NEWS FROM KAOMA

On Friday I took a bus to Mongu (about 2 hours away) and met with the bishop, so he could sign some papers for a land purchase in Kaoma. The land purchase is for a farming project that is beginning here. The land is being purchased from a woman who's brother owned the land, but is now passed away. I went to the village with Sr. Virginia to obtain a signature from the woman selling the property. As we walked through the village all the children followed. They all gathered around the door of the hut to see the "whites"! We are an unusual site in this part of the world!

I stayed in Mongu two nights and took the bus back on Sunday morning. The sisters in Mongu run a home for physically disabled children (Cheshire Home). The convent is attached to the home and I stayed there.

The bus ride to Mongu was interesting. Everytime we stopped near a village the people would run to the bus and sell things to the passengers through the windows. Most popular was a bundle of roots that they eat. The roots are usually cooked, but on the bus they were breaking chunks off and eating them raw. The villagers were also selling chicken from their cooking bowls, bananas, drinks, handmade knives, etc.

While in Mongu I attended a jubilee Mass for ZAS (Zambian Association of Sisters). It is an association of all the different religious congregations of sisters that work and live in Zambia. The Zambians sang and danced throughout the whole Mass in their native language and customs. It was great but I kept hoping I wouldn't pass out from the heat in the church!

I also visited the site of the farming project that Sr. Virginia has helped to establish. Loveless, one of the caretakers, was proud to show me the garden, nursery, and fish ponds that have been started. It is the dry season, so it takes a lot of work to keep things growing this time of year. Many people are hungry right now because of the lack of vegetation...and the rainy season won't come until sometime into November.