Blah, blah...

The month of having my parents here is almost coming to an end. We hope to leave tomorrow on a trip to Liwonde National Park to see elephants and hippos and then on up to Lake Malawi. However our plans may be derailed by yet another fuel shortage! We are hoping and crossing our fingers that we will find some gas tomorrow morning since our vehicle is on "E" and the closest gas station is about 12 miles away.

On another note this week was birthdays. Wednesday was Trevor's 4th birthday and today is Mom's 62nd. It's been fun to celebrate with family here. I find myself not "into" birthdays much here for some reason. Mostly because there is a distinct lack of Hallmark stores and almost no where to buy a gift. Because of that and being here for a long-ish time I've fallen into the mode of not giving cards or gifts to anyone - even those back home where I could order something online and have it shipped. Hmmm - I think it might be laziness.

In general I'm doing ok. I feel distracted some and have trouble focusing at times. I am praying for whomever will replace me and that they will come soon. I am getting closer to a date for departure and it is getting close! I am also in the midst of discussions about a job possibility when I get back. There is so much unknown and unpredictable about moving back to the US and re-assimilating to the culture. In some ways I'm avoiding thinking about it because it will be sad and difficult - in other little ways I'm getting excited.

A depressing part of life is the annual tax deadline. It is especially frustrating here when I make a pittance as a volunteer and then have to pay medicare and social security out of my meager earnings. It is frustrating to be considered "self employed". But that is life and within the next few days i have to pay and file. But the silver lining is that next week I'm going to Zanzibar! (google it if you haven't heard about it)

Life seems uneventful now except for the frustrations that come up like the Malawi government not paying salaries, the annual audit, Malawi Union church meetings, and other challenges that come along daily. I don't want them to sound trite - i have lost sleep over the ~$40,000 bank overdraft we took in February to pay salaries (paid off about 10 days later) and the threat of another one this month. [It was not required because when we got to the point of taking a loan the salaries came through! Thank you Lord!] But I guess sometimes it feels like this is "normal" and a high stress level is standard but it is tiring and I'm weary...

For now I'll end my rambling comments on life here. I have much to be thankful for and turn my focus in that direction...