Well once again we are coming to the end of another month. The only difference is that next month will be my last. As of today I have 16 days until I leave Malawi and 17 days until I arrive in Canada. I have been trying to process and prepare myself for returning to Canada and just so I can prepare you all for my return and process what I will probably have problems with I though that I would write down a few of the things I think that I will have "culture shock" with:
1) driving - since Malawi was and British Colony they drive on the left side of the road and the right side of the car. This made confusion for when I came here and I'm sure at least once I will get in on the wrong side of the car in Canada.
2) speaking English - since I wanted to learn Chichewa so badly I made a conscious effort not to speak English whenever I could, however, this is going to create problems when it comes to returning home. Two words I think will be the hardest for me to change: Zikomo kwambiri (thank-you very much) and Pepani (sorry).
3) wearing pants and skirts shorter than the knee - right now I am at SLC and since we are only Azungus I have been wearing pants (which I am started to get used to) and skirts sometimes. However, still when I show a knee I feel as if I am scandalizing the world.
4) shopping - here we don't really have any major supermarkets so I buy a lot of things on the road or at the market. I really enjoy this experience and I think that I will have a hard time with the lack of priority put on socializing in the shopping process. It will also be hard to not have certain items or certain items at such a low price.
5) time - GMT (General Malawi Time as we like to call it) is definitely a better time! I know that I will have troubles adjusting to the time change but also to the change of piority on time. In Malawi if we are meeting at 10 then I will try to leave my house sometime around ten. If I (or they) are 30 mins late that is standard and ok.
On the other hand there are things that I am very excited for! They include:
1) seeing family and friends
2) eating Ice Cream and other dairy products
3) the sun!!!
There are probably more things that need to go on both of these lists but I cannot think of anything else right now.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Running Crazy
Well Liz has officially left and is on her way to England so I am by myself for the next two weeks until SLC and then just after she comes back (SLC is our Spiritual Life Conference in which all the SIM Malawi Missionaries get together and spend time together). So far the month of June has been a little strange. I have been in Blantyre and most just working at Cure Hospital since Joseph is MIA. I have also had great opporunity to work on my Ethnography which I thank Gor for. On Monday I went to Running club with Liz and Ryan and after the run I made a comment that I will forever regret... "I fancy running Chilomoni Ring Road sometime." Now for those of you who don't know, Chilomoni Rind Road is a road that goes right around my house and has quite a few hills which makes running difficult. It is about 5km long. I have been avoiding it since I have been running, and for good reason too! However, after I made that comment Liz told Ryan and I ended up getting up the next morning (Tuesday) at 5:30 to do this run. During parts of it I thought that I was going to die, but after finishing I felt so proud of myself and that I really accomplished something. However, Yesterday I did almost nothing, just computer and book work in the house so I was feeling quite lazy today even after walking the hour back from Cure so I made the mistake of asking Ryan if he wanted to go for a run tomorrow. So it looks like I will be running again tomorrow morning. Another early morning... before I left Canada I never thought that I would be getting up early, not mention for running. I really am going crazy!
On other notes I have one week (next week) left of ministry and then I have SLC, a week of babysitting some MK's and then a closing week. Can't believe it will be so soon that I get to see you all. Wow!
On other notes I have one week (next week) left of ministry and then I have SLC, a week of babysitting some MK's and then a closing week. Can't believe it will be so soon that I get to see you all. Wow!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Give Me Money
Many times throughout my time here in Malawi I have been begged from. Sometimes politle by little children or older people saying, "Thandizeni, Mama, Thandizeni." Which mean Help me please. This has been very very hard for me but since I live in the area and we are encouraged not to help children stay on the streets usually I do not help them. Sometimes I give them some food or something.
Other times children use a phrase that for some reason almost all of them have learned even if they don't speak English and it is, "Give me money." This is said extremely rudely and I really don't like it. Even children that I have created relationships with will sometimes say it which hurts me. However, I hadn't heard it for a while until this morning.
As I was walking into town I had been greeted so nicely by the ladies on the way to town and then I passed by two elderly ladies and I greeted them and they smiled and thanked me continually. It was so sweet. At that point I was thanking God saying thanks for a great start to my day, when a guy (probably 18) came up to me and said, "Give me money." Very rudely. I was extremely shocked that in the same country that I was just praising God for how nice the people were my joy was shot down. It was really hard to not let it affect my mood, but I tried to concentrate on the good things that had happened this morning.
How do I deal with people that say things like that to me? I have been her over 4 months and I am still looking for a response!
How do I not allow it to affect my mood? Yes I know that it is just satan trying to get my down because God had blessed me and I was thanking him for it, but it still affects me.
God please help me to bring joy into other people's lives and not allow satan's attempts to affect me. Please use me for the six weeks that I have left however you want. Thank-you for this opportunity. Zikomo kwambiri!
Other times children use a phrase that for some reason almost all of them have learned even if they don't speak English and it is, "Give me money." This is said extremely rudely and I really don't like it. Even children that I have created relationships with will sometimes say it which hurts me. However, I hadn't heard it for a while until this morning.
As I was walking into town I had been greeted so nicely by the ladies on the way to town and then I passed by two elderly ladies and I greeted them and they smiled and thanked me continually. It was so sweet. At that point I was thanking God saying thanks for a great start to my day, when a guy (probably 18) came up to me and said, "Give me money." Very rudely. I was extremely shocked that in the same country that I was just praising God for how nice the people were my joy was shot down. It was really hard to not let it affect my mood, but I tried to concentrate on the good things that had happened this morning.
How do I deal with people that say things like that to me? I have been her over 4 months and I am still looking for a response!
How do I not allow it to affect my mood? Yes I know that it is just satan trying to get my down because God had blessed me and I was thanking him for it, but it still affects me.
God please help me to bring joy into other people's lives and not allow satan's attempts to affect me. Please use me for the six weeks that I have left however you want. Thank-you for this opportunity. Zikomo kwambiri!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Time is flying by!
Well I have officially travelled Malawi and I am now able to say that I have travelled all over Malawi!
I went down to Sorgin once again to live with Abusa and Mayi Abusa for another five days. I really enjoyed living with them and this time I was able to go with Mayi Abusa to do her ministry and I really enjoyed it! I was able to lead a ladies Bible study as well as pray for a couple of different families with different problems that I was able to go and show compassion and love. One family had a 13 year old girl that was quite handicapped for 10 years. They don't know why and it has been a huge strain on the family so I was able to pray for her, for what God's plan was, for the family and that if it was His will that God would heal her. I was also able to go and pray for a family. They were an older couple who had lost 2 sons and had therefore become parents again because they had to take in their grandchildren. This is very common in Malawi and quite sad. I also know of quite a few people who have taken in neices and nephews as well.
One of the exciting things that I was able to do while I was there was name a little girl. The last time I was in Sorgin a lady was pregnant and when I found out that she had had her baby I went to visit them. Through a series of events I was asked to name the baby. What a challenge! However, after some great discussion with Mayi Abusa I came up with three names and she picked one, Kathy-joy. After my mother. I think that it is so cool that I was able to name a baby after mom! During the naming process I was able to give a gift, and pray for her and her family! It was definitely a cool cultural experience.
After my week with Abusa and his family I was able to go for four days with the Sunday School Training team again which was really good. I really love spending time with them and I have created such good frienships with these Malawians and it was so nice to be able to spend time with them and we watched a lot of World Cup games together! haha definitely a good time! However, I realized that I would not like to have their job because I do not like having to live in a new place each night. After four days I was ready to go home and sleep in my own bed!
I was also able to go to a Malawian organized worship night (all night) and I really enjoyed it! We worship first in English, then 1/2 and 1/2 and ended the night/morning singing all in Chichewa! I really love it and made quite a few more Malwian friends! What a blessing!
Now I have four weeks of normalcy before I go to SLC (Spiritual Life Conference). It is organized by SIM Malawi for all the SIM Malawi missionaries. After that I have two weeks and then I am home! Wow how time flies!
I went down to Sorgin once again to live with Abusa and Mayi Abusa for another five days. I really enjoyed living with them and this time I was able to go with Mayi Abusa to do her ministry and I really enjoyed it! I was able to lead a ladies Bible study as well as pray for a couple of different families with different problems that I was able to go and show compassion and love. One family had a 13 year old girl that was quite handicapped for 10 years. They don't know why and it has been a huge strain on the family so I was able to pray for her, for what God's plan was, for the family and that if it was His will that God would heal her. I was also able to go and pray for a family. They were an older couple who had lost 2 sons and had therefore become parents again because they had to take in their grandchildren. This is very common in Malawi and quite sad. I also know of quite a few people who have taken in neices and nephews as well.
One of the exciting things that I was able to do while I was there was name a little girl. The last time I was in Sorgin a lady was pregnant and when I found out that she had had her baby I went to visit them. Through a series of events I was asked to name the baby. What a challenge! However, after some great discussion with Mayi Abusa I came up with three names and she picked one, Kathy-joy. After my mother. I think that it is so cool that I was able to name a baby after mom! During the naming process I was able to give a gift, and pray for her and her family! It was definitely a cool cultural experience.
After my week with Abusa and his family I was able to go for four days with the Sunday School Training team again which was really good. I really love spending time with them and I have created such good frienships with these Malawians and it was so nice to be able to spend time with them and we watched a lot of World Cup games together! haha definitely a good time! However, I realized that I would not like to have their job because I do not like having to live in a new place each night. After four days I was ready to go home and sleep in my own bed!
I was also able to go to a Malawian organized worship night (all night) and I really enjoyed it! We worship first in English, then 1/2 and 1/2 and ended the night/morning singing all in Chichewa! I really love it and made quite a few more Malwian friends! What a blessing!
Now I have four weeks of normalcy before I go to SLC (Spiritual Life Conference). It is organized by SIM Malawi for all the SIM Malawi missionaries. After that I have two weeks and then I am home! Wow how time flies!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Off Again
I just returned to Blantyre from Mvuu Lodge (a safari destination) where I went with another friend (Rebekka) from Germany. After much problems and trying to organize things we ended up goingn to Mvuu which was more expensive than we had planned. However, once we arrived we realized that God had planned our trip exactly for us. We both felt so blessed to be there and to be able to see the things that we did and quite frequently we broke into songs of praise! When we came back to Blantrye and looked at our pictures we were both awed at what we were able to see and had a hard time believing that it was real.
Now I am preparing to go to the village to live with Abusa and Mayi Abusa again and I am very excited! I will be with them until Friday and then I am home for a day and a half before I go out with the Sunday School Training Team again. My month has become very busy and I am realizing that it will go by very very quickly!
God has blessed me so much this month once again and I am just shocked that He does even though I do not deserve it. One song that Rebekka and I repeatedly sang was, "Our God is an awesome God!" What an amazing song when you sing it from the heart!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Month of June...
Well May has come and gone and June is here. The month that I have been dreading because it is when all the goodbyes start. Tomorrow two people that I have gotten very close to (Bob and Connie) and their son (Seth) are returning to the States and they are starting off the goodbyes. Then on Saturday two more of my friends go (one being Matty). I am really not looking forward to this, but I know that God will strengthen me and give me things to look forward to... like a possible Safari!
May was kinda a hectic month, but God taught me a lot about giving and again more about relying on Him. My contact with people has been quite bad recently because of this desire to stop always depending on people and learn how to depend on God. However, it is always a slow process.
I have also made some great attempts at using my Chichewa this month. I have become quite proficient at teaching Chichewa songs, and I am starting to teach memory verses in Chichewa and a little of my lessons. Because of this I have two verses memorized in Chichewa and I have read the story of the good Samartian in Chichewa far too many times (in order to figure out how to say the words properly). I have really been working hard at my language studies and Matty has helped to push me forward by working hard at his as well.
I will miss Matty a lot and because Joseph has been a little bit difficult lately, I will be focusing more on other ministries (Cure, doing another village experience and going with the Sunday school training team again). I am really looking forward to my new schedule and I think the variety will help me with Matty leaving. I have a feeling that this month is going to go by fast and I still cannot believe that I only have 2 1/2 months left in Africa. However, I know that when my time does come to an end I will be overjoyed to see family and friends. Nevertheless, I feel like I have finally found my own home and I will be very sad to leave. But I won't worry about that for another little while!
May was kinda a hectic month, but God taught me a lot about giving and again more about relying on Him. My contact with people has been quite bad recently because of this desire to stop always depending on people and learn how to depend on God. However, it is always a slow process.
I have also made some great attempts at using my Chichewa this month. I have become quite proficient at teaching Chichewa songs, and I am starting to teach memory verses in Chichewa and a little of my lessons. Because of this I have two verses memorized in Chichewa and I have read the story of the good Samartian in Chichewa far too many times (in order to figure out how to say the words properly). I have really been working hard at my language studies and Matty has helped to push me forward by working hard at his as well.
I will miss Matty a lot and because Joseph has been a little bit difficult lately, I will be focusing more on other ministries (Cure, doing another village experience and going with the Sunday school training team again). I am really looking forward to my new schedule and I think the variety will help me with Matty leaving. I have a feeling that this month is going to go by fast and I still cannot believe that I only have 2 1/2 months left in Africa. However, I know that when my time does come to an end I will be overjoyed to see family and friends. Nevertheless, I feel like I have finally found my own home and I will be very sad to leave. But I won't worry about that for another little while!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Half Way
Well it seems to me like I have been way too busy and have become terrible at contact. So I'll try and update you on what I've been up to over the past couple of weeks.
Matty (a guy from Ireland) has come to Malawi for six weeks to work with me and doing some schooling requirements as well and I am enjoying having a partner in crime.
I have gone up to Lilongwe and area (for those of you that don't know that is the capital city) to do a Sunday School Training trip with some Malawians. We went around and taught pastors, elders and church members how to teach Sunday Schools. Now you might be thinking like I was, What on earth do I have to teach a Pastor?! But thankfully God has shown me that I do have soemthing to offer and has actually taught me an incredible amount in the process even though most of it was in Chichewa.
After that trip I went to Salima (a village) to visit some friends and see their ministries. While I was up there it was one of the girl's birthday, so poor me I had to go to Lake Malawi again. haha It was actually a really nice time. Then I came back to Blantyre.
Once I got back I was feeling quite exhausted from the trip and the devil took this opportunity to try and knock me down by playing up my homesickness and attacking me spiritually. It was quite hard, but I'm out of it now thankfully and better for it!
On Sunday I hit the half way mark! Can you believe it?! I definitely cannot. I feel as if I just got here! And yet i miss home quite a bit as well.
Today I had the opportunity to go visit EMCoM (a Malawian Bible College) and sit in on three classes (1 English, 1 half English half Chichewa, and 1 Chichewa). I really really enjoyed it and wish that I could just go to school here! I learned so much!
The weather here has been quite miserable which is really sad. Matty says that it reminds him of home (Ireland) which means that we have had cold weather, fog and rain. Not too pleasant. I have been sitting wrapped in a blanket drinking hot chocolate and french vanilla in the evenings trying to convince myself that I really am in Africa and not Ireland! I'm now preparing for almost 2 months of straight normal work. How boring! But I know that God is going to teach me a lot and that it will probably be good for me to have some stability in my life. Thanks again for all your prayers and support!
Matty (a guy from Ireland) has come to Malawi for six weeks to work with me and doing some schooling requirements as well and I am enjoying having a partner in crime.
I have gone up to Lilongwe and area (for those of you that don't know that is the capital city) to do a Sunday School Training trip with some Malawians. We went around and taught pastors, elders and church members how to teach Sunday Schools. Now you might be thinking like I was, What on earth do I have to teach a Pastor?! But thankfully God has shown me that I do have soemthing to offer and has actually taught me an incredible amount in the process even though most of it was in Chichewa.
After that trip I went to Salima (a village) to visit some friends and see their ministries. While I was up there it was one of the girl's birthday, so poor me I had to go to Lake Malawi again. haha It was actually a really nice time. Then I came back to Blantyre.
Once I got back I was feeling quite exhausted from the trip and the devil took this opportunity to try and knock me down by playing up my homesickness and attacking me spiritually. It was quite hard, but I'm out of it now thankfully and better for it!
On Sunday I hit the half way mark! Can you believe it?! I definitely cannot. I feel as if I just got here! And yet i miss home quite a bit as well.
Today I had the opportunity to go visit EMCoM (a Malawian Bible College) and sit in on three classes (1 English, 1 half English half Chichewa, and 1 Chichewa). I really really enjoyed it and wish that I could just go to school here! I learned so much!
The weather here has been quite miserable which is really sad. Matty says that it reminds him of home (Ireland) which means that we have had cold weather, fog and rain. Not too pleasant. I have been sitting wrapped in a blanket drinking hot chocolate and french vanilla in the evenings trying to convince myself that I really am in Africa and not Ireland! I'm now preparing for almost 2 months of straight normal work. How boring! But I know that God is going to teach me a lot and that it will probably be good for me to have some stability in my life. Thanks again for all your prayers and support!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
