About all I can say about today is "wow."
I guess you all want to hear a little more about it though...
So, we loaded up this morning and headed to the village school with very little gas... enough to get us all there, but not for sure home.
There is a huge fuel crisis in Malawi and cars are lined up and down the streets at gas stations, all simply trying to get "some" gas.
So we started our day with a prayer that we could obtain gas, something that we haven't been able to do for two days and headed out. Timothy, a young local pastor drove a group of us to the school site that is about a 20km drive. (Thats 12.8 miles for the metric challenged.) Our plan was to work on building the library and see the school kids, while another part if the group went into the village and delivered some items to the widows that are sponsored by people in the states through Invest. http://www.investinc.info
As we drove down the dirt roads to the village area, kids would wave and smile the biggest smiles you have ever seen. I was amazed again but not prepared for what I was going to momentarily encounter.
When we pulled into the school yard area, there were literally hundreds of little kids who commenced to swarm us. I thought I was Santa and Superman all rolled into one with maybe a little bit of the easter bunny because these kids where so excited. As we stepped out of the van, you were surrounded by tiny little hands reaching up to you to politely shake your hand, grin, giggle and merge back into the masses. I shook hundreds of little hands within the first few minutes. My face hurt from smiling after a short bit. These kids were sooooo happy to meet you and touch you. Pretty soon a little boy taught me to knuckle bump him, pat my fist against my heart and raise my arm in the air. Oh.... that was hilarious to the other few hundred so they all came in for some of the action. I caught a few of them circling in for second and third knuckle bumps... because THIS WAS FUN. Here and there you would see a shy one who didn't come to you. When you went to them, their little faces lit up and it changed their entire demeanor because YOU noticed THEM out of the mass.
As I looked around, I was not the only one being swarmed. Megan was shaking hands as fast as possible, Kate and Abby we're frantically shaking hands and playing with kids... Max was by this time the hero to a large group who scurried him off to play ball with them. Mind you, their "ball" was a bunch of pvc plastic wrapped in twine to form a ball. It seemed to work pretty good. Literally everyone was smiling and playing with these hundreds of kids! Jimi, Cristi, Grant, Doug, Glen, John, Janet Kayla, and Mikayla... everyone was shaking hands and soon many were roped into some type on dancing, singing, or game.
A few of us got over to the structure and started helping the locals who were starting roof trusses. The contractor who is helping with the project came and let us know what needed to be done and we set off on the build. We asked him about fuel and he basically told us he might be able to get 6 liters for us but we were going to be out of luck because there was simply no fuel available.
Timothy went back and got the crew to take to the village to the widows and we all met up again at the build site for a great lunch of rice, goat meat, greens, and beans. Oh... that you had to eat with your hands!
Believe it or not... it wasn't bad at all! I definitely used some hand sanitizer first because we were already filthy from the built and after shaking all those hands... sadly, many of which were obviously not real well. Some kids you could tell were happy little balls of fire and personality while others had somber little faces with jaundice eyes... some had mild deformities, and others had chronic nasal drainage. Obviously, some of these kids probably didn't know what it felt like to "feel good" a day in their life. Id say the majority were on the healthier side but my guts rolled thinking of the hell these poor little kids lived in, yet exuded such spunk and happiness.
School is the highlight of their lives. They would run to you and ask your name and then pick out our names by the spelling on the back of the BTCV shirts that listed all our names and sponsors names. Amazing... these kids could read! They dragged out trashy little paper books that they wrote their lessons in and were so proud. They make the best out of the worst... and all they want to do is learn. They are little information sponges... and they are little singing and dancing machines!!!
At one point I was up on the roof, sitting and waiting for materials as I watched as Jacquie, Cindy, Sherry, Melody, Tammi and Lynda play games and sing with the kids that I couldn't hold back the well in my eyes... kinda like right now. I've got that lump in my throat that I can't swallow. :( I could hear the song many of us remember... Jesus Loves Me.
Right now as I sleep on a mattress on a floor, they are sleeping on the dirt, but will wake up tomorrow chipper and ready to go. The sick ones will follow the crowd and do their best until the day comes that they cannot go anymore and survival of the fittest will remove them from life. Many of the kids are orphans as it is... parents who die of AIDS or just die from such a life, or leave the horrible environment to "find work" and never resurface.
Its so sad Im going to quit writing about it.
When Timothy came to pick us up, he had a full tank of gas and a smile. If you don't think God had anything to do with that... you're dead wrong. Everyone loaded up and Max, Grant, Jimi, Cristi and myself decided to walk back across the unknown paths that my handheld GPS would point us through and allow us to save some gas.
As the crow flies down dirt paths and dirt roads, that walk was 6.8 miles of the realities of Africa. Amazing, but probably not a walk you would want to take alone, it was a good experience and probably a walk that at least Grant and I will take again. Thank you Garmin GPS for leading us home. :)
Ill leave you tonight with a picture of a few of the kids and a picture of the African sunset as we walked home cross country... goodnight all. Say your prayers, hug your kids, and keep everyone in your prayers. Their souls will be changed when you see them again.
Think about doing something too... consider doing a mission, a build, change someone's life. Help make this stuff possible... visit http://www.bethechangevolunteers.org or http://www.investinc.info. I can tell you your support and contributions make big differences in the world.
Be the change you want to see in the world.
Goidnight, until tomorrow.
-Dusty
I guess you all want to hear a little more about it though...
So, we loaded up this morning and headed to the village school with very little gas... enough to get us all there, but not for sure home.
There is a huge fuel crisis in Malawi and cars are lined up and down the streets at gas stations, all simply trying to get "some" gas.
So we started our day with a prayer that we could obtain gas, something that we haven't been able to do for two days and headed out. Timothy, a young local pastor drove a group of us to the school site that is about a 20km drive. (Thats 12.8 miles for the metric challenged.) Our plan was to work on building the library and see the school kids, while another part if the group went into the village and delivered some items to the widows that are sponsored by people in the states through Invest. http://www.investinc.info
As we drove down the dirt roads to the village area, kids would wave and smile the biggest smiles you have ever seen. I was amazed again but not prepared for what I was going to momentarily encounter.
When we pulled into the school yard area, there were literally hundreds of little kids who commenced to swarm us. I thought I was Santa and Superman all rolled into one with maybe a little bit of the easter bunny because these kids where so excited. As we stepped out of the van, you were surrounded by tiny little hands reaching up to you to politely shake your hand, grin, giggle and merge back into the masses. I shook hundreds of little hands within the first few minutes. My face hurt from smiling after a short bit. These kids were sooooo happy to meet you and touch you. Pretty soon a little boy taught me to knuckle bump him, pat my fist against my heart and raise my arm in the air. Oh.... that was hilarious to the other few hundred so they all came in for some of the action. I caught a few of them circling in for second and third knuckle bumps... because THIS WAS FUN. Here and there you would see a shy one who didn't come to you. When you went to them, their little faces lit up and it changed their entire demeanor because YOU noticed THEM out of the mass.
As I looked around, I was not the only one being swarmed. Megan was shaking hands as fast as possible, Kate and Abby we're frantically shaking hands and playing with kids... Max was by this time the hero to a large group who scurried him off to play ball with them. Mind you, their "ball" was a bunch of pvc plastic wrapped in twine to form a ball. It seemed to work pretty good. Literally everyone was smiling and playing with these hundreds of kids! Jimi, Cristi, Grant, Doug, Glen, John, Janet Kayla, and Mikayla... everyone was shaking hands and soon many were roped into some type on dancing, singing, or game.
A few of us got over to the structure and started helping the locals who were starting roof trusses. The contractor who is helping with the project came and let us know what needed to be done and we set off on the build. We asked him about fuel and he basically told us he might be able to get 6 liters for us but we were going to be out of luck because there was simply no fuel available.
Timothy went back and got the crew to take to the village to the widows and we all met up again at the build site for a great lunch of rice, goat meat, greens, and beans. Oh... that you had to eat with your hands!
Believe it or not... it wasn't bad at all! I definitely used some hand sanitizer first because we were already filthy from the built and after shaking all those hands... sadly, many of which were obviously not real well. Some kids you could tell were happy little balls of fire and personality while others had somber little faces with jaundice eyes... some had mild deformities, and others had chronic nasal drainage. Obviously, some of these kids probably didn't know what it felt like to "feel good" a day in their life. Id say the majority were on the healthier side but my guts rolled thinking of the hell these poor little kids lived in, yet exuded such spunk and happiness.
School is the highlight of their lives. They would run to you and ask your name and then pick out our names by the spelling on the back of the BTCV shirts that listed all our names and sponsors names. Amazing... these kids could read! They dragged out trashy little paper books that they wrote their lessons in and were so proud. They make the best out of the worst... and all they want to do is learn. They are little information sponges... and they are little singing and dancing machines!!!
At one point I was up on the roof, sitting and waiting for materials as I watched as Jacquie, Cindy, Sherry, Melody, Tammi and Lynda play games and sing with the kids that I couldn't hold back the well in my eyes... kinda like right now. I've got that lump in my throat that I can't swallow. :( I could hear the song many of us remember... Jesus Loves Me.
Right now as I sleep on a mattress on a floor, they are sleeping on the dirt, but will wake up tomorrow chipper and ready to go. The sick ones will follow the crowd and do their best until the day comes that they cannot go anymore and survival of the fittest will remove them from life. Many of the kids are orphans as it is... parents who die of AIDS or just die from such a life, or leave the horrible environment to "find work" and never resurface.
Its so sad Im going to quit writing about it.
When Timothy came to pick us up, he had a full tank of gas and a smile. If you don't think God had anything to do with that... you're dead wrong. Everyone loaded up and Max, Grant, Jimi, Cristi and myself decided to walk back across the unknown paths that my handheld GPS would point us through and allow us to save some gas.
As the crow flies down dirt paths and dirt roads, that walk was 6.8 miles of the realities of Africa. Amazing, but probably not a walk you would want to take alone, it was a good experience and probably a walk that at least Grant and I will take again. Thank you Garmin GPS for leading us home. :)
Ill leave you tonight with a picture of a few of the kids and a picture of the African sunset as we walked home cross country... goodnight all. Say your prayers, hug your kids, and keep everyone in your prayers. Their souls will be changed when you see them again.
Think about doing something too... consider doing a mission, a build, change someone's life. Help make this stuff possible... visit http://www.bethechangevolunteers.org or http://www.investinc.info. I can tell you your support and contributions make big differences in the world.
Be the change you want to see in the world.
Goidnight, until tomorrow.
-Dusty
