We haven’t updated the blog in a few days. We’ve been very busy lately, and it’s been very windy, so we have extra power outages. We had dinner at the Baptist Clinic up the road Thursday evening. Margaret, who is a very good friend of Samantha, runs the clinic, which is a small hospital type setting. It seems that most of the work there revolves around birthing children and dealing with HIV and AIDS. Our friends Jeffrey and Jess, who have since made their way back to Texas, had been volunteering there for the last month. Well, Margaret’s computer is all buggered up, and Jess, having caught wind that I am kind of a techno-geek, volunteered me to take a look at it. I spent about an hour trying to get it to work, but with no anti-virus program installed, it was (and still is) very sick. I told Margaret that she would have to get an anti-virus, and then I’d be able to do more. After that, Jeffrey, Jess, Kate, and I were invited to choir practice for some of the local kids. They hold practice right in the clinic. There were about 15 kids, all from different churches, who sang for us for about an hour. In the middle of that, they did a short devotional in Chichewa and English, so the 4 of us Americans would know what was going on. It was a really wonderful time. From there, we went to Margaret’s house (on the grounds of the clinic) and had a wonderful meal and some time of fellowship and getting to know each other. The kids, who’s numbers had now reached about 25, were right outside waiting for us to come and play with them the whole time we were eating. Jeffrey and Jess had balloons and glow sticks for the kids, which they just loved. We all played for a while, but before long, the kids started singing again. So we sang and danced and showed them picture of themselves on our digital cameras for another hour or so. It was wonderful. By then it was getting late, so we said our goodbyes to the kids, and to Jeffrey and Jess, who were flying back to the States in the morning, and headed back to Cool Runnings for some sleep.
Friday we drove into Lilongwe with Sam to pick up supplies and look for a car and a guitar. We spent the entire day there, and it would be ok with me if we never went back. Lilongwe is one of the most poorly laid out cities you can imagine. It is congested with people and cars and trucks. There are no sidewalks at all…sometimes there will be a small dirt path next to the road where you can walk, but usually, there is just a big, open drainage ditch. Around every corner is another group of taxi drivers or minibus drivers trying to corral you into their cars. The smog, pollution, and noise are nearly unbearable. The difference between here and there is just incredible.
Saturday morning I woke early to help Sam get her friend Guido’s truck started. Guido is a lonely old German man who lives on the other side of the bay. He has incredible stories. For many years, his job was to capture live game and bring it to people around the world. If you’ve been to a Six Flags or Disneyworld and been through the safari, chances are the animals you saw were captured, trained, and brought there by Guido. He was once a very wealthy man, but has since lost everything. He now lives on a few acres on the lake, trying to eke out a living catching campagno (catfish) and selling wind powered water pumps which he invented…but the fish are few these days, and no one seems interested in the windmills. He has lived in harmony with a local tribe in his area for years, but recently it seems that even that relationship is dying. All the same, he was most interested to hear about what Kate and I are doing and has offered to help our projects any way he can.
Sam and I left Guido and his now running truck after a couple of hours to pick up Kate and get to the afternoon’s soccer match. Kate had previously volunteered me to be the “judge” of an under 15 league that Sam has put together. I was a little apprehensive at first, not having played or watched soccer in over 10 years, but I found out I don’t really have to know the rules. My job, as “judge,” is not to referee the game, but to try to ensure that all of the players are registered and that they’re all 15 or younger. This is a difficult task in a place where no one has a birth certificate, but a few questions will usually get the truth out. “Excuse me, what’s your name?” “Ihala.”“OK Ihala, your name is on the list, so that’s good. You look a bit too old for this league. How old are you?”“Uuuhhhh…15.”“Right…what year were you born?”Ihala looks around and tries to generate the right answer. “1998.”“That would make you 11. Have you been lying to me?”“Yes, I’m Sorry. I’m 17.”“OK, well if I see you on the field, your whole team will be disqualified, OK?”“Yes Judge. I won’t play.”“Zicomo Kwambili, Ihala.”“Zicomo Kwambili, judge.”Cheating is a problem, because Sam has gotten some sponsors together and offered a small cash prize to the first and second place teams at the end of the tournament. This was the first week of the tourney though, and now that teams know we’re looking for ages, they will be less inclined to bring in older players to stack their teams.
These kids absolutely adore soccer. We judged a game Saturday afternoon, and another on Sunday afternoon. At both games, both sidelines were full of people cheering their respective team on. Before the games, and at half time, little ones will practice with soccer balls made from plastic bag pieces and string. They’re very good. I played a bit Saturday with some kids who were about 6 or 8 years old, and I couldn’t keep the ball, cause they kept stealing it and running circles around me. It was a lot of fun. Kate took wonderful pictures and we’ll have them up just as soon as we can.
Sunday morning we went to the local Baptist Church, where Margaret from the clinic goes. We were a little lost with what was going on sometimes, as the service is in Chichewa, but it was definitely worship. (the man sitting next to Kate tried to translate for her, but was having a hard time keeping up.) There was singing and dancing, and spontaneous prayer. The preacher’s wife is apparently ill, so he wasn’t there, but a couple of guys preached and it was all very powerful. We are excited to go back next week, hopefully with a songbook, if Kate can find one at the market today.
Well, I think that’s probably more information that you could have wanted all at one sitting. Things are well here, and God is using us to make a difference in the lives of these people. For that, we are eternally grateful.
Zicomo Kwambili,
Jarrod and Kate
Monday, June 29, 2009
6/29/09
The days are short here. The sun comes up a little after 6 in the morning. By 6:30 in the evening, it has completely given way to the stars of the night. The stars are incredible. When we arrived here it was cloudy at night for days. The clouds have since been peeled back, the wrapping paper for a gift of beauty not often seen by those of us in metropolitan areas. The stars fill the night sky, billions of them each trying to outshine the others. White stars, stars in red shift, stars in blue shift are all visible to the naked eye. I attempted some photographs of the night sky, and while they do look nice, they cannot even remotely capture the nature of God’s creation in the sky.
The sun rises over Lake Malawi shortly after 6 in the morning, as do the local fishing villages. At quarter till 6, the sky is dimly lit in hues of orange and purple, as if to let you know that something wonderful is just over the horizon. And it is. The villages are quiet. There are one or two boats on the lake, making their way to shore to bring the night’s catch. In the next 20 minutes, everything changes. By the time the sun’s first rays peek over the distant mountains to reflect off the lake’s surface, the local villages are bustling with activity. The smell of small fires cooking breakfast defies the wind coming off of the lake. The beach is littered with fishermen getting their rowboats ready for the rough waters they will battle for the next 10 hours. In the distance, you can hear hammers pounding out another day’s wages.
Though the days are short, they seem to be hours longer than they are. Life is slower here. If there is a sense of urgency about anything, it is invisible to the western eye. Time here is measured more by sunup to sundown than by the minute hand. Except for lunch. It is as though everyone knows exactly when noon hits. It would seem that the entire country shuts down from 12-2 for lunch. Trips into town must be planned around this anomaly, as nothing can be accomplished then. Life then resumes for the remainder of the afternoon, until night calls to the weary to go home and take rest.
Children can be heard singing traditional songs of faith through the evening. Every note has been passed from one generation to the next. The rhythms and harmonies are as organic and beautiful as the surf of the lake breaking on the beach. Chichewa lends itself to being sung, as if the language was built around the music, and not the other way around. All too soon, however, the songs of the children are drown out by the obnoxious music of one of the local bars, an unfortunate pickup of western culture into this beautiful place. But as sleep comes over you, you can’t help but to thank God for this place and these people and their smiling faces, and pray that tomorrow will be as beautiful as today.
The sun rises over Lake Malawi shortly after 6 in the morning, as do the local fishing villages. At quarter till 6, the sky is dimly lit in hues of orange and purple, as if to let you know that something wonderful is just over the horizon. And it is. The villages are quiet. There are one or two boats on the lake, making their way to shore to bring the night’s catch. In the next 20 minutes, everything changes. By the time the sun’s first rays peek over the distant mountains to reflect off the lake’s surface, the local villages are bustling with activity. The smell of small fires cooking breakfast defies the wind coming off of the lake. The beach is littered with fishermen getting their rowboats ready for the rough waters they will battle for the next 10 hours. In the distance, you can hear hammers pounding out another day’s wages.
Though the days are short, they seem to be hours longer than they are. Life is slower here. If there is a sense of urgency about anything, it is invisible to the western eye. Time here is measured more by sunup to sundown than by the minute hand. Except for lunch. It is as though everyone knows exactly when noon hits. It would seem that the entire country shuts down from 12-2 for lunch. Trips into town must be planned around this anomaly, as nothing can be accomplished then. Life then resumes for the remainder of the afternoon, until night calls to the weary to go home and take rest.
Children can be heard singing traditional songs of faith through the evening. Every note has been passed from one generation to the next. The rhythms and harmonies are as organic and beautiful as the surf of the lake breaking on the beach. Chichewa lends itself to being sung, as if the language was built around the music, and not the other way around. All too soon, however, the songs of the children are drown out by the obnoxious music of one of the local bars, an unfortunate pickup of western culture into this beautiful place. But as sleep comes over you, you can’t help but to thank God for this place and these people and their smiling faces, and pray that tomorrow will be as beautiful as today.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
6/23/09
I want to tell you a little about Samantha. Sam is a transplant in Malawi. She was born in Zimbabwe, has traveled extensively, lived in South Africa for a while, and eventually settled here in Senga Bay about 7 years ago. She owns Cool Runnings, where we are staying, and another hostel a few kilometers away. She runs a tight ship here, and the place is invariably clean and nice looking, and the food is fantastic. Her staff is composed of locals, whom she has trained, and who have come to love her almost as a mother. There is no website or other advertising for Cool Runnings, yet the entire time we've been here, there has been no shortage of people staying here. Most who come through are backpackers, and have been told by other backpackers that this is the place to stay in Senga Bay. This, however, is not what Sam is all about. She is a warrior for the community. Besides her "Clinic at the Gate," she is involved in or in charge of countless other community centered endeavors, most of which she keeps quiet. At the hospital yesterday, we noticed that when the nurses see her come in, they suddenly jump to at least look busy, as they were not really doing anything when we got there. She runs a school and a library, to help ensure that young people have an opportunity to get thier education started on the right foot. She runs a youth soccer league with 15 teams of kids and pays for it out of her own pocket (though proper soccer balls are in short supply). The people, young and old, of the community look up to Sam and respect her. It seems as though every person between here and Salima, which is about 20 km up the road, knows her. She works closely with Margaret, who runs the Baptist Clinic up the road to ensure that the locals are getting the best medical treatment they can muster up. I would liken her to Mary Poppins: she is firm, yet loving and a champion for these people under her care. She has taken us in and helped us to understand the people of this country. We have already learned so much in our short time here, and look forward to getting to know Sam, and her community better.
Jarrod and Kate
I want to tell you a little about Samantha. Sam is a transplant in Malawi. She was born in Zimbabwe, has traveled extensively, lived in South Africa for a while, and eventually settled here in Senga Bay about 7 years ago. She owns Cool Runnings, where we are staying, and another hostel a few kilometers away. She runs a tight ship here, and the place is invariably clean and nice looking, and the food is fantastic. Her staff is composed of locals, whom she has trained, and who have come to love her almost as a mother. There is no website or other advertising for Cool Runnings, yet the entire time we've been here, there has been no shortage of people staying here. Most who come through are backpackers, and have been told by other backpackers that this is the place to stay in Senga Bay. This, however, is not what Sam is all about. She is a warrior for the community. Besides her "Clinic at the Gate," she is involved in or in charge of countless other community centered endeavors, most of which she keeps quiet. At the hospital yesterday, we noticed that when the nurses see her come in, they suddenly jump to at least look busy, as they were not really doing anything when we got there. She runs a school and a library, to help ensure that young people have an opportunity to get thier education started on the right foot. She runs a youth soccer league with 15 teams of kids and pays for it out of her own pocket (though proper soccer balls are in short supply). The people, young and old, of the community look up to Sam and respect her. It seems as though every person between here and Salima, which is about 20 km up the road, knows her. She works closely with Margaret, who runs the Baptist Clinic up the road to ensure that the locals are getting the best medical treatment they can muster up. I would liken her to Mary Poppins: she is firm, yet loving and a champion for these people under her care. She has taken us in and helped us to understand the people of this country. We have already learned so much in our short time here, and look forward to getting to know Sam, and her community better.
Jarrod and Kate
06-22-2009
(Kate)
well the last 24hrs have been a learning experience...the feeling of vacation has started to wear off. it started last night with sam explaining to us some cultural differences. in trying to keep our blog clean and for many eyes i will not go into much detail but it was a lot of info about blunt knifes and salt used to swell areas. a large reason for the AIDS issues in this part of the world is not because of lack of education but pride; many adults in the villages do not get tested because they don't want to know or they dont want others to know or find out that they have AIDS. and becuase of their lifestyles a village can easily discover if you change your day to day activities due to being infected. i think you all understand. also ifections can be spread during tribal rituals. knifes are not sterylized and sometimes chiefs of tribes are the hardest to change because their rituals have been done for hundreds of years and there is no changing them.so then this morning we went to the salima district hospital which is the only hopital for all of salima and senga bay. there are many clincs around the area but many lack the equipment to perform anything. well...the hospital can only do so much as well. we had to take a 21 year old clinic patent of sam's to the hospial, named diana. she is a runaway from Mangochi who has contracted an STD from selling herself which has become very infected. Sam has done all see can to help her wounds but she needed medicane from the hospital and she needs counciling because she doesn't understand what is happening to her. she is very poorly educated and scared. so sam is trying to get her as healthly as she can to send her home to her sister's but becuase of her fear she will not tell sam where her sister lives.we when we got to the aids ward the doctor was not in yet! it was 9am and the place was packed, sam explained that there is no accountablity for any of the doctors and most of them just do it as a job and dont care so they come and go as they please.we left diana in the office to wait in line and sam gave us a tour of the hopital. the rooms were large but there were not enough beds for the people, and so many crying babies. sam then took us into the lab, which was the most advanced section of the hopital, they had air conditioning, a microscope, and a fridge for blood with 10 bags of blood. 10 bags of blood for the whole hospital...and that is a lot for them. blood is hard to come by because most malawian people can not donate. so what did my amazing husband do but donate. don't worry, everything was very very clean and according to Jarrod they did it better than most of the red cross nurses in the states.
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(Jarrod)
So Matteus the lab tech pricked my finger to get a sample for a hemoglobin count. I don't know much about these things, but my hemoglobin was at about 18%, which is apparently very high (at least for this area of the world). He was very excited to get started and we moved to another room with 2 old, beat up beds. To make a long story short, by the time I was done, I had probably given just over 2 pints of blood. Matteus and the man in charge of the lab were most appreciative, assuring me that I had just saved the lives of 4 children. From there, we toured some more of the hospital and made our way back to Diana. Sam went to take care of her, and Kate and I went outside to get some pictures of the hospital. Soon Sam and Diana were back with us, and we were discussing the lack of accountability in the hospital. I was leaning on Sam's truck, feeling fine. Next thing I knew, I was about 10 feet from the truck, on the ground, with Sam holding my head up. Apparently, I had stumbled away from my perch and fainted. I probably should have had a better breakfast before giving blood...my mistake. I said something stupid like, "did I fall down?" and we all had a good laugh. Sam and Kate got me some water, Coke (Coke is huge here, by the way) a banana, and some shade, and I was fine, though still a little groggy. We ran a few errands from there, and that pretty much ended our day. We came home, where I slept the afternoon away, and felt much better. Now I want to tell you a little about Sam, but that is for another blog.
Jarrod and Kate
(Kate)
well the last 24hrs have been a learning experience...the feeling of vacation has started to wear off. it started last night with sam explaining to us some cultural differences. in trying to keep our blog clean and for many eyes i will not go into much detail but it was a lot of info about blunt knifes and salt used to swell areas. a large reason for the AIDS issues in this part of the world is not because of lack of education but pride; many adults in the villages do not get tested because they don't want to know or they dont want others to know or find out that they have AIDS. and becuase of their lifestyles a village can easily discover if you change your day to day activities due to being infected. i think you all understand. also ifections can be spread during tribal rituals. knifes are not sterylized and sometimes chiefs of tribes are the hardest to change because their rituals have been done for hundreds of years and there is no changing them.so then this morning we went to the salima district hospital which is the only hopital for all of salima and senga bay. there are many clincs around the area but many lack the equipment to perform anything. well...the hospital can only do so much as well. we had to take a 21 year old clinic patent of sam's to the hospial, named diana. she is a runaway from Mangochi who has contracted an STD from selling herself which has become very infected. Sam has done all see can to help her wounds but she needed medicane from the hospital and she needs counciling because she doesn't understand what is happening to her. she is very poorly educated and scared. so sam is trying to get her as healthly as she can to send her home to her sister's but becuase of her fear she will not tell sam where her sister lives.we when we got to the aids ward the doctor was not in yet! it was 9am and the place was packed, sam explained that there is no accountablity for any of the doctors and most of them just do it as a job and dont care so they come and go as they please.we left diana in the office to wait in line and sam gave us a tour of the hopital. the rooms were large but there were not enough beds for the people, and so many crying babies. sam then took us into the lab, which was the most advanced section of the hopital, they had air conditioning, a microscope, and a fridge for blood with 10 bags of blood. 10 bags of blood for the whole hospital...and that is a lot for them. blood is hard to come by because most malawian people can not donate. so what did my amazing husband do but donate. don't worry, everything was very very clean and according to Jarrod they did it better than most of the red cross nurses in the states.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Jarrod)
So Matteus the lab tech pricked my finger to get a sample for a hemoglobin count. I don't know much about these things, but my hemoglobin was at about 18%, which is apparently very high (at least for this area of the world). He was very excited to get started and we moved to another room with 2 old, beat up beds. To make a long story short, by the time I was done, I had probably given just over 2 pints of blood. Matteus and the man in charge of the lab were most appreciative, assuring me that I had just saved the lives of 4 children. From there, we toured some more of the hospital and made our way back to Diana. Sam went to take care of her, and Kate and I went outside to get some pictures of the hospital. Soon Sam and Diana were back with us, and we were discussing the lack of accountability in the hospital. I was leaning on Sam's truck, feeling fine. Next thing I knew, I was about 10 feet from the truck, on the ground, with Sam holding my head up. Apparently, I had stumbled away from my perch and fainted. I probably should have had a better breakfast before giving blood...my mistake. I said something stupid like, "did I fall down?" and we all had a good laugh. Sam and Kate got me some water, Coke (Coke is huge here, by the way) a banana, and some shade, and I was fine, though still a little groggy. We ran a few errands from there, and that pretty much ended our day. We came home, where I slept the afternoon away, and felt much better. Now I want to tell you a little about Sam, but that is for another blog.
Jarrod and Kate
Sunday, June 21, 2009
6/20/09
Ok, so this morning Sam took Kate and I and our new friends from Texas to a small wildlife refuge not too far from here called Kuti. Whele we didn't see too much wildlife, we did get some great pictures of a baboon, some zebras, ostriches, and camels. No, camels are not indeginous to this area. The refuge brought them in recently to serve as tour animals. They have not yet been fully trained, but they're pretty good, so we got to pet them. It was a really great little outing. I think we've pretty much gotten acclimated to the time change and scenery change. We're gonna try out church tomorrow, which should be an incredible experience. Then Monday we start to work. We're really excited to get into doing something productive. These last few days have been very nice, being here on Lake Malawi just getting familiar with the people and places. We have many pictures to share, and will be sure to do so whenever the next time is we get to Lilongwe and can get a decent internet connection. Until then, thanks for reading, and keep us in your prayers. Thanks! Jarrod and Kate
06/19/09
06-19-2009
Well it is another beautiful day here on Senga Bay, a little chilly today and the waters are much more rough, the wind has picked up a little but that's "winter" for you. Last night some texans came to have dinner at cool runnings. they are working at the Baptist clinic in Senga Bay. We all (Jarrod, Jason, Jess, Sam and myself) sat and talked after dinner until very late. Jess and Jason are near the end of there one month stay at the clinic and they were telling us all about their experiences and the different trips that they have made. They had some great pointers for us and it made me feel a little better talking with them and hearing there stories. They are really great people. Jarrod and I have adjusted well to the time difference and feel good in the space we are in. Sam is so sweet and has been so helpful with getting us aquainted with the area. After Jarrod got his coffee this morning we took a walk through the village. Most of the homes in this area are made of brick or stone and some even have doors! The school house is very nice it is painted in a blue and white and stands at the end of the dirt road. As we walked through everyone greeted us with smiles and hellos the children all ran out of there homes or away from their games yelling "mzulu" meaning white person. We greeted them with smiles and hellos and a little conversation but not too much or they will follow you for hours. The kids love to get their pictures taken and love more to see it on the camera. They all laugh and giggle when they see themselves. When we got to the end of the village we were on the main road so we decided to walk up to the Baptist Clinic and see Jason and Jess. It was about a 2 mile walk up to the clinic but we got to see a lot more of the people and the day to day activities. Road side stands line the street with vendors trying to see you anything they can. They can make almost anything you want out of reed; from little helicopters to love seats. As we walked my kids would ask us for money. One child even had money in his plastic bag hat but still asked us for some. We nicley told him no, but he still choose to walk with us for a bit until he found some friends playing. Finally we mad it to the clinic. The grounds are large and very nice. We met Jess and Jason in the back playing with some children (Linda, Lialano, Jr. and Precious). They were having fun with bouncy balls. To see hem laughing and running around and happy over a bouncy ball was just incredible to me. Jess and Jason then introduced us Margret, the woman that runs the clinic and is also very go friends with Sam. She then offerd us a ride back to the village and our tired feet could not turn it down. After she dropped us off we walked down to the local market to buy some bread for breakfast and 2 cokes. A man named henry, that we had meet earleier in the day, saw us and took us to his shop to show us his very nice fabrics. After we finished our cokes and returned the bottles for recycling we made our walk back to Cool Runnings. Once back, Jarrod talked me into taking a swim in the lake. It was acually warm and the waves were fun to try to body surf in. It is funny when the waves hit you but they don't taste like salt water and then you remember you are not in the ocean but a lake: the 9th largest lake in the world, and it is fresh water. Well now we are relaxing and waiting for dinner to be ready.
mzulu in africa,
kate
Well it is another beautiful day here on Senga Bay, a little chilly today and the waters are much more rough, the wind has picked up a little but that's "winter" for you. Last night some texans came to have dinner at cool runnings. they are working at the Baptist clinic in Senga Bay. We all (Jarrod, Jason, Jess, Sam and myself) sat and talked after dinner until very late. Jess and Jason are near the end of there one month stay at the clinic and they were telling us all about their experiences and the different trips that they have made. They had some great pointers for us and it made me feel a little better talking with them and hearing there stories. They are really great people. Jarrod and I have adjusted well to the time difference and feel good in the space we are in. Sam is so sweet and has been so helpful with getting us aquainted with the area. After Jarrod got his coffee this morning we took a walk through the village. Most of the homes in this area are made of brick or stone and some even have doors! The school house is very nice it is painted in a blue and white and stands at the end of the dirt road. As we walked through everyone greeted us with smiles and hellos the children all ran out of there homes or away from their games yelling "mzulu" meaning white person. We greeted them with smiles and hellos and a little conversation but not too much or they will follow you for hours. The kids love to get their pictures taken and love more to see it on the camera. They all laugh and giggle when they see themselves. When we got to the end of the village we were on the main road so we decided to walk up to the Baptist Clinic and see Jason and Jess. It was about a 2 mile walk up to the clinic but we got to see a lot more of the people and the day to day activities. Road side stands line the street with vendors trying to see you anything they can. They can make almost anything you want out of reed; from little helicopters to love seats. As we walked my kids would ask us for money. One child even had money in his plastic bag hat but still asked us for some. We nicley told him no, but he still choose to walk with us for a bit until he found some friends playing. Finally we mad it to the clinic. The grounds are large and very nice. We met Jess and Jason in the back playing with some children (Linda, Lialano, Jr. and Precious). They were having fun with bouncy balls. To see hem laughing and running around and happy over a bouncy ball was just incredible to me. Jess and Jason then introduced us Margret, the woman that runs the clinic and is also very go friends with Sam. She then offerd us a ride back to the village and our tired feet could not turn it down. After she dropped us off we walked down to the local market to buy some bread for breakfast and 2 cokes. A man named henry, that we had meet earleier in the day, saw us and took us to his shop to show us his very nice fabrics. After we finished our cokes and returned the bottles for recycling we made our walk back to Cool Runnings. Once back, Jarrod talked me into taking a swim in the lake. It was acually warm and the waves were fun to try to body surf in. It is funny when the waves hit you but they don't taste like salt water and then you remember you are not in the ocean but a lake: the 9th largest lake in the world, and it is fresh water. Well now we are relaxing and waiting for dinner to be ready.
mzulu in africa,
kate
Thursday, June 18, 2009
We Made it!
Well, we made it. We're her at Cool Running in Senga Bay. After 36 hours of flying, we got to Lilongwe and made our way to a hotel called Crossroads. I managed to figure out how to call Samantha (who owns Cool Running and operates the Clinic at the Gate and almost every other program in Senga Bay) after about 45 minutes of trying, and she came to pick us up a few hours later. It was another 2 hours of driving before we arrived at Cool Runnings. After settling into our tent, we went to check out Lake Malawi and get something to drink. We chatted with a Scottish guy, his French girlfriend, and a backpacking South African for a while. As the sun went down, our exhaustion became evident, and having no idea what time it was, we went to bed. I turned on my phone to check the time, and it was only 6:30! It's "winter" here, so it gets dark early. We slept like babies. We've spent today getting acclimated to our new surroundings and time zone. It is absolutely gorgeous here on the lake. Internet here is very lacking, Sam has a dial up connection which she is generously letting us use, so we'll post as we can, but it may be very sparse. Verizon promised my phone would get internet here, but it doesn't... Anyway, not much has happened yet, but we know that this well be an incredible journey. It's become quite evident why they call this the Warm Heart of Africa. The People here are wonderful, and everyone greets us with a warm smile and a hearty Hello!. We are quite excited for the work God has for us in the months to come. Thanks for reading...We'll try to have some pictures up soon. We are glad to know that we are in your thoughts and prayers.
Jarrod and Kate
Jarrod and Kate
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
5 days till we leave
Hey everyone!
I'm just setting up this blog site, and don't really know much about how it works. I probably should have gotten this figured out before now. Anyway, we leave the US in 5 days, and arrive in Malawi in 7. That's right, a total of 36 hours of travel to get there...should be interesting. We have gotten a lot of information from Dick and Suzi (who run the Malawi project) in the last couple of days. They seem very excited about our trip. Suzi will now be able to meet us there 2 or 3 days after we arrive, which is awesome. We're really getting excited to go. We're pretty well set at this point, with just a few last minute details to take care of. We'll be keeping this blog going whenever we have internet access across our 5 months in Malawi. We would love for you to keep up with us on our journey. There will be many stories, pictures, videos, etc., for your reading and viewing pleasure. Please keep us in your prayers as we set out to do the work God has for us. Thanks, and you'll be hearing from us soon!
Jarrod and Kate
I'm just setting up this blog site, and don't really know much about how it works. I probably should have gotten this figured out before now. Anyway, we leave the US in 5 days, and arrive in Malawi in 7. That's right, a total of 36 hours of travel to get there...should be interesting. We have gotten a lot of information from Dick and Suzi (who run the Malawi project) in the last couple of days. They seem very excited about our trip. Suzi will now be able to meet us there 2 or 3 days after we arrive, which is awesome. We're really getting excited to go. We're pretty well set at this point, with just a few last minute details to take care of. We'll be keeping this blog going whenever we have internet access across our 5 months in Malawi. We would love for you to keep up with us on our journey. There will be many stories, pictures, videos, etc., for your reading and viewing pleasure. Please keep us in your prayers as we set out to do the work God has for us. Thanks, and you'll be hearing from us soon!
Jarrod and Kate
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