Ignite at work.....and play!

Hello everyone.  On Sunday 8th January I welcomed a team from Ignite in Northern Ireland who came to help us with our school building project.  It was great to see some old friends and meet a couple of new people too.  Here you can see Simon, Desi and Trish as they discuss what they are going to do on the first morning at the site.  Its the rainy season here and we have had some heavy downpours with thunder and lightning but the team have worked really hard as you will see from the pictures.

Our site is situated in the centre of the city - its a big site and with the rains it had become really overgrown so we employed 10 men to slash and clear the ground the week before the team arrived.

The plan is set for the playground and the team set to work......

Soon we can see a construction of some sort.........

John taking a well earned rest.......

How exciting to see that we now have a climbing frame, a set of swings and almost an obstacle course for the children......

There was much excitement as passers by stopped to see what this group of azungu (white people) were trying to do........  I think these children at the gate would have been delighted with an invitation to try out the new equipment!!

While the work outside is going on, there is also plenty happening inside the building - these men are organising the wood to begin putting the ceiling in.

and by the end of the day already one ceiling was almost complete.

Walls have been painted and the building transformed......

One morning when it was raining heavily, I took some of the team out to a few of our local nursery schools - I think the children were a bit shell shocked.....

It has been a hard week for the team - it was warm and humid, and the heat was taking its toll, coupled with the fact that we are at a higher altitude than Northern Ireland - people were becoming exhausted - some rest and relaxation was called for, so we went on Saturday to Chinteche on Lake Malawi(after the driver queuing for 3 days to find fuel).  On the way we stopped at the local shopping mall..........

 and past the rubber plantation.........

old trees have been cut down and new trees planted

rubber being tapped from the older trees

Some of the local boys steal rubber and make these amazing balls which are sold at the side of the road - they have a great bounce for a couple of days - we didn't buy any!

We were travelling by minibus which is not the most comfortable, but as you can see some people can sleep anywhere!!  The team leader is exhausted!!

However, when we arrived at the lake everyone woke up again and had a pleasant afternoon walking or resting......

or canoeing - they couldn't compete with the locals though!

Good food and laughter was had at meal times.......

and it was nice for me to spot some wildlife too......

The lake of stars lived up to its reputation..........

On the way home on Sunday afternoon we called at Chinteche CCAP to meet friends of mine, Rev Brian Theu and his wife Gertrude.  The children from the Sunday school were rehearsing for a trip they are going on, and as you can see the team joined in and there was much hilarity all around!!  The children thought it was great!

I thought I was going to have to take Desi to the next door hospital afterwards........

It has been a great week and the team are still here - in fact they are already at the site as I type.  They have done a wonderful job so far and we look forward to the finished result.  Some of our parents and the teachers at school have volunteered during the week and its a real team effort from all concerned.  I would like to thank all those who donated money toward this project and to thank the team themselves for the commitment they are showing and for the love they are giving to the people all around them.  Next blog will show the finished result.

Wishing you all a blessed week wherever you are!

Diane x