Happy Thanksgiving (tomorrow)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING Nov 26, 2008

Wow – things have been busy around here but things are going good. Ray & I are in charge of the orphanage at the present time and are trying to keep up with the day to day operations such as going to the market at 5:30 am to feed the kids, making sure we have firewood to cook, taking kids to the hospital, and making sure they are in school, bathing and washing their clothes. There is a lot of work to do with all these kids, more than just feeding them and sending them to school but all that detail is for another blog entry.

Even if we are working harder and longer hours now than we were in the U.S., this work is rewarding. We love spending time with them and watching them play and work. They make things (cars, airplanes, dolls, dishes) out of clay and have been spending a lot of time in the mud making these things. The artistic creativity these kids have is unbelievable. They make unbelievable things out of things we see no value in. We give them our empty water bottles, prescription bottles, plastic bags, string – absolutely nothing goes to waste in this country. One of the smallest girls made a backpack out of an empty sugar sack and some string that she found. Back to the clay sculptures: one of the boys made an airplane that really looked like an airplane and the only time he had ever seen a plane was when we took the kids to the airport to meet Jamie and Erle. They spent about 45 minutes watching the runway and there was one plane sitting out there. They must have a great memory of what a plane looks like because this one they made looked really nice. I wish I could get pictures to post to this blog so you could see what I am talking about.

We have no idea what is going on in the outside world since we have no tv and probably won’t get one for a while. We really are ok with that – sometimes it’s better not to know what the stock market is doing or what violence has taken place somewhere in the world. When we go to the internet café, we don’t check CNN.com or MSNBC.com. We check our email and log off because by then, we have sat there for quite a while and need to get moving. However, it would be nice to be able to know what new movies are out. By the way, Jamie brought us “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou” and “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and Erle left us a couple movies so we can now have movie night – just for us. Yeah! These movies are not kid friendly and they wouldn’t understand them.

Well, we’ve been here over 2 months now and since Thanksgiving is tomorrow, I thought we’d talk about what we are thankful for. (I think they only have 2 turkeys in Malawi and they are live ones and very expensive so I think we’ll have chicken wings on Thursday.)

We are thankful that the Lord called us to this wonderful country and that we are able to feed the children, even in difficult times. We are thankful that the kids are healthy. We are thankful that we have a roof over our head, even without hot water or reliable water or electricity. No hot water, no water at times and blackouts make us appreciate more what these people have to go through to survive on a daily basis. It also makes us appreciate more those mornings when we wake up and we have water so we can at least get clean. (I was going to say “so we can take a hot shower” but then I laughed and remembered that’s not possible.) We are thankful that we have food to eat every day because there are many in this country, in the U.S. and around the world that are going to bed hungry tonight. We are thankful that we have great staff who prepare our meals (most of the time), clean our house, wash our car and wash our clothes. (Maybe I – Alice – am more thankful for this one than Ray is.)

We are thankful that we live in a country, and came from a country, that allows us freedom to worship the true God without fear of persecution. We are thankful as we watch the kids sing and dance to the Lord. Watching the intensity and happiness on their faces is enough to make anyone thankful that they can experience worship with the kids.

We are thankful that we are able to communicate with you through this blog. Even if the internet speed in this country is so slow and service is unreliable, we know eventually our messages will go through and we can communicate with the outside world. I can’t image being a missionary in a country like this pre laptop and internet days. Communication would be difficult, if at all and I am sure families waited and waited for any type of information. We at least can communicate easier.

We are thankful for all your prayers and support and that we have such wonderful friends and family who care about our work here.

Eat some turkey and pumpkin pie for us tomorrow and have a very Happy Thanksgiving, remembering all the things the Lord has bless you with.

Who put us in charge and WHY?

Sat, Nov 22, 2008

Well, we have been in charge of the orphanage for the last few days as Esther & Stephano were in Mulanje then Esther went to her village for a while and Stephano went to Mozambique. Therefore, we are in charge until one of them returns, which may be about the 28th.

We’ve gone to several markets to ensure the kids have food each day and have been spending time reading books and working puzzles. The kids have never seen puzzles before and I had to explain to the kids, even the older ones, how to work the puzzle. They are still we having trouble getting the pieces lined up with the pictures but they absolutely love the puzzle. It was a new 24 piece puzzle that Jamie brought with her and with all the use it has been given the last two days, you would think it is about 5 years old, it is so worn out. When I pulled the puzzle out, I called some of the smaller girls over to show them how to work it, the older kids took over and I had to explain to them how it worked.

I’ve also been “tasked” (is this really a word?) with typing the examinations for each class. Wow. It’s difficult enough to type up something when you know the language. Maybe I’ll learn more Chichewa this way.

We talked to Andy, our son, the other day and he mentioned that gas in the US was down to $1.66 per gallon. Erle sent us a conversion chart, which we never should have looked at. We calculated the price of gas here and determined that we are paying $6.42 per gallon!!! Oh to be paying US prices right now.

Gotta run – back to the orphanage to check on the kids. (Maybe we should run instead of driving.)

A breaking heart

Note: I wrote this entry earlier this week and debated whether to post it or not. I decided to post it so you could help pray for and with us.

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We have been having some issues lately at the orphanage that I am not going to get into. Because I am struggling with these issues, I can say there are times that I feel like we should pack it up and go back home because we are not doing any good. However…………………………………I can’t and I won’t. I see the faces of the kids when I close my eyes. I can’t leave Mphatso who is 5 years old and just lost her first tooth. Her brother, Yamikani, is quiet but takes everything in. He was very concerned about his sister because she was not being taken care of and was begging at the market. He kept begging Esther to take her. I see Makiswelo’s face and the look of fear yet excitement when we took him out for the first time and how clumsy he was walking in his first pair of shoes. I see Chisomo’s face, who always looks sad. Every time she comes close to us we know what she wants…….she wants a hug. I see Patuma who begged us to buy her a dress so she could be in John’s wedding and how she glowed when she danced up the aisle. I see Miriam, who is quiet but recently started opening up to us. I see Chifundo’s face when she tries to hide from me and I go up and tickle her. I see Memory’s face when we shake our fingers at each other and say, “tsk, tsk, tsk”. I see Betty saying to me every morning, “Good morning Mom. How are you today?” I see Esau, who was so excited when we bought him a pair of used trousers at the market. He was thrilled that we noticed him and thought we were at the orphanage for other kids, not him. I see Christina and her huge eyes that just melt right through you. I see Rhoda and the laughter in her eyes when her friends tease her because she eats so slowly. I see Fliman, who is at least 17 and in our equivalent of 4th grade because he never had the opportunity to go to school but is a great leader, so creative and willing to help anyone. I see the sparkle in Panganani’s eyes, when he grabbed Erle’s hand in Limbe on one of our shopping sprees and his excitement when he plays with the blocks Jamie brought. I see Joyce who is thrilled when I bring her bottle caps off our drinks. She plays a game with them. I see the three older boys we took to lunch who had never been to a restaurant before. Since they are used to eating with their fingers, the floor under our table had more food on it than was in their stomachs because they were trying to eat with forks for the first time. I see the faces of the numerous kids who have ridden in our car and didn’t know how to open the door when it was time to exit. I see the faces of the kids who are so excited to get a soft drink and a donut when we take them out with us. Even if the donut is stale, it makes no difference to them. It is a huge treat - something most of them have never had. Sometimes, they get a drink at Christmas. Imagine your only Christmas present being a soft drink and you were thrilled to death.

However, the Lord is faithful. He placed us here for a reason and the reason is for the kids, we know that. The rest of the “stuff” is just “stuff”. It is garbage being thrown in our way to take our focus off why we are here. Please pray for us as we are struggling emotionally right now. We love the kids at the orphanage as if they were our own and it breaks my heart to think of our life without them.

Father God,
We worship you and praise you. We know that you called us to this country to love your children. You created all of us and we are your children – we are all family. Because of that, there are no orphans at the orphanage, only our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters and we thank you for giving us the opportunity to be part of this wonderful, yet sometimes frustrating family here in Malawi. Lord, I ask for an open heart, guidance and discernment when dealing with difficult people or difficult situations. Lord, you are the great counselor and I look to you for wisdom. Help us to remember not to look at things through our humanly eyes see but to seek your word for direction. I ask that you help us keep our focus on you and not be distracted by the junk thrown in front of us. With you Lord, all things are possible. I pray all of these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Wed, Nov 19, 2008

Today was a relatively quiet day. Esther & Stephano are still in the Mulanje district and we are in charge of the orphanage in their absence. We only had to make one trip to the hospital today – we had a sick teacher with malaria. Other than that, we went to the market early this morning with two of our designated “market shoppers” and encounter no problems.

If it was a quiet, uneventful day, why am I so tired and why do I have a headache?

Tues, Nov 18, 2008

Tues, Nov 18, 2008 - 2 posts today!!!

Sorry we haven’t blogged for a while but Jamie (our daughter) and Erle (a friend and the US orphanage director) were here for the last two weeks. While they were here, we actually got some relaxation time in, spent quite a bit of time with the kids and showed them around town. We ate at a couple of different restaurants and spent quite a bit of time driving around looking at building construction, going to the market to purchase food & goats for the orphanage, and talking about the future of the orphanage. We also had several meetings with Esther, Stephano and the staff and got to see the kids in school.

They also got to experience life in Malawi with no power and no water. In addition to our lack of hot water, we had several times while they were here that the power went out and we had no water. Welcome to Malawi! Neither water nor power can be taken for granted here.

Since Jamie & Erle left, life around here is getting back to “normal”. Normal, for Malawi, that is. Esther & Stephano left for the Mulanje district for a pastor’s conference and Ray & I are in charge of the orphanage for the next couple of days. Today, (Tuesday, Nov 18) we only had three sick children but none of them required a trip to the hospital. We dealt with a stomach ache, a tooth ache and diarrhea.

Early tomorrow morning, we go to the market to get food for the day for the kids – our first time without Esther at the market. We’ll see what else tomorrow brings.

PS – before Jamie & Erle arrived, Patrick, our night watchman, had been moved to the orphanage and we now have Ben, who had been at the orphanage, as our night watchman. We heard something one night at our house and when Ray when to notify Patrick, he could not find him. After several minutes of searching, he found Patrick in his room sleeping with the door locked. The front door to our house was not locked! We discussed this with Esther & Stephano and Esther had the idea of trading him and Ben’s positions. As it turned out, Ben is doing very well at our house. Ben cannot move into the staff quarters occupied by Patrick because Ben has a wife and two children and Patrick’s room is only big enough for one person so he walks to our house daily. He lives by the orphanage so it only takes him about 45 minutes, which is a short walk, compared to others in this country.

Also, right before Jamie & Erle arrived, we got another new security guard. We purchased a local dog. (See Ray’s blog titled “Lukia” for more information.)

Lukia

Posting from Ray on Thurs, Nov 6, 2008

Well I finally feel like our household is complete now. Yesterday morning at about 6am Garrison one of the members of our congregation who is a dog handler here in for a security company, brought over our new guard dog. Probably one of the most scared looking puppies I have ever seen. She is an African dog, brownish tan in color. Thin, as are all dogs in Malawi. She probably weighs 7 or 8 pounds, and stands about 10 inches or so high. Garrison said that it was a male, but we discovered today at the vet that she is a female. We started with the name of Luke, and had to alter it to Lukia. We were told that she was 3 months old but was pretty small for being that old, although dogs as well as kids are under sized and undernourished in Malawi. Garrison said she was the last of the litter to be bought by someone, so was probably lonesome as well.

When he first put the puppy down, she would hardly move, she was so scared. But after a few minutes, she felt brave enough to go try and hide in the back someplace. If we followed her, she would just run away. The whole time before we left to go to the orphanage, she would just run and hide from Alice and me. The only person that she was going near or paying attention to was Zione. I guess the dogs in Malawi are kind of spooked by Mzungu (a white person) also.

Anyway, when we got home last night I made a concerted effort to make friends, and after finally getting her picked up, she got calmed down and decided that she liked being petted and paid attention to. By the time Alice and I went to bed, she was lying at my feet and following us around when we got up to walk anywhere to see what was happening. She has fleas and is pretty dirty, but still a pretty good deal for 10USD.

We had to be up by 4:30 this morning so I could go help plant maize and Alice could go to the market with Esther, and when Alice walked out to let Evance know that she was ready for hot water for her bath, the puppy greeted Alice with a happy little bark. I got one as well. It is nice to be liked.

We got to knock off early today so that we could get ready for the arrival of Erle and Jamie, so we took Lukia to the vet for whatever vaccinations she needed and a flea bath. The vet was a good man who understands animals and feels like I do that if you are going to own a cat or dog that they should be treated well. She got her first shot and a flea bath, and has to go back for her second shot in three weeks. After she got her bath she got cold and so had to ride home wrapped in a towel. She has followed us around since we got home and if I sit down and am willing to pick her up, she is willing to fall asleep on me. Right now she is fast asleep lying beside me with her head in my lap. Not very easy to type with believe me, but very cute.

I still don’t have a cat, but I am working on that. There is a small white cat that has twice tried to check out our house by sneaking in one of our windows. That may be the one. And at least for a while there is the cat that lives at Esther and Stephano’s that likes me at will let me pet it. Some of the children at the orphanage think I am kind of strange since I like cats and dogs, but so do a lot of adults not only here in Malawi ,but the US as well.

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Update: The first part of this was written 2 weeks ago after we got Lukia, and this is a follow up after we have had her for a while. Lukia is getting bigger and fatter. She is probably 10 lbs. now. She is eating Alpo dog food, and we had to buy a bigger bowl for her food because she delights in carrying her bowl around and dumping her food over. The flea bath got rid of all her fleas and the worm medicine seems to have allowed her to gain weight. She greets us every morning when we get up and meets us at the gate when we get home at night. Right now she is sprawled out on one of our sofas sleeping. She and the night watchman guard our house at night so she needs to get her sleep now while it is still early (7pm). When we go to bed I will take her out and hand her to Ben our night watchman and they will sit on our porch all night to keep watch. And she is earning her keep because she is barking at sounds that she is alarmed at, but is not barking all night.

Now all I need are monkeys………

Wed, Nov 5

I know this post is late but we have tried several times to access the internet and it has been down. Also, Jamie & Erle are here and we are running around with them and talking alot (imagine that - us talking) so we are not getting the posts done that we would like. I promise to blog more after they leave. Enjoy!

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Here was our hectic schedule today, Wed, Nov 5, 2008.

While Esther and Stephano were at the market early this morning, Ray & I took Chifundo for her scheduled chest x-ray as the TB test she took last week came back negative. The x-ray was scheduled for 8:30 and when we arrived at 8:15, we had to stand in line for quite a while to see the doctor to get a form for permission for the x-ray. After we finally received that, we proceeded to the x-ray department where we had to wait again for our name to be called and the x-ray to be taken. Then you wait for the x-rays to be developed and we walked them back to the doctor who ordered them who send us to the TB Clinic. We waited in line there for about an hour waiting for the doctors to even show up at the clinic. When the doctor finally did show up, they took us first. The doctor read the x-rays and said she did not see anything to get too excited about and sent us for an HIV test. We proceeded to the pediatric area of the hospital where we had to listen to a speech with about 15 other mothers with children. Then they tested each child and sent us all out of the room. After she tested each child, she called us back in separately. She sat us down and asked us if we (Esther & I as she was there by now) were her parents and we said we were. She wanted to know if we were ready to hear the results of the test and if we would continue to take care of her as she is an orphan, if the results were positive. We said we would and she asked again if we were ready to hear the results. She said that as of this time, the results were negative. Halleluiah. She asked how we felt about the results. Esther & I both said we were relieved and glad of the results but I stated that I was curious now as to what was wrong with her as she is having chest pains and was treated for a bacterial infection, tested for TB and now tested for HIV but was still sick. We proceeded back to the doctor who sent us for the tests. She read the results and after more discussion she wanted to prescribe an inhaler for Chifundo, thinking she might have asthma. She wanted to send us to the pharmacy then back to the ER to have a nurse show us the proper procedure for using the inhaler. The nurse she was looking for was not around but spoke with one of the doctors who said he would show us how to use it. We went to the pharmacy and the line was rediculiously long so we went back to the ER doctor and said we would either come back later or figure something out. By now we had been at the hospital over 4 hours. The doctor said to me, “No, here’s what you do. You go to the pharmacy and enter the back door. Go alone and leave Esther and Chifundo in the hall way. You go in alone pretending you work here and go up to one of the technicians dispensing the drugs and tell him you need this prescription filled.” Ok, so I did. I was allowed to walk right into the pharmacy and went up to the technician and he filled the prescription immediately. We went back to the doctor, who laughed when I arrived a few minutes later with the inhaler. He showed us how to use it and we were on our way. It was about 4.5 hours from the time we arrived until the time we left.

You are probably wondering how Esther got to the hospital in the middle of my long story and why she was there but we called her about 1/3 of the way through the process to see if she was back from the market and if she wanted to come to the hospital. She said she just got back and while she was at the market one of the older girls leaned against a wall that was not secure and a brick fell and cut her below her eye. I told her our Hope Children’s Centre ambulance (Ray in our car) was on his way to pick them up. As it turned out, Phales was ok. They cleaned her wound and said she had no damage to the eye.

I feel like we are constantly at the hospital. Two days ago, one of the older girls (Berita) fell and sprained her ankle. It was very swollen and we spent about 3 hours at the hospital that day with her. I can’t imagine going to the hospital alone. Most of the time, when they see me with one of the kids, they bring me to the front of the line. I can’t imagine how long the time spent at the hospital would be if they did not continue to bring us to the front of the line. These poor people (literally) spend hours and hours and hours when they make a trip to the hospital.

When we got back to the orphanage today, one of the older boys got hit in the eye playing soccer. We decided to see how he was doing in the morning before we rush back to the hospital.

While we were there, one of the children brought into the emergency room died. The mother sat in the emergency room and wailed for what seemed like a very long time. We experienced another death the other day when we were walking from one department in the hospital to another. Several women lined the floor of the hospital and were wailing. I felt so bad for both of these groups of women.

I think we should all take few minutes to appreciate those around us, whether they are our children, our parents, our co-workers or friends. God placed them in our lives for a reason and he can take them from us just as quickly.

So, to our children, our parents, all of our co-workers and friends, we love you all and can’t imagine our lives without you. Thank you.

Sunday, Nov 2, 2008 - Oreos!!!

I found Oreos!!!!

Well, now I am happy. At the store the other day, I found some Oreos. I thought I had seen them in the past but when I actually went to look for them, they were nowhere to be found so I thought I had imagined seeing them. Then, the other day I found not only regular chocolate Oreos but vanilla Oreos,so I purchased both.

Oh, how things are different here. There were four cookies in four individual packages inside each box, with 2 boxes attached together. The chocolate Oreos taste like Oreos, if you close your eyes. They have a very thin wafer cookie and almost an invisible amount of cream filling - no double stuff here. Ray said the Oreos I purchased for him did not taste the same then we remembered that the Oreos in the US are Golden Oreos and these are vanilla Oreos. Quite a bit of difference, he says. Each package of two Oreos cost K936.00 which amount to $6.79 for a total of $13.58 for 32 chocolate and 32 vanilla Oreos. How many Oreos could that buy in the US? Guess we won’t be purchasing them too often.

So, the next time someone comes this way, a bag of Golden Oreos and one of Double Stuff Oreos would be wonderful!!!

We’ll blog on something more worthwhile later – we are really tired from the wedding yesterday.