Snow!

I really missed snow in Zambia. Hot Christmases just weren't the same! (Same with growing up in Ecuador...I'm very snow-deprived.) We had a treat here on the 'Wet Coast' with a good cold snap this week, and a decent snow over the last couple of days. This morning I took the kids outside to play while I shoveled the sidewalk in front of our co-op with a board.

Then this afternoon I took the kids skating. It was Kate's 3rd time (the last time was about 4 years ago) and Malachi's 1st time, and they did okay, although it will take a lot more practice to be steady on their feet.

I'm just feeling blessed to enjoy this "winter wonderland." I know the feeling may not last...and not everyone around me is quite as excited as me...but it is beautiful!

Gospel in Chairs/Beautiful Gospel (Brad Jersak video)

Okay, it's a little long...but I think it's important for understanding the "Gospel" (the good news Story of Jesus). I think I've gone through this shift a little bit myself in recent years but have found it hard to articulate.

Brad presents the gospel twice, using a couple of chairs to illustrate the relationship between God and people.

The first time is how he used to present it, preach it, and I suspect how many of us first understood it and still understand it: in a legal sense where God is the Judge, and Jesus substitutes himself for our sin on the cross.

The second time there is a shift from God as Judge to God as Healer/Rescuer/Lover. Which Gospel do you identify with? What are the implications?



Quote on Atonement Theory from minute 23: "The idea about God being pitted against Jesus...I think that has to go!"

Six Months in Canada

Some time ago I posted a blog entitled Six Months in Zambia. Today I realized that we have been "back" in Canada for six months, so our adjustment period is probably somewhat complete.

I haven't thought too much of Zambia, or at least not obsessively, but the other night as I was lying in bed waiting to fall asleep, I took my mind through some of the Places that I remembered: the dusty short walk to work, the Chinese restaurant where I met with a friend for lunch every week, the city of Lusaka (particularly the MCC guest house where we stayed every few months), our backyard, etc. The memories of these places and the people associated are very good. Of course I know it wasn't all roses--especially the heat, the electricity situation, the mosquito nets--not to mention sticking out like a sore thumb--but overall quite good and for that I am thankful.

Life in Canada is very comfortable. The water, the appliances, the conveniences, the speed that things happen. Obviously it is expensive too, to pay for all of this; and it's not all easy as I ride my bike in the rain--but then I remember, at least I have a bicycle (actually I have two, and they were both given to me, and one is a speedy light one but not too good in the rain, and the other has 'snow' tires!). And my job may not always be as perfect or as stimulating as I'd like, but then I remember, at least I have a job (and the pay is not half bad). The key is to be "content in every circumstance" (Philippans something).

The kids have adjusted remarkably well to public school; they like it. Michelle is TOCing as she's able. Last weekend we celebrated Lucky 13th Anniversary. She's so pretty in our kayak!

Car

Here is our Mazda5 on the side of the highway in Coquitlam. The engine died on the Port Mann bridge and so I coasted to the United Blvd. exit and managed to find a shoulder to stop safely. We called a tow truck but as there were only seats for 2 in the truck, Michelle and Kate hoofed it and Malachi and I rode in the truck. We got it towed to the dealership we were already headed to, and they gave us a little bit for trade-in, mostly because the tires were still pretty new.

It's too bad our car only lasted 5 months, but I really liked it, aside from the obvious engine problem. I noticed soon after we bought it that it was consuming oil at a high rate, about a litre every fill up (500 kms). I'm not sure where the oil was going but from my research online it is a common problem with Mazda's 2.3L engines for a few years. We knew it was a rebuilt engine, and I thought that was a plus because it might last longer--no such luck.

Westwood Honda had a nice Accord for sale, a bit older and more kms than our Mazda, but it is fully loaded, which the wife likes--especially the heated seat part! =)

As for me, I continue to ride my bike to work and back, rain or shine, light or dark...I listen to Punjabi lessons on my ipod and it helps the trip go by quicker.

Cats, Weeds, and Bread

It's been a long stretch with no blogging. Although lots has happened, it may not seem that noteworthy to my many avid readers.

I did rescue a cat from a tree the other day. Cats are popular on the internet so that should get me some brownie points. The fire department had even been called, but were taking a long time, so I grabbed my painting ladder and gave it a try. It was easy. That cat was ready to come down!

Mostly we have been settling into our new townhouse. We finally got approved and moved in mid-June. There has been a bit of work to do, like getting screens, washer/dryer, furniture, setting up a trampoline, mowing the grass weeds, and keeping up with the dishes. It is a co-op arrangement so we are expected to do some work for the co-op every month. Michelle is on a committee and I try to help by mowing different common areas. I've also been helping to paint another unit to get it ready for occupancy.

There has been lots of countertop-making happening as well, at work. My family has been doing their own thing at home or traveling to visit family in Alberta. We took a few days off for re-entry retreat in Pennsylvania. That was a good time to connect with other recent world returnees (from different Mennonite mission agencies) who share the same mental space. We also debriefed with HR from MCC. I resonated with the scripture that Jim from EMM shared from Luke 9, where Jesus' disciples return from their ministry assignment and "reported to Jesus what they had done." (v.10) I decided I wanted to tell him what I had done in Zambia--even though of course he already knew. So I spent a short time in prayer. Another day Jim shared again from Luke chapter 9, using the analogy of the bread (this is where he fed the 5000) being Taken, Blessed, Broken, and Given (likely this idea is from Henri Nouwen). Again this seemed important to me, that Jesus had taken, blessed, broken, and given me to Choma for a time. And he does this with each of us, all the time, whenever we choose to follow him.

That is the theme this Sunday at church, according to my pastor's note: focusing on following Jesus. I will be leading worship, so I've been thinking a bit about this tonight as I plan the songs. Many times I choose songs that focus on God's unconditional love and care for us, and this is again the case, but I am trying to be intentional with some prayerful commitment lyrics also.

From Missionary to Redneck in One Big Bite

Transition.

It's been a fairly painless transition from Africa back to Canada. We've been back about three weeks now. First we had to take care of the essentials: jet lag, slideshow video, phone, and car. Then there was work: I started back at my old job on May 9; in some ways it was like I never left! The major thing that changed was the company name: Columbia sold their countertop division to Floform. So, now I work for Floform. Most of the same colleagues are still there, the same workbenches, the same tools...

The next obvious step would be to find a place to live. We're very comfortable at my parents house, and eating better than ever, and free babysitting is a big plus! However, we want to unpack into our own space eventually. The housing market in the lower mainland is pretty crazy, and a lot of people have been selling their houses at a good price but then have nowhere to live, so the rental market is busy too. We've looked at a few places on Craigslist, and the landlords are getting 200 calls, so they can be pretty choosy! We did apply to a townhouse co-op, and are waiting to hear back from them before we continue searching in earnest.

My parents live half an hour away from work/church/school, so I've been commuting in either their car or mine. But it was time to find another way to work. Some friends of ours (former neighbours) lent me their pick-up truck to use, so I don't have to take the bus! It is a great blessing, though the short-term insurance is a bit pricey.

Reflections on change:
I don't miss tucking in a mosquito net every night. I like the cooler weather in Canada (though it is also cooler in Zambia too now). I like how the power is on here 24/7. I like how when looking to buy soy milk, there are now 3 brands of alternative milk to choose from, and each brand has 4 different types. I can't believe that one week's pay in Canada is about 6 months salary in Zambia. I don't miss police checks. I like the smooth roads. I am enjoying worship with a band. I miss cheap auto parts. I don't like commuting so far. I miss my Zambian friends. I miss the slower pace. I miss Oreo, our dog, even though she was kind of annoying. I miss interactive Bible Study at church. Sometimes conversation here seems a bit shallow.

We were told that culture shock coming home, is worse than culture shock going to a new place. So far I haven't found that to be the case, but it may yet sneak up on me. We have a debrief in Akron in two months, so by then we will have processed our transition some more.

Sky Wonders Part 2

Michelle dragged me to the moonbow at Victoria Falls tonight, to take a picture of it. I took four 30-second exposures from different angles, and they turned out pretty good! To actually look at the moonbow, it wasn't too colourful, mostly just a white arc. But the camera captured the colour quite well. Here is my favourite. (I'm sure the others might find themselves on Michelle's Facebook account!)

Click on the photo for a bigger version. Note the constellation Orion in the background! I didn't even notice it until I downloaded the picture! The dark rushing water in the foreground is the mighty Zambezi river right before it goes over the edge. The rainbow is made from the mist of the falls refracting the light of the full moon.

In other news we also visited the Falls this morning to get soaked, and saw "sunbows" as usual. Michelle took the kids out to play and eat while I took our friend Rachel (who is visiting us) to the Boiling Pot, then the Zimbabwe border in the middle of the bridge. Then we decided to run eight kilometres in the noon day sun, without water (we bought some at kilometre six), to join our families at Olga's Italian Eatery. It was a good run, but now I am a bit sore. After lunch we drove back halfway to the falls to visit the Crocodile Park, where we saw many lethargic beasts and also a few deadly snakes. Then a quick visit to one of the nicer hotels to see their zebras, impala, and giraffes. Then to our Lodge to get some R&R before the moonbow adventure at 8pm...so a nice long busy happy vacation day!

Sky Wonders

I was driving back from a colleagues house--I think it was Easter Sunday--and chanced to look at the western sky. There was some sort of Cloud Experience happening! (Or maybe one of the Pentecostal churches in town was really rocking it up!) Kate and I had recently been learning about clouds, so I was able to name some of the ones in this picture: cirrus and cumulus anyway, but what about that blue streak!?

Then a day or two later, when the power was off at night, I again chanced to go outside and look up. The milky way was bright, and pretty much the only two constellations I can find, the Southern Cross and Orion, were out. I took some 30-second exposures and the Southern Cross turned out pretty good (though nothing like what my brother-in-law and father-in-law can do).

Isn't Creation marvelous when we stop to look?

Daring Adventures Coming to an End

About 2.5 years ago I posted a blog entitled The Daring Adventures of the Potts in Zambia. Well, soon our adventure will be coming to an end (and I suppose a new one will begin). We are coming home a few months earlier than we had planned, at the end of April. Here are a few recent pictures:

Making dinner with charcoal when the power goes off

Malachi meets a Zebra

View from our room during our recent stay in Siavonga (Lake Kariba)

River side of Lake Kariba Dam. This has been the subject of many conversations in the past eight months, since load shedding began. The water has been lower than usual (it looked 10-15 metres) after being over-used during last season's low rains. Zambia and Zimbabwe share this great hydroelectric resource. That's Kate in the pink shirt, walking on top.

Please pray for us if you remember during this last month in Zambia. We have many goodbyes to say, and much packing to do. And thank God for us, too! We have had a wonderful experience here.

Weekend Magic

On Sunday I noticed a new friend nibbling on our palm tree. I thought only our dog liked to eat that palm tree, but I was sorely mistaken! Grasshopper? Locust? I don't know. But he was quite big so I snapped his photo.

Then later, after our water had been off all day (along with our electricity), we received...

Liquid chocolate from our taps! Mmm!

(Showering in chocolate takes some getting used to.)

Hardwood Classroom Rainbows

Chodort ran out of 1 inch rosewood last month; our supplier was nowhere to be found, so our manager found a supplier in Livingstone and now we have plenty, although it is too wet to use. (Hardwood must be dried for several months before it can be used properly for furniture.) In the meantime we have many large rosewood orders that we can't complete, so we've been trying to be creative: bonding together small offcuts to make door panels, or asking our customers to reconsider mukwa, teak, or pine. I called a certain customer who was asking when their storage shelves would be ready, and we agreed to make it in pine, painted white. I prefer working with pine myself, since it is soft, and can be bought in sheets to speed up the process considerably. I took on this job at home and enjoyed it, except for the painting part. Here is one of the two units:

Chodort Training Centre also held the official new classroom opening last month; I was the designated photographer. Here is one of my favourite pictures--a gift was given to the guest of honour, the Provincial Minister, and what often happens is that as soon as the gift is given, his assistant carries it to the vehicle. The gift was a small rosewood coffee table from the carpentry shop. In the background you can see our Principal, Board Chairman, and Vice Principal.

January was quite a miserable month as far as rain is concerned; our area received 20% of normal rains (and in my opinion that is a generous estimate). There is a real concern about starvation this year for the many subsistence farmers in southern Zambia. It was very hot and humid. But February has seen great rains so far, with a crashing thunderstorm the other day, and a beautiful rainbow after, if you can see it:

The Case of the Missing Bicycle - Part 2 of 2

A Detective Mpoto story by yours truly

The Case of the Missing Bicycle

Part 2 of 2: The much-anticipated conclusion!

(to read part 1 please click here)

Jim and Detective Mpoto drove up to Mpoto's gate and honked. Sam appeared from behind the mango tree he had been trimming. Mpoto asked him to sit in the front seat, and moved to the rear.

"We want to look for Jim's missing bicycle at your house," he explained. "So that we can clear your name." Sam nodded silently.

They drove down the bumpy dirt road to the main tarred road. The day was still sunny and starting to get hot. Jim and Mpoto tried to make small talk to put Sam at ease. "There's the lay-by to Macha where I always had to wait for a taxi last year," Jim offered. Mpoto said, "Yes, Jim stayed in Macha last year. And Sam is saving up to buy a farm there next year." After a few kilometres they turned off the main road again and soon found Sam's house.

"I'll stay here and buy some talktime at the little shop here," said Mpoto to Jim. "You go ahead and look around with Sam."

They were back in a few minutes. All Jim had seen was Sam's other white bicycle frame, which was missing wheels. There was no sign of the stolen bicycle.

"Great," said Mpoto. "You've been cleared. No more worries." He really did believe Sam was not the thief, although he also recognized the fact that Sam could have done anything with the bicycle yesterday besides take it home. More investigation was needed.

On Saturday, Mpoto walked to the nearby market to look at the bicycles for sale. He thought maybe the thief had pawned it off, as it was the closest place someone could sell a broken bicycle for parts. He munched on a ripe mango he had found on the ground outside his house. The day was quite hot already at 10 o'clock, for there hadn't been too much rain lately. He rubbed his sticky hands on the grass at the side of the dirt road and strolled through the market.

Radios were blaring outside the small concrete block shops. Trucks were maneuvering through the pitted ruts with their cargo of people, chickens, and merchandise. Mpoto heard several happy cries of "Mugua!" and "Muzungu!" which both mean "European," not a derogatory term. Mpoto nodded in the general direction of the speakers and found his way to the bicycle shops.

Frames and rims were hanging from wires beneath the grey tin roofs, supported by various sticks and poles. One man was busy pumping up a tire; another was adjusting some brakes on a shiny new bike. A third wiped his hands on a rag and addressed Mpoto.

"Mwabuka buti, ba boss!" he said with a smile.

"Kabotu," replied Mpoto, and returned the Tonga greeting. "I'm just looking at your bicycles. How much do you sell them for?"

"It depends on what you want, sir," said the salesman, gesturing to bicycles in different shades of repair. "I can give you this black one for five hundred. It will work well."

Mpoto pretended to think about it. Then, "My friend has a bicycle with a good frame that needs work; the gears are stuck, it needs new tires, the pedals are missing, the brakes don't work...how much would it cost to repair something like that?"

"Maybe 60 kwacha plus parts. Three days work."

Mpoto did the conversion in his head and decided that six dollars wasn't bad. The parts would cost a lot more, though. He would have to tell Jim to just buy another bicycle. He had one more question.

"If my friend wanted to bring the broken bicycle here to sell for parts, are there any dealers who would buy it?

The man pointed to another bike shop a few doors down. "My friend there buys bicycles and refurbishes them. You can ask him."

Mpoto thanked the man and moved to the designated stall. "Good morning, sir. I hear you buy used bicycles?"

"Yes! Yes sir!" cried the owner enthusiastically. "Where is your bike?"

"I...don't have one at the moment," replied Mpoto smoothly, "but someone I know might have brought one here recently, and I was curious if you have already made it like new." It was a long shot.

"I have a few that are almost done," replied the man. "Come take a look." He led Mpoto to the back of the open-air shop where more bicycles and parts were hung from the ceiling; wheels and tubes and gears littered the sandy floor. Immediately Mpoto spotted a yellow bike. It looked like Jim's; he knew the make that God's No.1 Mission liked to buy for its workers. The frame was scratched up, but the rims boasted brand new tires, and the brakes looked new too. "I'm selling this one for seven hundred when it is done," bragged the man. "I only paid one-fifty for it. It was really sad, but it is looking much better already."

"It looks like my friend's bike!" said Mpoto. "Do you remember who the person was who sold it to you?"

"Yes, I do, because it was raining and I was surprised anyone would be out in that heavy rain. He had on those blue trousers with the white reflective stripes. He was soaking wet, and I noticed he had a large burn on his arm. Is that your friend?"

"No, that's not him," said Mpoto. "But I want to talk to the person that sold you this." He picked up a scrap paper from the ground and scribbled his cell number on it. "If you see him again, would you please let me know? Here's 5 kwacha for your trouble."

Mpoto walked home, satisfied with a lucky morning's detective work. The best clue he had found was the burn on the arm. He hadn't yet met anyone in the area with such a mark, including Sam.

After cooling off with lunch at home, Mpoto walked over to God's No.1 Mission Housing Complex and looked for his friend, Ben. He told him what he had found and asked him if he knew anyone with a burn on his arm. Ben looked at him for a minute, then shook his head. He promised to keep a look out.

As Detective Mpoto returned to his house, he counted the workers he saw with blue pants and white stripes. There were three. He gave each one a friendly wave, all of which were returned in kind. The third one, who was shoveling dirt from an anthill, had a discoloration on his right arm. Mpoto prepared to pounce.

"Afternoon, sir," he said. "How are you working today?"

"The work is okay, sir," replied the man. "I am making bricks from this anthill."

"I see that. It is good to have work, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir. My family is hungry. I am happy to be able to feed them today. I have been lucky to find work; a few days ago I was almost to give up because no one had piecework."

"So you sold your bicycle?" Mpoto asked innocently.

"What? How--What do you mean? I..."

"Oh, I thought you were the one I saw in the market the other day," said Mpoto. "The day with the heavy rain in the afternoon. I was walking in the market and had to take cover from the rain for some time. I thought I saw you go into the bicycle stall. I remember the burn on your arm, that's all."

"Oh, yes!" laughed the man. "You are right. That was me." He took another shovelful of sand.

"I hope you will not have to sell anything else," continued Mpoto. "I know it is difficult when you have no resources. You wouldn't want to become known in this area"-here he gestured in the general direction of God's No.1 Mission-"as someone who is always looking for more resources."

The man bent back to work. "No, sir."

Mpoto smiled. "I think we are alright, then. Mushale kabotu."

"Mweende kabotu. And thank you, sir."

As Mpoto walked the rest of the way home, the colours seemed to brighten. He noticed butterflies flitting in the tall green grass. Even the mangy dogs looked cleaner. The cool breeze kissed his sweaty head. Perhaps that's the miracle that happens when justice and grace are brushed gently together.

THE END

What is it?

Oreo and Fanta were staring intently at SOMETHING in the Mango tree beside the porch this morning. Can you guess what it is? Here is your first clue:

Is it a bird? A reptile? What is with that tail?

Why hello there little fellow! Are you one of those chicken hunters I've heard about? Because my three chickens are not very tasty yet.

Off it skulks beside the electric fence to examine the chicken coop.

Michelle was startled by this same animal (or a close relative) about 2 years ago; likely it lived in or nearby our roof. I got lucky with pictures this time. :) I think it's a Genet; a Civet might be larger.