I came to Isaiah 53 this morning, reading how Jesus bore our sins - it is always overwhelming.  He gave Himself as an offering for our sin.  I fear that I do not give myself quite like that. I’m willing to sacrifice some things but not others.  He planned to take abuse and pain for my sake.  I shrink from abuse and pain. I don’t know if I have taken abuse and pain for the sake of anyone else.  Isaiah 54- more of God’s promises of blessing, assurances of His way being fulfilled in my life.  His assurances to work everything out for the best.  I am still quite - is hesitant the right word? - fearful? - about conditions in the villages we will be traveling to.  God brought me here.  He is in charge of that as well.

Still Tuesday - We went to the Crisis Nursery.   They have 27 babies right now.  Five women are on staff to take care of these 27 babies.  Three days a week they work 16 hour shifts.  The babies are all hungry for attention.  Because there are no screens anywhere, flies are a hazard for the babies, because they are constantly landing on them.  Their caretakers said the flies spread diseases sometimes. 

We are in a community where all the houses have fences and locked gates around them.  I saw a man cutting grass next to a driveway with some type of hand tool.  I was not close enough to see what it was. There are flowers seemingly everywhere- the areas between the fences and the road are landscaped beautifully- although sometimes with rows of corn instead of colorful flowers.  Most of the trees are flowering.  It is not raining today and the sun is very hot. 

While we were playing with the babies, a group of the staff started singing.  It was so incredible to be playing with these little black babies and the hear the African voices outside. I don’t have words to express it.  I wish I could have recorded it, but a recording wouldn’t do it justice. Our online pharmacy is the perfect resource for people to get their drugs without any hassles or awkwardness. buy cialis We work hard to make sure you save money every time you shop with us. buy levitrabuy soma At our online store, you pay less and get more. buy viagra

There are black chickens living in the yard of the Crisis Nursery.  The rooster crows most of the day - OK, not most of the day–periodically, throughout the day.

This morning I hardly knew what to do.  One little girl was teething, and others wanted attention as well.  It is overwhelming to think of five women having charge of 27 orphans 24/7.

 We went over our schedule for the rest of our time here.

It’s 9:45 am.  We were supposed to have discipleship training at 9 am, but I guess we are on an African schedule!

We saw the stars last night when we went to see where the bathroom was. It was so beautiful to see stars up on a mountain with no city lights, but I didn’t recognize any, looking at the stars in a different part of the world!  While we were outside, I told Jacci, “Just think, we are on top of a mountain in Africa, where hyenas and wild monkeys live not far away, and we’ll be sleeping in a mud hut!”  We got the giggles.

We had nsima and chicken for supper last night.  We had bread and tea for breakfast.

Later

It is so lush and beautiful here. Flowering trees and shrubs.  They keep goats and chickens in the village running free, but there were also small flocks of goats being herded.

Right now while I am writing this, Jacci, Amy, Dan, and Andrew are having a conversation that includes how hard it is to go to the bathroom over a hole in the ground.  It is amazing how uninhibited you can get in a strange situation.  And the toilets are a hole in the ground. They are in their own mud hut.  The huts are raised above the ground a few feet on their own mud base.  From what I could see on a few huts, it looked like there are wood poles that form the base of the floor for stability.

There is an African thunderstorm rumbling outside. We had to quit the program early because the storm came up.  Two of the chickens found refuge in the corners of Shadrack’s fence, and stood with their chicks under them.

The nurses could not help us with the program today because so many people were lined up for the clinic.  Someone else just came to Shadrach’s door a few minutes ago needing a nurse.

Yesterday one little orphan girl was holding my hand and kept staring at it.  She separated my fingers and looked again, and turned my hand over and stared some more. I wonder how many white people they see.

Josiah is playing his guitar and singing now and it is raining harder.

We have interpreters from African Bible College in Lilongwe. All the young men are very protective of all of us and watch out to make sure we are doing the appropriate things, as well.  Yesterday they were helping Amy to not get taken advantage of by street vendors.

I was so hesitant to stay in a host home last evening, and spending the night in a mud house turned out to be an incredibly positive experience.  I wonder how often the experiences we run from are really things that are meant to be blessings.

• It costs $1200 to build a house for an orphan-headed household. This puts a roof over the head of an orphan who is caring for younger siblings and relatives.
• MOH is looking to build a secondary school (high school). This is first, because there is no government sponsored education after middle school, and second, because of the varying quality of education in local high schools, some of which have very poor standards. This project would cost $450K.
• OVC means orphans and vulnerable children, and they are the primary focus of MOH.
• A group of nannies rotate 16-hour shifts to care for 30 babies in the crisis nursery. Only 5 work there at one time.

Yesterday, for many reasons, was traumatic. It was also a very important day that exposed weaknesses in the team and caused us all to grow and learn to face reality.

***

Charles is far more education and well-spoken than I even realized. During the orientation, he expressed his passion for the Ministry of Hope projects and described community development programs that required a college level education to understand.

We were also very impressed with the enthusiasm of Esse, Crisis Nursery director, and Patrick. We continue to have fun joking with Mpho, Agnes, and Lawrence, and learning Chichewa. Daniel has become something of a rascal. He now finds it very funny to trick us and tease me in particular. For example, he asked if I was carrying a handset (cell phone). I said I wasn’t, in all seriousness. Then he said I would need one when I got lost later. I’ll get him back.

***

The crisis nursery is outstanding in every way…this is partially because of the staff, and the beautiful children there. But it is also sobering to realize that at most 5 people care for these 30 babies at one time. I had to sit down in deep distress, pondering what it would be like for Ethan to have to share our attention with 10 other babies. It’s a devastating thought.

They need so much love, care, human touch, and attention. So we pray strongly that God would give them families. The women there sang for us – it was exquisite – their harmonies were perfect and uniquely African. They danced and sang, holding the babies. We danced along. It’s as though this song and dance runs as an undercurrent to all life in this place, and anyone, even strangers, can pick it up at any time and join in.

***

An important note: we are no longer in the U.S.A.

Questions…how should we react to the crippled men who stand outside 7-Eleven? Was it unwise, unsafe to interact with the street vendors who then followed us around the city? Why didn’t we stop to assist the nursing mother having a seizure on the corner of the road?

The image is scarred into my mind forever. Her eyes rolled back; a trickle of foam running from her mouth to her exposed chest; her vulnerable child falling with her as she fainted. We have many things to ask Daniel today. Was he trying to protect us? Our hearts, stirred by these sights, need to understand the deeper truths of this culture.

When we passed by again, the mother had a crowed around her, caring for the situation. This was somewhat comforting, yet we still need closure on the subject. So I believe we will, with utmost respect, ask these questions.

***

Our time with Larry and Linda provided some insight into African culture (besides just being an enjoyable time hanging out and hearing about all the crazy stuff they did in tribal Kenya). I didn’t really know the extent of their long village experience and their amazing and dangerous ministry there.

One thing Larry said will stick in my mind, “If you asked Africans, ‘Would you rather us send the money for our tickets instead of coming?’ they would instantly say ‘No, please come. We want to meet you and talk with you.’ This is because relationship is paramount.”

***

Our prayer and reflection meeting was filled with conflict and tears, both from realization of our faults and healing tears mourning the tragic sights of the day. It was tense and emotionally taxing, but it lead to forgiveness and the expression of gnawing prejudices that needed to be unearthed. Sleep has rarely been so welcome. I hesitantly look forward to today, perhaps better prepared for reality.

***

Friday night we spend four hours packing supplies. We packed 18 bags filled with diapers, baby wipes, Tylenol, bandages, and a host of other basic needs that are too expensive for our hosts. Sad, but we’re glad to help. Later, at the airport, we discovered we had done well. Each bag was just barely under the 50lb limit (one actually 50.5 but they let it through). And the scale we used wasn’t entirely accurate. God is good.

***

Our first flight was a bit uncomfortable. It was taxing for many of us – the cramped spaces, the claustrophobia – but God sent angels to encourage us and we made many friends with our fellow travelers. I think God planned for us to sit 2-by-2 in rows so we could meet more people.

***

Amsterdam was not as wonderful as other European cities I’ve visited, but the throng of humanity on the streets, the bicycles, and the other idiosyncratic forms of transportation are great. Everyone looks so much more healthy there. Feeding pigeons and having them perch on us was fun. But, all in all, I won’t be to eager to visit again. Everything is so expensive. Plus we got ripped off at dinner.

I do love Europe, though. It is good to be away from the US now and then.

***

Our 2nd flight was much better. Kenya airways had a very gracious staff and much more spacious seating. This encouraged us after a difficult day before. The Nairobi airport gave us many challenges and I learned a critical lesson – on this continent we must always ask for help.

I needed help to find the correct gate. Then, as we waited, I asked if the plan was going to Lilongwe, and they said no and showed me a different waiting area. So I decided to ask an ex-pat in the new waiting area if this was the correct plane. He said yes, but there was a stopover in Lusaka, Zambia. Imagine us deplaning in Lusaka…or worse, landing and thinking we had taken the wrong flight! God is good. And there is no place for pride and stubborn self-confidence here.

In the Nairobi airport we experienced a 2-hour delay while engineers were working on the plane (yikes). We believe this was God’s way of giving us a 2-hour nap.

***

It is so hot here. A bit of a shock coming from 4 degrees. The airport has open air windows, and the smell of fresh green foliage fills your senses. All or our bags and people arrived intact! We changed our money, and then it was time for customs.
No scanners, just a police unit that seemed to be digging through everyone’s bags. I asked the agent what we needed to declare. She said everything except clothing.

Bad news. We had 27 bags packed with supplies. It would take the whole day to inspect and we would get charged taxes for who knows what.

I was grateful for 2 things. One, Linda, our missionary contact, had told us to be very vague and try to just move through. Also we had prayed specifically about this situation at the airport before.

So, I said we had nothing to declare and walked straight to the police unit. I lined up our group and pointed them out to him. They were loaded with all their bags in trolleys, and I think it was a bit intimidating. I said we were coming to work with missionaries.
He asked me a few questions and I told him about Ministry of Hope and the length of our stay. Then I said “Okay, can we go on through?” He said, “Sure.” And we walked right into Malawi without them opening a single bag. This was the first miracle of God.

***

The Ministry of Hope staff is courteous, warm, welcoming, and just downright cool. They are some of the greatest people I’ve met and it’s only been 2 days.

Daniel, our main contact, is in charge of discipleship with kids and adults. He is a good friend already, very helpful and wise. Charles Gwengwe is the new Executive Director. Very good communicator, great sense of humor. He asked me to preach on Sunday – don’t quite know what to say yet. Lawrence is our driver – doesn’t speak much English, but he has fun teaching us Chichewa, esp things Daniel doesn’t want us to learn.
Patrick is director of the CBOC’s (Community Based Orphan Care centers). He is an energetic and very gifted man (and a published author). We also met…

Ben – the board chair – hilarious and very knowledgeable about the situations in Malawi
Esse – Crisis nursery director
Agnes – business manager
Mpho – Sassy and very fun administrative assistant

They all came to have dinner with us and were so honoring and grateful. They taught us a few cultural do’s and don’ts about meals, and won our hearts with their spirits. I love the custom of shaking hands – you can never do it too much here. And you must shake everyone’s hand when you enter a room. Wonderful culture.

***

I understand now why the roads are dangerous. For one thing, there are people walking up and down either side constantly, plus bikes. The main roads are nicely paved, but smaller roads are very rough, which makes me appreciate the land cruiser.

Almost everything looks different – the vegetation, the people, the activity, the tin roofed buildings. Yet it’s all attractive in some way – we feel a spirit of friendliness and community. Charles tells us that Malawi is very peaceful, very poor, and very corrupt. We hope we can encourage peace, lift up the poor, and share the pure love of Jesus Christ. This is appropriately named the warm heart of Africa.

***

Our first team meeting was perfect – we are beginning to bond, sharing stories of God’s provision, worship through song, and prayer. I look forward to each day we will be here. My prayer…
Lord your providence is unbelievable
But I believe and trust in all you are doing
Give us your heart
Your will
Your strength
Let us pour ourselves into others, that they might live
And open our hearts and minds to how they will change us
Amen

This is a general overview of the serving opportunities we experienced. Baby George, shown in this video, was a Crisis Nursery baby who was severly malnourished when we arrived. He was given the Similac Advanced formula that we brought, and during the course of our trip, gained 1.5 lbs. They believe this saved his life.

This is a video introducing our team and a brief look at our travel to Malawi (the Amsterdam segment has been cut but that was fun too!)

This video shows the facility and introduces the (wonderful, awesome, gracious) staff of Ministry of Hope.