I haven’t mentioned before, but a few days before I left for Jamaica, I reached out to a friend to see if she wanted to escape a frigid Minnesota winter to meet me in Jamaica, and being the spontaneous adventurer that she is, she said yes. Isn’t she beautiful?! We’ve had some wonderful adventures together over our 20-year friendship, and I’m glad we could add one more this past week.
We had a fairly leisurely breakfast before heading to services. Jamie and I had the opportunity to interview a few people about their experiences during the storm, and I’m so grateful that they were willing to share their lives with us.
The Mochi (Mo bay (Montego Bay) and Ochi (Ocho Rios) congregation was just so lovely. They were welcoming, zealous, and fun. And they fed us a delicious lunch of rice and peas and bbq chicken. 10/10 recommend visiting this congregation, and the special music was out of this world.
Dayne running soundPaul giving announcements and leading songssome of the congregationAnother shot of the congregation
I feel like my blog is an advert for the Feast in Jamaica, but seriously! Go visit this beautiful island, support their economy as they recover, and be uplifted by this beautiful congregation.
After a slightly less wonderful night of sleep, we were once again on the road bright and early as we had a very busy day ahead of us. To start, we drove out to a slight mountain, looking out over a beautiful valley. We were waiting to meet up with Paul Reece so we could drive out to his farm. We arrived at 8:30 a.m., and we waited.
Alisa Lockhartthe beautiful valleyJamie busy at workthe valley againI said, “Chuck, be a Millennial with me.”
The clouds rolled in, it started to rain, and we continued to wait. At 9:15 a.m., we decided to drive back to a small town nearby to see if we could get a signal on our phones to call Paul. Sure enough, there was a miscommunication, and we were waiting in the wrong spot; Paul found us about 15 minutes later; we followed him further into the country and turned down a pitted dirt road, lined with farms both left and right. On the right were probably 100 head of cattle. They were beautiful cows: clean and fat, just the way you want them.
We finally arrived at Paul’s farm and got to see some of the damage that he sustained. He has 15 head of cattle, a corn field, a field with pumpkins planted, a terribly damaged papaya grove, and an empty field awaiting planting. Paul talks about farming with such passion and love. He views farming as his calling. Before working his small farm, he worked with the government as an agriculturist. He’s talented, but he’s been dealt some tough blows. Just last year, he lost his entire papaya crop to a hurricane, and once again, his papaya grove has been devastated.
Jamie capturing the papaya grovePaul standing in his farmthe papaya grovesome of the trees are still alive, so Paul has propped them up to save some of the fruit.A little hope in the midst of destruction
He’s optimistic, though, that things will improve. Currently, he has five water tanks that gravity feed his irrigation system. With these tanks, he must pay to have water trucked in to fill them. We floated the idea of building a structure (not a building, per se, but something sturdy) that could be built in a way to funnel water to one (or more) of the tanks. Paul was very enthusiastic about the idea and will have plans drawn up.
After leaving Paul’s farm, we met up with Clive Brown and Neil. They are members from South Florida who have been helping to deliver food and supplies and spearhead the construction side of the Good Works relief efforts taking place here in Jamaica. They took us to meet Gloria, so we could deliver a generator to her and to check out the work being done at her home.
I first met Clive in 2018, when he lived in Connecticut. He’s a talented builder, and we appreciate his willingness to share his skills.Some of the generators ready for delivery (that’s Neil (in the hat), Jamie, and Jeff in the background.
After leaving Gloria’s home, we had to (and by “had to,” I mean got to! it was a stunning place) drive through an area called Fern Gully; a beautiful downhill drive through a forest, with trees lining the edge of the road, sometimes blotting out the sun, and (surprise!) ferns carpeting the forest floor. Jamie captured video of the drive, but (being in the back seat), I didn’t have a great vantage point to capture it, so I just enjoyed the drive. This road took us to Ocho Rios, and we stopped at Pineapple Craft Circle. It’s a market with craft stalls mostly catering to tourists. Thankfully, the market was relatively untouched by the hurricane. But it was here that we met Tommy Humphrey and Deneshia Douglas.
DeneshiaTommy
Tommy owns a small shop where she sells souveniers, her mom had run the shop before her, and it was a delight to speak with her and her youngest daughter, who had just come from school (her favorite subject is math, and her favorite animal is a panda, and she had the most adorable dimples you can imagine). Deneshia is a school teacher who popped over to the market to meet us; we were able to give her a Starlink to use at home and interview her about her experience with the storm, and the challenges she’s faced as a teacher in the aftermath (many schools are closed due to damage, so they’ve had to increase class sizes and institute a teaching rotation).
Our second-to-last stop was the workplace of Paulette. We picked her up and drove her to her home, where we met her son, Dayne. They very graciously sat down to talk to us about their experience with the storm and to show us around their home and garden. Paulette and I bonded over her beautiful plants. She found caterpillars on her scotch bonnet plant, which she proceeded to massacre (I wish I had thought to take a picture of the aftermath of said massacre, but alas, you’ll have to imagine the fat bugs squished between a leaf and the tile she used to crush them, and the surprisingly neon green blood (?) that splattered the concrete walkway). She was so passionate about saving her plant because much of the scotch bonnet crop was destroyed during the storm, and as you may or may not know, Jamaicans are serious about their scotch bonnets. But not all of the plants we looked at led to death. We looked at her pumpkin vine that had about four beautiful flowers on it, and talked about making pumpkin green relish (that’s what they called it in Malawi). To make it, you take the leaves from the plant (carefully, they’re prickly) and strip them, chop them up, and then cook them with onions, garlic, salt, pepper, tomatoes, and oil. And it is a delicious accompaniment to most any meal, but particularly with roasted goat, if you ask me. It was delightful to see the same foods enjoyed by two cultures so far apart.
Paulette and Dayne in front of their home.
By the time we got back in the car to go to our hotel, the sun was getting ready to set, and we still had over an hour drive to go. We were very ready for dinner and for a Sabbath rest.
After a wonderful night’s sleep, I awoke early to meet the team (Jeff Lockhart, Chuck Smith, Alisa Lockhart and Jamie Schreiber) for breakfast… but I got lost trying to find the lobby. By the time I got there, there wasn’t much time for breakfast, so I stopped in the 24-hour cafe and got two croissants to go. I’m glad I grabbed a second one as we had a busy day with no time for stops to eat.
This is my first time visiting Jamaica, I wish it were for better reasons, but I’m grateful to be here, to see the beauty and the resilience of this place and the people. Jeff was on island within two weeks of the hurricane, when he was first here, all of the mountains were brown because so many trees had fallen, and the ones that hadn’t were stripped bare. Just a month later, and the remaining trees are recovering, green leaves could be seen everywhere. My only other Caribbean experience is the Bahamas (also a very beautiful country) that is very, very flat. Jamaica is very mountainous (80% of the island is elevated, according to Google, while almost 50% sits 1,000 feet above sea level). The house construction, the little shops, and some of the food reminds me very much of Malawi.
Our first stop today was visit the family of Gylene Carr. Gylene is a lovely woman, in her 80’s and the primary caretaker for her daughter, Danic, and her brother Bobby Davis (an amputee). 80% of their roof was blown off. They survived the storm huddled in one room. They assumed, with few resources and physical limitations, that they would spend the rest of their lives living in 20% of their home, the rest being open to the elements. It was heartbreaking to listen to their story of weathering the storm and their concerns for the future in the aftermath. The contrast to that heartbreak was to hear of the hope they now feel with a fully replaced and completed roof over their head. Our small construction crew was able to install a new roof and a new ceiling in just a few days, giving them comfort and security.
Gylene and Danic Carr and Bobby Davis
Our next stop was to visit with a long-time Church member, Claude Wilson. Claude is a character. Funny, animated, smart, and full of energy. He lives right near the airport and loves to watch the planes take off, he told me very seriously that one of the positive outcomes of the storm was that the fallen trees had given him a better view of the runway… he was only disappointed that one rather large tree was still obstructing his view. Claude is a proofreader and a writer, working for a national newspaper here in Jamaica. When you come here, Claude will energetically tell you all about his writing endeavors, his eagerness to share God’s truths, and the humorous ways that God helped him through the storm. Taking his photos was a challenge because I couldn’t get him to sit still long enough to catch him.
Our next stop was to visit the childhood home of Clive Thompson. Work has not yet begun on this house, and it is in desperate need of repairs. Clive seemed quiet and reserved, but was a tremendous help to us, guiding us to each house on our visit. He also drives like he’s in a racecar. At one point, a few cars got between ours and Clives, but we got a red light and we were able to catch up to his white CR-V. At the next intersection, Jeff was sure we were supposed to turn, but Clive was going straight, so he pulled in behind him and followed him for several more intersections before we finally turned, and after a mile or so he turned into a business Jeff was unfamiliar with. We had joked that we had followed the wrong person. Jeff got out of the truck to start to walk over to Clive’s car, but came right back. Yup, we followed the wrong vehicle! We had started following the wrong white CR-V. Thankfully Jeff knew the way back to where he was supposed to turn, and Clive had realized we weren’t behind him and had come back to try and find us. All was right with the world, but I can’t help but think about that poor CR-V driver that had some random car follow him to work that day. This stop was just a drive through really, since the homeowner couldn’t be there to meet us. But we could ascertain that her roof had a tarp, and hopefully we’ll be able to get her taken care of soon.
Our last stop was to the home of Denton and Marjorie Lewis. Denton and Marjorie live more in the interior of the island and took us about an hour and half to get to their home. After the storm hit, Jeff (the pastor for Jamaica) was desperately searching for all of our members to make sure they were safe. By the end of the week after the storm he had heard from everyone except Denton and his wife. No one could reach them. And getting to his home those first few weeks was challenging because of gas shortages, and debris on the roads. When Jeff was able to make it to the island he drove to Denton’s home and arrived to see Denton on the roof of a neighbor’s home helping make repairs. It was a joy and relief to find he and his wife safe. Water flooded into their home from the rains, but the flood waters never reached inside their home (he’s showing me how high the waters came in one of the photos below).
Denton and Marjorie LewisLewis homeDenton showing where the flood waters cameLewis family neighbors, the flood waters reached their home, while somehow staying below the Lewis home stairsA Lewis family neighbor whose house was severely damaged in the storm
My day started out bright and early — 3 a.m. and was much more dramatic than I anticipated. Our little pup (and by pup I mean old lady… she’s 14.5 years old), Lola, seemed to have a medical emergency in Lewis’s arms while I was brushing my teeth. She seems to be okay now, but it was a scary a few moments. After a dramatic start, we had an uneventful drive to the airport, and other than having my gate changed three times, uneventful flights to Jamaica. I met up with Jamie Schreiber (the Media Production Supervisor for United Church of God) in Atlanta.
The whole purpose for this trip is to follow-up with our members after Hurricane Melissa (one of the strongest storms on record) hit the tiny island-nation of Jamaica in November. I am the coordinator for the Good Works program of United Church of God, and one of the biggest efforts we are involved in is disaster relief. Jamie joined me to document our efforts and the stories of members who weathered this historic storm.
We have the opportunity to stay at the hotel where UCG holds the Feast in Jamaica. It’s a lovely hotel, and while I’m not going to get to spend a lot of time here, I appreciate the clean and comfortable room to sleep in, excellent wi-fi so I can continue working while I’m here, and delicious food to eat at the end of a long day.
It’s always a challenge to visit a place after a natural disaster. It’s a balance between respecting the trauma that has and is being experienced by the community, while also supporting them get back to “normal,” not just through donations for relief efforts, that’s a wonderful thing to do, but they want you to come back to their beautiful home, to support their economy and jobs and to witness the challenges, but also the resilience and community that is displayed everywhere you look.
I look forward to sharing more about this short trip and the people that I have the opportunity to meet.
The last few days have been hectic! We awoke on Sunday morning with the power having gone out again… which meant no wifi, but thankfully Lewis had been able to check us in the night before in the window that the power was on. We had to leave the house by 5:30am, so we were re-packing and bathing and dressing in the dark at 4:30am. The sweet Chichaya girls got up to see us off, it was hard to say goodbye.
We made good time getting ready and hit the road by 5:15am. It’s actually a good thing we left a little early, we made it to check-in exactly at the time we had planned, so we needed the cushion.
Check-in at the Harare airport is… different? I don’t know why I made that a question, other than it was a little perplexing. There weren’t specific areas for different airlines, they seem to be assigned anew each day, so we had to look on the board to find our airline to tell us which of the counters to go to, but they’re all together. It’s just different.
Then we had to go have our passports checked. There’s this little counter where three people were sitting, we walked over and handed our passports to the first person, they handed it off to the next person, and then they handed it off to the third person. Then they handed them back to us, and sent us to another counter adjacent to the first counter. The gentleman looked at our passports, stamped our boarding passes, and then sent us back to the original counter, where we once again handed our passports and boarding passes to the first person, who rifled through it, handed it to the next person, who also rifled through it, who then handed it to the next person, who rifled through it and then handed it right back to us.
We hadn’t even gotten to security. The squinty-eyed, flat mouthed emoji would fit perfectly here. So we go through first security, no problems, head to immigration, thankfully again, no problems, where we actually had our passports stamped, and then we had to go through security again where we had to take off our shoes and remove our laptops and all that jazz.
It was nice having the Chichayas to travel with. We had plenty of time before our flight so we were able to have breakfast at a nice little cafe. Everyone but me had a traditional English breakfast. I chose poorly and had a very, very subpar pesto chicken sandwich… imagine, if you will, a delicious green pesto, mixed to perfection, the earthy basil mixing with the olive oil to create a creamy sauce, with the slight crunch of pine nuts adding a nice texture that would pair perfectly with fresh tomato and grilled chicken. Now imagine that you take that perfection and you dump 1/4 cup of off-brand miracle whip in it, mix it a little and throw it on a soggy focaccia bread with cold chicken. That’s what I mean by subpar. It was a travesty.
But, guys! By Sunday morning it had been nearly 24 hours since I had taken a Pepto-Bismol, so win! Thankfully the disgusting sandwich didn’t cause my stomach any problems… probably because I couldn’t stomach eating the whole thing.
We left the cafe to sit near our gate. We were all preoccupied with checking email with the little internet we had left, when I looked up and saw that our flight was boarding, and the line was snaking around the waiting area. We learned a valuable lesson, they don’t call flights to board in the Harare airport, you just have to pay attention to see when they start to board.
The flight was short and we arrived right on time. As we stood in line at immigration we could see Gracious and Loney Mpilangwe and Cephas and Patricia Chapamba waiting at the baggage carousel. Their flight had landed shortly before ours. We were just missing Haiton Thungula. And there he was getting ready to approach the immigration agent. After breezing through immigration we collected our bags (we were ready before the Malawians were) and headed out. We were greeted by Isella and Neil Wallace in the arrivals hall. So nice to see friendly faces!
There were 45 people at this conference, with seven countries represented: Angola, Brazil, Malawi, South Africa, the United States, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Lewis and I got to eat several meals with our Angolan brethren where we muddled through with a combination of Spanish (us) and Portuguese (them) and google translate to fill in the gaps. It was delightful, and what a blessing it is to have technology to do all this.
Unfortunately a number of people came down with a cough during the conference, myself included. I’m feeling better now, but being sick, especially in a foreign land is never fun.
I had to leave the conference early (to prepare to leave for northwest camp), so Tuesday night I had my bags packed, and I headed it out. Anyone who knows me, knows that I tend to be a crier. I cried altogether too much saying goodbye to Lewis. Partly because this is the longest solo flight I’ve ever taken (11.5 hours from Johannesburg to London and eight hours from London to NYC), and partly because Lewis and I won’t see each other for 13 days. He’s my favorite person in the entire world, and I hate every time we have to travel solo, but we do what we must. My flights home were uneventful, and on time and after 24 hours travel and a nice hot shower I was able to sleep in my own bed.
And that, dear readers, brings my African adventure of 2024 to a close. With thankfully few misadventures. I’ll be off-grid for the next two weeks, but I should be back with a new Tourist Tuesday post then.
I was terrible about taking photos on this trip… I don’t think I took a single one at the conference, so all photos are courtesy of Lewis and Madhu.
English BreakfastSunrise in ZimbabweCafeThe Bandas, Lewis and I, and Chosiwe JereThe ZambiansThe Brazilians and AngolansThe South Africans The Malawians and Zimbabweans
We woke up on Friday to no internet, so I spent the morning reading and resting a bit. Chisomo then took Lewis and me on a stroll around their neighborhood, pointing out the property that they own, and the plans she has for expanding their farming efforts. It’s a lovely neighborhood and it was a beautiful, sunshiney day. I stopped to take a picture of a unique tree that I’ve only seen in Southern Africa so I could try and identify it. It looks like a cactus, but it has a woody trunk, it’s very confusing. It turns out it is not a cactus, but is a succulent. It grows well even in drought, thus highly suited to the Southern Africa region (it can be found in South Africa, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Botswana, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya).
In the evening, I mixed up a bread dough, hoping to have enough time for it to attract wild yeast to rise. I should have started it the night before, but it actually did rise a little bit when I baked it Saturday afternoon. It was nice to be able to do something special for the brethren on the Sabbath.
The wi-fi was finally up and running by Friday mid-afternoon, so I was able to get some work done before the Sabbath came.
The Chichaya’s are very hospitable, and took great care of us during our time together.
Sabbath morning brethren from various congregations came to Kadoma for services. Kadoma is fairly central, so it was a good location for folks to come to. It was lovely to share the Sabbath with God’s people, singing the same hymns, and speaking the same words… what a blessing.
After we saw the brethren off (Mabasa drove them to town so they could catch buses back to their home areas) the power had once again gone off. Once the sun had set I taught the Chichaya girls how to play crazy 8’s, go fish, and seven up/seven down using the light of a solar charged lamp. We decided, since we’d had a late lunch, to just have snacks for dinner; so we popped some popcorn and pulled out granola bars, beef sticks, dried fruit, and some nuts to share and played games long into the night. The power did not come on again until just as we were headed to bed.
A Euphorbia Ingens or a candelabra tree and mango tree near the Chichaya home.A neighbors farm in Eiffel Flats, Kadoma, Zimbabwe. There is good, fertile land in Zimbabwe, the biggest issue is getting enough rain.Lewis playing cards… Little Layla took this photo
I was able to mostly sleep on Tuesday night, which was good, because we had another early morning at the airport.
Gracious drove from his home to pick us up, and Daniel drove the truck to drop us off at the Blantyre airport. It was a weird day of travel. The Blantyre airport is TINY, we made it through check-in relatively easily (we were behind a youth group that had spent the previous nine days helping to build a school). I asked them where they were from, and they said Utah… well mostly, some were also from Arizona. I assume that they are Mormon missionaries.
I am always interested in what drives people to travel and to serve. Partly because I know why I do, and I’m curious if others have a similar motivation. But also because there is quite a bit of criticism in the non-profit world of people (especially late teens) that head to developing nations to serve. The criticism is that these volunteers have a “white savior” complex. Or they often come and do more harm than good because they don’t have the requisite skills to complete the work that they signed up to do. Or they exploit the people they are supposed to be serving by taking and sharing photos of them.
Perhaps some of the criticism is warranted, but generally, I don’t see that. Coming from my own perspective, the times that I was a volunteer, I truly wanted to show people the love of God and help improve their situation if it was in my power to do so. Now that I am in a position to seek out volunteers to send to various places, I know that the people volunteering are doing so because they have a heart to help others.
I think when we volunteer we should be honest about our own limitations and skills, so that the best person for the job is chosen. I think it’s important to take the time to try and understand the culture that you will be immersing yourself in so that you honor your hosts. And when it comes to the photos… most people (especially kids) love having their photo taken, just make sure that the subject of the photo is comfortable and looks their best. No one wants an unflattering photo of themselves out there, and never, ever take a photo that would embarrass the person, or highlight their disadvantages (for example, a group of young kids wanted me to take their photo, so I did. At one point one of the little girls turned her head and you could see that she had some hair loss, likely from an infection. I would never post that photo of that little girl. Her struggles are not there for my sharing — But I will share a gorgeously lit photo of her beautiful smile, because that’s who she is).
On my next trip to Africa, I’m going to bring a portable photo printer, so when I take these photos of people, they get one to keep of themselves. I’m not a photographer by any means, but open shade and an iPhone camera can make up for my lack of skill. I’m going to share some photos from my last trip to Malawi, so I can share some beautiful photos of our dear brethren.
Well, that took a bit of detour. Haha! From Blantyre we flew 30 minutes to Lilongwe (on a prop plane! — a first for me), we exited the plane in Lilongwe and were escorted across the runway to a waiting plane, where we took an hour flight to Lusaka. Upon landing, we stayed in our seats as some people deplaned, and others boarded. We then took an hour flight to Harare.
This is my first time visiting Zimbabwe, and the airport is very modern and easy to navigate. We zipped through immigration (they asked us no questions, just said $30 each for the visa), bypassed customs since we had nothing to declare and were outside before we knew it.
Mabasa Chichaya, the pastor for Zimbabwe was waiting and helped lug our bags to his waiting truck. It’s almost a two hour drive from Harare to Kadoma (it is pronounced exactly as it is spelled, but also it’s very difficult to say with an American accent, but I have it on good authority that I can say it properly — sweet Layla and Christal Chichaya told me that I have managed it).
It was early evening when we finally arrived, so we had hunkered down and I got to know Chisomo (Mabasa’s wife), Layla and Christal a little bit better.
On Thursday we awoke and I was able to get some work done in the morning, and in the afternoon we picked the girls up from school and drove to the property that the Church owns just outside of Kadoma. This facility will be used for the Feast and if the opportunity arises, a youth camp. It was nice to get an update on the progress of the construction.
While out and about we stopped at a couple of shops in town and bought the ingredients to bake a cake. It turned out so-so; the vanilla was not real and the pan I had was the wrong size so it had to back longer than normal and got dry on the edges and brownie like in the center.
The electricity was out briefly in the evening, and at that time the internet cut out. Verizon says that there is coverage in Malawi, but Lewis has been unable to get any service, so we’ve been relying on the Wi-Fi at the Chichaya’s home. After the power outage, the internet was off the rest of the day.
My stomach has been about the same here in Zimbabwe as it was in Malawi, as it was in Ethiopia… which is not great, but pepto is helping some. I can’t say how much I appreciate those that have been praying for me.
The street the Chichaya home is located onChocolate cake I made with Christal (on the left) and Layla (on the right)Some lovely photos of our beloved Malawian brethren
I’m combining these two days because I don’t have much to report. I had a rough night Sunday night, and had a hard time sleeping, but finally drifted off around 1:30am… I ended up sleeping 10 hours. That’s pretty unusual for me. I rarely sleep more than six hours a night, but clearly I needed it. Lewis gave a Bible study in the afternoon, and then Lewis and I (along with 20 or so of the brethren) jumped in the bus that the Blantyre congregation owns and Daniel Ringo drove around the Blantyre district dropping folks off.
It’s a huge benefit to the brethren to have this bus. Without transport the brethren would likely not be able to attend as often because of the cost of public transport and the long distances they need to walk.
I felt better on Monday evening, and I slept well. Tuesday was another slow day, I tried to catch up on some work (I’ve been working this whole trip, but I’m less efficient than normal because the internet is not very good here). Lewis took a walk with Daniel around the neighborhood, went for a haircut and both Monday and Tuesday went to multiple pharmacies to try and find an anti-nausea medication for me.
I brought Dramamine, but only one little bottle because I was told I would be able to find it locally in Malawi. Unfortunately, that information was totally wrong. Though Lewis was able to find one antihistamine that can be used for anti-nausea, I couldn’t take it because I’m on an anti-malarial and they are contraindicated (can cause damage to the heart if taken together). So I’ll suffer through the nausea.
Enjoying tea after Bible study (Carol and Dekha in the center)
I try to be as open in this blog as possible, sharing all my experiences, even when they’re not the greatest, but I hope that the positive things I post far outweigh any negatives. I had a pretty rough night again Saturday night, and had a really hard time falling asleep. Which was only a challenge because we had to be up and ready to leave by 4:00am. But I managed to get a few hours in before the alarm went off at 2:30am. I’m ever so grateful for the Chapambas hospitality while we stayed with them, but also their willingness to get up at terrible hours of the morning to shuttle us two hours to the airport. I’m not sure if I mentioned before, but Cephas Chapamba is the pastor of the Nkhwazi, Malawi congregation of the United Church of God. He and his wife, Patricia, do a wonderful job of caring for God’s people in that area, always concerned for their spiritual and physical well-being.
Our wait in the airport was longer than our drive to the airport (almost two hours), and much longer than the 30 minute flight to Blantyre.
We were met in Blantyre by Mr. Daniel Ringo and Mr. Gracious Mpilangwe. Daniel is the accountant for the United Church of God in Blantyre, and the overseer of the property where the church hall is located. He has a lovely wife (Carol) and beautiful daughter, Dekha and they live in a comfortable house within the Church hall “compound.” Gracious is the pastor of the Blantyre, United Church of God congregation. He and his wife, Loney, do a wonderful job of shepherding the brethren there, caring for them spiritually, but also offering practical advice for living a good and decent life.
After dropping off our luggage at the house in Blantyre, we headed out to a neighboring district, Mayaka. This was an exciting proposition for me particularly because of the work that I do. One of the roles I fulfill is coordinator of the Good Works program (a relief and service program of the United Church of God). In 2023 a cyclone struck the southern part of Malawi and caused widespread flooding and several devastating mudslides. Thanks to the generous donations of our Good Works supporters, we were able to help a number of families rebuild their homes. This was an opportunity for me to see the result of seven of those rebuilds and meet the brethren that were helped.
Hearing the stories of what life was like following the cyclone was heartbreaking. One lady spoke of sleeping in the mud of her floor as the water filled from underneath and one of her wall collapsed. Another family moved from room to room as the walls collapsed around them until they were confined to a single room until new accommodations could be built. I can’t imagine how scary it must have been for them, and they were all so grateful for the support that they received. In addition to the rebuilding of homes, food aid has been provided several times to help since most crops were also destroyed in the Cyclone.
Carol cooked dinner each evening, unfortunately, given the state of my gut so far, I never got to try anything she made. I stuck to the prepackaged foods I had brought: apple sauce, granola bars, fruit leather, almonds, and turkey sticks. It’s not terribly satisfying days on end, but I hope it will help minimize some of the stomach/intestinal problems I’ve been having.
The day was emotionally draining, but the drive was pretty tiring as well. The members live fairly remotely in “the bush,” and the roads are incredibly dusty and bumpy. I was very ready for bed that night.
Relaxing at the Ringo’s homeThe open-air Church hall that was rebuilt in MayakaMr. and Mrs. Namatapanya in front of their rebuilt homeGeoffrey Namatapanya and his daughter and wife in front of the home they had rebuilt next door to his parentsThe front of the open-air church hallMrs. Makombola and her daughters Alefa and Efrida in front of their rebuilt home. Their previous home didn’t have windows, so this was a welcome upgrade.Mrs. Gomani and her daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren in front of her rebuilt home. One of her daughters also had her home rebuilt.Frank, Stephano, and Femiya Namatapanya and Femiya’s nephew, Ibrahim in front of their rebuilt home.Zione, Annie, and Margaret Chiumbuzo with Lewis and Gracious had help restoring their home (rebuild was not necessary)Mrs. Mabanja and her daughter with Lewis, Gracious and I (the children are from the neighborhood) in front of the rebuilt home of Mrs. Mabanja; her daughter also had her home rebuilt.
Unfortunately, I had another rough night of Friday night, with some nausea, which made it hard to fall asleep. Then the power went out, so I couldn’t have the noise of the fan to help me sleep (I was diagnosed with Meniere’s Disease about 14 years ago. One of the symptoms is tinnitus — ringing in the ears, for which a fan is extremely helpful). I’ve actually been super impressed with how much the power situation has improved since we lived here. We used to lose power almost daily, and at one point we lost it for six days in a row. This was the first time in four days, so, I’m not really complaining.
Despite having very little sleep, we had a beautiful Sabbath with the Lilongwe and Nkhwazi brethren. Before services began the ladies performed a welcome song for Lewis and me; it was so sweet. Then we had multiple special music pieces in place of the sermonette, before the sermon by Lewis.
And, as an extra special treat, George Chapamba was baptized after services. Then there was a meal, followed by a Q&A Bible study. Early Sunday we head for Blantyre.
Lewis and Cephas preparing to baptize George.Laying on of hands by the elders: Lewis, Cephas Chapamba, and Haiton ThungulaThe church hall in NkhwaziOutdoor kitchen in NkhwaziMe, Cephas, Patricia, Dalles, George, and Lewis Saturday night
We went to bed at a decent hour last night, and fell asleep quickly, but we both woke up around 1:30am, and then again at 3:30am… so I just stayed up. Hopefully tonight will be a little more continuous.
Today was just a lovely day. The weather was cool by Malawi standards, but comfortable by New York standards (getting up to 77 degrees and mostly sunny). We started out bright and early (6:00am) to meet Haiton Thungula at the Church hall in Lilongwe. From there we set out south for Ntcheu. There is lots of road construction taking place in and around Lilongwe (when we lived here in 2017 only about 20% of the roads were paved), which slowed our progress some, but then the road was closed for the presidential motorcade to pass through, putting us another 30 minutes behind schedule. We arrived at our first visit an hour later than we had hoped.
Our first stop was the home of Mrs. Esther Chilopora. Mrs. Chilopora is a 92-year-old widow who has been a long-time member of God’s Church and is a retired nurse, serving as the head matron of several hospitals. Her late husband, Dr. Sam Chilopora, was also a faithful member of God’s Church. We spent two hours with her, listening to her stories, and answering her questions. She loves God so much, she’s such a joy to be around.
We reluctantly took our leave of Mrs. Chilopora and headed back north toward the Lilongwe region, specifically toward Ngala Hill and Bunda Mountain. Ngala Hill is a rock mountain with a crevice that makes it look like it is smiling. Next to it is Bunda Mountain (it’s name means mute because Ngala Hill uses it’s mouth to talk and Bunda doesn’t have a mouth). Near the base of these two mountains is a village where Fraser and Jesse Nyalubwe live. Jesse and her husband Fraser built a home next door to her parents home. Across the way is the home of another sister. It was a pleasure to get to learn a little about their family history.
After a couple of hours of visiting we continued northeast to drop Haiton off at his vehicle. By the time we drove back to Nkhwazi it was nearly 10pm. It was a long day, but so worth it.
The siblings, Mary, Cephas, and Jesse.Jesse and her husband, Fraser.Children from the village. They followed me around most of the time we were there. When I showed them my camera they were excited to get their picture taken.Mary’s grain silo built from bamboo.The road approaching Ngala and Bunda.Me and Mrs. Chilopora. She wouldn’t stop hugging me and burying her face in my shoulder/neck. Mountains heading to Ntcheu.
After I made my post last night, my stomach (and intestines) decided it was time to rebel. I spent a difficult night in the beautiful hotel in Ethiopia. I wish my first impressions of the country could have been better, but I survived. But I got almost no sleep before our 6:00am wake-up call arrived.
We skipped breakfast and headed outside to catch the shuttle bus to the airport (we were told that it would come every 15 minutes, and that we should be there for the 7am bus). We arrived to join the queue at 6:48am and it was already a long line.
The first bus showed up at 7am, right on time, but alas, instead of the bus we had arrived in, it was a mini bus, that could only hold 10 or so people… there were probably 80 people in line. No worries, we knew another bus would come at 7:15am. So we waited. Meanwhile, scoundrels and ne’er-do-wells began jumping the line, putting us all further and further back. The 7:15am bus came, and of course, we didn’t make it on, again. So we waited for the 7:30am bus and contemplated our options. We could see about getting a cab… we could see if Uber was even a thing in Ethiopia, or we could walk.
When 7:30am rolled around and no bus had arrived, we decided it was time to walk to the airport… probably another 15 people did the same thing at the same time. We never did see the big bus come back our way, I sure hope all those folks made it to their gates in time.
I was feeling marginally better this morning, but I was concerned about getting motion sickness since I was already on the edge of nausea, so I took a Dramamine. I’m glad I did. I slept through most of the flight to Malawi (we had an hour or so layover in Lubumbashi, DRC).
Immigration was a breeze this time, especially since you no longer need a visa to enter Malawi if you’re from the United States (there’s a whole list of countries that they did away with the visa requirement).
We were greeted outside by Cephas Chapamba, his son George, and Haiton Thungula. They were a welcome sight. We drove to Mchesi (where the Lilongwe Church hall is located) to outline our itinerary while we are in Lilongwe, before heading off into the night toward Nkhwazi (where Cephas and his wife live and run a medical clinic).
We were greeted at the Chapamba home by Dalles (Cephas’s daughter) and Patricia (Cephas’s wife). They made us a delicious meal of rice, nsima, fried chicken, chips, soup, and cabbage. I spilled 1/3 of a bottle of garlic Nali hot sauce on my plate before I began eating… I ate most of it.
I’m exhausted, but glad to be here.
View from our hotel is AddisGreeting from the Chapamba’s: “welcome to your home far from home”Lewis, Cephas Chapamba, Haiton Thungula, and meThe night sky with little light pollution
L & L Shenanigans 