Name = Cheryl Leach

Email = cherylrleach@gmail.com

Message =
Greetings from Gilbert, Arizona.

Today, I took advantage of a sunny, warm Arizona day to help my almost
two year old granddaughter learn more alphabet letters-new letters
today were SAM.  I wrote the letters in sidewalk chalk, and she put
most of the rocks on top.  She REALLY loved the heart shaped
Samstone!!  Take care and stay warm.

John –
 
The dates we were there were 6/30/10 – 7/11/10.  We are contemplating going again this summer, and while it will be to Zambia again, it will be to a different area of Zambia.
 
I just gave my friend Kim a Samstone to take with her to China.  She leaves day after tomorrow, and is going to the city of Chongqing for Hifu (high intensity focused ultrasound) treatment on the two large tumors in her liver.  She has been battling stage IV colon cancer for over a year now (she's the one I went to Canada & Germany with as she pursued alternative treatments).  I will keep you posted on that when she returns (in three weeks).
 
I realized that I'd forgotten there was a third place I left a Samstone, which was at the Seminary.  I'll attach the photos from there to this note.
 
Blessings,
Brynn

John – The 4 villages where we were (4 teams, 1 in each village) are each anywhere from 1 to 2 hours drive outside of Maamba, Zambia.  They are very small villages, so I'm not sure one could find them on a map.  I will try to get a hand drawn map to you that will roughly show the locations.  I'll have to look back in my saved emails, so I'll send that along in a different note.
 
The village where Carl and I were is called Lunchinze, and was located on the shore of Lake Karibe, which I believe is (now) the second largest lake in the world.  Carl got to go out a little in a dugout canoe with one of the locals – I'll try to attach one of the pics of that too.
 
So here are our photos (attached to this and several other emails, because of number).  We left a Samstone near the shore of Lake Karibe in Lunchinze, and also at the place where we were staying in Maamba.  I will indicate in the subject line which pics were taken in Maamba.
 
Blessings,
Brynn

Carl and Brynn put some samstones in Maamba

John,
Sinankumbi is a small farming village of about 800 people about an hour's drive (probably ~15 miles on those roads) from Maamba and is probably not on the map.  I think it is southwest of Maamba.  Maamba should be on the map in the southeast corner of Zambia, very near Lake Karibe, the large lake on the border with Zimbabwe.  (If your map shows an airport around Maamba, the site is 3 low water crossings beyond that, or about 4 miles.)  We were happy to do what we could.  Thank you for your kind words about the mission trips.  I always feel blessed by seeing the hunger to know the Lord that is prevalent in Africa, and being a vessel for God to feed it.  Peace be with you and yours.  Ron Gentry

Hey Kate…
 
Thank you for putting that Sam Stone there!  I do so remember that house and all the houses that we have shared together.  I miss that time…it has always been so easy to be with you.  I just love your lightness and love.  I remember that John shaved his beard in that house.  Talk about being lighter!  And you are the ultimate baby soother.
 
I too agree with those cameras in cell phones however it is like automatic windows for cars…we all get them no matter what.
 
John…could you add Cape May to the Sam Stones website?  Thx.
 
love …diane
—– Original Message —–
From: Kathleen McKinnon
To: DIane
Sent: Saturday, January 08, 2011 12:21 AM
Subject: hello again!

Hi Diane,
      It was wonderful to talk with you yesterday ( just after midnight when I am writing)!  It is always good to  hear your voice 🙂

I meant to tell you that I left a Samstone in the yard of the house we rented together in Cape May the summer were were there when Sam was a baby.  ( Remember, he put my ability to soothe babies to the test!! — I won out after a few days)  I went down for a long weekend this summer and took one of the Samstones we have.  I took a picture- but it is on my cell phone, so I am not sure when someone else will help me get it off – I swear I not bother getting a camera phone next time since I do not know how to retrieve them!

You mentioned the Samstones site yesterday, but then we started talking about Las Vegas…. – I hope John's trip was good.

Take care,
I hope Gabe does (did) well on the slopes!

Love,
Kate

—
Kathleen McKinnon, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Educational Psychology,School Psychology and Special
Education
Coordinator of Teacher Education (COTE) for Special Education
Director of EI/ECSE teacher preparation grant
203 CEDAR Building
University Park, PA 16802
Phone: 814-865-2236
kmm25@psu.edu

Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2011 2:37:56 +0000
From:  <pgentry1@austin.rr.com>
To: johncohn@us.ibm.com
Subject: Sam's Stone

Mr. Cohn,
Last summer my wife and I went on a mission trip to Zambia with Carl and Brynn Anderson.  We were doing church planting in the small village of Sinankumbi in the southeast corner near Maamba.  The Anderson's gave us a Samstone and asked us to put it somewhere in our village.
The site you see in the pictures will someday be the site of the new church we planted.  After taking the pictures, we buried the Samstone about where the little boy is standing, which is where the altar will be.  The people in the picture are the local church leader and some of the people who will assist in building the church, and the pastor over the RCZ churches in that area, so if it is found during construction, they know what it is and hopefully will keep it safe.
We know this does not help you miss him less, but we wanted you to know he will always be a part of Sinankumbi, Zambia.  God bless you and your family.  Ron Gentry

Name = The Gard Family

Email = kgard7@comcast.net

File attached = IMG_0518.JPG

Message =
This SamStone was placed in City Park in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Name = Jenny

Email = jstar913@yahoo.com

Message =
Hey guys,
My name's Jenny, I'm 14 years old and I live in Northern Virginia.
Several months ago my grandmother sent me a package. When I opened it,
packaged in papertowel was a small stone that said "Sam" on it. The
letter included went on to read that she had never actually met Sam
but obtained the stone from a friend and had kept it in her office for
several years. She said it was time she passed it on. Now that i've
had it for awhile, I'm considering who else would appreciate this
stone as much as I did after hearing Sam's story. Thank-you for
everything you've given me to think about and be grateful for.
Your friend,
Jenny

Name = Pam & Bob Potter

Email = potter_rg@bellsouth.net

Message =
We left a Samstone on the patio of LifeLink  building where Bob was
matched with Sam's kidney.  This was Bob's annual check up and
everything is working great..    THANK YOU SAM WE LOVE YOU AND THINK
OF YOU  AND YOUR LIFE GIVING FAMILY EVERYDAY !!!!!!!!!

Name = Craig Kazin

Email = ckazin24 at ay oh el dot com

Message =
I found a SamStone on top of a gas pump in front of Stop & Shop at
2265 Northampton Street, Holyoke, Mass. on Monday, January 3, 2011.
The reason I am writing is that I have been (3X) a beneficiary of
donated organs/tissue, and Sam's story touched me.

Happy New Year!