Good times and good friends!



left to right: me, jesse, mallory, david, carrie, jill, alan


The Kasama crew (david, jill, carrie) came in this weekend. Carrie finishes her term next week and returns back to the states. David and Jill came down with Carrie so they could get in some last minute journeyman bonding time in Lusaka. I have said it before and I will say it again...i really like it when those guys come in to town.
If you think about it, you can pray for Carrie these next few months as she readjusts to life in america after she has been away for 2 years. I am not sure if you are able to grasp what a difficult time that could possibly be for her....i know i am not looking forward to reverse culture shock when i return in september.

This weekend I came upon this photo of me and some friends from college. It made me miss a lot of my friends from back home. Good memories for sure! I hope you enjoy this pic too.

Do you notice that i am so white i am glowing??!! maybe it is just the light from my halo.

Mallory, Amy, Alan, Jesse, Heather, Me, Michelle
Heather, Michelle, and Jesse are here in Zambia working with Navigators and Amy is a friend I met in Va in 2002 during orientation.

This week me and some non-louisiana friends celebrated Mardi Gras. I know we were a little late in our festivities but this was the time that best fit into our schedule. In Zambia, you have to create your own fun and we use any excuse to throw a party. To celebrate Mardi Gras we cooked a pot of gumbo (that is right, i made gumbo!!), wore mardi gras beads, and dyed the meringue of our banana pudding mardi gras colors. It was a lot of fun to just be with other American friends and relax and fellowship. By the way, explaining mardi gras to zambians was quite a task. I basically just had to tell them that it is a celebration of sin. They laughed at us silly americans (or should i say louisianaians).


Heather, Jesse, Michelle


Yesterday was a nice day. In the afternoon, Heather and I went and watched Underworld. That is one of those "you only watch it b/c you are in Zambia and there isn't much else going on" kind of movies. These days I will go and watch most anything at the theater b/c they just started selling slush puppies!!! "mmmm, slush puppies (to be said like homer simpson)." After the movie Heather and I went to the grocery store and bought some things for us to prepare supper with. We came back to my house, cooked supper, and sat and talked till about 10pm. It was really nice to just sit back and talk.

This week was my daddy's birthday!!! woo hoo!! But unfortunately I was unable to call him. My daddy is by far the cutest daddy out there and if you don't believe me here is a picture for proof!

The birthday boy

Also, this week started the countdown for my remaining 6 months left in Zambia. That is a super crazy thought to think about. Six months is gonna be here before we know it!!! Does it really seem like I have been gone this long? And now, on to the million dollar question..what in the world am I gonna do when I get home??? You can start emailing your suggestions to me now at ahoward@zamnet.zm. I will take all the suggestions for my future into considration and let you know what I think about them. (for all two of you that actually read this website)

Honestly......

The number one reason today why "this country blows" (owen wilson, shanghai nights) ....my cat possibly has tumors and has to be put down. sad times in zambia for sure.
i wish the vet would have used a little more tact when she told me this information. there was no sugar-coating it at all.....so needless to say i starting crying right there in front of her.
liza the vet....she's a straight shooter for sure.


chikulu....truly the greatest. (chikulu means "the greatest" in nyanja (or is it bemba??))

HAPPY VALLOWEEN!!!!

It is my goal to have a date for this oh-so-joyous day next year and not spend it all day babysitting. Does cupid know where to find me in Africa?

This past week I went to House of Moses orphanage and brought along several others. It was the first time in a long while that I had visited there. I have really missed many of those babies!




Mallory, Me, and Alan taking in the blues.

This weekend a group of us went to listen to a “blues tribute”. We were very excited about our outing and were looking forward to it since there is not a lot to do here pertaining to entertainment. As it turns out our musical evening did not meet our expectations (which should not have surprised us). To quote my friend and fellow journeyman, Mallory, “It was more of a blues disgrace than a blues tribute.” The general consensus was that the band members did an okay job but the singers were terrible. The bands were from all over…..there was even one from Scandinavia.



Let it be known that I now have a new ‘do. That is right ladies and gentlemen, Ashley has cut her hair. Before anyone gasps in disbelief, just know that it was time!!! My hair was down to the middle of my back and I think I cut off about 5 inches (give or take….I did not take out a ruler and measure). A man named Peter is responsible for the new style. I went with a friend to get her hair cut (by Peter) and he had some strong opinions regarding our hair. I was game for something fresh and new so I took the plunge and let him have his way with my hair. Not only did he cut it but he also put henna on my hair. The henna made my hair much more healthy and took out all the blonde I put on it several months ago. Now my hair looks very healthy and red again.


before and after



Here is my token Linus and Chikulu picture. And no, I did not pose them for the picture.

Murder!!.....

This past Saturday night was a lot of fun! I attended a murder mystery dinner party for 8 guests. It was hosted by a couple who lives here and works for the American embassy. We met at their house (also known as "Maltie's Malt Shop" for the night). The whole theme was a '50's theme and we were a group of friends returning for a class reunion five years later. Everyone was given a character to pretend to be and dress up as. My character was a party girl that comes from a hoity toity family. Some of the other characters were the perky cheerleader, the smart bookworm girl, class nerd, the jock, the succesful (but shady) bussiness man, and the rebel/ bad boy. I will confess that I was not the murderer....but i was in a conspiracy to murder someone. Our class nerd was behind it all along!

I think it is about time I put up some pictures of the best kitties ever. I am sure Steph would agree.


Chikulu napping.


Linus knows he is cute!


Culture Shock!!

Tonight I experienced culture shock, only it was more like reverse culture shock. Here in Lusaka there is a grand opening for a strip mall. Not only does this mall have nice stores and a super nice grocery store but it also has a movie theater (comparable to Tinseltown) and a bowling alley!! This is like a dream! So now everyone can stop feeling sorry for since I “live in Africa”. Well we (the Strange’s and I) caught wind that the movie theater was giving free tickets to see the movies. WOW. They were doing this to work out any kinks in their system such as picture adjustment for the screen, sound, etc. Well you can imagine what a frenzy that sent everyone into. So we piled in the truck and headed to the theater in hopes of watching the new Matrix movie. Good gracious alive!!!! You cannot even imagine what an ordeal it was to stand in line for tickets. Now, in Zambia, it is absolutely unheard of to have more than 2 inches of space between you and the others standing in line. You feel so violated because people are literally all on top of you. I must say that I was feeling a bit un-Christian during that experience.
So we finally make it to the front of the line after the pushing and shoving and groping. We tell the ticket person we want tickets for the Matrix and the lady kindly points to the looooong and crowded line next to us and informs us that that is the line for Matrix tickets. After looking back at the neighboring line we quickly decide that we will take the ticket for whatever movie this lady is offering. We got tickets for “Elf” (which by the way I found absolutely hysterical and laughed the whole way through).
We enter the movie theater and wow! We could not believe we were in Zambia. We thought for sure we must have been in South Africa or the states. The theaters have stadium seating and were so nice! We felt like hillbillies going to town. This is where we were experiencing our culture shock. Although as the movie was starting we suddenly realized, yes, we are in Zambia. Watching a movie in Zambia is comparable to watching a football game in the states. Everyone here cheers and claps and boos at the screen. It can be frustrating if you are like me and prefer not to talk during a movie.
Anyway, I had a great time!!

The Western Province…..

I think it is about time that I got around to telling about my adventures out west. I left Lusaka in late October and was gone for 3 weeks. The western province of Zambia is much different from where I live. The west is known for the Zambezi River flood plain, which means it is a sandy place! I went out west not only just to go and experience it for myself but also to help out the Davis family with a volunteer team that had come from the states to work with them.

Traveling in Zambia is a bit different from the states. We very slowly and carefully came upon this guy on our way to the Conard's house. We let him have the right of way!


My first stop was Kaoma. Kaoma is where the Conard family lives….Mark and Stacey and their three children Grace, Katie, and Benjamin. All of the Lusaka journeymen were going out to help with the team but Alan and I left early to visit the Conard’s for a few days. The Conard’s have been in Zambia for 3 and a half years. I thoroughly enjoyed staying at their house. Mark is known for his storytelling so he kept us in stitches the whole time. Stacey is so patient and loving in everything she does. The family and child studies major in me kept observing her in how she copes and handles being a mom and wife in often uneasy circumstances. The western province of Zambia is much different from where I live.

Me, Grace (left), and Katie watching "Spirit", one of Katie's favorite movies.


Stacey took me to an AIDS hospice that she visits weekly.

After Kaoma we headed for Kalabo, where the Davis’s live….Darren, Shawna, Micah, Meredith, and Peyton.




To get to Kalabo you must cross the river on a ferry. This ferry can hold three cars at a time.

The way I helped Darren and Shawna out with the volunteer team was by playing with their kids! For three or four days I stayed at the house with the 2 girls while Darren and Shawna took the team out camping in the bush. Me, Meredith, and Peyton had the best time “playing house” for those few days. Our days usually consisted of watching movies, playing Barbie’s, and watching more movies.
When the volunteer team left, Darren took us journeymen fishing on the river. It was a blast! Let it be known that missionaries have THE COOLEST toys! One of Darren’s fun toys was an inflatable boat that we used to go fishing in. Now usually one of this boat’s main purposes is to transport the family to hard to reach places and churches when the river rises but we saw fit to use it on our fishing trip.


Mallory and Darren putting the boat together.

Darren negotiating a deal with these guys to stay around and watch our camp while we go fishing.


We set up our camp on the bank and then proceeded to catch us some fish!



Our main goal was to catch tiger fish. But unfortunately we were not very successful. Although, the bream (like brim) seemed to like us a lot. We caught about 12 bream in our two day trip. Now there is a story or two about the one that got away but I will save those for another day.

Darren helping me get my fish in the boat.

I was going to hold my fish myself for this picture but I was not strong enough, it weighed too much (anybody buy that?).


I am now every country boy's dream....I can clean fish.



Sunrise on the Zambezi.

After fishing on the Zambezi we headed back to Kalabo. We had a couple of days of down time and then we were headed for the Liuwa plain.
To get to Liuwa from kalabo you cross another ferry. This ferry is a bit different. You have to pull yourself accross using a rope.




We went to Liuwa to see the second largest wildebeest migration in the world. It was awesome!


Wildebeest up close. If you look close, the black specks in the background are hundreds of herds of wildebeests.

Liuwa is a massive game reserve that is open….meaning there are no boundaries (fences, gates, etc) to keep the animals in, they are free to live. Not only is Liuwa home to wildebeest but also hyena, zebra, cats, etc.
At Liuwa we slept in tents in the game reserve! I must say that I did not sleep much the first night knowing that all that separated me from a lion was a sheet of nylon! We did have an armed guide with us the entire time but I did not have much faith in him. Even though I was scared of an encounter with a lion, leopard, or cheetah, I was disappointed that we did not get to see one while we were out there.
Camping out in the middle of Liuwa felt like being on the Discovery channel.
After our trip to Liuwa with the Davis family, we headed back to Lusaka. It was sad to leave because I really enjoy hanging out with the Davis’s. Darren and Shawna are a lot of fun and their kids are pretty great too!


For halloween at the Davis's the kids got dressed up and instead of bobbing for apples, we were bobbing for mangos. Here, Chris is attempting his turn while Micah and Peyton cheer him on.

Right now I am currently the happiest redheaded girl in Zambia! Why??? Well, as I sit here writing this I am enjoying the soothing hum coming from my new air conditioner! Yes, that is right, my landlord has seen fit to bestow upon me this blessing. This weekend he sent over his workers and for the last two days they have been working here in my house. As soon as they finished installing it I cranked that baby as high as it would go and nearly froze to death….it was great!
Actually, Joseph, our caretaker came into my house and could not believe how cold it was. He kept saying, “In here it is June (one of the coldest months on Zambia). Out there it is November (one of the hotter months).” He also mentioned several times that Zambians die in 16 degrees Celsius (which is what my air is set on). It is a good thing that the a/c came after Steph left because it would have been the source of many conflicts (she is very Zambian in the fact that she cannot stand to be cold).
So I am now seriously considering moving my bedroom into the living room. I don’t know if I can express to you how nice it was today to lie on the couch while watching a movie and being cuddled up in a blanket listening to the pouring rain outside. I hope for many more days like this to come!

Victoria Falls was great! It was nice to see my friend Amy and catch up with her. I am so thankful that the Father allowed us an opportunity to see one another and the chance to get away for a few days could not have come at a better time! I hope to put up more pictures of our trip soon (I have to look through Alan’s pictures). In this picture maybe you can tell how nasty hot it was by how red my face is (no, that is not a sunburn).


You can see the lovely Victoria Falls in the background. Half of it was dried up but if you look you can see a lot of mist coming from where the water is still flowing strong.

Thanksgiving has come and gone and was a great time of fellowship. I didn’t take any pictures of it so sorry about that. Carrie and Jill left today headed back to Kasama. So now it is just me and the kitties here at the house.

They say it's your birthday........
I'd like to first start out my wishing my wonderful older sister a happy birthday today!! Happy Birthday, Brandi! I know you are gonna kill me for putting this picture here but it is the only one I have of you. Just remember what's really important is Proverbs 31:30. Thanks for being my big sissy and always being protectful (is that a word?) of me! LYLASDNQ (i know you have to be smiling now)!!!!!
love, your ashey books!

sorry the picture is so dark and blury. this was taken before i figured out how to work my flash.


Well, looks like I am gonna be out of town again for a few days. Fellow journeyman, Alan Parish, and I will be traveling down to Livingstone to meet up with a friend of ours that we met at orientation a year ago. Our friends name is Amy and what a great gal she is! Not only am I looking forward to leaving Lusaka for a few days but I am also looking forward to seeing a familiar face (and fellow red-head). Amy lives in Lesotho and works as the nurse at the Beautiful Gate Orphanage. For more information about Amy and her work in Lesotho you can check out http://www.beautifulgate.org/lesover.php or go to http://www.basotho.org/ . Ok, quick geograpy lesson....Lesotho (Le-soo-too) is a tiny country completely surrounded by another country, South Africa.
I will arrive back in Lusaka sometime on the 26, just in time for Thanksgiving. When i come back the guesthouse will be overrun with people. For Thanksgiving all the folks in the mission (nearly 100 of us) will come to town to celebrate together. I am looking forward to it because I will have two roomates for a few days. The Kasama journeygirls will be staying at my house. So I look forward to talking with Carrie and Jill and catching up on their lives and ministry in Kasama. It will be great not to be the only girl around.

This picture was taken well over a year ago in Virginia. From left to right you have me, Kim (most people reading this might know her), Abby, and Amy.

Where do I even begin. A lot has happened in the past month and I don’t even know if I can remember it all. I think I could describe the last few weeks with one word…CHANGE. To start, since I last wrote Stephanie has finished her term and returned back home to Virginia. Steph, if you are reading this you can rest assured that the void you left has been felt….mainly by Linus and Chikulu. Just the other day one of them told me, “Ahh, where is Stephan? She has not been seen. And me, I have really been missing her.” (for anyone who is not Stephanie, that quote was supposed to be said in your best Zambian accent.)

Steph stopping to hug Chikulu one last time before we left for the airport. Our guard/gardener/fix-it-man, Joseph, standing proud.

When Steph left I decided to reorganize and change the living room. I was very pleased with the outcome and even the boys could not believe the difference. The boys even decided that we will now always hang out at my house (didn’t we do that already???). I think they were taken in by all of my candles and fresh flowers (their inner girl really appreciated it). Unfortunately my mood to clean and redecorate did not last long enough for me to make it to my bedroom, so it is still a wreck.


before the overhaul........(well, the furniture was originally not arranged like this. but i had already moved everything around before the brilliant thought of grabbing my camera dawned on me)


after the overhaul.


Before Stephanie left the mission had a braii (bbq) for her. Here is one of the last pictures of us taken together before she left….sniff, sniff.



And now for the blackmail…..
Me and Steph had made plans for us concerning her last few days in Zambia. One of those plans was to do facials and girlie things like painting toenails the night before she left. Well…….the boys wanted to see her too and spend time with her too that night. So I made a rule that the only way they could come over would be if they did the girlie things along with us. And as you can tell from the pictures, they did. There is no picture of Alan, but he participated too. He did his nails but drew the line there and refused to do face stuff.


Chris, who was the most enthusiastic of the bunch. Here he is sporting his pond's pore strip. He was so fascinated with the end results.


Mallory being camera shy for some reason. What is so embarrassng about clear pores?


This time last month I was in the western part of Zambia. I fully intend on telling all about it and including pictures. Unfortunately, while I was out there my camera decided to be temperamental and didn’t work. So I am in the process of getting pictures from the boys to show you. I really enjoyed my time out there. I was gone for three weeks and stayed with the Connard family briefly until I went further west to stay with the Davis family.
Also, since I last updated, two important days have passed, November 7 and November 18. The 7th marked my one year in-country anniversary (which is weird to think about) and the 18th was my birthday (which is even weirder). On my birthday many of the ladies in the mission took me out to tea. After tea Paige Thompson (a missionary kid here) and I went to the salon and spent a large portion of the day there. She got red streaks put in her hair (not red like my hair color, but red like red-red). I was not as bold as my companion though. I opted just to have my hair washed and set (blow dry). Later that evening the Dickard's had me over to their house for my birthday meal. It is Nancy Dickard’s tradition that when someone has a birthday she invites them over and prepares whatever meal and dessert they request. For lack of a creative thought I went for the good ole standby—Mexican food. For dessert we had banana splits, yummy! The thing about the banana splits is that most of the ingredients aren’t readily available here so most of it Nancy had to make from scratch (including the ice cream). Thanks a lot Mrs. Nancy for going to so much trouble for me! (and I am sure my mom thanks you too.) Also, thanks a lot to those of you who called or emailed me, I really appreciated it.


Post dinner at the Dickard's. Happy birthday to me!


tea time

sorry for the lack of info. i am going to the western province of zambia tomorrow (friday) for three weeks so i will not be updating for a few more weeks. but rest assured that i will come back with many stories and pictures. by the way, the biggest news in the last few weeks is that stephanie has finished her term and has gone home to the states. she has been gone a week now. both me and the kitties miss her but we are holding up. and stephanie, if you are reading this....thanks for your emails and sorry for not responding. maybe i'll write you when i am in kaoma in between listening to conard tell stories.

Me and Steph. We had highlighted our hair the night before. Can you tell??




Pouring juice at LICS Bible club.



Chikulu has been on a toilet paper shredding spree. Bad kitty!