So what have we been up to in the last week? We returned from Mzuzu on Sunday and spent Sunday night and Monday relaxing and recovering from our time up north. Tuesday night we went to a worship service at Lilongwe Technical College, where we were greeted enthusiastically. We sang a song and our very own Spencer Boren preached the word (Acts 5:1-11)! My personal favorite part of the night was after Spencer preached when they gave him Sobo (a concentrate juice you mix with water) and he had no idea what to do so sat there awkwardly with it. We eventually figured out he was supposed to drink it. Later that night Spencer and I heroically went to war with a large spider that had come into our room and was making its way towards us menacingly.
On Wednesday we spent the day at the SCOM office. We met some of the staff and did devotions with them. In the afternoon we spent a long time playing soccer with some local kids. This will probably not surprise you, but even young kids from Malawi are WAY better at soccer than us Americans. However, they could not figure out how to throw a frisbee correctly. So there. We also participated in another “secondary school” conference like the ones mentioned in last entry – the students asked us to return on Friday for Bible study with them.
Thursday we went to Children of the Nations, a feeding center and also orphanage operating in/near Lilongwe (city limits are not exactly clear here). They provide free breakfast and lunch to kids from the surrounding villages and also house teenagers who need it. We got a tour of the facility and to help with the feeding program (and play with the kids a little – again I was embarrassed by their soccer skills). On a personal note, though sad, it was encouraging to me on Thursday (as it has been all trip) to see the good works already going on in Malawi. As a team our desire is not to do a new, American thing but to “enter in” to what God is already doing in Malawi and humbly partner with his followers here. Thursday night we played an all-trip 15-person game of Mafia, which I colorfully narrated. The highlight of the game was when Lydia was the doctor and saved 4 people in one round (including 3 in a row).
Friday we returned to the SCOM offices and participated in Bible study with the same students from Wednesday. It was a little awkward because they were working through a booklet called “Sex and Sexuality” and we were expecting something in the book of Luke...silly us! But it was interesting to hear another culture's perspective on marriage and abstinence and share some of our own. I just asked if we did anything interesting Friday night, and Sarah wants me to mention that she went to bed at 8:00. That's about it. Malawi is an early-bed-early-rise culture. Sometimes I tell students that we stay up until 2 or 3 in the states “doing homework” and they are shocked!
Exciting story! Duncan's (the SCOM staff in charge of our time here. He is awesome) wife Linda had an abdomen lump which doctors had previously told her was a fat deposit and nothing serious. She went in to the African Bible College clinic to double check and the doctor there (volunteering from South Africa) suggested they pray for healing before starting the appointment. When they finished praying and checked on Linda, her lump was completely gone (confirmed by further testing)! Yay Jesus (or as we said in my youth group days, MAD PROPS!)!
Saturday was Independence Day! Though we didn't have fireworks we still celebrated with a very American day. After eating delicious chili for lunch we tried to play a game of Ultimate Frisbee. That lasted about 20 minutes and then ended after we threw the disc over a high wall of a neighbor...twice. We ended the day eating star marshmallows (provided by Lydia) and watching “Independence Day” with Will Smith. What a great movie. “Welcome to Earth!”
Monday is also Malawi's version of Independence Day so Craig coined Sunday “Inbetweendence Day.” We went to Duncan's church in the morning and in the afternoon had the pleasure of returning some of the Malawi hospitality we've enjoyed by having a bunch of students over to “our house” to barbecue. There was a ton of meat, potato salad, and fruit salad. Yum! We all ate very well and enjoyed a (long) time of talking to and/or playing Uno with the students. Now we are relaxing at night. Some of the girls are doing yoga and I believe practicing for the choir they've promised me and Spencer.
Since I know you're all anxious to hear: we DID get a fridge this week and are able to enjoy our first cold drinks in two weeks (longer for the Swineys). Also, the plumber came, and there have been varying reports about if the water is hot or not now. I honestly don't know who to believe. The boy house (the MANsion) has a shower that doesn't even have a hot water knob. So what do I know?
Some prayer requests!
-We're halfway through! Pray for continuing energy, enthusiasm, and a good time of reflection on what God has already been doing in our lives. Pray also for the next two weeks of our time here!
-Pray for the team – our unity, our team dynamics, our relationships, and our morning devotions/prayer times.
Alright, this is Gregory signing off! Hopefully future posts will be shorter as we update more regularly. God bless friends and families, and we will see you in three weeks.
-Greg Chimitris
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