MOM’S MEMOIRS – IRENE LOUISE (NEE KUCKKAN) MUELLER
(Continued)
 
Mom’s Autobiography – Chapter 20 – In Book, Page 48

Agricultural Show, Snakes, Pickpockets, Swimming, Deb Learning to Drive, Mom’s Hand Cut and Sewn, Deb, Dick, and Tim to States, Christmas 1971, Faithful Barney, World Seminary Conference, Preparing for Furlough

All of us loved to go the Agricultural Show at the Lusaka fairgrounds. There was a horse-racing track, but we didn’t go there. We would see prize-winning cattle on show, and other interesting things. Sometimes we would see President Kaunda and his people with him walking around. There were snake pits there, one with poisonous and the other with non-poisonous snakes. An African walked among the poisonous ones. Why he didn’t get bitten we’ll never understand. There was a cage with a python about 25 feet long. He circled the whole inside of the cage – wouldn’t want to meet up with him in the bush. That reminds me of an article I read in the Lusaka newspaper –“an African lady met up with a python in the bush. He wound around her and she screamed. She and the snake were face to face. She took the kerchief off her head and put it over his head. She screamed and screamed until some men came and cut the python off her. Ugh!!

Our children and their friends would walk to the Agricultural Show at the fairgrounds. It wasn’t far from where we lived. Susie told us after they had been there that someone had come up to her and tried to get some money out of her pocket, but she quickly put her hand over it, and stopped him. The same thing happened to me on Cairo Road one day. Someone came up to me and tried to open my purse and get my wallet out. I, too, stopped him, and said, “Don’t you ever do that again!”

Of course, we all went to the Lusaka swimming pool to swim, after Dick(ie)’s leg healed up. Both Dick(ie) and Tim took tests to gain their Bronze, Silver, and Gold awards. One of the tests was to swim 22 lengths, and that pool is big – Olympic size (about half as long as a football field. Another test was to jump fully clothed into the water, take the clothes off, and then make a float with the pants – all in deep water. We are thankful that all our children know how to swim.

Debbie wanted to learn to drive, so I took her to the parking lot at the International School; and explained about what to do to drive a gear shift car. In Africa the steering wheel is on the right side of the front seat, so the gear shift control is on the left side of the steering wheel (we drove on the left hand side of the road). What fun!! Ever after, the other children kidded Debbie that she drove with “kangaroo petrol”.

We had a big family plus quite a lot of guests, so there was a lot of cooking and baking to be done. One afternoon I was trying to cut some frozen fish apart (a no, no) when the knife slipped and cut my ring finger quite badly! The only one around just then was Dick(ie) to go with me to the doctor. He had to shift the gears for me because my left hand was cut and in a bandage. We first went to the doctor’s office, but it was closed. Then we went to the hospital – no doctor around there either. An Asian lady brought a bowl for the blood to fall into. Finally, an African orderly stitched up my finger, without anesthetic, while I was standing up. I could actually feel the thread going through my finger, but I was happy and thankful that my finger was taken care of.

DEBBIE, DICK(IE) – AND TIM – GO TO THE STATES

All of us enjoyed being together, but before we knew it, it was time for the children to go back to school in the United States. This time Dick and I saw three of our children – Debbie and Dick – and their brother, Tim – take off in the plane from the Lusaka International Airport. Both of us had tears in our eyes because we knew we would not see them until we came back to the States on furlough in May of 1972. We put them into our heavenly Father’s loving hands. And so our lives went on, doing the work which God had called us to do.

From a letter I wrote to Debbie, Dick(ie), and Tim on December 14, 1971 – “Before I write anything else, I want to wish you, my dear children, a very happy and blessed Christmas! How we will be thinking of you, and especially on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I suppose you will be in St. Mark’s Church (Watertown, Wi.) on Christmas Eve. We will be here in Lusaka at the church next door on Christmas Eve. Susie, Stephie, and Stevie (if he wants to) will take part in the Children’s Christmas Service. Susie and Stephie will sing, recite, and play their recorders. Stevie knows the songs quite well, and you should hear him sing them. He has a good voice too.”

Also in the same letter I wrote – “I want to tell you about something which happened today. Susie and Stephanie went to the flats to sell Christmas cards. Barney went along. He also went with them to individual flats, even on the second floor. They said he was playing with another dog, but when it was time to go home, he was nowhere to be seen. They thought he probably went home. But Barney wasn’t here. When they told me about it, we got into the car and went looking for him at the flats. We looked and called, but he didn’t come. We thought he might have gone home, so went home, but he still wasn’t there.

We went back to the flats, asked some people if they had seen him. Some had seen him, but when he was with the girls. Then I asked Susie and Stephie to which flats they had gone. They showed me, and I told them to go up there and see. You should have heard all the yelping and laughing!!!! Barney was there waiting for them, where he knew they had been! They said he ran so fast that he nearly slid through a water puddle. So we got our dog back. We had some anxious moments for a while though. We sure do
have a clever Barney, don’t we?”

From a letter Dick wrote to Debbie, Dick(ie), and Tim December 15, 1971 -: “Mom is on her way to Longacres. She is going to get some ornaments for the Christmas tree out at the Bible Institute. We were out there this afternoon and put some lights on it. Tate brought it along from the States. It is one like we have, a green artificial one. There are no ornaments with it, so Mom is going to get some. She is going to see to it that the tree looks nicer. Tomorrow night we are having a little Christmas service. The students are putting it on. I have tried to put it together as a practical example of what they should do with their Sunday School children.

Dick(ie) and Tim’s African friends missed them so much. Peter Katende, Robert Masiye, Fanowell, and others would come to our house, missing their good friends in America. It was sad to see the look on their faces (Peter had wanted to go to the States with our children). But they were all on their way to growing up, too. Robert Masiye called one day and said he was going to Nigeria during the Christmas holidays. His father was the Ambassador to Ghana.

In a letter which I wrote to our parents on March 20, 1972, I said: “We are looking forward to seeing you all again. We are leaving here May 24th, going to Oslo, Norway, and then arrive in Milwaukee on May 29th at about 6:00-7:00 P.M. There are so many things to do yet before we leave. The middle of April there is going to be a World Seminary Conference of the Wisconsin Synod here. People will be coming from all parts of the world. Pastor and Mrs. Fastenau, and their three daughters, are leaving on furlough for the States on April 15th, just after the Conference. Pastor and Mrs. Janosek, and their three daughters, are coming from Malawi at the time of the Conference, and will be staying with us. Their children have school holiday then. Susie and Stephie don’t have school holiday until April 14th, so they won’t have holiday yet while the Janosek children are here. The third term of the school year at the International School year begins May 15th, so Susie and Stephie will have about a week of school then before we leave on the 24th.”

I also said in the same letter, “Yes, Ma, we have only three children with us in Africa. Do you know that this is the first time we’re coming back to the States without carrying a baby in our arms? On April 15th we’ll be celebrating our 15th year in Africa.”

Dick wrote in a letter March 29, 1972: “I am up to my ears in work. I still have a few weeks to teach at the Bible Institute and Seminary after the Easter break. There are evangelists to supervise and congregations to take care of. There are a lot of odds and ends to clean up before we are on our way.

Then we had word the other day that the man who takes care of our Press will not be coming back to Africa after his furlough. Then there are the meetings. Men are coming from Hong Kong, Japan, and the U.S. These are World Seminary meetings in which I also have a part. So we have no trouble finding things to do.

Tomorrow I must give some exams, correct the papers, and give the marks. Then those men under my care have to be met with before they leave for their congregations for Good Friday and Easter. It will all get done, with God’s help, as it always has. We like it this way.”

And in a letter Dick wrote on April 28, 1972: “Last week and the week before we had adults at our table in addition to children. The Janoseks from Malawi were here, and so were eight more men from the States, Japan, and Hong Kong. No, they didn’t all stay here, but all of them did have a meal or two or three here. So Irene has been kept busy.

And now I have school again until we leave. This means preparing for classes and trying to supervise congregations and evangelists on the side. One was here this noon, and this afternoon I will meet with four more at the Bible Institute. Then I must get ready to turn over my work to other missionaries.  And so it goes. We never have to look around for something to do working for our Lord.

As far as our staying in the States is concerned, this is a decision which Irene and I and our children will have to come to on our own. The Lord has called me here. This is the work He has placed before me. He has also given Irene to me as my faithful helper and our children to us as gifts. God says, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” God grant that we trust His promise too. See Matthew 10:27, too.

Yes, there is work to do in the States, and I am sure the Lord would bless my work there, too, if he would so direct me that that is where I should work. But we shall have to wait for Him to do that directing; otherwise I could expect no fruits of my labors.”