The Week in Review

Hello Friends
In Malawi we have been enjoying our time with SCOM students and staff since we have not had much going on this week. Malawi time is great for unexpected free time! Before heading to Zomba this weekend, we thought it would be awesome to update you on the goings here in Malawi.
Monday we had the day off as it was the independence day of Malawi: Republic Day as they call it here. Our team had a special treat of hotdogs and hamburgers. Very exciting! Sadly, there was no cheese, but having a traditional American meal was nice. Most of the businesses were closed, so our choices for fun and thrilling adventures were also limited. Some of us girls, however, decided to have a little adventure of our own by taking a walk just as the sun was setting. Thankfully, one of us was quick on her feet with directions to return to the house. There was a slight stir when we arrived calling back the brigade who had been dispatched to search for us.
The next day we were back to our less than busy activities. We visited another orphanage, called the House of Peace, sponsored by Children of the Nations. The orphanage had its own farm with rabbits, cows, and Guinea Fowl (a bird like a chicken native to Malawi: we’re not quite sure of the spelling, sorry). A crucial part of raising any children is feeding them! One of the regular food items for Malawians is Nsima, which is made from corn flour. Indirectly, we had an opportunity to feed the kids because some of our group carried corn kernels on their head half a mile to a granary to have the kernels turned into flour to carry back to the House of Peace. Seeing a piano after the hard work, Spencer and Sarah jumped at the chance to play, leading to a group singing while some of the children laughed at our poor musical skills in comparison to theirs.
After the excitement of playing with children, we had the extra pleasure of attending a Malawi national basketball game. Now, the basketball game was not your average NBA spectacle, but was instead more like an intense high school basketball game. The fans had Malawi flags and one dude had a horn. Malawi beat Mozambique 77 to 54.
Wednesday we visited the SCOM office once again meeting with the same secondary school students from last week. No awkward bible study this time (yay!), but we did have singing and a not so well prepared sermon from one of the students. The students have amazing range in their singing. We added to the range while one of the students led in a song we had learned previously in Mzuzu. A general way of praying in Malawi seems to start with singing then everyone breaks out into praying at once, concluded by more singing and one person praying. We very much got to experience the communal culture that day. Spencer and Greg tried to share some of our culture with the children by trying to get them to play American football. The kids could catch the ball well, but didn’t catch the concept of being on separate teams.
Wednesday evening was filled with more kid time as our team had offered our babysitting services to the Swiney family so that the couples could have a night out. Chris and Dudley, and Bonnie and Craig went out for dinner. Deciding on a movie for the kids to watch took years of their life. Two different movies ended up being shown for the indecisive children. Both movies were enjoyed by their counterparts so I would say it was indeed successful.
Moving on to Thursday, there is actually little to note except our dwindling precious store of peanut butter and better luck with exercise of the walking nature. We did however get a chance to visit a bible study with students from the Malawi College of Health Sciences: the same students who had visited our house this past Sunday. Love was the focus of the bible study, specifically loving our brothers and sisters in the Lord who we may not so easily mesh with. A perfect segue into the joys and perils of community living.
All in all this week we have experienced some ups and downs but we still continue to move forward in the love Christ has bestowed upon us. Please be praying for our close proximity and community interaction. We will be spending the weekend in the southern region in Zomba as mentioned earlier. Please be in prayer for that experience. We will be getting the chance once again to partner with students in their outreach ministry.
Thanks for reading and Praise God for his faith and grace,
Amanda Homce and Theresa Steiner 