Mission: Malawi

Transitions

2011-05-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

Many of you are on my "group" list and have received an email update from me. However some are not so briefly I want to update you that I am leaving Malawi on June 15. This will be the end of my time in Malawi with the 10 days after returning spent in a "re-entry" class for returning missionaries at Andrews. The last three years have been a journey - many days it has been painful but I have also fallen in love with Malawi - the people, the mission, and the land. So how do you say goodbye? It is something I'm learning as I go and am glad to have people around to help with the process.

In my last blog I wrote about "possible job options"... that has become a reality with a whirlwind trip to California to interview/meet with faculty at the School of Public Health at Loma Linda University. They offered me a job as faculty of the MBA program there. Having a lot of time over the past few months and during that week to evaluate the option and possibilities, I accepted the offer just before getting on the plane to come back to Malawi.

My replacement as CEO, Ed Martin, was here in Malawi when I returned. He is transitioning from Zambia where he has been for 6+ years. I was able to spend a little bit of jet-lagged time with him and go over some of the main things that are happening here. I am afraid by the end he was overwhelmed and starting to have a glazed look in his eyes. There is so much going on here that has become "normal" that I forget that someone new will feel like a mac truck hit them when they take over! Please pray for him through the transition. I am confident he will do wonderfully - but I am not ignoring the fact that is a hard position to fill.

Otherwise I am taking each day on its own. I am also looking for a place to live and a car to buy when I get back. I know things will work out and I'm happy that I have some time in the US before starting a new job. This last weekend Cristy, Nicole, Diane, and I had a "girls getaway" and went to Zomba plateau to go horseback riding and stay at the forest lodge. It was so lovely and important for me to do that as it was a special place for me while here.

So my blog "missionmalawi08" seems to not be applicable any more. I think when I leave Malawi I will stop writing here... I don't feel it necessary to have a personal blog when I'm living in the US (especially with Facebook now). I will probably have one more post but then it will be the end...

Blah, blah...

2011-04-09T09:39:00.000-07:00

The month of having my parents here is almost coming to an end. We hope to leave tomorrow on a trip to Liwonde National Park to see elephants and hippos and then on up to Lake Malawi. However our plans may be derailed by yet another fuel shortage! We are hoping and crossing our fingers that we will find some gas tomorrow morning since our vehicle is on "E" and the closest gas station is about 12 miles away.

On another note this week was birthdays. Wednesday was Trevor's 4th birthday and today is Mom's 62nd. It's been fun to celebrate with family here. I find myself not "into" birthdays much here for some reason. Mostly because there is a distinct lack of Hallmark stores and almost no where to buy a gift. Because of that and being here for a long-ish time I've fallen into the mode of not giving cards or gifts to anyone - even those back home where I could order something online and have it shipped. Hmmm - I think it might be laziness.

In general I'm doing ok. I feel distracted some and have trouble focusing at times. I am praying for whomever will replace me and that they will come soon. I am getting closer to a date for departure and it is getting close! I am also in the midst of discussions about a job possibility when I get back. There is so much unknown and unpredictable about moving back to the US and re-assimilating to the culture. In some ways I'm avoiding thinking about it because it will be sad and difficult - in other little ways I'm getting excited.

A depressing part of life is the annual tax deadline. It is especially frustrating here when I make a pittance as a volunteer and then have to pay medicare and social security out of my meager earnings. It is frustrating to be considered "self employed". But that is life and within the next few days i have to pay and file. But the silver lining is that next week I'm going to Zanzibar! (google it if you haven't heard about it)

Life seems uneventful now except for the frustrations that come up like the Malawi government not paying salaries, the annual audit, Malawi Union church meetings, and other challenges that come along daily. I don't want them to sound trite - i have lost sleep over the ~$40,000 bank overdraft we took in February to pay salaries (paid off about 10 days later) and the threat of another one this month. [It was not required because when we got to the point of taking a loan the salaries came through! Thank you Lord!] But I guess sometimes it feels like this is "normal" and a high stress level is standard but it is tiring and I'm weary...

For now I'll end my rambling comments on life here. I have much to be thankful for and turn my focus in that direction...

"These are a few of my favorite things..."

2011-03-13T11:46:00.000-07:00

“Raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles with warm woolen mittens…” Does that bring back memories??

Last weekend a carload of us loaded up and headed to Cape Maclear for a three day weekend. It was a perfect time of resting, swimming, reading, and eating and getting some sun. Not sure how the mix of water, sun, and sand always brings so much refreshment! I realized that Cape Maclear is my favorite part of Lake Malawi!

me at the lake

When I got back to work Monday I was flitting about the hospital checking on everything and talking to the staff and a nurse asked me if we could get some burettes to use in Peds for smaller doses of IV solutions. After asking around in our warehouse we found something that might work until we can find them here in Malawi (and the money to buy them). I realized finding solutions to problems and making a difference in the resources available to the staff here is one of my favorite parts of my job. I just wish it could happen more.

cristy, nicole, leona, gene, & randy

Monday evening was our last evening with Gene and Leona Augustine. They had been here two months volunteering. So last minute and with not much in our cupboards I invited everyone over for soup for supper and a farewell for the Augustines. The soup was a success, Nicole brought cornbread and we had a lovely evening. Another favorite thing is having people over and feeding them with yummy food!

Tuesdays have become special because we have started a Women’s Bible Study group meeting at Cristy and my house. We meet late enough that the ones with little children can put them to bed while the husbands watch over them. We are studying a little devotional book about contentment which is so appropriate for all of us here. Good discussion, warm drinks, and a few snacks went a long way this week to help me recover from a long meeting with unhappy staff that ended 15 minutes before Bible Study. It is a blessing to have a time to be together in a spiritual setting with friends here… spiritual community is one of my favorite things.

Mrs. Kamwiyo (our head nurse) handing out buckets

Wednesday is the day we have ADCOM (departmental head meeting). This meeting is good but usually long and dealing with different challenges facing the hospital. I decided a needed a break from these meetings and got the idea of surprising everyone with the chance to give out treats to the children admitted in Peds. We had little red buckets donated from Loma Linda Children’s Hospital, some snacks, and stickers all just sitting here waiting to be distributed. So instead of ADCOM I piled everything up on the table and we put together about 70 buckets and handed them out to the kids at the hospital. After the other committee members realized I was serious and that we weren’t having a meeting they got excited and there were smiles on everyone’s faces – young and old, healthy and sick! Malawians love to laugh and smile and are so happy with little gifts like this and it is heartwarming! Surprising staff members, patients and all with a special treat and break in the monotony is definitely one of my favorite things!

a family who's baby is admitted for malnutrition (ok so candy may not be the best - but the smiles are!)

Full House

2011-02-10T11:04:00.000-08:00

We have many people coming and going here so I wanted to talk about the volunteers in this blog – I’ll share a little bit. I was trying to come up with pictures of all of them but I don’t have them so – I’ll just tell you about them…

Chris Greenly is a student missionary from Andrews University and is a Physics major as well as a computer expert. He has been here since August and will stay until May. While here he is working on our computer network – both the internet and the internal network. He has also set up a small computer lab and started basic computer literacy classes for the hospital staff.

Jacquie with Ryan (my nephew)

Jacquie Cunningham is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner from Tennessee. She was able to come between jobs and spend about six months here to help during the busy malaria season. She loves kids and enjoys her time here. She’s become a favorite of the missionary kids too. She’ll be here until the end of March.

Diane (pronounced “Gi-anee”) Lemos is a Physical Therapist from Brazil. She came in November and plans to stay one year. We have not had PT services here so she has had to build up her patient base. Many people come who have had strokes or other problems and she is able to help many people. She is enjoying the patients.

Megan Morton is a student missionary from Walla Walla University. She just joined us on New Year’s Day. She was in Namibia teaching at a mission and it had to be closed down. After Randy had contacted WWU about the possibility of them sending a student missionary here it worked out for her to come here to finish her SM year. She is teaching about 10 students in a room at the church and Nathan and Ryan are going to that school and enjoying her teaching. She is a natural born teacher and does a wonderful job with very few resources.

Gene & Leona Augustine are from Tillamook, Oregon here for two months. He is a retired contractor and she a retired nurse. Funny enough they lived in Tillamook when I was little and remember my family. Gene is working on various maintenance and construction projects and Leona is helping organize the supply closets and warehouses at the hospital. They seem to have endless energy and are a real help to us here.

Both Jacquie and Diane have spent time staying in our house. Our housing for volunteers is limited so Cristy and I cleaned out our “middle” bedroom and put a bed there so we can have space for a guest to stay. It is more like an office since there is no closet but both girls seemed to do ok. The challenge was three girls trying to get ready for work in one bathroom in the mornings. They have both moved out to different places so we have space for Cristy's parents to stay with us. We have also been working on adding two more rooms to the guest house so we have more space for short and long term volunteers. The first room is finished and is self-contained with a small fridge and hot plate and Diane has moved there.

As you can see we have many people coming and going. Housing is a challenge as well. Some of the volunteers are staying in the house where Wes and Chrislyn Lutz lived except until about 10 days ago when the sewer blocked up (some were relocated to the guest house – others are staying there but using the neighbor’s bathroom). We are trying to get the sewer finished so that a group of 25 high school students from Laurelwood Academy can stay there for the month of March while they build One Day Churches in the area. They will not be doing much on our campus but needed a place to stay out here. They will be working with Maranatha people and helping with their projects.

There is never a dull moment around here. Over the past few weeks many people have been sick with some Malawian virus. The Hayton family was all sick for about a week, Randy was sick for a few days, and I felt bad for about a day. I’m not sure what it was but it had us all knocked down. It is the malaria season too so that is always a concern too. We seem to have avoided that so far. I’m thankful that I haven’t gotten anything serious and the little care that we need is available at the hospital. Unfortunately Ryan Hayton injured his knee in January and had to fly to South Africa for orthopedic surgery. Thankfully he is better and off his crutches without any pain now.

Cristy’s parents are here visiting for about 3 weeks. It is nice to have them here and we enjoy having a full house. Most days when we come home it is full of friends – whether our Peace Corps neighbors stopping by to use internet or take a hot shower, others coming by to drop something off or ask a question, or people staying for a meal – our house is always busy.

Although there are times when I wish for some peace and quiet, there are many blessings to having a welcoming house. I enjoy preparing food and a comfortable place for people to come and find rest. I’m thankful that people feel comfortable here and that we can share our home and food with others.

So you are always welcome! We still have an empty futon in the front room that is very comfortable.

On A Personal Note...

2011-01-16T05:15:00.000-08:00

Well I realize this blog is about "Missions in Malawi" but it's also wrapped around my life so as you know my writings have been fairly slanted towards my viewpoint on everything (since I write them, what do you expect?) and my experiences. Mostly though, I haven't delved too deeply into my personal joys or struggles in order to avoid unnecessary worrying or misunderstandings or other things that may come from sharing my frustrations. This time, though, I want to share some personal news that is GOOD!!

So if any of you are on Facebook you will have seen a recent photo album and have asked yourself (or me) "who is that guy?"... well I'll introduce you - his name is Drew Rogers from Walla Walla, WA and to answer your next question, yes, we are dating. (Here is a link to the photo album in case you haven't seen it yet: PHOTOS ) So to give you some background - we met in October of 2009 here in Malawi. He is working as the Director of Finance for Maranatha building churches in Mozambique (about a 24 hr drive from me). At the end of 2009 Maranatha moved their headquarters to Malawi and he was here to set things up. He went back to Mozambique to continue the project there. After seeing him briefly again at Thanksgiving 2009 I didn't see, hear, or think of him until a phone call out of the blue in May when he was back in Malawi for a week or two. Since then we've realized that the distance of one country isn't too much - phones work (sometimes) and email works (more often) and after he moved about 10 hrs away he came to Malawi every month or so.

One of the things that we have in common is loving to travel especially road trips. We had a long conversation one time about all the places we wanted to visit in the world - Greece, Alaska, Italy, Switzerland, Zanzibar, and others. One of those on the African continent was Cape Town, South Africa. So with some planning it worked out for him to meet me in Johannesburg when I flew back from the US just after Christmas and we drove to Cape Town, then back along the Garden Route and north to Johannesburg in 10 days and over 1,800 miles. This was a good chance to spend some time together and see an amazing country! It was a lovely trip - we got along well and had lots of fun - exploring little towns, taking pictures, getting lost, Drew went bungee jumping, learning history, shopping, hiking, and looking at the amazing stars in the African sky. So after such a trip - what is the consensus and what's next?

Hout Bay, South Africa (on the Cape)

As for what's next - only God knows and He's in control so we'll see. Drew is headed back to the US in February and will settle back in Walla Walla for now. I have not fully decided, but it looks like I will be back in the US for good by September so for now it looks like it will be a very long distance relationship. Neither one of us came to Africa expecting to meet someone special so this is all an amazing gift that we will see what God has in store!

This development sort of adds another dimension to "mission in malawi" but it wasn't part of my original plan. I've always been of the opinion that God knows wherever I am and if I'm meant to meet someone it doesn't matter where I am in the world - I guess this is true! Most of all it's important to be doing what I feel like God wants me to do and be doing it the best that I can. It's exciting to see what God is doing and be open to his plan so I continue to trust Him to guide my life in every area.

P.S. I am back in Malawi now - glad to be back after 6 weeks vacation. Things at the hospital are still challenging. We continue to face many financial challenges and staff seem to be unhappy right now (also due to financial problems). Please continue to pray for wisdom and guidance for our hospital so that we can make the best decisions for the future as possible. We are thankful to have many volunteers here right now... next post will be about them.

Reflections on Home

2010-12-26T22:41:00.000-08:00

Home is the place you come from, the place you "hang your hat", the place where your family is, or maybe it's where you keep your favorite books. I was thinking about home this weekend since it was Christmas and I am "home". Well I'm at my parent's house which was home for me for a lot of years but now it isn't as much. Part of growing up is shifting from your childhood home becoming your parent's house with things the way they want them and you having another place that is your own. But since I'm with family in a familiar place in some ways it is "home". Yet I'm also torn because I've come to feel "at home" in Malawi - not just another city but another country and continent with another culture. My roommate and coworkers at Malamulo have become family and I feel at home there. This year even some of my "real" family is there and so that might be part of the reason I feel torn... It made me think more about the meaning of home, I guess and what it actually means.

I believe that when you go through challenging times with a friend or with anyone you become bonded to that person in a deeper way. I think that is part of the reason I feel close to the people I live and work with in Malawi because we have been through SO MUCH together. I think specifically of Cristy - we have lived together for the past 2.5 years and have been through highs and lows and every days and all in between together. She is the closest friend I have and knows me very well and feels like family. For me our house in Malawi feels like "home" and I think it does for her as well.

Maybe the holidays bring out this kind of reflection and the meaning of "home". I guess for me there is more than one place and maybe more than one meaning. Home is where I feel the most comfortable and where I can be myself the most....AND i think my favorite books might also play a part. :) I'm thankful for these safe and comfortable places that are a shelter and haven for me in so many ways.

A Southern Feature

2010-12-09T18:08:00.000-08:00

Recently Southern Adventist University decided to do a feature mission story on Randy, Cristy, and I who all graduated from Southern in 2000 and are now in Malawi working together. The story is HERE

It is ironic, I suppose, that we are still friends and all working together in Malawi. Funny how God has a way of working things out and leading us along the journey that we have called life. I am so grateful for Randy and Cristy both and how they are such an encouragement to me personally.

Thankfulness

2010-12-04T06:30:00.000-08:00

Much has been happening and I rarely seem to have time to update my blog. So here's some updates and photos:

The MU President is far left in suit - others are area Chiefs

Official handshake

ADRA Malawi contacted me about the bicycle ambulances that they are distributing around Malawi. They asked if the communities around the hospital would be in need of them. We discussed and requested 15 set ups for the area villages that Malamulo serves. They came back and said they would give 14!! We arranged to have the official "hand-over" with the Malawi Union SDA church meetings so the president of the church handed them over to the "Head Chief" of the area. It was an amazing gift and neither me or the head of ADRA were the focus but rather what the church is doing in the community. We were merely facilitating and that was so wonderful! Now the communities around Malamulo that can't get vehicle access have a way to get patients to the hospital easier.

About 3 weeks ago Cristy and I went to Zomba Plateau to Plateau Stables to go horseback riding. Maggie and Brian run the place and are lovely people and we have ridden there several times. It was a beautiful day and we were so excited to be out in nature. We got suited up and I was riding "Duchess" who loves to gallop especially following another horse. You can guess - we were going at a good gallop, my horse closely following Cristy (thus you can't stop) and I began to feel a bit out of control in my English saddle. Suddenly the horse took a sharp turn on a trail to the left and I took a sharp turn to the right and landed HARD on my right hip. Thankfully I had a helmet and landed on pine needles so only had some deep bruises and scrapes. Needless to say my riding was cut short! I got back on and we rode back to the stable but I couldn't go much further.

Maggie was so sweet and offered for us to come to to their house so I could take a hot bath and drink some tea. While in the bath they decided that Cristy and I really shouldn't camp as we had planned but rather stay in their guest room and rest in their house. So instead of riding I got to rest, read, walk around their garden and take photos. It ended up being a lovely weekend (Cristy went riding again the next day) and we have made even better friends with Maggie and Brian. Bella also got to know their great dane/rhodesian ridgeback mix dog in hopes to eventually have puppies! Here are a few photos of the house and flowers.Thought I'd spare you the bruises and scrapes. :-|

hibiscus

The house - our room was the door at the bottom. Butch and Bella in the foreground.

View from the yard - spent some time on the bench.

bougainvillea

amaryllis

Thanksgiving was a lovely feast as was last year. We had about 40 people get together at Dave & Susan Woods' house in Blantyre. There was lots of food and good time with friends. This year we actually thought if EVERYONE was invited (American or not) there would be way too many people so we just tried to invite the Americans and a few others and still ended up with a houseful. We have many volunteers here now and also some additional families of Ryan & Sharlene Hayton, Randy & Nicole and all of their kids. Before eating Ryan gave us a 5 minute history lesson of what Thanksgiving is and where is started. After lunch Jacquie (Peds NP) pulled out her colorful paper, blow up balloons, and kept the kiddos entertained making turkeys, indian headbands, and balloon animals.

After making stuffing, finishing making the soup, and all the craziness of my long week I enjoyed sitting down and putting my feet up after stuffing myself! Sharlene's apple cranberry crisp was a hit as well as Drew's pumpkin cream cheese pie (and even better the next day).

Friday after Thanksgiving I was busy wrapping things up in the office and packing to leave Sabbath morning. Earlier that week we had 2 days of board meetings and the week before was meetings all week for the church. Needless to say I was exhausted and found it difficult to even find the energy to be excited to go home. (Some of that might have had to do with the people I was leaving behind in Malawi as well!) I have so much to be thankful for this year - especially for the life I've been given since last year's Thanksgiving. There have been many hard days, many happy days, tears, laughter, and for all of it I'm VERY grateful!

Post from Alex

2010-11-09T02:28:00.000-08:00

A volunteer named Alex Roddy was here for about 7 weeks and then has moved on to Ethiopia and Rwanda. He is a recent graduate of Walla Walla University with an engineering degree. We certainly enjoyed having him here and he was MOST helpful! I thought you might enjoy his perspectives on life here -- See his blog: HERE

Projects Galore!!

2010-11-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

So there is so much to be done here at Malamulo and I am thankful to have some help now!! Ryan and Sharlene Hayton arrived one month ago with their two boys. Ryan is the Surgeon for Malamulo and already hard at work. He has set up an organization to work on projects here at Malamulo and today just announced his first project. See his website here for more information: www.MalawiMedicalMissions.org Especially if you have a burden for medical work - this project will be to renovate the operating rooms with equipment which is much needed!

Also Randy and Nicole arrived about 10 days ago and are settling in. Randy has started working on a few projects and is excited about the variety of things going on. With the help of some community members there are plans for a football (soccer) and netball tournament in Blantyre to raise money for a hospital project. Also we are developing plans to put up a permanent structure for a Nutritional Rehabilitation Center, Staff housing, and other projects around campus. I am so thankful for his help - already!

It is so nice to have family here too! I sometimes forget they are here then I see one of my nephews and get a hug or an excited greeting and it makes my day! It is so important to be loved and have people around that care for you - I guess I forget that sometimes! They all seem to be settling in ok but the days with no electricity are hard (like today).

My work challenges me every day. I can't even explain all of the issues that arise every day here - it would be exhausting just to write them. Today when I woke up I knew I was facing a difficult meeting first thing and I picked up my Bible to find some encouragement. Isa. 33:6 popped out at me and has been my theme today: "In that day he will be your sure foundation, providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.The fear of the Lord will be your treasure." What an amazing promise!

This past weekend was fun with Drew (from Mozambique) in town for a few days. He and some other friends from Blantyre came out on Sabbath and a big group of us went to Mt. Mulanje to the waterfalls. It was a hot day so good for swimming, we brought a picnic and just enjoyed the day. So nice to relax and hang out with friends too. Also fun to be there with my nephews and have them experience Malawi for the first time. These outings are bright spots in my months - I am so thankful for them and all of the people around to share them with.

Electricity has been out all day today... guess i better get home and light some candles. Thank you for your prayers. I'll try to write again soon.

Stress??

2010-09-20T14:11:00.000-07:00

"No, I'm not stressed. My eyes are always this wide open. This look of frazzelment is my normal style." Yep that's how I feel these days. I am so glad to have Cristy back home - friend, co-worker, counselor, encourager, and general good advice giver - we make a pretty good pair. :) She had a good time at home with family events (sister's wedding) and a trip to Portland to the Maranatha Convention. She also promptly fell in LOVE with Powell's Books (and who wouldn't?). I think the Northwest has a new appeal to her now.

Over the past week I've been preparing for an Executive Board meeting for the four AHI institutions. Thankfully the Executive Secretary of the Union has been organizing the people but I've had to organize the agenda items for Malamulo and review some for the other facilities. I found out today I have to attend all 4 separate meetings over the next two days. UGH!!

Just a week ago the shipment from Loma Linda arrived. 40' of equipment and supplies for Malamulo Hospital, Blantyre Hospital, the college and YES some Big Franks for me! That made my day! All week we've been rummaging through the boxes to find the things they've sent and get them into use as soon as possible. Some of the things are for the new ICU that is under construction at BAH. This is a container of promised supplies and equipment that we've waited for about 1.5 years for! I guess miracles still happen!

Wednesday three gentlemen who work in the IT department at Loma Linda University are arriving to set up a 20 computer lab for Malamulo College and a computer network for the hospital. We will potentially have a computer at each ward for patient billing that will be on a software that incorporates inventory. They are also bringing time clock machines (that use fingerprints) to keep electronic records of time and attendance. All of the above items are SHOCKING the system of the employees of the hospital. I think we need to back-pedal and first teach people how to USE computer!!

Next week Dr. Hayton and family arrive. Before he arrives we have to repair some things in the kitchen of his house and make sure there is enough furniture for their needs until their contianer arrives. About 3 weeks after that Randy & Nicole and family arrive. In between we have to find housing for two single guys. We are in the process of renovating the guest house to add two more rooms out of unused space - hope to be done in about a month.

Before the end of the year we expect three more single volunteers (we have two so far). We are SO THANKFUL for the volunteers - but are struggling for houses. The big plan is to raise money to build some small houses and duplexes but until that money is raised... we are stuck!

So yea - I'm not really stressed - just wide awake. On the way to work this morning my friend said something this morning about me going off to "run a hospital", I said "no, I'm just going to check my email". that's really how it is - one issue/day at a time. So in order to manage them I must head to bed.

Thanks for the prayers for sanity - they are needed more than ever these days!

Malawi Medical Missions

2010-09-04T23:47:00.000-07:00

Ryan and Sharlene Hayton are arriving at Malamulo September 29 and will be the new surgeon here at the hospital. They have set up a 501(c)3 and website with information on their work here. Follow along at http://www.malawimedicalmissions.org/

We have something close to "fruit basket upset" here at Malamulo with people coming and going.We are thankful though for the blessing of people willing to serve and make a difference! Keep checking back for more updates!

This week I am headed to Bloemfontein, South Africa for meetings with the General Conference and the World Health Organization. Part of their global health initiatives is related to maternal mortality rates (MMR). Malawi has one of the highest MMR in the world so there is potential for the WHO to partner with a teaching organization in Malawi. Please pray for the meetings and for guidance as to how and where this potential partnership could go. This is a huge opportunity for the SDA church as the WHO has never partnered with a faith based organization.

The Brown Saga

2010-08-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

You can follow the progress of Randy & Nicole (my brother and family) on their blog: www.thebrownsaga.blogspot.com! Exciting times are ahead! Thankful for your prayers and support as well!

Catching Up

2010-08-23T05:22:00.000-07:00

So much has happened in the last 2 months I’m afraid this might be a News Update rather than many reflections. My trip to the US was good – uneventful except for seeing LOTS of good friends, being overwhelmed by the crowds in Atlanta, and making some new and good connections. It was especially nice to see Cristy’s family and participate in the “Big Surprise” on the first Sabbath (if you missed it you can watch here). Cristy flew in just for a week and surprised her parents on the main stage on Sabbath afternoon! It was much anticipated and after all of the arrangements I felt like we were part of a top secret operation! The point was to make an impact on the role that family plays for those who are serving as missionaries and to make an impression for missions to those who saw it. Also to generate interest in opportunities out there for those who might be interested. Everything turned out perfectly and her parents had no idea! Unfortunately her trip was too short and she had to leave Monday night to head back to Malawi.

One of the exciting parts of the GC was participating in the “Impact Atlanta” meetings and service opportunities. One of the days we were part of a press conference and collect signatures in the park for the “EndItNow” Campaign. This was especially meaningful to me because of the work that I put into an awareness day here in Malawi. I was also able to hand deliver the 349 signatures from Malawi to Charles Sandefur, President of ADRA. By the end of the GC I think they were close to 500,000 signatures!

Although I really wanted to participate in all of the “impactAtlanta” events I wasn’t able to. I felt torn between being at the Loma Linda booth talking about Malamulo and AHI, volunteering and being involved in the young adult meetings/service, but also just found myself extraordinarily WEARY. It was a strange experience since I’m always #1 to volunteer for everything and to be at the center of these events but I felt like I was on a different planet and somehow didn’t have the energy and ability to invest in that. My friend, Allan, who organized everything was super understanding (for which I really thank him) but I still don’t understand all of the reasons.

After the 12 days in Atlanta I flew out to Portland and spent 4^th of July with my family. Oregon had a weird summer so we watched the fireworks huddled under blankets for the first time I can remember. They were spectacular though and we had fun that week – a day at the beach, shopping, connecting with friends, and trying to fit in a bit of rest. Everything was a little crazy because Randy and Nicole were also preparing to fly to Malawi – leaving the same day I did -- to visit me here! We flew different routes and airlines but arrived in Lilongwe about 20 minutes apart! It was such a blessing to be able to have family here to see what my life is like and to share things with. I didn’t realize how much it would mean to me until they were here.

Trumpeting Elephant!!

Sisters in Blue

Unfortunately Randy was sick for the first couple of days but by Sabbath he was feeling good and we hiked up to the waterfalls at Mt. Mulanje. It was my birthday too and about 15 people met out at Mulanje for a picnic – it was so special! On Monday we headed up to Liwonde National Park where we saw lots of animals. The highlight was when we spotted a few elephants along the road. We slowed down and the big male decided to cross the road in front of the car. He was about 20 feet in front of the car and turned and trumpeted at us!!! We all were so excited we didn’t know what to do. I told Randy to put the car in reverse in case we needed to make a quick escape! Lots of birds, antelope, wart hogs, more elephant, and crocodiles were spotted. We managed to see both a sunset and sunrise in the park and enjoyed a morning boat safari! Then it was off to Lake Malawi where we stayed in the “Banana House” on Cape MacLear where Randy went scuba diving and Nicole and I snorkeled. We were in a little thatch house on a private beach – it was spectacular and relaxing.

Their visit was too short – as expected. BUT that is where the exciting news comes in. After getting home they were called by Dr. Hart (president of LLU and AHI) asking if they might be interested in COMING BACK to Malamulo! He was asking Randy to consider working as an administrator for the Malamulo College of Health Sciences. After long discussions, praying, soul-searching, emails, and more praying they have accepted the call and are moving to Malawi!!!!!

Sunset at Cape MacClear

Now I can hardly believe my own fingers and that what I’m typing is actually true! We’ve always talked about living in the same neighborhood but I honestly never thought that would mean Africa! Randy will work on his master’s degree online and work at the college. I am really excited but also a little nervous for the transition to be smooth for everyone. I believe that God will give them the strength and so many things have come together that it seems like God is calling them in this direction. It won’t be easy though so we covet your prayers!

Also if anyone is willing to help financially with this big transition that would be much appreciated! AHI is helping but they rely on donations. Also this is a short notice decision so the preparations are being made quickly without a chance to save money etc. They didn’t ask me to ask for money – but I’m just putting it out there for those who have an interest in mission and specifically education.

And since we are talking of transitions – Don & Gail Schatszchneider are transitioning home this week. They have been here off and on for three years and are ready to be home. They are both retired missionaries and in their 70’s. I have been asked to be interim CEO until AHI finds someone. I strongly feel that I’m not the right person for this position long-term so please join me in praying for a replacement.

Currently Cristy is home for vacation so that leaves me sort of alone to keep things afloat here. It is a big task and I constantly remind myself to go one day at a time. We have three volunteers coming in the next month and a new surgeon and his family arriving the end of September. In all we will have 7 kids under the age of 8 here which will be nice for the families!

God continues to bless in many ways here at Malamulo. It is not without challenges both personal and on an organizational level. I’m thankful for his faithfulness that is evident in so many ways!

22nd Floor

2010-06-23T03:49:00.000-07:00

As I sit in my hotel room on the 22nd floor the sun is rising over the city. Out my window I can see wisps of pink and red reflecting off of the clouds. It is beautiful - if you like cities. I find myself suddenly floating up here 22 stories from the ground and it seems fitting somehow because I've also been removed from the earth in other ways.

Modern travel is abrupt. It doesn't matter to me that it takes 30+ hours to travel from one side of the world to the other (which is A LONG TIME in one seat) but it is still sudden! Just a day or two ago I was on the other side of the world in a poor, developing country where people struggle to have enough food to feed their families this week or even for lunch. There are no 6 or 8 lane roads, the stop lights don't work, customer service is non-existent, and so many other things are different - I can't even list them all.

And yet living in that setting I feel close to the earth - i see people every day working in their garden, selling vegetables, sweeping the yard, drawing water, carrying bundles of wood or grass, laundry drying in the wind - the earth and it's gifts are close and visible. Even the house I live in is made from clay bricks made from the surrounding soil, fired with trees that grew in the distant past from the ground nearby. Being this close to the earth means that I am usually dirty - somehow. Mostly it's my feet which I admit that since I rarely wear socks and shoes (they are in sandals or flip flops) and covered with dust or dirt. (I like to imagine that I keep the rest of myself relatively clean :) ).

SUDDENLY I got in a plane and sat for a while and now I find myself 22 stories from the ground... Up here it's clean (and I LOVE that!!) yet I also feel the distinct separation from the earth. I can go to a number of restaurants within walking distance and get food within 5 minutes (and that is AMAZING) but not even the one who sold it to me knows where it was grown or looked in the eyes of the lady who grew it. I'm on the 22nd floor. My windows don't open and I can't feel the breeze or even know what the temperature is like outside - it is controlled with a little white box on my hotel wall.

I don't have to stay up here though - I realize that - and living in the Hilton is not "normal" life. The contrast is so stark that I couldn't help reflect on the separation and reconcile myself in some way to this sudden change; to suddenly finding myself on the 22nd floor.

awareness

2010-05-21T02:13:00.000-07:00

So how do you bring awareness to an issue? How do you provide education about social change? Well I'm certain that changing practices and social "norms" doesn't happen right away but I was part of a small step towards change this last Sunday. There is an initiative called enditnow started by the General Conference of SDA's women's Minisistries and ADRA (Adventist Development & Relief Agency) to bring awareness and sign a petition related to violence against women and girls. The petition is planned to go to the Secretary General of the UN with 1 million signatures basically saying that we as Adventists take a stand on this issue and are saying it has to end!

I really feel a passion about this issue and can see a huge need for awareness and education in Malawi - especially the rural areas like Malamulo. Also on this campus is a college with 400+ students and a high school with around 400 teenagers - what better place to do teaching and bring awareness to the issues. So I got a few people together from each institution on campus and we started planning and talking about what we could do here. As is typical in Malawi an "awareness day" idea popped up. This means plan an event, invite the dignitaries of the district, government, and church to have speeches, dramas, music, and poems.
We also spent some time talking about "what is violence?" and what can we do about it locally. What about after the event, then what resources can we provide?

Unfortunately this is a huge problem all over the world - not just Malawi or developing countries. I've heard of everything from verbal abuse (shouting) to recently one of the driver's for the hospital's daughter was violently murdered by her husband. This isn't just outside the church either. If you go to the website www.enditnow.org there are stats of studies that were done within Christianity showing it is the same prevalence as outside the church.

So our awareness day went off without a hitch on Sunday (except for starting at 2:45pm rather than 2:00). The rain stayed away, we had about 500 people (with lots of young people), dignitaries and many invited guests. A lot of people had good things to say and were supportive! I couldn't have done it without the people who helped me on the committee, though. I am happy that our district pastor was involved and helping with the plans and has made it a point to incorporate these issues into sermons and his church leadership.

I would encourage you to visit the website www.enditnow.org, sign the petition and plan some kind of education or awareness day in your town. Abuse is a problem - I've seen it first hand - and it has to come to an end!

I Wonder What Will Happen Today?

2010-04-29T00:54:00.000-07:00

I hesitate to hear the answer to this question this week. It seems like every day there is more in the dramas of the operations of this mission hospital. The past two weeks it has been a financial crisis. Our accountant came to me with a stack of purchase requests to sign for needed medicine and medical supplies. I knew it was a lot and when I saw the summary of outstanding purchase requests my heart stopped at the 3,600,000 Kwacha number and realizing we have NO MONEY in our checking account! Those requests went back on the accountant's desk to wait until we could scrape some money together. Each day though - something has happened and somehow we are scraping by.

Day 1: We HAVE to place an order on a certain day with CHAM (where we get good prices on medicines) so that they can deliver them to Blantyre rather than us driving all the way to Lilongwe. Our order this month was around 750,000 MK. We had only about 100,000 MK collected from two days of business at the hospital. Don happened to be in Blantyre and I asked him to stop by Blantyre Adventist Hospital and pick up the check for 560,000 MK that they give us every month as charity assistance. That along with a little more scraped together was enough to cover the order and it was placed and picked up 1-2 days later.

Day 2: We are owed over 7 million kwacha by the government for services given to people in the local area around the hospital (this is close to $50,000 USD). They have promised payment by the 15-18th of each month. It was past the 20th and we still had no payment. Every day we call to see if the check is ready and they tell us to wait until the next day or day after. I'm starting to have visions of not making payroll, completely out of meds, and not being able to function. Today we had to use cash to buy fuel for the car that goes to Limbe because there is not enough money in the checking account to write a check.

Day 3: Administrative Council today - we had a good meeting - there are lots of good things happening and some progress being made towards installing a V-SAT for satellite internet! (YAY!!) We also have Maranatha visiting next week wanting to come with a large group to do some work in 2011 so the potential for great things - and most of this done with donations. At the end of this uplifting meeting I had to give an update about the state of our finances and how we are really scraping bottom!! Not only do we have about 3 million of purchases to buy this month but we also owe about 2 million for insurance as well as other creditors that I don't even want to list. We ended the meeting with earnest prayer for this situation but I still felt like "Debbie-Downer" and also felt emotionally affected by the pressure.

Day 4: Amongst the other days we've been dealing with a 40' container of supplies delivered from the US. It has been a disaster from the beginning since the shipping company in Tanzania sent a driver who knows no English or Chichewa, had never been to Malawi before, and didn't follow the customs requirements! Inside the container are much needed medicines and supplies that we haven't been able to purchase but we can't open the container to unload until it is cleared. Today Don went to Blantyre to sign the papers and clear it without having to pay any duty (Thank You, Lord!).

Today I called the government hospital again to check on the payment that they've promised. After telling the accountant that we are reaching an emergency state and may have to end the agreement and close the hospital he still said we couldn't get the check until "tomorrow". When I asked him how much it would be he got angry. I explained we need to know for planning purposes and he then told me "You'll get the check tomorrow, whether it's one cent or a million kwacha you'll get it tomorrow!!!" and then hung up on me! I called the Doctor in charge of the district and discussed how his accountant acted as well as our concerns about their delay and lack of payment. It seems we should be collecting the check tomorrow.

Day 5 Today's the day that we are supposed to get the check from the government and a large amount from the big insurance payor in Malawi. Salaries are due this week as well. I feel snowed under by all of these things and have even delayed meetings and other things until we can buy enough paper to make photo copies. The priority is the medicine and supplies to keep the hospital running. The other things will come eventually.

This is my week... I appreciate your prayers and I know there are many who are already praying and claiming promises in response to these situations. I do think these are just some roadblocks and the general progress of the hospital is still in a positive direction. We also need wisdom to make good decisions with the resources that we DO have. The promise that says "He will supply all of your needs according to his riches in glory" is an encouraging statement right now and I believe it is true...

Normal Life

2010-04-18T23:02:00.000-07:00

1st some photos - this is from our trip to Victoria Falls - Blanca, Lety, Cristy, Fernando, Elisa, & Anthony

me in front of Vic Falls "the smoke that thunders"

The photo above is Mt Mulanje of my last post and a rainbow. It is beautiful!

I’ve been chastising myself for not posting more often so I think I’ll write something and try to be brief. I’m in Blantyre for a couple of days (thus some decent internet) and am enjoying a much needed break from things at Malamulo. I worked Sunday-Friday so was so thankful for Sabbath and a chance to just relax.

Today Cristy and I with a few others went down to Nyala Park in the Shire River Valley. It is a small-ish game park that we’ve been to many times. The three who came with us hadn’t seen any “big” animals in Africa yet so it was fun to experience the giraffe, zebra, nyala, impala, wildebeest and various birds and scenery with them again.

I recently picked up a book that I have been reading off and on since 2006. It is Dallas Willard’s “Divine Conspiracy”. It is excellent regarding the Sermon on the Mount (or “discourse on a hillside”) although I find Willard a little heavy to read. I guess that is why I’m still plowing through it and it’s been 3+ years! I enjoy it though and have been reading a little bit at a time. I’ve also just almost finished an epic novel about Australia that was a bestseller in the 70’s when it was written called “The Thorn Birds”. It is interesting to read about life in Australia – something I know nothing about. Since I finished that I just started a classic by Annie Dillard “Pilgrim At Tinker Creek”. It is in the same genre as Thoreau’s “Walden Pond”.

I have begun to think and pray about my future as my two year agreement is nearing completion (July). I don’t have any strong leadings or impressions as to where I should go – either staying in Malawi or going back to the US. But I also haven’t put my resume out anywhere in the US either. There are a lot of good things happening in Malawi – but I don’t know if I’m meant to stay and continue on. I would appreciate prayers for this.

For now, I’m enjoying all of the “comings and goings” of visitors, missionaries, and volunteers as spring seems to bring lots of different people around. I’m also looking forward to my trip to the GC in Atlanta in June. I’m close to be able to counting down the weeks and days.

Back to work this morning (Monday) with errands and people to see in Blantyre. We’ll attend choir practice tonight before heading back to Malamulo so it will be a long day. Blessings abound though and I’m grateful for many things – family, friends, health, and a beautiful place to live.

Sharing SHARE

2010-04-09T04:36:00.000-07:00

Upon arrival in Malawi anyone will realize that the concept of “Customer Service” or “the customer is always right” is as unheard of as 12 lane highways, “high-speed” internet, and Taco Bell. The second realization if you come to work in a hospital in a management position is that there is GREAT NEED for training in this area. The third thing to come to mind is “where in the world can we start to teach this?” At this last point is where I have spent the last year or so. Not long after I came I contacted my former employer (Adventist Health System) and asked if they would let me use the customer service program that they use – designed for healthcare employees from an Adventist perspective. They graciously mailed me the training manual, the powerpoint presentation and some of the props and materials.

Every month or so I would look at the binder and flip through the slides and wonder how in the world to make this apply to Malawi and then give up being daunted by the task. Finally in October we decided in our strategic plan that customer service was a priority and my name was attached to the task. Now it was on paper which made me realize I cannot procrastinate very much longer. Finally in January I finished modifying the power point presentation to be what I thought would work here and what seemed like it would fit into 4 hours.

This week was it – the first session. The goal is that every employee will attend this training (200+ employees) and it will be two sessions, each two hours with 20-25 people each time. I talked to the matron, put up a sign to advertise and wondered if anyone would come. Wednesday and Thursday this week were the first sessions. About 20 people completed the four hours. They weren’t the nurses the matron had assigned but rather a mixture of people – so translation was needed which I did not account for in my preparation for a four hour class. Although I had to skip a bit of the points I was able to cover the topics as an overview and am hoping for opportunities to emphasize each point. So what did we cover?
Reputation – what is it? what kind of reputation do you want? what about the hospital?

Loyalty – what does this mean and what is the difference between loyalty and satisfaction?

What is customer service?

SHARE acronym – Sensing others needs before they ask, Helping each other out, Acknowledging people’s feelings, Respect the dignity and privacy of others, and Explain what is happening.

Body language

All of this sounds good but as we were going through the presentation I realized the slides and concepts I thought would work didn’t always make sense in this context. Also teaching in a setting where English is not the primary language caused challenges. How do you explain the statement, “patients judge their experience through their perception which is subjective not based on outcomes which is objective”. Those are big words and have to be explained and simplified or illustrated on the spot. I found it challenging to teach with a cross-section of the employees because about half of the people were the housekeeping staff and some don’t know how to read or write while the nurses and secretaries are quickly answering questions, taking notes, and filling in the worksheets while I’m not even sure some of the cleaners understood a word that I said. How do you teach to all levels?

Another interesting dilemma was talking about respecting the dignity and privacy of others. First when I asked what it meant they thought I was talking about respecting your elders which is one of the tenets of the culture. I said not exactly but more looking at how people are different yet treating them all the same. We looked as some pictures of different people and situations and illustrated how people felt differently about the photos and it is based on upbringing, etc. But how is Malawi diverse? It is completely different than the US – it is mostly a homogenous culture here but yet there are subtle differences in social standing, tribal differences, family values, religion, etc. I did approach the subject of how people are treated based on how they look. If someone is poor are they treated the same as someone who is rich? What about people from another country? or someone with white skin? I emphasized that white people should not be treated better than anyone else rather that everyone should be given the same excellent care. This was responded to with nervous laughter which means they knew that it is common to treat the “rich white person” differently. I wonder if they’ve heard a white person talk about this before? I think it’s important though and something that needs to be said and probably important for a white person to say it.

Then we talked about PRIVACY!! I recently had a discussion with Kelly about what is actually private here. The answer is basically the bedroom and the bathroom – that is it – not your kitchen, your yard, or the porch. So the concept of not talking about your neighbor who is admitted into the hospital is a foreign concept. Knowing your friends’ business is normal. What kind of privacy can we teach? So I used the illustration of HIV status which is still not talked about widely. This they understood but I didn’t know where else to go to teach about privacy because there isn’t much else that is culturally private. I realize I can’t change the culture and that is not my intent so the challenge is to adapt to what make sense here.
So the first class is over. I have some modifications to do to the presentation.

Also I have a better idea of some of the things that work and things that don’t. I hope the next class will go more smoothly and that overall our staff will begin to incorporate these ideas into their work. The goal is that Malamulo can be a preferred choice for patients to come for healthcare. That isn’t just sound clinical care but also good personal attention and customer service… Is it a “pie in the sky” kind of dream? Maybe, but I’ll work hard to do what I can to move towards that goal. As my good friend Phyllis always says, “hope springs eternal” and I continue to have hope that something I’m doing here will actually make an impact.

More Reflections

2010-04-09T04:34:00.001-07:00

When I think about writing a blog post I always feel like I don’t have much to say. I guess since I’ve been living in Malawi now for 22 months there isn’t much that seems newsworthy. Yet when I take a step back and consider my “average day” from a distance I realize how blessed I am and can see the little things that make life enjoyable here. It also helps me remember why I am here and what my purpose is. So I wanted to just share some highlights from this past week – little things or big things that I have enjoyed or noticed and been challenged or blessed by…

Sabbath – drove to Mt. Mulanje with Cristy, Anthony, Ashwini, & Kelly. We met Ben there at the pizza place. Above our table there was a swallow’s nest with a mama swallow coming frequently to fill the giant yellow mouths. Cristy got a photo. We had ice cream with chocolate sauce! The mountain was beautiful as usual but this time with many trickling waterfalls down the face because of all of the rain. Anthony and I went hiking to a big waterfall with a pool and we jumped in the cool water – it was beautiful. As we left the sun was setting and it started to rain so on one side was the mountain hidden by a rain cloud with a rainbow arching over the top, the brilliant green of the tea fields was amazing contrasted with the gray clouds and the dark green of the mountain in the fading light. On the right side the sun was setting with gold, pink, and yellow. I didn’t know which way to look to absorb the breathtaking beauty surrounding us. Neither photos nor words do justice.

Monday – back at work with a busy day – catching up after “skipping” Sunday. In the afternoon I met a group from the USA with an organization “physicians for peace” traveling around Malawi looking for partnerships where they can send medical professionals to assist with training and teaching. I gave them a tour and talked with them about Malamulo and what we do and see here and what the needs are. Who knows what will come of it but we are always happy to have people visit and find ways to assist if possible. Wrapping up my day two officials from the SDA church came into my office to discuss some “concerns”. I seem to be an innocent by-stander in a disagreement so am just trying to be polite and answer the questions as best as I can. I won’t explain it all here but I just hope that the differences can be worked out. It is difficult to work here at times when it seems like the efforts to improve efficiency of processes is blocked by those who wish to be in control.

*skip a few days*

I’m back with some more time to write some reflections about my current work. Last weekend was Easter and I had another lovely day driving to Zomba. There is a plateau there and we drove up to a lodge about half way up. The view is beautiful – I can’t describe it. Anthony and I met Cristy and Kelly who were staying at a small lodge way off the road. It is in a beautiful location and we enjoyed the peace and quiet for a couple of hours. Then we drove up to the top of the mountain and had a late lunch before driving back to Blantyre and on to Makwasa.

I have to be honest reading what I’ve written sounds like every day is ideal and beautiful. This is NOT the case as is true with any job. The other day one of the senior lab technicians came into my office to tell me that the machine that does CBCs was not working and they had called the technician. When I asked him if regular servicing had been done he said, “No, it was supposed to be serviced at 10,000 tests and it is at 14,000 now”. He said this with a snicker. I have to say the lab is a constant challenge to us and once again I expressed my concern – in a strong way – that it is NOT ACCEPTABLE for them to ignore maintenance like this and that they are the only ones who know when these things need to be done. I told him that they need to take responsibility and come to administration with a quotation, deadline, and request for what is needed. They can’t just mention it and then give up. He said, “well I thought the head of the lab had taken care of it” and I explained that yes – maybe you thought that and he may have thought you were taking care of it but then NO ONE does anything. This is the problem, I explained, in that good communication does not happen so things are overlooked.

UGH!! Only 6 more weeks until we have a new couple from the Philippines coming to take over the lab and help turn it around. Cristy and I cannot wait for that to happen because over the past 2 years that Cristy has been here she has been unable to make much of a difference in the way the lab operates. It is like a walrus (as my friend referred to obstacles) in our path to good service here. Part of the challenge is the two senior lab techs are close to retirement and have worked their ENTIRE career here at Malamulo – almost 40 years! The saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is SO TRUE! They are both wonderful gentleman, but…

So today is Friday and I’m “off” of work. I am heading into Blantyre later. What does this mean? I plan to meet our dentist at 11am to look at a potential house for her to move to in Blantyre (nearer her office, her daughter’s school, and freeing up a house here on campus for us), then I have to take some paperwork to our clearing agent for two 40 ft. containers of medicines and supplies that are on their way to us (donations), then I will be able to go grocery shopping, eat some lunch, and probably post this blog on the internet. I might stop and see a friend or two but then will need to leave in time to stop at the big vegetable market on the way back out to Malamulo.

For the past month we’ve had a FP resident here from Pennsylvania who is Indian by origin. She has been cooking up wonderful Indian meals for us on Friday evenings so today is her last day here and she is planning to come and cook again. Last Friday we had 13 people here and the power was off all day! THANKFULLY we just purchased a gas stove and were able to hook it up in time to start cooking for the crowd. Tonight we won’t have as many people but we are looking forward to the evening with friends, good food, and welcoming the Sabbath. Thus the important stop at the vegetable market on the way home this afternoon!

Life here is never boring – for sure! The other day one of our nurses asked me if I was a Jew! I was confused at first and wondering if she was asking about my religion (sometimes people think I’m not SDA since I don’t attend church every week) so when I clarified she said, “no, there are so many races in America and I was wondering if you are Jewish”. Haha – I said no and explained that I’m a mix of German, English, and Danish. That satisfied her but as I said – it’s never dull and you can never be sure what question will come up next! Until next time…

Update on Life

2010-03-06T05:47:00.003-08:00

The past 2 months have seemed to be quite eventful but I’ve only written about my trip to Kenya. So I guess I need to write a brief update although I don’t really want to just have a “travel log” (maybe it’s too late to avoid that).

After the drama of being evacuated from Kenya I was happy to stay home and not even venture to town right away. I honestly have never been through something like that where I felt so emotionally traumatized. Whether the threat was real or not, I felt like it was real and had to work through the fear and stress that I had. I’m thankful for Cristy who was patient with me and for my family who called me and provided the support I needed though they couldn’t be physically close. I’m thankful to have gotten past those feelings and that I’m safe and not permanently affected.

About a week after getting back from Kenya I came down with malaria. This is momentous for me because it is the first time in 2 ½ years of living in Africa that I’ve succumbed! It is a strange disease and like nothing I had felt before so that was why I decided to go get tested for malaria. Sure enough it was a mild case. I took the treatment that lasts for 3 days and started feeling better by the 4th day. I didn’t have a high fever and mostly just felt drained and tired. My energy was slow to come back though and I didn’t work much at all that week. I then had some severe pain and congestion in my ears the next week but that also cleared up eventually. During this time Cristy was gone mostly so she wasn’t around to take care of me but my neighbors checked on me which was nice.

Thankfully Cristy’s trip to Kenya was uneventful and she had a good time at the continuing education class for missionary doctors in Africa. The most exciting thing was that we had planned a vacation to Victoria Falls after her trip so Cristy flew from Nairobi to Lusaka and met me there. Well it wasn’t just me - Fernando, Blanca, and Lety flew with me from Malawi to Lusaka then Anthony (who lives in Lusaka but worked in Malawi for a short time) met us there as well. We took a bus to Livingstone and spent 4 days there near the falls. Cristy was brave enough to bungie jump while the rest of us cheered her on. We went white water rafting, took a sunset cruise on the upper Zambezi and basically just relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful area. It rained a lot which added to the relaxation factor for me as the rain just makes me want to curl up and read or sleep.

On the way back in the bus Anthony and I got off near Riverside Farm. This is where I was a student missionary 10 YEARS AGO!!! (don’t make any comments about getting old!) Anthony worked there for about 4 years so knows everyone there and it was fun to go back. The main missionary family that I worked with is still there and a few of the Zambians that I knew were around. It was fun to see them and see how the place is doing. I can’t believe that the time has already passed and yes, I do feel old! The place is lovely and doing well so it was a short but sweet visit.

So my opinion is that vacation was exactly what I needed to recover from malaria and the emotional stress from Kenya. I feel back to my normal self and am so happy for that. Malamulo Hospital is doing alright - they survive ok without me (imagine that!?). Mr. Don is back now so I am no longer “interim CEO” which I am grateful for. Wes and Chrislyn are coming back in about 2 weeks and Dr. Fam is back from his holiday. My Mom asked if I felt like things are getting back to normal - I laughed and said I don’t know what “normal” is. But I think as close to normal as we can get is coming.

The hospital is busy this time of year with seeing 100-200 children every day in the out-patient and pediatric departments. Malaria is the main concern but there are also complications that come along with that. We have also been busy with quite sick adults and many surgeries and births. Thankfully due to financial help from the government children are getting treated sooner (with the fee charged to the government) and our mortality rate has dropped significantly in the past 3 months. Now we just need to have the government pay their bill.

Every day brings new challenges and new chances to be thankful. I had two days of meetings last week with the CDC office in Malawi and all of their partners who are receiving PEPFAR funds from the US government. I was representing Loma Linda University as part of a Laboratory Consortium so those meetings were very interesting and beneficial. There is a lot of good work being done related to HIV/AIDS here in Malawi and it was nice to hear from other organizations what their plans are and to network with Malamulo in mind.

This week we have the Executive Secretary of the General Conference of SDA’s, Elder Bediako visiting on Friday morning. The campus is buzzing with activity – weeding, painting, polishing and general spiffy-ing up until the place shines for this church dignitary.

I also feel challenged personally to stay focused and to continue to feel like I am adding value here as well as fulfilling the job I was given. I have gotten the question “so how long are you staying in Malawi?” many times in the past month or so. I don’t have a good answer at this point and right now am just planning to continue here unless something happens or I am directed to go somewhere else. My initial agreement is over in July of this year but it seems as though I will be here longer at this point.

HOME

2010-01-31T00:15:00.000-08:00

What do you think of when you hear the word “home”? Maybe it’s a childhood house, a street, a school that identifies home to you. Or maybe it is where you live now – with your pets, kids, and spouse. What has made that place take on the meaning of “home” to you? At some point we leave our childhood home and venture out to create our own definition of home. Is there something that identifies this place as home? I heard recently of one family who were always moving around and the Mother had a vase and picture that she always kept with them and the children soon associated “home” with those items and when the vase came out of her suitcase and the picture went on the wall – then they were home.

At the recent missionary training class I attended these questions of “home” came to my mind and I realized that for the first time, I think, I feel that Malawi and the house that I share with Cristy is home. Some of that feeling was triggered by the somewhat traumatic experiences that our group had while in Nairobi and my feeling that I would rather be in Malawi where it is safe, but I think also just being away I realized that it is home to me.

When I think of the places I feel at home a big part of it is my comfort of being myself. However “being home” and “feeling at home” are two different things. I can “feel at home” anywhere were the host is welcoming and where I feel comfortable. However feeling like “I am home” is a different level. Part of this is related to having a few special things around me but also just feeling at ease with my surroundings. It was especially made clear to me on Thursday night the 21^st when we were instructed to pack our things and evacuate out of Nairobi as fast as possible. I no longer felt safe there but I was surprised that I didn’t have a strong desire to go back to the US – to my family. To me, right then, “home” meant feeling safe and I associated that with Malawi. This realization surprised me.

There have been times when I’ve said “home is wherever I am living” and that is probably because I haven’t lived in my childhood home since I was 14 years old. Maybe this perspective has contributed to how comfortable I feel about traveling and living abroad. Now, before my family feels bad I think that my childhood house will always have a special place in my heart and will be one definition of “home”. Those walls, the garden, trees, and hills are where I spent my formative years and are firmly imbedded in my memories. But in reality their house has become theirs’ and not mine which is ok and part of the growing up process.

I guess the definition of home might change over time but I have a new appreciation for the comfort and rest that having a place to come back to brings. It also reminds me of the promise of God to be our source of protection and place of safety (Ps. 18:2). This can be our home wherever we find ourselves.

Request for Photos

2010-01-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted any photos for a while so I thought I'd just post some here. I am in Nairobi for 3 weeks attending Institute of World Missions so am excited to have speedy internet which makes this easier. It is a good class, I am learning a lot and feel privileged to be included since I'm not an official GC employee. I have posted more photos on Facebook so if you want to see more go to my page and check them out.

Senga Bay, Lake Malawi

Cristy, Anthony, & Me (Christmas Day

Me and a little girl in Nagwengwe village

Scott Guptill and I (Mindi was taking the photo) eating Indian food at the Yaya center in Nairobi - notice the copper pots for the curry! YUM

Soap stone workshop in Nairobi - this is where the items are painted before sold in the markets

Plumeria or Frangipani blossom (photo by Cristy)

Our house decorated for Christmas (thanks to Kelly)

Hobbes pooped out after all the decoration!!

Christmas Miracles

2009-12-27T23:47:00.000-08:00

This is an email I sent on Christmas Eve to family & friends. Wanted to post it here for you as well...

Merry Christmas to You!

This year is ending and it always makes me nostalgic – both for family and friends but also memories of this past year and how God has blessed. Last year this time we were rushing to make up some Christmas gifts from a few things we bought and some donated items so that the hospital employees would have at least “something” from the hospital. We scrounged enough money to barely have a Christmas party with a few snacks thanks to a donation from a friend of mine. The salaries were barely distributed before New Years, let alone Christmas last year. Yet still we remained optimistic and tried to put a good spin on everything so that morale would continue on its slow climb upwards. Throughout this past year we have steadily seen improvements in the financial performance of the hospital. Partly it is due to an increase of about 20% of inpatients over last year, but also our cash flow is improving as well which is really what makes an organization function.

So this week I find Christmas miracles surrounding me – instead of me shopping and packaging Christmas gifts for the employees we were able to buy them pre-packaged (it’s tradition to get rice, oil, sugar, salt, soap, & matches and there are stores that package them for you if you pay for it) and employees were surprised yesterday to hear the announcement that their Christmas package was ready to be picked up! Also people like to be paid before Christmas and for salaries we are dependent on a government grant. We prepared payroll in faith that the money would come through and yesterday it was deposited and people are able to get their money! We have also made our supplies and drug purchases for the month and I’ve signed a pile of checks for various purchases that have been waiting for quite a while. The most amazing thing is that we have money to cover all of the checks we’ve written – which you might not realize but is a miracle in itself!

Last week after being delayed about a month we had a delivery of two containers from AmeriCares (our large donor in the US) full of medical supplies and medication. That was 60 feet of materials delivered in one day!! The stores staff and others worked tirelessly to unload everything and then continue sorting things the days following (a never-ending process). We are so thankful for these donations and specifically the nutritional supplements for the malnourished children – the meals are already being distributed.

Personally since returning from my visit home I have been busy – just keeping up with everything I feel at times that I work non-stop. But thankfully I’ve had the chance to take frequent breaks. In November I climbed Mt. Mulanje with some friends and felt very proud of myself for surviving although we didn’t summit. We had a group of officials from the US doing an “appreciative inquiry” the week of Thanksgiving both here and at Blantyre Adventist Hospital. They brought some welcome encouragement and support. For Thanksgiving about 25 of us got together in Blantyre and made a feast as close to traditional as possible – complete with the overeating feeling at the end! There are more folks from the US now that Maranatha is moving their base to Blantyre from Mozambique as work is wrapping up there.

Overall I am doing well – I have no reason to complain. Cristy and I and some friends are heading to Lake Malawi today for Christmas and we are looking forward to enjoying white sands and a tropical lake. Granted - it’s not like Christmas at home but as I told a friend this morning – it’s white sandy beaches, I can’t complain! J I do miss my family dearly and wish I could be at the table tomorrow and share all of the wonderful traditions that we have. Thankfully we have phones and internet which keep us connected and a time in the future to look forward to being together again.

As 2009 comes to a close I am again just overwhelmed with thankfulness for each of you and your thoughts and prayers. There is still a lot of work to do here but I am just excited to be part of the changes that are happening and continue to happen. I know there are more challenges ahead but I am confident that the miracles of Christmas will continue through the new year. Blessings to each of you!

Merry Christmas!

Elisa

Haven't Posted For A While

2009-12-03T08:04:00.000-08:00

These were written on the dates indicated but I just haven't had a chance to post them...

11-23-09

Holidays?

Is it the holidays somewhere? Not in Malawi… we will try to squeeze in Thanksgiving this week but it happens to be the same week as the “Appreciative Inquiry” from the General Conference of SDAs in Maryland. One of my friends thought this term was rather like an oxymoron – along the lines of “freewill offering” or “military intelligence”. I’m not sure what it means exactly (I’ll hopefully find out tomorrow) but mostly it means a group is coming to analyze how the hospital is being managed and how it is performing. There is no licensing or governing power associated so we aren’t really sure what the purpose is. It has helped to get some things done around the hospital – the open wires are covered, window screens are repaired, broken glass removed and fences repaired. We’ve also just started getting new name badges printed and distributed so people are officially employees and identifiable now! Imagine that!?

My recent weeks have been busy and gone quickly. I’ve spent a significant amount of time trying to get some shipments cleared through customs. That has been a painful process and unfortunately the Malawian Government is becoming stricter in an effort to raise funds. They don’t consider replacement parts for equipment as “medical equipment” so essentially you can get the equipment in without duty but if you want to repair anything you have to pay tax. Sometimes working within these regulations is overwhelming.

Our record keeping in the accounting office has been very disorganized and insufficient. After our poor performance on the 2008 audit I had a meeting with the accounting staff and they decided to work extra and come in on Fridays until noon and get things organized. I’ve committed to come in and work with them. I’m proud of them for working hard and taking ownership. Some have really come up and showed some good leadership and I’m excited for the progress. Everyone shows up and works together and they are getting a lot accomplished. However this is my day off so this work takes up my time too.

I have managed to escape the hectic days a couple of times. Two weeks ago I went with four friends and climbed Mt. Mulanje! We only spent one night up on the plateau but it was one of my goals while I was here and I’m proud that I accomplished it! We were about 6,000 ft up and didn’t attempt to reach the summit which is close to 10,000 ft. We only went to the closest “hut” and there are nine huts on the mountain so I’d like to go back again and spend two nights and see more of the mountain. But I enjoyed it – the pain was worth it! I even took Bella with me and she did really well. Maybe next time I can actually carry my own pack the whole way!

Yesterday Cristy, Anthony, & I went for the day again to Mulanje and just went to the waterfalls that we’ve been to many times. It was Friday so I came in to work with the Accounting staff until about 10a and then left them to continue cleaning out files. Even though it is a drive to get to the mountain I am so thankful for that refuge – the peace, fresh air, and water does so much to refresh my soul!

Last Sunday I went and visited one of Malamulo’s remote clinic sites. It is called Mbalanguzi and is about 25 kms from the hospital but takes about 1.5 hrs to get there (and that’s with dry roads). We have a large amount of land with a clinic and a house on it. No one staffs it full time but there is such a need! I met with the chief and discussed bringing water and electricity to the site. There is also a need for a maize mill which would generate income for the clinic. I’m kind of excited about the possibilities out there mostly because of the desperate need for healthcare! They see about 50 patients every week and that day we brought about 10 patients back to be admitted to the hospital. The chief said his main concern is maternity, malnourishment, and those who are sick at night and die on the way. The nearest clinics to that site are 8 kms one way, and 7 the other. Malamulo is the closest hospital but there is no transportation out there except for the occasional lorry or truck headed to Makwasa. Talk about remote! I was wishing that I were a doctor or nurse and could be of some benefit to the people. As I am there is nothing I can do except figure out a way to make it habitable so someone else can go out there – that’s something I guess.

So is it the holidays? I honestly don’t know. I know the calendar says this next week is Thanksgiving and 4 weeks later is Christmas but I’m not in the spirit. I have to be at the Malawi Union year end meetings all next week – maybe I’ll slip out early on Thursday for dinner at some friend’s house. Christmas seems far away and I don’t have any plans. I guess being busy is beneficial in that I don’t have time to miss my family as much. But it also means I don’t have the time to enjoy the people here or the things happening around here as much.

11-27-09

This week has been challenging in many ways. I spent three days with the team from the GC. Both the days at Malamulo and the survey at Blantyre Adventist Hospital went well. Dr. Handysides and Dr. Landless were leading the team and they are both very wise, encouraging, and generous gentleman. They were also quite fatherly to Cristy and I which is always nice. J We like being taken care of! They had many good recommendations for Malamulo but many of the things we were already aware of and most of the things require money to fix or improve. It sounds like they will be able to give us some money but we haven’t heard how much for sure yet. Their visit to BAH was beneficial too and it was amazing to me how wisely and quickly they realized what the issues are. They were very supportive to Kirby and the initiatives that he is working on. They were very direct in their recommendations to the leadership of BAH. A couple named Ed & Ann Zinke were with the team and were evaluating the business side of things. They just sold a large business and are semi-retired. I spent some time with them and really appreciated their insight and encouragement.

The GC surveys overlapped with yearend meetings for the Malawian SDA church. I spent a couple of days in those meetings and then was able to be excused for Thanksgiving dinner. We invited everyone we could find and had about 25 people over at David and Susan Woods house in Blantyre. They have a 7 bedroom house so lots of room for visitors and interlopers like me. He is the country director for Maranatha for Malawi and Mozambique. It is so nice to have a place to relax that is homey. Cristy cooked up a storm and everyone else contributed as well. I guess that is what Thanksgiving is about – food, friends, family, and friends.

What Am I Doing Here?

2009-10-27T10:02:00.000-07:00

Ok - I hate to admit it but this question has been going over and over in my head... is the work I'm doing here really making a difference? Am I accomplishing the purpose that I or the organization I'm representing had in mind? Now those of you who know me well, just wait! I don't mean to be-little what I have been doing and play it down. I know my Mom gets after me for not REALLY explaining what I ACTUALLY do when people ask - that is not what I'm trying to say here. But honestly I'm asking myself if I'm really accomplishing what I'm supposed to be doing. Maybe I need to look at my job description again - I don't know. But today we had an exit interview with our internal auditors who just finished auditing 2008. The final report is not out but suffice it to say that everything that was on the letter for 2007 reappeared with some additions for 2008. Our qualified opinion for 2007 did not improve! (For you that are not accountants this means that if it was an exam - we failed.) So maybe you can imagine some of why I'm questioning my effect here. Has any of my last 15 months of work made a difference? Maybe you are thinking that it has because they only audited through 2008 which was only about 5 months after I arrived. But the problem is that most of the items they pointed out have YET to be corrected!!!

I find it very difficult to know how to change a culture of this organization. How do we implement controls and motivators to get people to move from the lazes fare attitude into one of commitment and active participation in the mission of this hospital. I'm "all fired up" as some might say and ready to give 'em a piece of my mind. At the same time I can't do this alone and be the only one demanding good performance and results from our employees. I do feel the members of Administration are supportive and in tune with these changes but I'm struggling to find a way to communicate it to the staff members.

I find my "to-do" list growing too... big things like "customer service training for all staff" and "job evaluations for all staff" - which by the way first requires a training on how to properly evaluate an employee before evaluating all 200 employees. Another thing is policies for all departments. Wow! I think if I can do half of my list I'll feel good.

So yes - I'm still searching for the answer to my question. What is my role? How do I focus on these big things and let the every day items be handled by someone else? This is my daily challenge and I am learning about limits and commitments as well. I bet you didn't think mission work included things like this, huh? So when you pray for the "missionaries and colporteurs" tonight before you sleep you might have a different viewpoint of missionaries these days... and realize a little bit more clearly what kinds of things we struggle with. Thank you, by the way, for those prayers. I think that is what keeps me from losing it some days!

Life Goes On...

2009-10-07T22:34:00.000-07:00

But how does it go on? How do the living pick up after the dead and sort out what was left behind? What do you do when it’s sudden, unexpected, and unprepared for? How do you encourage those left behind wandering through the mine field of grief? The words of an old song summarize it all, “how can I help you say goodbye?” Maybe these questions would apply even if you expected to lose someone but this week it was sudden and unexpected.

These questions have been bombarding my mind and I find myself wishing to just erase a day from history – is that possible? Can we rewind and do things differently? I wish with my heart we could and mostly that we could have seen the signs of depression or a loss of a will to live before this happened. I could go on and on with “what if’s” but I’ve already realized that is not profitable or even realistic.

So you’re probably wondering what happened by now – I’ll try to explain without being too long-winded. He worked in our business office as the “credit controller” or the one who recorded payments patients made on their account and collected money from the insurance company and other payers. He had only been in this position since the first of the year and before that he was manager of the inventory and stock warehouses. As you can imagine I’ve worked quite closely with him over the last year that I’ve been here. The week before last it was discovered that in an effort to be “helpful” he offered to turn their money in for them and give them a receipt from a different book (still Malamulo but not from the cashier so not “on record”). The accountant met with him that day and then the next business day was I along with several members of management met with him and gave him a letter of suspension and explained we would be reporting this to police. The amount of money was not astronomical but we felt it should be reported to authorities for documented back up for termination.

He was calm and admitted to everything both verbally and in writing. There was no anger visible although he was understandably nervous. Afterwards we planned to take him to the police department so he went back to his house to lock up the doors. So a little while later I went with the accountant and the HR manager to report it to the police. We wanted to take him with us but couldn’t raise him on his phone. We all tried several times but thought we’d just go anyway and make the report. We brought the police officers back with us to find him. All of this should only be done, they told us, after we contacted his closest relative. After realizing he had no wife or children his next closest relative was a cousin who works at the hospital. We stood and discussed things for a while – should we break in? What if he’s not there and sues the police? What if he is there and we are wasting time?

Finally we went to his house and decided to break in. They quickly opened the door (amazing how easily they know how to break in!) and it was confirmed that we needed to RUSH him to the hospital as he had taken something and was non-responsive. We hadn’t come in a car but were right behind the hospital in the housing block so I took off running to find the ambulance or some vehicle. (Picture me in a dress with 3 inch wedge heels RUNNING past all the ladies chatting that I had just walked calmly by.) I got to the front of the hospital – no vehicle! Someone else ran to general ward and got a canvas stretcher. I turned around and was trying to call at the same time to find the driver – phones weren’t working!! On my way back (by this time I took off my shoes and was barefoot) I saw Cristy and urgently called her to come with me and told her briefly what I knew. I thought if there was anything that could be done at the house she could help until a vehicle came. We walked/ran back to the house and both cars were there that I had been looking for!! (Thank God for Malawian telepathy!)

The next two hours were spent intermittently waiting, praying, comforting people and grinding charcoal into powder. The team of doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel worked frantically to bring him around. Things started to calm down and they moved him from a treatment room into a patient room. I had to go check on some things around the hospital so left. I was hopeful in what seemed like “stability” so figured things would be okay. As I was coming back about ½ hour later someone told me that he had just passed away!! I was in shock! I walked in and saw Cristy who was visibly shaken as well. I went into his room to pay respects and tears overwhelmed me.

I cried because I was sad for him… sad that he felt this was his only solution… sad that I had just seen and talked to him and now he was dead… sad that I hadn’t been able to see his pain or help in some way. I stayed around as employees came and filed into the room. After they’d come they lined up outside the ward on the lawn, in the hallways, and everywhere they could. They were sitting in respect and mourning. Some were crying but most were silent – no chatting, no questions – just quiet. (Something I value about grief in Malawi – the practice of just being present.)

Meanwhile I spoke with some family members and close friends, the police, found Don and walked with him up there, waited for decisions to be made, and generally just tried to absorb the feeling of sadness and grief that filled the air. The funeral and burial were the next day at a nearby cemetery. It was a different service than I had attended before. There was no singing and very little preaching. As we walked from the house where the funeral was to the burial there was no singing and actually not much weeping. After asking about why these differences it seems that the community acts out their judgment on someone who takes their own life saying that “God is angry” and “there can’t be any singing when someone kills themselves”. Apparently even the short homily by the pastor was not really acceptable in this situation! I was surprised at the harshness and a sentence of damnation pronounced by those who are left behind. Obviously a difference in culture and religious beliefs but also doesn’t portray the God that I believe in.

So the days move on and we do have to pick up after the dead – whether we know how or not. We are busy sorting through the office he left and the work he did or did not do; moving people into places and at the same time being gracious at the accusations that are flying very unfairly. The verse in Paul’s writings that say “My grace is sufficient and my strength is made perfect in weakness” keeps ringing in my ears and I believe it! His grace IS sufficient and has been the strength that I am relying on.

a living prayer

2009-09-28T09:41:00.000-07:00

a song by alison krauss has become very meaningful to me here in Malawi... It's called "A Living Prayer" and once again i play it and am comforted by knowing that there is One who holds my hand even though at times i seem to be quite alone...

Yesterday and today have been extraordinarily difficult. One of our employees whom i've worked closely with and considered a friend decided to end his life. Within 36 hours of death he is buried and it is essentially over. but i feel that this loss will linger on and it has been a blow to the staff at the hospital. Most are sad, some are angry that he didn't seek other help, all are questioning "why?". I don't have any answers and my heart aches that he felt this was his only solution to the troubles he faced.

Mostly this song expresses my desire to really BE a living prayer; that my life will be such that it brings honor to God and brings others to him. "Take my life and let me be a living prayer, my God to thee." That is my desire and that is the reason I exist.

the lyrics are as follows:

"A Living Prayer"
In this world I walk alone with no place to call my home
But there's One who holds my hand
The rugged road through barren lands
The way is dark, the road is steep
But He's become my eyes to see
The strength to climb, my griefs to bear
This Savior lives inside me there

In Your love I find release
A haven from my unbelief
Take my life and let me be
A living prayer my God to thee

In these trials of life I find
Another Voice inside my mind
He comforts me and bids me live
Inside the love the Father gives

In your love I find release
haven from my unbelief
Take my life and let me be
A living prayer my God to thee
take my life and let me be
A living prayer my God to thee
(http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/alisonkrauss/alivingprayer.html)

And..... I'm Back

2009-09-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

Well I've officially been in Malawi a week now - hard to believe! I can say I am completely unpacked as well which is nice after living out of suitcases for two months! On the way back I spent 2.5 days in England with Clare (a friend working in Malawi from England). I got to see some of the countryside and have a real English experience. We visited Windsor Castle and Salisbury Cathedral as well as go to the pub for fish & chips, ride the train, eat tea at 4pm, and eat breakfast in the garden (i.e. back yard). It was fun and Clare's family were very hospitable.

Being back has brought a flood of unexpected emotions and thoughts but I am doing well now. I didn't expect to face the feelings I have, but with some prayers, tears, and encouragement from good friends I've moved through that and am just trying to be open to what God is teaching me here. Probably the biggest thing is just not expecting to be so overwhelmed so quickly!

It has been good to see my friends here in Malawi again. Things are still doing fairly well at the hospital. We have had some major personnel changes - one being the Business Manager who was called to our SDA clinic in Lilongwe. I worked very closely with him so this change has made a difference in my work. However the accountant has stepped up and filled in that role and is doing a good job. We are still making a profit year to date for which I am thankful and I can say this is probably one of the first years in MANY that there has been a positive net increase! Praise God!!

One sad note is that our car got broken into while Cristy and I were both gone. It was parked in front of our house and someone apparently was looking for a home stereo system so they took the stereo, speakers, battery, all of the cds, and broke the window to get in. It has made me a little more wary of my safety but also thankful to have a big dog sleeping by my bed while I'm alone!

Speaking of the dog - Bella - was well taken care of by Kelly and Wes & Chrislyn although I think she missed her mom. She has lost some weight and wasn't eating well but seems to be getting back to her self. Yesterday when I was putting away my suitcases she was worried and started hiccupping and whimpering thinking I was packing to leave again. Funny how animals are just as attached as we are to them! She will be good as new when Cristy gets back. Hobbes, the cat, mostly took care of himself and stayed around the house. Masa fed him every day but he was definitely glad to see me and I'm thankful that they are both back home and doing well.

I'm going to pick up Cristy from the airport on Sabbath. Masa has never been to the airport before (can you imagine??) so I am going to take him with me! Should be exciting for him! I will be happy to have her back and then the team here will be complete again.

God is certainly blessing although at times I struggle to know why it is so difficult for me. I think this is a part of my journey that I won't really understand for a while. I long so much to understand and be in the center of God's will but I'll never understand or see the big picture that God is creating.

There are good things happening in Malawi though - one big exciting piece of news is that Blantyre Adventist Hospital is officially COMPLETELY debt free! They have worked hard over the past 4 years and have finally reached this big goal! The work in Malawi is definitely moving ahead although there are so many road blocks. Yesterday we had a media team from the Hope Channel in South Africa doing some filming here and one of the gentlemen had been here about 4 years ago and he told me he can tell a big difference and improvement in the hospital since then! That is so encouraging to hear!

So thank you for your prayers and interest. Please continue to pray... some specific needs are:
*New Human Resource Manager
*New Business Manager
*Solution for good internet service
*funds for building/repairing housing

Summer Fun

2009-08-23T15:54:00.001-07:00

Life is what is happening here. I'm thankful to be able to share life with my family for some time this summer. My Mom and I spent about a week together and traveled to Arizona. We rented a car and drove up to Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon the day before the ASI convention started in Phoenix. The drive was unique and HOT but the canyon was amazing. It was something neither one of us had seen so even though we were only there a short time it was well worth it. The majesty and beauty of that place is incredible. I hope to go back again sometime and explore it some more – maybe even take a pack mule trip into the bottom. The rest of the week we spent at ASI where it was nice to see Cristy and her family (which are like a second family to me). There were many interesting people to connect with and some good meetings. Loma Linda had a booth so I spent some time there and also did a couple of short presentations during the seminars. On Sabbath Dr Hart did an afternoon presentation about Loma Linda for Alumni and interested people and asked Cristy, Greg, Audrey, & I to talk about our respective projects. It was really interesting for me to learn what is happening at Loma Linda as well. They have some exciting plans for the future and have an amazing focus on mission with AHI being a big part of that.

After ASI I flew out to Orlando to see some friends. I stayed with Allen and Tangie in their new house. Braelyn is 2 yo now and quite talkative. They invited a few friends over for dinner Monday night so it was good to see everyone. I also got to meet up with Jason & Becki from Chicago on for lunch one day. It was amazing that it worked out that they were down for a wedding the same weekend. Mostly my visit there was just relaxing. I spent time at the pool (working on my tan), read a book, watched a couple of movies and generally just relaxed. On Thursday morning I did a short presentation at Adventist Health System for their staff meeting. It was so nice to see all of my former co-workers and share with them some of what I'm doing now. I really miss having that community of people to work with and to give guidance. Thank you to Phyllis, Amy and all of the employees for their interest and support.

Loma Linda School of Public Health has been working on a proposal to the Presidential Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (www.pepfar.gov) for Malawi related specifically to lab equipment and training related to AIDS. This is an extremely large grant in conjunction with John's Hopkins and University of North Carolina. At ASI Dr. Hart told us that the grant had been approved! This will impact Malamulo significantly as it will be a CHAM center of training for the southern part of Malawi. This coincides with the coming of a husband and wife team from the Philippines who are lab technicians. They will be coming to Malawi in October and will be key in implementing the grant and the upgrades to the lab at Malamulo. I don't know all of the details yet but I am going to be helping to manage and implement the grant in Malawi so I'm sure I will learn all about it soon.

Speaking of which I will be going down to Loma Linda next week to meet with the people at LLU School of Public Health to discuss and learn about this grant. Because of this my time has been extended. I will be heading back to Malawi on the 6^th of September. I am stopping along the way in London to see a friend for a couple of days. If any of you have recommendations of things to do in the London area let me know!

So this week is basically my last week of "hanging out" before I leave. I'm enjoying being with my nephews and all of the adventures that we have. Today they discovered a dead animal in the nearby field and then they saw the vultures circling and had to go and investigate again. Last night Nicole and I slept out on the deck and barely survived the cold and damp night. Maybe next time I'll try a tent. J On Friday I went with the two older boys to OMSI in Portland with Randy and his class. We went hiking up to Abiqua falls where the boys caught lots of big crawdads. I've been able to see several friends and also spend time with my parents while I've been home. I was up in Kelso on Monday and we went to the farmer's market and we had lunch with one of my Aunts. I think I'm up to my limit of clothes and other goodies to take back to Malawi although the stores are still tempting me!

Since I don't want to bore you with more measly details – suffice it to say that this break has been good – no better than good – it's been relaxing, restful, adventuresome, challenging, affirming, and encouraging. I'm so thankful to be in a family and a situation to be able to live and work in Malawi. I don't think I have all of the answers and in some ways going back to Malawi is more intimidating then going the first time: now I know what lies ahead and what kinds of challenges I am facing. One thing I forgot to mention is that I've been asked to be the director of finance for the Malamulo College of Health Sciences as well. They have been struggling over the past couple of years and are in the process of coming under the umbrella of AHI. I need prayer in this area because I don't know quite how I will manage everything…

As I was saying – sometimes it's even more challenging to go back… Something that is encouraging though is to re-read some of my journaling from last year and to see how God led me to make the decision to go. My family was and is so supportive and that is a big part of me being able to work effectively. I have so much to be thankful for – I can't even list them all. My heart is overwhelmed with blessings and thankfulness.

Picasa Web Album

2009-07-31T21:49:00.000-07:00

I've posted quite a few photos of Malawi on Picasa and wanted to give you the link... http://picasaweb.google.com/elisa.brown

I've just finished four days watching my three nephews on my own. It was fun! We made some art projects, went swimming, worked in the garden, went to the library, spent time with Grandma Brown, Grandpa Sowa and just generally tried to survive the heatwave that hit the Northwest. Ryan and Nathan discovered the butterfly net and caught a few butterflies. The thrilling screeches of "Auntie!!!! I just caught a butterfly!!!!!!!" will stick in my mind! I brought them a new "Complete Guide to Insects and Spiders" so it was fun to identify the bugs and butterflies that they were catching.

Thankfully I'm feeling better since I had a cold the first part of the week. It was so nice that my Mom came down and helped out over one night. The days were up about 100-105 F too so that made it worse - with no AC!!

It has been good to chat on the phone with friends while I'm home. I'm looking forward to next week with Mom and seeing friends at ASI. I'll be traveling for the next couple of weeks but I'm sure I'll still be online - of course!

Blueberries, Dirt Piles, & Sunshine

2009-07-25T13:47:00.001-07:00

Summertime! I've decided that I'm a warm-blooded person! It was cold for about 2 weeks in Malawi (cold is relative – down to about 50 F) before I came home to 80-90 F days! This is what I like! Since I've been home I've enjoyed spending time with my parents, brother & his family, and we even got to have a picnic at my uncle's house with my aunt from Southern Oregon. It was a treat to be able to share some stories and photos with them too! We've gone to pick blueberries 3 times in 2 weeks and have enjoyed eating most of them fresh! The garden is starting to produce now so we get excited to be able to have entire meals fresh from the garden! What a blessing! Of course there is the river on the hot days and sitting on the deck with a glass of ice tea on the long summer evenings (I forgot that the sun doesn't set until 9p here!).

I had to get some shopping in (after none for a YEAR!) and was excited to find some good deals at the outlet mall. Of course there are some fun clothes here at home that I've forgotten all about! Nicole and Randy are going on a 4 day cruise next week so she and I decided to go and get a pedicure. I am getting so spoiled – I guess it has to last for the next year so… I don't mind. J BUT I am watching the 3 boys for them while they are gone so it was nice to have a "girl's morning".

On Thursday I got the urge to "get away" so I found a hotel in Lincoln City and headed to the beach for the night and the next day! What a beautiful part of the country! I enjoyed the fresh salt air and the endless waves crashing on the rocks. I even found a few rocks to bring back to Ryan for his rock collection! Part of my time at home is needed to refuel and refresh to be able to face another year of work in Malawi. Not that the work is impossible but it is definitely draining emotionally and physically. With the encouragement of friends and family and some time with God I think that I will be able to function when I go back. I am reading a book called "A Long Obedience in the Same Direction" by Eugene Peterson – I recommend it!

I don't have much more news… I've done a presentation at the Woodland SDA Church and am planning to do a short presentation in Orlando at AHS. I will also be at ASI in Phoenix so if any of you are around there look me up. I am probably not getting a cell phone so email is the best way to contact me.

Almost Home

2009-06-30T09:06:00.001-07:00

I've waited for a long time to type that! Now just one week from tomorrow I'll be boarding a plane to go home for a visit. Some have asked if this is the "amen" of my time here. No – I'm only going for a vacation. I am looking forward to it in SO many ways – even more than I can list here. Mostly I'm looking forward to being with my family and resting. My emotional reserves are completely gone and I need to figure out how to refill them as well as just being physically tired. Of course there are things like Tillamook ice cream, fresh blueberries, camping, Mom's cooking that I can't wait for. I don't know how to explain it to you – if you have been somewhere like Africa for a long period of time you might understand. I will miss Malawi though – for sure! The friends I've made here and of course the dog and cat will be sorely missed.

While I'm home it would be great to see you but I'll have to admit that my priority is my family. I will be around though so if anyone is at the following places it would be great to connect!

July 11 – Woodland SDA Church Woodland, WA – I'm speaking for church about Malamulo and Malawi
July 18 – Oregon Conference Campmeeting – Gladstone, OR
August 5-9 – ASI conference – Pheonix, AZ
August 9-13 – Orlando, FL – hanging out with friends

I will still be online of course (probably much more quickly). I'll hopefully be getting a cell phone so that I can communicate with you. I ask for your thoughts and prayers as I wrap up this last week with meetings, board meetings, a volunteer group here and packing. Please pray for angels to fly with me as well.

More when I reach American soil.

Bella

2009-05-31T08:55:00.000-07:00

Meet Bella - cross between bull mastiff and lab/retriever. She is 9 weeks old and just came to live at our house on Friday. She already weighs 18 pounds and is destined to be a small horse soon! She prefers toes to chew on but will steal your heart with her big, gray eyes and long ears. Hobbes, the cat, is going through sibling rivalry and is learning to share his space all the while giving Bella the evil eye. We are happy to have a puppy but I remember again why I'm not a "dog person". :)

Wish I Were There

2009-05-31T08:35:00.001-07:00

Funny how whenever you find yourself there you end up wishing you were somewhere else… I've found myself in this boat many times. I have anticipated something coming soon – a trip, an event, a new job, new town – only that when I get there I find myself thinking somewhere else might be better. I guess that is why the phrase "the grass is always greener on the other side" rings so true. So today – I'm in Malawi – AFRICA – a place that many people only dream of visiting and I'm living here and working here! Today didn't go like I had planned – I needed to get to Lilongwe today but I couldn't get through to the bus company to make reservations this morning. (Phone systems in Malawi are less than ideal let alone people actually answering their phone.) So I decided to drive the hour into Blantyre for the 2 pm coach hoping there would be space. I got into town and found out the coach leaves at 4 pm and it was FULL. Then I decided to wait, hoping someone wouldn't show up but waited at the wrong place realizing about 2 minutes before the coach arrived that there was no way I would be able to get a seat on this bus. My only back up plan (since the hospital vehicle had long since gone) was to sleep in Blantyre tonight at some friends house who are at Malamulo but assure me they are coming back to Blantyre tonight.

After realizing all of this and making arrangements for the 7am coach tomorrow morning I walked over to a hotel across from my friend's house to wait. And this is where I find myself contemplating the "greener grass". You see I'm at a place called Ryalls Hotel which is like stepping into a Hilton. The contrast is startling. From the midst of the biggest city in a small, poverty stricken country into soft lighting, dark wood accents, air conditioning, soft American music playing, easy and fast wireless internet, and waiters bringing me coffee. This is not Africa. This is one of the only places I can come and actually not have someone come and chat with me or ask me 20 questions about my country of origin. I crave places like this. I long for a place to be anonymous; where no one is calling me "azungu" or "give me money" or "what is your name?" So the comfort of this place makes me wonder why… why do I want to be somewhere else besides the "normal" Malawi? Why do I look for these quiet havens with some resemblance of western life and culture? I've chosen and even been excited to come and live in Malawi and yet I find this place like a salve for my soul that at times feels overwhelmed by the cultural adjustments and demands.

I am feeling emotionally taxed these days by myriad of things. So I value these quiet spaces of comfort and a taste of the "greener pastures". I guess that is my answer although I am still learning to enjoy where I AM – with all the unusual questions and demands – and not longing for "there".

Elections

2009-05-17T09:49:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, May 19 are general elections in Malawi. We are hoping for a calm and peaceful week. Here are a few things I've learned about politics here:

There are two main parties - United Democratic Front (UDF), Democratic People's Party (DPP)
Presidents are in office for 5 years and can serve two terms
The current president - Bingu - is the DPP party and favored to win
The country is represented by MPs and they are all re-elected every 5 years as well
The House of Parliment is disolved in March of the year of elections and there are no representations in the capital for those three months until new MPs are elected
Almost everything halts until after the elections - especially government funded projects
Everyone has to register to vote and on voting day they go to their location early in the morning and stand in line - sometimes all day to vote.
Candidates get votes by giving gifts - soap, food, fertalizer, seeds, etc.

We are closing the outpatient part of the hospital (except for emergencies) on that day. Most employees will be gone voting anyway. I'm planning to just stay home mostly this week! The US Embassy recommends to stay away from urban areas and any public gatherings.

It will be interesting to see how it goes. We are guessing that the exchange rate with Dollars and GBP will change dramatically after elections. Even now there is almost no foreign currency available in the country which limits importing and is raising the price of supplies and food. Right now the bank rate is 140:1 USD but at the exchange houses it is 180:1 and we expect it to go over 200 with the bank rate going up as well. This just means that the Malawi Kwacha is losing value and that the cost of EVERYTHING will go up. Salaries cannot keep up with this inflation.

So if you were wondering - yes, the global economy crisis is effecting Malawi albeit slower than the western world. It is also effecting aid to the country which is what is propping up the economy. We are seeing our donors tightening their expenditures and being more cautious about how money is used. I expect it will effect the medicines and medical supplies eventually as well.

I guess we just wait and see ---

The Angry Giraffe and Co.

2009-04-30T08:41:00.000-07:00

A Break – FINALLY!

2009-04-23T06:44:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter to all! First I just want to say that the reason I have faith and believe in salvation is because of the holiday that was just celebrated. Although it was not really emphasized here at all I am still thankful for the death of Jesus and his resurrection from the grave. It is certainly reason to celebrate and rejoice in the gift of grace and salvation.

Because of the holiday I got a few days off of work and decided to take a much needed break. My friend here Ali (a VSO volunteer from the UK) suggested I look into Zomba Forest Lodge. She said it had a lot of "character" and that I would enjoy it. So I called and booked two nights there – Sunday and Monday – and came back Tuesday. It is an old colonial house half way up Zomba Plateau. It has been re-done into a guest house/lodge run by a man named Ronald from South Africa. He and his dog Obs live there and they have a staff that prepare the food, clean, and keep the grounds. There is no electricity although a warm shower and running water. It gets cold at night so my bed had a down comforter and there was a huge fireplace in the front room for the long evenings. Plenty of kerosene lanterns lit the rooms so I didn't even miss not having electricity.

I decided not to have an agenda while I was there so I enjoyed the beautiful flowers and grounds, laughed with the other guests who were there, read a book, took a nap, and just generally enjoyed my time there. On Monday morning I drove up to the top of the plateau (about 10 kms) and went horseback riding. It was a beautiful, cloudless day. The horse was wonderful and it was just a beautiful time. Then I ate a small lunch at a picnic spot along a creek while I read my book. (For good photos of the horses and Zomba Plateau visit http://web.mac.com//plateaustables.) I can't explain how it was but just being out in nature, with a clear blue sky, and peace and no agenda was amazing! I was a little "saddle sore" for the next couple of days, but definitely worth it!

At the lodge there were other guests – a couple from the UK, four from Norway, the South African owner, and myself. It was quite the cultural mix - made discussions around the dinner table and fireplace quite interesting. They were either there on holiday or working in Malawi with some kind of humanitarian project. The man from Norway is an orthopedic surgeon working at the government hospital in Lilongwe for a year. Another lady from the UK that came the next day is in Malawi for a year working with a project that provides meals for 350,000 children in primary (grade) schools around Malawi. It is funded by an organization in Scotland and she is running the whole thing.

Time has just flown by since this little "outing" of mine. We have been busy with 14 guests from Loma Linda, CA. Eleven of them were 4^th year medical students, along with Dr. Jim Matiko and his wife Becki. He is an orthopedic surgeon practicing in Loma Linda and their son was one of the eleven students. They just left today after being here for three weeks. They were a big help around the hospital and one of them said last night that she feels like she learned more this month than she has in all of her other rotations this year. We had fun showing them around Malawi a bit as well as eating with them, chatting, playing games, and a movie night thrown in. Dr. Matiko was a big help with several surgical cases and also got to volunteer in town at a couple of the hospitals there. He even got to attend an orthopedics conference where the highlight was treatment of crocodile bites!

One of the big things they did to help was distribute the 96 hospital beds that ADRA donated. I didn't realize how big of a job that would be but the students from Loma Linda worked hard to move the old beds out and put the new ones in their place. Some of the old ones can still be used so we are going to donate them to other mission hospitals or other facilities as well as keep some here for back up. The new beds came with nice, proper hospital mattresses too which will be a wonderful change from the 4" foam (or less) that they have been sleeping on. We are steadily working to make things a little bit nicer with new linens at the annex, new curtains (made from hospital divider curtains) and other little things around campus.

It has been busy with visitors lately. Cristy's parents were here for two weeks from West Virginia and we certainly enjoyed their visit. It was nice to have some "mom food" and I know they were especially encouraging to Cristy to have family here. Also while they were here Donna (her mom, and a nurse) helped organize injections for all of our employees for Hepatitis B vaccine. We had gotten it several months ago but hadn't been able to have staff available to give the injections. This is a huge benefit to our staff as it is good for life and something that no other hospital offers. Cristy's Dad was also a big help to her in the hospital doing rounds and some teaching. Donna also got really attached to Hobbes, her "grand-cat". He was certainly enjoying being spoiled with always a warm lap to sit on. We decided they should come and visit several times a year.

Today Faith Lukens and her husband Charles arrive from Kentucky for 10 days. Cristy and I went to Southern with her and she and Cristy lived together during med school. We are looking forward to their visit. In May there is a couple coming from Loma Linda looking at Malamulo as a possible place for mission service. They will be here for a week. We have various visitors for the day coming and going as well – ADRA Sweden is here today and back again next week to look at our water project. Also related to our water project, Wes & Chrislyn Lutz are coming with their two little ones to volunteer for 6 months to manage the installation of the new water system. They are planning to come the middle of May.

I find myself quite overwhelmed a lot with the role that I am in here – not just Malamulo but the other facilities in Malawi. There are certainly good things happening and the devil is causing some trouble. Please continue to pray for the personnel and leadership at Blantyre Adventist Hospital and Adventist Health Center in Lilongwe. I was able last week to spend some time with Florence who runs Adventist Health Services, the organization that has the 18 clinics around Malawi. Now that I have a car I am freer to spend the time in town that I need to. I hope to go in again and meet with their business manager soon. Their biggest challenge is maintenance of the buildings. They just got a 680,000 pound (~$500,000 USD) grant from the UK for a mother and children project that is running over 4 years. There are some excellent things happening there.

There and Back Again

2009-04-02T05:10:00.001-07:00

Well, well – where do I start? I don't want to write a book here but it has been almost a month since I've written anything. The major reason is because I was gone for five days on an AMAZING road trip around the country of Malawi!! This was somewhat last minute and unplanned – thus being all the more exciting! As I've mentioned before there is a group of college students planning to come to Malawi in June. As part of the trip they will be doing evangelism/Bible teaching meetings for 7 nights in the respective locations. A volunteer evangelist, Jonathan Leonard, has agreed to work with the students and coordinate the evangelism and so to do a better job at that he came to do some site planning for two weeks. Jonathan was here last summer for 2 months and actually met me at the airport when I arrived and then left a week later. So it is nice to have someone I know to work together on preparations for this trip. So – a long story shorter – we met with the leaders of the fields (like conferences) in Blantyre and realized it was imperative not only for him to go but for me to go as well to arrange for accommodations, volunteer projects, get costs of things, take photos and make vital contacts for when the students come. We are hoping to have 60 students and sponsors spread around 5 sites in Malawi doing a simultaneous mission trip. (I'm overwhelmed just thinking about it!!) Thankfully we were able to take our new car (perfect timing on having wheels) and Blantyre Adventist Hospital fronted the money for fuel for the trip! Jonathan and I drove about 2,000 kilometers in 5 days and visited 3 of the sites that are in the Northern part of Malawi. It is a beautiful country – now I can say that officially since I've seen all but the very northern part that boarders Tanzania. Thankfully we were able to meet with many people, make good plans, and we had no mishaps with the car. It ran perfectly – even through the 20 kms of deep mud that I got to try the 4WD out on! While coming back we drove along Lake Malawi for about 200 kms and thoroughly enjoyed the view along the way. Unfortunately Jonathan didn't have his license so I ended up doing all of the driving! Needless to say I was exhausted by the end of the trip and ready to stay put for a while!

Overall it was a great trip and even better that we got along well and didn't drive each other crazy! Jonathan is doing a good job organizing and coordinating the evangelism part of the trip and it was helpful for me to go along for the other parts as well. God blessed and I'm thankful to have someone like Jonathan to work with on this project and to travel around the country with.

Here are some photos from the trip:

L to R: the man who owns the land where we are going to hold the meetings at Lakeview, the pastor, and Jonathan.

Every good trip needs a photo of the road…

We stopped to eat lunch near this field of sunflowers.

The trusty car with Lake Malawi in the background

In other news –

Cristy's parents, Steve & Donna Shank are here for a 2 week visit from West Virginia. It has been so nice to have them here! Not only for the wonderful treats they brought us – it was like Christmas when they came – but also for the time to chat, hugs, "mom" food, and the blessing of having a full house. Cristy has certainly enjoyed having her family here and this weekend they are getting away to Liwonde Game Park to stay in the lodge for a few nights. Cristy certainly deserves some days away for a rest.

Yesterday I went to the airport to pick up a group of 14 people from Loma Linda. They are eleven 4^th year med students along with an orthopedic surgeon and his wife – here for three weeks. It certainly is fun to have more "azungus" around (white people). They all seem excited to be here although last I saw them they were quite exhausted. They will be here for three weeks so they will have some good times I'm sure.

BUNKBEDS!!! We had planned to have bunkbeds made for the large group coming in June and so decided we would try to get them done for this group of 14 that just arrived. Well procrastination seemed to catch up with us and suddenly Mr. Santos, in the workshop, only had one week to make 6 sets of bunkbeds!! Needless to say he did it!! He welded 6 sets of bunkbeds which doubled our capacity in the guest house from 6 to 12 – four in each room. They were generously provided by the SIMS department at Loma Linda University who originally built the guest house many years ago. Thankfully Mr. Santos is very creative and did a WONDERFUL job in a short amount of time! They were putting together the beds and putting the new mattresses on when we got back from the airport last night.

So yes - *deep breath* - there has been a lot going on. I have to admit that I'm close to exhausted. Between not sleeping in my own bed (it's in use by the Shanks) and all of the traveling and "busy-ness" of each day I am tired! There is also turmoil continuing at the other facilities in Blantyre and Lilongwe and that worries me. I am striving for the "peace that passes understanding" but have had a hard time finding it lately. Realizing that some days are more than I can handle and being allowed to struggle through them with the support of Cristy and Don and others has been a blessing. Please pray for me here and for wisdom and patience to deal with the daily challenges that come.

Welcome With Both Hands

2009-03-05T01:35:00.001-08:00

This morning Mrs. Petani came to my office asking if I could come with her to a youth HIV/AIDS awareness program that they were doing in a village about 5 kilometers from the hospital. Even though it was the last minute I cleared my afternoon and was able to go. It was literally at the end of the road! The road wound up and down some hills and the view was amazing out over the maize and tea fields. We ended up in the village at the school (one of the nicest I’ve seen here) and the kids were out in full force! Being the only white person there (and extra white at that) I felt like a celebrity might feel with everyone staring, waving, and trying to touch me. (It didn’t help that we were driving through the villages with a loud speaker on the back of the truck and the music cranked up!) I don’t like that feeling at all and it’s hard to explain to my Malawian friends that I would like to just blend in. As usual though, the welcome was very warm and friendly. The headmaster of the school greeted me and in the traditional way said, “You are welcome with both hands”.

The program was all in Chichewa but still entertaining and interesting. They have some older youth groups that do dramas for these programs and they are quite good! It is teaching basic things like where to go to get tested for HIV (Malamulo has a testing day in this village once a month), where to go to get treatment (ARVs), how husbands should accompany their wives for antenatal treatment, and other things. Many of the teaching tries to overcome the traditional and social stigma or mis-information that is out there. It is a long process to educate them but the programs done by Malamulo are well known and successful.

In other news – I’ve been busy so haven’t written here for a while. The biggest news of all is that Cristy and I have finally (after searching on and off for 6 months or so) found a car! It is a 1995 Toyota RAV4, manual transmission, 4WD. It is older but low mileage and to be honest, cars here are expensive so it is what we could afford. It is so nice even just to know we can go somewhere if we want to. The very next day after we got it was a public holiday so we took a road trip to a game park about 2 hours away (I’ve posted pictures from there before here). It was great!

Things at the hospital are going fairly well. God continues to bless us and some of the efforts that we started when I first came are now becoming successful. We’ve also just restructured some in the business office due to one person resigning so that is a positive change as well. As I was just telling the Business Manager, at times we have to move in faith and support the activities that are really bringing in the revenue and eventually we will pay off the other things we owe.

Many of you have asked how the meeting with the Malawi tax people went. We are still waiting to hear from the head office, but in the meantime they said “you’ve never kept your promises so we want to see the lump sum payment you promised”. Don and I took that to them last week so we are hoping to hear from them any time. It is nice that they are supportive and doing what they can to work with us. Thank you for your prayers related to this!

We have had another answer to prayer too – a few weeks ago four of us got together to pray specifically about the financial and personnel issues at the hospital. It was a wonderful time of worship and community. THE VERY NEXT DAY we got an unexpected check for a donation of $6,600 from Loma Linda Alumni Association!! Wow – and me being a little dense took a day or two to realize this was part of the answer to our prayer – though not all we are still SO thankful!

There are still areas of concern – specifically now at Blantyre Adventist Hospital. The employees are making unreasonable demands on the CEO and have even tried to strike. Don and I have been there several times for meetings and just to be as supportive as possible to our sister institution. I can’t share all of the gory details here but please remember the hospital and Kirby Kasinja specifically (the CEO) during these next few days. He is doing a good job but is extremely stressed.

I end with a photo of Hobbes and me. For some reason he loves to sit on my shoulders or whatever point is the most precarious. He causes trouble (as most teenage cats do) and knows when we aren’t looking to jump on the counters or try to climb in the fridge. But when he’s sleeping or tired he is very sweet and he loves to play. He has been a good companion and friend for Cristy and I. He makes us laugh and is practicing his hunting skills with bugs and worms. We are hoping he will be ready for rats soon but not sure the ceiling will hold up if we put him up there!

We are looking forward to lots of visitors in the next couple of months. I’m sure I’ll post more about that later!

Overwhelming Joy

2009-02-12T05:26:00.000-08:00

This week has been good for two reasons in particular…

One was Tuesday evening. We met after work as leadership for a time of prayer and reflection related to the hospital and the needs here. This is something I have been thinking about and feeling prompted to do for a few weeks and it finally worked out. Don had asked me to lead out so over the past week or so I had been thinking about how best to do this. We invited about 20 people but only four of us ended up meeting. [For those of you that know me well you know I’ve been involved in lots of different prayer experiences and learned and studied about prayer. But every time an opportunity comes like this I still feel a little bit nervous about how best to lead because each group of people and situation is so different.]

As I was thinking and planning during the past couple of weeks, I felt it was important to go step by step and incorporate scripture into prayers and listening. We first considered being in the presence of God (Revelation 4), then moved to confession of sins (Psalm 15 & 51), then making requests (Luke 11), and finally thanksgiving. It was just nice to pray together and it seemed like God’s spirit was present. Everyone participated and I think gained a blessing. I’m not sure if it will be a regular thing but it was a blessing to me to have friends to pray with. Some of the things we prayed about was the financial situation (asking for a miracle), guidance & wisdom, for the staff, for our sister institutions – Blantyre Adventist Hospital, and the clinic in Lilongwe.

The second thing that made this week good happened on Wednesday. This one is harder to explain but I’ll do my best. Ali had gotten several donations of children’s clothes and stuffed toys and decided that Wednesday was the day to give them away to the kids in the NRU (this is the ward for the malnourished children where food and care is provided free). The NRU is full right now with 21 kids because this is the “hungry time” where food is scarce and they are even more susceptible to being undernourished.

So we divided everything that she brought into 21 piles to be able to give them all out evenly. There were brand new socks, clothes, knitted sweaters, and small stuffed animals. Ali, the 4-5 employees and I passed out the piles to each mom and child. If I could put into words the smiles on the faces of some of the children I would – but it seems impossible. Before long every child had something new on – socks pulled up to their knees, a shirt 4 sizes too big or a pair overalls that didn’t even come together (size wasn’t really an issue apparently). Usually the kids who are here are not well and really unresponsive or scared of white people. But there was one little girl named Alice who had the brightest smile I’ve seen. As soon as she had her new shirt on her little face lit up! Ali and I were standing talking to her and making her laugh and it was so sweet.

In the bed next to hers was another little girl who had gotten a small stuffed teddy bear. She was hugging and rocking the bear like a baby with a huge smile on her face! How sweet! I can’t explain to you how unusual this is because the kids here are not used to having toys and usually when they get them they don’t know what to do. This little girl’s mom was playing with the bear and giving it back to the baby like any mom would do.

Ali and I just spent some time there after handing things out greeting the ladies and chatting with them in broken Chichewa. They were saying “zikomo” and “takhosa” which are “thank you” and “we are thankful”. By this time more people had come to the door to see what the commotion was and watch (even though they didn’t get anything). Pretty soon the ladies broke into song and they were clapping and some were dancing. I was clapping and laughing and just celebrating along with them – I have no idea what the song meant but that didn’t matter. It was clear this was an expression of overwhelming gratitude.

The amazing thing to me was just the thankfulness and joy that just spilled out of them. The music and movement came from their hearts and although we didn’t communicate through language it was clear to me how thankful they were. The “realness” of their appreciation was just overwhelming to me! Even if I had pictures I don’t think they could capture the feeling that is in my heart and the memory I will keep of that morning.

From that experience I caught a glimpse of the spirit that is flowing through the staff and patients of this hospital. The staff members at the NRU were just as excited as Ali and I at being able to share some nice things with the ladies and children staying there. I hope that this kind of energy and experience happens more often here. Through these times I am reminded that THIS is the purpose of our work here and THIS is what Jesus would have us do – to bring smiles to hungry children’s faces and to celebrate in the small gifts that come along.

Mission Moment

2009-02-05T07:07:00.000-08:00

AmeriCares is an organization that I have mentioned before that funds some community projects here at Malamulo. I work closely with two ladies there - Megan and Elikem. Recently Megan asked if we could send them a story for them to use in a 5 minute "mission moment" that they send to all departments on Monday mornings so that other areas can have a taste of what happens in the field at their partners. Today (the deadline for the story) I was finally able to get a story and I wanted to share it here. This is the reason I'm here...

Ethel Matewere’s home village is Khwethmule Village about 5 kilometers from the hospital. She is a divorcee with four children. In 2005 Ethel was tested for HIV/AIDS while she was pregnant and found to be positive. After delivering her baby and participating in the PMTCT Program her baby was tested at 18 months and found to be HIV negative. This was a success story for Ethel, her family, and the Malamulo Project. She was selected by her community in 2006 to be trained as a Home Based Care (HBC) volunteer. After attended HBC training as part of the AmeriCares project at Malamulo Hospital she has been working in her community for the past three years. She is now on ARV’s and is actively following the information given to her during her HIV counseling session. She is well and active with her family and community.

Upon joining the HBC program and completing the training she was given a backpack and a bicycle. Every month she comes to the hospital to submit her report and collect the supplies like gloves, drugs, and condoms to take back to the people in her village. Last month there were five people chronically ill with HIV/AIDS in her village and she was visiting them regularly (2 of which recently passed away). Her responsibilities include visiting the chronically ill, encouraging the ill people to go to the hospital as soon as possible, and teaching people how to prevent transmission of HIV/AIDS to their babies. The biggest encouragement to her community is when she is able to share her story of success and explain the process to the expectant mothers.

Ethel is also an active member of a mother support group at Malamulo Hospital. This group of 50-70 mothers is all HIV positive and some come from Ethel’s home area. Often these mothers are sick with infections and Ethel visits those within her community to care for them. When asked about AmeriCares Ethel said, “I appreciate the services that are being rendered for my community from AmeriCares through Malamulo Hospital.”

New Addition

2009-01-25T23:17:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken the other day. This little girl is SO adorable! Many kids are afraid of me and start crying if I look at them but she came up to me and held my hand! So sweet!! I had to take a picture!
The news of the past two weeks is that our household has been increased with a new baby. He cries and plays and eats a lot. He is also quite cuddly and loves to be close to us. Although I’ve seen several small children I would like to bring home (see above) this baby is a kitten – not a child (don’t worry, mom). :) He was born November 6 to Dr. Bateta’s cat and he looks like his momma. When we got him he was already litter box trained although he will eventually be able to go outside too. We have named him “Hobbes” and he is clever and wily just like his namesake of the comic strip. He chases anything that moves and loves to stand ">in between my feet when I’m cooking in the kitchen. This adds up to him being the definition of “under foot” and has gotten kicked, stepped on, and had his tail closed in the refrigerator door multiple times. We have been feeding him the small dried fish that are sold in the market – he can’t get enough of them. They have Whiska’s cat food too so that is a treat for him too. Overall he has become very snuggly and quite good company and entertainment. We are hoping he will be a good mouser and catch whatever is running around in our ceiling.

Other News:

Water Project – last week everything worked out last minute for Wes Lutz to fly down at the end of his trip to Gimbie hospital in Ethiopia and spend a few days looking at our water system and the project in progress. He is an engineer and works in a family business installing pumps and the electrical system going along with it. He and his wife have a passion for missions so we thought he would be invaluable as some leadership and consulting on this project. He was able to provide some good guidance and advice while he was here and he has gone home to discuss with his wife the possibility of coming back for an extended time to oversee the project. We are all just thankful to God for his hand in arranging the circumstances to make the visit work out.

Malamulo Hospital – this is malaria season so our hospital has been overflowing with children and adults both who have been sick. The government put a kink in our process by deciding the Central Medical Supply where we get much of our drugs and IV solutions closed from January 10 to March 5!! Suddenly we had to figure out how to purchase enough stock to keep us from running out before they open again. That put a big strain on our financial situation but thankfully we were able to scrape up the money. A common method is “rob Peter to pay Paul” – not preferable but seems to be our only option. The other big issue happening is the enormous debt for past errors that we owe the Malawi Revenue Authority. They have called a few times threatening to seize our assets but only because it is a hospital they hesitate. We owe about $150,000 USD for past things that happened and they fined us for. The difficulty is that people don’t like to donate money for debts but would rather donate for new projects and something more glamorous. It seems like a 500 lb gorrilla hanging on the back of the hospital that keeps us from getting ahead.

We have a new matron – Mrs. Kamwiyo – and she is such a blessing! She has started an ethics committee, meeting regularly with her staff, managing the housekeeping staff, and setting up training for the nursing staff. It is so nice to have someone capable and energetic in that position.

Other Facilities – this apparently seems to be the season of challenges both financially and personnel. I think because of my position I end up being a “sounding board” for many of the challenges that the leadership are facing. Often I don’t have any ideas or any way to help but I still feel bad for the stress they are facing. Please pray for the personnel at both the SDA clinic in Lilongwe and the SDA hospital in Blantyre. I am finding that greed and materialism knows no boundaries. Those in leadership at those institutions need strength and wisdom to know how to handle the challenges they are facing.

Mission @ Malawi – in November a few people from LLU came over to do a planning trip for the large student group coming over to Malawi in June. I have offered to help coordinate things on this end and be in touch with Emelly who is the main coordinator on that side. The background of this trip is that all 12 of the SDA colleges and universities in the US have decided to fundraise for the Malamulo College of Health Sciences. Their goal is $100,000 and they are close to $20,000 already. As part of this focus they are planning a large mission trip of about 5 people from each school estimating 60 people to come over the end of June for two weeks. The group will then be split into 5 locations around Malawi doing simple maintenance, clinical, and evangelism at each site. As you can imagine this is a huge logistical challenge especially when the person coordinating everything is in California. Hence my offer to help – I’m not sure if I am in over my head with this but hopefully it will work out smoothly.

Life in General - We got to watch the Innaguration this week live on CNN at a hotel in Blantyre. There was a group of Americans getting together and Cristy was invited so Don, Gail, & I tagged along. It was certainly a historical event and for some reason being in a foreign country makes me more interested in those moments and makes me feel patirotic.

Sue and Kelvin and 2 yo Lilee have moved into an apartment in Blantyre near the SDA hospital since he is working full time on their new ICU. This weekend I took them up on their offer of hospitality and am staying with them for a couple of days. I was getting to the point where I needed a break from everything so thought this would be a good opportunity. It has been nice to rest, eat yummy food, and just generally have a change of scenery. I’m continually thankful for good friends.

We are counting down the weeks until Cristy’s parents arrive in March. We mark the weeks – we are at 8 ½ now and we agree weeks are better than months – they change faster. This last week we also finally got our Christmas packages which was fun. My mom had individually wrapped many small gifts along with a variety of other goodies like packets of mayo, candles, soap, note cards, and other fun things. It is nice to feel loved and remembered. I have posted a photo of Cristy working on the ward with some patients. She will be featured on the flyer that the Loma Linda University Auxilary is making for a vespers in March. They are committed to raising $50,000 to help the Operating Rooms here at Malamulo.

Christmas Photos

2009-01-25T22:02:00.000-08:00

This was taken Christmas day - Cristy and I at the Sawyers - it was so hot! We aren't sweating we are "glowing"!
Clare Lawrence and Ali Buchanen are both volunteer nurses from the UK. Clare is up in Lilongwe now but came down for Christmas. They are both great to have around!

At the hospital Christmas party - me and Foster Chiwanda, the business manager trying to get into the holiday spirit.

Cristy and Dr. Mwafulirwa (try pronouncing that 10 times fast) greeting the staff at the Christmas party.

Creepy Crawlies

2009-01-11T01:19:00.000-08:00

Okay – well what would Africa be if there weren’t a whole bunch of weird bugs? With the rains coming to make everything green it also brings out every imaginable kind of bug. And if you think you’ve seen a big bug – just forget it – they NEVER freeze here so they just continue growing and growing until some are the size of a small dog !! A couple of months ago I had a horned beetle in my room on my curtain. That is probably the largest insect I’ve ever seen. The photo doesn’t do it justice! Cockroaches aren’t really that big of a deal anymore – although very gross still! With the rain the season of flying ants has come. These creatures come up out of the ground at night drawn toward the light and they fly around and eventually lose their wings and die. In the morning the porch (or your kitchen floor) are covered with wings and the bugs have disappeared. The locals like to catch them and fry them to eat with their nsima. Apparently they taste like peanuts!

The other day we saw a praying mantis in our kitchen which was kinda gross but we didn’t do anything about it. The next morning it was eating a fly so we decided to let it stay! We have several geckos that live on the walls and eat all kinds of bugs – mosquitoes, moths, termites, etc. The problem is that the other day I was making my bed and out from under my blanket on the floor was a lizard (this was not a gecko) about 10 inches long – black with a blue-ish tail. Yes it is harmless but I still screamed! It stayed in my room over night then I saw it the next morning. Last I saw it was hiding behind the stove in the kitchen – maybe it has been cooked by now.

Mosquitoes are also a menace here although they aren’t very big there are hordes of them. They carry a nasty strain of malaria which is currently infecting the majority of the children in the surrounding area. We have at least 10 beds in the hallway of the pediatric department with some beds holding more than one patient each! This past week or two the census has been between 60-80 just in peds! Imagine – each child has at least one guardian! We won’t even talk about what that ward smells like!

We were having dinner at Clare & Ali’s house the other day and suddenly Clare saw a scorpion on the floor! Yikes – that is actually scary! She dropped a big shoe on it and just left it till morning. We have plenty of spiders and occasionally they are scary looking too (although Cristy is sure that every spider is out to get her). The flat wall spiders don’t bother me but the big, ugly brown ones are worthy of the DOOM!! (bug killer) We keep a can handy in the kitchen and the bathroom for any bug that might encroach on our personal space.

Today I had a surprise – it was pouring rain and people were just milling around in the entry of the hospital watching the rain (seems to be the thing to do even if they are working inside – to just go out and stand and watch the rain). It had gotten dark inside with the rain so I went to turn on the light. The light switch is in a wooden box on the wall that looked like it was locked. There was something like a pull string on the edge to open the box. So I pulled the string and it was a praying mantis – not a string!!! I shrieked (quietly, mind you) but there was a group of guys standing right next to it that just busted up laughing at me. The bug flew away and was fine, but I was startled! I turned around and they were still giggling so I gave them a hard time and said, “no laughing!” Ewww I can still feel the bug in my fingers – it was kinda cool to the touch and a little squishy. Oh well – glad to be some entertainment!

The other gross thing that comes out in the rain is the snails. They are giant sized here and their shells are more like – well I can’t describe them. They are like slugs with shells and they are “snails on steroids” as Cristy says. They climb up the windows or are in a heap procreating somehow. They are disgusting!

Well before I gross myself out any more I’m going to stop this discussion! Let me just say that my tolerance is being tested AND I am enormously grateful for my mosquito net that keeps all kinds of creepy crawlies out of my bed at night!!!

“Chakha Cha-bueno!!” (Happy New Year!!)

2009-01-05T06:39:00.000-08:00

“Can you believe it’s 2009 already?” How many times have you asked that question in the last week? Well for me it’s been several times at least. If you indulge me, I remember when it just turned 2000 and I thought that 2010 seemed SO FAR away and now it is only one year! I am sure everyone feels the same! 2009 has some depressing parts since it is the year that I turn 30 which may or may not be traumatic (I haven’t decided yet). But in general I am excited at the prospect of a New Year, new start, and fresh possibilities. I have found that many people here in Malawi are more excited about the New Year than Christmas. To them, understandably, it is a marker of time and they spend the day celebrating life and the blessings of God that has preserved them for yet another year. This is poignant in this society where death (usually premature) is so prevalent and almost “normal” or expected. Celebrating life is very important when so many friends and family members have already died. Many attend a church service on New Year’s Day and then enjoy a special meal with rice, chicken, and beans (all very special in the villages).

My New Year celebration consisted of a potluck dinner on n. y. eve and then going to bed reading a good book, pretty exciting huh? The week between Christmas and New Year (up to today – Sunday) has really been slow for me at the hospital since many people are gone and businesses were closed. In some ways it was nice because it felt like I got a bit of a break but not a REAL break because most days I at least came to the hospital and/or had people coming to my house with questions.

Wednesday (n.y. eve) Cristy and I went in to Blantyre to pick up Don S and his wife Gayle (aka “Mrs. Don”) from the airport. They are happy to be here and Gayle is experiencing Malawi for the first time. She is a sweet lady and is anxious to get involved at the college where she has some experience in the past. She has taught and been the school counselor in many different settings. It is neat to hear her stories and have a woman’s perspective on mission life. She and Don have been missionaries all over the world for about 30 years. I’m also glad to have Don back to help with the hospital.

Speaking of the hospital – I hesitate to even type this because I don’t want it to be a “fluke” – but December brought many blessings financially to the hospital. We were able to purchase the needed medicines for cash, pay salaries before Christmas, and most of all pay our current payroll tax to the Malawi government. One employee who has worked here for 21 years told me that this was the first time in 5 years that he remembers being paid before Christmas. As to our payroll taxes – yes I realize that this is illegal – but we have not been paying our current monthly tax for at least all of 2008 if not longer. In addition to that we owe several million kwachas in fines, but they were most concerned that we aren’t paying the current tax. All I can to is praise God and give Him the glory!! This seems to be the result of our lay-offs that happened in October so I am hoping that it continues. I am mostly just amazed at God’s grace and mercy – even when we have made so many mistakes and bad decisions, when things are put right He blesses! This does not mean the financial challenges are over – we have A LONG way to go but what is encouraging is to see small improvements.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. The writer of Lamentations says that God’s mercies are new every morning… sort of like a New Year I guess. The past is gone and all that lies before is the unknown and a clean slate. After looking back over 2008 I have to say that I have no idea what will happen in 2009.

Explaining Christmas

2008-12-24T02:53:00.000-08:00

It’s that time of year – what’s referred to as “the holidays”. Now that I find myself in a country and culture that is not my own, I am redefining Christmas and what the essential pieces are of “the holidays”. What I mean is that since I’m not surrounded by the western “hustle & bustle” of the whole month of December (or really since the end of October) I find myself evaluating what it is about these special times of year that I miss and what it is that makes them special. There have been a few times when I’ve tried to explain these things to my Malawian friends only to get blank stares and to realize they don’t understand the essence of what Christmas means to me.

Adventists in general here don’t celebrate Christmas except for the gift they might get from their employer or the possible relatives that come for a meal and don’t forget the public holidays granted by the President (more on that later). Otherwise Christmas is considered irrelevant because, after all, Jesus was not born on December 25!! Some I’ve heard even going out of their way NOT to have a special meal on that day to show disdain for such random date setting.

So the essential things that I miss and that I think are the important part of this season is obviously being with family – not just being around on “the day” – but really BEING with them – eating, cooking (especially those two), playing, reading stories, sitting by the fire, explaining the mysteries of Santa, hauling wood, and all the other wintery things that make up life at home (I realize this isn’t the same for everyone – I can only speak for myself and my “home”). I think it is also the comfort of knowing you are surrounded by those who love you and who you love and re-affirming those relationships. I don’t understand how all the traditions of Christmas build those relationships – it’s a mystery to me – but I know it does and that is what I miss. It is also a time of remembering and valuing the gift of Salvation that was given by Jesus coming and being “God with us”.

Although the things above are what I’m used to and what seems “Christmas-y” to me, this year it will be different. I haven’t bought presents for anyone. Christmas morning we (ex-patriots) are going to hand out gifts that were donated for the patients here and some knitted baby caps for the newborns. Then in the afternoon we will get together for a meal and a few games at Sue and Kelvin’s house and probably dessert and carols at Cristy’s and my house. Our house is decorated with lights, candles, and a potted palm with bells – and with Christmas music it does seem festive. But I guess as mentioned above – those decorations and food are not the essence of Christmas for me.

As to public holidays (i.e. where all businesses shut down) – the President of Malawi is fond of announcing public holidays about a week before they happen. So last week on Thursday he announced that the 24^th through the 2^nd of January would ALL be public holidays. This wouldn’t seem like a problem except that EVERY employee expects to be paid for all of these days – whether they work or not. So where we originally had planned two public holidays on the schedule, we all of a sudden have seven!!! Needless to say some employees nearly revolted when we told them that only those who work would be compensated! This kind of grasping and striving goes a long way to negate the Christmas spirit that I had.

This post is sort of muddled with some random thoughts on Christmas and maybe that’s why it’s hard to explain to people here because there are so many aspects. I’m thankful for many things – having a friend like Cristy here, seeing small improvements in the Hospital’s business, having made it through another year of life, having plenty of food and clothes and even some to share, and many other things. But I feel like it would be unfair to say that there is not a bit of sadness and loneliness in my heart this Christmas season. So for now I think I’ll finish making my pita bread and go to the hospital to post this online. Merry Christmas to all!

Prayer

2008-12-11T00:40:00.000-08:00

Prayer is such a comfort and I find that it continues to be the source of strength to me on days that I don't think I could manage otherwise. Before coming to Malawi I have had various opportunities to experience prayer in different settings and see its power to heal, bring peace, show direction, and be a way to encounter God in a tangible way. As I prepared to move to Malawi I wondered how these experiences would translate into a different culture and if I would have an opportunity to share some of the things I've learned - those opportunities are yet to be discovered. But in the meant time I continue to find shelter and peace in the “hiding place” of prayer. As I pray I am reading through the Psalms and find a depth of prayers and promises that speak to my situation at different times.

I wish I could share with you the ways that God has encouraged me and spoken to me – but they are too detailed and personal to explain. I just feel honored and blessed to be able to communicate – both speaking and listening – to the God of the Universe!

I have come across a few quotes recently that have encouraged me…

When Jesus was upon the earth, He taught His disciples how to pray. He directed them to present their daily needs before God, and to cast all their care upon Him. And the assurance He gave them that their petitions should be heard, is assurance also to us. E. G. White

To pray is to take notice of the wonder, to regain a sense of the mystery that animates all beings, the divine margin in all attainments. Prayer is our humble answer to the inconceivable surprise of living. It is all we can offer in return for the mystery by which we live. Rabbi Abraham Heschel

I found this prayer the other day and it seems so appropriate for the work here among different cultures and viewpoints. There are at least 5-6 different countries represented in the staff here at the hospital at the management level – it is not merely my American vs. Malawian cultures. So I close with this prayer:

“O Maker of Worlds beyond us,
help us to live in the world we know
in peace with one another,
a kaleidoscope of nations,
a patchwork quilt of ways and wills
that rise from the depths of cultures
created by Your love.
Open us to the richness
of one another's vision
and the good we can accomplish
when we share one another's views.
We pray this prayer of unity and peace
in the hope of Shalom.”
Amen

Thanksgiving

2008-12-04T01:51:00.000-08:00

There are many things to be thankful for and I'm sure this past few weeks you've made your own list. It was fun to share some of the Thanksgiving traditions with our friends here at Malamulo. Cristy and I are the only Americans here currently so we decided to invite people over and prepare a traditional thanksgiving dinner for them. We didn't have turkey (but we saw one the next day! see below) but we had butternut squash soup, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole along with pumpkin and pecan pies. Mostly though the nice part was sharing a meal and being together with people from all over the world. I counted afterward and realized we have people from 5 continents at our table. Masa, our house worker, and his family came and after dinner he said, "I think this might be what heaven will be like." That really was touching to me and I think I might have to agree! We had plenty to eat and were left with a pile of dishes at the end.

This was the table set up in the living room.
Cristy drowning her sorrows in sparkling cider (yes, non-alcoholic - don't get any crazy ideas :) ). Notice the piles of dishes behind her waiting for us to wash.
This is the turkey that got away. One of the only ones we've ever seen in Malawi - it was up at Mulanje.

The next day (Sabbath) Cristy and I borrowed Don's car and drove to Mt. Mulanje (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulanje_Massif) and escaped into the wilderness for some R&R. We parked at Likhubula Lodge at the base where they have chalets and guest houses for retreats and vacations. Trails start off from there to explore the mountain. There is a waterfall about an hour's hike up with a pool at the base so we made our way up there and after nearly overheating on the way up we were happy to plung into the chilly water. It was so nice to be in nature and get away for a few hours. Here are a few photos:

This is the waterfall and the pool. Apparently the pool has no bottom or it is so deep no one has found it!Yes - that is me on the lower left - floating watching the clouds and birds fly by.

Beautiful Iris type of flowers growing directly out of the ground.
Colorful lizard - maybe a confused chamelion?

Yesterday we broke out the Christmas decorations and the Christmas music and turned our house into a comfy holiday place. We even have a fireplace to hang our stockings on. We are using a potted palm tree for our Christmas tree - complete with little bells hanging from it! I'll post some photos of that later. It is a fun time of year to reminice about family traditions and join in the expectation of the soon coming of Jesus. I think reflecting on the first coming of Jesus reminds me how soon his second coming is. Cristy and I are doing daily readings for the Advent calendar. It is a nice way to absorb and welcome the season.

Missing you all and hoping you have a wonderful holdiay season with your friends and family.

A Few Photos

2008-11-26T01:33:00.000-08:00

Thought I would just post some photos of recent events/activities:

A container arrived last Monday and these photos are guys unloading. I couldn't watch for long because they were just tossing everything off the trucks unless it was heavy or looked important.

Three nice gurneys were put to use the same day! We also got an O2 concentrator, ultrasound, suction machines and an ECG.

This is Jessica, Julia, & I at a fireworks display a couple of weeks ago. They were two peds residents here for 2 weeks.

The next photos are from Nyala Park where they have lots of giraffe. I took many more photos but only posted a few...

Yes - me with the giraffes. :)
And a little baby - so cute!

Things are stressful here - I'll be honest. But on the other hand I have many things to be thankful for. On Friday Cristy and I are going to have a thanksgiving dinner with friends here at Malamulo. It will be nice to celebrate and relax with everyone. We also just had 3 people from LLU come for a few days to plan a big trip with college students next summer. It is always nice to have visitors and the encouragement they bring.

Blessings to each of you and thank you for your emails and prayers - especially the prayers. Some days I feel like I'm in the bulls-eye of the great controversy! I'll write more later...

Almost 4 Months - email

2008-11-26T00:50:00.000-08:00

This is an email I sent last week - thought I'd post it here:

Hello Friends & Family,

I hope this finds you all well and enjoying the chilly days of autumn! I have to remind myself that it is fall at home and that Thanksgiving is around the corner. Signs of Christmas are loud and clear here. If you drive along the road every 5 miles is a police check point where they are collecting "christmas" (i.e. finding any tiny thing wrong with your vehicle and charging you). Then at Shoprite and Game (the two chain stores from South Africa) in Blantyre you see gaudy Christmas displays everywhere. Consumerism is no respector of countries, bank accounts, or people.

I just realized the other day that it has been almost four months since I came to Malawi! I can hardly believe it! Time has flown by which, I think, is a good thing! I've been updating my blog almost weekly, but in case you haven't been there I wanted to just send a brief note to let you know I'm still alive. Things are continuing on here at Malamulo and we are seeing a few glimmers of hope here and there. In October I got a change of scenery and spent a few days in Lilongwe at the SDA clinic there. Part of my responsibilities is to help the other health organizations under AHI and they needed some help so I was there for a few days. Cristy ended up having a meeting up there too for something else so we spent a day or two in the capital city with a friend from the UK who is volunteering with VSO (like Peace Corps).

Recently we had two pediatric residents here from Loma Linda Medical Center. They did a two week rotation and helped tremendously at the hospital since we don't have any pediatricians on staff. It was fun to have them around and they kept me company the week that Cristy was gone to South Africa for Faith's wedding. On Friday last week a group of us went with the residents to a game park a couple hours away and saw lots of giraffe, zebra, impala, bush buck, and monkeys along with a few other things. The park is small but nice to see these animals. Also they had a picnic area overlooking a swamp where we had lunch under some shade. What a lovely day although over 100 degrees!!

Some exciting news today - a container from the organization Give Children Hope (www.gchope.org) based in LA arrived today. This container has been quite a headache to get through customs since this is the first one from this organization to Malamulo. Unfortunately it has cost the hospital over $2,500 compared with most that usually only cost less than $500. It is full of wonderful things though and I am excited to go dig through it tomorrow. It is such a blessing that organizations are able to get donations and forward them on to places like Malamulo. It is a huge benefit. We also get a lot through AmeriCares (www.americares.org).

Life is okay in general. Our ceiling is still not fixed and even more panels have fallen (but not on my head, thankfully). We are seeing more patients coming to the hospital with the rainy season starting and malaria coming. Also our clinic in Blantyre is getting more busy with the doctors back and getting established here. Cristy will mark one year of being here at the end of November! Don is back in the states until the first of December for his son's wedding. I'm acting CEO again while he is gone. In October we also laid off about 40 people from the hospital payroll and are starting to see some savings from that - financially. It was not without it's backlash. About 2 weeks after doing the lay-off our biggest pump was stolen from a well that supplies water to the campus. It cost about $1,000 to replace and on top of it the thieves threw a pipe and big rocks down the hole. It took us about 3 weeks to figure out how to get the pipe out and the rocks broken up so that the hole was still useable. We are continually looking for ways to improve things overall, and I know there is so much potential!! God is faithful and he reminds me of that frequently! (Lamentations 3, Ps 104)

Thank you for your continued prayers, emails, and encouragement. I even got a few packages the other day which made me so excited!! Thank you to those of you who are sharing stories and news about Malamulo to your friends and churches. There is so much need and the more people who know, the better. I am blessed to have such a wonderful group of people to support me while I'm here. May God bless you all individually in special ways.

Miss you and Happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
Elisa

Life...

2008-11-08T22:09:00.000-08:00

Today is Friday and Cristy and I both actually have the day off! I am doing my best to avoid going down to the hospital at all. Most Fridays I seem to end up in Blantyre running errands but today I’m staying home and “mucking about” as Cristy says. We just got back from the Makwasa market where I bought a cabbage and 5 mangoes. It cost all of 75 cents (100 kwacha). The mangoes are starting to get ripe here and they are yummy! We took Julia and Jessica who are peds residents from Loma Linda Medical Center visiting for 2 weeks to the market too. It was fun to pretend to be a tourist with our cameras for a little bit. I may have written about this before, but I really enjoy shopping at the little market there. It is not tourist-y at all – there are no carvings or random things white people might buy, but rather it is a really the place local villagers shop on a daily basis. Now, since I’ve been here for a while I know several people who are there shopping as well. I like that and somehow I feel more a part of the culture and LIFE here by going there and shopping. Granted, I also buy things in Blantyre at the shops that get their wares from South Africa which most villagers don’t do – but still…

Wednesday was the first heavy rain… I was home for lunch and all of a sudden the sky turned dark pewter grey and I could hear thunder in the distance. The clouds were swirling, a wind picked up, and pretty soon the gigantic rain drops came down. It was amazing! Masa and I were rushing around closing the windows and doors to keep the rain outside. It was so loud I looked out and saw it was actually hail! With part of the ceiling in the kitchen missing the rain and hail was deafening on the tin roof. Cristy wasn’t home yet and as I guessed she got caught in the downpour walking home and came in dripping wet! Everyone is happy that the rains are coming because it means they can plant maize and once again have enough food for the next year. They wait until one or two heavy rains before planting so that the ground is good and wet. But fields everywhere are dug and in neat rows ready to be planted this month.

*Now it's Sunday*
Last night we had an adventure - in the UK they celebrate "Guy Hawks" day on the Saturday night closest to November 6 with fireworks. So the Thyolo sports club (i.e. where rich white people go to play golf, watch rugby, and drink beer) was holding a fireworks show and dinner so we (Kelvin, Sue, Jessica, Julia, & I) decided to go. The fireworks was actually pretty good and the food was edible as well. I was hoping to meet some ex-pats from the area but everyone seemed to know each other and since we were sitting in the dark it didn't help the socializing much. It was interesting, but not a place I'll probably frequent.

So life continues on here – occasionally I have to remind myself that I am actually LIVING in Africa. Not that it seems like it’s the US (the falling ceiling, lack of water, and sweltering heat remind me that I’m not in the US) but I guess it just sometimes seems surreal that I’m actually living here; to believe that somehow God has made a way for me to be here to try and make a contribution to the mission here. It is humbling to be called and used in this way. Very often I wonder if I am making a difference but then I am reminded of the steps that brought me here and how God was clearly leading so I trust in that leading and continue with my daily work.

I appreciate the notes of encouragement and the prayers that I know are offered regularly. Some of you have shared of your financial resources as well and I can't thank you enough.

"Pang'ano, Pang'ano"

2008-10-29T06:32:00.000-07:00

Pang'ano, Pang'ano is "Slowly, Slowly" in Chichewa. I recently added this word to the chichewa dictionary in my head. I think it fits the Malawian culture and approach to things perfectly. There is almost never any urgency or emergency in life here. I have seen people hurry occasionally but even in a big hospital like Malamulo we don't have an Emergency room!! It is the same with the business side of things - when I think of whether we are making progress or not "slowly, slowly" seems to fit. There are a few glimmers of hope -

Last week we made arrangements with the only pathologist in all of Malawi (who has an office in Blantyre) to send him specimans from the hospital for a flat fee (approx. $35 USD) since the patients are so poor. This rate is still out of reach for some but encouraging at least to have the option for patients.

We also arranged with a pharmacy supplier to provide drugs that are needed at the clinic in Blantyre. We struggle to keep the stock they need there and since this provider is located a few blocks away it will make the service much better. This will also be helped by the loan of 1 million Kwacha (~$6,600 USD) to give us a basis for purchasing the items. The income from the sales will go back into that account and [hopefully] continue to fund the supplies for the clinic.

The challenges come when the guys from the pharmacy supplier don't follow through when they say they will and we have issues setting up the bank account to keep this loan and "jump start" money for the clinic.

I am happy to report that we purchased 30 brand new mattresses for some beds in pediatrics with some money that my friend Melissa donated. Those arrived a couple of weeks ago and just today when I wandered through they are starting to be used! Also we got 7 exam tables donated by World Vision and are getting 52 new hospital beds with mattresses donated from ADRA!! We also have another container that has arrived in Blantyre from the organization "Giving Children Hope" (www.gchope.org) that should be here this week.

All of these things add up to be really positive for the hospital... and I try to keep that in perspective but it is easy to get bogged down in the details and the incompetence of individual people. There have been days this week when I've had to be firm and direct with people to be sure that the importance of the issues is communicated. This goes back to the first comment that there is no urgency about anything!!! Daily reports, assignments to be done, patient bills and accounts done correctly (all manual) - nothing seems important or serious!! To my western mind this is completely frustrating, as you can imagine! **deep breath**

It is CRAZY hot today so I think Cristy and I are going to head home early. Going home and being comatose and a glass of lemonade sounds very appealing!! Until later ---

A Wedding

2008-10-25T23:18:00.000-07:00

The longer I wait between writings the more there is to say – I apologize in advance for my long-windedness.

Wedding Bells!

To add to my cultural immersion of late, I attended a Malawian wedding the other Sunday The ceremony itself was nice – held in the Malamulo church with many attendants (lots of children) who marched/sached/danced down the aisle. There was a choir that sang a couple of special wedding numbers, a unity candle, the flowers were artificial but the bride was beautiful. There was a hug after pronouncing them husband and wife. A kiss would have been way too much “PDA”. The reception was held about 2 hours later (after everyone went home for lunch). The DJ played music from huge speakers with the MC calling various people up for pictures with the couple or to give gifts. While up front they had to dance to the music while tossing money into baskets held by the bride and groom. Explaining it in words doesn’t do it justice and I’m sure you’d fall over laughing at us trying to dance. They called up the “white folks” and so we presented our gift and then had to toss money into the baskets. It was Cristy, Ali, me, & Demitrio. I’ll just say that we were all laughing at ourselves and each other!! Most people threw in 20 kwacha notes which is about 10 cents so there was money flying everywhere with us laughing at each other! Then after a few minutes more people came up and joined us. We made a lot of people laugh and the next day at the hospital it was all people could talk about and tease us about.

The interesting thing about the money dance is the freedom and joy that was on the people’s faces. It struck me (and maybe this is deeper than it really was) but this is one chance when you really feel generous with someone and a chance to give away something to help others. When you are so poor, like the Malawians, it is not often when they can be carefree and just fling money around. What an amazing gift and chance to celebrate with each other as family and friends. I was so glad to be a part of the celebration. The bride and groom made quite a bit that day – over $1,000!!! That is a lot of 20 kwacha notes! We have heard many times and even from the groom how much it meant to them for us to be part of the celebration and join them. What a special chance!

Investigative” Accounting

I admit openly that I have never done auditing and it is not my forte to find what is wrong in the accounting processes. However the AHI-Malawi board requested that I visit the Adventist clinic in Lilongwe and do a bit of analysis on their processes related to inventory. So last week was the appointed time and I took a bus up on Wednesday the 4 hour ride. The clinic is made up of dental and medical services. There is a couple from the Philippines who are both dentists and have been there 8 years. The medical doctor is Malawian and has been there about 4 years. I hope that the suggestions I made will a) be implemented and b) be helpful. My feeling is that once they are in place if there is anything questionable going on it will come to light.

Cristy ended up having a meeting on Thursday in Liliongwe too so she stayed with me at the guest house and we both came back Sabbath afternoon. On Friday after I worked in the morning we went with Clare (a volunteer from the UK that used to be at Malamulo) and she took us shopping, out to eat, to a used book store, and we even found a place to get pedicures! Lilongwe is the capital of Malawi so the base for many NGO’s and ex-patriots so for a couple of days we got to feel like we actually weren’t in Malawi which was nice for a change. I even stepped on US soil when I went to the US Embassy to register. I also did my civic duty and cast my ballot for the presidential elections. I admit though, that by the time we got home on Sunday I was happy to see my bed and have my own space. Our little house feels like “home” and that is a comforting feeling.

There continues to be many challenges and recently our creditors have been calling me directly asking for payments on our accounts. Thankfully we had some money set aside and today we were able to pay about 1 million kwacha on our debts (~$7,000). That is a good feeling!! This last week we were able to make some arrangements to provide pathology reports for our patients at a reduced rate (from the one pathologist in the whole country). We also are going to have a pharmaceutical company manage the inventory of drugs and supplies at our clinic in town. This will be a major boost to the business there since people have been going to other pharmacies to get their prescriptions filled since we haven’t had the stock to sell to them. Slowly things might be looking up although I hesitate to get my hopes up too much.

Cristy is doing well. She is on call this week so it’s always more demanding. Fortunately the hospital is only a 5-10 min walk from our house so she doesn’t have to stay at the hospital. Last week she had a patient in her 30’s with Acute Leukemia and it was just sad because there is nothing that can be done here for her – even in the states her prognosis is bad – but in Malawi there is absolutely no treatment. Cristy had to break the news to her that she would die within 3-4 weeks which was understandable very difficult.

She (Cristy) has officially been appointed the Chief of Medicine so is continually challenged with the management side of the medical staff and various responsibilities. We laugh about how we are both inexperienced and have found ourselves in these leadership positions. It is sort of like the “blind leading the blind” sometimes. Thankfully we are confident in God’s strength and wisdom so that gets us through the tough days. We are glad to have each other and that we get along so well – what a blessing!!

I’ll close for now – there is so much more to write. Until next time --- e

Photos of My House

2008-10-11T22:49:00.000-07:00

I've been delinquent in posting photos around the house... Here are a few hopefully it gives you a little better idea of where I live...This is the front porch. We live on the end of a tri-plex.
This is the front room. Notice the end of the piano on the left.We do have a fireplace but are not sure if it works. The carving on the left is a solid piece of wood and it is of a lady bending over with a baby on her back - very typical of actual life.
The kitchen - the stove is on the right just out of the photo and to my left is a small kitchen table.This is the view out the kitchen window. When it is a clear day we can see the villages down in the valley.
My room...
Just PART of Cristy's book collection. Never fear about my supply of books! This was before she brought back a crate of new books. Yes we also have a tv and DVD player.

I have to say I'm spoiled and really don't have much to complain about. I am thankful every day for being able to share a home and life with Cristy. We continue to make yummy food in the kitchen and are hoping to create a comfortable home that is welcoming to everyone.

It would be fun to have you visit "for real" but hopefully the photos help a little bit.

Observing Malawian Grief

2008-10-11T22:41:00.000-07:00

Another week of experiencing life here in Malawi - this time it was a little more somber…

The Business Manager (i.e. Controller), Foster’s, elderly father was here in the hospital with a dislocated foot after a fall several weeks ago. After initially refusing hospitalization and trying some home remedies he came back to the hospital and was admitted with some large burns on his lower leg and foot as well as the bones still out of place. Monday morning Foster came to me saying they were going to surgery to amputate his father’s foot! I was surprised – not realizing that gangrene had set in and the only thing to be done was cut it off. I went to the ward and prayed with the family before he headed to surgery – feeling bad and wishing there was more I could do.

Later in the day, around 3pm the chaplain/HR director came and found me to tell me that the old man had died in the operating room. I later found out just as they were starting to cut he stopped breathing. They did CPR and compressions for about an hour before Foster told them to stop. His father was almost 90 years old and earlier in the day had told them he was dying and that he was ready. It seemed like his “time to go”. I felt so sad and just had a hollow feeling in my stomach. We went and told Don and talked about what the hospital would do for Foster in this situation. I asked if it was appropriate for us to attend the funeral and the chaplain confirmed my thought that it was.

Not sure what to do or how to be helpful I went on about my “rounds” and was playing with a beautiful baby outside maternity when one of the CNA-types came to find me. She asked if I had heard about Foster’s father and then said there was a group of people waiting outside the OR for the body to come out and be transported to the morgue. [Note of Explanation: The morgue is located at the far end of the hospital and whenever a patient dies the family and “guardians” accompany the people transporting the body to the morgue. There is no way or desire to hide the procession. The grieving is loud and very noticeable to the rest of the hospital.] I told her I wasn’t sure what I should be doing and asked if I should join that group. She confirmed that I should go and be there.

I felt out of place but joined the group of mourners (family and employees) waiting. They were quiet, some quietly crying. When the body came out on the gurney and we started our walk I trailed behind and just tried to absorb the process. By now the news of this death had spread around the hospital and many staff came out of the wards and just watched as we walked by. Although they couldn’t leave their duties they took a moment to be present as the family and the body came by. There is a covered place next to the morgue for families to wait until they can transport the body where we gathered and sat quietly except for the daughter-in-law of the man who died. She was the only one crying loudly.

I stayed there for about an hour… just sitting. People came and went it seemed like they came to show support and when they felt they needed to get back to their responsibilities they would go. Women took turns comforting the lady crying [Note: all of the women sat together on the ground while the men sat in the wall window openings/seats – except for me] and everyone else was just quiet. I thought at one point, “well there is nothing I can do, so I should go” then I realized there is nothing anyone can do – that isn’t the point. The point is just being here and being present in this grief of the family. The vision of the culture in this situation was beautiful – as Americans we strive, write books, and even create a whole industry in being “present” and “slowing down” and here it is normal life! People stopped what they were doing and what was most important that afternoon was to be present for this part of the Malamulo family. I started to think they should all get back to work, but then really – what is important here?

Wednesday was the funeral… we drove about two hours away to the home village of the family where everyone was gathering. When I asked what I should wear I was told color didn’t matter but I definitely needed a chitenge (3m length of cloth that is wrapped like a skirt over the top of whatever is worn – it is also multi-purposed for carrying babies on the back, keeping warm, etc). There were more than 200 people gathered and the family is expected to feed all of the visitors the day of the funeral. Don and I sat in the chairs under the mango tree with some other “VIP-types” (apparently the place of honor since no one else had chairs). After some time a small group of us were taken to a house and fed nsima, beans, and cabbage (normal local fare). Then after waiting for a while longer the ceremony started. There were a few speeches, some songs by a choir, laying wreaths on the coffin and then we all walked to the graveyard nearby; again more speeches, family ceremoniously putting a bit of dirt on the coffin and then the grave diggers quickly burying the coffin. It seemed like the sermons emphasized hope and heaven and encouraged people to stay close to Jesus as he is the “resurrection and life”.

Death seems to be so common here that at times I wonder if people are immune to it. Their grief is expressed differently than I’m used to so it sometimes seems like they are not grieving. I had a discussion about this with Foster not too long ago, and he said that he does feel like he has become used to it more since working at the hospital since it happens so frequently. But he also explained for himself anyway, when his mother died he cried openly for about a week or so but it took him a full year to stop crying in the privacy of his home.

Before coming to Malawi there were different things going on that made me more aware of the pain of other cultures. One was the earthquakes in China; another was some pictures we had at Convocation in IL. Both made me realize that people in all cultures experience love and pain but express it differently. Just because they don’t cry the same as I do doesn’t mean that they love their families any less or are less affected by death. I value this insight (although it seems obvious) because I want to have compassion for people and to feel the pain that they do when their loved ones are sick or dying. One of the hard facts of life here is the death of children. Malaria and HIV is a big threat to small children and too often they end up dying. There are many factors but sometimes I wonder if parents grieve for their lost child when it seems to happen so frequently. Does that make it any “easier”?

These words continue to comfort me:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared… I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.’” (Rev. 21.1, 3-4)

Ways to Donate

2008-10-01T23:19:00.000-07:00

I have had a few people ask me about how to donate money to help support Malamulo Hospital and what things we are needing. There are many projects as well as just general day to day operations of the hospital... Here is a list of projects that I sent to one friend:

1. Buying new mattresses for the beds – about 180 are needed to replace ones that were falling apart, stained, and rotten and have already been destroyed. With the coming rainy season there is a huge need to be sure that the beds have mattresses – especially in pediatrics.

2. Water project – the water system is 50-80 years old and in dire need of repair. ADRA has funded a grant to get us started, but we will need about $300,000 more dollars to repair everything properly.

3. Annex Ward – we have a ward that is for the “VIP” patients (i.e. ones with insurance that can pay for it) that needs to be fixed up with paint, TV’s, the kitchen re-done, new linens, etc. The hope is to attract the higher paying patients which is possible with the good doctors here now. The cost will probably be $2,000-5,000 depending on how much we do.

4. General operations – we are struggling and in debt to quite a few creditors up to about $600,000 USD although we are now paying cash for the medications and supplies, it is difficult (if not impossible) to keep up.

5. Malamulo College of Health Sciences has many needs and the students from all 12 SDA colleges around the US have united to raise money and help support the college here. For more information on that you can visit www.missionatmalamulo.org

For sending donations the best option is to direct it to Adventist Health International click on "how can I help" at the top, then "Financial Donation". If you send me an email with the amount of your donation it will help us so that we can have the money transferred and used how you specify or for Malamulo in general.

The friend I sent the list to has already donated $1,000 and we are so thankful for this support!! The best promise is knowing that God has 1,000 ways to supply the needs of the hospital that we don't understand. Thank you for your interest in the mission here and the lives that are impacted by the hospital. Please email me with any questions...

Photo Update

2008-10-01T08:09:00.000-07:00

Cristy on the porch - peacefully typing away surrounded by our neighbor's "jungle" of potted plants.
Our Calla Lily that bloomed a few weeks ago.
Me, Dr. Hart, & Jesse Crounse at Sabbath School.
Cristy and I after church the first Sabbath she was back.
The Kasamba family and me with baby Rebbecca.
Ali doing a grand job of duct taping our ceiling.
And.... the next day. I was standing by the sink when it crashed down!
This is the hole that is left in our ceiling. :(

Recipes

2008-10-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

This is the bread that I've made a few times and really like!

Kalamata Olive and Garlic Bread
INGREDIENTS
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon non-iodized salt
• 3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup seedless Kalamata olives, chopped
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal
DIRECTIONS
1. In a medium bowl dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup warm water. To proof yeast, stir in yeast and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes in a warm place.
2. Preheat oven to 105 degree F (40 degrees C). Warm an oven-safe bowl in the oven.
3. Place flour in bowl of food processor. Add salt and pulse for a few seconds.
4. Start food processor. Pour proofed yeast into flour through hole. Immediately add the additional 3/4 cup warm water, then the olive oil. Process for about 1 minute or until dough ball cleans the sides of the processor bowl. If dough is too wet add a little flour through the top while processing, or if too dry, add a little more water.
5. Turn off food processor. Remove lid and transfer dough to the heated bowl. Cover with a plate or plastic wrap.
6. Let rise for 1/2 hour in a warm place.
7. In a small bowl, combine minced garlic and chopped olives. Set aside.
8. Once dough has risen transfer dough to a lightly floured board. Make an indentation in the dough and place olive mixture inside. Knead dough 10 times. Bulk of mixture should remain in middle of dough. Form dough into a log or round loaf shape.
9. Sprinkle cornmeal onto greased baking sheet and place loaf on top. Turn oven to 150 degrees F (65 degrees C) for 2 minutes and then turn off.
10. Let dough rise in warm oven for 1/2 hour, or until light and puffy. Remove loaf and increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
11. Bake bread at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

This is a curry with butternut squash that is really good too!

Sweet Vegetables
Cook until crisp-tender:
3 c. butternut squash, peeled & cubed

In a separate saucepan, bring to boil:
2 c. coconut milk
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4c. onion, sliced
1 tsp. ginger root, minced
½ tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. salt
2 fresh red pimento or sweet red pepper (can use green too)
1 red jalapeno, thinly sliced (optional)

When boiling add squash and simmer for about 10 minutes to let the squash absorb the flavors

Options are that you can add squash directly into sauce without precooking. Simmer until tender. Also may substitute green beans, cut diagonally, for half the squash.

Serves 4-6

Odds and Ends

2008-09-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

Since it has been a while since I have written a post and many things have happened I will copy a few bits and pieces from emails that I have sent to family and friends… This is lazy, I admit, but also I think the first time something is written is usually better…

Board Meeting: “Thursday (4 Sept) was the board meeting and I had an 8am meeting with the ADRA country director, Don P, & Dr. Hart about the MH water project so I left for Blantyre at 6am. The board meeting was at 4pm so in between I helped Kirby (CEO at Blantyre Hospital) get ready and talked with various people etc. At the board meeting I ended up running the power point from my computer (i.e. me manning the slides), and taking minutes, and presenting the Malamulo hospital report. (I don't think my multi-tasking skills are up to this level yet.) Anyway - the board meeting went well although it was long - ending at 10pm. The stressful part was not my presentation though but rather when the business mgr was presenting our turnaround plan and the board was discussing it... I sensed a very negative reaction from some board members. They were saying things like, "malamulo has had so many plans like this and others and they never work. What makes you think this will work?" and their body language was strongly negative (in my opinion) to what we were suggesting and Malamulo in general. Finally I spoke up and just asked that the board be supportive of what is happening at MH now and that there is so much potential there. At this point I got all choked up and I couldn't really get out what I wanted to say. Actually, now I don't even know what I said, but I felt so strongly (and still do) that Malamulo has a future and to see these people almost blow it off or say it can't be done was very frustrating to me!! Dr. Hart jumped in and came to my rescue by affirming what I was saying and adding that MH has been in a long spiral downward and is at a turning point right now - etc. Our turnaround plan was passed and approved.”

Life in General: “Life here is going along okay. There are always challenges to my wisdom and leadership skills though. Right now there are personnel issues. One of our department heads (workshop) was found to be stealing. That is difficult in many ways. Other people are trying to make another leader look bad and find a way to cause trouble for him. We also had someone caught selling stolen medicines, blankets, and sheets in the village. His suppliers were all thrown in jail together. Things aren’t quite so hectic as last week with the board meeting and the centennial. Things went well with that but our turnaround plan for the hospital passed which means A LOT OF WORK. It was really nice to have Dr. Hart and Don Pursley here for a few days. I felt important since I spent most of my time with them and they were “dignitaries” and made the celebration a BIG event. Then there was little me hanging out with them. Dr. Hart is so encouraging and shares the passion that I feel about this hospital and mission work in general. He also has a lot of experience which I am lacking.”

Malamulo is 100 years old! September 5 & 6 was the Centennial celebrations for Malamulo Hospital. There were all kinds of special programs, dramas, and speeches made. It was definitely a high weekend. Here’s a snippet about that: "The weekend ended up really well… it was so nice to have Dr. Hart and Don P here. There were many dignitaries from the area as well. I felt a little odd being with them the whole time but it was expected – I was a “dignitary” too. Haha The people here love to act and do dramas so after it was dark on Saturday night the union president had written and set up a shadow drama of the history of Malamulo. So there was a narrator with actors behind a white sheet and a light so it showed shadows to the audience. It was also mixed with music from various choirs and groups – it was very good and quite entertaining! We were PACKED into the school cafeteria and it worked out well even though it was all last minute so many people were working all hours to get the sheet made and the rehearsals done. That was probably the highlight of the weekend. Dr. Hart spoke for church in the morning (we met outside under the trees where they have campmeeting) and then we had an afternoon program with some poems, music, speeches, etc”

Last week: “I ended up going to Lilongwe on Friday for a CHAM (Christian Hospital Association of Malawi) meeting. It was a 4 hr trip up and 5 hrs back. The meeting was good - worthwhile, but just a long day. Then Friday night there was a big storm with rain and wind and the tree that is outside my office window, between the community health building and the walkway had a big branch brake off and fall on the power lines and the roof. Kelvin was up at 5am to cut the wood up and then had to help untangle the wires. We were supposed to go into church in Blantyre and leave by 8 but didn't end up leaving until about 11 and ended up just going to pick up Cristy. The doctors from Blantyre hospital had planned a potluck since we were coming in so Sue & Lily stayed there to eat while Kelvin and I went to the airport. Between the flight being late and Cristy losing a bag it took quite a while. But it was good to see her and we did get some food when we got back to Dr. Verona's house. When we finally got home there was no electricity - nice welcome to Cristy! :) So we just sat and chatted for a while and caught up on lots of things. (I'm sure there is more to come though!)

CRISTY IS HERE!! Monday was her first day back to work and also her birthday. Sunday was a relaxing day since I was able to escape from the office for most of it. Here is some that I wrote about those couple of days – "It was fun on Sunday Cristy and I baked up a storm and used up everything in the kitchen – white flour, sugar, butter, etc. She made some lovely Ethiopian bread with spices and I made her a birthday cake. Yesterday was her birthday so I made an applesauce spice cake with browned butter drizzle (it was supposed to be icing but I didn’t want to use so much powdered sugar although we do have some!). Jasmine (the cook here) also made homemade ice-cream (more like frozen sweetened condensed milk) that was soft-serve. Anyway – the summary is that we all had sugar overload but it was WONDERFUL! We were headed up to Kelvin & Sue’s house (they have a 2yo so by default we get together at their place so she can go to bed) and the electricity had gone off. Kelvin was running the things in the house off the car battery and using a propane camping stove. AHHH the life!! Haha – anyway – it ended up being a nice dinner and fun to celebrate a little and the electricity did end up coming back on before we sat down to eat!”

Link to Photos

2008-09-10T02:32:00.000-07:00

Hello - some friends - Scott and Mindi Guptill - were just here for two weeks and have posted some great photos on their blog. Find their photos here: www.goingcoach.com - click on the story about Malawi. You might see me in a couple pictures too. Mostly it's life here...

Thanks Scott and Mindi for the photos and great times!

Briefly...

2008-08-31T09:20:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated for a while and things are fairly busy but I wanted to write something so I'll try to be brief...

The group from Loma Linda Medical Center that were here for two weeks left yesterday (Saturday). The time they were here was busy as I was the "point person" for any questions, concerns, issues, transportation, etc. They wanted to go see Lake Malawi while they were here and asked if I would come along. So it worked out for us to go on Thursday morning and come back Friday evening. It was a long drive especially because I was squished in the very back of the land-cruiser with all the bags and Mindi. We had a good time though and arrived at the lake by noon. We found a place to stay after haggling for a cheaper price and all stayed together in a house type of thing on the beach. They served us a buffet breakfast and best of all there was a HOT shower! (That was the first real shower I've had since I came here since at my house there isn't enough water pressure for me to stand up and take a normal shower.) I went to bed early and got up about 5 to watch the sun rise over the lake! It was beautiful and peaceful and very good for me. We drove back through a game park where we finally saw some “dangerous animals”. My camera battery was dead so I didn’t get any pictures, but I saw hippos, antelopes (all different kinds) baboons, buffalo, elephants, etc. It was fun! Nice especially to get out of the office for a couple of days.

On Sabbath I went with the group from LLU to the airport and dropped them off. Then drove to the SDA church near the Union office to meet Don Pursley who is the board chairman and my boss (technically) to bring him out to Malamulo. We had lunch with Emanuel and Raquel de Costa who are the ADRA Malawi director (he is). They are from Portugal and have two young boys. It was really nice to meet them and I'm sure I'll see them more.

I found out that Don S is still having some health challenges and will not be back in Malawi this week. I have no idea when he will return. I was hopeful to give his office and the responsibility back to him this week but it looks like that won't happen. It also means that I will be doing a presentation to the Board on Thursday and speaking for a few minutes at the Centenial program on Friday night. I shouldn't worry about being up front but the perception of being in charge and being the face of the hospital. It also seems like I should have all the answers if I am in the CEO role - but I don't so that's the way it is.

I appreciate your prayers and the notes that I've gotten via email. There are some important decisions being made this week at the board meeting and even more important that they are actually followed through on. Please pray for wisdom and guidance for those of us who are in leadership here at Malamulo. God has blessed this place for 100 years and will continue to do so, but not without a lot of work.