Hi lovely people! Two blog posts in as many days; aren't you lucky eh? So I mentioned before that I've spent the last month with Heather. I mean like every waking moment; we live together, work together and hang out together. It's just as well we're like two peas in a pod. We're at the point where she now loves Miranda, and we know exactly what each other are thinking. So in many ways, my stories of Malawi are hers too. We figured the best way to give you the bigger picture of our time here in Dedza was to co-author a post, filling you in on some of the little things that have made our time in Malawi so special. Hope you enjoy it :)
It's God's attention to the little things that's really making me realize how great He is. And it's funny how your perspective on daily life changes when you no longer take for granted a full jar of peanut butter or a loaf of bread in the house or feet that can walk for miles. It's in the little details like these that I am finding reason to thank God where I have failed so often before.
I'm thankful for callouses and blisters on my feet - it means that I've been so privileged in walking to homes made of mud and straw and visited with some of the most vulnerable people on earth. And it means that I am healthy and capable of walking for hours at a time.
I'm thankful for peanut butter - along with eggs, it's our only source of protein and it goes with anything - in Malawi it goes with everything. Considering the amount of PB and white bread we eat, I'm happy that I can still be thankful for it. I know my sisters would fit right in here. It's a staple for Malawians and Africans in general. And. So. Yummy.
I'm thankful for Skype and FaceTime - I didn't realize how helpful technology was until Skype or FaceTime wasn't working for me since leaving South Africa. Because of the lack of face to face communication with my family, I missed them a lot! But seeing them last Sunday was amazing. I even woke them up - ahhh I hope they were as excited as me ;) oops. We're not morning people.
I'm thankful for hot running water - after having no hot water for a shower, it sure is a blessing! Also hand washing clothes on a chilly morning is wonderful with warm water.
I'm thankful for the gift of a smile - Realizing that when you smile at a child, they may not ever be smiled at. And when you see a hesitant little smile escape their lips, the joy is indescribable. Sometimes the only way to bless a child is through a smile, and I pray that something that insignificant can bless them.
I'm thankful for humor and laughter - God cares so much that he created laughter. It is such a stress reliever! And we've had more than our share of laughs happen to us. Some are mentionable, others not. But needless to say, Charlotte and I are both pretty good at bringing about embarrassing, socially unacceptable situations; we've had to cover for each other several times. And I laugh a lot. Maybe too much.
I'm thankful for bobby pins - to pin back those stray hairs that seem to find their way out of my ponytail on a windy day, but they're most useful for pinning up those annoying little holes that occur in mosquito nets. That's currently where the majority of my bobby pins are.
I'm thankful for stars - Even star-gazing up north out on the dock doesn't compare to the stars out here on a community stay. When there's no electricity for miles and no light pollution, the stars are stunning. They remind me of the promise that God made to Abraham that his children would be as many as the stars in the heavens. I doubt I would've believed God if I were in Abraham's position - it sure required a lot of faith!
I'm thankful for colourful chitenges - well, I love anything that is brightly coloured, but a polka dotted chitenge?! Irresistible really. Yep I'm technically an adult but I don't feel like one. (A chitenge is a big, patterned piece of material that you wrap around you as a skirt or even dress - for me it would be a skirt but I stand a head taller than most Malawians). They're pretty much a patterned piece of fun-ness. And very practical.
Besides all the these and so many others, I'm thankful for a God who knows me better than I know myself, and cares for me infinitely more than I can imagine. I'm thankful that I don't know where my life is headed but that He's got it perfectly mapped out. He knows that I need Him more and more each day, and He is teaching me more and more that this life is not about me - I'm just a tool in His mighty kingdom.
With only a few days left in Malawi, I'm realizing the attachment I've made with this country. Charlotte and I have had three incredible opportunities to stay in different communities throughout the Central Region of Malawi, and even had the chance to see Lake Malawi last weekend - which is stunning by the way. Charlotte and I have both been amazed with the hospitality and love we've felt in each community we've visited, and also the one we're staying in. We're blessed to have had this opportunity.
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~ The rest of this post is co-authored by the lovely Charlotte Henderson ~
Like I've said, my perspective has changed a lot since being here, and it's amazing finding joy in the little things. We've also had more adventures jam packed in these few weeks than I could've ever imagined. Charlotte and I have kept a running tab on things that have struck us as ironically normal or hysterically funny or just downright adventurous. Some are as follows:
-Since we're the only two azungu in our village and we haven't come across any outside of our village, we're definitely the minority. When we went for a weekend to Lake Malawi, we were asked by an touristy Asian husband if his wife could have a picture with us on the beach. Well that was a first. It's how we get all the boys ;)
-Bicycle taxis are literally everywhere, but the boy riding his bike while carrying a goat took it to the next level.
-We were asked if mermaids are real - by someone that probably should've known better, and was not a child.
-To explain the degree of kindness in Malawi, here is a classic example. Being told by our driver that upon speeding and receiving a ticket didn't have enough money so the police paid the remainder of his ticket for him.
-After days of bucket baths, it's a luxury to come home and take a hot shower. Until the drain doesn't work. Since the shower is literally a room, the water seeped under the door and proceeded to flood the entire house. And then we had a visitor - the landlord. Oops.
-Not being allowed to swim in the lake after 5pm because that's when the hippos come out to feed. I'd rather not be their dinner.
-We may or may not have crashed a fancy Malawian wedding wearing our swimsuits.
-Wearing our food rather than eating it because the outdoor "5-star" restaurant felt like a tornado was coming through.
-Everyone in our community thinking we're Chinese and greeting us with "hello Ching Chong" as their perfectly normal English greeting.
-Being walked home by my new best friend who thinks he's gonna marry me, and still thinks so... I thought I turned down that proposal but try convincing him of that.
-Being spotted by a tiny little girl who clearly had never seen an azungu - I've never heard someone scream in such sheer terror as her. Poor little darling. We are pretty odd looking I suppose, and slightly glow-in-the-dark.
-A group proposal while on Holy Home Visits, just one instance of many.
-Riding 3 adults on a glorified dirtbike-called-motorcycle while the driver is on the phone is normal right? Should I mention no helmets and the "roads" should barely qualify as footpaths? Should I also mention that it's a pretty common method of transportation for us and that this wasn't a one-time occurrence?
-Eating entire fish - every single part of it. No extra comment needed.
-"Preaching" to a lovely gogo, only to find out she is a respected pastor in her community and runs her own church. Charlotte nearly died of embarrassment.
- Finding myself sitting on an ant nest, not realizing until half an hour later when I kept feeling tiny pricks of pain throughout my entire body that they were biting ants. Lesson learned.
-When you twist your ankle and can't walk, the appropriate thing to do is yank on it in ways and directions that I didn't think we're possible and walking it off until it feels better. That's when you just suck it up and try your best not to limp.
-Riding in a taxi that needs to be jump started to get going and can hardly climb the hilly roads - not a person on that jam packed 15+ passenger minibus was phased. It is wonderfully inexpensive though.
-We have the most wonderful watchman who loves to practice his English with us. We made him pancakes for breakfast yesterday and his compliment to us was "My abdomen is filled with wonder." It was the BEST compliment either of us have ever received.
-Having possibly the best opportunity of our month - making lunch for the heroes of Africa - our amazing careworkers.
Having things like these happen to us is a daily occurrence, and we hope that you have a better picture of what life has been for us in Malawi.
Much love,
-Heather and Charlotte
