The First 2 Weeks

WOW there is SO much I could tell you…I don’t even know where to begin….It’s been 2 weeks since we’ve arrived.

Okay so we have a pretty rigorous schedule. We were all surprised by the fact that there was actually a plan considering we had no idea what we were in for.

Our weekend begins on Sunday afternoons after church. Monday is our rest day J. Monday has ended up being a sleep-in until 8am, then catch-up day on laundry and cleaning day. Wednesdays have also been a day that’s been sort of relaxing. We usually work in the morning until about 3pm and then are able to take a nap in the afternoon. Wednesdays are designated “family nights.” That means the 7 of us (Cameron, Brock, Annie, Me, Edith, Humphreys, and Ndaba) have a family meeting and then hang. Last night we prayed over one another. We are all trusting each other more and in turn are able to be more vulnerable. Last night was unifying.

Everyday we have group quiet time at 0630 for 15 minutes, then 30 minutes of personal devotional time. After that we eat breakfast, clean it up, and go to the office for staff devotions, meetings, etc. (depending on the day).

Saturdays are service days where we go out to the community. We have been to Onesimus in Chitipi Village, which is a home for boys who previously were living on the street; Crisis Nursery, which is an orphanage for abandon infants; we will go to Kachele Juvenile Hall this Saturday, and to a widows home, and other places in the future.

Friday is Kudoku Village day, but we couldn’t go last Friday because there has been a really bad fuel shortage. There will literally be lines of cars and trucks 2 miles long that need petrol or diesel. Every so often there will be a delivery. When there is a delivery we’ll send someone out to wait in line, but sometimes the filling station will run out before our vehicle gets filled. The situation has arisen as a direct result of decisions made by the government. [please pray for the government, authorities, and leading officials not only in Malawi but the rest of the world too.] It has been really cool to listen to world news on the radio instead of just hearing all American news.

We have ended up walking from ABC to Flood, the nursery and to some markets. ABC is like the Beverly Hills of Lilongwe. There also are huge houses that the wealthy Malawians are building. So much development has occurred since I was here last. I was looking forward to riding our bikes almost everywhere, but instead we pile as many people into a car as we can.

I also have a little friend. This is a friend that wakes me up in the early morning and middle of the night. It is a rat that lives in my ceiling. The first time I heard this pest I was so scared!! I just kept reciting Joshua 1:9 “Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Ana. Adam Wright, Ndawa J) I ended up praying one night as I blessed the food that the rat would go away haha. I didn’t hear it for 2 nights and the next day there was a rat in the kitchen. The Great Dane, Tara that we are taking care of took care of it. I ran away screaming when I saw the rat. There is ANOTHER rat in my ceiling though and it keeps waking me up!

There is also a Mosque nearby. If we aren’t sleeping soundly at 5am, it will keep us awake for about 30-45 minutes, which stinks when we are waking up just after 6am.

We’ve been able to play with so many kids!! We’ve interacted with kids with special needs at Children of Blessings, changed the worst smelling diapers ever, and taken care of the smallest baby ever. Her head and body fit in the palm of my hand and I’m not sure that it was even healthy that I was holding her. Her legs looked like like doll legs but like pruned…you know how your hands get when you have them in water for too long? I had no idea what the heck I was doing.

The babies have melted my heart. There are two other babies we often hang with. One is Jordan (Pastor Sean’s son) who just turned 1 yr, and Thomas (Pastor Tom’s son) who is almost 6 mo. God has been showing me His faithfulness. He is faithful to remind me to become more child-like in my dependence on Him.

My team and I are bonding well. We are definitely a little family. For these first 3 weeks Annie and I are living in a 3 BR 2 BA house with Edith, who is our leader. Edith is the epitome of me except black and weighs around 90#s. Her and I laugh SO much because we just understand each other and have similar joyful spirits. We seriously have so much fun together.

The boys: Cameron and Brock were living with Humphreys and Ndawa in the dorms, but now they have moved into our house. Humphreys is an old friend from last time. Ndaba is 20yrs and is an intern like the rest of us. Humphreys is the boy’s leader. We are still figuring out our housing situations.

On Sunday night Annie, Edith and I made the shopping list for the next week. Let's just say it reminded me of Yours Mine and Ours. Everyone loves to look at my shopping list especially Pastor Sean. "Sarah, what exactly does 1 pile of potatoes mean?" Things like the biggest one they have, 10 loaves of bread, 20 apples, and "tomato paste-HUGE" are commonly found on the list. On Tuesday, we bought 20 kilograms of sugar which is about 44 pounds. Yeah...that better last us at least 1 month if not 2 LOL!

So that's the latest/the best glimpse I can give you. I am happy to expound if you would like to know more specifics. Just post a question and/or rate this post below.

Thanks for Reading :)

Sarah C: