We are up early doing our last-minute packing and finishing one final stack of World Bible School lessons before we pack our laptops. Farewells are so hard. So many people have stopped by to say farewell. I am out of tears.
Cadamanja
Our friend Cadamanja stopped by early. Very early but we were already up getting last-minute things done. It was decided that I would stop by the shop and double-check the color of the fabric for the nursery school uniforms. I decided to purchase the fabric for the school uniforms and let each parent pay for the sewing co-op to make their uniforms. (A compromise after our misunderstanding).
Esther and I made a quick video of Wanangwa sharing about the women’s ministries at Tombolombo. She is an amazing woman and they are blessed to have her in their church and community.
Last-Minute Details
I am leaving a huge pile of things to be distributed as they see fit. We finish the last of our packing. So little left to bring home. Five bags are now one. I am thankful for collapsable duffle bags.
We sweep our bedrooms and double-check that we have not left anything. We have a quick breakfast of tea and buns.
Hugging the sewing group ladies, several times, we hop in the car. I know I will miss them. I am so incredibly proud of these ladies!
We make a quick stop in Manyamula to drop off Wanangwa and pay Cadamanja for some fabric for the nursery school uniforms. They are going to pay the sewing co-op to make the uniforms. I deliver the fabric to Wanangwa who will get it to the correct place.
Milala
We make one final stop, Milala! After our school supply giveaway, we had several bags leftover. We decided to give them to the children at Milala. The children were very excited to receive this very small gift.
There were two expectant moms and I gave them each one of the last baby bags I had left.
First Aid Kit
When we first arrived in Malawi one of the church leaders had asked us for a first aid kit because they are so far from the medical clinics. I could not put that together locally so I gave them all of my leftover ibuprofen, bandaids, antibiotic ointments, etc. (note for next trip!).
Selena, An Orphan Girl Without a Foot Needs a Sponsor
As we were leaving we met a young orphan girl (6 years old) named Selena. Selena was born without a foot. She lives with her grandmother because both of her parents are deceased. Every three months she has to travel to the city to get a new prosthetic.
There is never enough money to pay for the prosthetic but the hospital allows her to make minimum payments when she comes. The church helps her make these small payments. To us what seems so little can be a huge barrier to these precious people. From time to time the area churches take up funds for her to make this payment. They do not always collect enough to cover the trip and the minimum payment. I really want to find a sponsor to help Selena and her grandmother. Let me know if you are reading this and want to help with this need.
Lilongwe
With final farewells, we leave for Lilongwe.
Our trip is made without incident in good time and when we arrive Evon has wonderful dinner waiting for us. We have ended all three of our trips by staying the last night at Blessings Hospital’s Chichewa House. Evon is a familiar friend by now.
I stop by the hospital and ask about Covid testing. After talking with the staff it is decided that the best course of action is to go to the airport with our questions. Online the airlines list two possibilities, a 3-day negative Covid test or proof that we have had Covid and recovered in the last 90 days. We have the latter.
President is Coming
As we approach the airport security is spaced alongside the road and the airport is almost shut down. Surprisingly, they let us through the gate. I found out that the President was soon to arrive. One of the workers for Malawi Airlines has mercy on us. We find out they will only accept a test in the last three days, which we do not have. She gets on the phone. She has a friend at the Covid lab who will help us get an emergency test first thing in the morning. $100 US each.
Zacheus
We return to Blessings and find Zacheus has arrived! He is an old friend who has driven for us in the past. We are excited to see him.! He has been on public transport for several hours and is hungry. I am thankful we saved him a plate. Lawrence and Mbwenu start singing and then we have a short devotional before bed.
Covid Testing
We have to be at the lab across town by 7 am. We sleep well and pack up early to head across town. Thankfully Zacheus knows exactly where to go. The lab is easy to locate and we get there just in time to get our test. They tell us we can pick up the certificates at 11. We have several hours to wait. The guys ask Lawrence where he wants to eat breakfast and he jokingly tells them pizza. They head to the pizza place. Who knew?
Pizza and Ice Cream for Breakfast
We are in the big city so there is a lot of things we are used to. There is a mall nearby so we go to the food court for pizza and ice cream. It is a lot fancier than our food courts and has waiters and menus, etc. This may be our companion’s first pizza experience. The extra-large pizza is not very big but very tasty. We get strawberry soft serve ice cream before we head back to the lab.
Expired Visas
Picking up our certificates we make a rush to the airport. We fly in 2 hours. After our check through security, we go through immigration only to find out our visas have expired! How could that be? They do not have the visible expiration date I am accustomed to but we haven’t even looked at them since our arrival. The immigration official calculates and tells me it is $600 US per person. I tell him he must keep us that we have spent all of our money and do not have it. He asked me how much I have left, I say $100 each to get us home. The official keeps telling me he wants to help us out and finally stamps our passports and takes only $100 US with no receipt of course. Lesson learned: check my visas carefully.
Finally, through immigration we go through second security I have Polly Pocket left and give that to the security person for her little girl. We board our plane and leave for Addis Ababa where we will have several hours layover before we board a plane for a 14-hour flight to Washington, D.C., and then to home.