We had settled up our bill with Eunice the night before so word had spread through the guesthouse that today was our departure. We felt very loved as each staff member greeted us without fail with, "When are you coming back?!" We feel the same way about all of them. We assured them we would be back just as soon as we are able.
Dave poses with some of our favorite guesthouse friends (Eunice next to Dave).
Muyunda was right on time to collect us. We are so lucky to have him. We made sure he knows what a big part of our success he has been this week.
Muyunda.
We went first to the Registration Office to hand our papers to Mr. Siwila. He knows the trials we have been through and assured us he will do his part to present us with our official NGO certificate when we arrive for our next visit. We did our best to communicate how deeply grateful we would be.
Next, to Kantolomba. It is becoming tradition that we go out there for last minute business on the day we fly. It is never our intention. We always plan to wrap things up the day before, but it never works that way. Truth be told, there is nowhere we would rather be in the moments leading up to our departure than at the Living Compassion property in the company of the community there.
We had several large tasks to complete in the hour-and-a-half before we needed to be in the car for the airport. They were all 100% successful:
We arrived to find the well drillers already on site and hard at work. Oh, how we love people who keep their promises! We were thrilled to see the half-dug trench that would hold the pipes, and brickwork around the top of the well that would prevent theft and vandalism. Mr. Chiluba arrived not long afterwards. "The truck is on its way with the tank," he said. "With luck we will finish today."
Creating a space around the well itself.
Digging trenches for the pipes.
"If only we had one more day!" we exclaimed. How could we go, we wondered, and miss the happy victory that all of us felt sure was about to happen? At the same time, we understood how fitting it was that the last piece of this year-long project would fall into place in our absence. Our work here does not belong to us--not really. It belongs to the people of Kantolomba. It is their spirit and their determination that truly makes it happen. We have the honor of assisting as we may as the people here transform their community. Here was our opportunity to let go and let them enjoy the fruits of their labor.
That handled (nothing to it!), we then signed the contracts and turned over payment for the next-door Living Compassion properties. The sellers are all moving within Kantolomba, and we told them they must be sure to come to the Community Center so we can still see them from time to time. It is thrilling to think of all the possibilities this expansion offers. It will be at the top of our list for the next trip to work with the community to decide the best use of that area.
Signing the purchase agreements.
Last, we had a great meeting with Gaudencia, James and the construction workers. Worker satisfaction is probably our top priority as this building project goes forward, and we have come to realize that clear, frequent communication is key. After all, providing gainful employment is the single most important factor in making this project sustainable.
Assembled for the final construction meeting.
Once the meeting was complete, we began our goodbyes. Being here as frequently as we are means parting has become part of the routine, and still we find we are sad to go. It is monumental what this team of folks (the community of Kantolomba, the Africa travel team, the Living Compassion team back home, the worldwide fundraisers) is undertaking. There is the development itself--installing the basic infrastructure needed to end poverty in Kantolomba--and then there is HOW it is happening. Each person is important. Each person is a being with a heart, a dream, a family. Each of us. The project is carried out in a way that honors that. It is a peace project indeed.
The Living Compassion women posing for one last goodbye photo.
Muyunda ferried us one last time to deliver us to the airport. We thanked him profusely and said we would call him as soon as we hit the ground on our next trip.
After checking in, we had our usual sewing-up-loose-ends meeting with Theresa. The woman is a master of juggling details without a hint of stress, as far as we can detect. We smiled knowing that if all goes as planned, this time next year she will be checking in with us to make the journey to the U.S.! We try not to think about it too much, or we get too excited to sleep at night (she hints the same is true for her). Start making your plans now to join us for the 2008 Golden Gate Bridge Walk so you can meet this extraordinary woman in person. Thanks to a very generous donor we already have half her ticket paid for.
As always, the departure lounge affords a quiet that we do not have during the trip. We hand our Zambian cell phones off to Theresa before going through customs and wireless has not come to the Ndola airport so we are completely out of communication as we sit and wait to board the plane for Johannesburg. We take the opportunity to return to the silence we are used to at the Monastery, each of us resting in the gratitude and satisfaction of another fabulous trip to Zambia. We are hoping our next trip will be in January. We will talk to you then. Thank you again for your participation; it is an essential part of all that is happening here in a transforming village in Africa.
PS Stay tuned, as we talk to Theresa, to get an update on how the well pump installation went. Are the people of Kantolomba now receiving clean water???