A letter from Nancy Dimmock in Zambia
September 2013
Dear Friends,
Following my introduction to CCAP Zambia Synod church leaders gathered at their annual general meeting a couple of weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to share a few words. I did so in Chinyanja. They kindly nodded and responded in all the right places, so I must have made myself understood. :) My mind is awhirl with new vocabulary, prefixes, suffixes and infixes, and noun class agreement. I am in language class for five hours a day until October 11. It is intense, but I’m really enjoying it! Thank you for your prayers.
Following language study, I’ll meet with some of these same folks to think about sites and programs where young adult volunteers (YAVs) might be helpful to the CCAP and where they will also be stretched and will grow in their faith. We hope to have ironed out the details for the Zambia site option by January 2014, for a first intake of volunteers in August 2014! Check out the YAV program on the PC(USA) website and consider supporting a young person, perhaps from your own congregation, to come join us for a transformational year!
September is birthday “season” at our house, which includes some milestones. Where have the years gone? They have been so full of a rich kaleidoscope of people, places and activities. It is a GOOD life that God has given and called us to, and we give Him our praise and thanks. With Frank’s milestone (60), the end of our working life is now closer than the beginning. We’d like to serve another 10 years, in order to see our youngest through high school! But of course we continue to completely depend on God’s timing and plan. For now, we are each beginning new work and a new life in Lusaka and Louisville.
Some of our kids wrote about the LONG drive up from Lesotho to Zambia, and we thought you would enjoy their “voices”:.
Isaac: It was fun at the hot swimming pool at Tshipise. At the border there was a huge baboon that scared Alifa. Our house here is very nice. The floors are cement and we can skateboard down the hall. And they have two bikes that we can use and I have made lots of friends and I play soccer with them every day.
Jackson: I drove in the VW van with Alifa and Mom and it was fun. The drive from Harare to Lusaka was the longest part. It took forever to get to the border. Then it took forever to get through the border and we were starving. We stopped for food. I ordered fish, but it was a whole fish with head and eyes and everything so I traded with Alifa and ate her chicken. The house is great and we have a bike to use and we’re making new friends and we have fun with them.
Alifa: The swimming pool at Tsipise was nice and relaxing. A scary part of the trip was at the Zimbabwe/Zambia border. There was a huge baboon that jumped off the roof into the road right near us. When we got through the border, we had a late lunch. I ate a whole fish and it was delicious. The drive to Lusaka was on a dusty road under construction. It was right at sunset and the light through the dust and trees was beautiful. I tried to take some pictures. Now we are in Lusaka and I’m glad we have Iinternet.
Nancy: 2,250 kms (1,395 mi.)— – it was, indeed, a long way. The kids were patient while we cleared the vehicles and got visas at the various borders. We got into Lusaka the evening of July 17 and found our new home on the seminary compound. It is a nice big house, and we are so grateful to the missionary colleagues, on interpretation assignment in the U.S., who are sharing it and all their “stuff’ with us. It was a blessing to arrive to a furnished place.
Frank left for the U.S. a week after our arrival. He had responsibilities at the PC(USA)’s Big Tent event in Louisville in late July/early Aug. This was an opportunity to examine appropriate ways to engage in mission with our partners. Frank’s role as Poverty Alleviation Catalyst is evolving, and he is continuing to learn about his new responsibilities and expectations. In an effort to focus initial strategies, a campaign is being launched to improve the quality of education around the world. The church has been at the forefront in education for centuries, and education is known to be an effective route out of poverty and a good investment of limited resources — particularly as we amplify our efforts by working with local and global mission partners, because “we are better together!” Listen out for ways in which your congregation can join this campaign to make a difference in the lives of children, their families and their communities.
Our own children are settling in well. Andrew (16) remained in Lesotho, boarding with a dear Kenyan friend and member of staff at his high school. Word from him is rare, but the general gist is that “everything is fine!” Alifa (15) is in 9th grade at the American International School of Lusaka and has joined the swim team. Isaac and Jackson are attending the Lusaka International Community School and are enjoying the sports (Isaac) and the learning (Jackson). We still all feel very much in “adjustment mode,”, but realize that, with time, this too will become “home.”
Many have asked how they can be supportive of our new work and God’s mission in Lusaka. Besides giving to our sending and support through the PC(USA), financial support to the general YAV program would also be helpful and welcome. And we always appreciate your notes and emails and your faithful prayers!
Sincerely,
Frank and Nancy Dimmock and family
The 2013 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 122
The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 141
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