www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGwKvYxzkkQ
It is hard to believe how our year in Malawi has come to an end. It has been a great experience for our family, one that we will all remember for a very long time. It was also good to be a part of a variety of ministries. Here is a link to a video as a bit of a recap/wrap up to our year away. See most of you when we get back to Canada in August!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGwKvYxzkkQ
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When a church in Canada decides to raise funds to support a ministry they do a number of familiar events; spaghetti supper, car wash, bake and rummage sale, auctions, bazaar, etc... Not so in Malawi.
This year, 4 choirs (80 people in total) from Kachere church, where we attend, are raising funds for a choir trip to Zambia. Their proposal... A 'Mock' Wedding. I think you see where this is going. Yep, Rebecca and I were approached to participate in this fundraiser, so this past Sunday we renewed our vows; Malawi Style! It started with Rebecca being fitted with a wedding dress, followed up by a wedding rehearsal on Friday night. Then on the Sunday, in place of the regular service, we had a full on wedding . We were picked up in decorated cars, had wedding attendants decked out in red & white (in honor of Canada), stand- in parents, legal questions, vows, rings, 3 ministers present and about 800 guests! Following the ceremony we left the church and then re-entered for the reception. So how does this raise money you ask??? Well, at wedding receptions in Malawi, instead of bringing gifts people 'perekani' (chichewa for 'shower') the bride and groom with money while they dance. For our 'Mock wedding', all money raised (over $1500 Cnd - approx 6x the Sunday collection for the church) went to help with the expenses for the upcoming choir trip. So for the next three hours, there was speeches, caking cutting, dancing and lots of 'showering'! When we were first asked to participate we did not really know what we were getting into. In the end we had lots of fun and the kids thought it was hilarious! We now have the distinction of having been married in both Canada and Malawi. This year has been filled with lots of adventure - and sometimes confusion on our part in some unfamiliar activity! - and this past Sunday was yet another example. Here is a link to YouTube if you want to check out pictures and videos of the big day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_-iD9jCUlw Even though life in Malawi is often fairly adventurous, our everyday work is often filled with the usual mundane tasks that accompany any job. Yesterday, however, was no ordinary day. What a huge privilege to be a part of this work with the Tidzalerana Handicapped Club! We spent the day fitting prosthesis for physically handicapped individuals who are not able to afford equipment that will provide mobility. Last week, Gibson Mkandawire and myself took 3 Club members to Queen's Hospital in Blantyre to be fitted for prosthetics, which they received yesterday. Here are their stories, but even better – check out the before and after video of Callista – walking for the first time!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8GapYhGHu8 – this is the “before” video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz2kXZejf1c – this is the “after” video – look at the smiles! Callista M. – age 9 Callista is a very smiley 9 year old girl. Born with lower leg problems that are unknown to her family, she had complications in surgery when she was young, resulting in both her legs being amputated from the knee. Callista is still often carried on her mom's back, but also can walk quite naturally on her 2 stumps. When she put on her new prosthetics, a huge smile appeared on her face. She was given a walker to try out and for the next 2 hours, she was up and down getting used to the equipment. By the end of the day, she was already walking without the aid of her walker – just using her mom, or any surrounding objects!, for support. She was ecstatic, and the look on both her, and her mom's, face was priceless. Timothy C. – age 11 Timothy was born without the use of his legs. Even so, his disability has clearly not stopped him and he is one of the fastest 11-year olds I have ever seen pulling himself around with his hands! Timothy's grandmother is the guardian who brings him to Tidzalerana on Tuesday afternoons, and since last year, she has been advocating for the Tidzalerana Handicapped Club to assist Timothy; especially since he is now getting very big for her to carry around on her back. Last week, Timothy was fitted for his new assists – bilateral knee, ankle, foot orthosis – which are 2 full braces from thigh to foot. On our way to the hospital yesterday morning, he looked apprehensive. I presume a mixture of nervous excitement and fear of the much-anticipated day. At the end of a very long 8 hour day of waiting (including a power blackout for 2 hours, during which no one could work), and fitting the new appliances, which were made on site, Tim's new “legs” were ready. As he took his first painful, off-balance steps, he looked, to me, a little disappointed. I think he might have been hoping to strap them on and be off running! However, after a bit of practice, he seemed a little more positive. He certainly had a determined look about him as he lifted the walker and tried to make his legs do what his mind was trying to. There will be a journey ahead as he continues with physio and learns to walk for the first time. Hopefully, his 11-year old resilience will serve him well as he gets onto his new legs and proves that he can do it. Elizabeth C. – age 31 Elizabeth had a business selling Mandazi's (fried doughnuts) in Ndirande township. One day, 3 men came, asked for Mandazi's, and then left without paying. When Elizabeth followed them trying to get her money, the men turned and brutally attacked her. She was in a coma for 2 days. By the time she woke up from the coma and was able to get to a hospital, her injuries were so great that one of her legs required amputation. A few years ago, friends from the Presbyterian Church in Canada paid for her first prosthesis. She was overjoyed to be able to walk without the aid of crutches – leaving both hands free to use or carry. Last year the prosthesis broke and she has been on crutches since that time. Yesterday, Elizabeth received her new leg. It was amazing to be able to watch her as she gingerly stepped out of my car when I dropped her near home. Carrying both crutches in 1 hand, she was able to timidly walk through the marketplace on her way. Before she left, she thanked us and praised God for the work that Heis doing through all those that have assisted her to receive a new leg. Gibson is one of the volunteers that helps oversee the reconstruction. He is standing in one of the homes destroyed by the floods. From Dec 2014 - Jan 2015, Malawi experienced some of the longest and heaviest rainfall it had ever seen, resulting in devastating flooding all over the country. In Jan 2015, it was reported that over 150,000 people had been displaced from their homes and 70 people killed in the floods. Many homes - built primarily of mud and clay - were swept away, or partially destroyed. A country with 80% of families relying on subsistence agriculture for their basic survival, the heavy rains wiped out the crops in 17 districts. For the handicapped members of Tidzalerana, where Rebecca has been working this past year, the floods were terrifying as the whole urban slum of Ndirande township (2 minutes from where we live) was affected. In addition to damaged houses and leaking roofs. There was no water or power for days. Presbyterian World Service and Development (PWS&D) responded to the National Disaster, sending $10 000 for reconstruction efforts for those members of Tidzalerana. This year, along with 4 volunteers, Rebecca has helped monitor the reconstruction efforts. Here is a link to YouTube highlighting the great work that has happened because of the generosity of people in Canada. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tHE_hAvk4M A few of the Bible Study leaders at Mikuyu prison. As well as the prison chaplin and two other volunteers. My main responsibility in working with the prisons is to provide Bible study for the inmates. Each week I visit 4 different prisons where we (I'm joined by 2-3 volunteers as part of a ministry called 'friends of prisons') conduct Bible Study, one-on-one counselling, and prayer for the various needs of the inmates. One of the obstacles for this ministry is the lack of Bibles. Due to the generosity of Presbyterians in Canada, this past month we were able to purchase 540 Bibles, 480 Hymnals and 500 Mlozos (a Chichewa daily Bible study guide), and distribute them among 11 Prisons. A highlight for me occurred this past Wednesday. We decided to head out to a few more rural prisons in Malawi to see if there was a need for Bibles. We were told that they would likely have no Bible studies in place but we figured we'd give it a try. Much to our amazement, when we met with the prison chaplin at Mikuyu Prison (Chaplains are government appointed guards to oversee the spiritual needs of the inmates - and some take this responsibility more seriously than others) we were 'blown away'. This chaplain had received previous training and had started running 'ALPHA' (an evangelistic course which seeks to introduce the basics of the Christian faith through a series of talks and discussions. It is described by its organisers as "an opportunity to explore the meaning of life".) with 150 inmates involved. Their greatest need??? Bibles! They only had 8!!! We were more than happy to help out. We left 50 Bibles, 50 Hymnals and 50 Mlozo. But wait, it gets better! The chaplin told us of the neighboring prison where he had trained the chaplain so they too had started a Bible study.. .so off we went. This day was yet another reminder of how God is working in the prisons and I was thankful to have been given a glimpse. Sometimes we think we need to do something heroic for God. This past week has shown me (again!) that it's often the little acts that make up a life lived to glorify God.
We have been privileged to meet up with some of Masika's relatives in Malawi. The search was truly a "needle in a haystack" kind of search. However, through many unbelievable 'coincidences' (I'm gonna go ahead and call them Acts of God 😇!) we found people along the way who helped us in our journey. The best example of this was Mr. Augustine Harawa, from Mzuzu Crisis Nursery, who went totally out of his way - on Easter Monday no less - to search for our files, accompany us on a crazy journey into HOT, remote, rural Malawi, and translated for us for 2 days while we chatted with relatives. He called, texted and answered questions - during work and non-work hours - and was a true gift from God on this adventure. We are so thankful to him and to God for the blessing of being in touch with family, having questions answered, and having a positive adoption story for Masika. It's made our whole year here worthwhile! For all of you who were praying for us I'm attaching a picture of us with 2 of Masika's first cousins and a few 2nd cousins, and another pic of her and her Aunt Leya, her mom's sister, who got Masika to a hospital 25 kms away from her village the day she was born and stayed with her for a week until she was taken to the orphanage. Ridiculously, the director of the orphanage when Masika was there and who has been out of Malawi for 8 years, 'happened' to be in Mzuzu the day we were there. Coincidence??? I think not! Yea God!
Each week over 300 kids from the community come to the church for Sunday School to learn about Jesus through Bible stories, skits, memory verse and oh, I could not forget, SINGING!! Here are a few pics and a You Tube link so that you can hear their amazing songs.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fRRyazGtsE
This morning, Joel and I attended Canaan's class play at Phoenix School. It was fun and it got me thinking about how thankful I am that their new school has been a positive experience for the kids (not always easy, for sure, but generally good and they are happy). Which led me to consider some of the ways that our kids have been impacted by our year in Malawi. Since I was obsessed with travel blogs before we left Canada, I thought that it might be a topic that would be of interest to others, so here's my thoughts! Being the outsider Being an outsider (both culturally and racially), forces our kids to face what it's like to be new, to be different and to be excluded (initially at least). Even our “Malawian” children don't fit in here, because they don't speak Chichewa or act like 'Malawians' – really, they're Malawian-born Canadians! Although it's not always been easy for them in many new environments (school, church, friends), they've certainly learned a greater appreciation of what it's like to be an outsider...and hopefully will treat other excluded people better because of it. Discovering a new culture Customs, culture and traditions are different and we are continually forced to confront the things we do and the WHY's behind them. As an everyday example – people don't value lining up like we seem to in Canada, they just push in (or literally push you!), whether it's driving or standing in line, or grocery shopping. While it drives our Canadian family crazy, we've had many conversations around different ways of doing things and who's way is “right”.Each encounter with someone with a different perspective, or accent, or custom challenges our 'norm'. Expanding horizons I think the kids have learned how to be a little more confident to try new things. Isaac was CONVINCED that he didn't have any interest in participating in the (optional) rugby and field hockey team. After some encouragement from dad, he did finally give them both a try and has really enjoyed them. Masika was terrified the first week of school when it was her classes' turn to perform a school play where they had to memorize lines and perform in front of the school and parents (in fact, we had tears and wailing every night about this for a week!). Although she struggled with the first one, she has since discovered that she is good with memorizing, and performing (!), lines and has been able to even enjoy the subsequent ones. ( As an aside – Canaan absolutely hates being in front of the school during his class play, but somehow volunteered to do a duet with another friend at Christmas. He is convinced that he sang along with her, but we definitely didn't see any lips moving!!) Thankfulness I think that the kids have realized (a little bit at least), that our family has a lot to be grateful for. We have very few toys and luxuries here, but we certainly have much more than the local Malawians around us. When we tell them that we're not buying them extra treats or toys because we're giving money away to others, it's very practical, and they can see those that we are trying to help financially. Conversations about Poverty I'm sure this is due, in part, to the environment that we are in. We've confronted a lot of suffering. This leaves us thinking about WHY??? Why does God allow suffering? What is fair about being born in Canada and having a lot, while others are born in Africa and have very little? Why are we choosing to live here? Why do we give money to others? Why do kids beg at our car window when we go shopping and how do we react to them? What is the “just” thing to do, and how does God want us to respond? These conversations have been frequent and deep, allowing us to explore questions about justice, “fairness” and our part to play in a being a good global citizen AND a good samaritan. I guess time will tell what really sticks with the kids, and what they will remember about our year in Malawi. We really hope that they've been able to see, in a practical sense, how we choose to live out our faith, how to treat others like Jesus treated them, and that the choices that we make about how we live in Canada really do impact others around the world. Yep...our expectations are high! Either way, it's certainly been some good stretching and learning for all of us ;) Here we are – this past weekend – checking out a newly constructed fish pond that we are helping to fund. The pond will fill through rain water and there are currently 300 baby fish in it – with room for another 1200 once it's full. It takes 10 months to raise the fish and bring them to market.
The income provided by the fish farming will go to support a once-a-week meal program for 13 vulnerable orphans in a village in Mulanje district, and to help pay for their school fees. The project was started by the pastor at our church, who also donated the land for the ponds, and his time to supervise the project and spend time with the orphans. His passion to change his community inspired us to get involved. There are certainly days when I feel discouraged with work in Malawi. There is so much need here. People are poor. They struggle with being dependent on hand outs. The government has stolen money from it's citizens. Everyone wants change, and it always seems to come too slowly. However, it's the relationships with people that make our time in Malawi so meaningful and remind us that many people are working for positive change. One such person is my co-worker, and friend, Gibson. Gibson Mkandawire is a retired sales representative. About 3 years ago, he became aware of the Tidzalerana Handicapped Club and the desperate need of handicapped people in Ndirande. Ndirande is a very poor township in Blantyre, and Gibson himself lives within the community there. He and his large and lively family live off his small pension from the insurance company. In his own words, he became motivated to help at Tidzalerana “because if people from overseas love us enough to come and work here, we Malawians should be encouraged to do the same”. Over the past 6 months, I have had the pleasure and privilege to work side-by-side with Gibson. His unique gift is in identifying the most needy individuals at the Handicapped Club and personally offering to give his time to assist them. Often, this means taking a sick child and mother to the hospital by minibus, waiting with them until they are seen, and following up with their continued care. In many cases, the family is in a cycle of poverty so deep that they can barely cope. Not only does he support them with his time and energy, but he is constantly reminding them of God's love for them and encouraging them to be thankful and grateful to God is all circumstances. Recently, a very sick child came into the Club. This boy, Iverson, was a replica of the World Vision commercials you see on TV – covered in flies, dirty, sores all over his head and body, sick, and starving. His mother had so little money that she was not eating properly and didn't seem to be caring for her handicapped son. Gibson took them both to the hospital, waited with them until they received medicine and pleaded with me to assist. We were able to help with some money for Maize and, over the past few months, Iverson has been slowly recovering. The sores on his head have healed, he is clean, and his mother appears to be taking better care of him. I believe that the issue was – and continues to be - more complex than the short term solution of a bag of Maize and some medication. My (far from professional!) opinion was that she appeared to be overwhelmed and discouraged and really needed someone to come and lend a hand. At Tidzalerana, Gibson is one of those people. He is committed to God's purpose for him there and he quietly comes alongside to make a difference in the lives of individuals in need. Last month, Gibson turned 75, but you would never know it! He is fun, lively, spirited and passionate. He spends many of his days working for the benefit of the handicapped people in the Club. On the days that I find myself feeling less than excited or motivated to work in Malawi, I am impressed by the work and commitment of people like Gibson and I'm humbled to work hard in order to lend a hand to these “poorest of the poor”. I can always count on Gibson - a huge smile on his face and ready with a joke and a laugh – to raise my spirits and remind me that the efforts of 1 person can make a difference. Gibson Mkandawire - hard at work in Ndirande
Working at the various prisons here in Malawi, I have witnessed many of the challenges that these men and women inmates face on a daily bases. Lack of food & water, overcrowding, sickness and the belief that they have been forgotten by family. At times, it can be overwhelming. But that is not the whole picture. Too often there is the draw to focus too much on the negatives and in doing so miss the positives and the reasons to celebrate (disagree??? turn on your nightly news). Recognizing this, I though it would be wise to share some of the 'good news' stories happening in the prisons. Here are three 'highlights' of the past 2 months... in no particular order... Christmas Distribution Thanks to the incredible generosity of Canadians, $10 595 was sent by International Ministries (over $5000 of which was supplied by our home church Paris Presbyterian Church) for the purchase of bed mats, soap and blankets . It was moving to see the excitement and the appreciation of those men and women who received - the photo above are some of the inmates at Chichiri Prison trying them out for the first time. Thank you for the honour of giving your incredible gifts! In my message at each prison I spoke of how hopefully these gifts not only assist in their physical needs but act as a reminder that they are not forgotten. ( I will be blogging more on this in the next week or so when we wrap up the distribution). Grammy Awards Not sure if you are planning to watch the Grammy Awards ( Feb 15), but there will be a bit of Malawian flavour this year. A band from Zomba Prison has been nominated in the category of 'Best World Music' for their album 'I have no everything here'. This past December, I had a chance to hear the band live while we were distributing bed mats. Now tell me that is not Good News!!! here is a link to an article http://fusion.net/story/242660/zomba-prison-project-malawi-grammy/ Early Release The New Year brings the hope of Presidential Pardons. This year, the President pardoned 225 prisoners granting them early release. I happened to be at the prison on the morning when it occurred. One of the inmates that I have had a chance to get to know well was one of the inmates who was released. I saw him 15 minutes after he was told of the good news. He had a few minutes to pack up his stuff and then we cut the Bible Study short so he could bid farewell. It would have been impossible to wipe the smile off his face! What I found really cool, was that all of the other inmates were so happy for him. 'give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus' (1 Thessalonians 5:18) These words written by the Apostle Paul are hard to live out if I only ever focus on the negatives and difficulties in life - so in the midst of the challenges I need to look for the Good News. A lesson that I am continually being reminded of during my time here in Malawi. -Joel- Chichiri Prison gathering Makande Prison
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