Weekend update

We had another busy weekend. Friday night we had our first dinner guests. We totally splurged on groceries (buying cheese AND salad dressing AND ice cream), and John prepared a wonderful pasta dinner. It was yummy - a taste of food from home. We've always believed in treating ourselves to good food once in a while.

Saturday we went to a Salvation Army hospital (Howard) in Chiweshe for a nurses' graduation. It was a blessing to see the nurses and midwives get their diplomas. A couple of the mothers were singing and dancing and were just so proud of their daughters. This class did well too - they got all top 5 prizes for nation-wide exams. We were there as official territorial headquarters guests, which meant chocolate cake beforehand, so that was a bonus. The governor came to give congratulations, and we got our first taste of political dialogue. Our friend Julia, who has been at Howard for several months, gave us a quick tour of the hospital. The most striking part was the children's feeding centre. My heart broke seeing the little malnourished babies. I guess every country has its contrasts, but it's still a shock to actually see it firsthand; where you can eat chocolate cake in the morning with important officials, and then see parents who literally can't feed their children in the afternoon.

Yesterday we spent Mothers' Day at church. Yep, I cried a few times. I feel so far away from my mom! At the afternoon service we got some preaching on the ideal woman. I'm afraid I didn't fare too well according to the standards, which may be bad news for John since here, by culture, when you get married, your wife becomes your mother. Uh oh.

In the evening we started our garden. Yes, your urban friends are going to attempt to grow our own vegetables! John is quite excited about this project, and I'm sure he'll be a greenthumb within the month. Our new friends from Congo-Brazaville came over and helped us get started with watering and turning the soil. We'll keep you updated.