Arrival of the Boss!

Excitement and anticipation abounded yesterday as little Boss Mirriam arrived with Mama Ethel. We were all so excited to see the Boss again! She was excited to see her workers too. As they prepared to travel the 2 hours by bus to Chingola she told her mother, "I'm going to America to see Sherri." This is only the second time she's been so far from her little town of Luanshya so I'm sure it felt like she was visiting a foreign country. We are all pleased to see her looking healthy and strong. She is now 4 years old and goes to the clinic once a month with her mother to receive her HIV medicine for the month. Her new favorite food is nshima (corn meal) with cassava greens. Her mother said finding enough food for the family is still her biggest challenge. Evans, our Steering Committee chair, has a very kind heart and has helped the little family survive over the years. He is currently paying about $50 rent for them each month. Without that help, Mama Ethel says they would be on the street. We left some funds to help Evans with his mission of compassion. Mirriam was all smiles with an ice cream cone in her hand as they boarded the bus to travel home at the end of the day. She loved the soft little yellow bunny that Kali sent her and held tight to it all day. What a treat to again see and be inspired by "the Boss".

Today we held the final classes and organizational meetings for the Bicycle Income Generating and Bead Making groups. They elected officers, selected meeting times, developed rules for their businesses and are now ready to launch their new businesses. The two bright yellow Zambikes made a huge hit with the whole community! Garrett took one of the bicycles for a spin down the path with the cart filled with smiling children. Our closing activity focused on confirming our commitment to help the children. Together the group listed the needs of the children and identified the new programs in place that will begin to meet those needs. At the top of the list was education followed by love, food, clothes, shelter, life skills, good character, and health. We were all very encouraged to realize beginning programs were now in place to address most of these needs. The celebration ceremony with certificates was lively and uplifting as always. It was with mixed feelings that we loaded the pickup truck we're driving and waved goodbye to our new friends. Now we will eagerly await news of their progress.

We have many stories to tell! Continue to watch the Blog for updates as we introduce you to new friends and share their stories. As soon as we return home we will also be adding pictures to the Blog. Unfortunately, the limited capabilities of the Internet cafes did not allow us to upload pictures. The SIFE team and Cherry leave tomorrow. Jac and I are traveling with them to the airport and then on to Lusaka for meetings. We are scheduled to arrive home January 27. Let's hope the storms moving through the U.S. do not change travel plans.