FOPC Africa Team Trip

More pics

2011-07-08T11:33:00.001-07:00

Saying goodbye

2011-07-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

Today was our last day out at the Thuchila Hope Center. It was a very cold, rainy day. We really lucked out; we only had two days of real Malawi winter weather.
We spent a lot of our time trying to finish up the sponsor letters. It was good to be able to connect personally with each child. They treasured the letters from FOPC. We found out early on that "favorite color" was a foreign concept to them.
The day ended with a short program. The choir at the center sang for us, we were each asked to say something and then some of the people there including one of the students all spoke. As usual the kids were very attentive even though it was approaching dusk and some of them walk several kilometers to get home. After last high fives, handshakes, hugs and yes many tears we said goodbye. As we drove out we got our last smiles and waves.
We just finished our last dinner at the ministry house. They hired an excellent cook here and we have been well fed. No coming home with less weight for us. In fact we are all trying to figure out how to get Victor home with us.
We are now trying to get packed up. Many of us came thinking we would only need one suitcase for the trip home but the trip to the Malawian craft market changed that. And those who didn't over spend the budget on souvenirs are bringing back Malawian tea and coconut cookies.
Tomorrow we fly to Johannesburg where we will stay overnight and do some debriefing about the trip. We leave from there Sunday evening which will be Sunday morning at home. The first leg is a 16 hour trip to New York. We just found out that our New York to home leg of the trip has been cancelled and the travel agent is scrambling to try and get us another flight. Prayers would be appreciated as by then we will definitely want to just be home and not hanging out at the airport.
We can't wait to share stories and pictures. We are definitely leaving a part of our hearts here in Malawi.

More news

2011-07-06T22:59:00.000-07:00

Today it is very stormy here. The wind is blowing and it is raining. This is the weather we were expecting but we have been very blessed to have not experienced it. It will be interesting out in the village today.
We enjoyed our day of rest. We were able to see some of God's African creatures in their natural habitat. We were up close and personal with elephants, crocodiles, hippos, warthogs and monkeys to name a few.
The road out to few this beauty is not fun. We spent over an hour on a very, very bumpy road. It amazes us to see all the people who live out deep in the bush. When they want to get to major services they walk or hire a bicycle taxi. I can't imagine having to walk everywhere I wanted to go.
Yesterday we did go with the youth of the Blantyre church up on a retreat. It was in a beautiful mountain location. The girls had a good time talking with their peers and finding out that they are very similar in many ways.
Two more days of time with our precious children. Today there will be a group of nurses out testing for HIV. Yesterday they tested 100 kids and only one tested positive. We are praying that the rest of the children are also free from this awful disease.
Kirk and Chris left us yesterday and should soon be home. We miss them already. Be sure and greet them on Sunday, we gave them instructions to pass out hugs.

2011-07-03T23:59:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July. We are celebrating our country's independence with a day of viewing the Malawi countryside and experiencing some more of the culture. On Wednesday it is Malawi's Independence day. We will be going with the youth group from the Blantyre church on a outing that day. We are looking forward to spending more time with them and sharing our stories of our time in the village in hopes of sparking interest in their youth.
Yesterday we went to church in the village. When we drove up the women came out singing welcome songs to us. What a wonderful way to greet visitors. We enjoyed listening to the word of God in Checewa although we cheated and had Viktor interpret for us. We spent a good chunk of our afternoon waiting for our deluxe mini van to be serviced. The gasoline shortage is still in full effect - Viktor has been out all hours of the night making sure we have enough fuel to get around.
Kirk is going to be staying back today and is doing a pastors conference in Thuchila along with having some one on one time with the directors of the centers. We will miss having him with us but are praying that God will use him in a mighty way today.
We will be away from the computer for a couple of days. Please continue to pray for our health and stamina.

Pictures

2011-07-02T22:54:00.000-07:00

Update

2011-07-02T10:33:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been wonderful. We have so many pictures to share with you but we can't seem to be able to post them. So I will try and put some of it into words.
Thursday Kirk and Chris did a pastor's conference at Kogya with over 70 people in attendance. There were even a couple of Muslim Imans who had lots of good questions. The rest of the team was in Thuchila playing with the kids and reading them the letters that our sponsors sent.
Yesterday we went out to Kogoya to help with a medical clinic. The children were fairly healthy, mostly coughs and stomach aches. They have a medical clinic at the center every 3 weeks.
Today was the grand opening of the Thuchila Hope Center. They had a more informal opening when the feeding program began in March but this had all kinds of dignitaries including a member of Parliament who is a wonderful sister in Christ. There was an official ribbon cutting ceremony, lots of speeches and singing and dancing. The children were delightful as usual. They were out there all day long and were very well behaved. After all the festivities were over the children were finally fed and we were able to play some more.
Leaving these kids each day is hard. We cannot leave without getting high fives, smiles and hugs. All the way down the long, long, dirt road out kids still run out and wave to us. They are filled with such joy; hopefully we will all leave here with some of that joy with us.

Pictures

2011-07-01T00:52:00.000-07:00

Thursday, June 30

2011-06-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Malawi. We are having a great time. We have spent part of the last four days out at the Hope Center playing with, teaching, and learning from the kids. We are convinced there are no smiles better than the ones on the faces of the Malawian children. The moment they see our car coming they run to the road with their huge smiles and start waving. The first day we said goodbye they tentatively waved and now we are up to high fives, hugs, and promises that they will see us "mawa." (Chechewa word for tomorrow.)

Yesterday we were able to visit some of the orphan homes. One has eight people sleeping together on one mat that is about 8 feet by 10 feet at the most. Another one had holes in the thatched roof that leaks so badly when it rains that they have to stand up all night huddled together in one spot. Such extreme poverty is hard for us to fathom.

Today Kirk and Chris went out to the village in Kogoya and held a conference for pastors and their wives. There were 84 people in attendance. The rest of us went back out to Thuchila. Along with our usual playing we were able to plant some flowers and trees, Some of us are interviewing each of the children and getting to know them better.

Tomorrow we are going back out to Kogoya to help with the children's medical check-ups. They see a doctor every few weeks to make sure things are going well. Saturday is the big grand opening of the Thuchila Hope Center where we are expecting lots of dignitaries including a member of parliament.

We have moved as a team from the Indaba Executive Lodge to the ministry house. Here we currently have electricity but no water. Life in Malawi is not dull. We experienced at least two black outs while at the lodge. There is an extreme gasoline and diesel shortage that has the people scrambling. Yesterday we came upon some diesel quite unexpectedly and that has enabled Viktor to continue with the preparations for Saturday. Internet connections are very hard to come by thus the sparse communication from us. Please know that we love you all and so appreciate your prayers. We have tons of stories to share and might even try and smuggle a child or two home with us.

Hi from Malawi!

2011-06-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

It’s Tammi typing. Today was our second day at Thuchila. LOVE all the kids. They are still “checking us out,” but are quickly warming up to us. They enjoy teaching us new words. Young and old enjoyed playing “Duck, Duck, Goose. The weather is beautiful – perfect. We are so impressed with the teachers, leaders, discipleship. All is well. (This message was sent by text.) We won’t have internet until Thursday or Friday.

2011-06-26T05:12:00.000-07:00

We have now been in Malawi for a little over 24 hours. We are catching up on our sleep and acclimating to life here. The weather is much cooler than Sacramento but not nearly as cold as it was when we got off the plane in Johannesburg.
This morning we went to a Presbyterian church in Blantyre. The service was in English and Checewa so we could follow along. The people are so enthusiastic in their worship. The youth group asked the girls to stay for their youth meeting and they had a great time connecting with them.
We are now sitting in a food court that has the "best pizza ever" according to one of the girls. (Megan to be exact) We are heading back to our "executive lodge" in a bit to sort out our ministry supplies and get ready for our first day out in Thuchila.
Stay tuned, hopefully we will get pictures up soon.

2011-06-22T20:34:00.000-07:00

In just over 24 hours the team pictured above will start our journey to Malawi. We take a red eye flight from Sacramento to New York and then comes the long, long, long flight to South Africa and then on to Malawi. We packed up a bunch of ministry supplies yesterday including some very cute tshirt dresses made by ladies here at FOPC. Hopefully we will be able to navigate our way through the airports with 2 suitcases and carry on luggage each.
Please pray for travel mercies. By the time you wake up Saturday we should be there and about ready for bed or at least a nap. We love you all and look forward to sharing more about this journey ahead.