Blog #8: The van der Hams

This past week, my new close friends--the 4 van der Ham girls--stayed with me from Sunday to Sunday. It was like a sleepover for a whole week. Their father, who runs the local Crown Ministry project, was out of town and their mom had not been feeling well for a few weeks. So to help out, we said “come on over!”  So, she and the girls piled into their car with overnight bags and schoolbooks and drove the “long” 10 minutes to our house. They exploded joy and excitement into the house as they bounced in!  If you can’t tell, I enjoyed their company very much!

First of all, I don’t think I have properly introduced these friends. They are a South African family of six and luckily live just 1 or 2 kilometers down the road from us. The parents are Johann and Retha, and their four children: Suzaan-16, Annelee-13, Limbi-11, Amy-8. They are a loving family, always singing worship songs, dancing, playing games, and are just so much fun to be around.

All of the girls slept in the “bunk room” (a spare bedroom with bunk beds) and I joined them to sleep with them one night J. Their mother was in the room across from them. While they were here, I got Retha sucked into The Hunger Games!  She finished all three books in a week. That’s totally understandable, because how are you supposed to set them down?

The girls and I had fun doing home school together each morning and playing LOTS of card games at night. They taught me new games, like “speed”, “smack the jack”, and “blowfish”. They also showed me how to play games that the Malawians play, such as “champion”, “netball” and more!  Best of all, the girls all know how to speak Chichewa, so we could venture outside the property walls and get to know the Malawian children who live in the neighborhood.

I loved being with the van der Hams for such a long time because it gave us quality time to teach each other new things. It’s fun to be with people from different parts of the world so you can learn how others live, not just how we do.

Amy on her B-day

Chomping on sugar cane

Momma and daughter (Retha and Amy)

Me and Suzaan enjoying our ice creams!

Enjoying the view on out property wall

Being...us

Friends <3

Blog #7: Up, Up, and Away

After the Thoylo hike, we headed back to the Huntingdon House to set up mist nets for the birding experience. A mist net catches birds so you can “investigate” them. Once it was set up, we caught about 3 birds right away! And guess what?! I got to hold one of them! Holding a wild bird was like cradling a fragile piece of glass so it wouldn’t shatter. I held a sun bird which looked like a hummingbird. But sadly, I quickly lost my grip on it and it flew away …up, up and away!

Last but not least, we went on a mid-afternoon hike through the coffee fields!  Since we had Farmhouse Coffee in Fallbrook, I’ve always been curious about coffee beans, and how they grow.  I was excited to snap a green berry from the bush and pop it in my mouth. It didn’t taste like coffee yet because it wasn’t ripe. Personally, I didn’t like it too much, but my Dad thought they tasted like green peppers…? Well, everyone has his or her opinion 

I think my favorite part about today was getting to hold the bird and…oh ya! I forgot to mention that we saw monkeys in the trees during our hike! That was also my fave part J … once again, getting up close and personal to Gods creation! 

Getting to help set up the nets

I was so happy!

A stunning little guy

Coffee fields!

Getting ready to try one

Blog #6: Tea, Coffee, Bananas and Biting Ants

We just got home from “Birding” at Satemwa Tea Estates on Thoylo Mountain. The view was absolutely breathtaking as we looked down into the valley that bordered Mozambique! But before I jump in the middle of the day, I will start from the VERY beginning.

My mom, dad, Sally and I woke up at 5:00am to catch a mini bus (a taxi that is a van, with 3 rows of bench seats that can probably sit 9 people behind the driver, but they squeeze in about 15). To tell you the truth, we didn’t know for sure if there would be a bus at this time in the morning, but needed to take the chance. We had reservations for this event at Setemwa Tea Estate that was a 45-minute drive from our home, but we had no gas in the car! The entire country has had another fuel shortage, and once again, we were stranded with an empty gas tank. But thankfully, God provided … in the way of a mini bus.

As the bus pulled up, there was obviously no room for us, so we told the driver to go on and we’d wait for the next one. But a Malawian being a Malawian, couldn’t give up the chance of having 4 Azungus (white people) in their taxi. And you know what he did? He kicked 2 other Malawians off the bus!!!!!! Just for us! I wish I could have painted my skin right then and there so we wouldn’t have been treated differently.

I digress! Anyways, the mini bus dropped us at the bottom of the road to Satemwa. Our only problem was, it was about a 4-mile walk to the Huntingdon House! As we started to make our way up the long dirt road, a truck turned onto the road and was coming our way.  My Dad waved them down, and they gladly gave us a ride up to Satemwa, because they were going there tooJ. And I am so glad they did, because it would have taken us many hours to get up there!

Once we arrive, they served us a “da-lish” breakfast – tea sandwiches on homemade bread, sweet fresh juicy fruit, steamy oatmeal, and coffee and tea that came right from their estate.  Before long, it was time for us to leave for a hike up Thoylo Mountain. I only wish they could have told us we would be hiking and not “strolling” as we thought,  because none of us had on the right clothes. The funniest part of the hike was getting ants into our socks, up our legs and then… in our pants! Literally!  And they weren’t just crawling up there either, but biting! OUCHIE!

On our way to the top of Thoylo, we trampled through a thick grove of banana plants! It was interesting to see how they grow and the structure of the fruit and plant. Did you know there are banana male and female parts?

The tea fields that lined the mountain looked like a shag carpet neatly vacuumed! They were manicured rows of neon green blinding me with their beauty. It was definitely the most beautiful sight.

Our long journey up to Satemwa

The delicious lunch Huntingdon served us :)

Making our way through the banana fields

Male...and female

It went on forever and ever

A sea of tea leaves

Blog #5: Hippos and Elephants and Monkeys…Oh My!

I just had the most breath-taking time of my life! Sally, Dan, my mom, dad and I are just now leaving the Bushman’s Baobab game park, where we stayed two days. It was an unforgetable experience to be up close and personal to all of God’s extraordinary creation!

You know the feeling -- you go to the zoo and wish you could be in there with the animals? (Well, some of them, that is.) That’s exactly what we did … except the animals weren’t locked up. It was so exhilarating to see nature in its basic environment. We say monkeys, warthogs (Yay!), waterbucks, impalas, elephants and hippos! Our adventure took place in a bumpy, rusty jeep with stadium-like seats that looked just like the vehicle in the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. I do admit it wasn’t the most comfortable ride, but it was definitely better than the one in Frontier Land!

I was especially looking forward to seeing the elephants. On our drive into the park, we had no luck with those little (big) gray rascals. Because of this, I prayed the whole way back that we could see at least one. And guess what God did? He answered my prayer and even gave us a bonus with not one, but many elephants! I was shaking with excitement at not only seeing the elephants, but knowing that God answered my prayer, right then and there!

The next morning we did something that I know I wouldn’t have the guts to do back in America. We ventured down the Shire River in leaking canoes that stayed afloat only because we continued to bail water out with buckets. Really! (We did not know about the leaks until we were well underway. Smart guides!). But the leaks wasn’t the worst part! The guides took us face-to-face with hippos -- about 15 feet away! I was so scared, I was shivering in the hot and humid sun.  Could it get any worse? Yes!  “I’ve heard there are crocodiles in this river,” my dad asked one of the guides.  “Oh yes,” he smiled without concern. “They are all swimming right under us!”  Yikes!  

As we floated closer and closer to the hippos, they were guttural warnings and apparently trying to scare us off. At one point, a daddy hippo started swimming toward us!  I thought I would faint ... But still, I am alive, and can honestly say this was the best experience ever!

PS - At night while we were trying to sleep in our thatched roof huts, a hippo was trampling and shuffling around right outside our door!

Being my moms model

Adorable monkey came to say hello

Our extraordinary guides

We're going on an adventure!

Our "hut"

Blog #4: My New Family

The unexpected gift of this house is the people who work here. It doesn’t matter if it’s rainy or sunny, every one of them will always have a smile on their face. They only make about the equivalent of $2.00 per day, yet still, the are so incredibly happy.

Let me introduce you to our workers:

·      Lyson: House Manager    

·      Lucy: Washer of our clothes    

·      Samuel: Gardener     

·      Trouble: Gardener 

·      Billy: watchman

·      Wiston: watchman

·      Rafael: watchman

Lyson is awesome and loves to laugh! He runs the Miqlat house, and help interpret Chichewa into English (and vice versa) with all of the other workers. You can definitely trust him with anything. Lucy is Lyson’s wife two adorable kids, Irene (4) and Blessings (4 months). Lucy comes every morning to do our laundry … by hand!  Samuel is absolutely amazing with his sparkling, million-dollar smile. He lives on the property with his family, and is the head gardener. Trouble, the other guard, is somewhat shy, but an extremely hard worker. He recently had malaria and still showed up for work! My dad made him to the clinic for treatment and take the day off. Still, he showed up the next day, even though we told him to stay home and rest. Billy, Wiston, and Rafael are fantastic night watchmen. I feel very safe every night knowing they are there. I hear their footsteps crunching outside my window as they quietly patrol the property. I can’t wait to get to know all of them better so we can become one great big family!

I also love our family next door! I get to babysit the 3 little girls every day! Abigail (Abi) and Bethany (Bethy) come over to see me each and every morning. And sometimes their baby sister Elizabeth will toddle over too J.  They love to color and do crafts. I made the mistake of introducing my IPod to them with a coloring app I have. Now everyday they ask to “color on my phone.” I love them all so much and think God has finally blessed me with 3 little sisters. Thank you Jesus!

Lyson, Lucy, Irene, and Blessings

Asinta, Samuel, Blessings, Esther, Ida

Blessings (Samuel's) ane me

Blessings (Lyson's) 

Esther and Ida getting LOTS of snacks

Irene painting her masterpiece

Blog #3: “Mom…we’re in Africa…"

At last, we made it to Africa! I cannot describe the feeling that went through me when we finally landed in Blantyre, Malawi. It was exciting, scary and all over unbelievable!!!!! Landing in Malawi made me feel as if I were seconds away to walking through the golden gates of heaven (the airplane doors). The minute I stepped onto African ground, I knew I was instantly closer to God, the creator of this beautiful land.

Once we were in the car, on our way “home”, the first thing that came out of my mouth was, “Mom…we’re in Africa…”

 I absolutely LOVED the drive to our new house. Not only did I get to see the place where I would be living for the next 10 months with my own eyes, but everyone we saw had a huge smile on their face and was so eager to wave at us. From then on, I knew I was going to love it here!

Once we got home, Sally Fox and Dan Gillespie gave us the grand tour of the new Miqlat ministry house. All I can say is, “It’s HUGE!!!” Okay, well I may be exaggerating a tad but…what’s a story without a little oomph? It has 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a kitchen, dining room, and lounging area. I have my own bedroom and am happy to say that I FINALLY got my very own bathroom. Amazingly, if you count up all the beds in the house, your grand total is 12!

The best part is, 10 feet away from our front door lives the Bray family! They have 3 little girls, Abigail, Bethany and Elizabeth, plus the mom, Julie-Ann, and dad, Billy. They are an awesome South African family and are going to help with Miqlat too. I am excited to see them a lot – new friends, neighbors AND family, all on the same property.

Speaking of property, it’s GORGEOUS! Everything is lush, green, colorful and full of life! It’s as if I am living in the Garden of Eden. I know there are many adventures awaiting me on these beautiful grounds!

So glad to be off the plane!

The gorgeous Miqlat house (front view)

Abigail 6 years old

Bethy 3 years old

Elizabeth 1 year old

Abi and me snuggling

Walking around the property

Elizabeth and me having a little chat

"The Garden of Eden"

Arriving in Limbi

Blog #2: Goodbye Fallbrook

I never thought the day would actually come…but apparently it did. We just left Fallbrook, my home, my place of refuge and hope. The place I thought I would live my whole life. But now I’m leaving it behind, just a cloud of dust behind our U-Haul. Now I will have a new place to call home.

I felt as if the 24-hour drive to Prosser, Washington had taken years. But trying to look on the bright side, it meant more time with two of the people I love the most, my mom and dad, plus snuggling with Rocky for the last few days I will spend with him. The hardest part of leaving was thinking of my friends and all the fun, daring, and especially “laugh till you cry” memories we shared together. I can’t express in either words or thoughts how much I will terribly miss all of them.

I will miss my family the most: from Grandma to all of my cousins, aunts and uncles. I will truly miss family gatherings on special holidays or birthdays. Of all the events in my life, I have the best memories at family ones being with the most important people I know.

The best part of the drive was visiting Matty one last time at college. We had a hot cup of coffee with him at Starbucks and I made sure that he knew I would miss him soooo much <3! He makes me laugh every time I say this to him: “I miss you 1 billion times around the world and back!” … and all he says with his monotone voice is, “I miss you, too.” But I know it comes from his heart. I’m going to miss the wrestling, antagonizing, annoying brother that I share so many memories with. I know that even the times when he was furious at me, deep down inside was my loving, caring brother that loved me no matter what, just as I did him.

Although my eyes are teary as I write this, there’s something inside of me that just can’t wait to see the other side of the world.

Blog #1: A Love Song for Africa

You know that feeling that you get when you just want to burst out singing to something or someone that you love so dearly? Well that's how I feel about Malawi. And it's not just the country itself that I love, but the people who have made it what it is. So this blog is MY song to Africa...a love song <3 

Here are the lyrics to my favorite song that helped me with the name for my blog:

It’s the song of the redeemed
Rising from the African plain
It’s the song of the forgiven
Drowning out the Amazon rain
The song of Asian believers
Filled with God’s holy fire
It’s every tribe, every tongue, every nation
A love song born of a grateful choir

It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns

Let it rise about the four winds
Caught up in the heavenly sound
Let praises echo from the towers of cathedrals
To the faithful gathered underground
Of all the songs sung from the dawn of creation
Some were meant to persist
Of all the bells rung from a thousand steeples
None rings truer than this

And all the powers of darkness
Tremble at what they’ve just heard
‘Cause all the powers of darkness
Can’t drown out a single word

When all God’s children sing out
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
All God’s people singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns