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,
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.
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.
