As an Advent/Christmas gift let me share with you some Malawi memories:
Prayer with team members George, Jerry and Gary as we left for Chicago ... picking up additional footlockers ... meeting Mary Lou Wood ... landing in London ... taking the tube to Victoria Street Station ... enjoying fish, chips and laughter at Shakespeare?s restaurant....
Playing tourist ... meeting doctors from Columbus, Ohio who were on their way
to Malawi: Francesco Catania, Tom Williams, Bill Long, Walter Hull ... worshipping at
Westminster Abbey ... taking the Gatwick Express for our evening flight ... falling asleep
before takeoff ... waking up over Africa!
Landing in Lilongwe ... snafu at customs ... meeting Tom, Jocelyn and friends both old and
new--some of whom were returning to the states ... loading Toyota Landcruisers with
footlockers and carryon baggage ... meeting new Malawian friends ... traveling 240
kilometers to Embangweni. Impressions of the desert southwest ... people walking
everywhere ... village markets ... roadside stands ... roasted bats on a stick for 10
kwatcha.
The dusty Jenda Road...driving on the left side of the road ... arriving in Embangweni ...
unloading footlockers ... being greeted by Jim and Jodi McGill, missionaries ... dinner at
the home of Dr. and Mrs. George (Betty) Poehlman ... hot bath ... arrange mosquito netting
... lay out supplies for tomorrow from footlockers .... ZZZZZZZ!
Awake at 3:45 a.m. Malawi time ... journaling by flashlight ... oatmeal and raisins for
breakfast at 6 a.m. ... chapel at 6:45 ... a joyous reunion with the chapel choir ... a
quick trip to a well for demonstrating how: to do a well dedication ... a visit to the
Embangweni School for the Hearing impaired (seeing classrooms, teacher homes, a dormitory
under construction, meeting teachers seeing food being prepared, ordering a bucket from a
student who was learning the art of tinsmithing) ... learning about the causes of
deafness.
The Embangweni Full Primary School Celebration ... seeing refurbished teacher homes and
classrooms ... meeting parents ... having lunch with Chief Mazukuzuku ... learning that
the chief had recently become a Christian. Listening to children from the deaf school play
"Jesus Loves Me" on color-coded handbells and hearing the chief sing along!
Skits ... dances ... drums ... Ngoni dancers ... a six year old child reciting 4 chapters
of the Gospel of Luke in Tumbuka from memory! Special presentations of shield and spear
both to Tom Logan and to me...
An eight-well day near Jenda ... a green snake and two frogs in an old water hole ...
receiving news of an accident involving Tom Logan and others... learning that Jerry was
safe but that Tom Logan would be airlifted to South Africa (Johannesburg/Pretoria) ...
injuries to Tom were serious ... femur jammed into hip ... broken pelvis ... broken collar
bone ... seven broken ribs ... fractured sternum ... compressed vertebrae ...
A shallow well song by Maria Moyo: "I have nothing to give to my Lord for what He has
done for us. A shallow well with good water, Glory to God! As I have no money, no cows and
no wealth of any kind, now I have decided to give him my life."
An evening visit from Deaf School teachers expressing sympathy ... preaching, prayers and
sharing at Primary School Chapel ... preaching at community prayer service ... a late
night conversation about where God is to be found in the midst of unsettling events.
Learning about drip irrigation ... visiting the hospital compound ... playing with a yoyo
and attracting attention from children and adults alike!
Well installations at far away places with strange sounding names: Mandala, Chimusebo ...
Chiza ... Custome Ndolo, Musangula ...
Seeing a 150-year-old smelter ... being welcomed by singing women and children ...
Visiting Etchiyeni Full Primary School ... being formally addressed by the Headmaster ...
a gift of "wapita panjala" (chicken, eggs and beans) ... enjoying Rev. Gondwe
and his family ... learning about their impending move to Mawulabo.
A special Saturday afternoon baptism service ... 750 people attending ... baptized 35
children and 36 adults.
Evening show and tell at Rev. Gondwe’s home ... 100 guests ... questions about
America ... overnight stay ... a bucket bath by flashlight.
Communion service ... 1000 worshippers ... a special gift to Rev. Gondwe---a pulpit robe
... great joyful response from the congregation ... Rev. Gondwe’s farewell service
following communion service: music! gifts! prodigal son skit! presentation of banner to
Kamsolo congregation.
More shallow wells in remote villages: Musalimu ... Vakaza Andreya ... Chibula ....
Getting stuck in soft sand during a thunderstorm ... being dug out by villagers with their
hoes ... a special evening meal in an African home by lantern light....
Market day in Edingeni: used clothing from the U.S. ... Zambian chitinzis, bicycle parts,
tobacco for snuff, salt, sugar, millet beer, dried fish, etc.
Utter poverty ... warm hearted people ... curious children ... laughter at the crazy
muzungu (white man) ... great joy at each well!
Morning chapel in the maternity ward ... playing "Fairest Lord Jesus" on
harmonica.
A joyous Malawian wedding ... the bride danced down the aisle on her father’s arm ...
the groom danced toward his bride arm in arm with his father ... a handsome wedding party!
Harmonica music and yoyo at well dedications ... teeth rattling roads ... preaching at a
Deacons Court meeting ... meeting Rev. Kingsley Nyirenda ... a brief excursion to Nkhata
Bay on Lake Malawi ... a special shallow well celebration at DarnoloSchool.
Kusungu National Park ... hippos, cape buffalo, zebras ... an elephant joining us for
dinner! ... informal worship on a thanksgiving theme with our doctor friends.
A visit to Kauma Village to dedicate a water kiosk--one of a projected 20 to serve a
population of 20,000 displaced persons... .
The flight home via Johannesburg and London, landing in Chicago.
Shallow Wells Completed: 240
Shallow Wells Under Construction: 60
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