Friends, challenges and football!

Hello everyone,

I hope you have had as exciting and diverse week as I have! Annex who works in my garden brought his wife and children to visit - a lovely happy family. Annex has been with me since I moved to Mzuzu and he is a great gardener. He did have a few issues with the vegetables I planted - when the parsnips were just about ready, I found them in the compost heap - Annex informed me that the carrots were white so they must have some disease! After retrieving them, they were found to be delicious (by me that is, Annex refused to taste them!!).

It was great last Sunday to welcome Hazel and Johnny for a few days. They had been here a few years ago in a team that built a nursery school in Karonga, and wanted to see the progress so we headed up to the village to see how the school had fared through the earthquake and recentfloods which hit Karonga.

The welcome at the village was great - everyone was pleased to see us. Here Hazel is talking to the village Headman.

and Johnny posing with the minister's son Clement.

In Karonga Presbytery I have a trainer - Lucy does a great job monitoring and training caregivers. She covers a massive area on her pushbike and makes me feel very humble each time I talk to her.

A trip to the health centre in the village found this beautiful new born baby which was only 2.1Kgs and was about to be discharged - the clinical officer was not sure if it would survive but there was no other means to care for it.

Lunch was provided in the manse. Since the team were there, a new minister has come - Rev. Mazunda with two of his five children!! A deeply spiritual man, we are hoping for great things in the village. He told me that the previous Sunday he had baptized 75 children and adults!! Some food for thought I think.........

A long time ago when I visited the village the manse had lost a wall due to the earthquake which happened 18 months ago. Its been repaired and now the manse family are living there again. The church is completely down and plans are underway to construct a new church soon.

Staying overnight beside the lake is always a blessing, especially with a spectacular sunrise!!

This week I went back to Phiri at Nkhata Bay with 2 trainers to assist in the organisation of the new nursery school there - a few pictures of the children (and caregivers) having fun...

and on Thursday, I went with two trainers to talk with a village committee in one of our nursery schools which is having a few challenges and problems in sustainability. We had a lovely afternoon with the committee.

A church from Coleraine sent out a football kit in the last container and as it was too big for the nursery school kids, I took it to the local primary school. On Friday they asked me to take a photograph - they are so excited and said that now they will definately win all their matches.........if only it were so simple!!

No other developments on Matt's pet this week - it still looks the same, but I will keep you posted. It was also lovely to welcome Terry and Joyce McMullan who are in Malawi on holiday - I forgot to take a photo of them, but many of you know who I mean!!

Wishing you all a great week,

Blessings,

Diane