1) Thank you so much for your prayers on behalf of the Zambia elections. Zambia voted on October 30. Although there have been some accusations of ballot rigging, all things have remained peaceful and the president was sworn in on October 31.
With the rest of this post I hope to use pictures and brief descriptions to update you on the last few weeks:
What on earth have the Stobs been doing?
This trip to Zambia was a bit more pleasant in that it was only two long flights. In between, we had a 9 hour layover in London where we snagged a couch in the terminal and spent most of the day sleeping.
By midday, we were resting and then repacking for a four day stay at Villages of Hope. At 4pm we picked up a team of four North Americans who were visiting Partners Worldwide projects primarily in Zambia. We assisted in transporting them to Villages of Hope and then Kyle was largely responsible for assisting them to connect with farmers local to that region.
In the meantime, I spent time working at the Village alongside a team from Maryland. I was able to connect well with them and when I did not fit in the vehicle back to Lusaka because there was not enough room, I was happy to stick around and provide extra support at Villages of Hope. Below is a picture of me helping sew curtains to close in the kitchen cupboards (thanks mom for teaching me these useful skills!).
Although I did not get any pictures, early on Sunday morning during out stay a bush fire caught on the property next to Villages of Hope and many of us were involved in trying to prevent it from coming on to the Villages of Hope property. Thanks to prayer and an ample supply of water we were able to contain it away from the property.
Kyle took the team from PW to various meetings in Lusaka, primarily focusing on organizations and individuals who work in development of agriculture. Needless to say it was a learning experience for Kyle. In the meantime, I delayed three days at Villages of Hope until someone there made a trip to Lusaka and could drop me off in town.
Kyle and I had a two day break in Lusaka before heading back up to Villages of Hope with another Partners Worldwide team. This team hailed from Denver, Colorado. Kyle facilitated a visit to CBI--Lusaka with four people from this team while I stayed at the Village and assisted primarily with the cooking.
This trip gave us the opportunity to visit a local village church with a very dynamic pastor. He preached for two hours straight offering a stretch break for the congregation about 3/4 of the way through. All I can say is that Kyle and I walked away firmly convicted that we should never complain but always to be content in the circumstances God has put us in because He has us there for a reason that ultimately with glorify himself. Below is a picture of this man of God, Pastor Zulu.
Finally, this trip also gave us the opportunity to spend some time with the orphans. These children touched our hearts with their joy in the midst of difficult circumstances. Gift tried on my sunglasses. 
Below are pictures of the children receiving new rain boots that the team had brought with them from America. There was a pair for each child and the sizes were just right, praise the Lord.
On October 31, we finally headed back to Lusaka where we made some final preparations before driving to Chipata on Sunday November 2. This is where I will leave this post and let you all know that we are settling slowly and trying to make a "home" out of our house. Hopefully soon we will post pictures/video of the house. I will also have to work on getting Kyle out from behind the camera and into some pictures!
Prayer Requests:
1) The rains have started in Zambia. Please pray that Zambia would not just have a lot of rain but that it would come in good increments to allow the land to soften from the hot, dry season to prevent flooding.
2) That we would stay healthy. Overall, we are feeling very good, but we do think our systems are still trying to adjust to a new environment.
3) For God to make clear our purpose and place in ministry in Chipata.
The Peace and Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
This trip to Zambia was a bit more pleasant in that it was only two long flights. In between, we had a 9 hour layover in London where we snagged a couch in the terminal and spent most of the day sleeping.We landed very early to a beautiful African sunrise.
By midday, we were resting and then repacking for a four day stay at Villages of Hope. At 4pm we picked up a team of four North Americans who were visiting Partners Worldwide projects primarily in Zambia. We assisted in transporting them to Villages of Hope and then Kyle was largely responsible for assisting them to connect with farmers local to that region.
In the meantime, I spent time working at the Village alongside a team from Maryland. I was able to connect well with them and when I did not fit in the vehicle back to Lusaka because there was not enough room, I was happy to stick around and provide extra support at Villages of Hope. Below is a picture of me helping sew curtains to close in the kitchen cupboards (thanks mom for teaching me these useful skills!).
Although I did not get any pictures, early on Sunday morning during out stay a bush fire caught on the property next to Villages of Hope and many of us were involved in trying to prevent it from coming on to the Villages of Hope property. Thanks to prayer and an ample supply of water we were able to contain it away from the property.Kyle took the team from PW to various meetings in Lusaka, primarily focusing on organizations and individuals who work in development of agriculture. Needless to say it was a learning experience for Kyle. In the meantime, I delayed three days at Villages of Hope until someone there made a trip to Lusaka and could drop me off in town.
Kyle and I had a two day break in Lusaka before heading back up to Villages of Hope with another Partners Worldwide team. This team hailed from Denver, Colorado. Kyle facilitated a visit to CBI--Lusaka with four people from this team while I stayed at the Village and assisted primarily with the cooking.
This trip gave us the opportunity to visit a local village church with a very dynamic pastor. He preached for two hours straight offering a stretch break for the congregation about 3/4 of the way through. All I can say is that Kyle and I walked away firmly convicted that we should never complain but always to be content in the circumstances God has put us in because He has us there for a reason that ultimately with glorify himself. Below is a picture of this man of God, Pastor Zulu.
Finally, this trip also gave us the opportunity to spend some time with the orphans. These children touched our hearts with their joy in the midst of difficult circumstances. Gift tried on my sunglasses. 
Below are pictures of the children receiving new rain boots that the team had brought with them from America. There was a pair for each child and the sizes were just right, praise the Lord.
On October 31, we finally headed back to Lusaka where we made some final preparations before driving to Chipata on Sunday November 2. This is where I will leave this post and let you all know that we are settling slowly and trying to make a "home" out of our house. Hopefully soon we will post pictures/video of the house. I will also have to work on getting Kyle out from behind the camera and into some pictures!
Prayer Requests:
1) The rains have started in Zambia. Please pray that Zambia would not just have a lot of rain but that it would come in good increments to allow the land to soften from the hot, dry season to prevent flooding.
2) That we would stay healthy. Overall, we are feeling very good, but we do think our systems are still trying to adjust to a new environment.
3) For God to make clear our purpose and place in ministry in Chipata.
The Peace and Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
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