CONTAINERS OF HOPE SHIPPED TO ZAMBIA Seeds of Hope spent May and half of June getting ready to send two 40ft. containers to Zambia –WOW! - What a huge effort by so many people. David Gebauer, Greg Wahl, Rienk Ayers, Ron Ryde from Canada. (Yes, people came from great distances to help!) and others, worked long hours to get the drill rigs, truck and compressor in good working order and ready to ship. There was even a couple that drove to Texas to pick-up a pallet of school supplies and new shoes donated by Heart for the World. As you can imagine we could not have accomplished this task without the efforts of countless people. Santa Maria Vineyard, 5 Cities Vineyard, Camarillo Vineyard, Santa Ynez Vineyard, Everyday Church, U2U, The New Life in Pismo, individuals in the community and many others. The main items that were sent in the containers were; 2 drill rigs, 1 large truck, trailer and a large compressor for drilling. There was quite a lot of space left to be filled in and boy did we fill it! Bibles, books, fabric and items for sewing, furniture (for team house), tools, countless shoes, clothes, bicycles, soccer uniforms, shoes, balls and lots of other stuff! An ENORMOUSThank you to everyone who helped and contributed, we could not have done it without you!!
Recent Update for November 15th 08: Containers have arrived!
Jigger Kirk and Ron work on getting the BIG Drill TRUCK into little container opening
The November arrival in Ndola
Peter Reimer Memorial Almond Tree
We joined over 100 people at Northrise university farming project to dedicate a almond tree in memory of our dear friend Peter Reimer who died suddenly last spring in South Africa while he and his wife Debby were traveling home from doing volunteer work with us and Northrise in Zambia.
Peter Reimer Memorial
The ceremony was beautiful as we honored Peter for pouring out his life to help the people in Zambia. The Peter Reimer Memorial Fund purchased a 4.5 ton truck for SHIP. This truck will play a vital role in helping bring clean water and hope to many people. Peter's memory will live on through the lives he inspired through his work in Africa.
With your help we have brought clean water to over 211,000 people in Zambia. Here are a few stories of ways that people’s lives have been changed;
Erin Schauer’s love & hunger for the kingdom of God was contagious as she helped deliver bio-sand filters.
Bio-sand filters delivered. Stories out of Mackenzie this summer The first week we were in Ndola some of the team went into the compound of Mackenzie where 65-sand filters have been installed, most of these filters were funded by Thirst Relief. The community leaders were overwhelmed with gratitude and continually expressed their joy at what a substantial change had occurred in their community. They went on to say that since the installation of the sand filters there have been no incidences of Cholera reported, a disease which previously ran rampant through the community. Several people whom we interviewed explained further that when they went out to work in the fields or to visit other communities they would take the water from the filter with them and would not drink from any unclean water source.It is evident that, because of the presence of the sand filter in their homes and the education of hygiene practices, the lives of these people have been radically changed . Changing their futures forever.
Some of our team went to Mapalo/Chipulukusu to do some monitoring of the bio-sand filter, this is their story; Last week we went with Peter (who works on the bio-sand filter crew) to several homes in Mapalo (Chipulukusu) visiting people who had received the bio-sand filter. It was incredible to see the impact clean water had on these families. We interviewed person after person, each story better than the next. One woman told us of her 12 year old son who had severe intestinal problems for years. When they received the bio-sand filter all the pain and chronic diarrhea stopped. Her whole family has been healthy ever since. She was so excited about the hygiene training she received she even fashioned a cover for the filter’s spout so that flies would not land there and transmit disease. She said with this new knowledge she would never let this kind of sickness into her house again! Another woman was so overwhelmed by the changes the filter has brought she called us her grandchildren. Peter asked her “you have white grandchildren?!” She said Yes! Yes!”
Delivering Sand filters, more than 1,340 built and delivered in Zambia so far!
At the Twapia well dedication (cutting the ribbon)
Hope that brings change, even a new name The SHIP team was invited to participate in a borehole dedication in Twapia. It was attended by community residences as well as community and church leaders. During this dedication/celebration the leader of the pastor’s fellowship (20 churches) approached the director and said that they had heard of the changes that SHIP had brought to the community of Chipulukusu/Mapalo by drilling boreholes, installing sand filters and conducting hygiene and sanitation trainings. One of the things that they were especially impressed by was the fact that the name of the community had been changed from Chipulukusu which means “cursed” to Mapalo which means “blessed”. The church leaders stated that they wanted the name of their community to change as well because Twapia means “scab”. They too wanted to have for their community to experience positive changes that transform peoples attitudes and behaviors , the type of changes that transform even the identity of a community. We believe this is the transforming power of the cross at work in people’s lives. Just as God changed Jacob’s name and Abram’s name signifying a significant change of life, so is the desire for a new name in the community of Twapia. We look forward to finding out the new name that will be given to Twapia by its people and the Lord.
Community events promoting hygiene and sanitation help to raise awareness of good health practices. On the 26th of July we threw a big Sanitation Promotion Rally at Mapalo, a compound of 65,000 people. We worked really hard all week for this event. There was a football tournament, (thank you to Santa Ynez Vineyard/U2Uwho provided the grand prize of new soccer uniforms and jackets for a whole team), several dramas promoting the use of sanitation (latrines etc.), and lots of displays depicting the different things SHIP is doing. It was a blast! We started off the day with a huge parade through the compound. Singing worship songs and dancing, a huge number of people followed us back to the church and resource center. At the end of the day the crowd watched the Jesus movie, we worshiped and danced (again) and many people met Jesus. It was a great effort by our Zambian staff and team. We are grateful to our partners Lifewater and Bloodwater Mission who sponsored the event and especially to Adam Feffer who came to Zambia and worked alongside us to help make it successful.
A Parade through the main streets of Mapalo starts off the SHIP all day long Sanitation Rally
Community and government leaders are shown one of several demonstration latrines SHIP built
Barak Brued and Pam Crane from BWM help to load filters for delivery from the sand filter factory
Partnerships at work
Blood:Water Mission: Barak and Pam spent about a week with us mid-August visiting the projects that Blood:Water mission has been helping to fund. They were able to see first hand how the funds that they have been giving have really impacted peoples lives. They are sponsoring many water, hygiene and sanitation projects. They also got a look at the truck and 2 vans that were purchased with funds from a 4 month transitional proposal. These vehicles came just in the nick of time as the truck used in our drilling and sand filter factory was using 4 quarts of oil each time we used it and the vans front steering broke, after going over one too many pot holes. BWM is one of our strongest partners and you will be hearing more about them in coming updates! Recent Update: Bloodwater Mission 3 year project approved!
CAWST International: The CAWST team, Tal & Adele Woolsey, Olivier and Laura spent about 10 days with us in late August. During their stay they put on a water quality testing seminar for about 15 of our Zambian staff and partners. This was part of an on going training to prepare SHIP Zambia to receive a grant to become a Center of Expertise for Southern Africa. Tal and Adele have returned again in November to build SHIP Zambia Recent update: CAWST/CIDA/SHIP center of Expertise 3 year proposal approved!
The CAWST Team, taught a water quality testing seminar in August. This will provide great assessment tools for our staff.
Zambia this summer
The summer was filled with different people and teams coming throught the SHIP team house. We were so blessed by the different parts of the body of Christ that came to participate and contribute to the work that God is doing in Zambia.
Scroll throught the slides to find out more...
On the horizon SHIP Is growing and we are so grateful to the Santa Maria Vineyard who have been our spiritual covering, “housed” us and provided wages for Kirk to continue to build the work of the Lord through SHIP in Zambia these last 5 years. Although we will continue to be connected to the church family we have launched out with our own separate board and 501c3, and Kirk's wages will no longer be paid by the Santa Maria Vineyard. We are excited to see what the Lord has for us in this new level and season for Seeds of Hope.All our contact information will remain the same.
Kirk Schauer and Jerry Bean will return to Zambia this month for several weeks to help unload and re-assemble the drill rigs and truck. Ron Ryde, a volunteer from Canada, will join him there. Ray Newmeyer ,from Colorado, will come after the containers are unloaded to help train SHIP drill teams on the new rigs.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank and honor Sonya Christenson, our long time friend and two year full time volunteer for SHIP. Working behind the scenes, the value of Sonya’s contribution to SHIP in both time and expertise is incalculable. SHIP’s ministry and the impact we’ve had on countless people in Zambia has been due, to a large extent, to Sonya’s talents. Please pray for Sonya as she is leaving SHIP to take time away to seek the Lord for the next season of her life. God Bless you, Sonya!
