December 30 - Mumbo Island

Mumbo Island is an absolute tropical paradise by any measure. The island is pristine - barely touched by man. The 5 bungalows are each private with spectacular views of the lake. There is an additional double bungalow for families. Tasty meals with fresh produce are served in the open air dining area. Words cannot describe the island - see the pictures. I will add that there is a regular rhythm of water lapping at the shore punctuated by bird calls. There are no mosquitoes on the island - only gnats. The green lush beauty of the rainy is achieved by 80-85 F, and either 90 - 100% (rain) humidity.
The bucket showers are quite comfortable (addition of heated water optional - not necessary).
Swimming next to the shore reminds me of Hawaii. The water is warm and the fish are beautiful and numerous. The freshwater is warm and clear. The bright blue sky of yesterday turned into overcast wind and clouds this afternoon. In the morning, Bryce and I paddled around the island; we ventured into a cave - disturbed a colony of bats - and quickly retreated. After lunch and a siesta in the hammock, we tool a hike across the island to pod rock. We discovered the source of the name - pods from the overlying trees accumulate on top. The view was fabulous.
The breeze off the lake combined with the lack of mosquitoes combined for the best nights sleep we have had in Africa.

December 29

We woke up before the sun today and were collected by Joel in a newish, perfected Ford expedition owned by Derek Macphearson's safari company. The 3 1/2 hour drive was our first experience on air conditioning since we left Dulles Airport. The landscape and details of the mud huts changed as we headed east to the lake, but much was the same. Hand dug rows of Maize are everywhere with occasional rows of tobacco in between.
There was no rain on our route this morning - sunny skies and white clouds greeted us. The last 18 Km of the trip as we pulled off the track to Monkey Bay was a washboard dirt dirt road through the a national park. We saw a few baboons peering through the brush.
The reception at Kayak Africa on Cape McClear was comfortable and tastefully decorated. We could hear children playing in the waves and shade of the dockside sitting area. We enjoyed a 1 1/2 hour rest in our travels, expecting the boat at 10:30am. We made it to the island at noon in time to settle in before lunch.
In the evening, we took a cruise around the island in a motor boat with a family from South Africa. We lingered off the coast to take in the beautiful sunset.

December 28

First thing this morning we finished our measurements on the fields by the river. We said our good-byes to Froedrick, his wife (whose birthday is today) and their son Blessings and their daughter Margaret. On the way "home" we stopped at the Macphearson farm and saw his processing area for his cattle, his animal records system, and veterinary supplies. We also visited his Butchery - a model of cleanliness and efficiency.
Derek had to cut our time short as he had been called away to a village that had been alarmed by a lion attacking their cattle. He planned to capture and relocate the lion. He offered that we could join him - we declined to continue on our schedule.
We returned to our "home" at Salima village, ate a fabulous tuna sandwich, and left for the nearby village of Mtsiliza. COTN feeds just under 500 children in this village once a day and also cares for orphans - one girl's and one boy's home. Mary and Innocent took turns proudly showing us their homes. We saw the facility used to fees the children (though they had finished by the time that we arrived).

Chichere Farm

We spent the morning seeing the farm via land rover taking pictures and tagging GPS data. This is a beautiful time to visit Malawi. Everywhere you look is green and the Maize is low enough that you can see everything. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were each quite a feast. We were introduced to nsima, an interesting food item made from corn flour and is served as a warm lump. In the afternoon we discussed ways to increase the farm's crop production and considered ways the livestock can be introduced on the farm.
Derek Macphearson came by. He is a white Malawian who serves as a board member of COTN. His family has been farming for in Malawi for several generations. He has great hands on experience in caring for crops and animals in this environment and brings excellent knowledge to share.

The Day After Christmas

We toured each of the children's homes in Chiwengo today. The 90 children live in 6 homes. These homes house the kids as well as parents and aunts. The kids were excited to show us their rooms. As we were going to the each of the homes, we ended up with younger kids clinging to us as we walked along. After we said our good-byes, we left for Salima village and lunch. After a short rest we loaded back in the care and made the drive west out to Chichere in the Mchinji district.

Christmas in Malawi

We arrived in Chiwengo Village on Christmas eve and spent the night here. The drive was several hours on a beautiful paved road. On the way to we stopped at the airport and successfully retrieved our previously lost bag, just in time to deliver enclosed Christmas gifts. We passed mile after mile of hand plowed land with either 6 foot maize stalks or newly sprouted tobacco. We enjoyed a quiet Christmas morning and a long chat with Henry. He is a Godly man with a sincere heart to care for children and proclaim Jesus. His job is to coordinate all of the venture team visits in Malawi and he does it very well with a gracious spirit.

Chewengo is a "village" that has significant infrastructure constructed by the previous president of Malawi (it was his home village). That president has passed from power and the village has lost some of its glory. Street lights don't shine and water flows to the indoor plumbing - sometimes - but compared to one of the typical villages, the the homes were very nice. COTN rents eight homes that house 90 children, staff, an on duty nurse, and interns when they are there.

We walked to church in the late morning at the local Presbyterian church (previously Dutch reform). The simple brick walled church with cement floors and a tin roof had excellent reverb as the fifty voice women's group sang amazing African rhythms and tones. The congregation was called with a stick and a big metal pan. The form was familiar but rhythm and words were distinctively African. We sang O Come All Ye Faithful (in Chewian) and other African favorites. The Apostles creed and the Lord's prayer were familiar. Prior to the sermon the pastor invited any with the desire to sing to do so (there were no instruments in the room), several groups sang complex African Rhythms and a few from the COTN children.
Half way through his sermon the pastor stopped and asked the older women (who were sitting in their own section) to sing a song that reinforced the part of his sermon. They did with dance!
Prior to the offering a young man read a piece of original poetry. The service ended after a few more songs. Announcements - including a chiding for those not participating in some community project, were done at the end of the service because of the number of people who showed up to church late. Finally the attendance (315) the offering were announced and us visitors were introduced.
We saw Rebeca after church and Bryce took some pictures and enjoyed a quiet time chatting with her and her friend. She recorded a voice message on my phone for Anna - she very much wants her to visit.
Mid-afternoon Chris Clarke's mom, Grandma Pat, and his sister, Michelle, arrived to a throng of delighted children. the kids love and respect Grandma Pat for the part that she has played with COTN in Malawi. Though I just met Grandma Pat (we all call her Grandma or Grandma Pat) it is clear to me she is an experienced and energetic Bible teacher. She had the children captivated with a silly skit about people you meet in an orchard followed by a teaching from Luke.
The children performed a program for us including singing, dancing, and a skit. Pat and Michelle prepared a feast (all hand cooked) of hot dogs, buns, rolls, and chips; with tomato sauce and candy.
To finish the program off each of the older children received an English Bible of their own and everyone received a small "Jesus Loves You" toy, or a bracelet.
After the party quieted down my dad and I met Clement in his home. He is a shy boy who seemed nervous to meet us. We prayed for him and gave him a book on interesting parts of the Bible. We gave the "Merry Christmas" blocks that our family had made to decorate his home.

Christmas Eve Report

December 24

We started our day with a recheck on Poo the Bichon. Michele showed us the land that she planning to buy near the Nejwa facility. Bryce took measurements to map it for her. We met some of the men from the adjacent village (small village with 10 “houses”). The houses are made of mud bricks with straw roofs. They were planting the surrounding land with maize and tobacco in hand dug furrows.

John had prepared breakfast for us and after a short delay waiting for the 3 ton (truck) we left for Chilombo. The trip was a two hour drive, first on pavement then un-paved roads – did I mention that this is the rainy season? It did not rain this day but it soon became apparent why we were in a truck, not a car.

Early in this drive we were passing buildings, offices, and the African Bible College campus (which is a beautiful campus that includes a undergraduate school and a hospital). People always seem to be walking along the edge of the roads, we saw one woman cleaning her laundry in a puddle of rain water that collected just off the pavement.

We shifted from 4^th to 3^rd gear as we passed a police check-point and the pavement ended – we were entering area 25 of Lilowenge. We saw lots of local tradesmen working and offering their products along the roadside. The bicycle repair shop was doing booming business. We saw buckets being hand formed from sheet metal (they looked great). We passed a lumbar yard where hand cut 2x2, 2x4, and 2x6 timbers were for sale (yes they were hand cut, we saw the saw). The most interesting business was the bicycle taxi service, the drivers were polishing their rides waiting for a fare. I figured out why so many people walk. Gas costs $10 per gallon – laborers make $1 per day…

As we left the town, we found portions of the road where we shifted to 2^nd gear to navigate the ruts and puddles. We crossed a river on a cement bridge exactly wide enough for the truck to cross. Bryce was riding in the back of the truck with Chikondi. He travels to the village three days a week to lead Bible study; he serves them as a councilor and encourages the kids to stay in school.

Just across the bridge, Chikondi recognized a group of women from the village heading home. They climbed barefoot with their packages into the back of the truck and off we went .

We drove for 45 minutes through the countryside planted in maize in hand tilled furrows as far as the eye could see. Finally we turned off the “road” to a track leading to Chilombo Village.

We parked in the center of the village under the meeting trees and were quickly surrounded by about 50 children. I was told by our hosts that Chilombo Village is like most Malawian villages (in contrast to towns like Lilongwe). About 3000 people live here. There are 21 elders and one chief..

This place is straight from National Geographic. The houses are made from mud bricks and thatched roofs. Some serve as kitchens with smoke pouring out of the roofs. Chickens, pigs, and goats were running through the village. Their enclosures were also from mud bricks and were located throughout the village among the houses. There were pens for cattle as well whose corner posts were live tree trunks trimmed to 5 feet. Did I mention that this is the rainy season? The barefooted children did not seem to notice that liquid manure poured out onto the path. We met men of the village that greeted us warmly in the Malawian way.

We found Brian, a boy we sponsor through COTN waiting for us at his home. He is a quite boy with a winning smile. We sat down in front of his house and met some of his brothers and sisters. I was pleased to tell him that we celebrate Jesus birthday by giving gifts and that we pray for him often. He flashed a beautiful smile when he received his soccer ball and pump.

On the way back to the truck, we passed by one of the two hand pumped wells that serve this village of 3000 people. The women in line allowed me to pump a tub full of water – the woman then easily lifted the 6 gallon tub to the top of her head and turned for home with out spilling a drop.

We left the village with full hearts; the people we met, and the memories we made will no soon fade. After our return to Nejwa, we left the same evening for Chiwengo. That story will have to wait for another day.

Tuesday's report

I made a house call first thing in the morning for Michele Clark's Bichon "Poo". He has a sore foot. It was a pleasure to meet Michele and her Mom Pat. Michele is working at the African Bible College and living temporarily at the COTN site.
We spent the day of the 23rd at the farm at Chitipi. Khumbo, the farm manager and Bryce spent the morning walking the property and taking photos and collecting GPS data.

Jean showed me how the care for their broiler chickens - it brought back childhood memories for me with a few significant differences. For one thing they use charcoal heated brooders for the day old chicks! When the power goes out they light a candle for birds do not get frightened and pile up. They have one Holstein cow, she gave a female calf two weeks ago. They breed her with A.I. Last year's calf is now a good sized bull that they plan to sell. They also have about 10 goats, the goats are taken to pasture each days.
We were hosted a great lunch at Nejwa and then returned to Chitipi in the afternoon and spent time discussing animal husbandry ideas they may implement on the farm.
Khumbo asked us if there was anything that was different than we expected in Malawi. My first answer is that there are many more people walking along the roads than I expected.
The jet lag seemed to hit us this day and we both fell asleep by 7 pm.

Addendum: We have discovered a few things about Deet. First the 99% formula we have acts as a solvent; it took some letters off of Bryce's camera and transferred dye from my raincoat to my skin. No harm though, Bryce knows what the buttons on his camera do without any labels. Second it works! - no bites and yes it has been put to the test.

We have finally arrived!!

Our first view of Malawi looked like a page from Google Earth. The clouds parted as we arrived and we had a great view of the lake from the plane. Three of our four check bags arrived with us; and we filed a search for the fourth. We were warmly greeted by Henry and Chance from COTN.
Our first stop was at Njewa were we were greeted by the senior management team in Malawi: Yobbe, Tom, and Lillian. We settled into the adjacent housing accommodations called "Salima Village".
The Salima Village facilities are fabulous they are modeled after a Malawin village. Cement floored "huts" with electricity, running water, and comfortable bunk beds for four covered from the sun and rain by a thatched roof. The center of the Salima compound has a covered open sided meeting area. The centralized restrooms are decidedly not from an authentic Malawian village: they have flushing toilets, private showers - with hot water. The entire grounds at Salima is beautifully landscaped with flowers and newly planted trees.

John and Jeremiah, the gracious and talented cook and his assistant had prepared a wonderful meat filled pastry for us as an afternoon snack in the community kitchen and dining room.

Next we were off to meet the children at Chitipi. They greeted us with song, dance, poetry, Bible recitation, and prayer. This was a great blessing to us as our Sunday had been gobbled up by travel and time changes. These children brought us into God's presence through their singing and we worshiped together.

Lastly we were back to Njewa/Salima for dinner, conversation, hot showers, and bed.

Much closer!

December 22

We had a very long day of travel yesterday. As we flew from Dulles to Addis Ababa, we advanced through 8 time zones - evening came quickly. Ethiopian Air managed to fit in Dinner, Breakfast, then Lunch. The fun for me was seeing a 7 year old girl from Ethiopia that befriended an 8 year old boy from Colorado. As children do so well, they instantly became fast friends and played on their gameboys furiously, then collapsed in a pile of dozing humanity. There was a long good-bye and exchange of e-mails as they parted ways.

The airline provided a voucher for transport, a night's stay, and meals at a local hotel. Little did we know that an adventure ride was included for no additional fee. The bus driver used flashing headlights, gunning the engine, and occasional application of the horn to coerce pedestrians off the "road". Mister Toad has nothing on this guy. Along the way we saw store fronts (think small fireworks stand) lining the road selling various things - the butcher shops caught my eye - with their hanging carcases for sale.

The M. N. International hotel was nice, the facility was new, clean and the staff were extremely courteous extending great service to their guests. The beds were FIRM and the night air very cool (Addis is around 6500 ft elevation) the feather comforters made for a cozy night's sleep. There was a determined rooster attempting to raise the sun at 3 am - but otherwise our night's sleep was undisturbed.

This is posted from the airport as we now are heading to Malawi!!

Fantastic Day in DC

We were hosted by our new best friend in Washington DC. With his expert guidance and mad parking skill we squeezed a ton of sight seeing into one day. We left the Dulles area hotel at 9 am and saw:
The Vietnam Memorial, The Korean War Memorial, The Lincoln Memorial, The WW II Memorial, The FDR Memorial (this is a fantastic tribute using, words, sculptures, water features and landscaping), The World War Memorial (WW I) We went to the top of the Washington monument - excellent views of the city!
We took a break and ate lunch at the food court in the "Old Post Office" building. Next it was up to the top of the tower in the "Old Post Office" for more views and the bells. We visited the National Archives and saw: Magna Carta, The Declaration of Independence, All 4 pages of the Constitution, and The Bill of Right.
We made a drive by of the Capital Building and the visited the White House (well the lawn anyway) - the grandstands for the inauguration are under construction. Finally we visited the Jefferson Memorial and returned to Dulles Airport by 5:30!! Wow What a Day! It was great and we have pictures to prove we were there.
We are off to our Ethiopian Air Flight ttfn.

So Far, So Good...

We have made it to Washington DC and we are going to go sightseeing until our flight tonight. Our flight tonight will take us to Malawi via Rome and Ethiopia.

GO!!

Today is the day! The bags are carefully packed to 50# each. We are pleased to be taking 31 smile packs, 107 hand made bracelets, and 250 small "Jesus Loves Me" gifts to bless the children.

We are looking forward to spending a day in Washington D.C. en route. We expect to arrive in Lilongwe at noon on the 22. (That's a total travel of 11,194 miles and 22 1/2 hours in the air - but who's counting)

I will update the blog as I am able.

Khilisimasi Yabwino (Merry Christmas)

Get Set!

Our combined clothing occupies 1/2 of one large (but still "in regulation") suitcase. The remaining 3 and 1/2 suitcases are loaded to 50# each with "COTN smile packs" and gifts that have been provided by friends as a blessing for the children that COTN supports.
What is a smile pack you ask? COTN has made it easy for YOU to get actively involved caring for children in distant places. As described on their web site http://www.cotni.org/75-smilepacks a smile pack is a a Zip-lock bag filled with simple items that will bring a smile to a child's face. If you live in Orange County CA you can deliver you smile packs to Sara Booth, she is the Satellite Coordinator for our area. Contact her at sarabooth@cotni.org or 949-212-4621 and she will make sure that they make it to their destination.
Want to learn more about the work that COTN does in Malawi? Check this out.

Weather in Malawi

Lilongwe Weather

Lilongwe Time

Our Team Photo

Many Hands Make Light Work

We have experienced excellent support in our preparations for this trip. In the realm of animal husbandry in developing nations - the Christian Veterinary Mission has been an excellent resource. CVM http://www.cvmusa.org/ is made up up Christian veterinarians with heart to spread Christ's love through their daily work - animal care. I have relied on their excellent publications for practical advice on animal production in a rural setting and I plan to share their library of publications with my new friends in Malawi.

Through the wonders of the Internet I also was encouraged to find Joy Children's Center http://www.joychildrenscentre.org/ This group has successfully improved the lives of many children and families in Uganda by improving the lines of animals reared and offering a hands on training center in goat care. Additional support came from The Goat Veterinary Society http://www.goatvetsoc.co.uk/ they have recently published a video demonstrating humane dis-budding of goats.

I realize that some of you reading this may have no interest in hands on animal care - the message of the day is this. You do not have to re-invent the wheel to help others. There are plenty of people in various places doing good already. There is a strong chance that if you have a passion to help others, someone else has that passion too and they want to share their resources with you. With the Internet, it is easier than ever to come along side these leaders, learn, and continue their good in other places and perhaps in new ways.

On Your Mark

The time is drawing near. Plans for our adventure are in place: our arms have recovered from our innouculations, our paper-work is in order. The excitement is in waiting to see what God has in store for us. We will depert on 12/19 from LAX at 4:30 pm. The first leg of our journey includes a 20 hour lay-over in Washington D.C. Neither of us have ever been to the capital before so we are looking forward to some sight seeing - and wearing some warm mittens. From Dulles it is about 14 hours to Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) via Rome - we stop in Rome for fuel - no plane change; we will spend a night in Ethiopia and catch the 3 1/2 hour flight to Malawi arriving at Noon on 12/22. We are told that Malawi has three seasons: Hot and Dry, Hot and Humid, and Hot and Rainy. We are headed off at the beginning of the rainy season - looking forward to Christmas in Malawi.