~
Compassion International
Children of the Nations
World Vision
FirstGiving remembering Brian |
