Today as I was teaching over 100 students about the good Samaritan and that we should love one another I become once again overwhelmed at the opporunity that I have been given! How blessed am I that I can teach God's little children about how much He loves them? So incredibly blessed! After I finished teaching those students, we went onto the next three classes! I taught over 500 students today and we were able to pray with them and teach them songs about how much God loves them... and it was all in their own language! It's overwhelming for me to think about how many children I am going to have the opporutnity to share the Good News with during my six months here. Take 500 students a day for 4 days every two weeks (the other weeks I do a returning session to children I teach every other week) time by 6 months! Wow what an opporutnity. God please use and guide me to tell these children exactly what you want them to know!
On another note, I can feel things changing around here. We are/I am going through a couple of changes here. Not only am I changing so much personally and spiritually, but I am also really really beginning to take ownership of this place (espeically since a guy from Ireland has come to work with me and I have been showing him around). As well, I am learning to become more independent with Liz being gone 3-5 days a week I have really been learning that my dependence is on the wrong thing. I have always depended on people and I am now learning to become more independant as I depend on the One who can truly sustain me! Other things that are changing include the weather. I am beginning to notice the fact that we do not have rain very often any more. Which means the beginning of dry season. The beginning of dry season is also really cold so I have been wrapped up in blankets and wearing socks! haha Not something I thought I would be doing in Africa! haha However, the second part of dry season becomes very hot so I should cherish this time while I can. The final big change that is taking place is a change of missionaries. There are a lot of missionaries that are beginning to count down their days. This is incredibly sad as I have grown to love all of them! However, I know that I will get to see them again!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Adventures in the Outback/ Sick Week
Many of you are wondering what has happened to me that I have been MIA for three weeks, and as I was laying flat in bed unable to do anything I was wondering how three weeks had gone by so fast. Let me start from the beginning...
Exactly three weeks ago I was told that my village experience was finally organized and that I would for sure be going to a village (nobody really knew where) for a week to live with Henry and Ethel Sumbulero. I was given a shopping list, a list of things that I should bring and an amount of money to take for my time there. So on Sunday night (March 28), I went to bed thinking that this would be my last night sleeping in a 'bed' for a while. However, the next day when lunch came and went, and the car was still int he garage getting fized, I knew that it was going to bed anther day. So the next day I was ready and waiting at 10 am which came and went so I called Thomas (the man that Liz, my roommate, works with- he was giving me a ride down) to see what had happened. However, he was unfazed and told me that he would arrive at 11:30 so I waited again. At 12 I called him again and got 1:00 for the next leaving time. Finally, at 2:30 he arrived, we packed me up and started on our way. I was so happy to be going that I decided to forget the fact that I was a day and a half late. Nevertheless, through this God did teach me about being patient because Thomas was so late (although Malawians are usually late, never this late).
When we finally arrived at Sorgin (the village that I was staying at- I didn't find out the name until I left) it was almost dark (5:30ish), and we unloaded my stuff and Thomas drove off. At that point I was left clueless as to what to do as both Henry and Ethel had vanished (I still wasn't sure who it was that I was staying with) and I didn't know where I was. So being me, I decided to play with the children that had gathered around the azungu (white person). For a couple of hours I played futbol (soccer) with the children, tried to ask them questions in broken Chichewa and enjoyed listening to them singing songs (I even taught them the one song that I had learned in Chichewa). During this time Ethel had spent her time cooking (I don't know where) and had produced a delicious meal which we ate. During supper, Henry (who I later learned to call Abusa- pastor) began asking me some very difficult theological questions. I was clueless as to why he was asking me these questions until he finally came out and asked how I could be a second year Bible College student and not be ready to preach (he later asked me to preach on Easter Sunday which I declined). Following our hard conversations I was able to shower (bucket of water and cup) and then went to bed (a cement floor with a bamboo mat on the ground plus a very thin mattress that I had brought). That night I had an awful sleep (because it was so incredibly hot) and was happy to get out of bed at 6 when I heard them.
This ended off my first day and I did not know how I was going to be able to last a week until I began to actually get to know the family. Ethel took me under her wing and I was able to really get to know her life and participate in it. She took me to her meetings, let me help with the cooking and cleaning (which you're not supposed to let a visitor do), taught me how to carry a baby on my back Malawian style and encouraged me to every day try to carry a little more water on my heard. Amayi (what I came to call her) taught me a lot of Chichewa and her children were patient with me and waited until I had figured out how to properly say a sentence to them (or correct enough that they could figure it out). The women of the village also took me in and taught me words, how to make sentences, many songs and when we went to welcome a new baby they encouraged me to join in on the singing and dancing (that one took me a while, but when the azungu finally danced with the baby they all rejoiced because I had honoured them to try). Soon I became a part of the family, they started calling me Anti Keti, instead of Azungu, and even added me in their family song. Every night the children would sing and dance and towards the end I was able to join in with them and they were really excited, the whole village knew that Anti Keti had dance and sang in Chichewa!
As I sat in church on Good Friday, listening to the choirs sing, I was awed at the beauty of their voices and how they sang with their hearts. After church Abusa asked me if I liked the choirs and I said yes, at that point Amayi joined in and said, "Well then you will sing with the women's choir on Sunday!" What a challenge that was! I had to learn three new songs, in a different language, and the dances that went with them, I practiced all day for two days and when Sunday came, I did not feel ready. However, I went up there and did my best and the church seemed excited. I asked Abusa later whether it was a good thing that I had sung with them and he said, "Yes! When you sang with the women it showed that you cared. You honoured us by trying to worship our Saviour with us!" At that point I knew that it no longer mattered what I looked like when I sang or whether I made a ton of mistakes, it only mattered that I tried.
On Sunday night after I had sung and danced with the children, I was laying on a bamboo mat outside with Gracious, Omega, Christian (3 of my 4 host siblings) and some other children from the village talking, singing and thinking: I don't ever want to leave. I feel like I finally fit in. I have found my family and now in two days I have to leave. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the last two days as much as I could! I even carred 20 L of water on my head my second last day!
Regardless of how much I tried to make it not come, Tuesday eventually came and I had to pack up and leave. I knew that I had been blessed to come out for a week and live with a family that took me in as family. The goodbyes were hard, but I decided then and there that I would return. Then Abusa and I got in a minibus and came back to Blantyre.
Wednesday (April 7) was spent trying to organize my ethnography and everything that I had done, but I als went to visit my missionary friends who I had missed. I talked to Ellie (a missionary from Germany), and asked her whether she still wanted to go to Mangochi (a town that used to live in) because she had asked me to go earlier in the week when I was still in Sorgin. We then made quick plans and left the next day. On Thursday we travelled and also went out to the village near Mangochi where Ellie used to live and I got to see the village that was her home for her first seven months in Malawi. Friday we went to Lake Malawi and went snorkling and relaxed. That night I started getting sick and on Saturday we just sat around because I was not feeling very well and she had to clean the house. Sunday we travelled back and that night Gill and Liz took me to the hospital to get checked out. The doctor said that I had gastrointestinal problems (stomach bacteria) and my symptoms showed that I could have malaria as well, so we had some tests done. Allo the tests came back nedgative, but we were told that that does not mean that I did not have malaria because my malaria meds can cover up the fact that I do have it. So I was given all my prescriptions and sent home. The next day I was feeling weak and very cold (which was very abnormal) but just relaxed until later in the evening. I had decided that I wasn't feeling very good so I began getting ready for bed but then became very sick and began having terrible stomach pains. So we called Gill again and I was rushed to the hospital. Upon arrival I got sick again and they grabbed me a wheelchair and took me into the ER which was quite interesting. After an assessment the doctor gave me a shot, some medicaitons and sent me home. The next 3 days that followed I was flat in bed and did not feel human. However, on Friday I woke up feeling a lot better and I cleaned the house and did laundry and even went to games night. Then on Saturday morning I got up and went to language lessons and I think that I am finally getting bakc to my normal self. I am still feeling weak every now and then and I do not have as much stamina as I used to, but I know that within a week I should be perfectly fine.
So I guess that is how three weeks managed to slip by so quickly. It's hard to believe that I have been living here for over 50 days and almost two months! Thanks for your prayers over the past three weeks and throughout my entire time here. Please continue to pray for my health and strength as well as my Chichewa. God Bless!
Exactly three weeks ago I was told that my village experience was finally organized and that I would for sure be going to a village (nobody really knew where) for a week to live with Henry and Ethel Sumbulero. I was given a shopping list, a list of things that I should bring and an amount of money to take for my time there. So on Sunday night (March 28), I went to bed thinking that this would be my last night sleeping in a 'bed' for a while. However, the next day when lunch came and went, and the car was still int he garage getting fized, I knew that it was going to bed anther day. So the next day I was ready and waiting at 10 am which came and went so I called Thomas (the man that Liz, my roommate, works with- he was giving me a ride down) to see what had happened. However, he was unfazed and told me that he would arrive at 11:30 so I waited again. At 12 I called him again and got 1:00 for the next leaving time. Finally, at 2:30 he arrived, we packed me up and started on our way. I was so happy to be going that I decided to forget the fact that I was a day and a half late. Nevertheless, through this God did teach me about being patient because Thomas was so late (although Malawians are usually late, never this late).
When we finally arrived at Sorgin (the village that I was staying at- I didn't find out the name until I left) it was almost dark (5:30ish), and we unloaded my stuff and Thomas drove off. At that point I was left clueless as to what to do as both Henry and Ethel had vanished (I still wasn't sure who it was that I was staying with) and I didn't know where I was. So being me, I decided to play with the children that had gathered around the azungu (white person). For a couple of hours I played futbol (soccer) with the children, tried to ask them questions in broken Chichewa and enjoyed listening to them singing songs (I even taught them the one song that I had learned in Chichewa). During this time Ethel had spent her time cooking (I don't know where) and had produced a delicious meal which we ate. During supper, Henry (who I later learned to call Abusa- pastor) began asking me some very difficult theological questions. I was clueless as to why he was asking me these questions until he finally came out and asked how I could be a second year Bible College student and not be ready to preach (he later asked me to preach on Easter Sunday which I declined). Following our hard conversations I was able to shower (bucket of water and cup) and then went to bed (a cement floor with a bamboo mat on the ground plus a very thin mattress that I had brought). That night I had an awful sleep (because it was so incredibly hot) and was happy to get out of bed at 6 when I heard them.
This ended off my first day and I did not know how I was going to be able to last a week until I began to actually get to know the family. Ethel took me under her wing and I was able to really get to know her life and participate in it. She took me to her meetings, let me help with the cooking and cleaning (which you're not supposed to let a visitor do), taught me how to carry a baby on my back Malawian style and encouraged me to every day try to carry a little more water on my heard. Amayi (what I came to call her) taught me a lot of Chichewa and her children were patient with me and waited until I had figured out how to properly say a sentence to them (or correct enough that they could figure it out). The women of the village also took me in and taught me words, how to make sentences, many songs and when we went to welcome a new baby they encouraged me to join in on the singing and dancing (that one took me a while, but when the azungu finally danced with the baby they all rejoiced because I had honoured them to try). Soon I became a part of the family, they started calling me Anti Keti, instead of Azungu, and even added me in their family song. Every night the children would sing and dance and towards the end I was able to join in with them and they were really excited, the whole village knew that Anti Keti had dance and sang in Chichewa!
As I sat in church on Good Friday, listening to the choirs sing, I was awed at the beauty of their voices and how they sang with their hearts. After church Abusa asked me if I liked the choirs and I said yes, at that point Amayi joined in and said, "Well then you will sing with the women's choir on Sunday!" What a challenge that was! I had to learn three new songs, in a different language, and the dances that went with them, I practiced all day for two days and when Sunday came, I did not feel ready. However, I went up there and did my best and the church seemed excited. I asked Abusa later whether it was a good thing that I had sung with them and he said, "Yes! When you sang with the women it showed that you cared. You honoured us by trying to worship our Saviour with us!" At that point I knew that it no longer mattered what I looked like when I sang or whether I made a ton of mistakes, it only mattered that I tried.
On Sunday night after I had sung and danced with the children, I was laying on a bamboo mat outside with Gracious, Omega, Christian (3 of my 4 host siblings) and some other children from the village talking, singing and thinking: I don't ever want to leave. I feel like I finally fit in. I have found my family and now in two days I have to leave. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the last two days as much as I could! I even carred 20 L of water on my head my second last day!
Regardless of how much I tried to make it not come, Tuesday eventually came and I had to pack up and leave. I knew that I had been blessed to come out for a week and live with a family that took me in as family. The goodbyes were hard, but I decided then and there that I would return. Then Abusa and I got in a minibus and came back to Blantyre.
Wednesday (April 7) was spent trying to organize my ethnography and everything that I had done, but I als went to visit my missionary friends who I had missed. I talked to Ellie (a missionary from Germany), and asked her whether she still wanted to go to Mangochi (a town that used to live in) because she had asked me to go earlier in the week when I was still in Sorgin. We then made quick plans and left the next day. On Thursday we travelled and also went out to the village near Mangochi where Ellie used to live and I got to see the village that was her home for her first seven months in Malawi. Friday we went to Lake Malawi and went snorkling and relaxed. That night I started getting sick and on Saturday we just sat around because I was not feeling very well and she had to clean the house. Sunday we travelled back and that night Gill and Liz took me to the hospital to get checked out. The doctor said that I had gastrointestinal problems (stomach bacteria) and my symptoms showed that I could have malaria as well, so we had some tests done. Allo the tests came back nedgative, but we were told that that does not mean that I did not have malaria because my malaria meds can cover up the fact that I do have it. So I was given all my prescriptions and sent home. The next day I was feeling weak and very cold (which was very abnormal) but just relaxed until later in the evening. I had decided that I wasn't feeling very good so I began getting ready for bed but then became very sick and began having terrible stomach pains. So we called Gill again and I was rushed to the hospital. Upon arrival I got sick again and they grabbed me a wheelchair and took me into the ER which was quite interesting. After an assessment the doctor gave me a shot, some medicaitons and sent me home. The next 3 days that followed I was flat in bed and did not feel human. However, on Friday I woke up feeling a lot better and I cleaned the house and did laundry and even went to games night. Then on Saturday morning I got up and went to language lessons and I think that I am finally getting bakc to my normal self. I am still feeling weak every now and then and I do not have as much stamina as I used to, but I know that within a week I should be perfectly fine.
So I guess that is how three weeks managed to slip by so quickly. It's hard to believe that I have been living here for over 50 days and almost two months! Thanks for your prayers over the past three weeks and throughout my entire time here. Please continue to pray for my health and strength as well as my Chichewa. God Bless!
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