Ask me what my favorite month so far is and I wouldn’t know what to say. Haiti and Malawi are tied. because we got to do… manual labor and construction in both! this past month in Senga Bay it was all about design. building. and photography. now thats my language :]
so my second month in Malawi ended up looked nothing like what I originally imagined Africa to be like. We lived in the bush our first month in Africa and preached every day- more than once. and while we were still in the bush this past month, we weren’t preaching. and we have had a lot of amenities we’re not use to on the race- like a bed and a toilet. for another, we were living right on the beach again!! (just like in Haiti- oh how I miss you Haiti)
sooo what did I do all last month? it was all about pioneering. Johan and Marie have been trying to launch a bunch of projects now that they have lived in the community for a year now. here are the areas we helped in:
1. the boat project. this is in the process of launching. They have a very old wooden boat they are wanting to repair and restore so it can be used to reach the remote places nearby. Their vision is to use the boat as a tool for spreading the Gospel, food, clothes, clean water, medicine and even boat and water safety. Sadly, this project we were able to work on the least because it was rainy season while we were there.
2. the school project. in the village there is a brick property that Johan and Marie are wanting to transform into a school so the kids in the village don’t have to walk so far for their education. Their education is being compromised as it is with classrooms being way too overcrowded with about 130 kids per one teacher. While there we cemented and plastered over the bricks to finish the walls.
3. the coffee project. it has been Marie’s dream since moving here to open up a coffee shop. Being a beach front property on the lake, it is the only coffee shop in the area. The lake has plenty of bars, but thats it. Her vision is for it to become a place for the community to come and form relationships. A place intended for all ages, races and for those of all faiths to feel welcome. Their hope is for the local Muslims, mzungus and backpackers to stop by in search of not only a drink or a snack but for a safe and comfortable home. The vision for the coffee shop is for it to be a loving and warm environment that fosters learning and dialogue ROOTED in God’s love, while relying on the Holy Spirit to stir in the hearts and minds of those who aren’t believers. This was the project I had the opportunity to help with the most too. We got to start from scratch with the vision, coming up with the name, the remodeling construction, painting, decorating and I got to design the menu-woot. We based all this on Psalm 1. here was the process we got done:
(also watch these videos on the projects from my teammate Daniel! he does awesome awesome work. more to come too.)
