Hey guys,
So today is Tuesday and this is my last chance of using the internet before I head home!!! Yesterday, I stayed at the crisis nursery for the entire time without going anywhere for lunch. I was able to measure the children’s heights and weights, which I will assess tomorrow morning. We are going to have a big going-away party tomorrow at the nursery, which should be fun!!! I am going to miss the little kids, especially Jessie and Justina!! They are so adorable and full of life! Today I also went to the crisis nursery and am in town with Annie running some last minute errands. Wednesday will be spent assessing the growth percentiles of the children in the morning. Thursday will be my last mobile clinic (at least that is what I have been told) and I will pack once I am back. I leave Lilongwe at 1:15pm. I find it funny that you have to pay $30 just to leave Lilongwe!! Oh by the way, I am here over my 30 day visa so I had to go to immigration to renew my visa (thankfully I did not run into my “friend” ). I had to pay $30 to renew my visa and I will only be in the country for not even half a day! Lol oh well! Such is life!
So I will see you all soon!! Im leaving on a jet plane…
Love you all! Hope everything is great!
It's been a great adventure! Thanks for reading about my adventures!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Home Visits in Katondo
Today we (Annie, Mike, Casey, and I) headed out to the village, Katondo. We were going to do four home visits. These visits are set up by the feeding center head and are usually for families that are in need. For the most part, they tend to be families where the father has died and the mother is struggling to provide for her family. On our part, we come with supplies (sugar, salt, soap, detergent, body lotion, and I brought fruit) to give to the family. It reminded me of something my high school used to do for families during the holidays. We used to get a bunch of food together (say for thanksgiving- so green beans, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, etc) and we would put it in the a bag and ding-dong ditch the house! I know sounds strange but it was a lot of fun!
Anyway, the ride to the village was as usual a ride in itself! I feel as though I have ridden the Indiana Jones ride from Dland or gone to Mexico to build a loft house again (for those of you readers who were on that trip you know what I’m talking about!!!) Today’s trip was a bit more bumpy than normal because John was driving. He is a big burly man who is built like an ox, but is always smiling and joking like a 5 year old. He also doesn’t know his own strength at times…a pat on the back …is not a PAT! But he never means to be so rough! Lol.
When we got to the village, they wanted to show us their chicken coops, which I am noticing is a big thing to them. I went over to look into the house and a chicken jumped up to the ledge. It shocked me a bit because I jumped back and started laughing- as did everyone else. SO that was fun!
We finally went to the home visits which were quite eye-opening! The Malawian people are so hospitable. They open up a bamboo tarp for us to sit on while they are sitting in the dirt. We would sit and ask them questions about their lives and they could do the same to us. It was a very open conversation. The first few visits all four of us remained together until the last two houses.
The last visit was by far the best. Annie and I split off to do one by ourselves while Casey and Mike tackled the other. For the most part the beginning of the home visit was the same. Toward the middle though, we were asked what we did back home. When I replied that I was a student they were shocked. The translator said that they were out of school by the time they were my age. That made me think so I asked him to ask them what age they thought I was. Their response was AWESOME! They thought I was 16 and that Annie was 12. WE both had a good laugh about that! We told them our ages and that shocked them more!
It was a very humbling experience hearing about their lives and struggles. In comparison to America, their lives are filled with adversity, yet their attitudes and perspective on life is so strong and grounded in God. Their strength truly comes from God and it was amazing to witness! It made me realize how much I take for granted and what kind of fervor I should have for my relationship with God. God has truly been my source of strength while I am here and I hope that He remains so when I return home!
Focal verse: “I press on toward the goal to win the prize…” Philippians 4:13a
Anyway, the ride to the village was as usual a ride in itself! I feel as though I have ridden the Indiana Jones ride from Dland or gone to Mexico to build a loft house again (for those of you readers who were on that trip you know what I’m talking about!!!) Today’s trip was a bit more bumpy than normal because John was driving. He is a big burly man who is built like an ox, but is always smiling and joking like a 5 year old. He also doesn’t know his own strength at times…a pat on the back …is not a PAT! But he never means to be so rough! Lol.
When we got to the village, they wanted to show us their chicken coops, which I am noticing is a big thing to them. I went over to look into the house and a chicken jumped up to the ledge. It shocked me a bit because I jumped back and started laughing- as did everyone else. SO that was fun!
We finally went to the home visits which were quite eye-opening! The Malawian people are so hospitable. They open up a bamboo tarp for us to sit on while they are sitting in the dirt. We would sit and ask them questions about their lives and they could do the same to us. It was a very open conversation. The first few visits all four of us remained together until the last two houses.
The last visit was by far the best. Annie and I split off to do one by ourselves while Casey and Mike tackled the other. For the most part the beginning of the home visit was the same. Toward the middle though, we were asked what we did back home. When I replied that I was a student they were shocked. The translator said that they were out of school by the time they were my age. That made me think so I asked him to ask them what age they thought I was. Their response was AWESOME! They thought I was 16 and that Annie was 12. WE both had a good laugh about that! We told them our ages and that shocked them more!
It was a very humbling experience hearing about their lives and struggles. In comparison to America, their lives are filled with adversity, yet their attitudes and perspective on life is so strong and grounded in God. Their strength truly comes from God and it was amazing to witness! It made me realize how much I take for granted and what kind of fervor I should have for my relationship with God. God has truly been my source of strength while I am here and I hope that He remains so when I return home!
Focal verse: “I press on toward the goal to win the prize…” Philippians 4:13a
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Mobile Clinic at Chimwang’ombe
Today was a good day and a sad day. Jayme left to go back home to Texas so the bus was short one person. We will miss you Jayme!! Additionally, today was supposedly our “last” mobile clinic due to finances. I was excited because I was finally going to be able to assess BMI at this mobile clinic something that I have been trying to get done since the 2nd mobile clinic. Once we arrived at the feeding center where the clinic was going to be held, we were surprised by the amount of people that had showed. Due the amount of people, Mwawi (the clinical officer who acts as the doctor during the mobile clinic) had us just start assessing people without a proper set up. This made the first 20 minutes a bit hectic but soon we became a smooth operating system. I did vitals with a labor and delivery nurse named Sarah. But seeing how there were 300+ people and we were down 2 people on the vitals station ( Jayme went home and Joseph, a paramedic from the states, didn’t come that day), we only assessed those people who looked febrile, were elderly, or pregnant. This proved a bit problematic because the people were used the normal flow of things and when we wouldn’t do a full vital set on them they would be perplexed. I had a few of the elder women get in my face motioning that “all should get their arm squeezed” [this was done by pointing to everyone in line and then squeezing my arm and A LOT of ARM GESTURES!!] Sarah and I finally got someone to translate to them what we were doing and they were content. During the lulls of no vitals, I went over to the weight station to see if I could do some height measurements and assess BMI. Unfortunately, the tape measure that someone brought for me was too short. So I was out of luck. But I am hopeful that I have already attained enough information via the crisis nursery and basic observation to fulfill my nutritional assessment hours.
We finished up the day having served about 340 people. The shocking thing was we were done earlier than we ever have been in the past. But that is understandable because we didn’t do everyone’s vitals. If we had, we would have been leaving at 8pm seeing that there were only 2 of us manning that station!
Reflection: Sometimes we are thrown into situations which you are just called to action. No time to organize just go. There are also times where those moments of preparation help to make the action run more smoothly. Yet whatever the situation, it calls for perseverance and a willing heart.
We finished up the day having served about 340 people. The shocking thing was we were done earlier than we ever have been in the past. But that is understandable because we didn’t do everyone’s vitals. If we had, we would have been leaving at 8pm seeing that there were only 2 of us manning that station!
Reflection: Sometimes we are thrown into situations which you are just called to action. No time to organize just go. There are also times where those moments of preparation help to make the action run more smoothly. Yet whatever the situation, it calls for perseverance and a willing heart.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Nkhata Bay- Mayoka Village
Nkhata bay was amazing and warm, which was much needed in the comparison to Mzuzu which was cold. Nkhata bay is located by Malawi Lake which is why its warmed and more of a “vacation”. We spent one day at Mayoka village which was wonderful. It definitely was filled with Mzungus (white people/foreigners). It reminded me of a place that one would go for a honeymoon so that was a bit odd. But overall, Mayoka village was a small “resort” (I use that word tentatively) that was built on the side of a cliff. There were several little huts that could fit anywhere from 2- 4 people depending on the hut. so that was a bit odd. But overall, Mayoka village was a small “resort” (I use that word tentatively) that was built on the side of a cliff. There were several little huts that could fit anywhere from 2- 4 people depending on the hut. Due to the fact that it resides on the cliff, the stairs were quite steep at times. My favorite feature of the village was the communal shower. Yea you heard me right! The communal shower was a stone shower that allowed you to look out over the lake while you showered. When I first heard about this, I was like “wait is it several showers and you shower with strangers?”. This is not the case. There is one door which you can lock behind you. Also when you are in the shower the wall comes up high enough that its not a peep show lol! (well at least you hope…if so oh well cants do anything about it now haha). Anyway I enjoyed a shower a sunset which was beautiful to behold!
Additionally, they have this challenge that if you win you get a free night’s stay at the village. You have to paddle a canoe to a specific spot out in the lake and back. The issue is its not some American made canoe. It’s a hollowed out tree trunk which you don’t sit in you sit on top of with your feet inside the canoe. Thus, it comes down to some Malawian strategy and BALANCE! Oh..also you had to do it with another person. So I tried this with Mike. Only once we got really close to both being in the canoe and balanced but anytime paddling came into play we would wipe out. It was a lot of fun to try and beat the challenge. My competitive side came out! Lol
Our stay was nice at Nkhata bay and the next day we headed home to Lilongwe.
OH! I forgot to mention. The Mayoka village had the cutest dogs who had just had 8 puppies. So we were able to play with them! The dog parents walked with us to the bus on Tuesday morning! It was awesome! I want a dog lol!
Additionally, they have this challenge that if you win you get a free night’s stay at the village. You have to paddle a canoe to a specific spot out in the lake and back. The issue is its not some American made canoe. It’s a hollowed out tree trunk which you don’t sit in you sit on top of with your feet inside the canoe. Thus, it comes down to some Malawian strategy and BALANCE! Oh..also you had to do it with another person. So I tried this with Mike. Only once we got really close to both being in the canoe and balanced but anytime paddling came into play we would wipe out. It was a lot of fun to try and beat the challenge. My competitive side came out! Lol
Our stay was nice at Nkhata bay and the next day we headed home to Lilongwe.
OH! I forgot to mention. The Mayoka village had the cutest dogs who had just had 8 puppies. So we were able to play with them! The dog parents walked with us to the bus on Tuesday morning! It was awesome! I want a dog lol!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
The trip to the North- Mzuzu
We headed out Friday, July 9th to Mzuzu to see the other crisis nursery and to spend a vacation day at Nkhata Bay which is an hour east of Mzuzu. The bus ride was very delightful and drastically different than the last one I had been on. It was for the most part a quiet journey which I very much enjoyed. I noticed that it seems that the farther north you go the more opportunities to buy meat, whereas as you go south its more vegetables. I am not sure if this idea is true but that’s what I observed. As we got farther north, I felt as though I had been magically transported to Oregon. There were rows and rows of dark, luscious pine trees and foliage. It wasn’t until I spotted a monkey in one of the trees that I realized I still was in Africa!
Upon arrival in Mzuzu, we were greeted by Augustine who works at the crisis nursery and were taken to the Merriam medical house. It was a very nice house with comfortable beds and a nice 15 minutes walk to the nursery. Peter was our amazing cook and he was a very warm and welcoming gentleman. The next day we went to the nursery. This is where we met Mrs. Heller, who is a public health nurse back in New York. She was amazing! She and her husband, Paul, run the crisis nursery in Mzuzu. I must say they are doing a fabulous job. The nursery (which is much larger than the one in Lilongwe and has more children) is very orderly and there are set times for feeding, sleeping, and playing. The children seem happier and more content. That night, we were all invited to the Heller’s for dinner, which was amazing. I was able to talk to Mrs. Heller about the nursery and about doing nutritional assessments.
Mrs. Heller was more than willing to let me assess the children’s nutritional status and even gave me the tools to do so. She was also very helpful in talking to me about what she has noticed since her now 2 year stay in Malawi! I must say she is definitely a blessing to these babies!!! In a way, I would have loved to spend more of my stay up in Mzuzu helping her out. But at the same time, I think I have learned some amazing things in Lilongwe as well. She told us about one of the babies in detail- one (baby) which was just precious. Her name is Alesi (pronounced Alice). She was found abandoned in the village in a very bad state- having had nothing to eat for 2 weeks. She was hospitalized for some time and was very close to dying. So close that Mrs. Heller said that she couldn’t bring herself to go to the hospital because she couldn’t take going and seeing yet another baby die. Yet Alice never died. She is a healthy baby girl now and is growing daily!
During our stay, we also got to go to Ana’s home church. [side note: I don’t know if I have already mentioned Ana, but Ana used to work at the Mzuzu crisis nursery but as of February has relocated to Lilongwe and now works at this crisis nursery]. I had never been to a Presbyterian church before (at least not to my knowledge). It was interesting it reminded me of Catholic church to an extent with some small differences. I enjoyed the service! We did have to introduce ourselves like we had to at Assembly of God, but this time we had to go to the front of the church and introduce ourselves!!! It’s an interesting experience to be the minority and have people stare and laugh when you speak. The rest of my Sunday was spent at the nursery with the kids. We all left early Monday morning to head to Nkhata Bay for a day!
Upon arrival in Mzuzu, we were greeted by Augustine who works at the crisis nursery and were taken to the Merriam medical house. It was a very nice house with comfortable beds and a nice 15 minutes walk to the nursery. Peter was our amazing cook and he was a very warm and welcoming gentleman. The next day we went to the nursery. This is where we met Mrs. Heller, who is a public health nurse back in New York. She was amazing! She and her husband, Paul, run the crisis nursery in Mzuzu. I must say they are doing a fabulous job. The nursery (which is much larger than the one in Lilongwe and has more children) is very orderly and there are set times for feeding, sleeping, and playing. The children seem happier and more content. That night, we were all invited to the Heller’s for dinner, which was amazing. I was able to talk to Mrs. Heller about the nursery and about doing nutritional assessments.
Mrs. Heller was more than willing to let me assess the children’s nutritional status and even gave me the tools to do so. She was also very helpful in talking to me about what she has noticed since her now 2 year stay in Malawi! I must say she is definitely a blessing to these babies!!! In a way, I would have loved to spend more of my stay up in Mzuzu helping her out. But at the same time, I think I have learned some amazing things in Lilongwe as well. She told us about one of the babies in detail- one (baby) which was just precious. Her name is Alesi (pronounced Alice). She was found abandoned in the village in a very bad state- having had nothing to eat for 2 weeks. She was hospitalized for some time and was very close to dying. So close that Mrs. Heller said that she couldn’t bring herself to go to the hospital because she couldn’t take going and seeing yet another baby die. Yet Alice never died. She is a healthy baby girl now and is growing daily!
During our stay, we also got to go to Ana’s home church. [side note: I don’t know if I have already mentioned Ana, but Ana used to work at the Mzuzu crisis nursery but as of February has relocated to Lilongwe and now works at this crisis nursery]. I had never been to a Presbyterian church before (at least not to my knowledge). It was interesting it reminded me of Catholic church to an extent with some small differences. I enjoyed the service! We did have to introduce ourselves like we had to at Assembly of God, but this time we had to go to the front of the church and introduce ourselves!!! It’s an interesting experience to be the minority and have people stare and laugh when you speak. The rest of my Sunday was spent at the nursery with the kids. We all left early Monday morning to head to Nkhata Bay for a day!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The Worse Bus Ride! The end to safari day 2
This bus ride was possibly the worst bus ride I have had thus far in Africa. I think it was just the situations and the difference in people on this bus but here it goes…
Annie, Casey, Jayme, and I got on the bus in good moods ready to be back home. Jayme and I were separated from Casey and Annie early on in the bus ride. First off, the bus had no seats left so we were standing for the ride and there were a lot of people in the aisle so we were tightly squeezed into the bus. Not even 10 minutes into the bus ride, I felt something on my left foot and when I figured out what it was I was NOT a happy camper. I was getting pissed on. I looked at Jayme who was also looking confused until I mouthed what was happening. Her face showed the same annoyance. It was happening to her too just on the opposite foot. It was hard to be completely mad because we discovered it was a little girl who we are guessing just couldn’t hold it anymore and so the dad turned her toward the aisle to go. So I guess I didn’t get too mad because it was a little girl I was more annoyed at the dad than anything. Yet we are only at the beginning of the story lol. After the girl was done, the dad handed her off to someone else who happened to be behind me, which resulted in the little girl holding on to my pants for a large portion of the bus ride. Yet as I stood there, I felt something on my other foot. I look down and I see that one of the patrons is spitting seeds of a fruit on my foot. I look at him and he just shrugs. Needless to say, the cleanliness of buses here are very low! People just put trash on the floor even if someone is standing there!
The guy finally finished and there was some peace. But the next issue was the bus kept stopping and putting more people on the bus. We are already really full and they were squeezing us even more. I think they were complaining in Chichewa (native language) that we (Jayme and I) weren’t moving any farther back because the conductor of the bus climbed over the chairs and took us and shoved us as far back as he could to the back of the bus. So now Jayme and I are standing next together (which at least was a plus…it’s better to lean against someone you know rather than a stranger for 4-5 hours). We are both not in the best of moods and trying to be positive I say, “ you know I know we both don’t feel good but at least we are standing by each other and we have your iPod to help”. Just then they turned on the radio (which is always blaring) and we happened to be right under the speaker! LOL . It was hilarious how it happened right after I said that. We turned off the iPod because there was no way to hear it with the radio on. That’s where we stood for basically the entire bus ride. About an hour away from Lilongwe, Jayme was able to get a seat and I stood. By this point, I was determined to see if I could stand the entire way. There was one gentleman aboard who asked if I wanted to sit because I was trying to stretch my legs (they were asleep). About 30 minutes away, I got a seat and I sat which felt nice (so I almost did it). We arrived in Lilongwe tired and separated from our group (which had been seated in the front of the bus early on in the ride). Getting off the bus is always a challenge especially because we are white. We get bombarded by taxi drivers who literally follow you around.
Needless to say after much adversity and some crazy taxi driving, we arrived at home safe and sound with some interesting stories, as you can see! Hope you all are doing well! Miss you guys!
Annie, Casey, Jayme, and I got on the bus in good moods ready to be back home. Jayme and I were separated from Casey and Annie early on in the bus ride. First off, the bus had no seats left so we were standing for the ride and there were a lot of people in the aisle so we were tightly squeezed into the bus. Not even 10 minutes into the bus ride, I felt something on my left foot and when I figured out what it was I was NOT a happy camper. I was getting pissed on. I looked at Jayme who was also looking confused until I mouthed what was happening. Her face showed the same annoyance. It was happening to her too just on the opposite foot. It was hard to be completely mad because we discovered it was a little girl who we are guessing just couldn’t hold it anymore and so the dad turned her toward the aisle to go. So I guess I didn’t get too mad because it was a little girl I was more annoyed at the dad than anything. Yet we are only at the beginning of the story lol. After the girl was done, the dad handed her off to someone else who happened to be behind me, which resulted in the little girl holding on to my pants for a large portion of the bus ride. Yet as I stood there, I felt something on my other foot. I look down and I see that one of the patrons is spitting seeds of a fruit on my foot. I look at him and he just shrugs. Needless to say, the cleanliness of buses here are very low! People just put trash on the floor even if someone is standing there!
The guy finally finished and there was some peace. But the next issue was the bus kept stopping and putting more people on the bus. We are already really full and they were squeezing us even more. I think they were complaining in Chichewa (native language) that we (Jayme and I) weren’t moving any farther back because the conductor of the bus climbed over the chairs and took us and shoved us as far back as he could to the back of the bus. So now Jayme and I are standing next together (which at least was a plus…it’s better to lean against someone you know rather than a stranger for 4-5 hours). We are both not in the best of moods and trying to be positive I say, “ you know I know we both don’t feel good but at least we are standing by each other and we have your iPod to help”. Just then they turned on the radio (which is always blaring) and we happened to be right under the speaker! LOL . It was hilarious how it happened right after I said that. We turned off the iPod because there was no way to hear it with the radio on. That’s where we stood for basically the entire bus ride. About an hour away from Lilongwe, Jayme was able to get a seat and I stood. By this point, I was determined to see if I could stand the entire way. There was one gentleman aboard who asked if I wanted to sit because I was trying to stretch my legs (they were asleep). About 30 minutes away, I got a seat and I sat which felt nice (so I almost did it). We arrived in Lilongwe tired and separated from our group (which had been seated in the front of the bus early on in the ride). Getting off the bus is always a challenge especially because we are white. We get bombarded by taxi drivers who literally follow you around.
Needless to say after much adversity and some crazy taxi driving, we arrived at home safe and sound with some interesting stories, as you can see! Hope you all are doing well! Miss you guys!
Safari Day 2
I woke up refreshed. Probably the best sleep I have had so far on my adventure in Africa. The day started nicely (early yes but still good). Breakfast was at 7am and our boat safari (last safari) started at 7:45am. At first, we weren’t seeing anything new on the boat safari. Yet the guide was very knowledgeable about the wildlife and shared folk stories with us. For instance, the reason the hippo opens his mouth wide is because God made the hippo to be a land animal but the hippo pleaded that the hot sun was too much for its delicate skin. Thus the hippo asked to be able to live in the water too. The Lord said, “But you are such a large animal and you will eat all my fish!” The hippo replied I will not eat your fish but rather eat plants and whenever you want proof that I have not eaten your fish, I shall open my mouth up showing you that there are no fish. With that the Lord made the hippo both a land and water creature. The real reason hippos open their mouths as they do is as a defense mechanism or when they feel threatened (he didn’t mention anything like the wiggling of the ears like they tell you at Disneyland…..mmmm I miss Dland)
Toward the end of the safari, we finally saw some amazing things. We came across a HUGE crocodile which was just sunbathing. After some time gazing at this huge reptile, we moved on to the end of our tour when I saw some elephants to my left. We got really close and could kind of see them. We went back to where the crocodile was to see if we could see them on the other side of the lagoon. Unfortunately not! Yet once we returned to where we initially saw them, they were closer to the lake bed and I got some amazing pictures and videos! Let’s just say I have a ton of Elephant pictures and I hope at least one turns out to be great! It was so amazing to be that close to these majestic animals. They are so peaceful and strong; yet can become very powerful and threatening too. They were amazing to watch. We thought the fun was had as we finished the tour when we came upon a male elephant directly on the beach area! Needless to say, we had an amazing time and got to see a good assortment of animals. Unfortunately no big cats! I would love to see them! But they aren’t really in Malawi! Another trip to Africa then sometime in my lifetime to see BIG CATS!
As we left paradise, which it definitely was in a way (it was joked that we were at a therapy camp because it was so serene), the boat ride was very reflective for me. I sat absorbing the beauty that was surrounding me and drank in the moment! I love the sky and I love the water. All I have to say is both were magnificent! The sky was brilliant and blue with great billowing clouds of white. The water was tranquil and as smooth as glass even though we were cutting through it with our boat. It was so clear that when you looked at the water you saw a pristine view of the sky. If my words are failing me and you are not able to picture this, I did capture a shot that I hope to be able to show you at some point! The boat operator was nice enough to drop us off closer to the bus station and we got on our bus back to Lilongwe. I wish this was where the story ended, but it is not!
DID YOU KNOW?? The hippo lives to 35-40years and grows to its size and stops. They live in families which are very seclusive!
Toward the end of the safari, we finally saw some amazing things. We came across a HUGE crocodile which was just sunbathing. After some time gazing at this huge reptile, we moved on to the end of our tour when I saw some elephants to my left. We got really close and could kind of see them. We went back to where the crocodile was to see if we could see them on the other side of the lagoon. Unfortunately not! Yet once we returned to where we initially saw them, they were closer to the lake bed and I got some amazing pictures and videos! Let’s just say I have a ton of Elephant pictures and I hope at least one turns out to be great! It was so amazing to be that close to these majestic animals. They are so peaceful and strong; yet can become very powerful and threatening too. They were amazing to watch. We thought the fun was had as we finished the tour when we came upon a male elephant directly on the beach area! Needless to say, we had an amazing time and got to see a good assortment of animals. Unfortunately no big cats! I would love to see them! But they aren’t really in Malawi! Another trip to Africa then sometime in my lifetime to see BIG CATS!
As we left paradise, which it definitely was in a way (it was joked that we were at a therapy camp because it was so serene), the boat ride was very reflective for me. I sat absorbing the beauty that was surrounding me and drank in the moment! I love the sky and I love the water. All I have to say is both were magnificent! The sky was brilliant and blue with great billowing clouds of white. The water was tranquil and as smooth as glass even though we were cutting through it with our boat. It was so clear that when you looked at the water you saw a pristine view of the sky. If my words are failing me and you are not able to picture this, I did capture a shot that I hope to be able to show you at some point! The boat operator was nice enough to drop us off closer to the bus station and we got on our bus back to Lilongwe. I wish this was where the story ended, but it is not!
DID YOU KNOW?? The hippo lives to 35-40years and grows to its size and stops. They live in families which are very seclusive!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Muvuu Lodge and Safari!
Our 45-minute boat ride was great, a bit cold, but good. On the way, we saw hippos and elephants-nothing too extensive really but still very cool. The guide was really nice to. He slowed down anytime we saw something so we could take video and pictures. Upon arrival to the quaint area, we were warmly greeted by the staff and given a briefing of our stay of one day. Lunch was waiting and ready for us, followed by a 3:30pm tea time and a 4pm land safari. The lunch was very delicious orange chicken with about 3 side dishes. We followed the guide to our rooms where we spotted a monkey on the fence. Our rooms were so nice! The beds were SOO comfortable and the bathroom was complete with waterfall-like shower and bathtub to the side. After a short rest, we headed to tea (we finished our lunch at about 2:30pm) at 3:30pm. They had coffee at tea time! Tea time was amazing and a bit humorous. The staff ushered us to our seats even though we were thinking to just go get tea. Once we were seated, they explained that we could now go get our tea. We got up and got our choice beverage and when we returned there was sliced pound cake on our table. It was like the guy waiting on us had a guy on standby with the pound cake. It was great!
Following tea was our first safari- the land safari. During the introduction and safety precaution speech, we were asked what animals we wanted to see. I spoke up saying Elephants, which was met with the following reply, “Elephants are not guaranteed.” Five minutes into the safari, I looked to the right and saw elephants. We circled around and I was able to get some pictures. My camera died shortly after and we had at least 3 hours more on safari. Annie was nice enough to let me take some pictures with her camera which was nice. We saw an amazing sunset which words and pictures do no justice to. It truly was a vision of God’s majesty. The lake was clear as glass reflecting the splendor of the sky. The sun was setting behind a big billowing cloud causing beams of light to pierce through in pinks and golds. The mountains below were hues of purples that blended beautifully into the dark and light pinks and oranges in the sky. It was breathtaking.
On the safari, we saw water bucks, bush bucks, warthogs (kept me thinking of Pumba!), impalas, hippos, and some other birds and mammals. Additionally, I got a great site of the Milky Way above me. The stars were absolutely stunning. Once we returned to the camp, dinner was waiting for us- starting with pumpkin soup, followed by beef medallions, veggies, and mashed potatoes, and ending with a custard fruit crumble. We all headed back to the room to take showers! They were AMAZING! So HOT and we didn’t have to wait 30 minutes for the water to get warm like at Teethsavers! We were going to go to the entertainment area to watch the world cup game, yet I wanted to truly enjoy my bed and room seeing that we were only going to be there for a day. The other girls agreed and we were all enjoying our rooms and beds when there was a surprise visit outside. Jayme looked out the window due to a noise and saw two elephants. We all crowded around the window to watch a small family of elephants that were outside our room. They had destroyed the fence and were just eating. We were only 10 feet away from HUGE elephants with the strength to crush branches. It was just a great surprise. I was so glad that I opted to stay inside rather than watch the game. In addition to this great surprise, I finished Jane Eyre, which made for a happy ending to a very good day!!
DID YOU KNOW??? That an elephant lives up to 65-70years and is continually growing
Following tea was our first safari- the land safari. During the introduction and safety precaution speech, we were asked what animals we wanted to see. I spoke up saying Elephants, which was met with the following reply, “Elephants are not guaranteed.” Five minutes into the safari, I looked to the right and saw elephants. We circled around and I was able to get some pictures. My camera died shortly after and we had at least 3 hours more on safari. Annie was nice enough to let me take some pictures with her camera which was nice. We saw an amazing sunset which words and pictures do no justice to. It truly was a vision of God’s majesty. The lake was clear as glass reflecting the splendor of the sky. The sun was setting behind a big billowing cloud causing beams of light to pierce through in pinks and golds. The mountains below were hues of purples that blended beautifully into the dark and light pinks and oranges in the sky. It was breathtaking.
On the safari, we saw water bucks, bush bucks, warthogs (kept me thinking of Pumba!), impalas, hippos, and some other birds and mammals. Additionally, I got a great site of the Milky Way above me. The stars were absolutely stunning. Once we returned to the camp, dinner was waiting for us- starting with pumpkin soup, followed by beef medallions, veggies, and mashed potatoes, and ending with a custard fruit crumble. We all headed back to the room to take showers! They were AMAZING! So HOT and we didn’t have to wait 30 minutes for the water to get warm like at Teethsavers! We were going to go to the entertainment area to watch the world cup game, yet I wanted to truly enjoy my bed and room seeing that we were only going to be there for a day. The other girls agreed and we were all enjoying our rooms and beds when there was a surprise visit outside. Jayme looked out the window due to a noise and saw two elephants. We all crowded around the window to watch a small family of elephants that were outside our room. They had destroyed the fence and were just eating. We were only 10 feet away from HUGE elephants with the strength to crush branches. It was just a great surprise. I was so glad that I opted to stay inside rather than watch the game. In addition to this great surprise, I finished Jane Eyre, which made for a happy ending to a very good day!!
DID YOU KNOW??? That an elephant lives up to 65-70years and is continually growing
Safari Attempt 2
Another early morning- this one more successful than the last. We got on a minibus early and got to the bus station earlier. However, we were still standing in the bus. I really wonder when people get to the bus station to get a seat! So there we were standing in the bus and heading out. We got to the border check and guess who was there?! Yep, you guessed it! The same officer. I got off the bus and he was like, “Oh Jenna!” as he was checking my passport, he added,” how long are you in Malawi?”. I answered, “ 3 more weeks”. I was trying to keep it brief and very little encouragement on my part. I noticed the policeman looking at me strangely so I gave him a smile. The officer went in and suspected the bus. I had not noticed that there was another officer that entered after him, but as this new officer left, he approached me and said sincerely, “I do apologize”. I didn’t understand it at first because he had a sweatshirt over his uniform. But when the annoying officer left the bus, the new guy glanced at him then me and I understood. I really appreciated this because I felt that he saw that his colleague was acting unprofessional.
We finally all got on the bus and our journey commenced. Standing in the bus wasn’t too bad in reality. I leaned against a seat and read Jane Eyre for most the way. People got on and people got off (both made for a challenge! When people get off, the aisle standers do not get off the bus they solely make room for the person and luggage to come through.) As the 4-5 hours drive continued, more people got off and we ended up all having a seat (not together). In the end, I would say that it is better to stand that to sit, especially if you are in the aisle seat. I sat in the aisle seat. Everything was fine initially until we got some more patrons on the bus. Two bigger women were standing by me- so I had a hip in the shoulder and a hip in front of me so there was nowhere to move. I was sitting by 2 mothers with their kids. The one directly by me kept laying her child’s head on my arm, which generally wouldn’t bother me. However this kid’s head was not only heavy but HOT! So you take into consideration the fact that on my left I can’t move at all and on my right I can’t move either because I have some kid’s head on my arm and my shoulder is pinned by the mother- this makes for a bit perturbed passenger. I understand that this is a situation that you just “make due”, yet the woman whose hip was in my left shoulder she had about 2 person’s worth of space behind her!
Thankfully within a few stops, seats opened up and Casey, Annie, and I were sitting together peacefully. We finally arrived at our stop thanks to the nice guy who had been on the bus with us the entire time. We arrived at Liwonde and found the sign for the Hippo View lodge, which is where we caught our 45 minute boat ride to Muzuu Camp Lodge and Safari! Yeah!
We finally all got on the bus and our journey commenced. Standing in the bus wasn’t too bad in reality. I leaned against a seat and read Jane Eyre for most the way. People got on and people got off (both made for a challenge! When people get off, the aisle standers do not get off the bus they solely make room for the person and luggage to come through.) As the 4-5 hours drive continued, more people got off and we ended up all having a seat (not together). In the end, I would say that it is better to stand that to sit, especially if you are in the aisle seat. I sat in the aisle seat. Everything was fine initially until we got some more patrons on the bus. Two bigger women were standing by me- so I had a hip in the shoulder and a hip in front of me so there was nowhere to move. I was sitting by 2 mothers with their kids. The one directly by me kept laying her child’s head on my arm, which generally wouldn’t bother me. However this kid’s head was not only heavy but HOT! So you take into consideration the fact that on my left I can’t move at all and on my right I can’t move either because I have some kid’s head on my arm and my shoulder is pinned by the mother- this makes for a bit perturbed passenger. I understand that this is a situation that you just “make due”, yet the woman whose hip was in my left shoulder she had about 2 person’s worth of space behind her!
Thankfully within a few stops, seats opened up and Casey, Annie, and I were sitting together peacefully. We finally arrived at our stop thanks to the nice guy who had been on the bus with us the entire time. We arrived at Liwonde and found the sign for the Hippo View lodge, which is where we caught our 45 minute boat ride to Muzuu Camp Lodge and Safari! Yeah!
Monday, July 5, 2010
Safari attempt 1
On July 5th, Casey, Jayme, Annie, and I headed off at 6:45am to meet with Daniel to start out journey south to our safari. After waiting for a while, we finally got a minibus to town. We got to the main bus station and located the bus that we needed to be on in the nick of time because we literally jumped onto it as it left the station. In Malawi, they are a firm believer of inclusion- meaning even if there are no seats they will still let people on the bus and they stand in the aisle. Needless to say, we were standing the front of the bus….well more like wedged in the front of the bus. Nevertheless we were on our bus and on to our new and exciting adventure of SAFARI….or so we thought! We were not even 5 minutes out of town when we hit a road block. We were asked to get off. At first it seemed that everyone was being asked to get off. When we couldn’t produce our passports with the stamp we received upon arrival in Malawi, we were detained. I guess in general if you ever had to be detained you would want to in Malawi because its not very harsh or trying.
We explained our story to the immigration officer (at that point we were only dealing with one, a woman) that we were traveling to safari and that we would miss our boat if we were detained. She seemed to not care much even when we added that it was already all paid for. We did not have the document that she wanted to see. She was asking us, “how do I know you are really missionaries, you have no documentation that proves it”. Yet we had her talk to our connection with the Ministry of Hope (Daniel). So there we were- sitting in a small office on a bench being detained because we had only copies of our passport and no copy of the arrival stamp. Another immigration officer (male)enters and introduces himself to everyone in the group (very usual behavior in Malawi) and starts some small talk- where we were from, why we were there, how old we were, etc. He finds out I’m the oldest and he stops. This is how the conversation went:
“You aren’t the oldest!?”
“Yes I am”
“You don’t look the oldest”
“Thanks I do get that a lot, but that doesn’t change the fact I’m the oldest”
(reader, keep in mind im frustrated already because we are detained, not being told what’s going on, are told over and over that we just need someone to bring our passports (which are in our rooms and we have the keys so no one can just bring them to us), the officers are cracking jokes to an extent at our expense..etc)….anywho
The officer leaves for a moment. There is time to just sit and reflect …then..
“Smoke?”
I look at him and he’s looking directly at me.
I reply “What?”
Him: “Smoke?”
“Excuse me?”
“Do you smoke?”
The other officer chimes in, “they are missionaries they are not allowed to smoke”
“Oh! No I do not. Why?”
“I have a smoke and I wanted to know if you’d like one”
“Oh, no thanks”
-silence- (but he’s still looking at me)
“So you are the oldest?”
“um, yep, you have my passport copy you can see that I am by the year”.
“But you don’t look it….single?”
“ehhhh..”
Casey chimes in, “we are all single”.
The officer smiles and continues to me, “ do you like African men?”
“Alright….I’m going to stop you right there!” (as I stare at the ground)
After a short period of being left alone in the office, the officers return saying there is a nice bus for us. We get into this bus (they don’t tell us where we are going again)and the male officer jumps into the bus smiling at me. Im thinking “what, no! you stay at your post I leave!” He stared at me during the trip and asked me name again. I spoke as little as I could because I still have to talk to him he is a government official and I am detained (but it was very unprofessional). He got off early when we went into town. We were taken to the immigration office where they were like “we just need to see your passports”. I explained to the gentleman that we need to get them in our rooms and it would have to be us because we have our keys to our rooms. We got back into the bus and we told them where we lived. Yet we still had to give them directions, which I am very thankful that I pay attention when I am walking because I was able to get them to our teethsaver’s house. We thought that was the end of the road by showing them our passport, but we had to take our passport back to the office. After the wrote everything down, we were good to do!
The rest of our day consisted of making lunch, going to the nursery, and getting dinner as a group out on the town. It was our first time out at night which was exciting. Annie’s friend Buse took us out in his friend’s truck and we all sat in the bed. We went to a Chinese restaurant, which was really good and had pool tables. It was a great time and tomorrow we try to get to our safari successfully! (Daniel had called the place explaining what had occurred and changed our booking to the next day so nothing was lost!)
We explained our story to the immigration officer (at that point we were only dealing with one, a woman) that we were traveling to safari and that we would miss our boat if we were detained. She seemed to not care much even when we added that it was already all paid for. We did not have the document that she wanted to see. She was asking us, “how do I know you are really missionaries, you have no documentation that proves it”. Yet we had her talk to our connection with the Ministry of Hope (Daniel). So there we were- sitting in a small office on a bench being detained because we had only copies of our passport and no copy of the arrival stamp. Another immigration officer (male)enters and introduces himself to everyone in the group (very usual behavior in Malawi) and starts some small talk- where we were from, why we were there, how old we were, etc. He finds out I’m the oldest and he stops. This is how the conversation went:
“You aren’t the oldest!?”
“Yes I am”
“You don’t look the oldest”
“Thanks I do get that a lot, but that doesn’t change the fact I’m the oldest”
(reader, keep in mind im frustrated already because we are detained, not being told what’s going on, are told over and over that we just need someone to bring our passports (which are in our rooms and we have the keys so no one can just bring them to us), the officers are cracking jokes to an extent at our expense..etc)….anywho
The officer leaves for a moment. There is time to just sit and reflect …then..
“Smoke?”
I look at him and he’s looking directly at me.
I reply “What?”
Him: “Smoke?”
“Excuse me?”
“Do you smoke?”
The other officer chimes in, “they are missionaries they are not allowed to smoke”
“Oh! No I do not. Why?”
“I have a smoke and I wanted to know if you’d like one”
“Oh, no thanks”
-silence- (but he’s still looking at me)
“So you are the oldest?”
“um, yep, you have my passport copy you can see that I am by the year”.
“But you don’t look it….single?”
“ehhhh..”
Casey chimes in, “we are all single”.
The officer smiles and continues to me, “ do you like African men?”
“Alright….I’m going to stop you right there!” (as I stare at the ground)
After a short period of being left alone in the office, the officers return saying there is a nice bus for us. We get into this bus (they don’t tell us where we are going again)and the male officer jumps into the bus smiling at me. Im thinking “what, no! you stay at your post I leave!” He stared at me during the trip and asked me name again. I spoke as little as I could because I still have to talk to him he is a government official and I am detained (but it was very unprofessional). He got off early when we went into town. We were taken to the immigration office where they were like “we just need to see your passports”. I explained to the gentleman that we need to get them in our rooms and it would have to be us because we have our keys to our rooms. We got back into the bus and we told them where we lived. Yet we still had to give them directions, which I am very thankful that I pay attention when I am walking because I was able to get them to our teethsaver’s house. We thought that was the end of the road by showing them our passport, but we had to take our passport back to the office. After the wrote everything down, we were good to do!
The rest of our day consisted of making lunch, going to the nursery, and getting dinner as a group out on the town. It was our first time out at night which was exciting. Annie’s friend Buse took us out in his friend’s truck and we all sat in the bed. We went to a Chinese restaurant, which was really good and had pool tables. It was a great time and tomorrow we try to get to our safari successfully! (Daniel had called the place explaining what had occurred and changed our booking to the next day so nothing was lost!)
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Paper Sunday at the Assembly of God Church
We went to a traditional Malawian church service at the Assembly of God church. It was a very busy day and I was excited to see what this service would be like. It was what I thought it would be in terms of a lot of singing and dancing (which I gotta say I loved). After a long period of worship, there was an offering basket. This was followed by two different baskets, then a woman with her chitinje which she placed on the floor and people came up and threw kwacha ($$) in the air so that it fell slowly onto the chitinje (fabric used as skirt or shawl). I was like WOW that’s a lot of different offerings, then there was a group of 8 people that came up representing different church organizations for donation/tithing. Following was another woman with her chitinje. I am not kidding, there were like 15 different donation/tithing. Rather than the normal general tithe, there was a collection for each different group- youth, men’s, women’s, missionary, and the different areas in the Lilongwe. I felt like this was overkill. Also when there are new people at the service they make them introduce themselves to the congregation especially if you are white. Guess who they handed the microphone first?!!? Haha yep me. I was like “why are you coming over here with a microphone…..wait what was it you asked me to tell the congregation??”. Lol it was hilarious!! They were all really nice but as a white person you always feel very on display. Its an interesting thing to be in the minority now. Anyway, the service lasted about 3.5 hrs and it wasn’t until after church when we were heading to lunch that we found out we had attended the “paper Sunday”. Paper Sunday happens once a month which is a day that the people of the church come prepared to church to give to certain organizations in the church. The reason they throw it up in the air and let it slowly come to the ground is so that others see how much they are donating. This is done in the hopes that someone else will want to match that amount of beat it. It’s a very interesting concept to tithe for specific things.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Khwamba Village Visit
This village is the same place we went on my first mobile clinic. On the 1 ½ hour drive out, I was able to read a lot of Jane Eyre (currently the book I am reading which is AMAZING!!) and enjoy the general surroundings. We got to the village and it was all children of all ages. Our group met with the Feeding Center director to talk about how the day was going to proceed and we finished with prayer. The first thing that we did was we had lunch with the kids. Seeing that it was a special occasion that we were out there, we had goat. (ya you read that right GOAT!) We had the usual nsima (pronounced without the “n”), which is their staple food, with greens and a small portion of goat. I was a bit cautious, but it is rude to not accept or not finish food. You know it wasn’t that bad, and now I can say I have had Goat!
After lunch, the kids were separated into groups based on their age, the youngest, middle aged, and teenagers. We had three stations: a game, a craft, and my station- the health talk. I was supposed to talk on good hygiene, good nutrition, and the importance of physical activity. I wasn’t really nervous. I had Daniel by my side to translate and I think when you know they can’t understand you and see your blunders- it puts you at ease. My first group was the youngest. I talked briefly on nutrition keeping it simple and asking them questions. To give them a break, I did Simon says during my talk on physical activity, and finished with a talk on good hygiene. The next group I did basically the same thing, yet I finished too early so I had to kill time. I taught them the Macarena. I know WHY DID I TEACH THEM THAT????
OH well though, they had fun and Daniel and Danielle had fun and a good laugh! The last group I tried to change things up because I had a feeling they wouldn’t want to play Simon says, so I asked them to show me their favorite dance. This took some time, they couldn’t decide on one and then no one wanted to show it. At the close of the last session, all the kids combined in the feeding center area for a person’s testimony and Bible lesson. During this time, I went with Daniel to the van to obtain the bars of soap we had bought for the children. I sat down to listen to the talk and as I sat there I started feeling weak.
I got up and felt bad. I asked Mike if he could go get my water bottle, which was met with “why cant you get it?” I replied “because I cant walk that far”. While he was gone, I started to feel as though I was going to black out and I was very nauseous. Jayme helped me to the ground and Mike came back with my water. I assumed I was just dehydrated. I was standing in a field with the sun hitting me all day talking to kids about nutrition and staying well hydrated. LOL go figure right. Anyway, I went to the van because I didn’t feel well and we soon headed home. I still felt pretty bad even though the water was helping a bit. I put my iPod in and listened to “Somewhere over the rainbow/what a wonderful world” by Israel K (great song btw..can’t for the life of me pronounce his last name though…he’s Hawaiian). This song helped. It brought me back to Palau and going around in the boat! It brought me peace.
About 10 minutes from the house, I reached the point of no return. I knew I was going to throw up! I told them but not in enough time! Needless to say, they need to hose out the van. To spare you detail, the rest of the night was horrid! I HATE…HATE HATE HATE!!! throwing up. I never want to see or eat nsima again in a very long time (I think the Goat didn’t settle very well either). Unfortunately it’s what people hear eat everyday! Also to put the icing on the cake, I was supposed to cook nsima that night with Fred for the entire house. I DID not do that! I spent my time with the porcelain Jon! It was horrible! My salvation came from Annie. She gave me this prescription drug that helps you to stop vomiting. I had nothing to vomit yet it just kept going. She gave me that and I was able to sleep soundly. Happily I can say that the next day I felt about 95% better (5% was my uncertainty of what I could eat).
Definitely an interesting day! I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed being able to teach and interact with the children.
After lunch, the kids were separated into groups based on their age, the youngest, middle aged, and teenagers. We had three stations: a game, a craft, and my station- the health talk. I was supposed to talk on good hygiene, good nutrition, and the importance of physical activity. I wasn’t really nervous. I had Daniel by my side to translate and I think when you know they can’t understand you and see your blunders- it puts you at ease. My first group was the youngest. I talked briefly on nutrition keeping it simple and asking them questions. To give them a break, I did Simon says during my talk on physical activity, and finished with a talk on good hygiene. The next group I did basically the same thing, yet I finished too early so I had to kill time. I taught them the Macarena. I know WHY DID I TEACH THEM THAT????
OH well though, they had fun and Daniel and Danielle had fun and a good laugh! The last group I tried to change things up because I had a feeling they wouldn’t want to play Simon says, so I asked them to show me their favorite dance. This took some time, they couldn’t decide on one and then no one wanted to show it. At the close of the last session, all the kids combined in the feeding center area for a person’s testimony and Bible lesson. During this time, I went with Daniel to the van to obtain the bars of soap we had bought for the children. I sat down to listen to the talk and as I sat there I started feeling weak.
I got up and felt bad. I asked Mike if he could go get my water bottle, which was met with “why cant you get it?” I replied “because I cant walk that far”. While he was gone, I started to feel as though I was going to black out and I was very nauseous. Jayme helped me to the ground and Mike came back with my water. I assumed I was just dehydrated. I was standing in a field with the sun hitting me all day talking to kids about nutrition and staying well hydrated. LOL go figure right. Anyway, I went to the van because I didn’t feel well and we soon headed home. I still felt pretty bad even though the water was helping a bit. I put my iPod in and listened to “Somewhere over the rainbow/what a wonderful world” by Israel K (great song btw..can’t for the life of me pronounce his last name though…he’s Hawaiian). This song helped. It brought me back to Palau and going around in the boat! It brought me peace.
About 10 minutes from the house, I reached the point of no return. I knew I was going to throw up! I told them but not in enough time! Needless to say, they need to hose out the van. To spare you detail, the rest of the night was horrid! I HATE…HATE HATE HATE!!! throwing up. I never want to see or eat nsima again in a very long time (I think the Goat didn’t settle very well either). Unfortunately it’s what people hear eat everyday! Also to put the icing on the cake, I was supposed to cook nsima that night with Fred for the entire house. I DID not do that! I spent my time with the porcelain Jon! It was horrible! My salvation came from Annie. She gave me this prescription drug that helps you to stop vomiting. I had nothing to vomit yet it just kept going. She gave me that and I was able to sleep soundly. Happily I can say that the next day I felt about 95% better (5% was my uncertainty of what I could eat).
Definitely an interesting day! I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed being able to teach and interact with the children.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Mobile Clinic Goes to Selengo!
This was my second mobile clinic and we traveled to the village of Selengo. Selengo is a beautiful area of rolling hills, which a rare thing in Africa. The operation ran very similarly to the first run through. We had a station for measuring weight, assessing temperature, assessing vitals, seeing the doctor, assessment at the lab, registration station, and the pharmacy. I did vitals again, which I must say I am definitely getting better, especially with the obstacles of crying babies and people moving while you are trying to obtain the blood pressure. I will say I have had my share of crying infants, which is always grand- nothing like a day of listening to the heart of an infant while they are crying full-bore. This day seemed to go a lot faster in comparison to the first clinic where the 4 of us in vitals kept looking to see where the end of the line was. I found out that while we saw 280 people(apparently) on the first clinic, we saw only 240 people this day.
After we were done with vitals, I was able to wander a bit and take pictures of the area and the kids. The kids there are definitely not shy. They LOVE cameras because they like to see what they look like. And good gracious if you don’t SHOW them their picture after taking it!!! Oh MY! All you hear is MZUNGU! MUZUNGU! Which means white person/foreigner. They want to get close to you, hold your hand, surround you, and have you take pictures. Casey and I played “duck, duck, Chicken” with them (ya apparently they do not have geese..so its not duck duck goose). Anyway, their game is not exactly the same as the game I played with my Sunday school kids. They like to continue running after you until they feel like sitting down. All I gotta say is THEY ARE FAST!! I was able to tag one and only one. I think it was mostly by chance. He decided to just keep running. Mind you I should tell you that they have this rule that if you get tagged when you were being chased that you had to sit in the middle of the circle. Also their circle is not really a circle more than it is a large mob of people. So I am sitting in the middle and get chosen, which I was unaware that you could be chosen if in the middle. So I have to jump over 3 kids just to start chasing this kid- needless to say he had a HEAD START and just was fast! So I chased him around the circle at least 8 times then stopped and started to strategize. In the end, he chose the wrong way to go and I got him. All in good fun :)
After playing with the kids, we packed up the van and started to head out. On the ride home, I found out that I was going to do a nutrition and health talk the next day on a day at the village. Thus, that was my homework for the night.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Update on the Crisis Nursery
I’m not sure if I described what a typical day at the nursery entails, but basically the day starts off with devotions in the morning about 8am. The devotion/singing usually lasts until 8:30 and the rest of the day consists of changing the infants, feeding the infants, and playing with them. The amount of things we are allowed to do tends to depend on the nannies. For instance this past Wednesday (June 30th), I was left alone with about 8 toddlers. It doesn’t sound too bad, but Gift likes to sit on your lap and cuddle, yet Blackstone wants your attention and wants you to help him learn how to walk. You have Nora pulling on other toddlers, which makes them start crying. Chisomo wants your attention and if he doesn’t get it…..the tantrums commence. All the nannies went to tea and left me in the play area to try to deal with it all. Now I did deal with it for sure!! I started taking the kids back to their beds one-by-one because for the most part they were tired. No one fought me and most were already asleep once I put them in their bed. The exception, of course, lies with Chisomo, Gift, and Blackstone. Needless to say, they screamed bloody murder. Yet after 10minutes of crying, they settled down and slept.
Now I will say my favorite of all the babies (which I know you shouldn’t have favorites) are the twins Jese and Jestina. I would say if I was a bit farther in my life (ie: married, had a settled job etc) I would consider adopting these two. They are so sweet, docile, and smart. Jese hardly cries, yet she doesn’t enjoy bathtime and Jestina hardly cries, yet she is the Queen of spit-up (lol). They are just so calm and enjoy watching things and their smiles are so adorable. Another adorable one is Teageni (we call her Tea). She cracks me up with her smirks and facial expressions.
I did check in on Mario and the other critical baby whose name stands for “freedom” and they seem to be doing well. I got to hold Freedom for a bit and soothed her until she fell asleep again.
Gift was taken into foster care this week! :)
More to come…..
Now I will say my favorite of all the babies (which I know you shouldn’t have favorites) are the twins Jese and Jestina. I would say if I was a bit farther in my life (ie: married, had a settled job etc) I would consider adopting these two. They are so sweet, docile, and smart. Jese hardly cries, yet she doesn’t enjoy bathtime and Jestina hardly cries, yet she is the Queen of spit-up (lol). They are just so calm and enjoy watching things and their smiles are so adorable. Another adorable one is Teageni (we call her Tea). She cracks me up with her smirks and facial expressions.
I did check in on Mario and the other critical baby whose name stands for “freedom” and they seem to be doing well. I got to hold Freedom for a bit and soothed her until she fell asleep again.
Gift was taken into foster care this week! :)
More to come…..
Monday, June 28, 2010
To the Market we Go!
On Saturday, Megan, Casey, Jayme, Gerda, and I went to the market in Lilongwi. The first part of this adventure was the minibus. Minibuses are much like a large cheap taxi. It is 100 kwacha one way (which is about $0.50). Jayme and I sat in the back of the 4 row minibus on a bench that wasn’t very well latched down. It felt like a 20 minute drive on the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. I said that to Jayme and the guy next to me started laughing a bit. Upon entering the town, we started walking to the chitenji (a native skirt-wrap) market. On our way, there was a guy in a minibus that gave me the “eyebrows” as I was walking. I thought I was free from him, yet there was traffic and we were walking fast so I ran into him again. This time I was presented with the “licking of the lips”. Megan got a kick out of this. I just starred at the ground.
When crossing the bridge over the river, we saw to our left several people washing their clothing and a market of some sorts. It was a gorgeous day and actually warm. We finally made our way to the market. I wish we were allowed to take pictures but apparently photos were frowned upon. We had to ask permission to take pictures. I will try my best to explain though. We entered a very narrow alley where little shops were on each side. After hanging a hard left, we followed Gerda down a long and narrow alley until to our left was a long open area of fabrics and sewing machines. Many faces smiled and welcomed us in to choose a chitenji. Walking through, I almost got smacked by an overly exuberant Malawian woman. To avoid the arm, I moved into a step that I did not realize there was causing me to almost fall on my face. Thankfully I caught myself and did not fall- that would have been a great memory lol. After going through different fabrics and designs, I settled on 2 chitenjis of my choice. Picture 3 rooms long of an area with about 50 types of fabric on each table and at least 2 people working each table. To each person, we were “my sister” and they were more than obliging to open up fabric and show you the design. After we all found what we were looking for, we backtracked to the beginning of the market where shops were on each side. The market was a convoluted area with several different areas (clothing, music/ technology, produce, fish, spices, food, baking goods. Initially, clothing was the main shops at the beginning, it soon blended into household items. This is where Megan and I bought out nsima spoons. Nsima is a local staple food- best described as a cream of wheat type of porridge yet made from corn. The spoon is a huge, thick wooden spoon. After the household items, it seemed that we went into the food area (I guess similar to our food court but not lol). This is where the market was more covered by overhead tents (thus was darker). This was my favorite part because there were big bags of flour, yeast, and sugar. Some coverings were lost and the bags began to hold spices. I wish I was able to take a picture because it was very picturesque. When we passed through the produce, I almost lost my footing once again due to the uneven ground because I was looking at a bunch of bananas that had a mutant banana (two bananas grew into one). Yes, I am easily sidetracked at times. After the produce, we came into the fish market. I was relieved that they sold fresh fish because the small markets in the town I am staying in only sell drying fish (which are kind of gross). I saw the largest catfish I have ever seen. It was almost as long as my leg (no kidding).
On our way back toward the wood market, we stopped off at a book store to buy a chicewa bible for Megan’s host family (when she stayed in the village for 10 days). On leaving the bookstore, we were walking and attacked by a dog (who fortunately had a muzzle). It was scary but funny at the same time. The dog leered toward Megan who jumped causing Jayme to jump into me and I jumped. We were all shocked yet after just continued to laugh about it. Not to mention the dog owner and people who witnessed it were rolling in laughter as well- probably thinking “azungu” (meaning “white people/foreigner”).
We finally reached the wood market, which is a place to definitely gird your loins. This market is where you have to barter for your price. Since we are white, they will always try to rip you off giving you the azungu price rather than the normal price. Gerda was amazing. She would not budge and that really helped Megan when buying gifts for friends and family back home. But in general, one (especially if you are white)is swarmed by the dealers there. I had people coming up and introducing themselves and asking me to come see their shops. I kindly said I was just looking and they would continue to show me all kinds of things while looking at what I had on me. They saw my watch and said “you come back and we trade”. Yet when they want to trade they still rip you off saying they will give you 200 kwacha for your watch (the equivalent of $1…when the watch was $45). It was definitely an experience that taught me that when I come back to buy things – 1) come with Gerda and 2) come with multiple people. Jayme, Casey, and I plan to come back with Gerda to shop soon in order to just to get it over and done with.
Overall it was a great adventure/day!
Stay tuned for when I go to the market!!
Things to look forward to: more on the crisis nursery, mobile clinic, safari trip, trip to the other crisis nursery, and Malawi Lake trip…..
Miss you all!! MUCH LOVE! <3
When crossing the bridge over the river, we saw to our left several people washing their clothing and a market of some sorts. It was a gorgeous day and actually warm. We finally made our way to the market. I wish we were allowed to take pictures but apparently photos were frowned upon. We had to ask permission to take pictures. I will try my best to explain though. We entered a very narrow alley where little shops were on each side. After hanging a hard left, we followed Gerda down a long and narrow alley until to our left was a long open area of fabrics and sewing machines. Many faces smiled and welcomed us in to choose a chitenji. Walking through, I almost got smacked by an overly exuberant Malawian woman. To avoid the arm, I moved into a step that I did not realize there was causing me to almost fall on my face. Thankfully I caught myself and did not fall- that would have been a great memory lol. After going through different fabrics and designs, I settled on 2 chitenjis of my choice. Picture 3 rooms long of an area with about 50 types of fabric on each table and at least 2 people working each table. To each person, we were “my sister” and they were more than obliging to open up fabric and show you the design. After we all found what we were looking for, we backtracked to the beginning of the market where shops were on each side. The market was a convoluted area with several different areas (clothing, music/ technology, produce, fish, spices, food, baking goods. Initially, clothing was the main shops at the beginning, it soon blended into household items. This is where Megan and I bought out nsima spoons. Nsima is a local staple food- best described as a cream of wheat type of porridge yet made from corn. The spoon is a huge, thick wooden spoon. After the household items, it seemed that we went into the food area (I guess similar to our food court but not lol). This is where the market was more covered by overhead tents (thus was darker). This was my favorite part because there were big bags of flour, yeast, and sugar. Some coverings were lost and the bags began to hold spices. I wish I was able to take a picture because it was very picturesque. When we passed through the produce, I almost lost my footing once again due to the uneven ground because I was looking at a bunch of bananas that had a mutant banana (two bananas grew into one). Yes, I am easily sidetracked at times. After the produce, we came into the fish market. I was relieved that they sold fresh fish because the small markets in the town I am staying in only sell drying fish (which are kind of gross). I saw the largest catfish I have ever seen. It was almost as long as my leg (no kidding).
On our way back toward the wood market, we stopped off at a book store to buy a chicewa bible for Megan’s host family (when she stayed in the village for 10 days). On leaving the bookstore, we were walking and attacked by a dog (who fortunately had a muzzle). It was scary but funny at the same time. The dog leered toward Megan who jumped causing Jayme to jump into me and I jumped. We were all shocked yet after just continued to laugh about it. Not to mention the dog owner and people who witnessed it were rolling in laughter as well- probably thinking “azungu” (meaning “white people/foreigner”).
We finally reached the wood market, which is a place to definitely gird your loins. This market is where you have to barter for your price. Since we are white, they will always try to rip you off giving you the azungu price rather than the normal price. Gerda was amazing. She would not budge and that really helped Megan when buying gifts for friends and family back home. But in general, one (especially if you are white)is swarmed by the dealers there. I had people coming up and introducing themselves and asking me to come see their shops. I kindly said I was just looking and they would continue to show me all kinds of things while looking at what I had on me. They saw my watch and said “you come back and we trade”. Yet when they want to trade they still rip you off saying they will give you 200 kwacha for your watch (the equivalent of $1…when the watch was $45). It was definitely an experience that taught me that when I come back to buy things – 1) come with Gerda and 2) come with multiple people. Jayme, Casey, and I plan to come back with Gerda to shop soon in order to just to get it over and done with.
Overall it was a great adventure/day!
Stay tuned for when I go to the market!!
Things to look forward to: more on the crisis nursery, mobile clinic, safari trip, trip to the other crisis nursery, and Malawi Lake trip…..
Miss you all!! MUCH LOVE! <3
Crisis Nursery
The Crisis Nursery is a house composed of a front office, three small nurseries (critical infants, younger infants, and older infants), a play area/feeding area, and kitchen. It is an approximate 15 minute walk from Teethsaver’s house. The Crisis Nursery is run by a woman named Ana, and is located in front of Mwai’s house (the coordinator for the mobile clinic). The nursery has full time caregivers that help in taking care of the children via feeding and changing. There is usually a full-time nurse who works in the critical care nursery for the newest children who are brought to the nursery. For instance, this past Friday, a new addition we originally knew as Maria was brought to the nursery. Maria, who turned out to be MariO (a boy), was given up due to the fact that his mother died shortly after his birth and his father couldn’t take care of him. Upon entrance, he weighed 1.7 kg (~4lbs), is maybe 7 inches long (if that), and is only 1-2 weeks old. He is so small and mostly skin and bone. It’s heartbreaking really. On Sunday, we found out from Gerda that he has a fever of about 104 F. So I will let you know more when I can. Hopefully he pulls through and is able to gain strength and survive. Please feel free to pray for Mario!
The other children are all so unique. Tea always has a very discerning look (I’ll send a picture when I can). I enjoy Jessie who is a twin of Justina. Chisomo is the first child I ever met upon entrance to the nursery. I came in very unsure of what I should expect or what I should do. There was Chisomo standing a few feet from the ground grabbing to be held. I picked him up even though I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to. When I went to put him down on request of the staff, Chisomo went into a fit. I have learned that Chisomo loves tantrums. Blackstone is another interesting case. He is a 26-28month old infant yet has some development issues because he still the size of a 12-14 month baby and is not at the mental level of a 26-28 month old. I learned that he initially was very malnourished, yet that was the only information I obtained as of now. One thing I will say, he is DEFINITELY NOT malnourished now. The child can EAT! He’ll eat someone else’s porridge if you don’t watch him. His stance when eating is to lean on your knee with mouth open and ready. He will WAIT as long as the food is coming!
More to come
Focal Verse: and Jesus said, “Let the children come to me…”
The other children are all so unique. Tea always has a very discerning look (I’ll send a picture when I can). I enjoy Jessie who is a twin of Justina. Chisomo is the first child I ever met upon entrance to the nursery. I came in very unsure of what I should expect or what I should do. There was Chisomo standing a few feet from the ground grabbing to be held. I picked him up even though I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to. When I went to put him down on request of the staff, Chisomo went into a fit. I have learned that Chisomo loves tantrums. Blackstone is another interesting case. He is a 26-28month old infant yet has some development issues because he still the size of a 12-14 month baby and is not at the mental level of a 26-28 month old. I learned that he initially was very malnourished, yet that was the only information I obtained as of now. One thing I will say, he is DEFINITELY NOT malnourished now. The child can EAT! He’ll eat someone else’s porridge if you don’t watch him. His stance when eating is to lean on your knee with mouth open and ready. He will WAIT as long as the food is coming!
More to come
Focal Verse: and Jesus said, “Let the children come to me…”
My first Mobile Clinic
The mobile clinics are held every Thursday at different surrounding villages near Lilongwi. This past Thursday was my first time. The basic breakdown is the group here at Teethsavers* leave at 6am via the bus, pick up the other group and supplies at the crisis nursery, pick up other helpers on the way, and head to the village which is where our day begins and ends. So the morning of June 24th, Casey and I woke up at 6am much to our chagrin, yet we were out the door by 6:08am so thankfully we did not hold up the group by much. The problem was our alarms didn’t go off. Anyway, the drive was gorgeous! I love the sky here, its soo beautiful and clear.
Upon arrival at the village center (which is more of an empty frame of a room than an actual center or house), there was a crowd of approximately 200 people waiting in the chilly weather (it’s winter right now here- which is like Redlands two days of spring). We started unloading everything and setting everything up. It was set up into stations. The people were weighed, temperatures were taken, vitals were taken, visited the doctor, went to the lab, and lastly, visited the pharmacy. I initially started out taking temperatures until the line started to congest (after about 10 people). I got placed at vitals, which initially I was rusty, but I gotta say after the 10th person I picked up my rhythm. At times, the blood pressure was difficult to hear due to the reverberation of sounds of people talking, coughing, and babies crying within the structure. After about 150 patients, I noticed that all of us in vitals started seeing where the end of the line was haha. Needless to say, we arrived at the village at about 8am (if not earlier) and worked straight through until about 1pm. Having sat and done the vitals of about 210+ people, I was tired yet had a sense of purpose and accomplishment. It made me realize how much I take for granted. Yes, I wanted a break because I was starving and my lower back hurt because it was like the bench they sat on just kept creeping farther and farther away from my bench lol. But there was no way I could stop and take a break. We were short staffed as is and there was no one to swap with me. But my momentary physical pain and hunger were small compared to their situation. I was told that the mobile clinic is based on a first come first serve basis. Therefore, the first 200 or so are seen, which usually means they are sitting waiting for us as early as 5am if not earlier.
It was definitely an amazing experience. There were a few culture shocks on my part. For instance, I was in the middle of “trying” to take a crying child’s heart rate via stethoscope (because the brachial artery was hard to access as the child cringed away) when the mother grabbed out her boob and thrust it into the baby’s mouth. I understand why she did it and it definitely is the motherly thing to do, but it was a bit shocking because I was about 10inches away from her when she did it- not to mention there were about 3 Malawian men around her and I. Yet I have come to recognize that boobs are not viewed as sexually here as they are in the USA. Anyway crying babies always made taking vitals a very interesting challenge. I was able to soothe them a few times by showing them the stethoscope and letting them play with it for a bit- but for the most part I was a strange WHITE person (hahaha).
Another amazing experience was using their bathroom- if you want to call it that. So lets just say that the moment I got to the village I had to go to the restroom, yet didn’t want to “pop a squat” and I had no time. So after the whole day, I had to go!!! So Jayme, Casey, and I found what we would call an “outhouse”…it was a small room with a door and a small rectangle in the floor. I must say ….I don’t think girls were ever meant to aim. LOL! That was interesting to say the least. Needless to say, the villagers got a laugh out of us and our expressions!
At the close of the day with a sense of accomplishment, we packed up the bus and started our trip back. We were presented with HUGE…and I mean HUGE…scones and either a FANTA or COKE soda. Needless to say, I feel asleep in the bus. Strangely, I was out until Casey was like “oh kittens”…and from a dead sleep I was like “WHAT?!? Kittens…where?”. There were some guys selling kittens, birds, and …something else on the side of the road.
The last amazing thing of that day….MY BAGS ARRIVED!!! Came home to bags which was good because I had to take my malaria meds, which made me have vivid dreams that night. I notice that I don’t get to sleep very early on the days I take my malaria med, not sure if that’s a result of the meds or if its my own doing.
*I never mentioned where I was living. Teethsavers is a house that opens its doors to missionaries. I live in a room with two twin beds, which I share with Casey from Louisiana. We do have hot water which is a blessing. There are 3 people on staff- Fred (manager- type), Letta (housecleaner), and Mark (not sure what he does yet). They are all very nice and friendly. The people who live here at Teethsavers with me are Jayme (Texas), Mike (New York), Megan (Arkansas), Tristan (Missouri), Gerda (Netherlands), Casey (Louisiana), and me.
Upon arrival at the village center (which is more of an empty frame of a room than an actual center or house), there was a crowd of approximately 200 people waiting in the chilly weather (it’s winter right now here- which is like Redlands two days of spring). We started unloading everything and setting everything up. It was set up into stations. The people were weighed, temperatures were taken, vitals were taken, visited the doctor, went to the lab, and lastly, visited the pharmacy. I initially started out taking temperatures until the line started to congest (after about 10 people). I got placed at vitals, which initially I was rusty, but I gotta say after the 10th person I picked up my rhythm. At times, the blood pressure was difficult to hear due to the reverberation of sounds of people talking, coughing, and babies crying within the structure. After about 150 patients, I noticed that all of us in vitals started seeing where the end of the line was haha. Needless to say, we arrived at the village at about 8am (if not earlier) and worked straight through until about 1pm. Having sat and done the vitals of about 210+ people, I was tired yet had a sense of purpose and accomplishment. It made me realize how much I take for granted. Yes, I wanted a break because I was starving and my lower back hurt because it was like the bench they sat on just kept creeping farther and farther away from my bench lol. But there was no way I could stop and take a break. We were short staffed as is and there was no one to swap with me. But my momentary physical pain and hunger were small compared to their situation. I was told that the mobile clinic is based on a first come first serve basis. Therefore, the first 200 or so are seen, which usually means they are sitting waiting for us as early as 5am if not earlier.
It was definitely an amazing experience. There were a few culture shocks on my part. For instance, I was in the middle of “trying” to take a crying child’s heart rate via stethoscope (because the brachial artery was hard to access as the child cringed away) when the mother grabbed out her boob and thrust it into the baby’s mouth. I understand why she did it and it definitely is the motherly thing to do, but it was a bit shocking because I was about 10inches away from her when she did it- not to mention there were about 3 Malawian men around her and I. Yet I have come to recognize that boobs are not viewed as sexually here as they are in the USA. Anyway crying babies always made taking vitals a very interesting challenge. I was able to soothe them a few times by showing them the stethoscope and letting them play with it for a bit- but for the most part I was a strange WHITE person (hahaha).
Another amazing experience was using their bathroom- if you want to call it that. So lets just say that the moment I got to the village I had to go to the restroom, yet didn’t want to “pop a squat” and I had no time. So after the whole day, I had to go!!! So Jayme, Casey, and I found what we would call an “outhouse”…it was a small room with a door and a small rectangle in the floor. I must say ….I don’t think girls were ever meant to aim. LOL! That was interesting to say the least. Needless to say, the villagers got a laugh out of us and our expressions!
At the close of the day with a sense of accomplishment, we packed up the bus and started our trip back. We were presented with HUGE…and I mean HUGE…scones and either a FANTA or COKE soda. Needless to say, I feel asleep in the bus. Strangely, I was out until Casey was like “oh kittens”…and from a dead sleep I was like “WHAT?!? Kittens…where?”. There were some guys selling kittens, birds, and …something else on the side of the road.
The last amazing thing of that day….MY BAGS ARRIVED!!! Came home to bags which was good because I had to take my malaria meds, which made me have vivid dreams that night. I notice that I don’t get to sleep very early on the days I take my malaria med, not sure if that’s a result of the meds or if its my own doing.
*I never mentioned where I was living. Teethsavers is a house that opens its doors to missionaries. I live in a room with two twin beds, which I share with Casey from Louisiana. We do have hot water which is a blessing. There are 3 people on staff- Fred (manager- type), Letta (housecleaner), and Mark (not sure what he does yet). They are all very nice and friendly. The people who live here at Teethsavers with me are Jayme (Texas), Mike (New York), Megan (Arkansas), Tristan (Missouri), Gerda (Netherlands), Casey (Louisiana), and me.
The Heart of Malawi
Its heart lies in its people. They are so warm and welcoming that in a way it’s foreign. I was always raised in a very warm environment, yet as years passed I started to notice that people in America tend to look out for themselves and don’t share the warmth that Malawians do. Walking around town (which is how we get around on foot- which I LOVE) you meet so many new people who say hello and ask how you are. Every child you wave at, waves back with a HUGE smile.
Of course I mean no disrespect to the well-bred American, yet you meet these people and see such a drastic difference. America is a culture of plenty yet I think we tend to lose sight of what really matters. In comparison, the Malawians don’t have much, but their attitudes and lives are so full and giving. They are a people who truly love God and give Him all the praise. Every day begins with a devotion and time of praise to God. This time is not “squeezed “ in or viewed as something to cross off of your list to do- which unfortunately is the case for me at times, rather it is a time to be quiet and find their focus for the day.
One of the devotion times, the person leading it focused on how “complaining steals your soul”. He continued saying that even in problems to praise God and to try to be the solution for others problems rather than the other way around. He focused on being a giving servant of God and having an attitude of continual praise because the greatest gift is LIFE, which I think we take for granted at times. They ended the devotion with a song of praise in their native language- Chichewa. After their version, they shared an English version which was “Follow J-E-S-U-S and J-O-Y will follow”. So simple yet so true.
I hope this finds you all well and I hope you enjoy what is the follow
Focal Verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! (Psalms 103:1)
Of course I mean no disrespect to the well-bred American, yet you meet these people and see such a drastic difference. America is a culture of plenty yet I think we tend to lose sight of what really matters. In comparison, the Malawians don’t have much, but their attitudes and lives are so full and giving. They are a people who truly love God and give Him all the praise. Every day begins with a devotion and time of praise to God. This time is not “squeezed “ in or viewed as something to cross off of your list to do- which unfortunately is the case for me at times, rather it is a time to be quiet and find their focus for the day.
One of the devotion times, the person leading it focused on how “complaining steals your soul”. He continued saying that even in problems to praise God and to try to be the solution for others problems rather than the other way around. He focused on being a giving servant of God and having an attitude of continual praise because the greatest gift is LIFE, which I think we take for granted at times. They ended the devotion with a song of praise in their native language- Chichewa. After their version, they shared an English version which was “Follow J-E-S-U-S and J-O-Y will follow”. So simple yet so true.
I hope this finds you all well and I hope you enjoy what is the follow
Focal Verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! (Psalms 103:1)
Sunday, June 27, 2010
The Flood
The first church service that I went to in Malawi was the Flood, which is a nondenominational
Church that was established here by some people from California (I thought that was interesting). It was a fairly small church that was about half white people (mzungus) and African people. The pastor’s name was Sean and he spoke on how we need to be the light in the dark world. Additionally, he touched on how we are God’s winning team, which he made sure to include a picture of Ghana after they won over the USA. It made for an interesting segway. Anywho that day they had a special guest from Colorado, who shared his amazing and touching story. This was his story: he was raised in a dysfunctional family, who soon divorced by age 11 (if I recall correctly, he also was a believer during this time). During his teens, he fooled around and chose to do stupid things (things he did not go into detail). He kept going to church yet had pressing hardship within him. Feeling he couldn’t talk to someone in his church without judgement, he continued this way for a while until one day he was able to confide in someone. He was on his way to spiritual healing and growing in his relationship with Christ. His last act of moving things behind him was to get tested for HIV/AIDS. In the end his results were positive. He said that he was mortified. The things he did in secret were now out in the open. He went on to talk about how he was worried whether a woman would want to marry him and how he met his wife. He talked about how there were several times where he was close to death and God pulled his through and provided. He shared a certain instance where he had lost so much weight and was so sick that he couldn’t sit up in bed and his doctor said he should make a will. He had only strength enough to flip open the bible, which flipped to Psalms 27:13-14. It says,” I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” Shortly after he read this verse, he got much better and proposed to his girlfriend of a year (who is now his wife). He told of other challenges in his life, one where he feared that he had given HIV to his wife (which turned out to be negative), and another such as the question of children. Happily I say that his wife and he talked to doctors and found there was a way to have children without HIV transfer. This was the story of a man who at many times could have died, yet God had a plan and a purpose for his life. He thought he’d never get married, yet he did. He almost died, yet he didn’t. He thought he’d never be able to give his wife children, yet now they have two beautiful children. He is a pastor and him and his wife are highly involved in HIV/AIDS awareness all over the world. It’s amazing to see how God can work in amazing and miraculous ways. NOTHING IS TOO SMALL or LARGE FOR THE LORD. Something he said that stuck with me was “we are just little stories among God’s big story.
Focal verse: Psalms 27:13-14
Church that was established here by some people from California (I thought that was interesting). It was a fairly small church that was about half white people (mzungus) and African people. The pastor’s name was Sean and he spoke on how we need to be the light in the dark world. Additionally, he touched on how we are God’s winning team, which he made sure to include a picture of Ghana after they won over the USA. It made for an interesting segway. Anywho that day they had a special guest from Colorado, who shared his amazing and touching story. This was his story: he was raised in a dysfunctional family, who soon divorced by age 11 (if I recall correctly, he also was a believer during this time). During his teens, he fooled around and chose to do stupid things (things he did not go into detail). He kept going to church yet had pressing hardship within him. Feeling he couldn’t talk to someone in his church without judgement, he continued this way for a while until one day he was able to confide in someone. He was on his way to spiritual healing and growing in his relationship with Christ. His last act of moving things behind him was to get tested for HIV/AIDS. In the end his results were positive. He said that he was mortified. The things he did in secret were now out in the open. He went on to talk about how he was worried whether a woman would want to marry him and how he met his wife. He talked about how there were several times where he was close to death and God pulled his through and provided. He shared a certain instance where he had lost so much weight and was so sick that he couldn’t sit up in bed and his doctor said he should make a will. He had only strength enough to flip open the bible, which flipped to Psalms 27:13-14. It says,” I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” Shortly after he read this verse, he got much better and proposed to his girlfriend of a year (who is now his wife). He told of other challenges in his life, one where he feared that he had given HIV to his wife (which turned out to be negative), and another such as the question of children. Happily I say that his wife and he talked to doctors and found there was a way to have children without HIV transfer. This was the story of a man who at many times could have died, yet God had a plan and a purpose for his life. He thought he’d never get married, yet he did. He almost died, yet he didn’t. He thought he’d never be able to give his wife children, yet now they have two beautiful children. He is a pastor and him and his wife are highly involved in HIV/AIDS awareness all over the world. It’s amazing to see how God can work in amazing and miraculous ways. NOTHING IS TOO SMALL or LARGE FOR THE LORD. Something he said that stuck with me was “we are just little stories among God’s big story.
Focal verse: Psalms 27:13-14
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
A Day and a half of flying
So first off, I am alive and well in Malawi, Africa. It was definitely a long flight, but I was able to meet some interesting people on the way. I flew out of LAX at 9:10pm on my way to London Heathrow. While I was waiting for my flight, I met a very friendly Australian family on their way back home. I also met a nice French man named Sebastian at the security check. He started talking to me because he thought I was French. After my almost 11hour flight, I arrived in Heathrow where I had a 4 hour layover. I've been to Heathrow before but apparently not this part. I found myself sitting on a bench with a Dior store to my left and a Chanel store to my right, with a seafood restaurant that was serving King Crab legs?!? It was quite amusing and a great place to people watch.
Next I was off to Johannsburg, South Africa. I sat by a high school student from South Africa whom I mistakenly thought was from London due to her accent. Note: Australian, British, and South African accents all sound similar, yet are VERY difficult....apparently. Anyway she was nice to talk to and helped make the 11 hour flight a bit more bearable. Upon landing, I went to my last flight of the day to LiLongwi, Malawi. This flight was about 3 hours and I hardly remember it. I was so exhausted that I slept most of the time except when the flight attendent woke me up for a beverage and a snack (which was more like lunch lol).
Overall, I am glad to have arrived safely. My bags are MIA at the moment, but they assure me they will be in tomorrow. I am adjusting well and hope to write back with new and exciting things to share.
Prayer request: for strength and courage to adjust to the different culture
focal verse: Do not fear for I am with you! [came in very handy during my first night]
p.s: I am 8-9 hours ahead of you all. So I know you're future lol..jk :)
Next I was off to Johannsburg, South Africa. I sat by a high school student from South Africa whom I mistakenly thought was from London due to her accent. Note: Australian, British, and South African accents all sound similar, yet are VERY difficult....apparently. Anyway she was nice to talk to and helped make the 11 hour flight a bit more bearable. Upon landing, I went to my last flight of the day to LiLongwi, Malawi. This flight was about 3 hours and I hardly remember it. I was so exhausted that I slept most of the time except when the flight attendent woke me up for a beverage and a snack (which was more like lunch lol).
Overall, I am glad to have arrived safely. My bags are MIA at the moment, but they assure me they will be in tomorrow. I am adjusting well and hope to write back with new and exciting things to share.
Prayer request: for strength and courage to adjust to the different culture
focal verse: Do not fear for I am with you! [came in very handy during my first night]
p.s: I am 8-9 hours ahead of you all. So I know you're future lol..jk :)
Friday, June 18, 2010
The beginning....
I lie here in bed with my cat Dublin laying across my chest asleep taking in the first few minutes of a new day. It seems the perfect start to my blog. I'm new to this whole blogging thing, yet a few of my friends have shared their sites with me.
So why now, you're guessing? This summer I am off on my next great adventure which leads me to Malawi, Africa for 5 weeks. Thus, the title of my blog- la vita di una bella avventura, which means "life is a beautiful adventure" in Italian. If you don't know me, you are probably wondering, why the heck would she title her blog in Italian when she is going to Africa? Well, life is a vast adventure of twists and turns. It doesn't just encompass one adventure. So with the hope that I keep up with blogging, this will prove to not only contain my adventures in Africa, but throughout life.
I hope you enjoy this and that it keeps you all informed while I am away!!
Africa update: still compiling items and packing...day one of malaria medication...(lets see if I have night terrors..}
focal verse: Be still and know that I AM GOD! Psalms 46:10
So why now, you're guessing? This summer I am off on my next great adventure which leads me to Malawi, Africa for 5 weeks. Thus, the title of my blog- la vita di una bella avventura, which means "life is a beautiful adventure" in Italian. If you don't know me, you are probably wondering, why the heck would she title her blog in Italian when she is going to Africa? Well, life is a vast adventure of twists and turns. It doesn't just encompass one adventure. So with the hope that I keep up with blogging, this will prove to not only contain my adventures in Africa, but throughout life.
I hope you enjoy this and that it keeps you all informed while I am away!!
Africa update: still compiling items and packing...day one of malaria medication...(lets see if I have night terrors..
focal verse: Be still and know that I AM GOD! Psalms 46:10
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