2 posts today -- this one and the one from Sunday.
We mentioned in a previous post about the Vaseline and laundry soap that were now going to be given to us from the company that manufactures them. Well, we went back today to see if their offer was still good. Ray & Esther walked in they asked what products they wanted and how much. Esther told them she needed 10 cases of laundry soap (bar soap that they use to wash by hand) and 16 cases of Vaseline for the month. They use Vaseline on their skin like we use lotion. We calculated this price of this gift and it came to K67,600 ($489.85)!!! This is a huge gift for the orphanage. Even if this is the time they donate to the orphanage, this is still a huge blessing and saves them quite a bit of money for the month. Halleluiah!!!
We had to discipline three of the older boys because Esther sent them to mill maize and they sent two of the younger kids back asking for more money because they didn’t have enough to mill the maize. As it turned out, they did have enough money and pocketed the extra money she sent them. We discussed stealing with all the kids and punished the boys who stole the money. The ring leader got sent home for a month to think about what he had done and if he returns, we will discuss some type of responsibility for him at the orphanage. This is Esther’s nephew who had no future at home and was staying at the orphanage. His mother comes to the orphanage periodically to help cook. Since the other two boys were younger and played “follow the leader”, they were not sent home but told that if they got into trouble at all, they would immediately be sent home for good, with no discussion.
A health care worker came to the orphanage and volunteered to treat the kids for a new disease going around Malawi which you become infected from the black mosquito. As a preventative treatment, each child was given a dose of Mectizan based on their weight. This is a once a year treatment in October before the rainy season starts and we are infested with mosquitos. She also gave each child a pill for worms.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Sun, Oct 26, 2008
Here's a blog I created on Sun. Sorry it's late.
We had a terribly windy night last night and it was hard to sleep because of it. When the rainy season starts in Malawi, we have been told that that winds pick up and the first few times it rains, we have thunder and lightning, which we have had. After the first few rains, the wind, thunder and lightning subside. Good, maybe I can sleep then. It rained the other day when Esther and I were in town running some errands. Ray was at home and he said the rain on the tin roof of our house was magnified and he and Patrick (our night security) were trying to talk but had to wait until after the rain stopped because it was so loud.
This afternoon was the bridal shower for John & Blandina, who are getting married next Saturday. I did not have to speak on what it means to be a Christian wife, nor did I have to speak on health & hygiene. I got to welcome people and tell them the purpose of the shower. Wow, wedding showers are different in Malawi. In the US, we sit around and talk, maybe play a few games, open gifts and have so much food left over that we are eating it for a week. A wedding shower in Malawi is different. A program is created with an MC who keeps the shower moving. There are designated speakers who speak on health, communication, money management, etiquette & grooming and between each speaker is a time to honor the bride with money. You dance up to the area where the MC is and either the bride is holding the basket in which you place your money or the speaker who just spoke with holding the basket. It was quite difficult to figure out what was going on so Esther did a lot of interpreting for me. Ether was in charge of the program for the shower so she put me as the second speaker so I could see what was going on before it was my turn – I wish she would have put me last so I would really have been able to figure it out. When it was time for snacks, they came around and handed each person a small plastic bag with 3 items in it: a small piece of chicken, a very small donut shaped cookie and a flat, almost wonton like piece. We danced some more than the groom was brought into the shower, of course, being showered with money. The wedding is Saturday and from what I understand, it will be more dancing and more showering them with money but this time, we’ll know the MC as Joe as been asked to MC the wedding. He and his wife will be staying at our house so we’ll have our first real houseguests. It will be exciting.
Update from last week: Frederick and his wife, Rosemary, went to church with us. Also, the man up the road from Esther who wrote us a letter requesting either a bicycle or money went to church with us today also. Frederick and his wife said they will return to church with us again, but I am not so sure about the man from up the road. I just got the feeling he wasn’t crazy about all the kids but maybe I am wrong.
We had a terribly windy night last night and it was hard to sleep because of it. When the rainy season starts in Malawi, we have been told that that winds pick up and the first few times it rains, we have thunder and lightning, which we have had. After the first few rains, the wind, thunder and lightning subside. Good, maybe I can sleep then. It rained the other day when Esther and I were in town running some errands. Ray was at home and he said the rain on the tin roof of our house was magnified and he and Patrick (our night security) were trying to talk but had to wait until after the rain stopped because it was so loud.
This afternoon was the bridal shower for John & Blandina, who are getting married next Saturday. I did not have to speak on what it means to be a Christian wife, nor did I have to speak on health & hygiene. I got to welcome people and tell them the purpose of the shower. Wow, wedding showers are different in Malawi. In the US, we sit around and talk, maybe play a few games, open gifts and have so much food left over that we are eating it for a week. A wedding shower in Malawi is different. A program is created with an MC who keeps the shower moving. There are designated speakers who speak on health, communication, money management, etiquette & grooming and between each speaker is a time to honor the bride with money. You dance up to the area where the MC is and either the bride is holding the basket in which you place your money or the speaker who just spoke with holding the basket. It was quite difficult to figure out what was going on so Esther did a lot of interpreting for me. Ether was in charge of the program for the shower so she put me as the second speaker so I could see what was going on before it was my turn – I wish she would have put me last so I would really have been able to figure it out. When it was time for snacks, they came around and handed each person a small plastic bag with 3 items in it: a small piece of chicken, a very small donut shaped cookie and a flat, almost wonton like piece. We danced some more than the groom was brought into the shower, of course, being showered with money. The wedding is Saturday and from what I understand, it will be more dancing and more showering them with money but this time, we’ll know the MC as Joe as been asked to MC the wedding. He and his wife will be staying at our house so we’ll have our first real houseguests. It will be exciting.
Update from last week: Frederick and his wife, Rosemary, went to church with us. Also, the man up the road from Esther who wrote us a letter requesting either a bicycle or money went to church with us today also. Frederick and his wife said they will return to church with us again, but I am not so sure about the man from up the road. I just got the feeling he wasn’t crazy about all the kids but maybe I am wrong.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Sat, Oct 25, 2008
This is a post from Sat, Oct 25, 2008. We have been having a terrible time connecting to the internet so we post what we can, when we can.
We went to the market again this morning with a group of kids and the big truck. The rainy season is coming upon us and Esther wants to get as much firewood as she can before the rains start so she can start storing it in a dry place. We went to the market in the village where Mphatso (age 7) and her brother Yamikani (age approximately 12) originally lived. Mphatso (pronounced “Patso”) lived with her grandmother as their mother died when Mphatso was born. Grandmother did not take care of her and was not able to feed her so Mphatso begged in the market for food. Her brother, Yamikani, did not stay with grandma but every time Esther went to the market, he begged her to take his sister. Mphatso & Yamikani have been at the orphanage at least 6 months now. When we left the orphanage on Saturday morning, Esther told Yamikani where we were going and that she was going to take Mphatso with us. He was very upset and begged her not to take Mphatso to that market, which was the market she begged for food in. We took Mphatso and when we got to the market, Esther asked her if she knew where we were. She said she did and named the market. (By the way, Esther told me the day before that she was going to take Mphatso to that market with us and I could not sleep all night – worried how Mphatso might handle the market.)
We walked around purchasing our food and Mphatso held either my hand or Esther’s hand the entire time. Some of the ladies from the village recognized Mphatso and tried to speak with her. She would not speak with them and would not make eye contact with them but she knew where she was and I am sure she knew the women.
After we finished shopping, we went across the street to the market to get something cold to drink. During this time Mphatso told me that she had to go to the bathroom. It took her and Miracle (Esther & Bishop Stephano’s daughter), out back to the restroom and when we returned to the store, there was an elderly woman sitting next to Esther. She told me that this woman was Mphatso’s grandmother. The look on Mphatso’s face was sheer fright. Esther called her over to her and all she did was bury her head into Esther’s shoulder and would not look at her grandmother. She did not greet her until I took her hand and greeted her granny with her. Then I took her over to sit and me and Ray because she did not want to go back to sit by Esther because granny was there. When I sat her down on the seat next to us, she had huge tears streaming down her face. She was scared to death. I carried her out to the truck and thought I was going to lose circulation in my neck as she was hanging on so tight. I put her in the passenger seat of the truck first then I got in. Granny followed us to the truck and Mphatso hesitantly greeted her but I think the only reason she did was because I was between her and her grandmother. Ray’s jacket was lying on the floor in the front seat and she climbed on my lap and held his jacket over her like a security blanket. I tried removing the jacket several times because I was hot but she was not letting go of that jacket. After the truck was about a mile away from the market, she was fine and starting singing with Miracle. I managed to remove the jacket just before we reached the orphanage and Yamikani was very relieved to see his sister back at the orphanage. We spoke to Yamikani later and he said the reason he was scared for her was because he was afraid the people in the village would insist that Mphatso remain there with them. We told him that there was no way we were going to let her stay there, that the orphanage is her home and that is where she will remain.
Esther had sent word to all the guardians in that area that she wanted to speak with them about the children so later that day, Mphatso & Yamikani’s grandmother arrived at the orphanage. (Some other guardians had arrived first and she saw that we spoke with them then they left, leaving the children at the orphanage.) I thought she would have been upset but she did go and greet her grandmother, then went off to play. I think the reason she greeted her grandmother was because she saw that the other kids were still there after their guardians arrived and she felt she was in a safe place at the orphanage.
Later that day, we took four girls to government hospital – yes, the same hospital we took Tamanda to so she could get her rabies shots (she just got shot #3 of 5). Ellis, the first girl we took to the hospital with malaria, has been having seizures. The doctor told us she has the start of epilepsy and wants to see her again on Wednesday to do more testing. Esther has called for her guardian to come and talk with her because she wants him (an uncle) to know about Ellis and her seizures. Chifundo, the one we took to the hospital last week because she is anemic now has pneumonia and is being treated for that. Irene, one of the older girls, has malaria and Memory is having congestion issues. The doctor is treating her for an infection.
Going to the market to feed 100+ hungry children and treating sick children is a full time job. I am trying to assist with remembering when to give medications but that is a full time job in itself.
We went to the market again this morning with a group of kids and the big truck. The rainy season is coming upon us and Esther wants to get as much firewood as she can before the rains start so she can start storing it in a dry place. We went to the market in the village where Mphatso (age 7) and her brother Yamikani (age approximately 12) originally lived. Mphatso (pronounced “Patso”) lived with her grandmother as their mother died when Mphatso was born. Grandmother did not take care of her and was not able to feed her so Mphatso begged in the market for food. Her brother, Yamikani, did not stay with grandma but every time Esther went to the market, he begged her to take his sister. Mphatso & Yamikani have been at the orphanage at least 6 months now. When we left the orphanage on Saturday morning, Esther told Yamikani where we were going and that she was going to take Mphatso with us. He was very upset and begged her not to take Mphatso to that market, which was the market she begged for food in. We took Mphatso and when we got to the market, Esther asked her if she knew where we were. She said she did and named the market. (By the way, Esther told me the day before that she was going to take Mphatso to that market with us and I could not sleep all night – worried how Mphatso might handle the market.)
We walked around purchasing our food and Mphatso held either my hand or Esther’s hand the entire time. Some of the ladies from the village recognized Mphatso and tried to speak with her. She would not speak with them and would not make eye contact with them but she knew where she was and I am sure she knew the women.
After we finished shopping, we went across the street to the market to get something cold to drink. During this time Mphatso told me that she had to go to the bathroom. It took her and Miracle (Esther & Bishop Stephano’s daughter), out back to the restroom and when we returned to the store, there was an elderly woman sitting next to Esther. She told me that this woman was Mphatso’s grandmother. The look on Mphatso’s face was sheer fright. Esther called her over to her and all she did was bury her head into Esther’s shoulder and would not look at her grandmother. She did not greet her until I took her hand and greeted her granny with her. Then I took her over to sit and me and Ray because she did not want to go back to sit by Esther because granny was there. When I sat her down on the seat next to us, she had huge tears streaming down her face. She was scared to death. I carried her out to the truck and thought I was going to lose circulation in my neck as she was hanging on so tight. I put her in the passenger seat of the truck first then I got in. Granny followed us to the truck and Mphatso hesitantly greeted her but I think the only reason she did was because I was between her and her grandmother. Ray’s jacket was lying on the floor in the front seat and she climbed on my lap and held his jacket over her like a security blanket. I tried removing the jacket several times because I was hot but she was not letting go of that jacket. After the truck was about a mile away from the market, she was fine and starting singing with Miracle. I managed to remove the jacket just before we reached the orphanage and Yamikani was very relieved to see his sister back at the orphanage. We spoke to Yamikani later and he said the reason he was scared for her was because he was afraid the people in the village would insist that Mphatso remain there with them. We told him that there was no way we were going to let her stay there, that the orphanage is her home and that is where she will remain.
Esther had sent word to all the guardians in that area that she wanted to speak with them about the children so later that day, Mphatso & Yamikani’s grandmother arrived at the orphanage. (Some other guardians had arrived first and she saw that we spoke with them then they left, leaving the children at the orphanage.) I thought she would have been upset but she did go and greet her grandmother, then went off to play. I think the reason she greeted her grandmother was because she saw that the other kids were still there after their guardians arrived and she felt she was in a safe place at the orphanage.
Later that day, we took four girls to government hospital – yes, the same hospital we took Tamanda to so she could get her rabies shots (she just got shot #3 of 5). Ellis, the first girl we took to the hospital with malaria, has been having seizures. The doctor told us she has the start of epilepsy and wants to see her again on Wednesday to do more testing. Esther has called for her guardian to come and talk with her because she wants him (an uncle) to know about Ellis and her seizures. Chifundo, the one we took to the hospital last week because she is anemic now has pneumonia and is being treated for that. Irene, one of the older girls, has malaria and Memory is having congestion issues. The doctor is treating her for an infection.
Going to the market to feed 100+ hungry children and treating sick children is a full time job. I am trying to assist with remembering when to give medications but that is a full time job in itself.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Yes, we are still here - Thurs, Oct 23, 2008
I know we have not blogged in quite a while but that does not mean that we have not been doing anything. We’ve been in Lilongwe (capital of Malawi) the last two days. It is about a 4 ½ hour drive one way. We needed to register with the US Embassy and Bishop Stephano had business to do in Lilongwe so we thought we’d make a trip of it. Ray & I, Esther and Stephano went up alone and it was nice to spend time – just the four of us. We saw Joe while we were there and spent time with him and his wife. That was nice.
We took another child to the hospital today (Oct 23) to be diagnosed with malaria. Several of the kids are sick right now but most of them have headaches and overall body aches and pains.
God is working in Malawi – vaseline and soap – waterdrum
We went to a meeting for the wedding that is taking place on Nov 1. Wow – things sure are done differently here in Malawi when it comes to a wedding. The families on both sides have been meeting for quite some time to determine how the wedding will be executed. The bride and the groom don’t have a whole lot of say in the wedding preparations. The families planned the food, the venue and the program for the reception. I have been to three wedding meetings and so far the bride has not been at any of them – the groom was at one of them. This last wedding meeting consisted of about 35 or so people from both sides of the family determining who will purchase food, who will decorate and how much it will cost, the program for the reception, etc. We also filled out a slip stating how much we will each pledge so the wedding committee can purchase a joint gift for the couple. We have one more meeting to attend on Saturday morning because the wedding is the following weekend so we have to finalize everything. The bridal shower is on Sunday afternoon and my new dress for the shower is completed. The tailor did a nice job.
We have had two separate people deliver letters to us asking for help. The letters were delivered to us on the same day. The first is from a man named Frederick. He is our neighbor in Chilobwe and wants to start a travel business. He needs MK30,000 and wanted to visit with us to either help fund his venture and give him advice. He has 7 children, ranging in age from 14 to 2 ½. We explained to him what we are doing here and invited him to church with us last Sunday. Well, he came. He attended the service with us and even stayed for the men’s bible study afterwards. He said he enjoyed our time together and is a changed man. He said he would like to come back to church with us again this Sunday. Thank you Lord.
The second request came for either money or a bicycle from a neighbor of Esther & Bishop Stephano’s. He sees us drive to the orphanage every day and thought we could help him. He came to the orphanage today to see what our answer was. We told him the same thing we told Frederick, that we are there working with the orphanage and don’t have jobs to support us so we are relying on the Lord for help, just as he is. We also invited him to church on Sunday so we’ll see what happens. We are really surprised we have only received two of these requests. When they see white people, they always think of money and think we can help them.
Today we had another God experience. We mentioned in an earlier post about the water drums that were now going to be given to us from the company that manufactures lotions, soaps, etc. We were supposed to go back last Thursday and pick up the final drum but we got in a minor car accident the night before and had to have the car repaired. (Nothing major……Ray just backed into a pole and we had to have the back door fixed and the glass repaired to the tune of about $365.00.) Anyway, we went to the company today to speak with Mohammed, the owner. We did get the drum and while they (Ray & Esther) were waiting, they did some more talking about the orphanage and he told them he would like to help out the orphanage by donating some of the products that he manufactures at his plant. Mohammed told them that his 13 year old brother has been killed by a truck driver in April in Malawi and he had been looking for an orphanage to help – then we walked in. Before we left, he had given them his promise that he would donate once a month all the soap, body and laundry soap that we would need in the course of a month as well as all the Vaseline needed in a month. Not as a onetime gift but as an ongoing donation to the orphanage. He told his head man that we would be coming by at the end of each month and that he was to give us what we asked for with no questions and no charging us either. This is a huge gift for the orphanage. Not only because of the monetary value of the gift, but also it is only the second time someone from Malawi has helped out with a donation like this. Mohammed has been invited to visit the orphanage. Tell me God was not at work in arranging this gift.
We took another child to the hospital today (Oct 23) to be diagnosed with malaria. Several of the kids are sick right now but most of them have headaches and overall body aches and pains.
God is working in Malawi – vaseline and soap – waterdrum
We went to a meeting for the wedding that is taking place on Nov 1. Wow – things sure are done differently here in Malawi when it comes to a wedding. The families on both sides have been meeting for quite some time to determine how the wedding will be executed. The bride and the groom don’t have a whole lot of say in the wedding preparations. The families planned the food, the venue and the program for the reception. I have been to three wedding meetings and so far the bride has not been at any of them – the groom was at one of them. This last wedding meeting consisted of about 35 or so people from both sides of the family determining who will purchase food, who will decorate and how much it will cost, the program for the reception, etc. We also filled out a slip stating how much we will each pledge so the wedding committee can purchase a joint gift for the couple. We have one more meeting to attend on Saturday morning because the wedding is the following weekend so we have to finalize everything. The bridal shower is on Sunday afternoon and my new dress for the shower is completed. The tailor did a nice job.
We have had two separate people deliver letters to us asking for help. The letters were delivered to us on the same day. The first is from a man named Frederick. He is our neighbor in Chilobwe and wants to start a travel business. He needs MK30,000 and wanted to visit with us to either help fund his venture and give him advice. He has 7 children, ranging in age from 14 to 2 ½. We explained to him what we are doing here and invited him to church with us last Sunday. Well, he came. He attended the service with us and even stayed for the men’s bible study afterwards. He said he enjoyed our time together and is a changed man. He said he would like to come back to church with us again this Sunday. Thank you Lord.
The second request came for either money or a bicycle from a neighbor of Esther & Bishop Stephano’s. He sees us drive to the orphanage every day and thought we could help him. He came to the orphanage today to see what our answer was. We told him the same thing we told Frederick, that we are there working with the orphanage and don’t have jobs to support us so we are relying on the Lord for help, just as he is. We also invited him to church on Sunday so we’ll see what happens. We are really surprised we have only received two of these requests. When they see white people, they always think of money and think we can help them.
Today we had another God experience. We mentioned in an earlier post about the water drums that were now going to be given to us from the company that manufactures lotions, soaps, etc. We were supposed to go back last Thursday and pick up the final drum but we got in a minor car accident the night before and had to have the car repaired. (Nothing major……Ray just backed into a pole and we had to have the back door fixed and the glass repaired to the tune of about $365.00.) Anyway, we went to the company today to speak with Mohammed, the owner. We did get the drum and while they (Ray & Esther) were waiting, they did some more talking about the orphanage and he told them he would like to help out the orphanage by donating some of the products that he manufactures at his plant. Mohammed told them that his 13 year old brother has been killed by a truck driver in April in Malawi and he had been looking for an orphanage to help – then we walked in. Before we left, he had given them his promise that he would donate once a month all the soap, body and laundry soap that we would need in the course of a month as well as all the Vaseline needed in a month. Not as a onetime gift but as an ongoing donation to the orphanage. He told his head man that we would be coming by at the end of each month and that he was to give us what we asked for with no questions and no charging us either. This is a huge gift for the orphanage. Not only because of the monetary value of the gift, but also it is only the second time someone from Malawi has helped out with a donation like this. Mohammed has been invited to visit the orphanage. Tell me God was not at work in arranging this gift.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Wed, Oct 15, 2008 -- Mother's Day in Malawi
Note: We posted 3 entries today -- Sun, Oct 12; Tues, Oct 14 & Wed, Oct 15. Enjoy!!
I started this blog entry then…………….blackout (power outage). “Welcome to Malawi”, we said and went to sit on the porch. Tonight we had a discussion on the history of Malawi and the tribes that first inhabited here, etc.
We woke early today and went to the market with Esther. We had to rent the big truck because there was no way we could get the food she needed into our car. She desperately needed firewood which took up ½ of the 3 ton truck. We purchased fish, mangos, corn and a few green vegetables. We also purchased 2 pig heads. Tomorrow we go to another market where vegetables and live animals are very cheap.
We also took 4 girls to the hospital today. Since it is Mother’s Day, the government hospital was closed so we needed to go to the private clinic and pay for services. One of the girls (Elles, the one we took to the hospital for Malaria right after we arrived) still has malaria and they think she may have the start of epilepsy because she passed out twice this last week. Chisomo (the new girl who arrived with her sister a few days ago), had bloody diarrhea. Chifundo, age 10, just looked and felt bad. The doctor determined that she is probably anemic. Chikondi, age 13, has malaria and received both pills and an injection because she had a high fever. Each one of these girls was given at least 2 prescriptions (which they fill at the clinic) and one was given three prescriptions. Esther asked me to keep track of who needs to take what drug and when and make sure they take them.
We have decided that there is a reason things don’t get done at the orphanage at the rate we would like them to……….there is either always food to purchase or someone is sick. With 100+ kids at the orphanage, Esther is either always shopping for food or attending to one of the child’s needs. While it is probably cheaper to purchase food in larger quantities, they have no place to store food for long periods of time and they do not have the means to keep food fresh (ie: large refrigerators or freezers), so shopping is an almost every day occurrence.
It has been a long day and I am tired so “Goodnight”. We are getting up early to go shopping again.
I started this blog entry then…………….blackout (power outage). “Welcome to Malawi”, we said and went to sit on the porch. Tonight we had a discussion on the history of Malawi and the tribes that first inhabited here, etc.
We woke early today and went to the market with Esther. We had to rent the big truck because there was no way we could get the food she needed into our car. She desperately needed firewood which took up ½ of the 3 ton truck. We purchased fish, mangos, corn and a few green vegetables. We also purchased 2 pig heads. Tomorrow we go to another market where vegetables and live animals are very cheap.
We also took 4 girls to the hospital today. Since it is Mother’s Day, the government hospital was closed so we needed to go to the private clinic and pay for services. One of the girls (Elles, the one we took to the hospital for Malaria right after we arrived) still has malaria and they think she may have the start of epilepsy because she passed out twice this last week. Chisomo (the new girl who arrived with her sister a few days ago), had bloody diarrhea. Chifundo, age 10, just looked and felt bad. The doctor determined that she is probably anemic. Chikondi, age 13, has malaria and received both pills and an injection because she had a high fever. Each one of these girls was given at least 2 prescriptions (which they fill at the clinic) and one was given three prescriptions. Esther asked me to keep track of who needs to take what drug and when and make sure they take them.
We have decided that there is a reason things don’t get done at the orphanage at the rate we would like them to……….there is either always food to purchase or someone is sick. With 100+ kids at the orphanage, Esther is either always shopping for food or attending to one of the child’s needs. While it is probably cheaper to purchase food in larger quantities, they have no place to store food for long periods of time and they do not have the means to keep food fresh (ie: large refrigerators or freezers), so shopping is an almost every day occurrence.
It has been a long day and I am tired so “Goodnight”. We are getting up early to go shopping again.
Tuesday, Oct 14, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Bishop Stephano arrived back from 16 days in Jerusalem last night. Several of the pastors in the area called Esther while he was gone and asked if he would be able to help put on the conference since has done this kind of thing before and they had not. She agreed that he would help. As it turned out, she did most of the work, meeting with the pastors, arranging food for the conference, places to stay for the pastors and their families, telling them how to set up the room, arranging music, etc. Bishop Stephano arrived home and there were pastors at his house waiting to meet with him as the conference started today.
As it turned out, they were without water at their house for the second day in a row. Last night, Esther rented the big truck and sent the kids over to our house to fill their water drums. She sent them again this morning and again this evening to fill the water drums. They have several pastors and their wives staying at their house so with these extra people and the orphanage kids, they really need water. The pastors brought food with them to give to Esther as a gift. They brought chickens, goats, beans, rice and vegetables – enough to feed the pastors and their families during their stay for the conference.
A couple of weeks ago, when we lost water for 3 days, Esther loaned us one of her big plastic drums for water at our house. We have been in contact with a manufacturer of petroleum jelly and lotions to sell us a plastic drum. We have been to their factory 3 times already and the drum has not been empty. Well, today was another example of God working in Malawi. The first time we went to the factory, they told us they did not have drum………well, as we were talking they found one but it was not empty so they told us to come back the following Thursday. We did and they had been without power so the factory was shut down so the drum was not empty yet………..come back on Monday, they said. On Monday, we could not get there but we went there today. They didn’t have a drum…………..until Ray & Esther accidentally met the man who owns the company, a Muslim. Ray & Esther explained that the drum was being used for an orphanage and about the other trips we had made there. He said he was going to take this over from here and gave Esther two metal drums for free and is giving us the plastic drum for free on Thursday. Praise God!! Now we can all have water on reserve and Esther is ending up with 3 more drums for the orphanage which are desperately needed.
Before the pastor’s conference, some of the girls were walking down to the river to bathe since there was no water at the orphanage. One of the girls, Tamanda, age 13, got bit by a dog on the way to the river. She talked with the owners and found out that the dog had not been vaccinated. So, Ray & I took Tamanda to the veterinarian’s office so they could give us a letter recommending that she receive rabies shots. We met with the vet then went to the government hospital. We were at the hospital probably 2 ½ hours. We sat in the waiting room waiting for someone Esther had called to meet us. This lady never showed so we went to the children’s emergency room and waited there for a short time. Then we were escorted into a room to see a physician. He read the letter from the vet and told us to go to another room to pick up a cooler. They have us a cooler and told us to go to the pharmacy, which is in another building in the hospital to pick up the vaccine then bring it back to them for the injection. Well, this was like no pharmacy I had ever experienced. Tamanda and I stood in line with probably 75 – 100 other people who were all trying to get to the front of the line. Some cut right in front of us, some didn’t even bother to cut in front of the white person, they just went immediately to the front of the line and cut in front of everyone. It was hot and I was getting frustrated by that point. (There is no such thing as personal space in Malawi. If you are not standing immediately behind the person in front of you, someone comes in and takes that space.)
Anyway, Tamanda and I got the medicine, put it in the cooler they gave us and headed back to the children’s emergency room where they administered the injection. We then took her to lunch and had ice cream. She has to have 4 more injections so I know we’ll have to continue this process 4 more times. However, next time, I’ll know what to expect.
Bishop Stephano arrived back from 16 days in Jerusalem last night. Several of the pastors in the area called Esther while he was gone and asked if he would be able to help put on the conference since has done this kind of thing before and they had not. She agreed that he would help. As it turned out, she did most of the work, meeting with the pastors, arranging food for the conference, places to stay for the pastors and their families, telling them how to set up the room, arranging music, etc. Bishop Stephano arrived home and there were pastors at his house waiting to meet with him as the conference started today.
As it turned out, they were without water at their house for the second day in a row. Last night, Esther rented the big truck and sent the kids over to our house to fill their water drums. She sent them again this morning and again this evening to fill the water drums. They have several pastors and their wives staying at their house so with these extra people and the orphanage kids, they really need water. The pastors brought food with them to give to Esther as a gift. They brought chickens, goats, beans, rice and vegetables – enough to feed the pastors and their families during their stay for the conference.
A couple of weeks ago, when we lost water for 3 days, Esther loaned us one of her big plastic drums for water at our house. We have been in contact with a manufacturer of petroleum jelly and lotions to sell us a plastic drum. We have been to their factory 3 times already and the drum has not been empty. Well, today was another example of God working in Malawi. The first time we went to the factory, they told us they did not have drum………well, as we were talking they found one but it was not empty so they told us to come back the following Thursday. We did and they had been without power so the factory was shut down so the drum was not empty yet………..come back on Monday, they said. On Monday, we could not get there but we went there today. They didn’t have a drum…………..until Ray & Esther accidentally met the man who owns the company, a Muslim. Ray & Esther explained that the drum was being used for an orphanage and about the other trips we had made there. He said he was going to take this over from here and gave Esther two metal drums for free and is giving us the plastic drum for free on Thursday. Praise God!! Now we can all have water on reserve and Esther is ending up with 3 more drums for the orphanage which are desperately needed.
Before the pastor’s conference, some of the girls were walking down to the river to bathe since there was no water at the orphanage. One of the girls, Tamanda, age 13, got bit by a dog on the way to the river. She talked with the owners and found out that the dog had not been vaccinated. So, Ray & I took Tamanda to the veterinarian’s office so they could give us a letter recommending that she receive rabies shots. We met with the vet then went to the government hospital. We were at the hospital probably 2 ½ hours. We sat in the waiting room waiting for someone Esther had called to meet us. This lady never showed so we went to the children’s emergency room and waited there for a short time. Then we were escorted into a room to see a physician. He read the letter from the vet and told us to go to another room to pick up a cooler. They have us a cooler and told us to go to the pharmacy, which is in another building in the hospital to pick up the vaccine then bring it back to them for the injection. Well, this was like no pharmacy I had ever experienced. Tamanda and I stood in line with probably 75 – 100 other people who were all trying to get to the front of the line. Some cut right in front of us, some didn’t even bother to cut in front of the white person, they just went immediately to the front of the line and cut in front of everyone. It was hot and I was getting frustrated by that point. (There is no such thing as personal space in Malawi. If you are not standing immediately behind the person in front of you, someone comes in and takes that space.)
Anyway, Tamanda and I got the medicine, put it in the cooler they gave us and headed back to the children’s emergency room where they administered the injection. We then took her to lunch and had ice cream. She has to have 4 more injections so I know we’ll have to continue this process 4 more times. However, next time, I’ll know what to expect.
Sun, Oct 12 - Makiswelo
Makiswelo (pronounced “Maxwell”)
Sunday, Oct 12, 2008
One of the boys who was on holiday (vacation) this last couple of weeks came back to the orphanage today with his nephew. Aubrey (the boy on holiday), went home to help in the fields and visit his family during his break from secondary school. He came back and all of a sudden Esther noticed there was a young boy she did not recognize. She questioned him and found out he was Aubrey’s nephew. His name is Makisiwelo and he is 10 years old. He was very small for 10 years old. Both of his parents had died and an “uncle” took him over into Mozambique. His uncle made him herd animals and was not paying him and only occasionally fed him. Aubrey gave him some of his own clothes and brought him back to the orphanage with the hope that he could stay. Aubrey did not have transportation money to get Makisiwelo back to the orphanage so he had him sit on his lap the entire way back. Transport from their village to the orphanage is about 16 hours by mini-bus.
Esther questioned Aubrey about Makisiwelo’s history, why he brought him and what he had. Aubrey said that he would leave the orphanage and give Makisiwelo his place, if he needed to. Talk about love………having a person sit on your lap for 16 hours because you only have transport money for one seat and then asking to give up your place at the orphanage so your nephew can be safe, fed and schooled.
Makiswelo was immediately greeted by Gift, one of the other boys who originally came from the same village. Gift gave Makiswelo some of his clothes and showed him around the orphanage. The clothes Makiswelo came with were very, very worn - worse than clothes I would have in the rag bag. Since both Aubrey & Gift have given Makiswelo clothes, I guess we go out tomorrow and buy Makiswelo some shoes and underwear.
After this, Esther laughed and told me that last Friday, when we had the kids take maize to the mill to be ground into flour, that was all the maize she had. The food should have run out Saturday night. She woke up this morning, not sure where food was coming from for the day. She went to look in the closet where the maize flour is kept and found two full bags of unground maize that were not there yesterday. She said the she knew something was going to happen today because there was maize in the closet. She said she had no idea Makiswelo was coming but that was the reason for the 2 extra bags. (This is the second time since we arrived that maize has shown up.)
Good night and we hope that the Lord blesses you with your “maize” for the day!
PS – Aubrey does not have to leave the orphanage to accommodate Makiswelo. They are both sleeping with full bellies tonight.
Monday, October 13, 2008
The BIG match
Oct 11, 2008
Tonight I am going to try my hand at this blogging thing. So far all the posts to our blog have been done by Alice, so I suppose I should do one at least occasionally.
Today was the day of the big match. The football match between the national team, the Malawi Flames vs. the D.R.C. The Democratic Republic of Congo. This was a big deal in Malawi.
Now those who know me know that football holds no interest for me (my standard response when someone starts talking about football is “football is that funny shaped ball that they kick and throw, right?). And oddly enough, even though I live in Nebraska, where virtually everyone is a Cornhusker fan, I am not. Now I don’t dislike football. I just think there is way too much importance attached to it by some people. I know the rules and at least some of the players and the strategies used. I had told people for years that you must experience at least one Nebraska football game in Lincoln. I have gone to several games when Bob Devaney was still coach in the early seventies and I still have fond memories of the noise and the excitement. I have even gone to 72nd and Dodge when Nebraska won a National Title. I thought I had seen it all when it comes to team support. Then I came to Malawi and discovered what football really is. Soccer is so much more……..round.
Now I have been driving around in Blantyre and Limbe for a few weeks now and am starting to feel pretty good about getting around. It is odd driving on the opposite side of the road, but not that big of a deal. What is a big deal is getting used to driving as close to each other as we do here. I mean REAL close! I keep pulling my arm inside the car if we get what I think is too close to oncoming traffic.
Anyway, I thought I felt pretty good about driving here. But today is the day of the big match. And where we were going today took us right past the stadium where the game was being played. It was still over two hours ahead of the game when we started to get close. Now you have to understand, the main modes of transportation are by foot or by minibus. So the traffic is a lot of foot traffic, and a huge amount of minibuses. Now minibuses drive like crazy people on a normal day. But today is the day of the big match, and it seems that as a minibus driver, it is your responsibility to fire up the crowd more than it already is by honking your horn and revving up your engine and hanging out out of the driver’s window or the passenger compartment yelling and waving Malawi flags up to and including 3’x 5’ flags. This does fire up the people if for no other reason than to stay out of the way of the minibuses. With all of this flag waving and hanging out the windows and doors of the minibuses there seems to be less chance to pay attention to the actual driving portion of the job. This causes some problems as you could maybe guess, so to make up for it, they just drive faster. Because after all today was the day of the big game. Everyone else (except me) was driving like that.
So as we are driving past the stadium, Esther pointed out how full the stadium was already. I said yes but look at that end over there, it doesn’t look very full. She said yes people did not like to sit over there too much because that was where the people from Ndirande sit. And I guess they have a tendency to get a little rowdy and get into fights. So people tend to stay away from there, unless of course you like that kind of thing. And right outside of the entrance off of Chipembere Highway (which we were on) it was really crazy. People running across the road, traffic at a standstill, police standing in the middle of the road not doing much of anything that I could tell. It was insane fun! Esther was concerned that something was going to happen and wanted me to roll up all the windows so we didn’t get hurt. But we made it through unscathed.
So we finally get through to Limbe, with no more than a few more than normal close calls, and get our shopping done. And head for home by a different way, (this was after all, the day of the big match). We drop off Esther and head back home to our house. We get home through the normal amount of foot and minibus traffic (most people were at the big game). We get home and Evance had the big game on the radio. I decided that I was going to sit out in our back yard where there was a cool breeze and some nice shade and doze for a while. But the game was on, and EVERYONE was listening to the game. The first point was scored by the D.R.C. and that did not sit well with the folks around here. But Malawi countered it with a score of its own a little while later and the whole Chlobwe Township (where we live) erupted in cheers and whoops and beating on anything they could find. And when a while later they scored again to break the tie it was bedlam once again. When the game ended with the same score, 2-1, things really started hopping. From our house we could look over to the road and could see hundreds of people running in unison chanting. There was dancing in the street. Evance was one of them dancing out in front of our house. At one point Alice said that a big bus went driving past with people standing on top and dancing. It is now about 7pm and things have died down somewhat, but mostly because a lot of people don’t have electricity when it gets dark and people tend to go either home or to someplace with electricity. Wow! I just thought of this. It is 7pm and we did not have blackout tonight. Nice change of pace. And we have water tonight also. It is going to be a good night.
And with that I think I will end this my first entry to our blog. I hope you have enjoyed it.
Ray
Tonight I am going to try my hand at this blogging thing. So far all the posts to our blog have been done by Alice, so I suppose I should do one at least occasionally.
Today was the day of the big match. The football match between the national team, the Malawi Flames vs. the D.R.C. The Democratic Republic of Congo. This was a big deal in Malawi.
Now those who know me know that football holds no interest for me (my standard response when someone starts talking about football is “football is that funny shaped ball that they kick and throw, right?). And oddly enough, even though I live in Nebraska, where virtually everyone is a Cornhusker fan, I am not. Now I don’t dislike football. I just think there is way too much importance attached to it by some people. I know the rules and at least some of the players and the strategies used. I had told people for years that you must experience at least one Nebraska football game in Lincoln. I have gone to several games when Bob Devaney was still coach in the early seventies and I still have fond memories of the noise and the excitement. I have even gone to 72nd and Dodge when Nebraska won a National Title. I thought I had seen it all when it comes to team support. Then I came to Malawi and discovered what football really is. Soccer is so much more……..round.
Now I have been driving around in Blantyre and Limbe for a few weeks now and am starting to feel pretty good about getting around. It is odd driving on the opposite side of the road, but not that big of a deal. What is a big deal is getting used to driving as close to each other as we do here. I mean REAL close! I keep pulling my arm inside the car if we get what I think is too close to oncoming traffic.
Anyway, I thought I felt pretty good about driving here. But today is the day of the big match. And where we were going today took us right past the stadium where the game was being played. It was still over two hours ahead of the game when we started to get close. Now you have to understand, the main modes of transportation are by foot or by minibus. So the traffic is a lot of foot traffic, and a huge amount of minibuses. Now minibuses drive like crazy people on a normal day. But today is the day of the big match, and it seems that as a minibus driver, it is your responsibility to fire up the crowd more than it already is by honking your horn and revving up your engine and hanging out out of the driver’s window or the passenger compartment yelling and waving Malawi flags up to and including 3’x 5’ flags. This does fire up the people if for no other reason than to stay out of the way of the minibuses. With all of this flag waving and hanging out the windows and doors of the minibuses there seems to be less chance to pay attention to the actual driving portion of the job. This causes some problems as you could maybe guess, so to make up for it, they just drive faster. Because after all today was the day of the big game. Everyone else (except me) was driving like that.
So as we are driving past the stadium, Esther pointed out how full the stadium was already. I said yes but look at that end over there, it doesn’t look very full. She said yes people did not like to sit over there too much because that was where the people from Ndirande sit. And I guess they have a tendency to get a little rowdy and get into fights. So people tend to stay away from there, unless of course you like that kind of thing. And right outside of the entrance off of Chipembere Highway (which we were on) it was really crazy. People running across the road, traffic at a standstill, police standing in the middle of the road not doing much of anything that I could tell. It was insane fun! Esther was concerned that something was going to happen and wanted me to roll up all the windows so we didn’t get hurt. But we made it through unscathed.
So we finally get through to Limbe, with no more than a few more than normal close calls, and get our shopping done. And head for home by a different way, (this was after all, the day of the big match). We drop off Esther and head back home to our house. We get home through the normal amount of foot and minibus traffic (most people were at the big game). We get home and Evance had the big game on the radio. I decided that I was going to sit out in our back yard where there was a cool breeze and some nice shade and doze for a while. But the game was on, and EVERYONE was listening to the game. The first point was scored by the D.R.C. and that did not sit well with the folks around here. But Malawi countered it with a score of its own a little while later and the whole Chlobwe Township (where we live) erupted in cheers and whoops and beating on anything they could find. And when a while later they scored again to break the tie it was bedlam once again. When the game ended with the same score, 2-1, things really started hopping. From our house we could look over to the road and could see hundreds of people running in unison chanting. There was dancing in the street. Evance was one of them dancing out in front of our house. At one point Alice said that a big bus went driving past with people standing on top and dancing. It is now about 7pm and things have died down somewhat, but mostly because a lot of people don’t have electricity when it gets dark and people tend to go either home or to someplace with electricity. Wow! I just thought of this. It is 7pm and we did not have blackout tonight. Nice change of pace. And we have water tonight also. It is going to be a good night.
And with that I think I will end this my first entry to our blog. I hope you have enjoyed it.
Ray
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Two new girls
Two girls arrived at the orphanage late yesterday afternoon. They were sent via the chief who sent a note with the girls stating that they had no place to stay and no living relatives. These are two girls who had been coming to school during the day but going back to the village at night. Esther took the girls in because she said if she did not, they would not make it back to the village and they had no place to go. So, we now have two more girls in the already crowded girl’s dorm. They are sisters: Chifundo (Mercy) and Chisomo (Grace) and about 8 and 9 years old. They arrived with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. They have no blankets or shoes and the dresses they arrived in looked like they had seen many better days and had not been washed in quite some time, if ever. However, the other girls are happy to share their clothes and shoes with their two new friends. Ray and I took Chifundo and Chisomo, along with Esther and Limbani (Esther’s right hand man), to purchase panties and shoes today. The older one, Chifundo, looked scared, like she wasn’t sure what was going on, if she was safe or if she was being taken back to the village, but she warmed up after we got her in the car and drove around for a bit and ate bananas. They held our hands while we were walking so that was a huge step. (Note: it is true in any culture – share food with people and you have friends. Everyone here loves bananas and they seem to fill the belly, lighten the mood and make new friends.)
There is quite a big difference in the kids from Hope Children’s Centre and other kids in Malawi. The kids at HCC don’t look like orphans, at least not the orphans we see on the streets in downtown Blantyre. The kids at HCC look happy, well fed and loved. Even though they have very little in the way of material possessions, they are content and clean (well, relatively speaking). They are cleaner than the kids on the streets and have a sparkle in their eye while some of the street kids have a look of uncertainty and hopelessness.
While out shopping with the girls, we purchased a package of 10 balloons. We blew them up and gave them to several of the kids. You would have thought the kids had the most expensive toy we could have given them. They loved the balloons and it kept busy with them for quite a while. Such a small amount of money and the kids were happy for hours.
Nothing in Africa goes to waste and we have learned creative uses for things we would normally discard. Plastic bags are used to light charcoal stoves, we cut empty water bottles to use to hold rubber bands, Q-tips and toothbrushes. Our towel rack in the bathroom is a nail in the wall, but it works just fine. An empty bag that maize was purchased in was filled with dirt and used a step into the girl’s dorm. We have a 55 gallon drum outside our house for when we lose water. I wish we could have a drum outside for when we lose electricity which is every day. It is becoming a joke. When the electricity goes off, which it did while writing this blog, we just look at Patrick & Evance and say, “Welcome to Malawi”. Not much else you can do. Life pretty much comes to a stop when we lose power. We have learned to make sure we eat before 6:15 because most of the time power goes off between 6:00 PM and 6:30 PM. It stays off for about 1 ½ hours. Most of the time, we just grab chairs and go sit on the porch and talk until it comes back on. I think we have solved several of the world’s problems during blackouts here in Malawi. Neighborhood kids cheer when the electricity comes back on and we just look at each other and say, “Welcome back to Malawi” and laugh. Then we come back into the house and go about our business.
By the way, water in the toilets here go down in the opposite direction than they do in the U.S. In the states, our toilet flushed counter clockwise. Here in Africa, they flush clockwise. Ray says it has to do with the fact that we are south of the equator in Africa. I don’t know so I’ll take his word for it.
Well, go check your toilets and appreciate the fact that you have water and electricity that you can depend on. But, also remember in your prayers the children in Malawi, both the orphans at Hope Children’s Centre and the street children who have no safe place to sleep tonight and probably will go to bed hungry. I wish I had a banana for each and every one of them.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
miscellaneous "stuff"
You are probably wondering what we have we done in the last couple of days. So have we. Not really…..we took Esther to the government hospital because several of the children have a water borne illness you get from snails in the river (bilhazia??). We have also taken part in planning for a wedding. The government social worker (John) who oversees the orphanage is getting married on November 1. Because of his work, he has gotten to know Bishop Stephano and Esther very well. They are now like parents to him so he has involved them in the planning of the wedding. They have also asked Ray to drive the wedding party from the church to the reception and asked Ray to give the toast at the reception. He and his fiancé are very nice people and we are happy to do it. However, this raises a problem…………I (Alice) have nothing to wear!!! I brought clothes to work in and clothes for church but nothing extra nice for weddings, etc. Therefore, I had to go shopping. Instead of shopping for clothing, Esther and I looked for fabric to have the tailor make something for me. So tomorrow, we will go to the tailor and talk to him about my options. (The fabric cost me $15.00 so I am sure the tailor’s costs will be just as reasonable.)
When they found out we have a video camera, they also asked us to video tape the wedding and the reception so they don’t have to pay for someone to video. We agreed and will teach Limbani (Esther’s right hand man) how to use the video camera also so he can assist us.
Ray is still working with the contractor and the carpenter to fix some pretty major issues at the boys’ dorms before the rains start. Today (Wed, Oct 8) Ray & some of the boys spent quite a bit of time sifting sand for the contractor. They sifted probably ¾ ton of sand with a handmade sifter they made out of corrugated sheet metal with holes poked in it and a wooden frame around it. The sifter itself was heavy and required two people to carry it and sift with it.
I have been spending quite a bit of time helping Esther and bonding with the girls. We are starting to go through paperwork to organize it and I have a game I play with the girls. I pretend I am going to go into their rooms and they scramble to clean it before I get there. I give them a while then I go in and check. They finish cleaning while I am standing there. If that’s what it takes to get them to clean their rooms, we’ll continue playing the game. The kids and I had a huge card game going the other day too. It took me a while to catch on, but I did, with their help of course.
Our housekeeper, Zione, has a son, Vincent. Vincent is about 2 and when we were here in March, 2008, he screamed every time he saw us. Well, he did that for the first couple weeks we were here this time also. Then on Saturday, Zione had Vincent over at our house. Ray dropped Zione and Patrick (our night watchman) off at the mill to get some maize ground into flour and Zione & Patrick got out of the car. Oh no, Vincent was now alone with Ray. Ray got out of the car, opened Vincent’s door and held his arms out. Vincent came right to him and has been Ray’s friend every since. As a matter of fact on Sunday at church, Vincent immediately came right up to Ray and held his arms up for Ray to hold him. He sat on either Ray’s lap or my lap the entire service. Then Monday, we went into town to the store and Vincent wanted to go with so we took him. We now have a new friend and it didn’t take as long as we thought.
Gotta go. I have to prepare something for the bridal shower about being a Christian wife. I had my choice. I could talk about health and hygiene or being a Christian wife. Wow – what choices I have.
When they found out we have a video camera, they also asked us to video tape the wedding and the reception so they don’t have to pay for someone to video. We agreed and will teach Limbani (Esther’s right hand man) how to use the video camera also so he can assist us.
Ray is still working with the contractor and the carpenter to fix some pretty major issues at the boys’ dorms before the rains start. Today (Wed, Oct 8) Ray & some of the boys spent quite a bit of time sifting sand for the contractor. They sifted probably ¾ ton of sand with a handmade sifter they made out of corrugated sheet metal with holes poked in it and a wooden frame around it. The sifter itself was heavy and required two people to carry it and sift with it.
I have been spending quite a bit of time helping Esther and bonding with the girls. We are starting to go through paperwork to organize it and I have a game I play with the girls. I pretend I am going to go into their rooms and they scramble to clean it before I get there. I give them a while then I go in and check. They finish cleaning while I am standing there. If that’s what it takes to get them to clean their rooms, we’ll continue playing the game. The kids and I had a huge card game going the other day too. It took me a while to catch on, but I did, with their help of course.
Our housekeeper, Zione, has a son, Vincent. Vincent is about 2 and when we were here in March, 2008, he screamed every time he saw us. Well, he did that for the first couple weeks we were here this time also. Then on Saturday, Zione had Vincent over at our house. Ray dropped Zione and Patrick (our night watchman) off at the mill to get some maize ground into flour and Zione & Patrick got out of the car. Oh no, Vincent was now alone with Ray. Ray got out of the car, opened Vincent’s door and held his arms out. Vincent came right to him and has been Ray’s friend every since. As a matter of fact on Sunday at church, Vincent immediately came right up to Ray and held his arms up for Ray to hold him. He sat on either Ray’s lap or my lap the entire service. Then Monday, we went into town to the store and Vincent wanted to go with so we took him. We now have a new friend and it didn’t take as long as we thought.
Gotta go. I have to prepare something for the bridal shower about being a Christian wife. I had my choice. I could talk about health and hygiene or being a Christian wife. Wow – what choices I have.
Monday, October 6, 2008
what's really going on
I'll start by saying that I am sorry that there are no pictures on our blog. We still can’t get picture to post. Guess you’ll just have to use your imagination………unless you want to come over and see these things for yourself.
Things here have been going well. Other than one of us being sick, we are making progress at the orphanage. Ray did a visual inspection of the existing school rooms and dorms and was very concerned about the structure of the buildings and the rainy season right around the corner. Therefore, he has been working with a contractor and a carpenter to get some of these things resolved before next month when the rain starts. Nothing huge, just finding doors to hang in the dorms that do not have them, replacing rotted window frames, diverting the waters that run into one of the boys dorms so it flows down the steps instead of into their room and repairing wall damage inside. He is having some of the older boys work with him so they are getting quite a bit of male bonding time and learning a skill. He wanted to work with the carpenter this time so he could see how things are done here and next time he will be able to supervise the boys in doing the work themselves.
I (Alice) have been spending quite a bit of time with Esther. I have been helping cook and we are starting to sort through the paperwork to create some type of file for each child.
We took two of the boys that are HIV positive to the clinic with Esther. The clinician was very kind and even gave the boys their medicines without their health passport book. He did not give them enough medicine for an entire month each but did give them enough medicine for 1 month total. Since then, we found both of the boy’s books and it is now in our possession. This book contains their health identification number and their medical history. Esther said the man at the clinic gave the boys medicine because we (whites) were there. Had we not been there, he would have not distributed their medicines without their health books. If that’s what it takes, one or both of us will continue to go to the medical clinics with her. We also took a young girl to the hospital to be tested for Malaria. She was tested positive for Malaria but Esther had the medicine at home to give her.
The kids come over to our house yesterday. Our house is in Chilobwe, about a 15 minute drive from the orphanage, which is in Baluti. But being kid, they know all the shortcuts. They like it at our house because each time they come over, we give them some type of food. They came over to pray for me yesterday and when they were ready to leave, we gave them candy corn. They went home and told Esther that they got “sugar”. She said, “I sent you over to pray and you come home and tell me about sugar. Tell me about praying first.” The other day I had to drop some bedsheets off at our house so they could be washed before we used them so I took several of the girls with me to deliver them back home. While we were there, we had a tea party, with bananas and strawberries, tea and toast. They had a great time and I enjoy spending time getting to know them. Each of them has a story and we are learning more and more about each of them every day.
We went to the store one day and they had a special on bread so we purchased enough bread that each child could have bread with margarine on it for breakfast the next day. They had bread with tea instead of porridge and loved it. It was such a small thing to us but such a huge thing to them. Most of them had never tasted margarine before.
We had a meeting with all the kids to discuss some of the things they have and some of the things they feel they need. We met with the girls and the boys separately because they have different needs. There were 4 girls who did not have a single pair of panties and 5 boys who did not have a pair of underwear. (We took care of that the next day and purchased them each 2 pairs.) Most of the kids have 1 – 2 pairs of underwear. The girls said they wanted panties and half slips, as not every girl has one. They also need bras – not every girl who needs one has one. They also asked for body lotion, wraps, flip flops (they refer to them as slippers), large bags or suitcases to put clothes in and menstrual pads. The boys asked for underwear, zippers and buttons for their trousers, flip flops, toothbrushes and toothpaste, large bags to put their clothes in, blankets (there are about 15 boys with no blankets), sleeping mats and belts. Not one of the children asked for recreational items although they could use soccer balls.
Some of these items you can purchase here but they are ridiculously priced. A bottle of body lotion that we can buy at the store for a couple of dollars is $7.00. Deodorant is the same price - $7.00. So if you have any of the items at home that the kids need and want to donate them to the orphanage, we would so greatly appreciate that. Remember, these items don’t have to be new. We are still looking for a secure place to store all these items and as soon as we get a place, we will send an email as to where the items can be delivered. Hopefully, we’ll have a place to store the items in a few weeks. (Note: we don’t need anything – the Lord has blessed us more than abundantly!)
We have met several other Americans who are here working. We meet them at the internet café, which seems to be a favorite spot of us Americans who need our technology fix. One of them is with an NGO working with HIV people and the other 3 worked with either orphanages or schools - seems to be a popular thing here. One of the guys has been living in Malawi for 38 years. When Bishop Stephano heard that, he told us that we will be living here 40 years! We feel the Lord called us here, so we’ll see how old we are when he calls us back to the U.S.
Things here have been going well. Other than one of us being sick, we are making progress at the orphanage. Ray did a visual inspection of the existing school rooms and dorms and was very concerned about the structure of the buildings and the rainy season right around the corner. Therefore, he has been working with a contractor and a carpenter to get some of these things resolved before next month when the rain starts. Nothing huge, just finding doors to hang in the dorms that do not have them, replacing rotted window frames, diverting the waters that run into one of the boys dorms so it flows down the steps instead of into their room and repairing wall damage inside. He is having some of the older boys work with him so they are getting quite a bit of male bonding time and learning a skill. He wanted to work with the carpenter this time so he could see how things are done here and next time he will be able to supervise the boys in doing the work themselves.
I (Alice) have been spending quite a bit of time with Esther. I have been helping cook and we are starting to sort through the paperwork to create some type of file for each child.
We took two of the boys that are HIV positive to the clinic with Esther. The clinician was very kind and even gave the boys their medicines without their health passport book. He did not give them enough medicine for an entire month each but did give them enough medicine for 1 month total. Since then, we found both of the boy’s books and it is now in our possession. This book contains their health identification number and their medical history. Esther said the man at the clinic gave the boys medicine because we (whites) were there. Had we not been there, he would have not distributed their medicines without their health books. If that’s what it takes, one or both of us will continue to go to the medical clinics with her. We also took a young girl to the hospital to be tested for Malaria. She was tested positive for Malaria but Esther had the medicine at home to give her.
The kids come over to our house yesterday. Our house is in Chilobwe, about a 15 minute drive from the orphanage, which is in Baluti. But being kid, they know all the shortcuts. They like it at our house because each time they come over, we give them some type of food. They came over to pray for me yesterday and when they were ready to leave, we gave them candy corn. They went home and told Esther that they got “sugar”. She said, “I sent you over to pray and you come home and tell me about sugar. Tell me about praying first.” The other day I had to drop some bedsheets off at our house so they could be washed before we used them so I took several of the girls with me to deliver them back home. While we were there, we had a tea party, with bananas and strawberries, tea and toast. They had a great time and I enjoy spending time getting to know them. Each of them has a story and we are learning more and more about each of them every day.
We went to the store one day and they had a special on bread so we purchased enough bread that each child could have bread with margarine on it for breakfast the next day. They had bread with tea instead of porridge and loved it. It was such a small thing to us but such a huge thing to them. Most of them had never tasted margarine before.
We had a meeting with all the kids to discuss some of the things they have and some of the things they feel they need. We met with the girls and the boys separately because they have different needs. There were 4 girls who did not have a single pair of panties and 5 boys who did not have a pair of underwear. (We took care of that the next day and purchased them each 2 pairs.) Most of the kids have 1 – 2 pairs of underwear. The girls said they wanted panties and half slips, as not every girl has one. They also need bras – not every girl who needs one has one. They also asked for body lotion, wraps, flip flops (they refer to them as slippers), large bags or suitcases to put clothes in and menstrual pads. The boys asked for underwear, zippers and buttons for their trousers, flip flops, toothbrushes and toothpaste, large bags to put their clothes in, blankets (there are about 15 boys with no blankets), sleeping mats and belts. Not one of the children asked for recreational items although they could use soccer balls.
Some of these items you can purchase here but they are ridiculously priced. A bottle of body lotion that we can buy at the store for a couple of dollars is $7.00. Deodorant is the same price - $7.00. So if you have any of the items at home that the kids need and want to donate them to the orphanage, we would so greatly appreciate that. Remember, these items don’t have to be new. We are still looking for a secure place to store all these items and as soon as we get a place, we will send an email as to where the items can be delivered. Hopefully, we’ll have a place to store the items in a few weeks. (Note: we don’t need anything – the Lord has blessed us more than abundantly!)
We have met several other Americans who are here working. We meet them at the internet café, which seems to be a favorite spot of us Americans who need our technology fix. One of them is with an NGO working with HIV people and the other 3 worked with either orphanages or schools - seems to be a popular thing here. One of the guys has been living in Malawi for 38 years. When Bishop Stephano heard that, he told us that we will be living here 40 years! We feel the Lord called us here, so we’ll see how old we are when he calls us back to the U.S.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Ants
I had all sorts of things I wanted to blog about, like how things are going here, what we are doing at the orphanage, how the kids are, even about how we are being creative with items we consider useless like empty water bottles, reused nails, etc ., but instead I decided that we’d talk about ants. We have plenty of time for those other topics later.
First Ray was sick, and now, I (Alice) have been sick the last few days. I have had some pretty bad stomach issues and been terribly congested. Esther has also been sick and even when to the hospital to find out she had malaria and pneumonia. This is just confirmation that we are starting to be effective in the Lord’s kingdom here because the enemy is threatened. However, he cannot keep us down. The kids came over to the house today to pray for me and it was powerful. They walked over to our house, taking the shortcut, of course.
You are probably thinking, what in the world does this have to do with ants but I’ll get to that. Since I have been sick, I’ve been doing quite a bit of laying in bed, sitting on the chair and reading my bible. I was sitting outside reading, praying and just enjoying actually being outside instead of in a bed under a mosquito netting this afternoon and started watching the ants. I have never really paid any attention to them before but they are interesting. There were a line of ants going one way and a line of ants going another way. Each time an ant encountered an ant going in the opposite direction, they both stopped and gave what appeared to me to be an ant greeting. (In reality, Ray told me they are checking to make sure the other one is going in the right direction.) This greeting very momentary but noticeable just the same.
This got me thinking about greeting people and making sure they are going in the right direction. We hear the word “Mzungu” (translated into “white person”) probably 200 times per day. Every time we drive out of our driveway, we hear it. Every time we walk in the market, we hear it. Every time we walk to the orphanage, we hear it. People are getting used to seeing us around and we even had a couple with a small child stop Ray when he was pulling into the driveway the other day say hello and asked if they could come over some time to visit. They were shocked that there were mzungu’s living in the neighborhood. Hearing “mzungu” is starting to be funny and we have started responding with “chabwino” (which means “where?”), as if we are shocked that there are mzungus around too. By the way, Malawians do have a sense of humor. Some of them laugh - others look at us with puzzlement as if we are crazy, which we may be.
Back to the ants…………I starting thinking that most people will respond or look us in the eye when we say “good morning”, “hello” or whatever to them. Some however do not. The kids love us. They now holler “Hi Mzungu” and we wave and smile. If only we could greet everyone we meet with the enthusiasm and the intentionality of the ant, making sure they were headed in the right direction, wouldn’t the world be a better place? Maybe, just maybe, that’s the only “Hello”, “Good Morning” or smile they receive all day. It is possible that it turns a bleak day into a brighter day. It is possible that it lets them know that they are important enough in the kingdom of God to be acknowledged. The Lord acknowledges each and every one of us, even on those days when we feel all alone in the world. Why not have a Christ-like attitude and acknowledge our neighbor, helping them along the way. Maybe it’s someone we aren’t particularly fond of, maybe it’s someone we consider “unclean”. But in reality, aren’t we all outcast and unclean?
I know some of you think I am an optimist but what does it hurt to think this way? Go ahead, try it……….greet your neighbor and every person you come across today, with the enthusiasm of the ant and check to make sure they are headed in the right direction.
Well, kunja kwada (the sun is setting) and the power just went off AGAIN, but tomorrow is a kunja kwacha (new day) so God’s blessings on your day!
Alice (& Ray of course)
PS – for those of you who doubt the power of prayer, before the kids came over to pray for me, I only had enough energy to go from the bed to the chair on the porch. After the kids left, I got up and made homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner. Thank You Lord!!!
First Ray was sick, and now, I (Alice) have been sick the last few days. I have had some pretty bad stomach issues and been terribly congested. Esther has also been sick and even when to the hospital to find out she had malaria and pneumonia. This is just confirmation that we are starting to be effective in the Lord’s kingdom here because the enemy is threatened. However, he cannot keep us down. The kids came over to the house today to pray for me and it was powerful. They walked over to our house, taking the shortcut, of course.
You are probably thinking, what in the world does this have to do with ants but I’ll get to that. Since I have been sick, I’ve been doing quite a bit of laying in bed, sitting on the chair and reading my bible. I was sitting outside reading, praying and just enjoying actually being outside instead of in a bed under a mosquito netting this afternoon and started watching the ants. I have never really paid any attention to them before but they are interesting. There were a line of ants going one way and a line of ants going another way. Each time an ant encountered an ant going in the opposite direction, they both stopped and gave what appeared to me to be an ant greeting. (In reality, Ray told me they are checking to make sure the other one is going in the right direction.) This greeting very momentary but noticeable just the same.
This got me thinking about greeting people and making sure they are going in the right direction. We hear the word “Mzungu” (translated into “white person”) probably 200 times per day. Every time we drive out of our driveway, we hear it. Every time we walk in the market, we hear it. Every time we walk to the orphanage, we hear it. People are getting used to seeing us around and we even had a couple with a small child stop Ray when he was pulling into the driveway the other day say hello and asked if they could come over some time to visit. They were shocked that there were mzungu’s living in the neighborhood. Hearing “mzungu” is starting to be funny and we have started responding with “chabwino” (which means “where?”), as if we are shocked that there are mzungus around too. By the way, Malawians do have a sense of humor. Some of them laugh - others look at us with puzzlement as if we are crazy, which we may be.
Back to the ants…………I starting thinking that most people will respond or look us in the eye when we say “good morning”, “hello” or whatever to them. Some however do not. The kids love us. They now holler “Hi Mzungu” and we wave and smile. If only we could greet everyone we meet with the enthusiasm and the intentionality of the ant, making sure they were headed in the right direction, wouldn’t the world be a better place? Maybe, just maybe, that’s the only “Hello”, “Good Morning” or smile they receive all day. It is possible that it turns a bleak day into a brighter day. It is possible that it lets them know that they are important enough in the kingdom of God to be acknowledged. The Lord acknowledges each and every one of us, even on those days when we feel all alone in the world. Why not have a Christ-like attitude and acknowledge our neighbor, helping them along the way. Maybe it’s someone we aren’t particularly fond of, maybe it’s someone we consider “unclean”. But in reality, aren’t we all outcast and unclean?
I know some of you think I am an optimist but what does it hurt to think this way? Go ahead, try it……….greet your neighbor and every person you come across today, with the enthusiasm of the ant and check to make sure they are headed in the right direction.
Well, kunja kwada (the sun is setting) and the power just went off AGAIN, but tomorrow is a kunja kwacha (new day) so God’s blessings on your day!
Alice (& Ray of course)
PS – for those of you who doubt the power of prayer, before the kids came over to pray for me, I only had enough energy to go from the bed to the chair on the porch. After the kids left, I got up and made homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner. Thank You Lord!!!
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