“Come on a safari with me.” After an intense week with so many conflicting emotions and mental gymnastics it was good to relax and just be a tourist. Our last organized group event was a safari experience at Mvuu Lodge. The facilities were amazing, the wildlife reserve setting was beautiful, and the creatures we encountered were unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.

In the few days that I’ve been here one thing that has come clearly into focus is that Malawi is a study of contrasts: wealth and materialism (in a small minority) on the one side, vs. abject poverty and despair(in a large majority) on the other. Wait! Did I say despair? That’s not true

Back on the road again! 8:00 start. A little later today. We certainly didn’t come to Malawi to catch up on our sleep. This morning we visited the central office and storehouse of Timotheos Foundation in Blantyre. After a warm welcome we toured the facilities by means of a well prepared scavenger hunt for information that had us interacting with all of the staff. It was super “leerzaam” and engaging. One thing we learned: Timotheos is blessed with passionate, dedicated, and talented staff. Thanks for all you do!

March 18, 2024

Another splendid day in southern Malawi: 30 degrees and sunny. Another day of flopping around like a fish in the back of a Land Rover on a bumpy road. And another day of stunning scenery, unforgettable moments, and lasting memories.

What to write? How to express what has all been seen and heard? It’s really not possible. Impressive, beyond comprehension, humbling, and inspiring are just a few words that come to mind.

A Sunday morning church service at the Nunkuyu Reformed Presbyterian Church of Malawi…

It's hard to believe we have come to the last days at the Nyamithuthu Center which also means the last days of the Vacation Bible school. This week, we have had an increasing number of children attending every day. We find it very special that the older, mature boys really enjoy and focus on coloring the parable pictures. Our good-byes to the staff and children were brief, as there were many interviews and meetings at the center for cooking mothers, guards, and with the children being chosen for high school. Although it is exhausting to work in the heat with so many children that have an abundance of energy, we are all sad to be leaving behind the teachers and children we have built connections with!

This week , we ran the program for between 250 and 350 children. We've again experienced the challenge of telling a parable while competing with crying babies, clucking chickens, children squabbling over who sits where or who gets to hold their shared plastic cup, and the many children walking in who are on Malawi time (aka whenever they get there). Just like at home, we notice that some children are attentive and some aren't. They are definitely doing well learning the Chichewa memory verse (Matt 25:13) and are making progress on the, for them more difficult, English Psalter we are teaching (290:1).

Sunday
We traveled to Namitambo for church with Bep today. The choir was amazing, and the sermon was on Genesis 1 and 2. The minister urged the members to take care of this land God has given us. For the locals, the minister made it practical to planning trees when they cut them down for fuel for fires. We enjoyed a restful afternoon on the Lord's day.

Monday
We started the day with week opening at the Timotheos office in Blantyre.

Every day we try to learn more and more Chichewa words, so our Thursday morning ride to the center was spent memorizing a Chichewa song to sing with the children. Our driver Mr. Peter said it made us "real Malawians". The children loved it. (Some of them already knew it, and the others seem to catch on quickly.)

Thursday's parable was about the prayers of the publican and pharisee. The children seemed to understand the concept and, as always, loved doing the coloring page that went along with it. The older ones enjoyed the word search on the back as an extra challenge.