March 1 must be the day for visitors. This morning three young moms with babies on their backs show up to visit me. They do not speak very much English but one understands more than she can speak so she translates for the other two. I find out they are all three sisters. Roma is the neighbor lady who has a new baby. Eliz and Khrissy are her two sisters.
Banda sisters. Moms and babies
Hygiene Bags
I had given Roma a much-needed hygiene bag since she had just had her baby. She brought her sisters wanting to know if I could give them one too. I had 3 bags left. I explained this is all I have. They were very happy to have them. I am keeping the final one because we are having a class to make them by hand. They want to do the class too. We chatted mostly about their babies and I held one for awhile. These sweet young moms have my heart for sure. Three smiling moms went home with necessities thanks to some sweet Smyrna Church of Christ ladies.
Mzimba Vocational School
Our next visitors were from the Mzimba Vocational School. The director and teachers came to greet us and tell us about the school. This school was started by Sunset School of Preaching as a counterpart to the Mzimba School of Preaching. They have a five year plan to get self supporting.
There are 10 students per year. They are training ministers and church leaders to be able to make a living as they preach and serve. Their courses include: Farming God’s Way, Mentorship/Leadership that replicates that others may follow. This include conflict resolution and counseling. They train some women to teach women in the area churches. Pig and poultry farming are taught as well as marketing. Students are sponsored for the one year term.
We had a nice visit and they asked for ideas of additional subjects they might teach. They left with an invitation for us to come and visit. They gave Esther the assignment to remind us.
We had some heavy rains again this afternoon. We fill all our buckets and tubs when it rains! Free and easy water!
Rain!Rain Water
Mbwenu and Wanangwa brought two huge cabbages! These are probably the largest I have ever seen. We have talked with them about saurkraut. So we are going to try to make some soon.
One HUGE cabbage
It has been fun to try new foods here too and to introduce them to new ideas too. We have made cucumbers and onions in vinegar, fried green tomatoes, no bake cookies,mashed potatoes and gravy, fried eggplant, and we’ve made fried egg and tomatoe sandwiches for a quick dinner. And now we are going to make saurkraut soon. I will let you know how that turns out.
Today is Sunday! When we arrived at the building it was very quiet. We have been arriving early so that we can have some singing time before church. I peeked in the kid’s classroom and it was already full. The children were sitting in the room being so quiet and waiting for Wanangwa, their teacher. It made her happy.
A Large Children’s Class
We started our singing and soon more and more people arrive. The children’s classroom becomes too crowded and they go outside. The little classroom is probably 10 feet X 12 feet. I count as the children head outside. There were at least 52 primary children in that classroom!
Large Children’s ClassA Full Class
Adult Class
Lawrence continues teaching the adult class on I Peter as he has been doing. After class, we get ready for worship. One of the men writes on the chalkboard who will participate today. I do not remember the preacher’s name but he had a short sermon on Working for Salvation. I didn’t understand the Tumbuka but I was able to follow along with the scriptures. There were a lot of responses. Some of the responses were asking for prayer, some had moved from another area to the church here, one young woman Rose wanted to be baptized and the local Mzimba Vocational School students came to greet us as they arrived for the new term.
Hygiene Bags
After church, there was a lot to do. The life groups were meeting to get a count of the primary school children for the giveaway. Wanangwa and I had already planned to give the hygiene bags to the school girls today so we took care of that as quickly as possible. One of the deacons was working in the building and teased us about where his bag was. The girls are very excited to have these necessities.
Hygiene BagsHappy Girls
Rose is Baptized
Finally, we are ready to go to find water to baptize Rose. At least 10 people pile into the car and many others are walking. As we are driving down the road we suddenly veer off to a small path that crosses the soccer field and goes between maize fields. We stop the car and continue on foot. There is scripture reading, prayer, singing, and baptism and then we all greet our new sister 21-year-old Rose.
RoseSinging and praying before baptismRose is Baptized Today!
Lunch and Visitors
We head home for a late lunch after two. After lunch, I wash dishes. We are tired and sit down and sigh. In a few minutes, Mbwenu tells us we have visitors. Cadamunja and his wife have come to thank us again for taking their son to the hospital and giving him hope. It is distressing at any age to have an injury or an illness. We are thankful for the opportunity to make a difference in this young man’s life.
More Visitors
Wanangwa and Mbwenu go to Manyamula to get water and check on the shop. While they are away Bennett and his wife Esther arrive. Bennett is the Uncle to our last visitor Cadamunja. He is from Lilongwe. He too has heard about us taking Chiwemwe to the hospital and thanks us. Bennett has a business in Mzuzu and travels this way to visit his relatives and check on his business about once a month. They are very nice and invite us to visit them in Lilongwe before we leave Malawi. They brought a gift for Wanangwa and tell us to greet them.
No Bake Cookies
I decide to make a batch of no bakes and I was very disappointed they would not set up! Ugg!
Dinner
Esther and I discover the peas we bought at the market and forgot about. We set about shelling them and Wanangwa arrives with pork and starts preparing the pork and rice. She makes the usual soup and adds the green peas to that.
We eat and get ready for bed. A full but happy day!
Mbwenu had an elders meeting this morning. I think they are making a plan for us to attend the life groups in the different areas. They sat out front and chatted for a while. I am glad it has cleared after the heavy rain and hail storm of last night.
We ate our breakfast and got ready to go to Manymula. For some reason, Lawrence and I both have an upset stomach this morning. We can see no cause and thankfully doesn’t last long.
Market Day
Today is Saturday, Market Day! People are everywhere! It reminds me of a flea market at home. People come from all around to sell their stuff!. This is the busiest day of the week for the regular little shops, and they are doing great business.
Manyamula Market DayMarket Day!
Visiting Matthew and Neema
We are checking on the bicycles. They are still working on them. So we head out of town to Matthew and Neema Phiri’s home. It seems a long way down series of narrow bumpy roads. We finally arrive.
All the neighbors were there to greet us. Matthew and Neema were obviously excited to see us. Introductions are made and then we take a tour of their farm. They have only been back on the land for two seasons. Matthew is very proud of his progress and has great plans for his farm and the community.
Matthew and Neema
Chickens
First, the stop at the chicken house which has three rooms. One for local chickens, one for exotics, and one for new breeds. He explains that it is very hard to get protein. Next, he shows us a small home he had built for the farmhand who works for him. It is very nice.
Matthew’s Chicken House
Healing Hands International Agricultural Workshop
This community received an Agricultural Workshop by Healing Hands International at some point and is excited to show off the garden they planted using their new skills. It is completely fenced and has a drip irrigation system in place. The garden is growing great. We see several fields surrounding this garden. Maize is growing and groundnuts, which we call peanuts at home.
Sharing Dreams
Matthew is the village headman over 16 villages. As we talk under the trees he tells Lawrence that he is giving him land to build a house. Lawrence laughs and tells him he has only known him for one week. We are called in for lunch. Two local ministers are there as we gather around a table and share lunch. Our meal was the traditional chicken in gravy, rice, sima, and greens. Wanangwa brought soda from her shop for us to drink.
Sharing Dreams
After lunch, Matthew takes us to the land he wants to give us and shares his dreams with us. He wants his community to know God and shows us where he would like to give us land for a church building and a house. Bruce is the local minister here who holds services under some trees. We chat with him for a while. He tells us about his work.
As Headman, Matthew serves as a judge for offenders and is hoping to build a courtroom, a community center as well as a medical clinic. The land he is showing us is in a central location for the surrounding villages. He spreads his arms over the land and says these are my dreams. Oh, the good he would love to do for his people.
While Matthew is sharing his dreams Esther and Wanangwa go with Neema to the cassava field and are soon back with cassava.
We go back to the house and exchange our contact information. We had a nice lunch and outing with Matthew and Neema. Neema also asked for a WBS lesson to take. We wave bye to all the children and new friends of the day.
Lovely children
Back to Manyamula
On our trip home we stop back at Manyamula. They were still working on the bicycles. We sat in the shade and watched them. We were very excited as I said yesterday that these were former WBS students and are doing well.
As we sat on the bench a very drunk school teacher named Job came to talk with us. He was very impressed with Lawrence’s mustache. He has a mustache too. Job teaches primary school. Job stayed with us for a long while. I finally had to excuse myself. Mbwenu was soon back and rescued Lawrence from the mustache admirer.
The bicycles were finished and some young people from our village were happy to be the first riders of four brand new bikes. They road them all the way home for us!
Back at home, Wanangwa cooks dinner. We eat dinner. I do some writing and we get ready for bed.
I got up early this morning the air was nice and cool. Esther and I were enjoying sitting outside in the breeze. As I was washing the dishes the rain started. I put on water to heat for our baths today. I am happy to be able to help today. Wanangwa is usually up and busy before I am.
Too Cold?
Lawrence and the men were to meet this morning. Mbwenu said it was too cold to have the meeting outside. Esther and I looked at each other. The temperature seemed perfect for us. I checked the temperature and it was 69 degrees. So the men decided to meet inside.
Baths
We carry a bucket of hot water and one of cold water to the bathhouse. We have a tub to mix them in and a scoop to pour the nice hot water over us. I really like this bathhouse. The tub works the best for me to wash my hair. We have had some bucket baths in the past and some cold showers. So far this is the best for me, I am really enjoying this hot water. And, yes I am very spoiled.
Scones for Breakfast
For breakfast today I had tea and a scone from the Women of Hope’s, Mtendere Bakery. I ate my scone with peanut butter and apricot jam. YUM!
Surprise Skirt
While in Mzuzu I found a great buy on some fabric. I decided to surprise Esther with a skirt from the tailor next door. So this morning I took the fabric over to the tailor when Esther wasn’t looking. She will love her new skirt.
Bicycles
I spent almost all of my kwacha on our big trip yesterday. So, today I went into Mzimba and exchanged funds. While we were in Mzimba we also bought four bicycles for the church to use for the World Bible School work.
We dropped the bicycles off at the bicycle mechanic to assemble. We had heard we were going to the best one. To our surprise when we arrived we knew them! They were former WBS students we had met at the Mzimba prison in 2019 where they were serving time. It is obvious they are changed, men. We are so proud of them and the good work they are doing.
WBS student Kelton from Mzimba Prison 2019. Now out and doing great. He has a thriving business.WBS Student, Mashambe from Mzimba prison 2019. Doing great!Four new bicycles for WBS work.
I got up early this morning. We want to be on the road by 6:30. We have a lot of things to do today, I have been compiling a list for days of things we need to take care of in Mzuzu so I checked the list to make sure we were not forgetting to take anything. The car was loaded and finally, we are on the road by 6:45.
Heavy rains last night cause it to take twice as long to get through Mzimba and on the main highway. Everything is green after the rains. The morning drive is breathtaking as it takes us through the forest and mountains. They are beautiful.
I believe this is Elephant MountainGreen mountains- I wish a picture could do justice.
Our Trip Today
Our trip has one main purpose today, which is to visit Mzuzu Central Hospital. Five of us are traveling. 23 year old Chewemwe, his mom, Mbwenu, Wanangwa, and me. Chewemwe cut. his foot with an ax in December and spent two months in the hospital. He almost lost his foot and his life. As he started to recover they decided to send him home. They were concerned that he might contract Covid 19.
Applying Honey to the Wound
Chewemwe was sent home with oral antibiotics and instructions to change the dressing on his foot every day. He has finished his antibiotics weeks ago and is continuing to change the dressing every day and applying honey to the wound. The theory is that the bacteria will like the honey and leave the wound alone. His foot is still not healing well.
We have been quite concerned about Chewemwe losing his foot. It would be so tragic. A few days ago we visited his family and asked if he would like to go to see a specialist. They said yes, so we made arrangements for this trip.
Mzuzu Central Hospital
Lloyd met at the hospital. He is an uncle of Chewemwe. He had come ahead of us and made arrangements for us to be seen quickly. This was a huge help in getting through the gate and having the opportunity to see the doctor today.
They led us into the reception area to check-in for the visit. Behind the desk is a posted price list for each item. This gave me an idea about how much this visit might cost. They asked, “who will be paying?” I raised my hand. They said very well. We will hunt you down if you do not pay and they all laughed.
Our patient was escorted into the examination area. A few minutes later Lloyd came to tell us we should go and do our shopping because this was going to take a long time. Since we had a long list of things to purchase while we were in the city we agreed this was a good plan.
Shopping
Our list includes propane, songbooks, Bibles, a refrigerator, a printer, wholesale items for Wanangwa’s shop, and some children’s clothes. We stop and exchange the propane tank first. Next, we visit a shop that has both printers and refrigerators. They give us two prices for everything. One with a receipt and one without. We decided we would like to get a few more estimates since these are high-dollar purchases.
Mzuzu Church of Christ sits on a nice fenced piece of property. The grounds are well maintained. This is clearly one of the nicest church buildings we have seen in Malawi. There is also a classroom building and flushing toilets. We meet one of the church leaders, Robert to purchase our songbooks. We purchase 150 thanks to Lee and Jerry, Enoch, and the Southgate Church of Christ.
Robert travels with us and advises us where to shop for the printer and the Bibles. This is a great help because he knows the city and he gets a discount on the Bibles. Because of his help we were able to save money on the Bibles and over $200 on the printer. We drop Robert off at the Coffee Depot. I spot coffee and ice cream shops! We are definitely in the big city. The city is loud and people are everywhere. The roundabouts are busy and at one point blocked because the new president is supposed to pass this way. There are police officers everywhere along the route.
Kips
We do not wait for the president. For breakfast, we ate a banana in the car so we are ready for lunch. We stop at Kip’s for a nice lunch. Kips is a pizza place but also has traditional foods. I get the roasted chicken and rice, soup, greens, and a coke. It is all very good. The plate is huge so I get a to-go box and take part of it with me.
Mbwenu gets a call that our patient is finished so he leaves to pick him up and take them for lunch. The plan is for him to pick us up after we have shopped.
Wanangwa and I leave on foot to purchase some boys’ shorts. I find a nice piece of fabric to surprise Esther with a skirt. Then we hit the wholesalers! We shop until we drop. Wanangwa is no doubt the Proverbs 31 lady we ready about in the Bible!
The Holder
We buy so much that soon we leave some of our purchases with a “holder”. I am not really sure what they call him but we entrust him with our ever-growing stack of packages. I cannot possibly tell you how many wholesalers we visited. Soon we had more packages than I thought would fit in the car especially with the refrigerator, the printer, the Bibles, and the songbooks!
When we are almost through with our shopping Wanangwa leaves me with the holder as she runs back for one more thing. I watch some men playing the fastest checker game I have ever seen. They have a homemade board and bottle caps.
Checker Game
The car is to meet us at the holder. I spot the car driving by and wave them down. Mbwenu parks the car and then we begin the process of trying to fit everything into the car. We have to fold down the rear seats and after some juggling, we fit everything into the car. We pay the holder. The two men are upfront and we three ladies are in the middle seat.
Leaving Mzuzu
We make one last stop at Shop Rite and head for home with cold water for us all. It has been a very full day. We are all tired and quiet.
Shop Rite – A Very Nice Grocery StoreShop Rite
Arrested!
There are several roadblocks along the way. We have grown accustomed to these. However, at one roadblock the officer said you are arrested. I thought it was a joke! Some Tumbuka was exchanged and the only word I understood was sorry. We had broken the Covid restrictions. Under the guidelines, we were allowed 6 people but not 3 in a seat.
Mbwenu had to get out of the car and show our receipts for our large purchases and discuss our situation. He explained we are all one family and eat together. They ask what about the white lady. He explained that I was a Bible teacher and that we were paying for this young man to have the treatment and could not be left behind. They said all right, all right, and let us go. Whew!
Sunset
It was getting dark as we neared Mzimba. We stopped and purchased some bananas and left town for Tombolombo. The roads had dried up while we were gone and this made the last few miles a lot easier to travel.
We dropped Chewemwe and his mom off at home and she expressed her appreciation for what we had done for her son.
Hospital Results
The family shared with us the results of the visit. He was given oral antibiotics as well as an antibiotic ointment. Chewemwe was given nutrition counseling to control his high blood sugar which was discovered during this accident. Today his blood sugar was over 400! He takes insulin every day. There is no family history either! He has to travel to Mzimba every Friday to have his blood sugar checked! There are no at-home meters.
Chewemwe – Our patientChewemwe
Home At Last
When we arrive home Esther who stayed home with Lawrence had made chili for dinner. This is new for our host family. We eat and are ready to sleep.
Today I taught ladies’ class, 13 ladies, 1 baby. I taught them Ten Lessons on Honor from Romans 12, one of my favorite chapters. Romans 12 has a lot to say about how to treat one another. There were a lot of discussions afterward. Especially, questions about repaying evil with good.
Some ladies mentioned they cannot read and how this is helping them to understand the scriptures as if they were reading them for themselves. It’s. humbling.
These sweet sisters were also concerned for their sisters who are not receiving this teaching or understanding these scriptures. We talked about our example and sharing with their sisters what they are learning.
No-Bake Cookies
After the class was over I gave them a no-bake cookie. They really like these. I told them I was teaching Wanangwa how to make them and they teased they were not sure they could trust her to teach them.
Baby Blankets and Hats
When all our discussions were over we took out the baby blankets and hats and discussed the best way we as a group could use these for God. It was decided that most of them should go to the local maternity clinic. We will make little cards with a scripture on them and the church name. Four ladies will go to distribute these to the new moms. During our discussion, I found out that at least one lady can crochet. I have seen yarn in several shops but so far not the needles needed. I am excited to try to get crochet needles for these ladies to crochet.
Baby packsBlankets made by my mom and hats by the women at Woodson Chapel Church of ChristBaby packs
We said our goodbyes and went home for lunch. Wanangwa had a driving lesson and drove us home. The roads are not great but the rain has made them worse. Frequently, cattle are on the road.
Cattle in the RoadMuddy RoadsMud
Shopping Day
After lunch, we went shopping in Mzimba. I am out of kwacha so I exchanged money. We had so much fun shopping together. Wanangwa ran into a friend of hers who wanted to know where I was from. When I answered Tombolombo there was an uproar of laughter.
How Much Beef?
I have been wanting to make chili for the family. In one of the shops, I found ground beef and told them I wanted to 2. I meant pounds but they thought kilograms. That was a lot of beef!! We had enough beef for four meals and that was being very generous with the meat.
Local Farmers
The local farmer area of the market is one of my favorites so we went there. I bought some beans to go in the chili. We also purchased some tomatoes, onions, and peppers from a sister. Then we found some fresh green peas and bought some of them too. I was offered some things which look like bugs. They are roasted. They really wanted me to taste them. Wanangwa said they eat them on sandwiches and like them but she told me not to eat them.
Bugs?
On this shopping trip, I found some cool square containers for school supplies and a basket with handles which I put on my head and caused a lot of laughter.
My little basket
When we got home it was too late to cook the beans so I made a spicy meat sauce to go over rice and pumpkin for our dinner tonight. We also had bananas and fresh pineapple. Everyone liked it.
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
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.
Soccer playing for hoursKids coloring picturesNeighbor kids love to color picturesKids coloring
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.
Modester kneading bunsHot buns fresh from the oven. The best!
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.
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
