September 2011

South Africa Breakdowns
We enjoyed the rest of our time in South Africa connecting with friends and supporters but were also very busy running errands and getting various supplies for the orphanage.  Our trip back to Zambia however proved more eventful than we had hoped as we were plagued with multiple vehicle breakdowns.  Thankfully God allowed us to get to a big town (Ellisrus) and then provided a wonderful family with a guesthouse who allowed Jako to park the Hilux out front and turn their drive into a temporary workshop.  This family (who we had never met before) was more than hospitable not only offering us a good price on their lodging but good home cooked food and friendship as well.  After 1 1/2 days of Jako getting dirty and replacing and checking many things (bearings, brake discs, fuel pump and prop shaft) we were back on the road and happy to be moving again. 
Amber’s Surprise
The rest of the drive thankfully proved uneventful but Amber was quite surprised when we arrived back in Zambia and stopped to visit a friend but found a whole houseful of people yelling “surprise” instead!  Unbeknownst to her, Alyssa and Gretchen had been planning this surprise baby shower for some time and it was such a blessing – great food, fellowship, and fun.  Needless to say that the thoughts and effort behind this touched Amber’s heart more than words can say (by the way if you didn’t get the news Jakob will be getting a baby brother)
Baby # 6 She… no He
Upon our arrival back home we were happy to find things in good working order.  We were surprised to find that this 12 day old little girl we had heard about and admitted while we were gone was actually a boy named Emmanuel.  Zambians often confuse the pronouns “he” with “she” as the Tonga language is gender neutral so that is probably where the confusion came in.  With his mother very sick (she passed away a few weeks later) and an unknown father he was referred to us by the local village clinic (see below) and is a very lovable little boy.  We found out later that the grandparents (who were caring for the mother) are busy caring for 10 other kids, (6 under the age of 10) three of which are his half siblings, so resources and their ability to care for another child are very stretched.
Stella doing stellar : )
We were happy to see that our temporary house help, Stella, was proving to be a benefit when the mom’s took their turn being gone on their annual holiday.  It is so good to see the way that God  provide for all the needs of the orphanage. In fact it even seems as though Stella will eventually be hired to work at the orphanage preschool when it opens in February.  This will be perfect as her understanding of English is very good and she will still be available to fill in at the orphanage on an as need basis when one of the mom’s is sick or in special circumstances.
Home Improvements
God, in his great wisdom, knowing the amount and size of the tasks needing to be completed here before the rains come and we return to South Africa the end of November for the birth, blessed us with two American friends from Kalomo to help us for a while.  Tara was able to stay a week and Gretchen will be staying with us for a month.  Both have proved to be big blessing and helped.
Jako (and Alyssa) have been working furiously on our big “to-do” list around camp and Amber has been extra happy that their house is finally getting some upgrades.  While we have been living in the house for over a year and a half now, often other needs such as orphanage needs, crops, community needs etc. end up having to take priority (which is understandable) but now “finishes” such as sliding curtain rods in all the rooms (instead of pushing the curtains through the burglar bars), doors on all the inside rooms (instead of the temporary fabric hangings), light and an electrical outlet in all the rooms and having the guest toilet, guest shower and master bath all fully completed with plumbing, fixtures and painted is extra nice!  With all of that done, it definitely feels more like “home” here and the house won’t be a construction zone when we bring home a newborn.  Thanks Tara for varnishing all of our and the orphanage’s wooden doors and Gretchen for all your help painting those tedious bathrooms : )
Bed Bugs Bugging Us
Our home was not the only home to get attention though.  For longer than a year now, the orphanage house has been plagued with nasty little insects called bed bugs.  These things hide during the day, come out at night to bite the kids, and are extremely difficult to get rid of.  Despite buying different chemicals to spray on them several times and even having the local village clinic come out to spray for them more than once, these little bugs were still bugging us…. that is until now.
Recently we decided that it was time for drastic measures.  Wednesday we gave all of the kids plastic bags and asked them  to place all of their belongings in one bag each.  We then asked the moms to do the same with all of their things and then literally carried everything that was moveable outside of the orphanage.  Thursday Charles sprayed the entire house, top to bottom, making sure to get up in the ceiling, get all the corners, and thoroughly coat all the furniture that was stripped bare inside and out.  Due to health reasons from the fumes, the moms and kids “camped” out in the kitchen for two nights.  During the day the moms and the ladies here (Amber, Alyssa, Gretchen and Tara) helped to clean every thing that was washable before it went back inside.  The mom’s tackled all of their personal items as well as all of the baby things while we took back to our house ALL of the kids clothing, blankets, bedding, curtains, and mosquito nets to be washed.  What a job that was!  As soon as a load was finished and thoroughly dried each item had to be ironed to be sure that every bug and every egg was killed.  We were going to make certain this time that no bug made it back inside.
Saturday was our big move in day and everyone (including all the kids) worked hard to wipe and clean the house before starting the work of moving back in.  Everything that the kids brought back in had to be “approved” and we, as management, used the big “spring” (really summer) clean as a chance to rearrange rooms and give the moms a more space with our ever growing population of babies.  I think every one was excited to get to start off again with fresh clean everything (as well as new rules to keep things that way) and so far PRAISE GOD – no bed bugs!!!!!  The house moms and kids say they are sleeping lovely now and the babies and house mothers seem to be enjoying the baby play corner that each of the bigger bedrooms now have.
Other Work being done (Spiritual and Physical)
September month provided little rest for the weary out here.  While Charles has been busy cutting poles to redo the orchard fence (cattle have already eaten some of our banana trees once again), Jako and Alyssa have been busy finishing both the roof on the preschool and Alyssa’s flat, putting a roof on the orphanage kitchen pantries, fixing lighting and electrical issues at the orphanage, fixing broken doors, handles, and furniture at the orphanage, accepting preschool applications (due to start early Feb 2012), planning for field clearing and planting and hiring locals to fill some of these jobs.  Amber has been hard at work on getting caught up with much needed Administrative stuff and of course the daily/weekly programs of community welding, Children’s sunday school, and Sunday Bible Study still continue and are growing strong.  Jako has been able to have some good discussions with locals that He has been discipling lately and Alyssa was even able to start a weekly Bible study with the house mothers.
Transportation Provision
One bit of encouragement that we did get this month was a “new” (actually a redone) LandRover.  After finding out that Amber was pregnant again we realized that the needs of our family and ministry were fast outgrowing the provisions that we currently had.  Just in doing the numbers- our family of four and Alyssa would fill up our Hilux (leaving no space for locals going to the hospital or clinic or no space to pick up any volunteers) and even though Jako fixed the broken chasis of it as best as he could, it is still greatly limited in the amount of weight it can now carry in the back for building supplies or orphanage provisions.  Our other original vehicle, an old 1964 Landrover, while a great work donkey in the bush, is simply not suitable or reliable enough for lots of open road driving.
Earlier this year we started praying and looking at different vehicles, pricing them and weighing the short term and long term benefits that each would offer not only for our family but for the ministry as a whole.  We knew that no matter what we got the vehicle would have to do “double duty” – being able to handle the daily demands of off road conditions, hauling in building supplies, and heavy orphanage provisions while also being able to serve as a basic family vehicle for traveling back to South Africa and for business in Lusaka and Livingstone.  After much prayer and looking around we realized, once again, how limited (and expensive) good second hand vehicles are in Zambia.  Almost by accident, God happened to lead Jako to a business in Livingstone that fixes LandRovers where he learned that the owner was in the process of redoing an older LandRover and trying to decide if he was going to rent it out for hire or sell it.  God began to make it clear that this was the vehicle that he intended for us.
While it technically is an older model (1989) it has been 90% redone which makes Jako happy (as he is always having to fix one of our vehicles- the joys of off road conditions), and it’s design is just perfect to meet our growing family and ministry needs.  Not only can it fit up to 10 people in it with it’s bench seats in the back, it also has a luggage cage allowing it to piled to the top with building supplies or orphanage provisions.  It was built to carry a heavy load and has strong roof rack on the top providing it the ability to carry big or awkward size building materials/ supplies and was amazingly in a price range which was “reasonable” (very rare for Zambia).  We received the vehicle in the middle of the month and are just so thankful to God for ALL His continuing provision – that He lead us to the right place at just the right time to get the right vehicle.  Please pray for God’s hand of watch care over the vehicle so that it can continue to meet all the needs of our family and the ministry for many years to come. 
What’s in Store for October/ November ?
Work, work and more work…..Please pray for an added dose of strength, energy, motivation, grace, mercy, and blessing on all of us as we continue to work long hours every day to try to get all the tasks completed that we hope to have completed before the rains begin and we leave end of November for the birth in South Africa.  Some of the big things on the list is the finishing of both Alyssa’s flat and the education center/preschool (we had some difficulty with the previous builder which caused some BIG delays and since have hired someone else to finish and correct his mistakes).  There are also small maintenance projects that need to be completed at the orphanage as well as clearing and preparing land for plowing and planting all before the end of November. Please pray for us during this busy time – that God will provide energy and strength to work, sweet periods of rest and refreshment in between, provisions for every need, and wisdom to know what projects to tackle when. 
Kauwe Clinic Prayer Need
One last things that we wanted to mention and ask for prayer for.  During the past few months there has been rumor of the government closing down the local village medical clinic at Kauwe.  At only an hours drive away it is the closest medical facility to us.  The nearest hospital is about a 2 hour drive away one way.  The reason for this is increased instances of witch-crafting and spells being put on nurses and doctors.   It has already been closed for a few days and then reopened and we have been told that it is most likely to permanently close on October 14th.  Please keep this situation in your prayers because not only does it affect the medical care that us and the children at the orphanage receive (vaccinations, ARV treatments, general medicine) it also affects the quality of life of all of the villagers out here.  We fear that many people will die because of lack of care if this clinic is shut done and it will be a great hardship to us and the children here as well but we also know that God can use this situation to show more of His Power.  Please pray that God’s love and power will be made known in this area and that everyone around will see that Perfect Love (God) casts out  all fear and that nothing in this world is greater than He. 
To God be the glory, great things He has done and Great things He will continue to do!
With much appreciation and  gratitude to God for making all of this possible and for all our wonderful prayer and financial supporters,
Jako, Amber and Jakob John Joubert