Bells, Bushes and Beating the Brits

It is the 4th of July, only not quite. First, I am at the office working. Second, it is cold - Not Minnesota in January cold, but sweater-wool socks-and-my-hands-are-freezing-as-I-type-cold. It is the southern hemisphere winter and because Lusaka is close to 5,000 ft above sea level it gets cold despite our proximity to the equator. The conditions mentioned above, e.g. working, wool socks and being cold are not making for a very festive holiday - certainly a far cry from being at the lake.

It is now the 5th of July -- more commonly referred to as July 5th. It is slightly warmer and yesterday (the 4th) was salvaged when some American neighbors invited us over for some fireworks in their backyard...Despite it feeling like we should have been trick or treating, it was fun to blow some things up in honor of our country's independence. (Incidentally, we share being a former colony of Great Britain with Zambia which several Zambian colleagues brought up yesterday...We had fun giving the one Brit in our office a hard time.)

The last couple weeks have been full, busy and fun. We had 5 out 6 members of the Bell family (One year old Mary stayed home) here with us for 10 days which was a huge gift to our family. We had a great time traveling and just hanging out together...When you are living so far from friends and family the appreciation factor for times like this is high -Fellowship is a true gift from God. Being with friends was an encouragement to all of us and reminded us, despite missing home, of why we are here. Guests provide an opportunity to see things through new eyes. In many ways living here is like a fast...A fast from things you take for granted and, like a fast from food, not always pleasant. Yet, just like with a food fast, there is the sense through the hunger that this is good for you, body, mind and soul. Having friends and family come is like the feast. (New photos posted)

During the same time the Bells were here, World Vision/RAPIDS hosted Laura and Jenna Bush (and at least 50 secret service, staff etc. etc.) They were both very engaged, warm and personable. What most Americans don't know about is the tremendous amount of good our country is doing in places like Zambia. The funding from the U.S. is coming to programs like ours to care for orphans and widows, feed the hungry, provide investment capital to start businesses, buy drugs that keep an HIV+ mother alive and therby prevent 4 more kids from growing up parentless etc. etc. The U.S. Government money, e.g. your tax dollars is then combined with private funding to create an even more leveraged and significant impact. The Bushes visit celebrated the many partnerships that are working to save and improve lives here on the ground.

Following are several links related to the visit and the World Vision/RAPIDS program.

Laura Bush touts aid successes on Africa tour
The first lady, on a four-nation trip, highlights public-private partnerships in Zambia Thursday -- Christian Science Monitor

Pictures of the First Lady's Visit

First Lady's speech at our site

Our family is well and settling into a new "summer" routine. The kids are participating in different sports and activities, horse riding, tennis etc. and enjoying lots of down-time. They are excited (as are we) to have Molly's brother Brad and his wife Carrie arrive next week.

Send us an e-mail...We would love an update on you. (molly@dykstrafamily.net or jdykstra@worldvision.org)

Cheers,

The Dykstra Family

p.s. The July issue of Vanity Fair is focused exclusively on Africa...There are several good articles, my favorite, by a young Kenyan writer, poignantly captures the reality of the problems and potential for many African countries...Read the story here.