Deceptive Crimes
Over Christmas a new wave of crime came to Lilongwe. Security is reasonably good here, but often there are household thefts of dvd players, mobile phones and cash. Every week you hear a new story of someone being broken into. People were particularly fearful over Christmas, and many decided to stay put at home rather than visiting relatives for fear of leaving an empty home. The police in Malawi are also not too bad. The traffic officers often push their luck at road blocks, checking every detail to get some cash but there are also some very helpful and kind officers.
However over Christmas all trust in the police was lost because somehow a gang of thieves stole police uniforms and broke into houses across Lilongwe. When someone would come to the house, they would say they were called out here because of a robbery, but really they were fake police. Clever really. Some of the gang were caught but they are continuing to work around Lilongwe posing as police officers. It was in the news again today that they had found someone falsely with a uniform. http://www.nyasatimes.com/national/man-caught-with-police-uniform-gun.html
Its horrible to live in a society where you can’t even trust that someone is a genuine police officer, or that things are never 100% secure or trustworthy. I am thankful however, that (trusting God) I live in a very secure plot and area. I pray that the place I finally find to live would be just as safe. I am also thankful that hijackings and muggings are no where near as common as they were in the past. Lilongwe and Malawi, thankfully is also far far safer than South Africa, Kenya and many other African countries.
Immigration waiting beyond imagination
I am still waiting for my work permit or “temporary employment permit” / TEP as it is called in Malawi. Its taken 5 months so far and the letters to the Chief of Immigration are now bordering on begging/blackmail…..
The Chief of Immigration is based in Blantyre (5 hours/500km away) so it would be quite a trip to see him personally although it is possible to go there and back from Lilongwe in a day. Frustrating as they can issue it in the immigration office, 3km from my office. However, from Sunday till Wednesday next week I will be at the lake shore in Mangochi (Sun and Sand Resort - google it….very nice!) for training by Tearfund on Child Protection. This is about 2 hours from Blantyre so I might go see Mr Chief of TEP’s on the way home. Please pray it would be given to me soon! I know how simple it is…..a friend of mine came to work in Malawi with her husband who works for the government and got her’s instantly. Other rumors of deportation and false marriages loom around Lilongwe to secure permits. The solution will be to pop into Zambia for 2 or 3 days if the permit is not issued before 1st March, which will secure me another 3 months but it is an expensive and time-wasting exercise without long term security.
Simply, please pray for it to be issued soon and let me know of any pals you have in the visa section of immigration in Malawi!
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe - sorry this is so long and gap year like….so much to tell!
My time in Zimbabwe was truly fascinating, refreshing and incredibly informative. Landing in Harare airport I felt as if I had arrived in Europe with a gleaming arrivals hall ahead of me, rotating baggage carousel, glass and granite everywhere…..another world from the crumbling airport I left in Lilongwe.
Like any woman, I rushed straight to the bathroom and stood in awe at this impressive airport only to discover that it was the initial taste of the Zimbabwe I was to find beyond the terminal. An impressive, often expensive looking exterior of success and ‘development’ but in reality it has the same dilapidation of Malawi, but simply hidden. There was no water in the bathrooms, no electricity beyond the arrival hall….it may look good and sorted but in reality it is faulty, broken and this country despite its gleam is withering.
I couldn’t believe the sky scrapers, smart avenues, enormous houses and big cars I found in Harare…..I thought this country was falling apart?!? “Oh yes it is, its just donors need to see a city working when they stop by and those houses belong to ministers, that one being built on the hill will be 125 beds and it belongs to the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe who caused the inflation crisis of the Zimbabwean dollar” my father for the week, Mr Kudakwashe Gwemende told me as we drove through town towards the high density area, which was partly demolished by Mugabe a few years ago. As we arrived in this area our car began to swim up to the doors in sewage and rubbish. ” This is a MDC (the opposition party) area so this people aren’t assisted at all” as we rumbled over pot holes and saw people throw “flying toilets” out of their windows and try to farm on unfarmable terrain, it was a far cry from my sweet Malawi, where even our most intense urban areas do not reach this level of uninhabitable poverty.
While in Zimbabwe, I stayed at a lovely Christian guesthouse where I was cared for by a Mr and Mrs Dube who used to lead Scripture Union Zimbabwe. Staying with them was a mixture of being on holiday in a hotel and being home. Being brought cups of tea and the newspaper at the end of the day was so relaxing for just a few minutes and made me realize how frantic life can be in Lilongwe!
Kudakwashe and I left early for Masvingo which is south-west of Harare, driving through “Wiltshire, Hampshire and Berkshire” which made me stunned once again by the colonialist attitude of those who came to Zimbabwe however we did stop in a place called Chatsworth for a colonial overthrow I am unashamedly thankful for; a cooked breakfast! Something never to be found in MW. We proceeded to Masvingo where I met the Project coordinator Leonard, who I spent the day with going through many technical details of their project before visiting their contact center for street children, where we met a number of boys studying the bible, washing and mending their clothes while a matron cooked lunch. They seemed very content to be there and it was really encouraging to meet faithful and patient staff members. They have much to give thanks for in Masvingo, as they recently ran a camp for street children where many decided to return home to be reunited with their families.
We had a little time in the afternoon, so Kudakwashe decided to surprise me by taking me to see the “real Zimbabwe” in his opinion. He took me to see The Great Zimbabwe, which is the ruins of the Shona kingdom. With a guide I walked around all of the intricate ruins of the woman’s palace and climbed the mountain up to the King’s palace. It was amazing to see something so spectacular, well preserved and of such interest - which puts English ruins and castles to shame.
We stayed in Masvingo that night and left very early the next day for another 400km drive, this time to Bulawayo where I spent the whole day with Scripture Union. I spent the morning at their street kids contact center in the city center with two women - Rejoice and Nomca who are project counsellors. They were so loving and helpful, it was a time of true friendship and fellowship. I was so thankful for their love and assistance and felt by the end of the day I’d known them forever as we laughed and prayed together. Their contact center ran slightly different to that of Masvingo, and had a number of older boys many of whom were extremely tough and unwilling to leave the streets. However, as Nomca said, prayer is a wonderful and powerful thing and we see little changes each week and must take heart from them as the word changes them.
Later in the afternoon Nomca took me to Thuthuka (meaning to rise up), a half-way rehabilitation center out of town for street children also run by Scripture Union with a dedicated staff team of youthful and passionate volunteers. A few hours with them was such an encouragement to be doing this work, and I really feel like I have brothers and sisters I will be partnering with to get this work going. The rehabilitation center is for children from the contact center in Bulawayo who have decided to return home, and any girl found on the streets because of the risks they face of being snatched by child traffickers and pimps. Here they prepare the children to return home through bible studies, life counseling such as returning to normal family life, learning practical skills such as farming and carpentry, metal work etc and many begin school again from the center so education can be reintegrated into their lives on their return to home. This half-way house enables the child to be prepared to an extent to live in a home environment and lose some of their customs from the streets while the family workers trace their families. I loved being here, meeting 50 or so hyper kids living together and caring for each-other, and I greatly admired the passion and dedication of their carers making great sacrifices to do this work. I hope that they will be able to come to Malawi in the coming 2 years to assist me as our program develops and we can further share information and ideas as well as further encourage each-other.
The next day we started early on the 800km journey to Harare, covering 2 days worth of traveling. However I love long drives through African countryside as every area has a story of history and I had a great guide in Kudakwashe, especially as we were driving through the farming areas and he explained each farm which had been taken and why, and then why others were operating and who by. It was sad to see huge areas of fenced, obviously previously productive land going to waste, or one acre being farmed by squatters on a 500 acre farm. On arriving in Harare I spent the evening with Kudakwashe’s family, where he has 4 of his own children and 4 more relatives all of my age staying with him as they all search for work in the city. It was lovely to go to their home group with people of my own age, chat and laugh together. I was incredibly well looked after by Kudakwashe and Scripture Union Zimbabwe and I am so grateful for their input in to preparing me for our street children’s project but also for caring for me so much. As I returned to the airport, I was sad this whirlwind trip was over but as I flew over the fields in Malawi which are being ploughed making the country look like its been perfectly combed, I was very happy to be back where I now call home, and re-enter for another 3 legal months! Please pray my work permit is issued soon and that the street children’s project we will implement will be of great success for the glory of God and for changing many children’s lives. There are so many little boys on the street at the moment in Lilongwe, as the heavy rains have come and it is too cold to sit around in their normal hideouts, so these begging, little ones are around far more and looking even more vulnerable and precious everyday. Please pray we can reach them soon!
Well it seems I have a new, very unwanted house sharer….
On Wednesday morning I left home a little late at 7am and rushing off I forgot to close my windows. (I have to sleep with them open at night at the moment as it is so hot.) I spent the whole day out, and returned late after seeing some friends in the evening. Everything seemed normal in my house until I walked into my bedroom to find a chicken, happily sitting in my laundry basket of I might add clean laundry. I truly jumped a foot in the air! And then I realised this hen had actually laid an egg in my laundry basket. Its 10 at night and A CHICKEN HAS LAID AN EGG IN MY BEDROOM! Why am I not living in England, when I barely allow my dog in my bedroom, how did it get in (window), why do people keep chickens, and why does it think my bedroom is its nest! Thankfully I hurried it out of the room, and it left its egg ontop of my clean shorts which I quickly stole and put in the fridge. However I thinks she’s now looking for her egg as she won’t leave me alone! Error.
This morning it took the mick as well that it tried everything to get in my house…..hitting against the windows, and managed to run inside twice when I was cleaning my teeth. If the hen didn’t belong to my landlord, I would be having it for lunch. Instead I’ll just eat its egg!
Ndilibe…..I don’t have
You will rarely hear me speak badly of Malawi, but I will speak honestly and this week, and particularly today it seems that everything in this country is scarce. You can keep asking and searching all across town but you won’t find some of the basic commodities you need at the moment, so I continually hear the words; “Ndilibe” meaning I don’t have….
There is a fuel crisis. No diesel or petrol to be found anywhere in the city. People drive around at night searching for tankers who might be filling a gas station, enormous queues appear from no where at just the rumour of petrol and friends continually call to see if you’ve heard of the latest arrival of the extremley scarce and expensive fuel. I was tipped this morning that there would be fuel at the gas station at Capital Hill, where the government offices lie. Two hours in the queue this morning in the baking sun (its really getting el scorchio) there was fuel, but of course no electricity to pump it, so with the hundred or so other cars I waited and waited. Hearing the power was back on at the office, our driver came to take over, so I could work, Bobbi is still sitting there as I write. We’re facing daily power cuts which are often manangable and I am learning to be flexiable, relaxed and patient in these times, returning to paper and not the laptop.
Malawi is also facing a forex crisis, where there is not enough foreign currency in the county, greatly affecting trade and the goverment is doing little to assist the situation; especially as the president takes frequent foregin trips further draining supplies. The banks are facing their own technical problems with the system shut down for the early part of this week, creating enormous queues at the moment as they re-open.
And as ever, Malawi in some places faces a food crisis where many will struggle to find food like I struggle to find fuel, however I can survive without transport and I know that one day this crisis will be over when forex is no longer a problem, but many do not have the same hope with food.
Please pray for Malawi as a nation, it is a wonderful place, a place prospering and developing but still being hindered.
One Word Tag
The only rule is to answer the questions with just one word.
Your Cell Phone? black
Your Hair? Long
Your Mother? Unique
Your Father? Loving
Your Favorite Food? Mum’s
Your Dream Last Night? Kenya
Your Favorite Drink? Juice
Your Dream/Goal? Africa
What Room Are You In? Bedroom
Your Hobby? Photography
Your Fear? Loneliness
Where Do You See Yourself In Six Years? Africa
Where Were You Last Night? Church
Something That You Aren’t? Arty
Muffins? Yum
Wish List Item? flights…
Where Did You Grow Up? Countryside
Last Thing You Did? Read
What Are You Wearing? PJ’s
Your TV? None
Your Pets? Daisy
Friends? Awesome
Your Life? Blessed
Your Mood? Content
Missing Someone? Always
Vehicle? Borrowed
Something You Aren’t Wearing? Watch
Your Favorite Store? Mitumba
Your Favorite Color? Blue
When Was The Last Time You Laughed? hour
Last Time You Cried? fortnight
Your Best Friend? Upstairs
One Place You Go To Over And Over Again? Africa
Facebook? Boring
Favorite Place To Eat? Europe
I love this, always have but this is a great version.
You’ve Got the Love - Florence&the machine.
I want all of my friends to believe in Jesus and know that there is no condemnation for their wrong doings - past, present or future when they trust in him. Read Romans 8.
You Americans own the expensive watches, but we Africans…we own the time.
— We Own the Time | Silent Images November 5th, 2009 (via fantastisk) (via nu-romantic) (via alizafar)
NIGHTNIGHT by DEDDY
