Thoughts from CBSD

CBSD (Cool Big Sister Doyle) here with some new pictures! The group continues to bond wonderfully, and every day a new nickname is born based on a new inside joke. Such is the way with teenagers, eh? Although Uncle Kevin has a nickname too, now, so I guess even the “adults” are not immune…

My group went on a village visit on Monday, and it was an incredible experience. We visited a grandmother and grandfather of some of the kids at the center – they care for the children because the mother and father are both dead. Their daily struggles are incredibly different from ours, centered mainly around whether they will have any food to eat and whether their house will be safe from rain. When asked what her greatest wish was, the grandmother said simply, “A house that does not leak and where we can be safe.” In the whole world, her greatest wish is something most of us in America take for granted every day.

Like most Malawians, however, she was joyful, warm, and welcoming in spite of her poor circumstances. By the time we left, she made it clear that we were now friends, and if/when we return to Malawi, we should be sure to visit her home again. The next day, on the bus ride to the center, we saw her walking along the road to her field, and I shouted (rather too loudly – I had to apologize to everyone around me on the bus), “IT’S MY FRIEND! FROM YESTERDAY! SHE’S MY FRIEND NOW!” I waved and she gave a big grin and waved back as I continued to shout nonsensically, “MY FRIEND! MY FRIEND!” I’m not sure the students knew what to do with such a joyfully loud CBSD.

At the center, we are all loving our time with the Malawian kids. Every day, connections are made and/or strengthened through board games, songs, jump ropes, and football (aka soccer). Oh, the football. So much football. Football for life. I think our boys have sweated out the equivalent of Lake Malawi trying to keep up with the Malawians in football. But they love it, so we just keep handing them more water to keep hydrated.

The Bible lessons during VBS have been going very well, and our students are growing through the experience of sharing their faith with others. My group has been particularly challenged in working with the older Malawian students. Where we expected to be working with 10- or 12-year-olds, we are now working with high-schoolers, some of whom are older than our own team members. Coupled with the language barrier, it has been difficult, but the TKA kids are champs and are diving in to the challenge.

Those of you friends and family of the TKA team here in Malawi, be prepared: Every member of this team will come back changed. You simply cannot see what we have seen and remain the same. Hopefully, you will see us appreciating more of our daily gifts from God, thinking more about the privileges with which we’ve been blessed, and asking more questions about how God wants to use us in his plans. Mostly, though, we’ll try to find more joy in life, because we see so much joy in the people here.

Pray for us here to always remain open to the leading of the Spirit, because we have a unique opportunity to do amazing things here in Africa. We pray that God will show us how we can best bring His kingdom here to earth (as it is in heaven), in both big and small ways. Pray that the team continues to grow as a community of believers and that relationships continue to grow between individual team members – hopefully any students who were previously “acquaintances” can return as “friends” instead. Pray for good health and a spirit of encouragement and hope, even in the face of extreme poverty. And pray for those who are feeling a bit homesick, that they would be able to focus on appreciating the time we have here, knowing that soon God will bring us back safely to our loved ones.

From all of us here in Malawi, zicomo gwambili (thank you very much), and Mulungu akali nanu (God go/be with you)!

More pics ...

Tuesday's Village Visit and photos from our MCM days

We have spent four days in Malawi thus far and each day has been so special.  Each of our teams is going out once this week for an authentic village visit.  Much like the hospital, these visits are hard and heart-breaking.

I joined Auntie Debbie's team yesterday where we drove for a while and then walked in on a path (through the long grass) to meet Delia and her daughter, Stella.  Delia is probably in her seventies and is HIV positive.  She is not well, but cares for three small grandchildren as her daughter died, and her son-in-law ran away with another woman.  They welcomed us like royalty laying down grass mats and plastic bags for us to sit on in front of their mud brick shack.  They shared a little about their daily lives and we asked them about their challenges on a daily basis....and were quieted and humbled as a result.  This dear lady has experienced a failed harvest which means they will only have about 3 bags of maize (a three month supply of food instead of about 12-15 bags).  She and the children sleep on the mud floor on plastic bags as their mats have fallen apart and their one and only blanket is torn.  She covers the children and herself with a piece of fabric.  In spite of this, she started by saying that in spite of challenges and hardships she is so grateful to God for taking care of her grandchildren and allowing them to be part of the MCM feeding program.  Our last question was initially going to be to ask what these women dream about, yet it was an impossible question to ask as dreams are not part of one's reality when one is striving to survive moment by moment.  Our students have been impacted by these visits and we all leave wanting to know how best we can make a difference.

The team is working so well together.  They are constantly in demand by the kids at MCM, wanting to play a variety of games and they are throwing themselves into the tutoring program and doing a great job as teachers!  Here are some more photos from our MCM days ...