Little House in Lusaka

About 10 days ago I moved into a new dwelling place in the city of Lusaka. I live alone. I do not have any cats. Although there is the Allen family, new to the team, who lives about 15 steps away...but they are not cats either. It's splendid to be in the city as it is closer to everything and everyone...but there is still a very large place in my heart for Kasupe and the farm (I would give it the right ventricle of my heart) of which I still work in 2-3 times a week.

Join me on a photographic tour of my "Little House in Lusaka" as I Shannon Ingalls Wilder guide you through. Please refrain from flash photography and keep your hands where I can see them at all times...don't want any "sticky fingers"!

Click here for the tour

In Studio

Recently I recorded the Redeemed Church Choir out at the farm. It is the church located near the farm whose roof blew off in a freak whirlwind a couple weeks ago...but that's beside the point. They composed 9 songs that we recorded in a couple hours because we had to be done by 3pm because there was a big soccer game on that Sunday afternoon that all the men wanted to watch. It seems some things transcend culture!Here they are, the Redeemed Church Choir

In the "Studio" aka the library

Getting ready (the girl in the front middle looks super impressed...she's probably just eager to watch the soccer game I suppose)

Apparently they have written 9 more songs they want to record next week...

Tale of a Storey

I've posted my updates from the past seven months that I send out via email. So if you are ever suffering from insomnia you can check it out...

Click here to read the ramblings

You can also find the link puttin' out the vibe in the sidebar.

Eating "Set"

So, I've chalked up another item to add to my food list. You can order the staple food, Nshima, in a fashion called "Set", which is a chicken head, chicken feet, chicken liver, and chicken intestine. I went with my friend, Daliso, to this sketchy market place to sit down and enjoy a little meal. I'm pretty sure I have worms.Set...tempting, tantalizing, and "tasty"

The head...complete with brain...could always use another

Both ends

The intestines...mmmm

Young Grasshopper!

I've been teaching guitar to a couple of youth here in Kasupe. This is Peter during one of our lessons. We spend about 2 hours doing scales, an hour of theory, and then play a little diddy at the end. Kidding. But he is doing very well...

Payton Hit's the Big 0-3!!!

It was a big day on August 26 when Payton Whitfield turned 3... an event of epic proportions!Here's me and the little man...he seems to have a bit of a "Chandler" reaction to cameras!

His "Thomas the Tank Engine" cake in all it's glory!

The Push Start Champions!

Recently we ventured out with the Kasupe Rural Health Committee to visit and bring food and blankets to some desperately needing homes. Along the way, the mechanical genius that I am, killed the battery. So we had to push start it (something I have never accomplished in this lifetime). So we had 5 elderly Zambia ladies on the committee and two of our visiting team ladies (Alisha and Esther) push the beast of a cruiser. And on the third try we did it! I'll never forget the day I made 5 old ladies push a land cruiser.

Victory is sweet!

Carrying meali meal on my head...the old women took it from me cause they said it was too heavy for me and put it on their head instead

One of the homes we visited

Trekking...

Moving Pictures

teaching the youth choir to do the wave...how we end every week.



singing with the Kids Bible Club

So Long Stephanie and Susan

This past week I said goodbye to my good friends Stephanie (my roommate) and Susan. They have moved 6 hours south to Sinazongwe to do medical ministry with an organization called MVI. It's hard to see them go but I'm excited for them and this new opportunity!

So I've got room for one more in the hut now along with me and the rats on the bathroom ceiling...any takers! Until then I have crazy solitaire parties and try to figure out the rubics cube.

The Great Mouse Adventure

On my mission to eat weird and gross things here in Zambia, I believe I have come across number 1 on my list so far. With caterpillar and a whole chicken head firmly under my best (or more on my hips you could say) I successfully ate my first mouse...fir, tail, legs, insides and all. I left only the teeth! It actually tasted pretty good!The before and after...it was quite well done

Mmmm, this mouse tastes yummy!

Shannon's Slaughter Shack

Alisha and I had the honours of killing two chickens for a neighborhood BBQ we had last week. So here we are with the heads of our respective chickens...that saying about running around like a chicken with it's head cut off really IS true!!!

The Inside Storey

Take a little gander into what's been happening around here lately....

(above) This is our Saturday morning Kids Bible Club

This is the youth choir that I have started here with youth from the area. We meet on Thursday afternoons...it's a blast!

Playing netball with the girls

The short term team that was just here put on several dental clinics for our area which was awesome.

Here I am packed in a row of 5 people coming home on a mini bus...a situation I have come to embrace, literally.

Mary Goes to America!

This past week we experienced a miracle with the adoption of Mary by Steve and Patti Hupp. The US embassy was refusing to grant Mary a visa to travel home to the states and was requiring a document that would be impossible to come up with. But on Thursday morning, hours before their flight was to leave the embassy granted the visa. It's a longer story but that's the abridged version. God is good.

“Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.”~ Psalm 77:13-14

Patti and her daughter Mary

At the airport

Haha! We found these great glasses at the farm...this is the beauty of it being your blog...
please don't hurt me Patti!

CANADA DAY!!

It was nice to have my fellow countryman, Amber, in Zambia to celebrate Canada day with. Stephanie stayed up late the night before to surprise us with these snappy cupcakes. We also handed out Canada pencils that Amber brought along and I proudly dawned my Tim Horton's shirt...cause what's more Canadian than that...am I right!?

Learning to Talk the Talk

Every week Pastor Thole comes out to the farm on his "Mercedes Benz", as he has termed it, to help me learn one of the 72 languages spoken in Zambia, Nyanja. That's right I'm trying to become a Teenage Mutant Nyanja Turtle. Every week we translate a section from the Bible and then we go through this other course. He is awesome! He politely told me the other week that the best way to learn a language was to practice...ie. stop slacking you lazy Mzungu!

Amber and Shannon Take Africa By Storm

This past month my friend Amber was here to visit. It was awesome to have her here. We had some good times and spread the cheer of Mennonite food to the rest of the team! So here are some pictures of our days. There are more on my flickr site so follow the link !

click here

BORSCHT!!!!

This one goes out to my Mennonite crowd! You'll be proud that I have brought Borscht to Zambia! This past week I made a big ol' bowl of it and it brought me right back home. Nothing like a good bowl 'o' borscht and buns on a cold African evening to soothe the soul!

Mary meets Borscht

Amber loves the Borscht

Shannon loves the Borscht

BORSCHT!

The Convention

This past week I had the opportunity to do some sessions on relationships and sexual purity for this inter-school youth convention. It was quite the time we had! The acoustics in the hall were horrible so you had to yell to be heard. We did this activity where the guys and the girls had to come up with their "Ulitimate Date"...the girls turned out to be way more shallow than the boys, yet quite organized in two categories: Personlality and Looks, each receiving equal space on the board.











At one point we were talking about love and how it has so many meanings and we use it for so many things so I was asking them to shout out what they love...my favorite response was "MILK", coming very seriously from a teenage boy.

Fun on the Farm

Here are some shots of life at home on the farm. I will try to make a point to bring my camera to when I am actully doing stuff ... but for now I guess this will have to do.Rockin' the high waist

Good times when the power is out...every night!

Hanging a mosquito net by stacking a chair on a dresser due to the fact we have no ladder. At least we didn't have the dresser on the bed this time too.