This is the group of teachers & the Chairman (he's the second from the right) who we went traveling with on Wednesday.

First Weekend in Malawi! :D

What a wonderful weekend!! Kayla & I have much to be thankful for & this past weekend was no exception. J The Blantyre congregation gathers together on Saturday mornings; this week included many members from other congregations who wanted to welcome us back to Malawi. It was a different feeling preparing for church this week compared to our first weekend last year. I remember feeling a little timid & unsure of what to expect or experience last year; but this time, I was excited & looking forward to seeing everyone again. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to how humbled I feel when they welcome us here in Malawi. They call us a blessing to them and tell us we are ‘most welcome’ back to Malawi, but it is Kayla & I who feel so blessed to be welcomed as sisters and family.

What I didn’t expect when I entered the church hall was the bittersweet emotions that swept through me. Not only was I remembering our first time gathering for worship, but also our last time; both of them filled with tears of joy & sadness. This time around we are also missing our third ‘partner in crime’, Alberta. She is & has definitely been missed as Kayla & I have settled into our Malawian lifestyle.

Our Saturday afternoon included a Malawian wedding, well, part of the reception celebration anyway. We were surprised to see the building decorated so similarly to what we might see for an American wedding. What we did enjoy, though, that was very new & fun to experience was what they call ‘Pelekani Pelekani’. The closest thing I can compare it the ‘bridal dance’ at a reception where people pay to dance for a bit with the bride. Though the ‘Pelekani Pelekani’ was not just for the bride, it did involve dancing. The MC calls the bride & groom to the front & has them stand together holding a basket tray. He tells the DJ to play a song for a couple minutes & then invites specific groups to come up & celebrate with the bride & groom. As the music plays, people dance to the front & throw money at the couple. At the end of each song, there are a group of cashiers who collect the money & give them a new basket for the next group that is called to the front. This went on for at least 30 minutes, probably more. At one point, the parents of the groom & then the parents of the bride also stood in the front & collected money from the guests. It was so much fun to watch – we left just after the speeches by the parents of the couples, so we’re not sure what else happens at a Malawian wedding reception, but we hope to enjoy a full wedding (ceremony & all) at some point during our stay. 

As if Saturday wasn’t special enough, Kayla & I had the privilege to accompany the Young Ambassadors Private Primary School (YAPPS) Teachers to Mwanza on Sunday. The Malawi Education Chairperson (also a member of our GCI Naminjale congregation in Malawi) wanted to honor the teachers of YAPPS for their excellent work with the students, as shown by their 100% pass rate this past year. In Malawi, all students do not automatically go into secondary school; they must first pass the exams at the end of their time in primary school (after Standard 7 in private schools & Standard 8 in government schools). Then, out of the students who have passed their exams, only certain ones are selected & invited to attend at private secondary schools around the country. This past year, all 68 students who took the exams passed and 60 were invited to secondary schools. The other 8 were able to find other secondary schools to attend as well. In one of the government schools last year, 300 students took the exams and 3 of them passed. Since YAPPS has been allowed to have their students take the exams in 2005, they have been very successful every year in sending most of their students to secondary schools and some of those first ones in 2005 are now studying at universities. 

It was an honor for Kayla & I to be a part of the recognition of the teachers – we enjoyed a meal together in Mwanza at the lodge owed by the Chairperson. We also had the opportunity to go into Mozambique in the morning & walked around for a bit. Kayla & I had our passports with us, but since we were only going for the day, all that was required was a piece of paper with everyone’s name on it. That got us in & out of the country. J 

The journey to Mwanza & Mozambique was a long one & took up most of our day, but I would have traded it for anything. I wish there was a way that I could adequately share the beauty of the landscape of Malawi. My camera cannot do it justice, even with the fancy panoramic settings. J The mountains in the distance stand out proud & tall as a backdrop to a developing countryside. When it isn’t a beautiful blue sky, the clouds hover low & cast shadows across the top of the mountains, making you feel as if you could reach out & touch them. I fell in love with the landscape all over again as I was able to admire it all throughout the day. 

May you remember to take the time to enjoy the scenery around you – taking in the mountains, hills, plains, trees, flowers, homes and anything else that you see during your travels. I look forward to the day we can enjoy all of God’s creation, as He intended it to be; I can only imagine how beautiful it will be.

PS – If you know my sister, Katie, please wish her a Happy Birthday today (9/26) – she’s 25!! J

And the adventure begins again.... :)

On Monday, I did what any American getting ready to leave the country would do; as I waited in the airport; I had McDonald’s for dinner and Ben & Jerry’s for dessert. J I must say, the hamburgers tasted great and the fries were salted ‘just right’. Dr. Pepper was my soda of choice – delicious as always. It was tough to choose the ice cream flavor I wanted from B&J… but then I saw it, ‘Pumpkin Pie’. I savored every bite of the single scoop waffle cone of Pumpkin ice cream with bits of pie crust in it. I’d say my last American dinner for a while was tasty. J

Kayla & I arrived Wednesday afternoon (early morning for you ‘East Coasters’ J) to Blantyre safe & sound. We are both missing one piece of luggage, which was a little disheartening, but they say this happens a couple times a week & that the bags always show up. Here’s praying that’s true!

As we drove from the airport Wednesday afternoon, I enjoyed taking in all the sights & sounds of Malawi. It put a smile on my face to know that we did it; we really came back to Malawi and we’re here to stay for the next 5 months. Wow. God is good.

When we arrived to the school/church/home compound, Pastor Fadrick said that we had been ‘upgraded’ with our living quarters. We are not staying right next to the pastor’s house as we did last summer. This time, they gave us our own house – for me & Kayla. We haven’t quite figured out what to do with all the space that we have. J The area for the dining room when you first walk in is bigger than our kitchen & living room combined of last year. Kayla & I have our own bedrooms and bathrooms, with 2 more bedrooms and another bathroom as a part of the house. The living room is as long as our whole apartment space was last year and double the width. When we were here last summer, there was a family renting this house & I had their son, Gift, in the Standard 6 class that I taught. That family has moved to another town and Gift is now studying in Secondary school because he passed the Standard 7 exams while we were away.

Kayla & I were greeted Thursday morning by all of the children in the Church Hall. Last year, we had taught them a chant using the well-known ‘Everywhere we go, people want to know’ song; we had just added our own verses to make it fit for the School. The children sang that to us & it brought tears to my eyes. J It was a precious gift to know that they are as excited to have us return as we are to be back with them.

I am so thankful for this opportunity to live life with those around me; sharing both hardship and joy as we draw closer together and to God. Your prayers are needed and appreciated as Kayla & I adjust back to our Malawian ways of life! J

Have a blessed weekend!