Njo! Njo! Njo! Mwa Yesu Muli Chimwemwe Aleluya

Njo! Njo! Njo! Mwa Yesu Muli Chimwemwe Aleluya (Joy, Joy, Joy, in Jesus There Is Happiness)

This was one of our groups favorite songs to hear the children do in Chichewa.  

Day 1 of VBS - 
After VBS we ran some errands and went to a place of someone they know who does beading.  They make animals and stuff out of beads and wire, jewelry, and all sorts of stuff.  It was a really incredible place to get to see.  This person in charge brings in kids off the street and offers them a place to stay and asks them to work to make these things and it pays for them to stay there, eat, etc.  It was really cool thing to supporta nd we got to watch the kids make a couple things.  Then we got home and talked to our neighbors (neighbors here are gardeners and gate keepers and such.  So foreign to us.) and they are really sweet.  The wife and the daughter were leaving the next day for a conference so we wouldn't see them anymore so we were talking with them. We were talking to Grem (the neighbor) and asked him if they had any family pictures or pictures of Naomi (their daughter) and he said no.  None of us could imagine them not having a picture of their family or their daughter at their house, so we asked if we could take a family picture and have it developed and give to them.  So we took those pictures that night.  (Step into the future....we gave them to him and he loved them :) )

VBS this week I decided to group into the three days we did it.  The church name was Chisomo (a village about 45 minutes away).  The first day VBS went great.  It was such a beautiful day out.  We got to ride in the back of the pickup truck there so it woke us up.   This is so nice since the other days its been hard to stay awake on the hour to hour and a half drive every morning and afternoon.  So thankful for field managers who are willing to drive all over!  At the beginning we only had 50 and by the end we had 130.  I couldn't believe how many people came in throughout the couple hours.  The church is beautiful.  It is such a fun location.  The president of Malawi was driving through town today (I did actually see her) so they said that's why their numbers were so low.  So many people were out on the streets to see her and she was stopping only a couple miles from where the church was.  This church had done VBS there before so they seemed really well organized.  The kids were really interactive and the pastor was great at getting involved and helping out, too.  It went very smoothly for a first day!

Then we had reservations at a restaurant here called Grill 21.  I think I have mentioned it before, but I don't know if I explained it.  If so...disregard the next part. It is run by Europeans and the food and atmosphere is incredible.  Everyone goes there dressed in a suit and tie.  You can tell it is the business place to go.  It is a 5 star restaurant and hotel and the grounds are just gorgeous.  (Way more fancy than I have ever been in. I'm not made for classy places :))  We went out to eat there last week for a meal and we all had like steak and stuff and the whole meal for steak, potatoes, salad, bread, and vegetables was like 15 a person.  Its unreal.  Then outside there is seating and a courtyard and lit up palm trees and its just literally out of a book.  Its awesome.  So we went there for appetizers and dessert which was awesome, walked around the courtyard a little bit, then walked home. 

 I took my Religion Final when we got back so I am officially done with class for three weeks.  I can't believe school starts so soon. But a couple week break with the free time and my nanny kids when I get home will be great :)

Something I have learned along the way - 

This may be true with other traveling as well, but I have not traveled for longer than two weeks without family members or close friends that I had known previously to going on a trip.  So I did not know what to expect. I have always been independent so I never worried about being away.  I also LOVE to travel.  There comes a point though that it is hard to be away, and i'm sure the point comes at different times for everyone depending how long the duration of their trip is. For myself, the beginning of the second week was probably the hardest to be away.  I was transitioning into a different routine.  You still are dealing with a little jetlag.  You are still learning the people around you and not trying to be so attached to everyone at home you want to tell everything to.  A couple days ago I had broken past the point of it being hard and there were things I started to love here and things I would look forward to every day.  It is such a cool feeling and there are definitely things I am going to miss about here.  Truly the most exciting thing about coming back to America is going to be.....APPLES.  Apples are SO expensive here and I haven't had one in 3 weeks.  

Fact:  I eat AT LEAST 2 apples a day no matter what. It has been rough. 

VBS Day 2 - 

Tuesday's VBS was like 50 that morning it was FREEZING.  But it went well.  We taught the story of Philip and sharing the good news.  This congregation has a lot of kids that understand English so I got many of the kids coming up to me and you can tell they are trying to practice their English because it will be very specific language and questions.  It was such a blast.  The kids love love LOVE singing and crafts.  They love being able to stand up and dance and learn new stuff, and they love being about to color (something they aren't normally accustomed to).  One thing I love about these kids is they are SO eager to learn.  Kids like this are why I wanted to become a teacher.  I love the excitement they have and the joy on their face when they answer a question correctly.  These kids treat us like celebrities.  They chase our car when we drive into the village and wave us down.  They look up to us for what we are doing and it makes them excited to hear what we are talking about. Such a cool thing to think about. 

Then we ran a million errands around town but got a lot done.  We met a missionary here who is from the states but has lived her 27 years and we all talked to him.  He knew many people in the WELS and was able to easily associate many of us to someone or something.  He knew my Uncle Paul, who passed away a couple years ago now, and had such wonderful things to say about him.  It is always so fun to hear such great things about him, he truly was an incredible man with such a big heart and love for his Lord! Then he left and we made dinner and made a couple batches of cinnamon rolls for us and for our neighbors and our field managers.  That has been like our staple....Then we got some stuff ready for the next group coming after us.  Got the field managers gift ready.  Got stuff organized.  It was a very busy day. 

Almost done I promise! Now that I am writing this I understand why I probably should have written after each day.  This week was busy! Sorry :)

VBS Day 3 -

FINAL DAY! Wow.  Seems weird that after 11 straight days to the village I am not setting my alarm tonight.  I will not go into detail about the impact this trip has had on me, that will be my final post.  However, today.  I will say that I am overwhelmed in my love and faith for the Lord, and I feel truly blessed!  Such an incredible experience and I loved every second.  Yes, Even the seconds when power and water were out :)

After VBS today we got some more things done around town that we wanted to do and see, and then went to our field managers house for a Malawian dinner.  It was very interesting.  We started out washing our hands over a bowl with a pitcher of water, scooped up our food, and ate with our hands.  I even felt myself reach for my non-existant fork at one point.  It was hilarious.  It was a lot of fun and actually tasted pretty good.  I am not picky, but I thought it was good.  I would not be able to have too much though, it was so dense and so filling!

Praise to the Lord for blessing 1648 children through our work in Malawi, Africa these last two weeks! 

"“Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent."

Acts 18:9