“Chakha Cha-bueno!!” (Happy New Year!!)

“Can you believe it’s 2009 already?” How many times have you asked that question in the last week? Well for me it’s been several times at least. If you indulge me, I remember when it just turned 2000 and I thought that 2010 seemed SO FAR away and now it is only one year! I am sure everyone feels the same! 2009 has some depressing parts since it is the year that I turn 30 which may or may not be traumatic (I haven’t decided yet). But in general I am excited at the prospect of a New Year, new start, and fresh possibilities. I have found that many people here in Malawi are more excited about the New Year than Christmas. To them, understandably, it is a marker of time and they spend the day celebrating life and the blessings of God that has preserved them for yet another year. This is poignant in this society where death (usually premature) is so prevalent and almost “normal” or expected. Celebrating life is very important when so many friends and family members have already died. Many attend a church service on New Year’s Day and then enjoy a special meal with rice, chicken, and beans (all very special in the villages).

My New Year celebration consisted of a potluck dinner on n. y. eve and then going to bed reading a good book, pretty exciting huh? The week between Christmas and New Year (up to today – Sunday) has really been slow for me at the hospital since many people are gone and businesses were closed. In some ways it was nice because it felt like I got a bit of a break but not a REAL break because most days I at least came to the hospital and/or had people coming to my house with questions.

Wednesday (n.y. eve) Cristy and I went in to Blantyre to pick up Don S and his wife Gayle (aka “Mrs. Don”) from the airport. They are happy to be here and Gayle is experiencing Malawi for the first time. She is a sweet lady and is anxious to get involved at the college where she has some experience in the past. She has taught and been the school counselor in many different settings. It is neat to hear her stories and have a woman’s perspective on mission life. She and Don have been missionaries all over the world for about 30 years. I’m also glad to have Don back to help with the hospital.

Speaking of the hospital – I hesitate to even type this because I don’t want it to be a “fluke” – but December brought many blessings financially to the hospital. We were able to purchase the needed medicines for cash, pay salaries before Christmas, and most of all pay our current payroll tax to the Malawi government. One employee who has worked here for 21 years told me that this was the first time in 5 years that he remembers being paid before Christmas. As to our payroll taxes – yes I realize that this is illegal – but we have not been paying our current monthly tax for at least all of 2008 if not longer. In addition to that we owe several million kwachas in fines, but they were most concerned that we aren’t paying the current tax. All I can to is praise God and give Him the glory!! This seems to be the result of our lay-offs that happened in October so I am hoping that it continues. I am mostly just amazed at God’s grace and mercy – even when we have made so many mistakes and bad decisions, when things are put right He blesses! This does not mean the financial challenges are over – we have A LONG way to go but what is encouraging is to see small improvements.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. The writer of Lamentations says that God’s mercies are new every morning… sort of like a New Year I guess. The past is gone and all that lies before is the unknown and a clean slate. After looking back over 2008 I have to say that I have no idea what will happen in 2009.

Explaining Christmas

It’s that time of year – what’s referred to as “the holidays”. Now that I find myself in a country and culture that is not my own, I am redefining Christmas and what the essential pieces are of “the holidays”. What I mean is that since I’m not surrounded by the western “hustle & bustle” of the whole month of December (or really since the end of October) I find myself evaluating what it is about these special times of year that I miss and what it is that makes them special. There have been a few times when I’ve tried to explain these things to my Malawian friends only to get blank stares and to realize they don’t understand the essence of what Christmas means to me.

Adventists in general here don’t celebrate Christmas except for the gift they might get from their employer or the possible relatives that come for a meal and don’t forget the public holidays granted by the President (more on that later). Otherwise Christmas is considered irrelevant because, after all, Jesus was not born on December 25!! Some I’ve heard even going out of their way NOT to have a special meal on that day to show disdain for such random date setting.

So the essential things that I miss and that I think are the important part of this season is obviously being with family – not just being around on “the day” – but really BEING with them – eating, cooking (especially those two), playing, reading stories, sitting by the fire, explaining the mysteries of Santa, hauling wood, and all the other wintery things that make up life at home (I realize this isn’t the same for everyone – I can only speak for myself and my “home”). I think it is also the comfort of knowing you are surrounded by those who love you and who you love and re-affirming those relationships. I don’t understand how all the traditions of Christmas build those relationships – it’s a mystery to me – but I know it does and that is what I miss. It is also a time of remembering and valuing the gift of Salvation that was given by Jesus coming and being “God with us”.

Although the things above are what I’m used to and what seems “Christmas-y” to me, this year it will be different. I haven’t bought presents for anyone. Christmas morning we (ex-patriots) are going to hand out gifts that were donated for the patients here and some knitted baby caps for the newborns. Then in the afternoon we will get together for a meal and a few games at Sue and Kelvin’s house and probably dessert and carols at Cristy’s and my house. Our house is decorated with lights, candles, and a potted palm with bells – and with Christmas music it does seem festive. But I guess as mentioned above – those decorations and food are not the essence of Christmas for me.

As to public holidays (i.e. where all businesses shut down) – the President of Malawi is fond of announcing public holidays about a week before they happen. So last week on Thursday he announced that the 24^th through the 2^nd of January would ALL be public holidays. This wouldn’t seem like a problem except that EVERY employee expects to be paid for all of these days – whether they work or not. So where we originally had planned two public holidays on the schedule, we all of a sudden have seven!!! Needless to say some employees nearly revolted when we told them that only those who work would be compensated! This kind of grasping and striving goes a long way to negate the Christmas spirit that I had.

This post is sort of muddled with some random thoughts on Christmas and maybe that’s why it’s hard to explain to people here because there are so many aspects. I’m thankful for many things – having a friend like Cristy here, seeing small improvements in the Hospital’s business, having made it through another year of life, having plenty of food and clothes and even some to share, and many other things. But I feel like it would be unfair to say that there is not a bit of sadness and loneliness in my heart this Christmas season. So for now I think I’ll finish making my pita bread and go to the hospital to post this online. Merry Christmas to all!

Prayer

Prayer is such a comfort and I find that it continues to be the source of strength to me on days that I don't think I could manage otherwise. Before coming to Malawi I have had various opportunities to experience prayer in different settings and see its power to heal, bring peace, show direction, and be a way to encounter God in a tangible way. As I prepared to move to Malawi I wondered how these experiences would translate into a different culture and if I would have an opportunity to share some of the things I've learned - those opportunities are yet to be discovered. But in the meant time I continue to find shelter and peace in the “hiding place” of prayer. As I pray I am reading through the Psalms and find a depth of prayers and promises that speak to my situation at different times.

I wish I could share with you the ways that God has encouraged me and spoken to me – but they are too detailed and personal to explain. I just feel honored and blessed to be able to communicate – both speaking and listening – to the God of the Universe!

I have come across a few quotes recently that have encouraged me…

When Jesus was upon the earth, He taught His disciples how to pray. He directed them to present their daily needs before God, and to cast all their care upon Him. And the assurance He gave them that their petitions should be heard, is assurance also to us. E. G. White

To pray is to take notice of the wonder, to regain a sense of the mystery that animates all beings, the divine margin in all attainments. Prayer is our humble answer to the inconceivable surprise of living. It is all we can offer in return for the mystery by which we live. Rabbi Abraham Heschel

I found this prayer the other day and it seems so appropriate for the work here among different cultures and viewpoints. There are at least 5-6 different countries represented in the staff here at the hospital at the management level – it is not merely my American vs. Malawian cultures. So I close with this prayer:

“O Maker of Worlds beyond us,
help us to live in the world we know
in peace with one another,
a kaleidoscope of nations,
a patchwork quilt of ways and wills
that rise from the depths of cultures
created by Your love.
Open us to the richness
of one another's vision
and the good we can accomplish
when we share one another's views.
We pray this prayer of unity and peace
in the hope of Shalom.”
Amen

Thanksgiving

There are many things to be thankful for and I'm sure this past few weeks you've made your own list. It was fun to share some of the Thanksgiving traditions with our friends here at Malamulo. Cristy and I are the only Americans here currently so we decided to invite people over and prepare a traditional thanksgiving dinner for them. We didn't have turkey (but we saw one the next day! see below) but we had butternut squash soup, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole along with pumpkin and pecan pies. Mostly though the nice part was sharing a meal and being together with people from all over the world. I counted afterward and realized we have people from 5 continents at our table. Masa, our house worker, and his family came and after dinner he said, "I think this might be what heaven will be like." That really was touching to me and I think I might have to agree! We had plenty to eat and were left with a pile of dishes at the end.

This was the table set up in the living room.
Cristy drowning her sorrows in sparkling cider (yes, non-alcoholic - don't get any crazy ideas :) ). Notice the piles of dishes behind her waiting for us to wash.
This is the turkey that got away. One of the only ones we've ever seen in Malawi - it was up at Mulanje.

The next day (Sabbath) Cristy and I borrowed Don's car and drove to Mt. Mulanje (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulanje_Massif) and escaped into the wilderness for some R&R. We parked at Likhubula Lodge at the base where they have chalets and guest houses for retreats and vacations. Trails start off from there to explore the mountain. There is a waterfall about an hour's hike up with a pool at the base so we made our way up there and after nearly overheating on the way up we were happy to plung into the chilly water. It was so nice to be in nature and get away for a few hours. Here are a few photos:


This is the waterfall and the pool. Apparently the pool has no bottom or it is so deep no one has found it!Yes - that is me on the lower left - floating watching the clouds and birds fly by.

Beautiful Iris type of flowers growing directly out of the ground.
Colorful lizard - maybe a confused chamelion?

Yesterday we broke out the Christmas decorations and the Christmas music and turned our house into a comfy holiday place. We even have a fireplace to hang our stockings on. We are using a potted palm tree for our Christmas tree - complete with little bells hanging from it! I'll post some photos of that later. It is a fun time of year to reminice about family traditions and join in the expectation of the soon coming of Jesus. I think reflecting on the first coming of Jesus reminds me how soon his second coming is. Cristy and I are doing daily readings for the Advent calendar. It is a nice way to absorb and welcome the season.

Missing you all and hoping you have a wonderful holdiay season with your friends and family.

A Few Photos

Thought I would just post some photos of recent events/activities:

A container arrived last Monday and these photos are guys unloading. I couldn't watch for long because they were just tossing everything off the trucks unless it was heavy or looked important.

Three nice gurneys were put to use the same day! We also got an O2 concentrator, ultrasound, suction machines and an ECG.

This is Jessica, Julia, & I at a fireworks display a couple of weeks ago. They were two peds residents here for 2 weeks.

The next photos are from Nyala Park where they have lots of giraffe. I took many more photos but only posted a few...

Yes - me with the giraffes. :)
And a little baby - so cute!

Things are stressful here - I'll be honest. But on the other hand I have many things to be thankful for. On Friday Cristy and I are going to have a thanksgiving dinner with friends here at Malamulo. It will be nice to celebrate and relax with everyone. We also just had 3 people from LLU come for a few days to plan a big trip with college students next summer. It is always nice to have visitors and the encouragement they bring.

Blessings to each of you and thank you for your emails and prayers - especially the prayers. Some days I feel like I'm in the bulls-eye of the great controversy! I'll write more later...

Almost 4 Months - email

This is an email I sent last week - thought I'd post it here:

Hello Friends & Family,

I hope this finds you all well and enjoying the chilly days of autumn! I have to remind myself that it is fall at home and that Thanksgiving is around the corner. Signs of Christmas are loud and clear here. If you drive along the road every 5 miles is a police check point where they are collecting "christmas" (i.e. finding any tiny thing wrong with your vehicle and charging you). Then at Shoprite and Game (the two chain stores from South Africa) in Blantyre you see gaudy Christmas displays everywhere. Consumerism is no respector of countries, bank accounts, or people.

I just realized the other day that it has been almost four months since I came to Malawi! I can hardly believe it! Time has flown by which, I think, is a good thing! I've been updating my blog almost weekly, but in case you haven't been there I wanted to just send a brief note to let you know I'm still alive. Things are continuing on here at Malamulo and we are seeing a few glimmers of hope here and there. In October I got a change of scenery and spent a few days in Lilongwe at the SDA clinic there. Part of my responsibilities is to help the other health organizations under AHI and they needed some help so I was there for a few days. Cristy ended up having a meeting up there too for something else so we spent a day or two in the capital city with a friend from the UK who is volunteering with VSO (like Peace Corps).

Recently we had two pediatric residents here from Loma Linda Medical Center. They did a two week rotation and helped tremendously at the hospital since we don't have any pediatricians on staff. It was fun to have them around and they kept me company the week that Cristy was gone to South Africa for Faith's wedding. On Friday last week a group of us went with the residents to a game park a couple hours away and saw lots of giraffe, zebra, impala, bush buck, and monkeys along with a few other things. The park is small but nice to see these animals. Also they had a picnic area overlooking a swamp where we had lunch under some shade. What a lovely day although over 100 degrees!!

Some exciting news today - a container from the organization Give Children Hope (www.gchope.org) based in LA arrived today. This container has been quite a headache to get through customs since this is the first one from this organization to Malamulo. Unfortunately it has cost the hospital over $2,500 compared with most that usually only cost less than $500. It is full of wonderful things though and I am excited to go dig through it tomorrow. It is such a blessing that organizations are able to get donations and forward them on to places like Malamulo. It is a huge benefit. We also get a lot through AmeriCares (www.americares.org).

Life is okay in general. Our ceiling is still not fixed and even more panels have fallen (but not on my head, thankfully). We are seeing more patients coming to the hospital with the rainy season starting and malaria coming. Also our clinic in Blantyre is getting more busy with the doctors back and getting established here. Cristy will mark one year of being here at the end of November! Don is back in the states until the first of December for his son's wedding. I'm acting CEO again while he is gone. In October we also laid off about 40 people from the hospital payroll and are starting to see some savings from that - financially. It was not without it's backlash. About 2 weeks after doing the lay-off our biggest pump was stolen from a well that supplies water to the campus. It cost about $1,000 to replace and on top of it the thieves threw a pipe and big rocks down the hole. It took us about 3 weeks to figure out how to get the pipe out and the rocks broken up so that the hole was still useable. We are continually looking for ways to improve things overall, and I know there is so much potential!! God is faithful and he reminds me of that frequently! (Lamentations 3, Ps 104)

Thank you for your continued prayers, emails, and encouragement. I even got a few packages the other day which made me so excited!! Thank you to those of you who are sharing stories and news about Malamulo to your friends and churches. There is so much need and the more people who know, the better. I am blessed to have such a wonderful group of people to support me while I'm here. May God bless you all individually in special ways.

Miss you and Happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
Elisa

Life...

Today is Friday and Cristy and I both actually have the day off! I am doing my best to avoid going down to the hospital at all. Most Fridays I seem to end up in Blantyre running errands but today I’m staying home and “mucking about” as Cristy says. We just got back from the Makwasa market where I bought a cabbage and 5 mangoes. It cost all of 75 cents (100 kwacha). The mangoes are starting to get ripe here and they are yummy! We took Julia and Jessica who are peds residents from Loma Linda Medical Center visiting for 2 weeks to the market too. It was fun to pretend to be a tourist with our cameras for a little bit. I may have written about this before, but I really enjoy shopping at the little market there. It is not tourist-y at all – there are no carvings or random things white people might buy, but rather it is a really the place local villagers shop on a daily basis. Now, since I’ve been here for a while I know several people who are there shopping as well. I like that and somehow I feel more a part of the culture and LIFE here by going there and shopping. Granted, I also buy things in Blantyre at the shops that get their wares from South Africa which most villagers don’t do – but still…

Wednesday was the first heavy rain… I was home for lunch and all of a sudden the sky turned dark pewter grey and I could hear thunder in the distance. The clouds were swirling, a wind picked up, and pretty soon the gigantic rain drops came down. It was amazing! Masa and I were rushing around closing the windows and doors to keep the rain outside. It was so loud I looked out and saw it was actually hail! With part of the ceiling in the kitchen missing the rain and hail was deafening on the tin roof. Cristy wasn’t home yet and as I guessed she got caught in the downpour walking home and came in dripping wet! Everyone is happy that the rains are coming because it means they can plant maize and once again have enough food for the next year. They wait until one or two heavy rains before planting so that the ground is good and wet. But fields everywhere are dug and in neat rows ready to be planted this month.

*Now it's Sunday*
Last night we had an adventure - in the UK they celebrate "Guy Hawks" day on the Saturday night closest to November 6 with fireworks. So the Thyolo sports club (i.e. where rich white people go to play golf, watch rugby, and drink beer) was holding a fireworks show and dinner so we (Kelvin, Sue, Jessica, Julia, & I) decided to go. The fireworks was actually pretty good and the food was edible as well. I was hoping to meet some ex-pats from the area but everyone seemed to know each other and since we were sitting in the dark it didn't help the socializing much. It was interesting, but not a place I'll probably frequent.

So life continues on here – occasionally I have to remind myself that I am actually LIVING in Africa. Not that it seems like it’s the US (the falling ceiling, lack of water, and sweltering heat remind me that I’m not in the US) but I guess it just sometimes seems surreal that I’m actually living here; to believe that somehow God has made a way for me to be here to try and make a contribution to the mission here. It is humbling to be called and used in this way. Very often I wonder if I am making a difference but then I am reminded of the steps that brought me here and how God was clearly leading so I trust in that leading and continue with my daily work.

I appreciate the notes of encouragement and the prayers that I know are offered regularly. Some of you have shared of your financial resources as well and I can't thank you enough.