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We arrived in Seattle yesterday evening and had dinner at my sister's in Tacoma.  It was so great to be home and see our family again.  My dad and his wife, my mom and both my sisters were there.  We had bbq'd chicken, corn on the cob and watermelon and it tasted so good. 
We then drove from Tacoma to our home and arrived after midnight.  Our faithful dog, Midnight, was very happy to see us and we were happy to see him.  We love Malawi but home is well, home and there's no place like it. 
We slept pretty well last night but feel worn out today.  Andy is enjoying his coffee from his new coffee maker that he bought before we left.  Ray and Catherine did a fantastic job of taking care of our property for us.  There are no weeds in the garden so I'm thinking that we need to leave every summer and have them stay here :)

Bittersweet

Today we performed our last skit at the nursery and had a good bye ceremony.  As is in the custom here, there were speeches and gift giving.  They expressed their sadness at our leaving but our prayer is that they will see God as their hope and not us.  Sarah had made cinnamon rolls for everyone, which they enjoyed, and they sang songs for us.  There is something about their singing that we just love to hear.
We are leaving on Sunday morning, two days from now, and our leaving is bittersweet.  We are all anxious to get home but we are also sad to leave the staff at the nursery and the sweet babies.  The caregivers are all very dear to us and it feels like family when we are here. We have enjoyed spending much of our time here at the nursery and they have enjoyed our being here.  The babies will probably cry next week when they aren't being held as much as they have been for 7 weeks.  We have definitely spoiled them but it is easy to do.
Even though we won't be here to update you on the nursery, please keep these ladies who work so hard at caring for these tiny ones, the babies and the management in your prayers.  Donations are down and they are concerned about the financial situation but we know that God will provide and we have encouraged them to focus on Him as He loves these babies more than us.
More than 80 babies have passed through these doors and we saw 3 who were in our care in 2006 and were so impressed at how these children have developed.  We truly believe it is because of the love and care of the nannies that these children are so well adjusted and bright.

Our family with the Crisis Nursery Staff and a few babies

Andrew's Birthday

Andrew's 15th birthday was on Tuesday and we celebrated it with the staff at the nursery. 



No Langdon birthday in Malawi is complete without samoosas, a big birthday cake and a crate of minerals (pop).  We all had a great time celebrating his birthday with our friends.





A TRIP TO TOWN

Going into town here in Mzuzu is one of the most unique experiences possible. It is a very fun ride, and every time is different, though not always in a good way.

The vehicle we have used up to now is a 1993 Mitsubishi Delica van that has been used well past its limit and behaves like a 1940s model. It was previously owned by some good friends of ours, the McGill family. At present, it is owned by a Malawian guy who rents out cars to those who need them.

The one thing this van hated doing the most was starting. It often took a bitter struggle on the part of Dad and Kris to get it to sputter reluctantly to life. At present we are sort of using a small Toyota station wagon, but because of the current unrest, we are using the nursery car instead. This is partly because the vehicle is owned by a Malawian member of parliament belonging to the DPP, the political party the mobs are targeting, and partly because the tires keep going flat.

Once the car is started, it’s a white-knuckled (for those in the front) ride down the long hill into downtown Mzuzu. Once in town, there is a leisurely dodge through the traffic circle, around bold (or clueless) pedestrians and through the dusty wake of drivers who don’t know any right of way except their own.

One of the most noticeable things about downtown Mzuzu is the number of banks. For being a country where a typical daily wage is smaller than the average American’s pocket change, Malawi is host to a surprising number of banks. In Mzuzu, there are around seven different banks; National Bank (NB), Standard Bank, NBS, OIBM, First Merchant Bank (FMB), and the FDH. National Bank, which Dad uses, has built a massive new building on the edge of town. The Malawian government is also building a new National Reserve Bank building on the southern outskirts of town. It is being built by an Italian contractor, which also constructed the buildings for the Rafiki Foundation’s compound outside of town. I can’t help but wonder where the money comes from for all of these projects, since the Malawian government can’t even supply reliable electricity, and there can’t be that much money in NB’s accounts. Hmm…

The next thing that draws attention is the gas stations. Mzuzu has almost as many gas stations as banks, which is odd, since at present fuel is a rare thing. The main filling station chains here are BP, Total, and Petroda. Petroda has no presence within Mzuzu proper, which leaves BP and Total to fight it out over the town.

On any day of the week, you can find long lines of vans, semi trucks, lorries (the English term for flatbeds), and other miscellaneous cars just parked along the roadside for dozens of yards alongside the gas stations, waiting for the arrival of a fuel shipment. When a fuel truck comes barreling down Main Street, blaring its horns constantly to announce its arrival, there is a mad scramble by the loitering drivers to get to their cars before someone else takes their place in line. In general, the truckload of fuel is gone within an hour or so. With the way they do things here, it’s no wonder their fuel shortage is still going.

The largest, most prominent store in town is the PTC (People’s Trading Center). It is actually part of the biggest retail chain in Malawi, much like Walmart at home. Due to its prominent location on Mzuzu’s
Main Street, it is a popular stop for the tour buses that are on their way through town to other, more popular tourism spots. Naturally, this also means that all of the bums and salesmen in town congregate on this store, and it is very difficult to get past them to the store.

One African art salesman in particular and his cronies seem to have us marked. It is almost impossible to go to any large store without being accosted by him. As you get out of the car, the first warning is when you hear a somewhat oily voice saying, “Hello, my friend(s).” From there, he is almost impossible to get rid of, and every attempt to extricate oneself from his sales pitch only results in him digging out still more things to try and sell. As I have mentioned, he tends to have two or three buddies along with him to deal with any other potential customers that might escape. The thing that I find really disconcerting is when the sales gang begins a rather invasive questionnaire, including such queries as “Where do you live?” “Do you have cell phones or cameras?” “Do you have US dollars?” and the timeless classic “Do you have a lot of money?”

We all tend to avoid answering such quizzes, and generally give away no information. It does make me nervous, though, and also raises questions of whether or not these guys really are working with any gangs to sniff out houses to rob.

Well, this blog is running longer than I anticipated, so I’ll finish it now. Goodbye!

- Matthew

More Skits

Last week we performed our puppet skits for two more places.  On Saturday we presented the skits to children in grades 2-5 at Rafiki which is an orphan village that is US run and located outside of Mzuzu. At Rafiki, English is the primary language so the kids were able to do the skits without a translator.  They were thrilled as it isn't so hard on their arms and shoulders. 

Rafiki children watching the puppets

On Sunday morning we went to Mzilawayingwe Prayer House which is a small building used mainly for Sunday School for children.

Mzilawayingwe children listening as Chiku translates

It was very cold on Sunday morning which means that it takes a while for the children to come.  We ended up with 70-80 children watching.  It is such a blessing to watch these children as they are watching the puppets.  As the kids perform and Andy speaks I am always praying that God's word will penetrate their hearts and minds and these little skits will somehow make a difference.  Most of these children are very poor and yet they come to this little prayer house for Sunday School. 
Salome, who is a Sunday School teacher at this prayer house and at Katawa CCAP where we also performed, was so thrilled that we had come to teach the children.  She asked for copies of the skits so she could continue teaching the children based on the skits.  On Sunday we gave her the copies and also gave them "Good and Evil" books which is a comic book style Bible story book in Chichewa.  Her comment to me was, "We are so rich now."  It was a blessing to hear as most of the time people are asking for money from us.  She instead realized that our treasure is really in God's word.
We have also been blessed with great translators.  They add information about the skits for the kids and are very animated as they translate.  They are fun to watch and really add to the performance.

The Market

The market is the place to get your groceries fruit, vegetables and other household objects. All markets are open are but still smell bad. Going to the market can also be fun or disgusting. Normally in a large town or city there are two or three markets. When you enter the market there are generally two or three ways to get into the main part of the market the best way is to avoid the fish section of the market. The fish section is the smelliest part of the market because most of the fish are sort of fresh. Once mom and I where looking for some vegetables, as we were walking up a street we could see two venders arguing about something and when we got to them they stopped arguing long enough to ask if we wanted something from them. There are many venders of the same thing so you can find good prices. The market is so busy that the ground littered with garbage. Most of the people are very nice and try to help you to find what your looking for (normally at there own stall). There are so many venders that the stalls are very close together. Some times it is so crowded it is hard to move. All in all the market is fun and very entertaining.

Andrew

Road conditions

Roads in Malawi are very low quality. In Malawi there is one main road called M1. M1 goes from the top of Malawi to the bottom. It is only two lanes but is decent to Malawi standards. On the edges of smaller towns like Mzuzu the roads are unpaved and bumpy. In the rainy season the roads are muddy and hard to get through. In the dry season the roads are dusty and very bumpy.  Some of the paved roads on the lesser traveled parts of the country have lots of potholes and re narrow. Even on M1 the bridges are narrow and falling apart. So if you plan on coming to Malawi prepare for a white knuckled ride.

By: Andrew

Unrest in Malawi

We always thought of Malawi as a peaceful country as it is called the "warm heart of Africa."  Last week we saw another side of Malawi and it wasn't peaceful.  As Matthew mentioned in his post, a peaceful march turned into something quite the opposite.
After the government told the marchers they couldn't march, the marchers turned on the police.  Police used tear gas and bullets to stop the riot and it left 9 people dead and many wounded.  The people then went on a rampage and destroyed many shops owned by the Chinese and looted everything in them.
The nine that died were hailed as heroes who died for democracy.  Not everyone holds that opinion.  We were told by a Malawian that the dead were all looters.  It is hard to know what the truth is but it doesn't really matter now.  Because those that died were "heroes" the people wanted them buried in the same place and designated that they died a heroes death.  The government said no which didn't make the people happy.  Everyone was bracing for another riot and it was very quiet all over Mzuzu as we waited to see what would happen.  Thankfully, the government let them be buried together and another riot was avoided. 
During this time, we stayed very close to home.  We are a few miles from town which was somewhat comforting.  Most of the shops in town were closed from Wednesday to Friday, with some open on Saturday.  Since shopping here is from day to day, the few shops that were open didn't have much left.  We have a small store and market within walking distance so we were able to stock up on a few items.
Today we ventured into town and it was just another Monday--crowded and no cash at the ATM's.  Actually after waiting a while we were able to use an ATM.  We stayed away from the main downtown as I had no desire to see shops destroyed.
For now things are safe again but there is another protest scheduled for August 19th.  We will be home by then but hope and pray that it won't turn violent.

AFRICAN POLITICS

One of the most noticeable things about politics in Malawi is the almost deification of the president. Every government billboard has a giant picture of the “Honorable Dr. Bingu Wa Mutharika” on it. Political cartoons attacking the president are unheard of, and I have never yet seen a newspaper article in Malawi criticizing him or his policies. All of the Malawian presidents have had this policy of “no criticism or else”, and it has finally caused a lot of trouble for Malawi as a nation.

The UK’s ambassador to Malawi sent a government message to London some time ago, in which the Malawian president was referred to as an “autocrat” and his policies were strongly questioned. Somehow, the Malawian government found out, and the UK ambassador was called to the Foreign Ministry of Malawi and informed that he was being expelled from Malawi.

Upon hearing of this, the UK government retaliated by withdrawing all fiscal aid from Malawi. This is not the first time this has happened. In another incident several years ago, the UK withdrew £3 million of aid from Malawi when the president spent £8 million on a brand new executive jet. The official reason the UK gave for its withdrawal of aid is poor fiscal management and lack of responsibility on the part of the Malawian authorities.

That the Malawian government is fiscally corrupt is undeniable, but I doubt that the UK’s reaction was entirely due to this. One reason I think this is that the UK retaliated to Malawi’s action by kicking the Malawian ambassador out of England. I would say that revenge is one major factor in the UK’s response.

Following the UK’s lead, the EU, the World Bank, and Germany (among others) have also withdrawn their aid from Malawi. This is a very serious situation for a nation in which 40% of the economy is stimulated by foreign aid.

The situation definitely took a turn for the worse when the DPP (the current ruling party) made its move regarding peaceful protests planned by the opposition for yesterday. They passed an injunction in the Malawian Parliament making any form of protest illegal. When the protestors learned of this, they proceeded with their demonstrations. Youths turned violent against DPP members, burned DPP houses, and damaged DPP vehicles. Other troublemakers not involved with the protests took advantage of the chaos and proceeded to loot stores, break into banks, and wreak havoc in general. Here in Mzuzu, all of the Chinese-owned shops have been looted, and the police have been turned out to deal with the rioting. Numerous people have been injured, and at least seven have been killed. The police are blocking off central Mzuzu, which is where the rioting is centered. Out by the nursery and our house, which is where we are remaining for now, there is practically no evidence of the damage being caused downtown. Only the occasional faint gunshot or the occasional police vehicle passing is indicative of trouble. Apparently, the actual riots have been limited to Mzuzu and Karonga, with a slight skirmish in Lilongwe that has been mostly quelled. Blantyre and Zomba have been largely peaceful. Hopefully the unrest will end soon. Joyce, the director of the nursery, says that things were fairly calm this morning, which sounds promising. I hope that things return to normal soon, and that there will be a quick resolution to the problem.

Matthew

(P.S : The first house we were originally to stay at was the house of a DPP member of parliament, and is under police guard because of the risk posed to it by the mobs. It looks like God knew what he was doing when we got a different place to stay at.)

Land

When we were in Malawi in 2006-2007 we obtained a plot of land to build a permanent nursery facility.  This was nothing short of a miracle since the plot was already assigned and it only took about 6 weeks to get all the paperwork in order.  Here the land is almost exclusively owned by the government and given by 99 year lease.  One of the requirements is that improvements to the land need to be made in 6 months or it may be reassigned to another party.  Due to financial circumstances after the land was assigned to Minsitry of Hope, no improvemnts were made and now the land has been reassigned to someone else.  We were told the Ministry of Lands would find another suitable plot in the same area, but when we visited them on Friday, the person we talked to didn't act like he had heard of this discussion and no effort had been made to find another plot.  We go back on Tuesday to find out the status.  Please pray in the meantime for a miracle of the Lord, as the human side of things looks bleak if not impossible.  We place our trust in Him and not in the arm of man, and ask that His will be accomplished in this area.

Andy

Nature in Malawi

Malawi is a narrow country between Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia. Malawi has a warm climate even in the winter (July through August). Almost all of Africa’s well known animals live in Malawi. Also a home for all kinds of creepy crawlies. God has landscaped Malawi very well.

Andrew

The Fun Side of Africa

Being back in Malawi has been exciting for us. On the serious side of things, our puppet plays have gone well, and Dad and Mom’s Bible teachings have been well received. On the humorous side of things, there has been plenty to laugh at.

For instance, some days ago, Mom melted baby powder-scented Vaseline in one of our cooking pots at home and mixed it with herbs to use as a balm for the nursery’s babies. That very day, Mary, our cook/housekeeper, made us a local-style lunch of nsima, beans, and green beans. Upon the very first bite, we knew something was wrong with the green beans. They had a flavor that was reminiscent of the smell of a baby’s bottom. It took us a bit to figure out what was wrong with them: Mary had cooked the green beans in the same pot Mom had melted the baby-scented Vaseline in! Even though Mom had washed it out with hot water and soap, the scent and flavor of baby powder had remained, thus giving us a rather unique pile of green beans.

The majority of us were ready to toss the Vaseline Beans into the trash, but Mom insisted that they were still edible. Her opinion won (naturally), and we started to do battle. After 15 minutes or so, the last baby powder-flavored green bean was swallowed, and the day was won.

Looking back on it now, it’s easy to laugh. At the time, nobody was laughing. Ha, Ha.

In town, there are plenty of things to be amused about. Store signs like “The Drunkard Tavern”, “Califonia Street Shop”, and even “Profeshonal Office Suppliers” are quite enjoyable, but the real fun comes when you go inside a shop. They have a Jell-O imitation here called "Jelly". “Pansoanic” and “Semsong” DVD and CD players are easily found in stores. No, those were not typos. They do sell those brands here. I will include pictures of them. These are quite clever imitations of the real thing, but even the Malawians themselves have figured it out. One person we talked to at the nursery said that it works this way:

“The Chinese manufacturers are given a product design to manufacture, such as the iPhone, Blackberry, or even a TV type. They then produce the original for the USA and Europe, and produce an imitation for Africa.”

The person who said this owns a Blackberry phone imitation called an “Alcatel”. Not exactly a blatant imitation, but…

One last funny thing I can think of is the odd business name I saw in Lilongwe. The sign said “Humongous Gym”, but the building it advertised was roughly the size of a motor home. And I thought US companies over-exaggerated their products!

Of course, Malawi is not all funny. I plan on keeping records of the serious things that happen here as well. My next blog post will be about the town of Mzuzu, I hope.

- Matthew