We arrived in Senga Bay for an all squad month here in Malawi. This is the first and possibly only time on the race where all of the teams stayed in one location, doing ministry together. Weather permitting, our ministry mainly focused on the health of the squad (spiritually, relationally, emotionally) and physical labor. The two most common ministries I was assigned to be a part of were hauling brick and hauling water.
I can’t adequately describe God’s mastery of His paintbrush in creating a panorama of such beauty. Let me give you a small taste of our home for the past month…
Malawi Highlights:
1. While driving to our new ministry site, I dozed off once again. I awoke to our van (full of packs about to fall on us and crush the people in the back seat) off-roading through CORNFIELDS and ditches. There were many instances I feared we would just tip over. And who would have thought – we got stuck in the mud!
2. Anytime we need WATER for showers and laundry, we have to haul it (15 min. walk with a 20 gallon jug with holes and heavy, heavy, heavy) from the WELL.
i. We had to find creative ways to stay “hygienic,” which for us now means, “just barely clean enough to survive every day.”
ii. Dirt is everywhere: in your tent, caked on your feet, greasy hair, sweating dirt and sunscreen, in your fingernails…hope you enjoyed the picture haha.
iii. I’ve learned how to shower with 3 large cups of water.
iv. Baby wipe showers are a must when the well closes at 5pm and there is no time or energy.
3. I was super excited for curried beef stew and rice one night. Yum. My first bite was a mix: a bit of rice – alrighty – followed by some strange crunches. Hm, this tastes weird. I’m thinking, “What the heck is in this beef stew? Is that a hint of mint or is it a burnt piece. Wait. No. This definitely doesn’t taste right.” I spit it out back on my plate. I chewed up a dead GRASSHOPPER that was about two inches long. So there’s that. Haha.
4. Anywhere we go, we either have to walk or HITCHHIKE. This involves flagging down any truck driving in the direction you are going.
5. You know you’re in Africa when it’s not safe to swim in the parasite-infested lake, but you are allowed to cram our whole squad of 43 people – standing up – in a large truck bed, flying down bumpy African roads.
6. A group of us were trying to get to the market one afternoon. A truck slows down for us but no one really jumped on it because it was so full. Finally a few of us go for it and jump in – “Oh…oh of course, there are some CHICKENS back here under our feet. Don’t crush the chickens.” Those close quarters situations definitely draw you together.
7. Some of our most common sayings include:
i. “T.I.A.” (This is Africa.)
ii. “T.M.A.” (Too much Africa.)
iii. “CHITANGE probs” (As women, we have to wear either long skirts that go past the knees every day or chitangues. Chitangues are pieces of cloth they sell in the markets that you wrap around as a skirt. They are pretty confining and don’t offer much help to walking or jumping – hence the problems.)
8. We rejoice every day we are blessed with Jungle OATS over eating porridge in the morning.
9. The weather here is either scorching HEAT or down pouring RAIN. There’s no escaping the elements.
10. My teammate Jessica turned 22 this month! We surprised her by baking her a birthday CAKE in a brick oven, using coal. Lord, thank you for this blessed miracle of somehow creating seriously the best cake I think I’ve ever eaten, let alone helped create.
11. During a girl time in the squad on Valentine’s Day, a LIZARD jumped through the window onto some girls and then crawled up a squad mate’s chitangue! (At that very moment, one of the guys on our squad happened to see it, jumped into the building and ripped off the chitangue, becoming a hero and the most hilarious moment for the day.)
i. Directly after, the girl who was sharing at the time (she is like a mom to all of us) says, “Segway: Now ladies, if there is a lizard up your chitangue so to speak, let the Lord, like Micah, rip it right off.” Hahaha
12. BIKE TAXIS were the most fun form of transportation to me.
13. MOSQUITO BITES continued to plague us all day every day.
14. We got to visit an ORPHANAGE one day. The kids were so precious.
15. There is a market that sells partially FROZEN COKE, which has become absolutely the most refreshing treasure to buy here in Malawi. It’s just the right consistency for the “slushy” part to make my day that much better.
16. A group of us paid our respects by attending a FUNERAL of a lady who had passed away in the village nearby. The entire community comes and sits outside the house the house of the mourning family all afternoon until the burial. In a way, it was beautiful to be a part of the community in this way.
17. The last night I got to sleep in the CHICKEN COOP to avoid the rain. It was fabulous.
18. Just outside of the compound, there are huge SAND DUNES that were so much fun to run/fall down.
19. At the end of the month, our squad hosted a SOCCER TOURNAMENT for the Living Ball project. This ministry uses unique soccer balls that were specially designed to spread the Gospel. It was an incredible turnout, engaging the entire community in a powerful, enjoyable, and successful day of loving on the Senga Bay community.
