Easter with the elephants!!

Hello and a very Happy Easter season to you all! Today we had our Easter morning service in church from 7am - it only lasted 3 hours as we celebrated the risen Christ! All week there have been services in our church and on Friday, Saturday and Sunday there are 3 different services one after the other. The church this morning was packed!

This week has been quite hectic as usual. On Tuesday I took Fiona to Lilongwe, we stayed overnight and did some essential shopping on Wednesday before returning to Mzuzu. The traffic and driving in Lilongwe is horrendous when used to the quiet roads of the north so it was a pleasure to see Mzuzu again!

On my return I found this little friend on the doorstep - I think he lives somewhere around - no idea what he is but he seems harmless so I just let him be!

Sandra, our German volunteer had our last day with us on Thursday and the teachers and some parents organised some gifts for her as she has been so good with the children. The children and the staff will really miss her - she taught them some new songs and games and really enjoyed interacting with our children.




As part of Fiona's orientation and also Sandra's farewell, we arranged to go to Vwaza marsh on Easter Saturday. This is about an hour and a half's drive north of Mzuzu. The reserve has a lot of buffalo, elephant, hippo and various antelepe such as roan, kudu and impala, and of course crocdiles in the river! We went with no expectations as it is still raining, grass is high, the water level is high which means that animals do not have to come to the water to drink.



On arrival around 7am we made some breakfast and then set out on a walk - it was a beautiful day. Not long after we started out we spotted a herd of elephant and watched them from a distance. They looked so beautiful and peaceful as they wandered to the water to drink and to bathe.


What a privilege to see such majestic animals enjoying their natural surroundings.


As we walked on we saw warthog, a few antelope, and many birds and butterflies for which malawi is known. It was a fabulous day. On our return walk by the river we met a group of elephant so our guide suggested moving up to the road to continue back to the camp. However as the grass was long and we moved through the bush, we heard the warning sound of an elephant and hastily retreated. We had to walk a long way back before being able to get onto the road. Just after we retreated from the bush, we saw another herd of elephant move down to the water.

Arriving back at camp hot and needing some water, it was almost lunchtime. We set up camp and got the gas stove on to cook our sausages. We laid out our food and dishes when Sandra spotted some elephant and baboon a few yards from us. Seeing they were coming in our direction, I suggested that we move further into the camp where there are small huts made of grass. We packed quickly and moved to a hut. Again, we set up lunch and sat down to enjoy our food. Sandra froze, and said there is an elephant - and sure enough coming quickly toward us was not one elephant but a herd of elephant only a few yards away. We left everything (including the whistling kettle which we had just put on the stove) and moved swiftly into the grass hut. Our prayer life suddenly became very active!!!

The elephants came all around us - sniffed at the food and sniffed at the tent. The girls were sort of laughing nervously and I told them to keep quiet - we prayed that the whistling kettle would not boil! The elephants continued to sniff and then moved on......we thought!!

I went outside and there was the rumble of the warning noise from an elephant obviously in the bush in front of our hut. I quickly retreated - meanwhile the kettle was getting near boiling point. I made a decision to go out and grab the kettle and switch off the gas. As I did it, again the growling sound from the bushes..........

We stayed quietly inside and suddenly there was crashing of water (as if there was a herd of elephants in the water!!), and yes, there was a herd of elephants who were splashing around and then crossed the river. Still, the noise was coming from the bush - one elephant was still near us.

We watched through the straw of our hut as many elephant crossed the river. Suddenly from the bush came a lone elephant who just walked majestically in front of us and followed his friends. We were glad to see them go.....

As I explained to Sandra and Fiona, wild animals are so unpredictable - I am glad I am here to tell the tale - it could have been a very different ending. We thank God for the opportunity to witness such incredible sites in nature.

Sandra leaves on Wednesday and she will have some wonderful stories and pictures to share with friends in Germany.

Study has gone by the way this week but I am hoping to have more time during this in coming week.

I hope by now everyone in N Ireland who had no power has been connected again - I am sure it was not easy for people who are not used to such inconveniences. It may encourage you to think about people in parts of the work for whom power is a luxury!

With that thought, I wish you a wonderful elephant free week!

Blessings and love from Diane