tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957482969978444612024-02-21T00:31:38.692-08:00Reynolds AdventureAnn and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-55393362951847717202015-04-20T23:02:00.001-07:002015-04-20T23:02:17.345-07:00We made it to Oahu, spent the first night in Waikiki (I didn't realize that flying overnight from Brisbane on Friday would
land you in Hawaii on Friday morning because of the international
dateline) so we were a day early for our condo reservations at Laie, but finally got settled for our week in Hawaii. We had a nice two bedroom unit, right across the road from the beach, and right next to BYUH and the Polynesian Cultural Center as well as the temple. We got to go to both! The PCC is fabulous, non-stop entertainment from noon until after the evening show, great food at the luau, and the floor show was fun, especially the young man who did the fire dance. <br />
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Of course, our session at the temple was the real highlight of our stay, but we managed to drive up to the north shore and watch the surfers, walk on the beach, search through the tide pools, and really unwind. We left early Friday morning so that we could get tickets for the USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor, and enjoyed that immensely. We went to the airport early so that we could be sure of our seating, which was not quite as planned, but had a smooth uneventful flight to San Francisco. The airport there was a little dicey, we arrived in the middle of the night, and there weren't many airline personnel around to ask for directions. We flew in on United, and then on to Seattle on Alaska. The only trouble is that they are on opposite sides of the airport. We were wondering if we would have to walk home after trudging across several terminals and through security each time. <br />
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Kenneth and his family, as well as Jared and his family met us at SeaTac. DeeAnn was delayed, and we met her family at Jared's home. Brenda had out of town company so we met them for dinner on Monday night. It was great to be home for General Priesthood Meeting and to join all the tribe for Thai food at our favorite eatery.<br />
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We are finally home, but not unpacked after two full weeks. Sis. Reynolds has been back in the sort mode. It's amazing how much stuff we didn't throw away when we house-cleaned prior to our mission. We keep finding more and more stuff that needs to disappear. Her girlfriend, Jan, suggested that she might be interested in doing a yard sale for us for a part of the proceeds. I think we should take her up on it. Two years in Malawi helps prioritize what you really might need and also to realize how much you do not need. Case in point, who needs four rolls of aluminum foil, or three full bottles of Windex, or eight pair of shoes that you haven't worn for five years, or twenty-five pairs of sox, or eight flashlights, or 50+ miscellaneous refrigerator storage containers, or, or, etc. You get the picture.<br />
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So now we try to prioritize our time to get everything done before we can take off for a little road trip to be sure the RV is working right after two years in storage. Hopefully we can get our car set up to dinghy-tow so we can be sure that will work OK, too. <br />
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President Porterfield is anxious to have us speak in as many wards as possible to encourage folks in our stake to serve as missionary couples. We spoke briefly in Stake Conference, will do our home-coming talks next Sunday in Eastmont Ward, and see how it goes from there. We love to share our experiences and encourage others to prepare to serve. <br />
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<br />Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-74187939988941892922015-03-26T00:52:00.000-07:002015-04-20T23:03:22.354-07:00We are on the first leg of our trip back to the USA from the most beautiful part of the Zambia Lusaka Mission, having completed 23 months of service since arriving at the MTC in Provo on the 22nd of April, 2013. I can hardly believe we have been gone that long. Especially the last few months, which have literally flown by.<br />
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We flew to Johannesburg, had a 5 hour layover, and then flew overnight to Perth. The seats on that Airbus were awful, cramped, narrow, and no individual air conditioning. Can you tell that I am from Seattle where they make really good Boeing airliners? Even the little Embraier jet we flew from Perth to Adelaide was quite comfortable.<br />
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We got in about 23:00, after 24 hours in flight and maybe 1 hours sleep. By the time we rented the car and drove to Mawson Lakes, SA, it was after midnight, and finally in bed by 01:00, but slept until 9:00, so we are beginning to catch up. We found a Subway (oh joy, oh joy) and had a seafood special for breakfast at about noon. Afterward we took another nap, then met Martyn's parents and his sister, Jennie for a nice visit. It was good to see them after so many years. Peter looked well, but he is having difficulty remembering much any more. Janet is doing well, and Jennie is expecting a grandchild from each of her chicks in the next few days, so that was exciting news.<br />
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We went looking for a good fish and chips shop last night, and found one on the first try. They had really great butterfish, calamari, and shrimp with great chips. I'm afraid that Malawi doesn't know how to cook fish, mexican, chinese, or thai or fries. Blantyre does have great Indian cuisine, especially lamb and goat curries. We will have to be careful or we will gain back the weight we lost.<br />
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Speaking of lost, we got lost and spent an extra hour in the dark, wandering around Modbury, Salisbury East, and other unknown points before finally getting back to Mawson Lakes. After learning to navigate in Africa with no street lights, no road signs, no traffic lights, and no rules of the road you would think we could find our way around in civilization, but I did have to stop and ask directions. We missed to turnoff to Montague Road, and that was the initial mistake. <br />
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We had the opportunity of attending the Temple in Adelaide, which has been the highlight of our stay-over so far. We had a delightful visit with the Temple President and Matron afterward. They had been on a mission to Finland before he was called to the presidency, and are looking forward to going again when his service is over at the temple.<br />
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We went shopping this morning, and found DeeAnn's sleepers she ordered (Shields in Westfield Mall) and a swimsuit for Sister Reynolds (Target) for Hawaii next week. Also an Oz electrical adapter--the one I brought with me keeps falling out of the wall plug. <br />
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So now we have plans for tomorrow morning to go to a little Bavarian-themed village, kind of like Leavenworth, WA and then back to Mawson Lakes for tea with Martyn's family. Hopefully Jodie and Matt will both be able to attend and we will try to get pictures. More on that later, and on our plans to visit the cemetery with Jennie on Saturday morning before she has to return to work and we get ready to fly to Honolulu. Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-35108732481282749792015-03-13T09:25:00.001-07:002015-03-13T09:25:10.642-07:00Today I thought I'd let everyone know how their prayers for our safety are answered. Driving in Blantyre is a dangerous sport. It requires nerve, defensive and offensive skills, and not a little bit of oversight by your guardian angels. We thank the Lord each night for another day when we have been preserved by his hand. <br />
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While we were on our way today, I was waiting at an intersection to turn across traffic, and there was a car coming, a little too close to turn out in front of, but still coming very slowly. The driver eventually turned off but didn't turn on his signal until he was half-way around the corner. Of course I was murmuring a bit about the delay, thinking that if he had signaled I would have been long gone.<br />
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As we approached the next intersection to the main highway, suddenly a car came careening out of control into our road, narrowly missing the car in front of us who was waiting to turn, barely missing the bridge abutment and drifting to a halt in the deep grass along side our car, with his wheel covers continuing to spin up to the neighbor's security wall.<br />
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If we had been a few seconds sooner in arriving, we would have met him head-on in our lane. Sister Reynolds looked over at the driver of the errant car, and could see him frozen with fear, clutching the steering wheel and with his eyes wide open. <br />
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I have often remarked that my timing is not the Lord's timing and I'm grateful that the angels are looking out for us, in spite of my complaining. ER Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-64841570929336144472015-03-12T12:48:00.001-07:002015-03-12T12:48:44.926-07:00Although we are part of the Zambia Lusaka Mission, and we love our President and Sister Erickson, we are fairly autonomous since we are about two days travel from the mission headquarters. It often seems like we are at the end of the world here in Blantyre, since we are the last stop in Malawi for everyone who comes. It humbles me (and I think, Sister Reynolds, too) to think that the Lord and President Erickson entrust us with the care of our missionaries here. We see them come and grow, and move on to leadership positions throughout the rest of the mission, and we realize that these are really choice young people, the best the Lord has to offer to work here. <br />
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The membership is wonderful, so kind and gracious to us as we help, train, correct, and encourage them to be a little better each day. The young people are incredibly faithful, and watching them grow in the gospel convinces us that this is Malawi's time, that the Church will be fully established here within the next decade and see remarkable growth.<br />
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Wednesday 11-03-2015 was another red-letter day for Malawi. We had the opportunity of attending the meeting where Sister Cherwa was set apart to serve in the London South Mission. She is the FIRST Malawi native sister to be assigned outside of Africa, and it was exciting to be a part of that. Sometimes we send out missionaries who are the only members of their respective families, and it will just be the Senior Couples who attend, but this young woman's family are mostly members of the church, and were there, brothers and sisters, Mom and Dad, aunts and uncles, cousins and friends. It was a wonderful send-off. <br />
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We had several non-members who were invited as close friends and families, and they expressed their thanks for having been included. It was a great spiritual occasion for us all. Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-8143237559998471502015-03-08T14:09:00.000-07:002015-03-08T14:09:27.828-07:00<br />
As noted previously, Thursday 26/02/15 was the day we had arranged to deliver the flood relief supplies which had been purchased by the Humanitarian Missionaries, Elder and Sister Bodily through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Humanitarian Services. Wednesday was spent paying for and loading sufficient supplies to allow distribution to 1250 families. We worked with a representative of the Czech Republic Relief organization because he had established local contacts and could facilitate the arrangements. The Thylo (say cho-low) District Commissioners have direct supervision of all the NGO helpers, in order to avoid confusion and duplication of efforts. The loading involved two fairly good-sized trucks which left Blantyre on Wednesday as soon as they were loaded and the drivers spent the night in their trucks at the district offices, guarding the supplies to prevent pilfering.<br />
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We met with Beal's and Bodily's at the Blantyre Chapel, assembled our nine YSA and AP volunteers, and caravanned down the side of the mountain into the Shire Valley at Chikhwawa (sometimes spelled Chikwawa). We drove to Thylo District Headquarters and met the trucks a little bit later than we had scheduled. That worked out alright, since one of the trucks was changing a flat tire, and our guide from the District Disaster Coordinator was late getting there, too. <br />
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We were assigned to two routes, the Beal's and their crew going north with one, and the Bodily's and my crew going south with the other. That was quite an adventure. It had rained again heavily the night before, and the river was rising as we drove toward Nchalo. The water came up across most of the road, and at times we were driving as if in a lake, our wake washing up against the houses alongside the road. Eventually we came to a place where the water was actually running rapidly across the road, the majority of the river unable to pass under the bridge on M1, the main north-south highway in Malawi. We were stopped in the water while another large tractor-trailer semi made his way toward us across the bridge and the river, then it was our turn to go the other way, since we were caught in the middle of the overflow. The cars and mini-buses were waiting for the water to go down. I told the four brethren in my car, "You all pray and I'll drive." I put the vehicle in 4WD and we plowed across the current in the wake of our big truck. It was pretty scary, and I kept thinking of the Weather Channel slogan "TURN AROUND, DON'T DROWN." The water got up to the running board of the car, but we all made it safely. They closed the road temporarily after we got through with our emergency supplies. Surely the Lord heard our prayers.<br />
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We drove almost to the Mozambique border, actually within 5 kilometers where we made the first distribution. We were met by a number of hungry residents who were not assigned to the refugee camp. It was disheartening to have to tell them that our supplies were to be delivered to the displaced families in the camp, an assignment which had been made by the District. <br />
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Sister Bodily plunged into the crowd and communicated as best we could our disappointment in not being able to help everyone. I joined her, and then decided that while all the talking (which always proceeds any action in Malawi) was going on we could have fun with the children. We started singing Primary action songs, "Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes" and "Do As I'm Doing, Follow, Follow Me." I felt like Sister Bodily should be involved with the actual distribution, so I sent her off to help with the refugees, and I entertained the children, and eventually, all the mothers who were enjoying the diversion as much as the kids. Eventually I had over a hundred smiling small people trying to get the "eyes, ears, mouth, and nose" routine down so we could go fast. We all got to laughing so hard that I could hardly sing.<br />
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The head man lined up all the 450 recipients according to his list, and then sent them across the highway in groups of ten to where we were parked to receive their donation. The crew would place one 10 kg. sack of maize flour on each person's head, the next one would place a 5 kg. sack of cowpeas (garbanzo beans) on top of that, and finally Sister Bodily would hand them 4 packages of soya pieces which they will use for relish to eat with the nshema which is their staple food like super-thick corn meal. Because they are all cooking communally (they have few cooking utensils) we distributed salt and cooking oil to groups, rather than individuals.<br />
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As we were finishing up, I bid good-bye to my beautiful group of children, we did fist-bumps all around, and drove back toward Nchalo for the next distribution. We drove out through the sugar cane fields of the Ilovo Sugar Company until we reached the next two camps. They were on opposite sides of the service road. Once again, I entertained the children while the supervisors talked, and we set up the distribution lines for another 400 families. <br />
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I was having such a good time that eventually I could hardly talk, after having sung the same songs for three groups over a four-hour period. It was just heart-warming to be able to bring a little lightness, mirth, and joy to children who had nothing except the ragged clothes on their backs. We sang, laughed, and totally enjoyed each other, and none of us spoke the same language. My Chichewa is limited to daily greetings, and their English is non-existent. As usual, the further you get out in the villages, the less education is available at all. The funniest part was singing "There was a little house in the middle of the wood." They had trouble with the concept of having a rabbit for a pet. If they ever see one, he gets eaten immediately...<br />
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It was quite late when we started for home, and because there had been a mix-up at one of the camps we had 400 bags of each product left on the truck. They directed us to a warehouse where we unloaded the remainder (something we weren't anxious to do because we will never know who benefited from the goods, or even if they were distributed along with the 1200 blankets). The corruption may result in its being diverted and sold elsewhere, but we were told by our leadership that we had done all we could, and to leave it in the Lord's hands, since it was His provisions. We can only pray that things get distributed without cost to those who truly need them.<br />
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We started back for home, thinking we might have to cross the flood again, but the river had fallen dramatically, and the pavement was dry, an answer to our prayers. The delay in off-loading had allowed the river to carry off the day's flooding, and although there was still water all around, the road was high and dry. It was about 9:30 when we finally were able to deliver all of our crew to their homes in parts of Blantyre, which we had to do because the public transport is almost non-existent after about 7:30.<br />
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What joy there is in being able to do service. We saw relief on the faces of those who were hungry, happiness in the faces of the children for a very small diversion, and thankfulness in the eyes of the mothers who have nothing to give their families. It is both heart warming and heart rending to witness. We only wish we could have done more. The Bodily's have been on the road since it started raining in January, trying to assess the damages, determine who is trustworthy to work with, and arrange funding, then arrange for goods and transport, and finally coordinate delivery. They have been magnificent and they finally got home this week after two months away. We love and appreciate them, especially since they have spent so much time in our home. We will miss them dearly when we return to the USA later this month. <br />
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Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-75631860241523134762015-03-08T11:36:00.001-07:002015-03-12T12:49:29.326-07:00Most weeks are very busy, but every once in a while things go crazy. Wed 25/02/15 was one of those. I was scheduled to take Elder Njanji to the airport at 11:00, and had agreed to take his parents with us to see him off to the Manchester (UK) MTC where he will be in training for two weeks before going to his assigned mission in Birmingham. We had agreed to meet in Ndirande at the petrol station, and a member of the Stake Presidency was to go with us.<br />
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Elder Osman Njanji is the first Malawi native missionary to be called to labor outside of Africa. He will be followed next month by Sister Agness Cherwa, the first Malawi sister missionary to be called to labor outside Africa. She will leave for the Manchester (UK) MTC on 12/03/15 to serve in the London South Mission. They are both from Ndirande Branch, Blantyre District. That branch is meeting in an old house, which even with two interior walls removed will only hold about 70 people, and they have had over 100 attend at Sacrament meeting. What an exciting time to serve in Malawi and be a part of preparing these young people to leave!<br />
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Early Wed morning, I got a text message asking me to deliver the weight-lifting set from the Zone Leader's flat to another companionship across town. No emergency, they just thought about it when they got out of bed at 6:30 and sent me a text, but early a.m. texts usually are about sick missionaries, so I ran down the hall to take my phone off the charger. That started my day.<br />
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About the time I got out of the shower, Elder Beal called and asked if they could exchange cars for the day. The alarm interlock button on their car had disintegrated, leaving the parts laying on the bottom of the floor, and unable to proceed, since the security system shuts off the engine if you don't disarm it with the "secret" button. That meant I couldn't even drive it to the dealership for service.<br />
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So I delivered "Princess" (the STL's spare car) to the Beal's and they rushed off to their funeral. I hurried back to our house to pick up Sister Bodily (Humanitarian Missionary) so that she could meet the trucks in Limbe to load the flood relief supplies for transport to Chikhwawa the next day. Elder Bodily had driven down to Chikhwawa early in the morning to make specific arrangements for the deliveries to various camps. Not wanting to leave Sis. Bodily alone in Limbe without contact, I had given her Sis. Reynolds cell phone in case she needed to contact us. I then drove home to get breakfast, and gave my phone to Sis. Reynolds so she could call the Ndirande Elders about Elder Njanji's clothes while I ate.<br />
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Elder Njanji had been set apart on Tuesday afternoon, and spent the day with the Ndirande Elders, then was dropped off at our house so that we could take him to the airport. Unfortunately, he had placed his p-day clothes in Elder Doig's backpack, and forgotten to take them out while at our house to transfer to his luggage. They arranged to meet us at the petrol station, which they did, along with the family. Unfortunately President Matale was not there. We had let the Elders go, not remembering that I did not have my phone. We waited for 15 minutes, finally we drove back to the house and retrieved my phone, found out that there had been a miscommunication about meeting P. Matale, and then we hurried to Michuru to pick him up at his home. He sent us off on an African shortcut so that we could go directly to the airport, and amid l8" deep mudholes and large rocks on a one lane street with two-way traffic (it is still the rainy season). Fortunately, we made it to the airport with time enough to have Elder Njanji's papers checked and catch his flight, along with P. Matale. We waited there until I was sure he was safely in the boarding area, took his parents back to the petrol station in Ndirande, and then drove home for lunch.<br />
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About this time I get a call from the Zone Leaders to tell me their car (Patches) won't move, so I grab a sandwich and drive to their last appointment site to find that the clutch had been burned out. Elder S. was just learning to drive a stick transmission, and I'm afraid he was a little too hard on the clutch on the hill leaving their flat each morning. It is a difficult task for an experienced driver, so I couldn't be too surprised. We left the truck parked at the member's house, I took them to a take-away where they bought lunch while I picked up Sister Reynolds' grocery order at the store next door. Then I dropped them off at their next appointment and called the Isuzu dealer to pick up the car. Unfortunately it was too late to do that on Wednesday so they would be on foot for several days. <br />
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I drove back to the house to drop of the groceries and pick up my toolbox, and then to Elder and Sister Beal's flat to jury-rig the security button so that I could move that car. By the time I got it going, it was almost dark and Beal's arrived home to let me know that they had spent the entire day getting "Princess" and the funeral bus out of the mud. That's another story all by itself. <br />
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About 6:30 the Zone Leaders' called and said they forgot to tell me they hadn't had water at their flat for several days. Could I please pick them and their emergency water barrels up so they could get water from our flat? By the time we took care of filling and unloading 150 liters of water it was 8:30 or so, and I got home to eat and go to bed, since we would be leaving for Chikhwawa the next morning around 6:00AM which meant a 5:00AM wakeup time. <br />
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I now think that this rates as my all-around craziest Wednesday in my entire life, if not so for our mission! So now I'm down two trucks, and won't be home all day tomorrow. Life is good, I'm just glad that all the trouble happened while we were still here and didn't occur the day after we left, with the Beal's having to handle the craziness....Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-75269685228669047162015-02-12T11:18:00.001-08:002015-02-12T11:18:12.787-08:00Andrea dropped by this morning and wanted to take some pictures to remember us by. His wife said he should get the pictures for sure, and so we obliged. He is the tallest of all of those who have been our guards. Most of them were only a couple of inches taller than Sister Reynolds. He is very proud of his uniform, wanted to be sure we got a picture of his boots. <br />
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Sister Reynolds is wearing a skirt which was made by his wife. She is an excellent seamstress, the best we have found after a couple of not-so-good results.<br />
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Can you tell we live in paradise? Everyone who visits us says our compound is like the Garden of Eden. We have heard it compared to Thailand for lushness and beauty. Of course, we are in the middle of the rainy season, so it is about as pretty as it gets. Much of the credit goes to our gardener, Davey, who does a wonderful job keeping it all trimmed and neat. Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-48283617716290049192015-02-05T01:48:00.001-08:002015-02-05T01:48:45.214-08:00Today I wanted to show that the work goes on in spite of the trials. The rain has continued, and we are still experiencing the loss of structures, but the missionaries are happy and moving on. <br />
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Africa South East Area President, Elder Carl B Cook of the Seventy, toured our mission and provided a welcome day of instruction and inspiration for us. We had the entire Lilongwe district come down again and stay overnight, just as we did last month. Elder Cook and Sister Jeanette Cook met with the Lusaka and Copper Belt zones in Zambia and then flew down to join our zones here in Blantyre. They had quite an adventure, their flight was delayed leaving Lusaka, and then the airline cancelled their connecting flight in Lilongwe, so they had to spend the night. Unfortunately, all of the Zone had already come to Blantyre, so there was no one in Lilongwe to help out. The airline arranged a shuttle and put them up for the night in a hotel. We were supposed to begin meetings at 7:45, but by the time they finally arrived at the building it was 9:30. It was raining so hard we had to turn the sound system up so that we could hear Elder Cook. We all decided that something great is going to happen in Blantyre because of the increased opposition we have been experiencing.<br />
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All this has not dampened the spirits of the missionaries, however, as you can see from the group photo we took (inside the cultural hall this time) because of the rain.<br />
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The moisture has brought out the frogs and crickets, and lots of flying creatures. We especially enjoy the butterflies and moths. Here's a picture of one on our back door window. Sister Reynolds held up her Bic Inkstick to show the size.<br />
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Here is a picture of a family from Zingwanwa Branch waiting outside the airport for their Sister Missionary returning from Kenya-- Mom, Dad, and the little ones, along with a Great-aunt. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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And the very next day we sent out a new missionary to South Africa, with the senior couples and his extended family gathered as he was set apart.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The couple in the second picture is Elder and Sister Merrill, who will be finishing their seventh mission in June. It is hard to believe that we have only six weeks left before we have to leave our beloved Blantyre. We will surely miss these members and missionaries, realizing that we may never see any of them again in this life. Elder Paul asked to shake my hand before he left, because he might never have the chance again, but I replied, "You just behave yourself, I expect to meet you again in eternity." He promised to be obedient and work hard, and I told him he would be a happy missionary.<br /><br />Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-54499401521142852802015-01-21T08:37:00.000-08:002015-01-21T08:37:12.570-08:00I usually try to report on the positive stuff, because I don't want to discourage anyone from coming to Africa, but this week has been one of unusual happenings, and I want to assure all my followers that we are doing well.<br />
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I am sure that many of you have read or heard the reports of catastrophic flooding in the Southern Region of Malawi, including Blantyre where we are serving. Although the cyclone which spawned the storm did severe damage here in Blantyre, none of the missionaries were impacted by it. The trouble is that the less expensive homes here are built of bricks which are only partially fired, and when they get too wet they return to their natural state which is clay. The mortar they use to build the houses is made of insufficient quantities of cement mixed with river sand. The sand contains a significant portion of dirt and charcoal, which soaks up water. You can see that the consequences of a sustained torrential rainfall (more than 6 cm/day) combined with strong winds which blow the rain under the roof will eventually cause the collapse of the house. The walls surrounding the compounds are built even more cheaply, and collapse across the roads, blocking traffic until the neighbors team up to clear the bricks out of the way. That much rainfall for three or four days also saturates the ground, and coupled with the storm winds up to 90 km/hr brings down large trees, some over 15 m tall which block entire major roadways.<br />
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Since the storm, the missionaries have fanned out into their areas and with the help of black plastic sheeting purchased by the church, they have covered many exposed portions of homes to prevent further collapsing. They were also involved in moving families and their possessions into adjacent houses of friends and family. Although we had over a dozen homes destroyed or significantly damaged in our district, we were fortunate to have no major injuries. The mother of one of our branch members was caught by falling bricks and severely bruised, but seems to be making a good recovery.<br />
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I WANT TO EMPHASIZE, The homes we rent for the missionaries are significantly stronger, and are faced with good cement plaster to keep the bricks dry, so they seem to have escaped even minor damage, although we did lose 5 m of wall around one compound because it was undermined by what is usually a very small creek which was carrying about 50 times as much water as normal. And of course, that much rain reveals the leaking places in the roof, so we had crews repairing several roofs.<br />
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Once the rains subsided, the runoff took care of most of the water within 24 hours, and now we wait for the end of the rainy season to make more permanent repairs to the damaged homes. Our main concern now is drinking water. The runoff silted up the intakes at the Water Board, and there was no input to the city water system for about 4 days. The natives resort to using ditch water from the runoff, and you see lines of women with water containers on their heads marching back from the places of collection. We purchased a 750 l. water tank and mounted it in the back of one of our mission trucks. The Zone Leaders go down the to Water Board and purchase the water directly from the treatment plant, then make the rounds to our flats and deliver water which is stored in large buckets in each location. There is no commercial water delivery such as there is in other parts of Africa. All in all it has been an eventful week.<br />
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The work goes on. As soon as the rains subsided, and even during the lulls in the storm, our missionaries were out visiting their families, with help, hope, and encouragement as they preach the gospel. They are amazing, dedicated workers for the Lord, and I admire them greatly.<br />
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As for the rest of the Southern Region, it has been much worse. The section of the Great East African Rift valley which lies downstream from Lake Malawi is very flat and wide. It all drains through the Shire (pronounced Sheeray) River which eventually flows into the Ruo River, the eastern border between Malawi and Mozambique. All of that water simply spreads out across the valley, and has displaced over 200,000 people and resulted in more than 200 deaths in the region. In that portion of the country, the situation is still critical, with many people still stranded on small raised portions of ground, with starvation, cholera, and no drinking water causing untold misery for these impoverished people. They have lost everything, homes, possessions, food, crops, and will face food shortages for an entire year before they can plant and harvest again. <br />
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We visited this area about three days before the storms started, and although there had been minor flooding from previous rainfall, there was no major damage apparent. That all changed within the week that followed. We have not attempted to survey the area, since many of the bridges and roads have been washed away, and the military is in charge of rescue efforts. We have at least three member families in the area and cannot contact them. With no power, their phones are dead, and not much hope of contacting them any time soon. Two were on higher ground, but I have not heard about the other family at all. It is worrisome, but not a place where we can help as yet. <br />
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You may have seen the reports, but I'll include a current link which has some of the latest pictures from Medicine Sans Frontiers or MSF (Doctors Without Borders) who have staff stationed within the area. The one thing not mentioned is the presence of crocodiles which move out of the river channel and into the farming areas with the high water. So far no deaths attributed to the crocodiles, but they are a worry. Of course much of the livestock has been swept into the river, so they may not be very hungry.<br />
<a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCAQqQIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fglobal-development%2Fgallery%2F2015%2Fjan%2F21%2Fmalawi-floods-cause-devastation-in-pictures&ei=jba_VIb1H4HX7AaSlIEQ&usg=AFQjCNFPWs-g6JNba84IZ3EWdPNeUs-RtA&bvm=bv.83829542,d.ZGU&cad=rja">http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCAQqQIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fglobal-development%2Fgallery%2F2015%2Fjan%2F21%2Fmalawi-floods-cause-devastation-in-pictures&ei=jba_VIb1H4HX7AaSlIEQ&usg=AFQjCNFPWs-g6JNba84IZ3EWdPNeUs-RtA&bvm=bv.83829542,d.ZGU&ocad=rja</a><br />
International response by governments has been quite good, but this situation will require major financial help from the NGO's of the world. If you have a favorite (but well-known) non-profit to which you would like to donate, please do. MSF is already here and on the ground, but there are many others, including World Food Program, or the Humanitarian Fund through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.<br />
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We love our assignment here. We love the people. We love the work of bringing souls unto Christ. We have only two months left to do good, and we hope to be able to leave something of eternal value, as well as our hearts, here in Malawi.Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-5786668412150144812015-01-08T02:12:00.000-08:002015-01-08T02:12:47.453-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our readers might appreciate this little bit about pre-mission experience. Elder Kapatamoyo boarded a bus in Lilongwe for a 5-hour ride to Blantyre to be set apart by a counselor in our Mission Presidency, Elder Beal. It was the first time he had been outside of his home town and the first time he had ridden on a nice big bus.<br /><br />We gathered all the Senior Missionaries and his temporary companions and Elder Beal set him apart for full-time service to the Lord. Then he went out with his companions to finish the day, actually got to help teach a lesson. I marvel at these young people here. This young man, probably about 20, had been a branch missionary starting when he was about 14. He has served as the Branch Mission Leader, and as the Branch Clerk. He was working on his second year as a seminary teacher when he received his mission call. I wonder how many USA elders are half as prepared when they leave. He has an awesome testimony, a deep knowledge of the gospel, and was practically jumping up and down with excitement to be starting his mission. It was a great treat, just to meet him.<br /><br />We took him to the airport this morning, after he had spent the night at the missionaries' flat, and with his passport and yellow fever card, we bid him Godspeed and left him to catch his plane (something else he has never done before). We coached him as best we could on what to do when he got to Jo-burg airport, and promised that the Missionary Training Center president or his assistants would find him. This is really a leap of faith. I'll attach a picture of him with President and Sister Beal outside our chapel.Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-31477788069701041632014-12-26T09:33:00.000-08:002014-12-26T09:33:06.828-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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First a little followup on the wildlife around here. We have an amazing assortment of lizards, geckos, and chameleons in our yard. From time to time we see different species, and then not again for six months. I'm not sure where they disappear to, but they rotate in and out and we have a selection all year long. These two pictures are of a couple of the more colorful ones, a blue-headed one and a pink headed one. There is also a golden-headed one, but I haven't gotten a picture. We have lots of the smaller ones that come in the house searching for flies and mosquitos. They range from about 2cm long to about 8cm. They are shy and quick, but startling sometimes when you almost step on one. We try not to disturb them so they can help with insect control.<br />
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The Sisters in our Zone got tired of waiting for the Elders to organize an outing, so they secured permission to go on a Sisters-only activity day. We loaded them in our trucks and went to Majete National Park, about a 90 minute drive south of here. They traditionally get matching t-shirts for these types of things, so here are some pictures of our day trip.<br />
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This falls is only a small side-stream of the Shire river. There are another half-dozen sections in this cascade, but this one is beautiful.<br />
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We had an eventful trip, saw a number of antelope species, but the elephants, crocodile, and hippos in the middle of the river were the most exciting. The elephant on the far side of the river represents a single cow and calf. We watched an entire herd of perhaps twenty or so walk through this same clearing over the space of 30 minutes. Awesome! It was a great opportunity for all the Sisters, since many of the African Sisters had never seen the big animals. They were as excited as the Americans. <br />
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The following week, the Elders got permission for the "real" zone activity, and the group hiked up Mulanje Mountain, the second highest peak in Africa. They didn't summit, but had a great spiritual feast and brae alongside one of the pools in the river. We didn't hike with them, but enjoyed the get-together.<br />
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As Christmas was approaching, we were setting up to have both Malawi zones together here in Malawi. The Sisters have all been asking Sister Reynolds to teach them how to make her famous bread, so she invited them over to the house to make the rolls for our dinner. They had fun, and we fed 51 people on Monday night before Christmas. <br />
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The gift exchange was hilarious, President Erickson explained the rules, and then we divided the group into two halves, with two stacks of presents and all could choose from either side, but the stealing and laughter was double fun. The jackfruit got the biggest applause, it is big enough to feed ten people, and is quite sweet. Then came Christmas dinner, with fried chicken, rice, mashed potatoes and chicken gravy, stuffing, salads, and of course three kinds of sweet breads for dessert.<br />
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We met the next morning for continental breakfast, and a really
spiritual meeting to consider the importance of the Sacrament ordinance.
President Erickson counseled us to make this time a time of change to a
better and higher sense of purpose in serving our Savior, Jesus Christ.
As we renew our covenants each week, make this week a time to renew
our dedication. <br />
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Christmas Eve the Zone was all here at the house, and we watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional, so it was a quiet, spiritual end to the day. Of course, the new Zone T-shirts were red and green, and we got pictures between the rainstorms.<br />
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Christmas day was much quieter, we just kind of unwound after all the activity. Sister Reynolds is multi-tasking, her computer is on, she is reading on her Kindle, and eating leftovers for lunch. Then it was time for some serious relaxing and reading. We hope that all of you had a blessed Christmas, and that by following Jesus Christ throughout the new year, you will find great joy, as we do in serving Him and keeping his commandments.Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-20566915220285052032014-12-15T11:40:00.000-08:002014-12-15T11:44:01.398-08:00Hooray, it has finally started raining. The rainy season is supposed to begin about the first week in November, and here it is the second week in December. The maize is not irrigated, it depends on rainfall, so nothing has been planted, and we are six weeks late in the season. It started raining on the 9th, and has rained a couple of times since. All the maize fields were planted by the 10th. The cultivation is all by hand, with a broad-bladed hoe. The blade is a heavy piece of flat iron cut to shape with a spike on the top. The handle is about three feet long, shaped from a heavy branch of a tree with a large knob about the size of a softball at the end. They drill a hole in the knob, heat the iron blade until it is red hot and then drive it into the hole, where it lodges fast.<br />
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" 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" 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" /></a>These are drawings from archeological digs, so you can see that the concept is not new. Similar hoes are found all over sub-Saharan Africa. This drawing shows just a branch of the tree, but the ones used here in Malawi are shaped from the piece of the trunk from where the branch is attached. That joint is the strongest part of the tree and resists splitting from the constant pounding of the hoe into the ground.<br />
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The women do the majority of the cultivation and weeding, but the short handles on these hoes mean that they are constantly bending over as they work. It is back-breaking work, but the length of the handle seems to be a cultural thing. Long-handled hoes are seen as a sign of laziness. It's crazy.<br />
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Along with the maize planting, the rain affects several other things, especially the frogs. The ones outside our dining room window are deafening. The frogs themselves are about the size of your thumb joint, but they are expert at finding a location which will amplify their chirping. The loudest one has located himself at the base of one of the pillars in our perimeter wall. He sits in the corner, on a broken brick, and it all acts like a megaphone. He is so loud, that when I first went out to see what was making the noise, I couldn't get close enough to see him because it hurts to be anywhere near--really! It must be well over 110 decibels, painful to listen to for more than a minute or two.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxUZQLidUVIusp6g5c8Zt5Q9IlqtRMyzOiZVMMbMTYeWDu5kkhoo7Bgsvvjk5xbpR0M5n0O296bpgaTfutUZA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
I will try to upload a short clip so that you can tell what it sounds like when they are all going together. It's kind of like "the wave," in the stadium. One frog starts somewhere in the distance, and is immediately followed by another and then another until they are all in chorus and finally dies down when they run out of energy.<br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=395748296997844461" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>I finally remembered to take a picture of our night guard with his University of Washington souvenir cap. He was so excited to have his picture taken so that we could remember him. I told him I'd post it for some of my Dawg Fans who would appreciate seeing it so far from home. I have actually seen advertising t-shirts from Snohomish County businesses. It is amazing to see things from home. We see WSU Cougar shirts and sweatshirts every once in a while as well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvdGzWtGffXAXcj4nBQzni2EXgAXbXDQJoUdWa2B7nk0FM8XhYECm_ftai39IUvzLv0mGlsU0yCX7b9y6diPzIcEbvI81E0KwwSYzQrTzV33__3RFKl369ciHr4jZeLs1-2Ao70E5NhXWo/s1600/P1070673Josefa-Guard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvdGzWtGffXAXcj4nBQzni2EXgAXbXDQJoUdWa2B7nk0FM8XhYECm_ftai39IUvzLv0mGlsU0yCX7b9y6diPzIcEbvI81E0KwwSYzQrTzV33__3RFKl369ciHr4jZeLs1-2Ao70E5NhXWo/s1600/P1070673Josefa-Guard.JPG" height="320" width="302" /></a></div>
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<br />Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-48674751812248563402014-09-25T02:40:00.000-07:002014-09-25T02:40:47.550-07:00The next project was the distribution of several thousand mosquito nets. Our target group was initially the children under 5 years of age and their mothers, especially pregnant women. Then we followed up with the elderly and infirm, which represent most of the deaths caused by malaria in Malawi. The children are particularly important, since in the villages they have only a 60% chance of surviving until they are five years old, due to malaria. The thought of losing 40% of your children in infancy just hurts my heart. Pregnant women are far more likely to die from malaria than any other cause, and since they represent the caregivers for the children, they are very important. Of course the aged are weak and malaria is commonly fatal. Some of the versions can kill otherwise healthy persons within 48 hours. There being no immunization against malaria, the nets are our first defense.<br />
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We try to work within established service groups, so many of the nets went to orphanages and schools, with no regard to religious affiliation. We do not proselyte in connection with these distributions, they are strictly for humanitarian reasons, although the recipients all know they are from the "Latter-day Saint Church." We get lots of questions about the name...<br />
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A member of our District Presidency supervises the distribution in Ndrandi. He is also the Public Relations Director for our zone.<br />
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This is the outside of the orphanage.<br />
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This group is from another school, which has a really fine facility, but no funding. It is always the same here, as NGO's and churches fund improvements, but cannot supply ongoing support.</div>
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We could not take a picture of the recipients here at the reformatory for privacy reasons, but we also furnished nets to the staff so that they may remain healthy and fulfill their role as support for troubled teens in this facility.<br />
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Many of the remainder of our nets were distributed into specific villages, where the mortality rate is the highest. It is hoped that they will help for a number of years. The insecticide with which they are treated lasts several years and multiple washings, but then the nets become just a physical barrier, which is still useful, but not as effective. <br />
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Again, it was a rewarding couple of weeks, but sometimes it seems that our efforts are just a drop in the bucket, there are so many needs. We also know that in spite of our best efforts, some of these nets will be sold on the black market to buy food. Teaching people to look a little farther ahead than just their next day's meal is really hard. Still we press on, hoping to make a difference in someone's life. Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-2537154055581118472014-09-25T01:58:00.002-07:002014-09-25T02:44:39.326-07:00I though I had better put a little more of what we were usually doing, lest you should think we were always on safari. We are the anchor couple for this corner of the mission, so whenever there is a project going on we are pretty much involved. During the last couple of months we have had two major projects, the wheelchair distribution and the mosquito net distribution.<br />
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The wheelchair project is administered by Mobility, an NGO which works with disabled transport in several countries in southwest Africa. As with many of the church's projects, we work with established vendors who have more permanent contact with the native people. We furnish the chairs, and they furnish the expertise in fitting, training, and follow-up so that the chairs serve long and well.<br />
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It was very interesting to be involved. We were asked if they could use our church facilities for the project, and fortunately, it was on a week when we had few district activities, so they were able to set up working areas, training areas, feeding facilities, and outside practice areas for the entire week.<br />
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When we first agreed to help, I was thinking that we would have a large number of people involved, but the primary purpose for this project was to distribute a smaller number of wheelchairs, and while doing so, to train multiple technicians on assembly, fitting, and maintenance of the chairs.<br />
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This is the afternoon group at the end of one day, with the trainers and missionaries on the back row, the technicians and administrators in the next couple of rows, the recipients in their new chairs towards the front, and the assemblers/techs sitting down. They were able to do two such groups each day, and it was marvelous to see the light of hope in the eyes of those who got chairs. Some had been waiting for many months on the list, and the chance to work again or attend school was something they had dreamed of.<br />
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We also invited the administrators from several organization who will assist with continuing distribution efforts so that they would see and understand our needs regarding reporting, tracking, and follow-up for the chairs.<br />
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We helped with logistics, keeping the building clean, and I even got to take a spin in one of the hand-cranked front-wheel drive setups, which was fun. I had never thought about training for the user, but they need to be able to maneuver their chair up and down stairs and ramps, across grass and gravel, up and down inclined areas and in rough areas (which is most of the time). The hand-cranked version is an attachment to a regular three-wheel chair, and can be attached and removed by the user without assistance. We furnish that type of chair to those who have far to travel to work or school, and you will see a good number of them out on the roads in Blantyre.<br />
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All in all it was a rewarding week, although it took most of my time. Even Sister Reynolds got involved because some of the seat cushion covers had not been finished properly, so we took them home to our sewing machine and she did some repair work. Getting a replacement cushion cover might take several months in Africa, so her repair efforts were especially timely.<br />
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<br />Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-23904289765428497702014-09-23T12:16:00.001-07:002014-09-23T12:18:28.639-07:00I know that all of you have been waiting for pictures, and I finally have taken so many and have a little bit of time that I thought I'd bring at least the travelogue up to date.<br />
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Sister Reynolds has just celebrated her most celebrated birthday, and I don't know if Elder Reynolds will ever be able to top this one.<br />
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We were invited to join all the rest of the senior mission couples in Chipata, Zambia for a two-day leadership conference. It was wonderful to see all of us together. Many of the couples we met for the first time, since the mission covers both Zambia and Malawi, and our area assignments do not allow time to go visiting. We were instructed by both President Erickson and Sister Erickson, and then we spent several hours in round-table discussions regarding how each of us was fulfilling our calling in our area of responsibility. Then we compared notes on what we could take away from each other, as far as experience and goals. It was a wonderful time.<br />
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We left Chipata and drove up to South Luangwa National Park to stay at Flatdogs Camp. We were booked for only a single night, but we decided to extend, so we bought a package that allowed us to go on safari into the park, both on a night drive and on a morning drive. The camp is really well done. We stayed in a chalet, but some of our group stayed in tent enclosures, all facing the river, which was spectacular. We could hear the hippos all night long, as well as the baboons and hyenas and elephants.<br />
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The first day we drove into the park in our own truck and just sort of explored on our own for about six houors. We saw the lionesses with a freshly killed cape buffalo, lots of crocodiles, a herd of about 15 elephant, lots of zebras, 100+ buffalo in a herd, and more impala, waterbuck, kudu, baboons, and monkeys than we could count. <br />
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A cape buffalo had gotten mired in a mudhole, and the crocodiles had managed to kill it. The lionesses came down to the waterhole and took the buffalo away from the crocs. After they had eaten their fill, the all moved back to sleep off the meal, and the crocs moved back in, the big ones first and then the smaller ones. By the next day, their was no trace of the carcass, not even the skull and horns.<br />
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The next day we relaxed and enjoyed the animals which wander through camp. We were told not to move around camp without a guard, which was good advice, since the animals pay little attention to the people. They walked us out to our chalet, especially at night, since the hippos are dangerous in the dark. We even saw fresh crocodile tracks about 10 meters from our front porch. Here is a picture from the pathway leading to our chalet. Guests had to leave their tables in the restaurant and take their meals inside because the elephants were cutting through between the pool and the courtyard.<br />
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That evening we joined a night drive, which lasts about 4 hours and were driven by our guide in an open safari car. During the daylight hours we saw giraffes multiple times, many different kinds of antelope, and finally stopped for a snack. After the sun set, his assistant manned the spotlight, and we saw our first leopard, which was really exciting. We also saw a hyena, civet, gennet, and other small animals, which was lots of fun.<br />
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The guide showed us the largest Boabab tree in that section of the park. They estimate it is around 5000 years old.<br />
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We got back to the camp in time to have dinner, fall into bed, and then be up early the next day to do the morning drive. We saw another leopard, <br />
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several hyenas, tons of different kinds of birds, including some Maribou storks which stand almost 5 feet high, and phalanxes of pelicans fishing in large groups by herding the fish into shallow water and dipping them up.<br />
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What a wondrous world we live in! The Lord has given us so many beautiful things to see and enjoy. We left the next morning and drove back in to Lilongwe, Malawi, then left early again and drove across to Lake Malawi in order to deliver a Bible I had promised to one of the gardeners while we were at District Girls' Camp the month before. Lunch overlooking the lake was absolutely spectacular. It was just clear enough to see the other side of the lake from our table. We have been their three times, and this was the first time we could see all the way across the lake.<br />
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So here are the promised pictures. Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-87863527235533527252014-08-02T13:26:00.000-07:002014-08-02T13:26:17.001-07:00Missionary MisadventuresI must admit that although my intentions to keep up the blog have been good, my execution has been really poor. I usually think about it late at night, and then realize that I have to get up early the next day, and won't have time to add much. And then I think of all the pictures and things I would like to report, and know that I'll never catch up, so here's a little story to reward you for checking back on my page.<br />
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Several months ago we rented another flat for an additional pair of missionaries. Due to other circumstances, we had to move two companionships into this new flat while one of the older flats was being refurbished. We soon discovered that locking the bathroom door was a no-no. One of our branch missionaries locked the door and spent several hours inside before I could devise a way to get him out. We told all the missionaries not to lock the door, and they have been good about passing that on.<br />
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However, on the last transfer, someone forgot to tell the brand-new missionary about the no door lock policy, and sure enough he locked himself in. The other missionaries called for me and I showed up to see if we could extract him. Unfortunately he had twisted the head off the key, and after much wiggling and jiggling, he finally managed to remove the key and shove it under the door. The outside missionaries had tried to open the lock, and succeeded in totally jamming the mechanism.<br />
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I arrived with my toolbox, and spent 30 minutes or so trying to remove the key from the lock, but to no avail. By now, the new missionary has been in the bathroom for more than two hours. We leaned on the door, tried to pry it away from the jamb, worked on the wood with a chisel, all to no avail. It was time to use a bigger hammer.<br />
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Elder P. is Tongan, a football linesman, at that. He has lost almost 40kg since coming on his mission, but still weighs over 125kg. I said, "Elder O. get away from the door so you won't be in the way when it opens." <br />
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Then I said "Elder P. I want you to hit that door." <br />
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He said, "Really, Elder Reynolds?!!!"<br />
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"Really!"<br />
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He took two steps, and the door blew open and crashed against the wall inside. I got a glimpse of Elder O. and his eyes were really big at that point.<br />
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Elder P., "Man, that felt good, just like being on the field again." The smile on his face was absolutely ear to ear, and he was still grinning 6 hours later. His last remark was, "This is going to go in my journal!" <br />
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My only regret was that we didn't get a picture!! A new door lockset, several nails and some paint, and the door is operational again, not much the worse for wear. We will miss Elder P., who is being transferred this week. I told him the reason he was assigned to Blantyre was to open that door for us. <br />
<br />Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-40581828125980443562014-01-26T09:33:00.000-08:002014-01-26T09:34:29.552-08:00I seem to have gotten behind in updating the blog. October?? and now it is the end of January. Fortunately there are pictures to remind us, so I'll do at least a synopsis of the last three months. We had hoped to make another trip to Liwonde to visit the group there for another baptism, but our schedule has been full most of the time. I will post this tonight and put the pictures in in the next little while.<br />
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November saw us driving to Lilongwe for the first time since we arrived here. We have made several half-trips to deliver personnel and immigration papers. We drive to Ntcheu and meet someone coming from Lilongwe, exchange mail and passengers, and then drive home again. It means that we can get things to the northern end of our areas with only 5 hours spent from each end instead of a 10-hour marathon to make the full round trip. We have gotten so that we can enjoy the trip a little more--not so much stress about getting lost on the way and knowing the right time to be driving to miss most of the obstacles (MARKET DAY, FESTIVALS, HEAVY TRUCKS). We also learned not to come home later than 5:00pm, since the homebound traffic in Blantyre includes bicycles with loads 6 feet wide, oxcarts, wheelchairs, pedestrians wearing black clothing, vehicles without lights, and multiple under-powered large trucks on every hill. After dark it gets to be a real nail-biter.<br />
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We had company for Thanksgiving, although we ate dinner on Sunday. Elder and Sister Hales, who were the PEF missionaries came to visit. We had roast chicken, stuffing, mashed potatos and gravy, Sister Reynolds' carrot casserole which was a real hit, and a "pumpkin" pie made with butternut squash, which turned out to be even better.<br />
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Hales were hoping to introduce the PEF program and get the young people started. Much to their surprise, they found 20 candidates with their paperwork already complete, the interviews done, and proposals for admittance to the various vocational institutions in Malawi ready to be submitted. Unfortunately she suffered some health issues, and they had to be released early. They were home in time for Christmas. The schooling is now kind of in limbo, because we do not have new PEF missionaries yet, but the young people are moving forward on their own, hoping to obtain loans after they are enrolled in school. The YSA group here is powerful.<br />
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So, back to the trip to Lilongwe. We took the entire zone of missionaries, along with both counselors from Blantyre District and their wives, for a total of 22, 14 in our trucks and 8 on the AXA bus. We stayed two nights, and spent time in leadership meetings with Elder James D. Martino from the Seventy who was touring our mission. This was the first time we have had both Malawi zones together since the mission was opened. We received marvelous training and counsel. The training had more to do with obtaining referrals rather than knocking gates, and the counsel was about working more closely with the members, including helping with home teaching, visiting teaching, and being more a part of the ward rather than just working in the area. The work of integrating new members into the church should be shared, rather than just left to one or the other group to do, since the missionaries are always being reassigned. It was a great experience to have us all together, and to personally meet with one of the Seventy <br />
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December was busy, as usual. We had one of our sister missionaries who had to go home early. Bless her heart, she kept going with pretty severe abdominal pain for 8 months, but after multiple trips to the hospital and testing, she elected to go home. She was heart-broken, but it was for the best, and she had done her best. They finally diagnosed her with parasites, although she had been tested for those while here. We had been advised by the area medical office that drinking an occasional Coke would help prevent that. She had elected not to do that for personal reasons. I'm not sure if it would have helped, but it seems to be working for the rest of us. The Coke and Pepsi here is a little different. It is not as sweet, and I'm sure it has less caffeine. I could never drink a whole can of Pepsi without getting all buzzed, but here it doesn't even faze me. I can go to sleep right after a can of Pepsi. Not that I mind, as long as it keeps the parasites at bay.<br />
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Christmas was another story. It was hard to get in the spirit of Christmas when we were used to snow and cold. The temperature was averaging right around 82* and all the flowering trees were in bloom. It finally cooled down a little bit when it started to rain, but it was still in the high 70's most days. The stores put up decorations, and played Christmas music, but we had a pretty hard time keeping from laughing when they played Jingle Bells, White Christmas, and such. That's not happening here, folks! I was sitting in church after Thanksgiving, and they sang "Heark the Herald Angels Sing" for the opening song. Before I realized why, I thought to myself, "Why are they singing those songs this time of year?" Duh, it's December, old man.<br />
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Sister Reynolds went all out for Christmas. She asked the missionaries what they would do at home at Christmas time, and incorporated their suggestions into her dinner planning. We found a couple of small turkeys (Wow!), did a couple of small roasts. She made rolls for sandwich buns, some regular crescent rolls (a special request) and he famous sausage rolls. She did pickles, crackers, fresh salsa, home-made ranch dip, shrimp dip (I actually found some Philadelphia Cream Cheese--don't ask how much it was), and olives. She scrounged for all kinds of substitutions, but made sugar cookies, frosted cutout cookies (the sister missionaries asked to help), ginger snaps, texas sheet-cake, fudge, english toffee, and peanut brittle. They don't have brown sugar or corn syrup, so the sugar stuff came out a little different. The fudge was good, but soft like cake frosting, the english toffee was good, but a really different texture, the peanut brittle didn't set up until we froze it, and then it was really good. Not that any of this mattered, the missionaries had a great feast, and of course a lot of it was things that the Africans had never seen before. Elder Amison assembled a video montage of the Church films of the life of Jesus, and it was great, ending of course with the patriarch reading the Christmas story from Luke. <br />
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January started off with some exciting-sad-good news. Three of our missionaries had been sent out of or diverted from Zimbabwe at the same time we were going through the visa challenge, and they were sent to our Zambia mission to wait. We found out they were actually going to be able to go back to Zim, after 6 months here, and finish their mission where they had been initally assigned. We lost two sisters, one from California/Tonga and one from South Africa, along with one elder from Uganda, who was a district leader at the time. Zim got three fully trained "new" missionaries. We shed a few tears--it is so easy to learn to love these fine young people, and off they went on their new assignment. We have received one replacement elder, and are to receive the two replacement sisters on the 30th of January. <br />
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We also received news that we will be getting another senior couple to serve as CES missionaries here in Blantyre. They will be responsible for Seminaries and Institutes. Sister Reynolds is excited to have someone to talk to. I have been house-hunting for the last week or so, since they will be arriving in March, and we will need to find and furnish a new house for them. You would not believe the houses we have looked at. I told the estate agents what I wanted, and of course they want to trade up if they can, since their commission is usually more for a higher rental. We looked at one place which was the residence of a former member of Parliament--oh my stars! It was at least 3000 square feet on each of three floors, I mean about 10,000 sq ft including the three car garage. The master suite had an enormous round bed, columns, mirrors, six closets, etc., etc., Sister Reynolds wanted to take the kitchen home with her, it had double ovens, island cooktop, and a separate prep room for food, walk in pantry, and tons of cupboard space. The place was tiled from floor to ceiling in most of the rooms, ceramic tile floors or wood throughout, balconies from each of the six bedrooms, all with bathrooms ensuite, and an open air stairwell in the center of the house. All this for USD<br />
$1275/month. It might have been OK for a mission home, but I only need a nice home for two senior missionaries! Half of one floor would have been more than sufficient.<br />
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We also looked at some houses which might have been suitable, but the location, security, access, or mutiple floors were not good for a 79-year old and his wife. We did find one house in a nice area, with easy road access, and within two blocks of one of our sister's flats. It is a little too big with four bedrooms and four baths, but would be nice to use about half the house and close the rest off. It is on about two acres, but only 1/4 of it is maintained, the rest is old fruit orchard. They just cut the grass during the rainy season, and then let it go during the winter. The rent was really reasonable, about USD$650/mo. If we don't find something else in the next few days, I will check with Pres. Erickson and see if that would be alright.<br />
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We have four new Malawi missionaries leaving within the next two months, so we are also working with them to get them outfitted and ready to go. Most of them have nothing, or very little. We shop like mad for suitable used clothing, luggage, and shoulder bags. You wouldn't believe we could get 8 shirts, several pair of slacks, ties, socks, shoes, and most of their other needs for less than $200. It is an adventure in thrift shopping. You would have to see three blocks of shoes for sale by the side of the road, no shops, no sizes, just whatever is available today, kind of like an open air vegetable market. Good used white shirts come from the laundry services, who replace their stock when it looks the least bit worn. I don't know where they find the socks, but they are reasonable, although you will never find two pair the same color or style. The ties are something else.<br />
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One of the biggest expenditures is for a decent set of scriptures and the missionary reference set. Now if we could just get scriptures it would be helpful. The announcement of new versions in the US has eaten up all the production of the scriptures. We haven't been able to buy a Bible for at least three months. I know we aren't a priority out here in the hinterlands, but it would be nice to send our people out with something besides a paperback version from Seminary.<br />
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The rainy season is going on now. They told us it would really rain, and it has, but not for too long. We get a pretty good downpour for several hours, then it turns into a nice soaking rain, and the temperature drops into the low 70's. Of course the Africans are all freezing to death at that temperature. You see them in stocking caps and gloves with their coats on. They have a very narrow range of comfort, somewhere between 75* and 85*--outside that it's too cold or too hot. I suppose we will get that way before we go home, but for us now, it's very comfortable.<br />
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The missionaries have accepted a new challenge to build the church up and not so much out. The people here in Malawi are very open to the gospel of Jesus Christ. They love him, and are anxious to follow their Lord and Savior. Most of them are in church somewhere on Saturday or Sunday, and they love to talk about the Lord. That makes it very easy for the missionaries to find people to teach, so they seldom knock on anyone's door. They just ask for referrals and follow up. However, we need more professional people, and those with more leadership skills to help build the church. Because we do not have paid ministers, we need people who will work, "doers of the word and not hearers only" in order to build strong congregations<br />
and stronger families. We need people who are personally financially stable so that they can devote time to the Lord. There are many strong people among the poor, but they can hardly spare time to build the church when they are working 80 hours a week just to feed their family. Of course, people who are already doing well in life tend to think they don't need the Lord, and here in Malawi, they live in a fenced compound with a guard at the gate. It's really easy to tell the guard that he can tell those missionaries at the gate that he's not interested, or can't be bothered right now. The missionaries are working hard to find ways to contact those people directly, and also teaching all the guards they can talk to. We have seen some really high-power people come into the church in the last couple of months, attorneys, educators, public officials, businessmen. It is really exciting to see what happens when the counsel of our leaders becomes our focus and guide. The best part is that the missionaries are using us to help them teach, since we seem to represent a more successful role model, rather than just 19-year-olds with a message. And we have met some really wonderful people because of this. We love to be involved directly with teaching, and more than that we love to see how the gospel changes people's lives. It truly does make bad men good and good men better. <br />
<br />Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-25487408592242838052013-10-23T09:38:00.000-07:002013-10-23T09:38:29.643-07:00<br />
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It is time to do battle with the wily mosquito. Note the steely glint in the eye of our hero as he prepares to administer the coup de grace to the stealth version of the mosquito world. This species is noted for its ability to disappear from open view, even with several sets of eyes watching. They seem to rotate into the next dimension and vanish. Not only that, but they don't make any noise on approach. Various attempts to dispatch them with bare hands only lead to frustration. In an effort to even the odds, he procures a 21st century electronic weapon--the "BUG ZAPPER" capable of discharging 2,750 volts across the grid. At last, a sure means of eradication is at hand (no pun here, it's all in the wrist). The best part is the blue flash and sharp report which accompanies success in the hunt, not to mention the applause by his spouse as he dispatches another of his sharp-nosed assailants.<br /><br />Did you know that anopheles (the species he is hunting) means "good for nothing" in Greek?--an apt name if I every heard one. The only use we have for them is to feed the swallows, swifts, and martens which patrol the skies by day and by the dozens, searching for the elusive prey. And by night the bats are about with the same aim. Need I tell you that this is our chief sport and entertainment each evening before retiring? Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-55387354642191256532013-10-17T10:59:00.000-07:002013-10-17T11:14:27.755-07:00Sorry if some of the pictures have disappeared. We were reminded that we are not allowed to post any pictures of individuals unless we have their express permission to do so. The privacy laws vary from country to country, so to avoid any problems, we will have to forbear. "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, and in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law."<br />
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However, we have really good news. Our local immigration office OK'd our TEP visas for the next two years, so we should be able to stay in Blantyre for the whole time (until March 2015). Sister Reynolds heaved a sigh of relief. After a rocky start, it is nice to have a sense of permanence! Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-42241351388378434102013-10-13T14:53:00.000-07:002013-10-17T10:53:51.550-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today was quite a day. We got a call last night from one of our Elders, who apologized for not inviting us sooner. He and his companion were expecting to have 10 baptisms on Sunday and wanted to know if we wanted to be there. Of course it meant getting up at 4:00 so we could leave Blantyre at 5:30 and drive two hours, but we were excited to be invited. Our missionaries are only working in the area for two days each month, so all of these people were taught and fellowshipped by the members. We would love to have a mission couple work in there, which would give us an opportunity to put four elders in the area full time. We keep praying for someone to answer the call to Africa. The area would be a neat assignment if we didn't already have one in Blantyre.<br />
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The branch is located in an area where we had visited three weeks previous, so we sort of knew the way, but elected to follow the missionaries, who had another couple with them. It was a great trip. It turned out we had nine baptisms, which were performed in a swimming pool. The owners have been very gracious in allowing us to use their facility in the early morning before the guests will be up and about. <br />
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I will include a couple of photos of the meeting house which is under construction. It is basically a longhouse with two offices in the back. They are currently meeting in a large house on the property, which will continue to be used for classrooms. <br />
We had 56 adults in attendance at Sacrament Meeting, with another dozen or so children. It would be like having over 50 people in your living room/dining room of your home. It is exciting to see the church move forward. <br />
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Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-6166475889063103542013-09-27T06:08:00.000-07:002013-09-27T06:16:03.375-07:00We had a wonderful time the week of Sept 17-23. Elder and Sister Lyles, Humanitarian Missionaries for the LDS Church had asked if we could help with logistics during the week they were here with a US team. They were conducting training seminars for the Helping Babies Breathe Project. We drove up to Ntcheu to meet them as they were driving down from Lilongwe, thus saving them having to drive all the way to Blantyre and stay over for several days.
That was a fun ride, we only got lost once, and almost made it home without getting lost, although we did miss a couple of turnoffs and had to turn around. There are almost no road signs in Malawi, no highway markers, no standard village naming signs, no speed limit signs except in the villages, and no shoulders on most of the roads. We would just ask the soldiers at the checkpoints if we were still on the right road, and where to turn next. They have plenty of those, so you shouldn't be able to get more than 25 kilometers before there is someone to ask. They were very helpful and polite, standing there with their AK-47's.
The team took us out to dinner at the 21 Grill, a regionally famous eatery adjacent to the Protea Ryalls Hotel. It's possibly the finest place in town to eat, but dinner cost us all of 9,000MK or about $25US for both of us. The group bribed the band, and when they brought out Sis. Reynolds' dessert (a banana split with a candle in it) they all sang Happy Birthday To You. It was awesome, totally caught her unaware. :-)<br />
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After the seminars, we furnished transport back to Liwonde, but elected to stay overnight at Hippo Lodge and go with some of the Mission Couples on a two-hour boat safari on the Shire (say she-ray) River through Liwonde National Park. Most of the pictures are of that trip. Being in the boat, we could really get close to the animals, so we took about 200 pictures or so. Then we drove back to Blantyre while the team continued on to Lilongwe and their flight home.<br />
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Two of our Elders have completed their missions, so they went home this week 9/26. Elders Muhlauyo and Machiridza are great young men, and each will be a strong leader in his homeland. This is Africa's time, and being a part of this explosive growth and change is amazing. It is so good to be able to support these young people as they serve. We are truly blessed. Not only that, but we live in a beautiful place--the flowering trees are lovely, not to mention that they smell good and the birds awaken us with lovely song, albeit a little early.<br />
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Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-74669867627337284192013-09-08T13:28:00.000-07:002013-10-17T11:05:42.515-07:00We are pretty well settled in Blantyre by now. We have a nice flat, with two bedrooms and two baths so that we can have other couples stay with us when they are in the area. The Sister Missionaries were staying here, but we got a new flat for them so we have the house to ourselves most of the time. The Sisters were glad to move, since their new flat is very close to the branch chapel where they are assigned in Ndirande, and that is right at the edge of their area. They were taking the public transportation every day to reach their area, about 4 km from the house, so too far to walk. The buses are the combies, basically nine passenger Toyota's, with 18 people riding in them. All the missionaries use them, but we have never been brave enough to try it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Y5351YWUQVYm-qCieA4WYx3dX5CBs4A_6blkne-UZWEcimiUjEolw28wnjfkeUYzBj4SBDsucBw_-haK1itc8TemKv_BO3BUbUKiF-VAOFoqubHxteFv_KKa7g4HEpL6HCl7YWP6YJM4/s1600/31-08-2013Monkey+YWCampNkopolaLodgeMalawi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Y5351YWUQVYm-qCieA4WYx3dX5CBs4A_6blkne-UZWEcimiUjEolw28wnjfkeUYzBj4SBDsucBw_-haK1itc8TemKv_BO3BUbUKiF-VAOFoqubHxteFv_KKa7g4HEpL6HCl7YWP6YJM4/s320/31-08-2013Monkey+YWCampNkopolaLodgeMalawi.jpg" /></a>The weekend of Aug 23, 24 Elder Reynolds went camping with the YM of the Blantyre District, their first ever YM camp. It was quite an adventure. We drove for about 3 hours to reach the mountain, and then another 3km up the forest road in Mulanje National Park. There is a turnaround where we dropped off all the boys and gear for another 30 minute hike up the mountain. I drove back down to the ranger station to leave the truck and the bus we had rented. Then two of the young men and I started back up the mountain on foot to join the others. Silly me, I listened to them when they said they knew a short cut. The African version is based on just a shorter distance, not necessarily the easiest way. Instead of walking back up the road, we took a 40% grade trail over the top of two ridges--the old man was huffing like a hippopotamus by the time we got to camp 90 minutes later. Talk about scouting challenge--the last 100 meters is a scramble, and if I hadn't been able to hear the boys ahead laughing in the campsite, I might not have made it! I was awakened by the laughing of the hyenas about 0300, and several minutes later could hear the sound of munching right next to my head. Several of the boys got up and chased them away, after which they secured our food supply for the night. I wasn't sure how big the hyenas were, so I didn't get a picture, however I did photograph the tracks next to our tent the next morning.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-4Ok8iduJMC8MdUIfpcqbUfJDypasYoBdaXdU8gGAoIMDBNDsmK7Z1AQBAm7bANlEf7BoXeFxr21UkWfXYU0vaX-jlj9eiMRl37UCiUeXGvXdALeG0Zcx66TWTR7xQm4uDRzcNC4pnzen/s1600/31-08-2013Sunrise+YWCampNkopolaLodge+Lake+Malawi.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-4Ok8iduJMC8MdUIfpcqbUfJDypasYoBdaXdU8gGAoIMDBNDsmK7Z1AQBAm7bANlEf7BoXeFxr21UkWfXYU0vaX-jlj9eiMRl37UCiUeXGvXdALeG0Zcx66TWTR7xQm4uDRzcNC4pnzen/s320/31-08-2013Sunrise+YWCampNkopolaLodge+Lake+Malawi.jpg" /></a>
The following weekend of Aug 30, 31, both Sister Reynolds and I got to go with the YW of the Blantyre District for their camp. It was another adventure, this time because of the roads and the days we were driving. The main road between Blantyre and Nkopola is under construction, so it consists of many detours--took us 5 hours to cover 200km. Also because it goes through many small villages, and the weekend is their market days, it was an obstacle course of pedestrians, bicyclists, and combies about every 5km or so. There was no hike in, however, since the Nkopola Lodge is right on Lake Malawi. Not only that, but the priesthood advisers were put up in "chalets" (pronounced like pallets) with warm showers, bathrooms, air-conditioning, and electric service. Not quite the same as the week before. We had a marvelous camp, Sister Reynolds taught a first-aid class, and we were entertained by the monkeys and baboons which frequent the camp (stealing any left out food--worse than mice). This campsite was gorgeous, palm trees, sandy beach, grass covered camping area, covered cooking facility, very nice, indeed. It cost us 2000MK per girl, but that's less than $6US. Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-27118847264881505172013-08-14T01:42:00.000-07:002013-08-14T01:42:11.123-07:00We waited one more day until Elder and Sister Fisk joined us in Lusaka. President Erickson interviewed both couples and then assigned us to work in Malawi, the Fisk's in Lilongwe (north) and ourselves in Blantyre (south). We boarded Kenya Airways at about 0130 and arrived in our new country at 0300 on the morning of 2 Aug 2013, stayed in Lilongwe Fri and Sat night, then drove down to Blantyre on Sunday 4 Aug after church. We were excited but tired, and glad to be in a more permanent situation (I hope!) Elder and Sister Prete, a counselor in the presidency, drove us down and spent the next few days training. Here's a picture of one of the many villages we drove through on the way down.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6W-mQAD0iPxZBTpdXCfKRsOutQHAbGiqlDyfbM8LWxYFLnf4HrJ7RK8Kw_eKp52BKuxT4ZP8kUBlm-yq1g1hJkAHkEUKNR-FbCAAwyxFjlaNuiiG4a08F1IRnmvvyZhaR22g1xl2aREJm/s1600/MalawiLandscape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6W-mQAD0iPxZBTpdXCfKRsOutQHAbGiqlDyfbM8LWxYFLnf4HrJ7RK8Kw_eKp52BKuxT4ZP8kUBlm-yq1g1hJkAHkEUKNR-FbCAAwyxFjlaNuiiG4a08F1IRnmvvyZhaR22g1xl2aREJm/s320/MalawiLandscape.jpg" /></a></div>
Monday we joined the Zone for an outing to Majete Game Preserve, and had a marvelous time. I took about 220 pictures, but will only post a few here.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir8VZVgqrMuV_6CFm6GaKe4R8xCUvnvr9KuOi2_f1ESisg_FWnGu3djDbjrIhdOmMpwEbullOBTJIzcoIpWupKwsy243M4Y9hgUW38PzO78XlJ61cjbEKoLGbxIaqPn3QdpdqHlxn9op5k/s1600/MRHippoandYoung1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir8VZVgqrMuV_6CFm6GaKe4R8xCUvnvr9KuOi2_f1ESisg_FWnGu3djDbjrIhdOmMpwEbullOBTJIzcoIpWupKwsy243M4Y9hgUW38PzO78XlJ61cjbEKoLGbxIaqPn3QdpdqHlxn9op5k/s200/MRHippoandYoung1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnguIU7T8tTYAtf8EVjGD6P8Zo99mmQFu8RZTT-Xn6eUbBkrVXDnSNrE6FEzrLmkkqjjqt4pVwKzwqowXOBruwQ62XF4hl04yhkXR45yjrzLsuNm3IAYdKnSw0ePgSn6zycni6Wf4vQn-/s1600/MRMalawiZoneHippoPoint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnguIU7T8tTYAtf8EVjGD6P8Zo99mmQFu8RZTT-Xn6eUbBkrVXDnSNrE6FEzrLmkkqjjqt4pVwKzwqowXOBruwQ62XF4hl04yhkXR45yjrzLsuNm3IAYdKnSw0ePgSn6zycni6Wf4vQn-/s200/MRMalawiZoneHippoPoint.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7uPaqWNgBLq2ekKEQqqiZ5L8WYClQdPBYxb-chWWGhWNZurp8BaGEFP5vswn0G1hGTzm-bAzmbF_XJXZ3_RDVQs7T2hVm2B4Yl259qTPckTSbuZ0uCvTqcHlEZlmr_Uvg5VxuClOQEwl/s1600/MRSableMale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7uPaqWNgBLq2ekKEQqqiZ5L8WYClQdPBYxb-chWWGhWNZurp8BaGEFP5vswn0G1hGTzm-bAzmbF_XJXZ3_RDVQs7T2hVm2B4Yl259qTPckTSbuZ0uCvTqcHlEZlmr_Uvg5VxuClOQEwl/s200/MRSableMale.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QhveOQQGTsQTuXuQ7q1Au0aW-h60Ko84pLAM_YO0ybiT4OSRSthcT5qVtbbHFTQ9_9iEJ2sasaO2HfvvXLTdSK1RZBAAaXWJfYFhxCYyAQkpuP2Gl8HhfoxJjp918871WhEljbzpRGrc/s1600/MRWarthog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QhveOQQGTsQTuXuQ7q1Au0aW-h60Ko84pLAM_YO0ybiT4OSRSthcT5qVtbbHFTQ9_9iEJ2sasaO2HfvvXLTdSK1RZBAAaXWJfYFhxCYyAQkpuP2Gl8HhfoxJjp918871WhEljbzpRGrc/s200/MRWarthog.jpg" /></a></div> We saw most of the animals in the park, "But No Elephants". The herd numbers in the hundreds, but they were all hiding, along with the leopards, rhinos, lions. Perhaps we will get to go another time in the next 20 months.
Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-69772678178536662532013-07-30T10:41:00.000-07:002013-07-30T10:41:05.794-07:00Tonight we are in Lusaka, Zambia in the mission home. President and Sister Ericson have graciously invited us to stay with them until we get our assignment. There are numerous places in the mission where we can be useful, and he and the Lord are trying to decide where to send us. We will wait for his directions.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4I6Ljt6wTwmPq1-o5lF63s2wP_zXITGd49vmVe3MqKU1GVtQu8VK2uNIRK8g0ur7wHQDi0qo6mMiYqF4JppinbwSv377Y69ogoiu62Ao-0_wPgWkdmnM6hWhALMlTJztxXGQciZBtEbLp/s1600/PresSisEricsonESReynoldsSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4I6Ljt6wTwmPq1-o5lF63s2wP_zXITGd49vmVe3MqKU1GVtQu8VK2uNIRK8g0ur7wHQDi0qo6mMiYqF4JppinbwSv377Y69ogoiu62Ao-0_wPgWkdmnM6hWhALMlTJztxXGQciZBtEbLp/s400/PresSisEricsonESReynoldsSmall.jpg" /></a></div><div></div>The second picture is of the little bit of paradise we found out back. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5lSFnwPt5R-m9N-1tu6JD4G9emU8d0uApBAUgPTcpzGlq8I4DXTMOwN5c2I6W_1P6Gry9FMwCydmro_OOawabuifhc23_MIz-BVJTrIVEYfLPXG9SMGMusHB1spMy39guYyeoDvEq349/s1600/E&SReynoldsinZambia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5lSFnwPt5R-m9N-1tu6JD4G9emU8d0uApBAUgPTcpzGlq8I4DXTMOwN5c2I6W_1P6Gry9FMwCydmro_OOawabuifhc23_MIz-BVJTrIVEYfLPXG9SMGMusHB1spMy39guYyeoDvEq349/s320/E&SReynoldsinZambia.jpg" /></a></div>Yes, that's a palm tree, and the darker tree on the right is a mango, and if you look closely you can see bunches of bananas hanging on the tree behind it. The lemon tree is on the far right. This is the back yard of the mission home, and it was 75* when we took the pictures. This is wintertime, equivalent to the end of January at home. It certainly is pleasant now, but may be much warmer come summer. Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-395748296997844461.post-80601153870379847542013-07-29T11:49:00.000-07:002013-07-29T11:49:32.323-07:00We are off to Lusaka, Zambia for the next chapter of the saga. We are being reassigned, so this should be a little more permanent (hope! hope! hope!). We have spent the last two weeks in the Southeast Africa Area Office, Sister Reynolds calling in search of lost members, and Brother Reynolds imaging new laptops and desktops to be distributed to Seminary Administrators all over southern Africa and Madagascar. This makes a total of 7 weeks we have been in limbo since being invited to leave Zimbabwe back on 6/6/13. We have made some wonderful new friends, and had a chance to say goodbye to a number of them at a "luau" this evening. We will miss the SEAA group, but are looking forward to meeting President and Sister Ericson in Zambia tomorrow 29 July. No pictures with this post, we are packing to leave. Sister Reynolds remarked that this is the 7th time she has packed the suitcases since March. Ann and Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06179064811182771637noreply@blogger.com0