Written 12/12/10
Where to begin….
Well, there has been a team change. There is a new addition
to my world race family. His name is James(no Cinthia and Jon did not have a
baby, and if they did I would be very concerned that their child came out 6’2�
and 25 years old). He is such a blessing of an addition. And our new name is
The A Team (dj scratch sound) Remix! Or Kahata A (that’s what the Russian word
looked like in the bootleg A Team movie we watched yesterday). Which , btw, is
a pretty awesome action packed movie, and makes me even happier to have this
team name…
So where are we this month? We are in the middle of no where
land, Africa. Or what the villagers call Dzuwa. If you tried to google us, you
won’t find us. And we’re not located on any map…but the place does exist. My
team and Team Mor3 (the team we’re partnering with this month) are living proof
of it.
What does life is Dzuwa, Malawi look like? Well, you can
only see it during the day or with a headlamp on, because we have no
electricity. When I first got here I felt like I was in a version of the movie
“I AM LEGEND�, because once nightfall came, I was gripped with fear from all
the bugs and sounds that emerge. I felt like I had to get everything done
before nightfall, because I didn’t want to get caught out there with the
“creatures�. The first three or four nights were pretty brutal. I hardly slept,
because I envisioned creepy crawlers parading up and down me as I tried to
sleep. Most of it was my own imagination, and as the days went on, I became
more and more at peace with the insects and sounds of bushville Malawi. I am
happy to say that I now can venture to the outhouse at night! And I thank God
for helping me be more at peace here, because anyone who knows me, knows that I
HATE bugs! But it’s getting better… God’s really helping me.
Did I mention we have no running water? Or that we have no
kitchen? Well if I failed to
portray that, let me try to paint you a picture of
what that looks like. BUCKETS ROCK! We have three of them. One of them is used
for cooking. Our kitchen is located outside the house. We have two charcoal
burners and one pot. Barely any cooking utensils, or food for that matter. We
have to buy food for the week, because the nearest city is about an hour away
(which is where the internet is located). So we have huge bags of rice, about
20 loafs of bread, about 20 jars of peanut butter, and about 300 eggs. You can
imagine that we have to be a bit creative with meals. And so far they have been
pretty good. Next time you go to the grocery store buy some lucky charms,
steak, buttermilk eggos, or for the more healthy people, honey bunches of oats,
in honor of me and enjoy it doubly for me. =)
Back to the buckets…there are two more and those two are
used for showers, washing hands, the water we filter to drink, and anything
else water is sued for back home. Where do we get this water? Well there is a
nifty water pump about 20 feet away from the house. It’s been a great bicep and
tricep workout, and if I hold in my abs while pumping, it’s a great core
workout too. Not to mention, my neck muscles have been strengthened because I’ve
been doing it the Malawi way, and have been carrying the water buckets on my
head. It really is way more practical, and I might continue this trend when I
get back home… I wish I would have known this technique, for the countless cat
litter boxes I had to struggle carrying when I lived alone.
Next time you turn a faucet on, thank God that water is
there. Next time you take a shower, thank God that you have a showerhead. Next
time you flip a switch, or plug in an electronic, thank God for the blessing…
because it really is.
Our ministry here has been a conglomerate of things. There
is another missionary here, Stephanie, and she is teaching here. We helped her
with her kindergarten class. We cooked pala (a form of pudding), which was
probably the hardest thing I have ever done. But that’s a whole other blog to
write. We have done planting, farming, and more to come. Everyday is something
different and everyday I have had time to read and hear more clearly from God.
We have had a lot of time to live as community…correcting, sharpening,
laughing, and encouraging each other.
This month is gonna stretch me in new ways, it already has. And I’m at peace with the stretching… It
means I’m growing more… And I long to grow. Let God put you in uncomfy situations.. He will prove how sufficient His Grace truly is.
Agenda:Love,
Bethsaida
