SoMacha.com

A quick update from Greg:
Just wanted to let everyone know that my parents (Gil and Ronda) made is safely to Macha last week. It is rainy season right now, so that means that there are many problems with the electricity and internet connection. They have not been able to update the website recently due to these problems.
The new school year has begun, they have moved to a larger classroom to handle all of the new students. The government of Zambia came out to inspect the school and was very impressed. The new school building is starting to progress. They have started construction of staff housing and the classroom structure. Pictures and details will be posted soon, when they get a reliable internet connection.
One additional bit of info is that Macha now has cell phone service! Up until now, there was no phone service at all in the village of Macha. The only way to communicate with Gil and Ronda was to use the internet. I am happy to report, that I spoke with them on their cell phone for about 15 minutes the other day...with crystal clear reception! They are doing well and excited about all the new things that continue to happen in Macha.
Please check back for updates on Gil and Ronda all the new progress!

We have packed the car in Botswana, and then offloaded and repacked the car to make room for things with higher priority. And then done it again as other priorities appear. Then, to top it off after grocery shopping the rain came and further delayed the final (??) pack prior to leaving for Zambia. We do hope to leave Gaborone sometime on Wednesday or Thursday at the latest.


But our delays have been overshadowed by the great news that the container from Arizona is loaded and has left the port of LA. Best estimate of an ETA is mid-March in Lusaka. Very Special Thank You, to all of you who made this possible. We understand that about 1/3 of the container contents are for Macha. Again, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!!

Upon our arrival at Dayspring School in Botswana, we were sad to find out that our good friend Agnes was not feeling well at all. Those of you that have met Agnes know what a hard worker and industrious person she has been, but her illness is making it difficult for her to function normally. We are requesting prayer on her behalf for her to regain strength and vitality. At this point, her brother has been contacted to come and visit her to determine if it is in her best interests to return to her home in Zimbabwe. She does have a house there and her mother and sister are available to assist her.

Gil and Ronda left this morning to head back to Africa. They drove from Milwaukee to Chicago, where they caught a flight that will take them on a 30 hour journey with stops in Atlanta, South Africa and on to Botswana. Their first destination will be Dayspring School in Botswana. While there, Ronda will help with teacher training and Gil will work to get the computer lab is shape for the new school year. Next week they will return to Macha, Zambia to begin the second year of MICS.
Thank you all for your prayers, support and encouragement during our time is the US. We are so grateful for your willingness to help and get involved with this new school in Macha.
We will keep you posted on what is happening with us and the school. Internet and power connections in Macha are sometimes unreliable, but we will try to do updates on a regular basis. Please check SoMacha.com often and feel free to email or even call us. We have a Milwaukee, WI phone number that is routed through the internet to Macha, so you don't have to pay international long distance rates. See the "Contact Us" page for details.
We are excited to be heading back to Macha. We can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us during this new school year. Please keep us in your prayers.

Sunday, Jan.7, we had the privilege of attending and sharing with a Sunday School class at Salem United Methodist Church in Fond du lac, WI. Ronda spoke using our power point presentation about what God is doing in Macha. We were invited by our very good friends, Harry and Bonnie Classen, who had visited Macha for a short time in 2005.
The visit also gave us an opportunity to meet both the parents and grandparents of Kim Brook who is planning to spend some time in Macha this June and July. Kim is hoping to work with the school and help with an after school sports programs in Macha. Kim's grandfather even tasted some of the Mopane worms we had brought from Botswana.
We had a very good visit, with considerable interest in Macha, indicated by the numerous questions regarding what was being done and how they could help.
A big thank you to Bonnie and Harry and all those that attended!

We wanted to say “Thank You!” to everyone that helped support us and the school project over the past year. We also want to thank you for all your prayer support. Without your generosity, none of the amazing things that happened in Macha would have been possible.

We wanted to take a minute to thank a few of you specifically.

Harry and Bonnie Classen
Doug and Debbie Wesson
Fred and Ruth Menz
Gary and Joy Blechacz
Dennis and Donna Carroll
Ron and Rita Jansen
Brent and Cheryl Timmermann
Darla Jansen
Dean and Judy Knoll
Abby Lentz
Phil, Bethany, and Lily Blechacz
Bonnie Keller
Larry and Aggie Wagner
Nathaniel Sabin
Nora Bartlels
Mary Judge
Lee and Ruth Dittmer
Kathy Brown
Dave, Amy and Sammy Arenson
John, Mary and Johnny Stocking
Edith Miller
Bill and Linda Lentz
Barb Stansfield
Cathy Mathwick
Kathy Blechacz
Jessie Channer
Ike and Jean Bell
Mel and Jan Bochman
Ephriam and Joy Mutepfa
Dwayne and Berdetta Byers
Doug and Deb Hammes
Jeff Mashke
Jill and Jim Maxwell
Jill Krause and Scott Stickney
Grace Wairimu
Lydiah Ngiri
Rosemary Akandi
Kent and Judy Wonders
Flying Mission
Bryan and Di Wilson
Greg and Kathy Smith
Yvonne MacDonald
Menomonie Alliance Christian School
First Baptist Church, New Hampton, IA
Neighborhood Church, Modesto, CA
United Methodist Church, Fondulac, WI

Many of you also shipped items to the cargo container. The container is still in transit and will hopefully arrive in Macha by early March. We can’t wait for it to arrive! It will be a true blessing to open all the wonderful things for the school and to share the items with people in the community. If you sent items to the container, we want to thank you as well. When the container arrives, we will have a whole new list of people to thank!

If we forgot anyone on this list, we are truly sorry. So many people have helped in so many different ways, that it is hard to make a comprehensive list. Your support is very much appreciated!

We are less than one week away from heading back to Macha. It has been wonderful spending time with family and friends. Our time here always seems to go by too fast!

This next year looks to be very exciting with the start of construction on the new school campus, the addition of a new class of students and the many other adventures that living in a remote African village brings.

We want to invite you all to come to Macha to see the school, the people and what the Lord is doing.

Thanks again!

Before Christmas, we (Gil, Ronda, and our daughter Jill) took a week long trip to visit New Hampton, IA and Menomonie, WI. Two cities where we used to live.

In New Hampton we stayed with our good friend Bonnie Keller and her Family. We also got to see her miracle grandson Devon. We loved being able to see old friends like Dean and Judy Knoll and John and Jeannette Kotke. It was a pleasure to meet Rod Ankrom and his family, the new pastor of the First Baptist Church. We were touched to see how the church and people of New Hampton were excited and wanted to be involved in the projects of Macha. We will keep you posted about the progress of the seeds that were sent.

In Menomonie, we spent some time with the Smith family. We are very excited about their upcoming trip to Macha at the end of this month! We also stayed with Fred and Ruth Menz and Gary and Debbie Cowles. Even though we have been gone from Menomonie for almost 20 years, it seemed like it was just yesterday. It was a blessing to be able to spend time with everyone and catch up with friends.

Menomomie Alliance Christian School had a wonderful fundraiser this past year for the school in Macha. It was so much fun to see the kids in person and share with them about the new school, the children of Macha and the amazing things the Lord in doing in Zambia.

Thank you to everyone that opened your homes to us on this little adventure. It was great to see you all! We are grateful for your prayers, support and encouragement.