We're Back!

Hope with Ms Bingham, Nurse Practitioner who lead medical missions in Zambia, Tanzania, & Uganda

Donna Habegger, friend of family with Hope and Ms Bingham just off the plane in Memphis

Hope was surprised by the Rice family from our home congregation when she arrived on Harding's campus. What a treat to see unexpected family!

Dearest friends and family of HIZ 2012,

We're back! All of our travel went smoothly from Entebbe to Memphis (through AMS and ATL), and we drove back through some rain from Memphis to Searcy. Harding had the lighting ceremony for their campus wide Christmas lights on Monday evening, so we came back to a well lit and beautiful campus. Some students left yesterday evening; the rest are leaving today, tomorrow, or through the end of this week as everyone heads home for a 6-week-long Christmas break. 

HIZ is the only of HU's international programs that consistently starts and ends in Searcy. We took advantage of entire day in Searcy together at the end of a long trip by celebrating a Thanksgiving feast, discussing the challenges of re-entry after 3 months in another culture, and praying together as a group. We're thankful for the memories and experiences behind us; we're expectant for what is still to come. Much of the learning and growth happens in the months after such an experience, and we look forward to challenge of translating the experience into our context in the US.

Back in January of this year we were asked to prepare a chapel program for the 27th of November, the day after our return to campus. We were humbled by the request and intimated with the task of presenting even just a slice of our experience to an audience of several thousand Harding students. After an entire semester of trying to speak, sing, and help in Zambian ways, we were at a loss for how we might do that very same task, but to our HU audience. How do you contextualize a message to an American audience, a message gleaned from an African context after an entire semester of intentional, round-the-clock learning? 

Well, we still aren't really sure what the correct answer is to that question.

But we did our best. After a semester of informal conversation, several group-wide brainstorming sessions, and a handful of committee-style focused meetings, we decided on a message and a medium and went for it. If you were in chapel yesterday, we'd love to get your feedback. If you didn't get a chance to be there, here is the link to the 10:00 chapel program which Harding has stored on iTunes U. We wonder if you get from it the message we were trying to get across:

Having just come back from Zambia, Tanzania, and Uganda, our message was not "Everyone must go to Africa." Instead, having just experienced a host of incredible stories, we felt a burden to call Harding students to finding good stories, both in Searcy and at home over Christmas break. It's been said before that the stories that communicate best are about extraordinary people doing ordinary things, or about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. We are all living out a part in a bigger story of an extraordinary God who has worked with, without, and in spite of, ordinary people. At the apex of human history, God became ordinary, he became human. And because of that humanity, the ordinary (humans) participates in the extraordinary.

All semester, we were confronted with ordinary people doing extraordinary things, as part of God's mission and story. We chose to give three snapshots of stories we found in Zambia, and wanted to challenge the chapel audience not only to live a good story themselves (an individual task) but to find good stories (a task that fosters community) in the context of His story, history. 

When someone made in the image of God meets someone else made in the image of God, there is something to be learned about God and the world. This is why I believe International Programs at Harding is such a worthy endeavor. Not that one may only encounter people and learn about God and the world outside of the US. But being with people so radically different than us forces us to broaden our view of the world and reality and ask questions about a global God. This causes us not only to want to learn more about other places and cultures, but to return to our own culture, our own homes, and dedicate ourselves to finding good stories here, stories of the lives of ordinary people that reflect the image of an extraordinary God. 

This semester, we met some incredible Zambian students, teachers, administrators, medical providers, ministers, infant caregivers, night watchmen, and shopkeepers. Through them, we learned something about the God of the nations. We gained a greater perspective on the kingdom of God. And we return home, burdened to make time in our own, busy American lives to find those same stories of people in our families, churches, and schools. These stories were there before we left, we just couldn't see them. Now that we're back, we crave the stories, and we understand that God is honored in each recounting. 

In short, we are all part of God's bigger story. So find an ordinary story that honors God, and find your place in His story.

We hope some of that communicated. And more than anything, we hope this chapel program will function as a springboard for conversation. It is in the conversation, in the search, that learning happens. 

Always learners,

Jeremy Daggett and HIZ 2012

Beginning the trip home...

Hey Everyone,

We've had a great East Africa tour, and learned a ton here in Jinja. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we were guided by some of the Ugandans who work with Kibo Work into the village to observe their community development projects in villages 2-4 hours away from Jinja. This past Thursday we went to an island in the Nile River to celebrate Thanksgiving and spend some time slack-lining, swimming, and playing ultimate Frisbee. We spent all day yesterday on the Nile, rafting a series of 8 rapids, and really enjoyed doing that with the entire group. 

Today is our last day in Uganda. We're heading to our last village church this morning, after which we'll be heading out toward a restaurant by the airport. We'll hang out there for a good part of the afternoon before going into the airport, checking in, and heading back stateside!

I will try to update the HIZ twitter feed as we travel with any updates. If you haven't already, you should get our travel itinerary from your son or daughter. If all goes well with our two connections, we should get in to Memphis at 4:40pm, and Jeremy Sivia will be there to pick us up with the Harding bus. 

Looking forward to being back and seeing everyone. We can't wait to share some of what God has been doing in our lives and also to hear what God has been doing in the lives of our friends and family in the states. 

Grace and peace and see you soon,

Jeremy Daggett

HIZ 2012 Field Director

Visiting Zambian Schools & Villages

On Tuesday 10/30/2012 Kaitlyn, Lauren, Kaitlin Plache, Hope, and Aubrey were able to go and visit three schools within the Kalomo district and see how they are run, and to compare and contrast government schools to those of mission schools. The woman who brought us is named Ruth Mbumwae and she has an incredible story! She was originally from Peru where she grew up as a runner. She ran in the Olympics for Peru and won bronze for the 10,000 Meter. Eventually she was asked to run at Abilene Christian University in Texas, which she chose because she wanted to run for America. She strictly came to America to run, but certain things fell through and she was not able to run anymore in the Olympics because of a broken Achilles. God completely changed her heart around while in America, after putting her through a lot of pain and suffering, and soon she was no longer interested in running as she once was. She was led to Zambia through a professor at ACU and she has lived in Zambia since 1996 where she married her Zambian husband. Her and her husband, since have had 3 kids and then have worked closely with 65 different churches and 15 schools.

Ruth has a heart for the schools in Zambia. We visited a variety of schools: one was a school on the Seven Fountains mission, one was a government school (Nalubumba), and the third was Good Hope- a technology school. She wanted us to see the difference in teachers and the student’s knowledge from a government school and a mission school. Zambia has a law that in order for every seventh grader to move on to the eighth grade, he must pass the 7^th grade exam. This is a week of testing and most schools do not have classes for any other grade. At Nalubumba, there were classes going on, (the principle was very proud of this), however there were no teachers anywhere to be found. There were 100+ second and third graders crammed into a room where they hadn’t learned anything in the past 4 days.

When it came to working with the preschoolers, many students of the government schools could not write their names even though this is expected of them. When Ruth spoke to the students, it went like this: “Good Morning class!” “Fine, thank you, and how are you?” “Very, very sick.” “Thank you”. It went to show that they don’t know what they say in English. They only know Tonga because it is expected for 1^st graders to still be learning in Tonga. Government curriculum does not start teaching how to read until Grade 3. So when Ruth would ask these questions, it was not expected for the students to know these answers.
In contrast, Ruth showed us that the mission school, Seven Fountains. These first graders were reading from books, and knew a lot of English. Also they were making up books that were filled with words that they knew how to spell and could put into context. It was a vast and very large difference between the two schools- a very shocking difference.

Ruth says the government schools do not require any accountability from the teachers. Teachers are paid whether the students learn or not. Ruth wants all students to have a chance at education, and that is why she firmly supports mission schools. Also, when children experience education from a mission school they are more motivated to come back and be a teacher to give the others the same opportunities they were given.

The following pictures were taken when we visited villages for Outreach.

Hope and Kaitie Wood are kindly demostrating how we sit on the very skinny logs that hurt your bee-hind tremendously. There were around 10 rows of these, and yup. that was the church benches.

Here are Christy, Kaitie W., Molly, and Hope sleeping, while Katie Daggett is wide awake, ready for the day of church! Here we slept, out in the open!

Here is Lauren sleeping, while the women are in the back, already preparing our breakfast for us around the fire. This was on the Outreach. As you can see, we are very public sleepers

Serengeti

At the edge of the Serengeti near Jinji, Uganda. Hope is the one in the yellow shirt top left of picture.

Off to the Serengeti

Hey everyone!

We had a great last few days with the Mwanza and Geita teams. (Hope was with the Mwanza team.) Evertt Huffard and Janice Bingham stayed with 13 students in Mwanza and Katie and I went to Geita with 13 students. I think both groups really enjoyed their time in Mwanza and Geita, and now we're thankful to be back together and get to share with one another what we experienced. In the task of learning, there is so much value in spending time with people who have made another place and culture their home. Though we were only in Geita or Mwanza for a few days, the Americans here modeled the learning process for us through their years of experience, Swahili learning, cultural knowledge, etc. After 2 and a half months at Namwianga learning about culture and mission, this time in Tanzania and our upcoming time in Jinja offer the same learning experience, but in an accelerated manner. 

For the next three days and nights we'll be heading through the Serengeti, to the Ngorongoro Crater, and on to Kilimanjaro before heading to Jinja, Uganda. I am not confident we'll have cell reception every minute of the drive, but I think we'll have cell reception (and/or data) at the places we stay in the evenings. I'll try to send updates as frequently as I can. You can get shorter but more frequent updates on twitter (twitter.com/HIZambia)

Grace and peace,

Jeremy Daggett

HIZ 2012 Field Director

Zitenge

Zitenge

by Hope Stanger

Munife sitenge nibinele mulena aka, Munife sitenge nibinele mulena aka, Wanifa moya wamahala ndante ni kamulumbeka na, Wanifa moya wamahala ndante ni kamulumbeka na
(Give me a sitenge¹, I will dance for my Lord He gives me free life, I will praise Him)

In every culture, certain objects come to symbolize important aspects of their specific society. One such important emblem for Zambia is the chitenge (or zitenge, plural). A chitenge is a long piece of cloth that is usually used as a tie-around skirt. Yet its influence reaches far beyond a simple fashion statement or article of clothing. They can be seen all over and are even mentioned in praise songs to God (as seen above). The chitenge has become such an integral part of Zambian culture that it symbolizes respect, decency, and humility.
It is hard to pinpoint the exact origins of the chitenge because its use was a gradual thing. Traditionally, Zambians wore animal skins and beaded skirts. In modern times, as western influences arrived, fabric became available. Zitenge were not popular at first because they came mostly from neighboring countries. Shortly after Independence though, the Mulungushi Textiles and the Cofuie Textiles opened factories in Zambia. Since then, zitenge have become ever more pervasive. Now they are considered a national dress that all women and older girls wear.²
First and foremost, zitenge represent decency. In Zambia the exposed thigh is considered immoral. Thighs are reserved for the husband only because Zambians believe men become attracted to thighs too quickly. Pants on women are even discouraged because they show the shape of that area too well. Thus zitenge are used to cover that area. Practically, zitenge are stiffer than other skirts so they allow women to work more freely around the house since they don’t reveal anything as easily. Also, on a windy day, a woman will wrap a chitenge around another skirt to stay decent. The same principle applies to when women sit on mats then have to bend to get up and when they must maneuver on a journey. All of these examples show how a chitenge provides coverage for the sensitive area of the thighs.
Zitenge also symbolize respect. Respect includes observing all of society’s morals. If you rebel against society, society as a whole is affected. Zambians show respect in many ways, such as kneeling and clapping. It is not supposed to be bothersome; instead it becomes part of you. This is how the wearing of zitenge has become. Everyone knows that when you are wearing a chitenge, you are showing humility and deference. Thus, wearing a chitenge is almost mandatory for a church service, in order to demonstrate respect for God.
Finally, zitenge are an integral part of a good reputation and the model of being truly cultured. Women are supposed to teach their children the importance of wearing a chitenge by example. If someone doesn’t wear them, they are perceived as immoral. It can even become very difficult to get married if you are known for not wearing a chitenge because it shows you do not respect the culture and are not from a good family.
The many diverse colors and patterns do not symbolize anything special like the Nigerian long dress does. However, some organizations use the chitenge to promote themselves. For example, every political party in Zambia has their emblems and colors on zitenge. Some churches such as the Catholic Church also put icons and religious writing on zitenge. Sometimes a church on Sunday will be filled with similar colors and patterns because of the affiliation attached to the clothing.
Lastly, zitenge are utilized in dancing. Traditionally, dancing is used to attract the opposite sex.³ It is a way for society to bring couples together. The tied nature of the chitenge shows the flexibility of the body movements. Many times a boy who is not married will see a woman dancing and then decide to marry her. Dance is also used to praise God though. It is said to be in the blood of an African to show joy through dancing so one way to praise Him is to dance. Yet it must still be respectful so a chitenge must be worn.
Zitenge truly embody a part of Zambian culture and hold an important place in society. Although its history is relatively short, a chitenge captures many rich symbolisms. It has become so pervasive that it is used in so many ways for all the people. It is rich in culture and is important as it exemplifies the values of Zambia.

---

1. Sitenge is the Lozi word for the tie-around skirt; the Tonga people use the word chitenge. ↩
2. Zitenge are used in a plethora of different ways. They are mainly used as skirts for women, but they can also be made into women’s dresses and suits or men’s shirts. They are employed as baby carriers and bags when they are tied around the back to hold something. Many people even carry an extra one to use as a rain coat during the rainy season to wrap around themselves if the weather changes. Basically, because of the tailors in town, zitenge can be made into anything for any purpose. ↩
3. This is not the dancing that we think of in America. Men and women do not dance facing each other and they usually dance apart, in different groups. Instead, it is a way to express gladness, and a social structure for innocent attraction. ↩

Message from Hope

Yesterday we received what might be our last communication directly with Hope until her return to the States on 11/26/12. She emailed that she was leaving  with mixed emotions: she loves Zambia and all the people that have captured her heart.in Namiwianga. Not knowing if she will ever see these people again until she gets to Heaven is very sad for her. On the other hand she is very excited to experience her last 3 weeks in Africa: visiting missionaries in Tanzania and Uganda, learning of their work and hoping to encourage them; going for a safari through the Serengeti on her final days there.

She said she has taken her final exams for the semester but still has to give two speeches and write three papers. The papers must be turned in by 12/1 so she'll have a few days on Harding's campus to hopefully complete all her work.

During the remainder of her time in Africa, we will not have definite contact with her. There may be an internet service somewhere along the way, but we're not assured of this. This is hard for us but God has taught us so much about trusting our children in His care during Hope's semester away.

Hope wants you to know--and we all agree--that your prayers mean so much to her during this time. God has opened a whole new world to her through this experience. She will never be the same! Thank you for your encouragement.

the Stanger family