We're Here!

Wow, where do I even start? We’re in Malawi! We landed Thursday afternoon (after two days of travel) and have been settling in ever since. I’ve been to Malawi twice before this trip, but never in February. I can’t believe how green it is! The landscape is full of vivid greens, reds, and a bright blue sky.

            Our first full day here was spent at the LifeNets office and church hall. While Lewis was in a building committee meeting we took the opportunity to wander around the neighborhood and familiarize ourselves with our surroundings. The highlight of that day, for me, was seeing my good friend Julianna again! I’m so excited to spend the rest of the year with her.

            Last time I was in Malawi, five years ago, the church had just bought a plot of land for the church hall, and now the church hall is useable! It’s not finished yet, but it’s getting there. Brennan is pretty excited to help out with the electrical work.

Services were great this past Sabbath. We had two pieces of special music—one youth choir and one adult choir that Brennan became a part of. After church we were welcomed with a song and lots of handshakes. We had a great time meeting our new congregation—full of old friends and new faces.

            These past few days have been kind of a blur full of hanging out at the office, shopping, hoping for electricity, and finding how early the banks close. One of my favorite things to do in foreign countries is go to grocery stores. One of my favorite memories of that was when I lived in Australia—peanut butter was in the foreign foods section. There are three main grocery stores we go to here—Shoprite (my favorite), Game, and Food Lovers. The produce prices, surprisingly, aren’t too different from Colorado. We tend to buy some produce on the road while we’re on our way home and it’s cheaper so I think that might be the way to go. The only thing holding me back from going to the markets is haggling. I hate haggling, and I also want to learn a bit more Chichewa before I try.

            Today is going to be a first for us—staying home! Every day has been very go go go, so Brennan and I are looking forward to staying home and getting stuff in order. Tomorrow we’re going to Nkhotakota and then Friday we’re heading up to Blantyre to spend the Sabbath with that congregation. We’ll keep everyone posted on what’s up!