(Matilda, enjoying a snack in her new wheelchair)
Dear Ones,We are very pleased to welcome a new arrival to the Village of Hope! Her name is Matilda Figo and she is nine-years old. We first met Matilda in 2007 when the Schwartzes were staying at another location before they moved to the village. One of our volunteers from Maryland visited Matilda’s village and was immediately affected by her condition. She is a special needs child who at that time was unable to walk and was wasting away.
She was diagnosed with Spinal Tuberculosis which caused her paralysis. This meeting led to a series of visits to an orthopedic hospital in Lusaka, medicine to treat the disease and surgery to see if the paralysis could be corrected. It did help some and she is now able to get around with her walker and wheelchair.
A few weeks ago, Kathleen was contacted by the head teachers at Okada School and they asked her to please come and take a look at a burn that Matilda had suffered. When Kathleen and Julie, one of our volunteers, arrived, they were astonished at the severity of the burn on her leg and immediately sought to aid Matilda’s mother in getting medical treatment. It was decided that maybe Matilda should stay at the guesthouse with the Schwartzes until the burn healed because it was difficult to bathe it and dress the wound where she was living with her single mother and siblings.
Our other children at the Village of Hope welcomed her right away! It was truly a joy to see them pushing her around in the wheel chair, carrying her on their backs and playing with her. We had a sense that God was leading us to give an offer to Matilda's mother to let Matilda reside at the Village of Hope because of the hardship that she was experiencing in caring for her and her other siblings. When we approached her about it she said that she was very grateful for all that has been done for Matilda because she had been unable to manage her needs. She said yes to our offer and now Matilda has become a part of our growing family.
(This boisterous group practically ran the whole mile to the community center where church services are being held)
As we began walking to the community center on May 3rd, Sunday morning, we were filled with excitement because this was going to be the first of regularly scheduled church services at the center. Finally, we were all going to be able to worship together as a family. All of the children took off running with happy squeals, anxious to get to there before anyone else.When we arrived at the community center, we were delighted step into a cool room that had been newly painted, with new chairs, and there was a lovely altar arrangement with lit candles and a simple but striking cross that Dion had made of the tall grasses growing all around us. Gospel songs in the language of Bemba were playing in the background as the children were chattering excitedly waiting for the service to begin.During the singing portion of worship there was a real sense of joy and enthusiasm from both adults and children as we clapped and danced and the theme of joy continued into the sermon delivered by Kamau
(This group decided to take a leisurely walk to church instead!)
(Waiting for others to arrive so that we could begin the service)After the service was over, we decided to try a short cut that we commonly use during the dry season. It is not used during the rainy season because the grass is very high and it becomes swampy in certain places. Isaac, Brighton & Paul assured us that the path was clear and that most of the water was dried up and that all we had to do was walk around it. As we followed them, pretty soon we noticed that the path was not so clear and the thick grass all around was taller than all of us. Kamau and I were both hoping that snakes would hear us coming and decide to move away. I tried to just look straight ahead and not look around too much because I was certain I would see something that would cause my mind to break down! I also tried not to think about the fact that I was wearing sandals and my feet were pretty much exposed.
When we came to the part where there was the most water, we really had to step carefully because the path was non-existent and without proper footwear it was slippery. Finally, to our relief, we reached the main road to the village without incident or bites and vowed not come that way again until the grass had been cut and all of the water had dried.
(The varmit!!)Just as we were walking to our house the children who had run ahead, including Malaika, ran up to us shouting that there was a snake on our veranda. We arrived to see that the snake had been removed to the grass and was in its death throes from where one of the carpenters had struck it on the head. It was over two feet long and when we turned it over; it was a shiny silver color (quite pretty actually!) with a black ring around its neck. The general consensus was that it was a cobra! Malaika said that when she arrived at the veranda she surprised it and it hissed at her and spread its hood.
(It is a good day for a snake burning!)We decided to have a burning ceremony and this became a great source of entertainment for the children as they watched it cook in the fire. They pointed out its teeth and joked about eating it with nshima (cornmeal mush).
As I was thinking about what had just occurred, I thought, here we were feeling pretty anxious about walking in thick, tall grasses because of the fear of snakes and whatever else that might have been lurking there. There was a sense of yearning to reach “safer” places like the road or the veranda in front of our house. And upon reaching the refuge of our veranda, the danger was there waiting to greet us!
I couldn’t help but reflect on how we often try to create so-called “safe places” in our lives, such as financial security, owning a house, medical insurance, getting and keeping the right job, etc. It varies from person to person. Sometimes there is a reluctance to venture out into what is unknown or untried because of the fear of danger to our security or comfort. This is of course very natural because we want to look after the well-being of ourselves and our family.
It becomes a drawback to our spiritual growth however, when we beg to be excused from anything that might challenge the safe places that we have constructed in our lives, even when it is the Lord issuing us the challenge and encouraging us to trust Him and obey. If we are seeking to take refuge in anything other than the shelter that only the Lord can provide, in time we will find that the refuge and safety measures of our own making are just an illusion and that they are subject to real dangers just like our veranda. Moreover, the places and circumstances that that we consider a threat to our security and comfort like the high, scary grasses that we were trekking through, become areas of safety. If we will just trust and rest in the loving care of our Lord, we will find that we have a strong fortification around us while we are walking into the unknown, uncomfortable places.
How wonderful is the wisdom and humor of God to provide a vivid object lesson through the visit of a cobra on a Sunday afternoon!
May God's peace & grace rest upon you,
The Kamaus
