May 19 – 30
The Presbytery of Western North Carolina mission group finally arrived around 3pm on Wednesday. I had looked at my classroom door all morning thinking they would come walking in at any moment. I checked with the guesthouse folks and asked them to call me when the crowd arrived. Lynne, Stan and the whole group met me on the hill about half way between theirs house and mine about 3pm. It was sooooo good to see folks from home! They came down to my house for a cup of tea and one of Berea’s delicious muffins. Later I accompanied them to the guesthouse where they made dinner. Stan is a good cook, and we all enjoyed his spaghetti.
The next morning, the group all came to the school and enjoyed observing in all classes. After lunch we all went through the hospital and took many pictures of the waiting area where the pregnant women come about 2 weeks before delivery. They come with all their little children and camp out until they deliver their babies. I had not been in that part of the hospital so I found it extremely interesting as did the other NC folks.
Friday most of the group came back to school to take pictures of all the children. They posed each one on our new playground equipment and took their pictures. The children loved seeing their picture. The group brought 4 air packs full of materials for the school. In the afternoon I emptied the packs. Then on Saturday I met Linken, the carpenter, at school where he did some work for the school. I don’t know what we could do without Linken. He’s now making me to racks for hanging dress-up clothes in the homemaking centers.
Saturday afternoon most of the group and I climbed the mountain in Nkhoma up to the point that it went almost straight up. At that point the old folks, Doris and me, knew we had been far enough. We had seen some very scenic views by that time and were ready to go back down. The others went a little further and then decided it was going to be too dark to go all the way to the top, so they returned home also. Sunday afternoon that group went all the way to the top after the 8am worship service. I sought out projects for the folks to do in the school and came up with a long wish list. I think they addressed all my wishes leaving only a few to be completed. I will be making curtains for the classrooms for awhile, and I am thankful for the cutting out of many of the panels and the completion of curtains for one classroom.
Tom painted the name of our school on the building and painted the alphabet and numbers on a classroom wall and painted “A child is not something to be molded. A child is a unique being to be unfolded.” on my office wall. It will be wonderful to have that office. I am expecting for us to move the first grade out of that temporary space into the new building in two weeks!!
On Monday we interviewed for teachers for next year and also interviewed for a Reception Class teacher to replace me as so as possible. I will spend a lot a time in that class with the new teacher and continue to train the assistant teacher. Tuesday through Friday a group stayed busy helping in the school and a group went daily on a 2 hour trip each way to one of the 10 outlying clinics run by he hospital. They were repairing a house that was in need of great repair for a nurse who is to run the clinic. It had been a number of years since the house had been occupied and the maintenance folks here weren’t sure it could be repaired. I understand the PWNC group did a wonderful job of completing the project in just 8 days. It helped so much to have a few who had been here before and knew who to get things done. All the folks worked hard and accomplished so much for the hospital and the school. We were certainly blessed with their talents at work. Spiritually, it was an enriching time for each of us for everyone felt so deeply about the fact that they were lead by God to come to Malawi to participate in the work of His kingdom in this place at this time. We shared devotions together daily and talked a lot about how we saw God at work in our daily activities as we worked with the Malawians and the missionaries here.
Early Saturday morning we took a three and half hour trip to Liwonde to go on a safari. That was an incredible trip and was a very special experience for each of us. That will have to be an entry to my blog at another time.