Muli Shani!! (How are you?)

I just wanted to give you a quick update on everything. I am in Lusaka saying goodbye to my best friend here who has ended his service and is headed back to the states. There are so many incredible volunteers that cycle through each others lives, I guess I'm getting good at hello's and goodbyes. Things in the village are going really well. I am kept VERY busy with the preschool, nutrition clubs, the clinic, and my health committees. I want to sincerely thank everyone who has been involved in the school, whether it's donations, supplies, or support, I appreciate EVERYTHING!! We are currently clearing the land where we will build the chicken coop. Sr. Chief Mwamba, a high up Bemba chief for whom my village is named after, has given us his approval and allotted us a beautiful plot of land by the market. The village is also gathering stones and sand for cement, and starting to mold bricks out of mud found in a near by village. I am constantly awed by the work people do here to achieve things that are so commonplace in the states. The bricks will be made by putting mud into molders, then dried in the sun and burned with charcoal. We even had to make the molders out of planks of wood that were carried on the back of bicycles the 25 k from Kasama. The wood was so heavy, I could barely push the bike, let alone cycle it down the bumpy bush path to the village. Stones are found in the bush, crushed into small bits with mallets and carried to the location where the cement will be mixed. It is also harvest season and all my villagers are working in their fields and making the treacherous journey to sell their crops in Kasama. Life is bustling here in Zambia!! I am so so grateful to be able to experience this life, and see something change and develop that will impact so many lives. I wish you all could see the things I see and experience the beauty and struggle here. I am trying my best to keep you in the loop. Until next time.....loveeeeeeeee lisa