Malawi Journal – Day 11 & 12 Slow Days, New Clothes

 Day 11 – New Clothes

As we continue our Malawi Journal,  Esther and I met with the tailor next door this morning. He made me a wrap-around skirt for 1500 K which is less than $3 US. He also made me two matching masks. I showed him a picture of a dress Esther wanted to be made from some chitenge we found at the market. Both items were finished today.

Today was a. rather slow day. I played with the kids, let the kids color pictures, and read Bible stories to the neighbor kids. The kids played with the soccer ball we brought for. hours in the yard.

WBS Work

Lawrence met with the elders and the four workers and talked more about the plan for the WBS (World Bible School) work.  After the meeting, Lawrence prepped for the training meeting he will conduct tomorrow for the four workers. He also ordered some more World Bible School lessons from Zomba.

I did some Bible study for my next class and then spent the afternoon organizing our belongings. I finally managed to get the mosquito nets hung.

The internet was not stable today so I could not do any work on the computer. Less technology can be frustrating at times but most of the time it is a blessing.

Esther spent the afternoon playing with the kids. They love teaching her their language. She is a much better student than I. There is a lot of laughter floating around the house.

 Day 12

I was up at 6 this morning. Most days are early here. Most people follow the daylight hours for working. Many are up at 3 or 4 and into the fields. I feel lazy in comparison. This morning I wash the dishes from the night before. It is dark by the time we finish supper so the dishes are always washed in the morning. When the water is hot I take my bath.

Driving

We drive to the building to drop Lawrence off for the training meeting. Our spare tire falls off of the car. We have to call a mechanic to come from Manyamula to fix it. We pay him 2000K (about $3)

Then I drive me and Wanangwa to Manyamula to do some shopping. My shopping list may look a little weird: flip-flops, tissue, pegs, copies, sugar, notebooks, zippers,  cookies, and Cokes for the training meeting. The weird part about my shopping list is that my husband wanted some flip-flops! That is a story in itself.

I am rather enjoying driving in Malawi but I am not really excited to get on the more populated roads yet. Driving on the rutted roads makes me want a jeep or something that sits up high.

It is common to be greeted from the roadside and we frequently hear asungu (white person). Today was the first time I heard them laughing saying asungu driving. It was especially humorous to them because I am a woman.

We drop the snacks off at the training meeting and I visit the bakery next door. The one lady is baking but nothing is ready for purchase yet. I will stop by later. I go home and wait for the call that the training meeting is over and Lawrence needs to be picked up.

After some time at home, Wanangwa decides she needs to take the transport to Mzimba to make purchases for her shop. I drop her off at the bus stop and stop back by the bakery just in time to purchase hot buns coming out from the oven, 300 K for 7 wonderful buns.

While waiting on my buns walked through the cornfields to speak with Edward about translating. He was spraying weed killer and my legs soon began to sting.

Lawrence completed his training meeting and gave each man a WBS Bible, pen, and notebook to do his work with besides the lessons.

A good day.  If you have any questions about our Malawi journal or the  work please send me a message or post your question in the comments.