Today is the funeral of the neighbor, a family member. Mbwenu and Wanangwa are busy with the preparations for the funeral. The women cook for a lot of people. My understanding is that it is mostly those from far away not the neighbors. People come from all over when someone dies. If they are in South Africa they wire money to help with the funeral. Mbwenu will be the master of ceremonies so he goes and buys food and receives the money which is being wired for the family.
Whenever we have been out and about and there is a funeral a collection is made from relatives, neighbors, and friends. When I was shopping someone came around and asked for donations. On this occasion, they wrote the names down. The money helps pay funeral costs and anything left is given to the family.
Esther and I busy ourselves with washing dishes and doing laundry. We sweep and mop the living room and porch.
There are a lot of kids as usual. We entertain them by drawing, singing, and swinging them until I got dizzy.
Esther and I made no-bake cookies for tomorrow. These are easy to do here because we can find the ingredients and we can make them without an oven. Next, we cook lunch: skillet biscuits, fried eggs, and sliced tomatoes.
Hungry kids stayed all day. The family does not usually feed all the neighbor kids so I didn’t either. I did feel comfortable giving them snacks that I had bought. After lunch, I washed the dishes outside as usual.
As I was washing dishes the funeral procession started. Many people had walked 15-20 kilometers to get here. There were probably 500 + people walking by in front of the house. People I had met from all over the area. Many stopped to greet me.
I wanted to video the seemingly never-ending line but I was concerned about being disrespectful so I took a couple of photos from inside. I hope you can get an idea of what I was seeing,
Today is an at-home day for us. Mbwenu is still away teaching another Agriculture Workshop. This workshop will help a community in the south learn more sustainable gardening practices which will produce more food at less expense. Wanangwa will work at her shop in the afternoon.
At Home
Our first day at home without adults. I feel almost like a kid. We use the opportunity to do some cleaning. We do some study and writing today. There are always opportunities to teach so we must always be ready.
Kids
There are always kids around. I love to see them play for hours with a homemade ball, soccer, ball, bottle caps, an old tire, or a deck of cards. We teach the very youngest to say, “Hello, how are you?” I’m fine. The adults laugh at how quickly they pick up the English language. I wish I could pick up Tumbuka that quickly! Esther is learning a lot of Tumbuka. The young people teach her Tumbuka and she teaches them English.
Kids and Thoko, a neighbor who is deaf.Bless and the rainKids and the Clothespin GameKids!
World Bible School
Mbwenu arrives home from the Agriculture workshop. We chat some and soon he is on a mission to take the car back to the mechanic. It still has the check engine light on and isn’t running exactly right. He also has a package of World Bible School lessons to pick up from Davis Sauka. We brought a suitcase full (est. value $400) and we have almost depleted those. The number of students is rising daily. Sometimes people just show up and ask to study.
The sunset is glorious after the heavy rains this afternoon. In the evening Lawrence and I talk with Mbwenu and Wanangwa about their years in Swaziland. They studied Bible and ministry. All of the students at the school worked to help pay their costs. Mbwenu was in charge of the gardens where he learned lot of valuable gardening skills and first met Carl Burkybile from Healing Hands International. Life was different with electricity and running water. I asked Wanangwa if it was hard to come back. She said so because she missed her mom!
Glorious SunsetSunset!
Day 14 Our Second Sunday
We go early to sing English songs before church. Mbwenu picks out songs that they know in Tumbuka too. He tells everyone that Lawrence is a good song leader and has him lead the songs. Soon it is time for Bible class.
Bible Class
Today Lawrence is teaching Bble class on I Peter. Our class is small as we begin but people soon trickle in and we have a good sized group of adults. I counted more than 30 children going into the tiny room at the front of the building. The room is probably about 10 feet X 10 feet!
Washington Mumba
After class I see a familiar face, Washington Mumba has ridden his bike from Mzimba with a friend. They were both invited to lead songs for worship today. It seems to be a tradition to let visitors have the honor of speaking or singing in church.
Washington Mumba
Tenson
Today Tenson preached. He is one of the preachers working with us in our World Bible School outreach. We sing some songs in Tumbuka and some in English.
Esther Teaching with a lot of onlookers.
Esther Teaches
After church Esther taught the youth out of I Timothy 4:12. Tonny translates. I greeted the ladies. We were to have a class but there are several sick members and it is decided that the ladies should go visit them today instead.
Lawrence and Matthew Phillip Phiri
Village Headman
After church we met Matthew Phillip Phiri, a village headman over 16 villages. He invited us to come to his home later in the week because he wants to show us his farm. Lawrence and he chat about his work. He is retired from a government position in forestry and animal management. His second career was in training truck drivers. Now he tells Lawrence that they are to be advisors to the younger people and not doing the physical work now.
Visiting
We go home for lunch. After lunch we go visiting. First we go to visit Chewemwe that I met when going to purchase avocados. He cut his foot while clearing their land in December. He was hospitalized for two months. Because of the infection they were concerned he would lose his foot or his life. Finally, he made some improvement. It was discovered he has diabetis. The hospital was concerned about Covid 19 so they sent him home to recover. He has finished his antibiotics and is still changing the dressing on his foot every day. They apply honey to the wound. They are hoping the bacteria will like the honey and leave the wound alone. Still not much improvement.
We ask him if he would like to go to the Central Hosptal in Mzuzu. He said he would. We make arrangements to take him there this week. We have been making a long list of things to take care of in Mzuzu, the nearest large city.
Chemwemwe with a cut foot
William Bongwe
Next we visit William Bongwe whom we met during our first trip to Malawi in 2018. He has served as one of the elders of the Tombolombo Church. William is very sick and not able to leave his home anymore or get dressed. I believe he has some kind of cancer. William is 59 years old.
When the church first knew he was sick they collected money and sent him to the Mzuzu Central Hospital. They told him it was too late to do anything to help him. We meet his wife and teenage daughter. His first wife passed away and he remarried and this is his second family. He talked about his life of preaching and teaching. Mbwenu tells us his father trained William and now William has become a mentor to him. We pray for him and walk back through the path in the corn fields to the car.
Day 15 More Visits and WBS Meeting
Today we go to visit Denix who has served as an elder in the church but has moved away. He got a promotion and is now the principal of the school somewhere beyond Manyamula. His school has 395 Students and 7 teachers!
Denix has been sick with a lung infection. He has sores on his lungs and has had trouble breathing. They sent him home and he is recovering. Neighbors come by to greet us. It is customary for them to ask the home owner how we are today before he can greet us directly. With all the introductions complete we talk a little while longer. He tells us he is the Uncle to Chewemwe that we visited yesterday with the hurt foot. We pray for him and leave.
New Shelf
Our shelf is ready that we ordered for the WBS materials and Bibles! We pick that up and go home. On our trip home we. have another passenger, the daughter to a neighbor we find out has just passed away. Everyone is anxious to get home. We drop her off first and then we are dropped off. Wanangwa and Mbwenu go to comfort the neighbors.
WBS Meeting
Lawrence meets with the 4 World Bible School workers and collects lessons. They talk about the work and he answers any questions they have.
We cook some porridge and eat. Soon the heavy rains come again.
Heavy RainLawrence and the DogThe goat runs on the porch during the heavy rains
Today Lawrence met with the elders of the Tombolombo church about World Bible School work. Together they are working on a plan of outreach using the World Bible School lessons. * They will oversee this work and four workers who are working short term.
World Bible School
The elders selected four men they knew who would be good. Then asked them if they were interested in training to do this. The men said this is what the Tombolombo church is all about Bible study. Initially, they have chosen a 3-5 meter square area to work. They are talking with their neighbors about Bible study and offering the World Bible School lessons as one way to study the Bible and English.
Lawrence has been a World Bible School teacher as well as his mother for several years now. They receive their lessons as pdf files by email and grade them and return the lessons to the local study helper who answers any questions or helps with understanding English or the Bible.
They had a great meeting and came up with a working plan and closed with prayer.
In the afternoon one of the young men, Isaiah, who works with the youth came by with Bible questions. He is a very serious student of the Bible. He and Lawrence sat down and studied. They had a great time looking at the scriptures.
In the evening I shared pictures from our previous trips to Malawi.
Day 10
Today Esther and I walk to the building to teach the ladies at Tombolombo. Esther takes the teen girls and they have their Bible study and then play games for a while after class.
Ladies class Tombolombo
We study The Power of Our Words. They assured me we all have the same struggles. We had a great time looking at the scriptures in English and in Tumbuka. We talk about next week’s study and then close with a prayer.
AaronGertrude and Grandchildren with Aaron
Gertrude, one of the ladies in the class wants us to stop by her house on the way home. She has a grandson, Aaron, who is suffering seizures. At one time some American doctors came and treated her grandson and the seizures stopped. Now they cannot find the medicine in Malawi and they have lost the name of the medicine. He suffers from seizures every day. He has scars on his arms and legs from injuries he has suffered. We pray. I have encountered some sad things in this community and some amazing people.
I Drove
This afternoon I drove the car to Manyamula to do some shopping. The kids along the way always get excited when we go by but today they got really excited to see me driving the car.
We did some shopping in this small shopping area. One farmer came by with eggplant. Wanangwa asked me if I knew how to cook them and I told her yes. We bought a few eggplants and headed home to prepare dinner. I enjoyed sitting on the mat shelling beans for dinner.
Shelling beans for dinner
Most of our evenings end with songs. Mbwenu, our host is marking all the ones that we both know. This reminds me of so many friends and singings over the years.
*If you don’t know about World Bible School or would like to study the Bible this way message me at redaredding@gmail.com
In September of 2019, we visited Milala as a possible sight for our Rutherford County Walk for Water Well. Our son Gabriel made a wonderful video of the community, the people, and the source of water. We carried their story home with us and shared it with many of you.
Milala 2021
Yes, their dream of a close water source became a reality in 2019 and an Agriculture workshop too! Thank you Healing Hands International, Smyrna Church of Christ and the Rutherford County Walk for Water 2019 for providing this well to the Milala community!
When we arrive we are greeted by many villagers. We gather in the building and hear speeches of welcome and then the history. Elders of the village and local officials are hear to show appreciation for this life-changing gift and to share the it’s impact.
Ruth Orr
The leaders tell the story of Ruth Orr coming to visit. When Ruth came the church was meeting under a tree. Ruth helped them with the funds to build a church building. We met the man who donated the property. They spoke with heartfelt thanks for the gifts they have been given. These gifts improve their community, their health, and their lives.
District Leader Kefase speaks
They take us to the well. It is so rewarding to visit and see the well first hand and gardens. As we hear their stories of how improved their lives are and how thankful they are, we rejoice with them. This is our first time to have met the people who received a well we helped raise money for!
Village elder Sebastian takes us to the wellMilala well
The Agriculture workshop gave them new skills to improve their crop yields and therefore improve their lives. They were able to use money from their first crop to help the church in Milala. They have high hopes!
Reda and the oldest villager
Cecilia
We say goodbye to Milala and travel to Mzimba. Our car needs some repair. Wanangwa, Esther and I do some shopping while the car is at the mechanic. We meet up with Cecilia one of our students from 2018 who is a prison guard. She also helps to teach the women inmates. It is a joyous reunion,
Lunch at the Take-Out
We eat lunch at a local take-out and visit with our friends. After lunch Lawrence waits at the restaurant while we finish our shopping.
Lunch and visit at the take-outPreacher Washington Mumba we met in 2018
Esther finds a beautiful piece of material for a dress and a black skirt. I purchase mosquito nets and water. We go back to the restaurant to wait and I realize my mosquito nets are missing. Retracing our steps we find the shop keeper has held the nets for us! I am happy. We head back once again to the restaurant and find the car is still not ready.
Mbwenu decides he will wait with the car while Bless will transport us home. We ride with three other passengers who question us about staying in the village. They wanted to know if we find it hard. It certainly is not what we are accustomed to at home, but I am loving it all the same. I have never experienced any greater hospitality and I have certainly experienced some great hospitality. I am thrilled to be a part of such a Christian community all over the world I am just at home!
Esther, Lawrence and I take on the task of doing our laundry by hand. Soon it is on the line and drying. After a while a rainstorm blows in and we make a mad dash to retrieve the laundry and drape it all over the house.
In the evening Mbwenu and I talk about childbirth practices and the maternal mortality rate in Malawi. I would love to do something to improve this situation. I feel so helpless at times.
We got up eager to see our surroundings by day. Having arrived at night we didn’t really know anything about our surroundings. We knew it was rural and the roads narrow and rutted. Now we know we are staying on a farm nestled among many other farms in Tombolombo. Beautiful fields of grain, beans growing, goats, chickens, a dairy cow, beehives, and a grieving dog are all part of our surroundings.
This farm is a part of family land with several family members living nearby. They have their own fields to plant and their own homes. They share a common well and several families share a common outhouse as we would call it.
Our Hosts
Our hosts, the Chirwas are an amazing, hardworking, talented, inventive, family. I can’t say enough. They are up early tending to the animals and daily necessities of life cooking, sweeping the area around the house, and heating water for baths, as well as managing their farm. There are 4 sons in the family which are 8,13,16, and 19 years old.
The only source of electricity is solar. These solar panels once installed should last about 25 years and yield free power. Mr. Chirwa teaches sustainable gardening workshops and practices it too. Looking at his fields and those surrounding them there is a very obvious difference. Mrs. Chirwa has a small grocery shop and is a part of a bakery co-op. Mr. Chirwa is the director of a farmer’s cooperative that has over 700 participating farmers. This cooperative allows them to sell to customers needing greater quantities as well as other things which I am learning about. There is more opportunities available when small farms band together. This family is very active in their church and community! Special people for sure yet they share the same struggles and needs and goals that most of us deal with. The Chirwas have welcomed us into their home in a beautiful way.
Meeting with the Local Elders
Today we met with the elders at the local church. Everyone gave self Introductions and the church leaders made speeches of welcome. Speeches and welcoming are a normal part of the culture in Malawi.
The elders shared the history of the church and its current ministries. We talked of working together for the glory of God as we shared our hopes and future possibilities.
Mtendere Bakery
After a very nice meeting with the elders and church leaders, we got to visit the Women of Hope’s sponsored Mtendere Bakery.
It was an incredible bakery and I was so intrigued by their ovens. I really wanted to join right in as they kneaded the loaves of bread. Esther got involved in making cupcakes. The ladies had a great time with Esther teaching her to cream the sugar as they do. I am hoping to get to try these earthen ovens while I am here. We are treated to their singing and dancing as the ladies share the story of how blessed they are to have this opportunity to work in the bakery and provide for their families. Many women are widows or left to provide for themselves and their families while their husbands have gone away to work in South Africa ( this is a very big problem in Malawi).
We would love to see more opportunities for work right here in Malawi. The bakery is one of these wonderful opportunities. With their success may be many people will see they can create work right here in Malawi, as these women are doing.
After we returned home some of the youth, as they call them came to get to know Esther.
Goat PenHuge cactus in our yardA new shoot on the huge cactusEarthen oven – Cupcakes!Bread, sconesHot Cross BunsBakers – Giving thanks for the Bakery and opportunities to support themselvesEsther getting baking lessonsMtendere Bakery – Women of Hope
Arriving at Addis Ababa they opened the doors of our aircraft and placed stairs for us to walk down with our carry-on bags and backpacks. This is a bit much for me because I packed my bag with teaching materials and it was heavy. Esther exited first and was herded into the building and quickly disappeared. They took Lawrence on a special ramp and in a wheelchair. It is hard for him to walk long distances so this helps a lot! We were quickly reunited to go through the X-rays and scanners once more before we could enter the building. They questioned the bag with the Bibles once more. Once this was complete, they had a special area for Lawrence to wait and a separate area for Esther and me. We prefer to stay together.
To Lilongwe
In a couple of hours, we are ready to board our plane for Lilongwe, Malawi. This is our final leg of our journey. We get to sit together!
As we were in the air they served us a snack. We eat so much on these flights! As soon as they had finished serving snacks they came through with lunch. The food is good!
Health Screening
Our flight seems so short after the last one and soon we are on the ground. Disembarking we are directed toward two big white tents. We are told to wash our hands with a chlorine hand wash and then we enter the tent. Some are having temperatures taken and some are directed to give their Covid testing lab results. After our medical screening, we get in line to get our visas. The process is very quick, and I am surprised the price is about half what it is when we purchase our visas from the embassy in D.C. Next, we go through customs and immigration where they check and stamp our passports. The next step they waved us through without screening our bags or asking any questions! I am tired and thankful to finally be in Malawi!
Our Friends Greet Us
Mbwenu and Bless are here to meet us! Lawrence and Esther go with them to load our baggage while I get funds transferred into kwacha. Mission accomplished we get in the car and proceed to Mzimba, a 4-hour drive.
Police Roadblock
Along the way, we are stopped at a police roadblock. We acquire a ticket for having 3 people in the middle. It has three seat belts and normally this is not a problem because this is a 7 passenger vehicle (baggage in rear seats). Because of Covid, they have reduced the number of allowed passengers. Our ticket is 15,000 Kwacha which is about $20 US. Back on the road again. The scenery is beautiful. Everything is very green and maize is growing along the road. We are making good time and soon drop Bless off at home in Mzimba. We travel on as it gets dark and arrive at Mbwenu’s home.
This is a very gracious family and we are thankful to spend time getting to know them and the culture we are living in.
We eat dinner, sing some songs (yes we brought some songbooks!) We are all tired. It has been a long wonderful day for us and our host family who tended his farm milked the cow, etc., and then drove 4 hours to meet us today. Then they turned around and drove the return trip!
And what a trip it is!
We head down the path before we get ready for sleeping and that is the conclusion of Day 3.
I hope to journal as often as I can as we live out our two-month stay in Malawi. I will upload my journal when I have wifi. This means our journal entries will be delayed a few days.
A different kind of trip.
This trip will be a different kind of trip for us. Lawrence, Esther, and I have all been to Malawi before but not to this area. This time we are going to a new area and living the village life.
Up early dressing and checking last-minute details. Josiah and the grands arrive and Gabriel next. They help us load the bags and with last hugs, we are off to the Nashville airport.
The boys help us get our bags inside the airport and Jonas stays with us in case we need anything. Thank you, Jonas! Soon we are through check-in and headed through security and to the gate.
Masks
Being masked certainly changes the dynamics of this trip. For one thing, I have only worn a mask for two hours at a time. I don’t like it but I try not to complain under the circumstances. Our longest flight is almost 14 hours and will require a mask. I miss those smiling faces. So communication is different as well as the discomfort and anxiety caused by wearing a mask for hours!
We board for our first leg of our journey, the short flight to Washington Dulles International Airport. Our flight goes well and soon we are landing, Upon arrival, we find out that we have to collect all our luggage for the night! We ponder this news for a while and decide we will stay at the motel across the street.
All five 50 lb. bags are loaded onto the shuttle and our carry-on bags as well. A few minutes later they are stored for the night and we are checked in. Because of Covid, they are only doing take-out meals so we order and soon eat dinner and read the Bible, and head to bed.
Merry Merry Christmas to you! As we near the end of the year and look back you no doubt will have some strong memories. Tomorrow is Christmas. My wish for you is that you will have joy, peace, and gratitude as you head into the new year. That’s what we all wish for, right? Well, at least the joy and peace part. Sometimes we just want to have our own little pity party and rehearse all the bad things which have happened to us. Say NO to that!
You are so blessed
Yes, this year has been a doozy! But look closely at your life and see all the fantastic and beautiful things that have happened amidst the struggles. Please remember those things. Choose to celebrate the blessings instead of the struggles at least for one day. I do not know your circumstance but I do know that you are so blessed. Refuse to give in to the negative. Make your day full of joy and gratitude. You will feel better and so will everyone else you share space with.
A tiny list of my blessings
God is my Father!
Unlimited supply of clean safe water.
Food.
Two legs.
Ability to speak.
I have two eyes and I can see.
I have an amazing family. Yes, both physical and spiritual!
My husband’s health has improved this year.
A new grandson this year.
There are thousands of things that I could add to this list but this is just a tiny list so I will stop there. Why don’t you make your own tiny list?
Thank You!
I want to thank you for reading my blog this year. You have brought me joy in so many tiny and big ways. Your words of encouragement have lifted me up! Have a beautiful Christmas and a Happy New Year.
What Christmas traditions do you have that do not require spending money? Or buying gifts? Can you really have a Christmas without things? I personally do not know. I have lived most of my life in the land of plenty. But traveling to some of the poorest countries in the world really has had an impact on my perspective. There are many places and people in the world who never even question what they will buy for Christmas. Yet they are full of joy at the approach of Christmas.
What do you do when you have little or no money to create a big Christmas? One friend told me that you make the celebration bigger. Homemade decorations maybe, Christmas movies together, hot cocoa or popcorn.
Maybe this year you have chosen to keep Christmas simple for many reasons or just want to add some simpler touches.
Childhood Memories
So ask yourself what memories do you have from childhood? What was fun? Compare Christmas from your childhood with what Christmas looks like now. If you have children at home maybe you can share stories of your childhood Christmas. Most kids love stories. Get the grandparents involved with sharing their stories of childhood Christmas past.
What do you wish for? Personally, I think the gift of time is the best.
Here are a few suggestions for putting more joy in your Christmas
Play charades
Caroling to your neighbors or with them
Lego building contest
Flash mob of Christmas songs
Gingerbread men or houses or Graham Cracker houses
Bake sugar cookies and decorate them.
Make ornaments
Paper chains even the youngest children enjoy doing this.
Have friends or family over just to enjoy time (no gifts allowed) calm, lowkey day, sing songs, put together a puzzle, play a game. Eat soup maybe Andalusian Christmas Soup but keep it simple.
Making gifts for each other from things you have on hand – give a favorite book you’ve read, with your own review or some unknown tidbit about the author. Maybe you have a teacup to share.
Make coupons for backrubs, no chores pass, clean out your car, etc.
Giving something from your wealth of possessions to friends and family.
Write a poem or story for a specific person.
Give extra blankets, coats, gloves, etc. to those in the cold.
Perhaps you will want to purchase a “doing gift” for your family. An experience. This can be a lot of fun but may require some scheduling.
I know that many of you have some great ideas to share. Please do share below!
I would like to share the Joy of Cooking recipe for Gingerbread Men. Joy of Cooking is the cookbook from my childhood. For the Christmas of 1980 my sister-in-law Linda gave me my own copy. My children grew up with Joy of Cooking in our home kitchen.
Many of the familiar recipes my children grew up with are found in the pages of Joy of Cooking. Here is one recipe for making gingerbread men or other shaped gingerbread cookies.
A few days after Thanksgiving we decided to make a little bit of gingerbread. It was a lot of fun!
Joy of CookingGingerbread Men
Preheat your oven to 350°
Blend until creamy:
1/4 cup of butter
1/2 cup of white or brown sugar
Beat in:
1/2 cup dark molasses
Sift:
3 and 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
Resift with:
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
Add the sifted ingredients to the butter mixture in about three parts, alternating with:
1/4 cup water
You may have to knead in the last of the flour if you are not using an electric mixer. I roll mine out on parchment paper and cut the gingerbread men out and place them on a cookie sheet on the parchment paper. Bake them for about 8-10 minutes depending on thickness. Touch the cookie and if it springs back after 8 minutes it is ready to cool on a rack.
I did a search for a gingerbread man and found this template which I printed and traced to make our men.
