Bwanji! Dear Ones,

In case you are wondering why everyone in this picture is dressed in fancy wear, it is because we all attended a wedding this past Sunday! One of the teachers at our School of Hope, Bruce Malowa wed his bride Alice and we were invited guests!

All of the children were so excited to be able to attend and get dressed up for the day.

Nelson, Shaibu and Isaac were feeling very debonair!

Kimani and Malaika

Here is a picture of the happy couple, although the picture does not reflect their joy! In Zambia, especially in rural settings, the wedding couple is expected to be very serious and somber even. This was really a culture shock for us because we are used to beaming smiles and laughter and if there are tears, they are clearly tears of joy!




Teacher Bruce's grade seven class was permitted to attend the reception. In this picture the children are watching the wedding party dance their way to the bridal table.
It was a very long day as we waited for the the bride and groom to arrive, watch various processionals, listen to the Pastor preach, witness the saying of the marriage vows, and prayers for the couple. Docklin took a moment to walk around and take a peek out of the window to see what else might have been happening outside!


Do you remember the maize that we planted using Farming God's Way? Well here are some of the children harvesting our crop! We are now learning how to make organic compost so that we can enrich our soil in preparation for the next planting season.

New arrivals at the Villages of Hope!! No, not children this time, but dairy cows! Shaibu and Joe are learning how to milk them in this picture.
When the milk has been collected, the children deliver them to the houses scheduled to receive milk for that day.

In March of this year, our nephew, Kamale, ( 3rd from left) from Kenya, came to live with us and attend school in Zambia. Also in this picture are our friends from Kenya, Anne and Lawrence and their two children who were visiting with us for two weeks.

Anne and Lawrence played some very interesting games with the children that helped to develop their thinking and communication skills. Actually we all enjoyed playing them!

All in all, the month of April, which is one of the months that children are out of school, was pretty quiet for us. Several of the children went away to visit relatives during this holiday time.
We are grateful that everyone returned safely and settled back into their regular routine. School begins today!
Please remember the newlyweds in your prayers for the Villages of Hope!

God's Grace & Peace rest on you,

The Kamaus