Been a while...

Well, I guess the reason to create a blog is to actually write in it. I told people I would try to be a little better at updating, and well I halfway lived up to that. I have been updating the building blog, so hopefully you have also been checking up on that (http://bicmalawi.blogspot.com). Since it’s been quite a few months since my last post, I’ll try to give a brief rundown on what’s been happening in my life.

I think the next “big thing” after the last post was the BICWM (Brethren in Christ World Missions) Southern African Retreat in Zambia. This was such a blessing as there were missionaries who have been in Africa for 40 years to share their experiences and words of wisdom. It was an encouraging time filled with fruitful discussions with some R&R mixed in. Then from Zambia the next destination was Victoria Falls.

We stayed beside the Zambezi River just above the falls for two nights with a touristy day in between at the falls. It’s an interesting way of living, having to make sure your valuables are safe and secure from both people and monkeys. Then there’s the falls…um, yeah…all I got is, WOW. Then from Vic Falls we crossed the Zambezi into Botswana via a ferry, en route to South Africa. I traveled with the Lloyds down to South Africa because I am a blood match with Erica, and the doctors said that there could be complications, so I was the walking blood bank. It was pretty neat driving through southern Africa, definitely different than driving in America. Just from the road we saw zebra, cape buffalo, giraffe, kudu, and wart hog. The whole time, I was just in awe of God’s creation.

We reached East London, where the Lloyds would stay until the delivery, and I stayed with them a few days. We (the Lloyds and Seth Miller, a traveling buddy) stayed in a friend’s house with the Indian Ocean in view from the front porch. Then when Erica had her check-up, the doctor in SA said that there was little chance of needing a blood transfusion; the medical care in SA is just so much better than in Malawi. With this news, Seth and I went to Cape Town to visit friends there. Once again, I was in awe of God’s amazing creation. There in Cape Town, our stay was extended a bit longer than anticipated because of a problem with my visa…interesting story there, but not getting into detail here. With that extended stay, I was able to take in a good bit of the area; including a bit of hiking (some of it before sunrise to take in the sun rising over CT), visiting the

African penguins at Boulder’s Beach and climbing up in Slangkop Lighthouse, one of the last working, manned lighthouses in SA. Needless to say, we were finally able to get back up to Malawi after a flight up to Johannesburg and a 24 hour bus ride through Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Then I was back in Malawi for a few weeks to work, until I flew back to the states via South Africa.

Being “home” for a few weeks was great. It was such a blessing to see family and close friends. The main reason which brought me back was for me to witness the uniting of two of my close friends in marriage, Dave and Laura Hostetter. Dave was my roommate of 2 years at Messiah, and a close friend of 5ish years…we have gone through a lot together, so it was an honor to have the ability to come back and be a part of the celebration. The wedding was up in Connecticut, so then on the way back to PA, a friend and I stopped in at Boston to check it out since we were so close and I’ve never been there…sweet city with a lot of history. Once back home, I met up with a lot of friends and family. I booked my return flight back to Malawi fairly strategically, so I could be home for July 4^th. Pretty much every year my whole family goes up to our cabin in upstate PA. There it was a blast just spending an extended weekend with my whole family and a good bit of extended family. A few days after the festivities, I was back on the airplane heading to Africa.

Once the plane landed, I pretty much hit the ground running…not so much literally. In a week, we were all set to pour the concrete of the retaining wall. It was such a blessing to have so many volunteers from the BIC church here show up and help. Then 5 bricklayers from the church were called in and were able to start on the wall construction. Now we are still working on the wall, and just got approval by the Blantyre City inspector to go ahead and start digging for the building foundation. There are many things to be working on at the Maone BIC Church site, but finding enough labor has started to become a difficulty. We may need to resort to paying some people to come and work, but then that would take a little away from funds for the building materials, which there is not much of. We may (emphasizing may) have enough to pour the concrete footers for the foundation, but really don’t have enough to go beyond that. We would like to try to push the construction as much as possible because the rains start to come in another 8-10 weeks.

Just a couple weeks ago, the Malawi BIC Church had their 2010 General Conference, which they hold at the Maone Church Center. I helped them pick up the large tent that they rented for the conference. It was pretty neat how after it was pitched up, it was still only about a third of the size of what the church building will be. There were about 350 people in the tent. I’m hoping that since the people saw that things are happening on the construction that they would get excited and either come and help or send money/food to contribute. Also, since the conference was held literally on the construction site, the work was postponed a few days.

With work being pushed back, I had the opportunity to join a team from Ohio and California out in Zomba, which is about an hour drive from Blantyre. I was able to help put a roof on a new kitchen/cafeteria for the Passion Center Orphanage (www.passioncentermalawi.com). We set the trusses and put on the purloins in a day then put on the tin sheets and ridge cap the next day; which was hard work, yet was really refreshing to me personally because I was working with another construction worker from the states so we were able to work quite well together. When I was out there, I realized that this orphanage is run really well. The staff is all Malawians, and they truly love each and every one of the kids…and that love to the children is evident that it comes from God and flows through the staff. The staff there is also in regular contact with a social worker that serves the Zomba area. I learned of a program there just in the Zomba area called “Children Head of Household.” There are around 400 households registered in the program that are head by children ages 11 to 17. One of the households is head by a former Passion Center child. The team that came over found out about her and how her house was falling apart; so the team decided to try to round up some resources and build her a new house. Last weekend I went back out to Zomba to help with building the trusses for the house, and then soon after that, the team had to leave to head back to the states. Another former Passion child is out there now laying the brick for the house… which is very encouraging to see that a former Passion kid is helping out another former Passion kid just out of the compassion of his heart, without even getting paid! It’s just really neat that I was given this opportunity to go out and serve alongside the team and get to know the people out in Zomba. I am planning on going back out sometime next week for a day to help put the roof on the house, so that she can stay dry when the rains come.

Did I mention that the Passion kids can sing??