Happy New Year... or is it??

Greetings from Mzuzu.

I have not written since before Christmas so I hope you all had a great day celebrating the birth of Jesus. As you can see in the next two photos, church here was absolutley packed on Christmas day - in fact we had so many people they were in the vestry and outside even though it was raining. The sunday school did the drama of the Christmas story and you can see Mary and Joseph in this photo!

As you can see our church is quite big - I would think well over 1000 people on 25th December. Bear in mind I am at the front of this end, there are many more people behind me!

Since Christmas, I have been trying to do my assignments but really not getting on very well at all - everytime I sit down to do something, a knock comes to the door! Two assignments are due next week and I am not at all confident, but here's hoping that the inspiration will come!!

Today I set off to Karonga to see the earthquake damage for myself. I took a driver with me, usually I drive myself but I think I am becoming lazy in my old age! This is Owen Singini and he is an exellent driver! Its a 3 hour drive to Karonga.

On the way the scenery is beautiful - here is one of the bridges we have to cross on the main road.

a fishing village by the lake shore...

its lovely and green at the minute as we are in the rainy season - the lake in the distance looking across to Tanzania on the other side


..and as we approach Karonga, the oxen ploughing the fields. In other parts it is done by hand.

On arrival at Kasoba village, I went first to the church and if you recall the last photos I sent of the earthquake, things have become much worse since then. The last big quake on 20th December caused already weakened structures to collapse or become really unstable. The church is actually sitting at an angle - this picture shows it slightly.

Looking into the church from the front door - I did not venture in as it is really unstable.


and the poor manse has also fallen down more with the last quake and is quite unsafe.

At the village the health centre has also a lot of structural damage and so UNICEF have provided two tents, one for outpatients and one for maternity. The front wall collapsed.

This is the maternity wing!!

The primary school is also badly damaged and will not open as planned on Monday. This photo shows a block which was built recently and all the pillars at the front have collapsed.

And the nursery school which was built with help from Hillsborough was damaged in the second big earthquake. It has bad cracks at both ends of the building leaving it structurally unsafe to be used.

Many people have lost some or all of their homes and are living in structures like this one. Its quite pathetic when you consider this is the rainy season and its torrential rain we are talking about. Some are made of grass and some with plastic sheeting, and some have no shelter at all!

This is a temporary manse which the Red Cross brought yesterday for a family at another village.

and this is the doctor at Kasoba's temporary home. His house is seen behind but it is really quite unsafe inside. Its strange as some of the houses look okay from the outside but when you see the inside its another story.

Here is a man's home with his temporary home beside it.

the maize mill - as you can see the roof is quite unsafe.

an old lady in despair - she had worked all her life to build this house and its badly damaged at both ends and the other walls are slanting so if another quake comes it will collapse.

This home belongs to one of the caregivers at the nursery school.

and this inside wall of another house looks not bad but if you see it in reality it is sitting at an angle and I would not stand under it...

another home inside...

and the man with all the responsibility to look after his villagers - the village headman from Kasoba who, even after all the earthquakes and the tremors which are still occurring daily, keeps smiling!

Its been a good day in some ways and a very sad day in others. The scenery was beautiful as we travelled to Karonga. It was very hot and sticky along the lakeshore. Arriving in Karonga, seeing many buildings fallen down, many people's livlihood destroyed in an instant was not a good feeling. I feel sad for these people who have worked so hard for all they have only to have it fall down around them. Even today tremors are being experienced. A couple of experts from USA are coming this week to Malawi to visit Karonga and see if they can explain why this is going on for so long.

Please spare a thought for the people of Karonga in this rainy season, when life is tough enough as people are preparing fields for planting their crops. The photo's do not paint the picture as disturbing as it is first hand. Some help is coming - today some tents were being distributed, but much more is needed.

And yet, in the midst of all of this, people are telling me God is good because we are alive. We have seen 2010! It makes me feel humble when I see friends who have lost so much and still can praise God.

Till next time...

Have a good day

Diane