Hello to New Friends and Goodbye to RobJun 14, 2011
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| It was a bittersweet morning for the men, as we got caught up on our travel blog, discussed plans for our newly acquired land, and reminisced before taking Rob to the airport @ 11:00 am to catch his flight out of Malawi & begin the long road back home. Greg & Francis received some satisfaction when the South African Airline computers went down just as Rob reached the desk-this was our last payback for leaving us behind with the ladies. After 30 minutes, they were back up and he made it through customs unscathed….we think. While all this was going on, Heidi and Jan went with Kathy to see the Adziwa Project, a prototype of a community-based encampment combined with an orphan’s village. They provide occupational therapy for children with cerebral palsy and malaria, low cost housing and education for families who accept orphans into their homes, while simultaneously raising pigs and chickens in another section for food and resale. Among the kids there was a primordial dwarf named George that stole the spotlight. They distributed toys to the kids and left with a lot of great ideas for us to consider as we move forward. They had a crew of people from the US there who were helping build a kitchen. It was fascinating to watch as they dig up the dirt and place it in a simple brick making machine. Heidi was delighted to find out that one of the Americans was also a Ball State University Alumni and a teacher in Indianapolis. Heidi brought an article about a BSU professor who brings students to this area to teach and was trying to find out what village he goes to. Turns out the Hoosier teacher was one of the first students to be a part of this program. Then it was off to the African Bible College to meet Malawian Limbikani Kolomangera, who received her Doctorate from Grambling and now teaches at the college. She received a scholarship from PEO, an international organization Heidi just recently joined. It was great to get in contact with a fellow Louisianan in the heart of Africa. Greg and Francis caught up with the ladies for lunch, where we also met Erica Ward, a Peace Corps volunteer who had been corresponding with Heidi back in the states, and able to take a bus into Lilongwe from a remote village in the north to meet us (which is an amazing feat in itself). We all traded stories & she ended up staying the night at the guesthouse with us. We all went back to the Blessings Home after lunch, where Heidi and Jan did fun science experiments for the kids and told the Story of the Gospel through colored wristbands. Before leaving, we set off about 6-8 rocket balloons outside-this one action summoned throngs of kids from every direction until it felt like we were in the middle of a riot at a soccer stadium. We soon made our escape by throwing toys from the windows as the Flame Adventure Tours van sped away into the twilight. Dinner that evening was at Steve & Kathy Bowler’s house. Outside of the great conversation about the state of Malawi & the different needs that can be met, we had mashed potatoes & gravy AND banana/chocolate chip cake on the menu, the real highlight of the evening. We then went back to the guest house (the power outage for the evening had already occurred at the Bowler’s house, who had a generator) to do laundry and pack for our next road trip tomorrow. |
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