Glen Cary Lutheran Church Malawi Trip 2011

The wedding

2011-11-16T08:25:00.003-06:00

We were honored to be invited to Bishop Bvumbe and Maria's daughter's wedding. The ceremony was at the cathedral so it just took a few minutes to walk there. It began at 9am, but people walked in and out throughout the ceremony. The service was about 90 minutes long. The language barrier made it hard to follow, but the ceremony was interesting. I think the best part was the processional and the recessional. It was done in true African style as the wedding party danced down the aisle :-) The female part of the wedding party was dressed conservatively with their shoulders covered. The men's tuxes were very similar to what men in the US wear. After the wedding we had lunch At Luther Hall the went to the party at 2:30. It was very different from anything in the US. The wedding party sat up on a stage at a "sports center". It was extravagantly decorated in the wedding colors with flashing lights and draping. The guests sat in theater type seating looking up at the stage. The goal of the party is to raise money for the young couple. So they stood with a big plastic dish in their hands and people danced down the aisle at the urging of a master of ceremony and literally threw money at the couple for over 3 hours. They sold apples and cake to people to raise money. The MC start selling the at about US $6, then dropped the price to entice more buyers. Dinner was a boxed piece of chicken and a roll. We were unsure if we could eat it so we didn't have any. They had a cake cutting ceremony, But that was the only was the only similarity to a US wedding. It was interesting, but again, the language barrier made it difficult to follow and, being Africa in the summer, it was a wee bit toasty for our MN blood.

A little country church

2011-11-16T08:25:00.001-06:00

Ah...African time. Last night we asked Chief what time church service would start at the church we were visiting. His reply- "there is no time. When the people are there, they will begin". :-) since it was Sunday, people weren't tring to get their crops in or waiting for subsidized fertilizer and seed. That meant that there was a very full church. The preferential treatment of men always amazes me. The church elders (always men) sit in chairs and everyone else sits on the floor. Women ride in the back of the truck and men in cab. Anyway...Pastor Paul gave another great sermon on Matthew's gospel of "go therefore". The congregants paid attention to every word. As is typical in every church we have visited, the service was filled with music. They had band that consisted of a guitar type instrument, a bass type instrument, a "snare" drum set and anAfrican drum. The dancing and music was amazing. We had lunch at member's home it was the most modest of the homes we visited. The foul was guinea hen and we had large amounts of sima. The saving here is "sima is life". I suppose for most Malawians this is a true statement. The boiled maize hard porridge is served at every meal. It is similar to a firm cream of wheat with no seasonings that is eaten with your fingers. After lunch we went back to the church and the band and choir sing and play for us. There music is so inspiring,it brings tears to the eyes. We even had a chance to meet the "old grandmothers" who were tending the children in the shade. They were like the children in that they wanted to have their photos taken. What a great day it was!

Back to Lilongwe

2011-11-16T08:24:00.003-06:00

We woke to the to the beautiful Malawi sun rising and the sounds of the waves- so peaceful. The Pastor for Monkey Bay came by and we had a nice conversation. He said that the mountain top church we visited 2 years ago is still not finished. That was not unexpected, but still sad to hear how they still don't have the resources to finish the building. The vendors were back so we bought a few more things and folded ourselves back into the pickup for the trip back to Lilongwe and the ELCM. The road goes through the mountains so it interesting to experience the switch backs and beautiful scenery. We stopped at a pottery shop that had a restaurant with European style food. The view was lovely and the food was very good. The prices were inexpensive by American standards. The came across a delivery truck that had taken a mountain curve too fast and was turned over. Mphatso said that there is no such thing as a towing service, so he will have to wait for a relative or friend to come and help him! Once again we saw long lines at the fuel stations, going around the block. Mphatso said there have been shortages for over a year but the situation in the last few months has been quite dire with people waiting in line for days waiting for their turn to get fuel. We arrived back at the ELCM headquarters in time for dinner and a power outage. Luckily the power came back on within an hour or so.

Mvuu camp - day 2

2011-11-16T08:24:00.001-06:00

We woke at 5:30 to go on a walking safari. It was interesting that we had an armed guide along to make sure that we weren't eaten by the elephants. We saw many local birds and he pointed out the names of trees and insects. We then went on a water safari and saw huge numbers of elephants, hippos, birds and crocodiles. It was amazing to watch the elephants interact. We had a quick lunch and took the water taxi out to meet Mphatso. He was over an hour late so we enjoyed speaking with the guide there. We headed off to Luther Cottage. The accommodations there are similar to the ELCM headquarters, basic, but has everything we need. Being right on the shore of Lake Malawi, the view is spectacular! We were greeted by 6-8 vendors trying their very hardest to sell us their handiwork. We each bought a thing or two. I'm not very good at bargaining, so I'm sure I paid too much, but that's ok. They are just so poor, I can't bring myself to try to pay less. It was fun to see Lazarus, the caretaker/chef again. After dinner, Mphatso, Chief and Lazarus played mangla. Susan tried to learn the game and played for a while, too. We went to bed listening to the sounds of the waves of Malawi lapping the Dinner was a boxed piece of chicken and a roll. We were unsure if we could eat it so we didn't have any.

A little county church

2011-11-15T12:31:00.002-06:00

Back to Lilongwe

2011-11-15T12:29:00.002-06:00

Mvuu camp part two

2011-11-15T12:27:00.002-06:00

Mvuu Camp

2011-11-10T03:26:00.001-06:00

We said good bye to Blantyre by stopping by to farewell to Dean Jumbe and headed on the long trip to Mvuu Camp on the Shire River. The Shire flows south out of Lake Malawi. The 16 kms from the main road to the camp is a challenge, but we made it with no flat tires an no big bruises from the bumpy road. The safari was a great experience. We saw elephants, hippos, sables, impalas, baboons, waterbucks, several different species of birds, porcupines, and a hyena. The hyena was a rare sighting. Tomorrow we go on a6am walking tour and a river safari. I will have to post pictures later as the cord for the iPad is in the truck with Mphatso and Chief. They always say in a budget location. I feel bad that they do that, but it is what the expect to do. The food here is awesome and they have hot showers with good pressure -fantastic!

Tuesday - Bvumbe Parish

2011-11-09T02:01:00.001-06:00

After a breakfast of a mushroom omelet, papaya juice, chips ( fries to you in the US), a frankfurter type sausage and baked beans, Mphtso and Chief picked us up and we headed to the Internet store to post the blog. Mphatso was upset that his hotel didn't have electricity last night so he wasn't able to charge of his 3 phones. If you know Mphatso, you know that as Communication Director for the ELCM he is constantly on the phone. But he left his phones to charge at our hotel and off we went to visit the villages. We found out that Chimvu parish (Chamoswa's parish) has, due to growth, been split into two parishes. The new parish is called Bvumbwe parish. I'm not sure if it is named for Bishop Bvumbe, or that is a common name and just a coincidence. Our first stop was at Gambia. This is a church that is considered to be a preaching station because even thought they have more than 50 members, they don't have 50 confirmed members. While the walls are up and were completed 6 months ago, there is no roof. They are hoping to have one within a couple of years-meanwhile they worship with their eyes open to the sky. This maybe another opportunity for Glen Cary to partner in Malawi. Their pastor, Pastor Dave was ordained just a few moths ago. He speaks great English and is very enthusiastic. I really liked him. We then went to the Bvumbe parish headquarters. This church is running out of room. There are 500 members in a very small area. The pastor said that people look in through the windows and doors because there isn't enough room to sit inside. There is no room for a parsonage on the land, so the pastor has to rent a house some distance from the church. Their hope is to buy land that is big enough and build a new church and a parsonage. We went to the home of one of the elders for lunch. This was the first home that we visited that had electricity; they even had a TV. We were served the food that has become familiar, chicken, sima, rice, and a cabbage, onion, and celery medley. The women work hard to cook and the men sit around and chat- not much different than at home, I guess:-). We drove back to the hotel past many open air markets selling everything from tires to pineapples to grilled goat. We are back at City Supreme tonight.

Saturday 11/5/2011

2011-11-08T01:44:00.006-06:00

Lilongwe 11/5/2011
Susan, Paul and I arrived on time at 3pm local time, 37 hours after leaving Ham Lake. Between DC and Addis Ababa we sat next to a young professor from Duke who was going to volunteer at a bonobo (like a chimpanzee) orphanage. He was very dedicated to trying to save this great ape species. We talked to many groups, Christian and Muslims, who were going to work on a huge variety of projects.

We were welcomed at the gate by our friend, Mphatso Thoele who is the communication director at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Malawi. After a short drive we arrived at the ELCM headquarters and were shown to our accommodations on the compound. While not luxurious, there is a bedroom for Susan and I and one for Paul. I haven't tried the shower yet, but the toilet flushes :-). We had a wonderful dinner of chicken, rice, tomatoes and the vegetable rape prepared by our old friend Christopher.

The weather is hot and steamy and right now (8pm local time) Susan is re-inflating the soccer balls we brought as gifts. We will be able to give 15 balls to happy children. We are so grateful for all the vitamin donations - we ended up with a bag weighing over 50 pounds full of vitamins. These will be used to supplement the food starving children get at feeding stations. Paul is working on his sermon that he will deliver tomorrow morning at the ELCM cathedral.

It will be early to bed for these weary travelers.

Leaving DC on time!

Our chef Christopher

Sunday at the ELCM Cathedral

2011-11-08T01:44:00.001-06:00

What a wonderful experience to worship at the ELCM headquarters cathedral. The service is long - about 3 hours - yes really! but so filled with song and a great passion. Mphatso surprised Paul last night by asking him to preach the sermon. Paul gave an awesome sermon sharing how important it is for all of us to "go" to share the good news with everyone. We left Lilongwe about 2 for the 5 hour drive to Blantyre. This meant that we had to finish the journey in the dark. Wow - it's not a good idea to drive in Malawi in the dark. There are of course, no street lights, the road is narrow and there are people walking and on bicycles laden with goods and goats every where. Thankfully our driver, Chief got use to our hotel safely. After a dinner of the local fish ( heads on :-) we are heading to bed.

Monday 11/7 Chimvu parish

2011-11-08T01:42:00.001-06:00

Mphatso and Chief picked us up at 9am and we headed to the Byantyre Deanery to pick up acting Dean Raymond Jumbe and his wife, Pauline. The had to ride in the back of the pickup truck. Did I mention that our transportation this time is a pickup truck? It's a little snug but we are making do. Our first stop was Namaona preaching point. When an area has less than 50 congregants, it is not big enough for a church building so the preaching points hold services. Our second stop was Chilemba the oldest congregation. The building is falling apart and is in the process of being replaced. This may be that Glen Cary can help! We visited Nagombe congregation where the women have started a pig project. They saved money for 3 months and bought a piglet for US $30. It is now old enough to breed and is in fact pregnant. They will keep some of of the piglets for breeding and sell some for profit. Then we visited our old friends at Chamosowa. We had a chance to see the progress of the sewing project. 10 women have been trained now! We had a chance to see not only the school uniforms they have sewn, but also the items of clothing they are sewing for profit. We presented two soccer balls to the church and 2 to the head master of the school. We found out that the school has 1600 students and they did to have any soccer balls. They were sooo excited. Pastor Paul and Susan got to see the well for the first time. It's such a blessing to not have to 1/2 a mile to the dirty river to fetch water. We arrived back to the hotel by 5pm.

DC

2011-11-04T05:53:00.000-05:00

We arrived in Washington DC last night after a very bumpy flight. We had dinner near the hotel and are getting ready to head to breakfast and back to the airport for the long flight.

The ipad

2011-11-01T22:21:00.001-05:00

Pastor JaneAnn has generously offered the use of her iPad so that we can blog from Malawi. This is a test post to see if my old brains can figure out ho to use it.

Preparations are going well. Susan has gathered old chapel choir robes to take as gifts. Several pastors have donated stoles to give to the pastors of the ELCM. Susan also purchased some duffel bags to fill with the donated vitamins and soccer balls. In about 40 hours we will be on our way. Please pray for a safe and successful trip,

A little time table adjustment

2011-10-27T22:42:00.000-05:00

Due to changes in flights we are now leaving Minneapolis on Thursday 11/3 and returning on Wednesday 11/16. But guess what! We are stopping in Rome! So we will be in Rome for 1 hour at 2:30 am :-) !I I've always wanted to go to Rome.

We are starting to get some vitamin donations and soccer balls. Thank you for your donation. You will make a difference to a child who has so little!

Flintstones and Football

2011-10-24T10:35:00.000-05:00

As the time for departure draws near, we have started collecting children's vitamins and soccer balls to take in our empty suitcases. We had a great response from church members, friends and family. I hope we have enough to fill all three suitcases so little ones, like this little boy I photographed in Monkey Bay last trip, don't have to play with homemade balls.

The final count down begins

2011-10-19T06:51:00.001-05:00

Last night we had our final team meeting before we leave for Malawi. We decided to bring children's vitamins along in our extra suitcases as we hear that even with the feeding stations, there is still a need to improve the nutritional value of that food. Two weeks from today we begin our journey to visit our friends in Chamasowa. Susan, Paul and I are very excited and grateful for this opportunity!

Planning and praying

2011-07-27T07:04:00.002-05:00

Last night at our Mission Team meeting we talking about our role in extending God's grace to all people including those in Malawi. Our goal on this trip is to see the previous projects in action and to determine how Glen Cary can continue to build our relationship in the future.

Getting ready

2011-07-25T22:10:00.000-05:00

Beginning November 2, 2011 a group from Glen Cary Lutheran Church in Ham Lake, Minnesota will travel to visit our partners in Malawi, Africa.