Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Mother Malin's Blog-Tuesday 12 August 2008 Malawi Parish and the Offices of the Anglican Diocese of Southen Malawi
Tuesday 12 August 2008 Malawi Parish and the Offices of the Anglican Diocese of Southen Malawi
Our morning began at the Church of St. Paul’s in Malawi Parish. Fr. Alan Banda is the priest-in-charge and he has four outstations. Malawi Parish is quite flat and dry. This is the one area where Yasinta’s efforts in permaculture have been less than successful. The only well is quite a distance away and all water needs to be transported in buckets. This parish is a perfect case for Tom Gephard, of Warm Heart International out of Austin, Texas. WHI puts in wells and sanitation, and we’ve been in conversation with Tom about an affiliation with his organization, so that WHI would put in wells and Love’s Harvest would follow with gardens.
Malawi Parish has a school and orphan care program but they need water. There is a sense of despondency, even though the people are warm and friendly. The day care center for orphans, built by the government but staffed by volunteers, takes care of 119 children, feeding and teaching them.
Lively sounds of laughter came from the school building. 650 children in grades one through eight are taught here, and we saw the beginnings of small library put in by a group from Colorado.
Fr. Banda’s three year old daughter Molly took my hand and stayed right by my side for about an hour, even waiting for me outside when I used the latrine. She kept staring at the skin on my hand and stroking it and smiling up at me. I told Fr. Banda I wanted to take her home with me and he said “Okay, but you have to bring her right back!”
After Malawi Parish, we drove back to the Diocesan Offices for our meeting with Bishop James Tengatenga. John Msusa took my mom back to Pedro’s for lunch and a nap. John Springer and I had a power bar and talked together outside as Josie Tengatenga, Bp. James’ wife, drove up in her car. She was conducting a three day youth seminar on HIV/AIDS with a British physician and priest the Rev. Dr. Annie Bayley, but she made time to speak with us about her youth farm idea on a piece of land outside the city called Khombwe. She was carrying charts about permaculture from Christopher Walker, son of June Walker, a longtime resident of Malawi and one of the foremost permaculture experts in the world. He will be helping Josie with her project. About twenty young people, aged 12 to 25, who are not able to be in school and are not employed. They will share the labor and sell the produce and animals. The money will go into a bank account and they will each make a small amount for their own necessities. This project will also benefit women in more rural areas, who have difficulty traveling in to buy fresh produce. The youth can take orders from them. The youth are supervised by Fr. Barnabas Saleka in Chileka Parish, and this income will also support youth group events. Love’s Harvest is supporting this project with the start-up costs of the farm.
At 2:00 pm, we entered the bishop’s office and received a warm greeting from Bishop James Tengatenga. He had just returned from Lambeth and gave us a fascinating recap of the conference, of which he was one of the planners. He spoke about indaba, a kind of listening and talking in which, as he said, “you tell your story, I tell my story, he tells his story, until it becomes our story.” It was a completely different way of structuring Lambeth and overall it sounds like a success. Product and process were essentially the same, which is a hard concept for some people to grasp or take part in, but it seems to be where we are in our Anglican Communion right now.
The bulk of our meeting was spent in discussing the goat project at Chikwawa as a model for how a small business can benefit a priest, his parish and the Diocese. The goal is empowering people; moving priests and their congregations away from the idea of asking for handouts from the West or from the Diocese. One way we can help is to assist in putting together business plans. This is critical. As Fr. Patrick communicated to us, priests don’t know necessarily agriculture or animal husbandry projects, and they do not have training in business. The goat project, potentially a great boon for Chickwawa, needs a real plan to maximize its revenues.
Over Malawian tea and banana cake, we talked about the structure of Love’s Harvest and these parish-to-parish projects like the one Christ Church Bronxville took on in Chikwawa. The diocese has twenty-two parishes. One of Love’s Harvest’s goal is to continue to link parishes in the US with Malawian counterparts, establishing a means of correspondence, and later evaluating the impact of these income-generating, empowerment programs. These parishes really need help from someone with business acumen. Quite possibly there is an experienced business person in the US who would be interested in helping formulate business plans for a partnership parish.
We spoke about Yasinta’s extraordinary skills in leadership and her kitchen garden successes, as well as about the burgeoning permaculture demonstration farm at the theological college. Bp. James would like to have a similar farm down in Blantyre: a dream for the future.
Bp. James is terribly bright and creative, and has many marvelous ideas for how to support his priests and grow his diocese in a way that honors God and God’s people in Malawi. We had a stimulating visit, planning for the short term and brainstorming for the future. He understands that marketing the story of Malawi is something Malawians do not know how to do. I showed him some of the record I was putting together, with photos, narrative and video, and he graciously agreed to record a short video message to use in our material.
It was a marvelous, encouraging visit with the bishop. We left at 4:00 pm to return to Pedro’s for a celebratory tea and farewell with Yasinta. We exchanged gifts, finalized our plans for the coming year with the Mothers’ Union permaculture projects, and promised we would meet again soon. Paramount on the list are the women’s empowerment projects in animal husbandry, which we will begin in Mulanje parish and Thylo parish in the near future.
The evening came to a rollicking conclusion as Geofry Tamatama hosted our farewell dinner at the Blue Lagoon hotel and restaurant in Limbe. Mom and I had our last chambo of the trip, and Geofrey presented us with chitenji from the bishop’s ten year anniversary and “Nets for Life” tea shirts.
Tomorrow, we leave Pedro’s at 9:00 am to do a few last minute errands before heading to the airport. God willing, our flights will be on time and we’ll arrive in Johannesburg at 4:40 pm for a 7:00 pm flight back to the U.S.
As a final message from this beautiful country, please keep the people of Malawi and their leaders in the Anglican church in your prayers. They have us in theirs.
Malawi Parish has a school and orphan care program but they need water. There is a sense of despondency, even though the people are warm and friendly. The day care center for orphans, built by the government but staffed by volunteers, takes care of 119 children, feeding and teaching them.
Lively sounds of laughter came from the school building. 650 children in grades one through eight are taught here, and we saw the beginnings of small library put in by a group from Colorado.
Fr. Banda’s three year old daughter Molly took my hand and stayed right by my side for about an hour, even waiting for me outside when I used the latrine. She kept staring at the skin on my hand and stroking it and smiling up at me. I told Fr. Banda I wanted to take her home with me and he said “Okay, but you have to bring her right back!”
After Malawi Parish, we drove back to the Diocesan Offices for our meeting with Bishop James Tengatenga. John Msusa took my mom back to Pedro’s for lunch and a nap. John Springer and I had a power bar and talked together outside as Josie Tengatenga, Bp. James’ wife, drove up in her car. She was conducting a three day youth seminar on HIV/AIDS with a British physician and priest the Rev. Dr. Annie Bayley, but she made time to speak with us about her youth farm idea on a piece of land outside the city called Khombwe. She was carrying charts about permaculture from Christopher Walker, son of June Walker, a longtime resident of Malawi and one of the foremost permaculture experts in the world. He will be helping Josie with her project. About twenty young people, aged 12 to 25, who are not able to be in school and are not employed. They will share the labor and sell the produce and animals. The money will go into a bank account and they will each make a small amount for their own necessities. This project will also benefit women in more rural areas, who have difficulty traveling in to buy fresh produce. The youth can take orders from them. The youth are supervised by Fr. Barnabas Saleka in Chileka Parish, and this income will also support youth group events. Love’s Harvest is supporting this project with the start-up costs of the farm.
At 2:00 pm, we entered the bishop’s office and received a warm greeting from Bishop James Tengatenga. He had just returned from Lambeth and gave us a fascinating recap of the conference, of which he was one of the planners. He spoke about indaba, a kind of listening and talking in which, as he said, “you tell your story, I tell my story, he tells his story, until it becomes our story.” It was a completely different way of structuring Lambeth and overall it sounds like a success. Product and process were essentially the same, which is a hard concept for some people to grasp or take part in, but it seems to be where we are in our Anglican Communion right now.
The bulk of our meeting was spent in discussing the goat project at Chikwawa as a model for how a small business can benefit a priest, his parish and the Diocese. The goal is empowering people; moving priests and their congregations away from the idea of asking for handouts from the West or from the Diocese. One way we can help is to assist in putting together business plans. This is critical. As Fr. Patrick communicated to us, priests don’t know necessarily agriculture or animal husbandry projects, and they do not have training in business. The goat project, potentially a great boon for Chickwawa, needs a real plan to maximize its revenues.
Over Malawian tea and banana cake, we talked about the structure of Love’s Harvest and these parish-to-parish projects like the one Christ Church Bronxville took on in Chikwawa. The diocese has twenty-two parishes. One of Love’s Harvest’s goal is to continue to link parishes in the US with Malawian counterparts, establishing a means of correspondence, and later evaluating the impact of these income-generating, empowerment programs. These parishes really need help from someone with business acumen. Quite possibly there is an experienced business person in the US who would be interested in helping formulate business plans for a partnership parish.
We spoke about Yasinta’s extraordinary skills in leadership and her kitchen garden successes, as well as about the burgeoning permaculture demonstration farm at the theological college. Bp. James would like to have a similar farm down in Blantyre: a dream for the future.
Bp. James is terribly bright and creative, and has many marvelous ideas for how to support his priests and grow his diocese in a way that honors God and God’s people in Malawi. We had a stimulating visit, planning for the short term and brainstorming for the future. He understands that marketing the story of Malawi is something Malawians do not know how to do. I showed him some of the record I was putting together, with photos, narrative and video, and he graciously agreed to record a short video message to use in our material.
It was a marvelous, encouraging visit with the bishop. We left at 4:00 pm to return to Pedro’s for a celebratory tea and farewell with Yasinta. We exchanged gifts, finalized our plans for the coming year with the Mothers’ Union permaculture projects, and promised we would meet again soon. Paramount on the list are the women’s empowerment projects in animal husbandry, which we will begin in Mulanje parish and Thylo parish in the near future.
The evening came to a rollicking conclusion as Geofry Tamatama hosted our farewell dinner at the Blue Lagoon hotel and restaurant in Limbe. Mom and I had our last chambo of the trip, and Geofrey presented us with chitenji from the bishop’s ten year anniversary and “Nets for Life” tea shirts.
Tomorrow, we leave Pedro’s at 9:00 am to do a few last minute errands before heading to the airport. God willing, our flights will be on time and we’ll arrive in Johannesburg at 4:40 pm for a 7:00 pm flight back to the U.S.
As a final message from this beautiful country, please keep the people of Malawi and their leaders in the Anglican church in your prayers. They have us in theirs.
Mother Malin's Blog-Monday, 11 August 2008 Chiradzulu, Urban Blantyre and South Lunzu
Monday 11 August 2008 Chiradzulu, Urban Blantyre and South Lunzu
We had a huge agenda today: to visit three parishes, speak with their priests, look into projects at the churches and priests’ houses, and then meet with individual members of the Mothers’ Union who have started permaculture gardens on their own land. All this by 3:00 pm at which time we had an appointment with Rabs Tea, a tea packaging plant just outside town.
Our first stop was St. Andrew’s Church in Chiradzulu Parish. We were greeted by women in the Mothers’ Union, who sang and danced. One of there songs included the lyrics, in Chichewa, “Come to the Anglican Church and learn Permaculture!”
Fr. Benson Aipa is the priest-in-charge. We visited wih his wife Bertha and their three year old son Cleopas before looking at the priest’s house garden, conveniently located right next to a water pump. They’ve dug a channel so that water run off goes directly to the garden. Bertha told me that she had been childless for eleven years and then Cleopas came along. I said, ‘You’re Hannah!” and she threw her arms around me and said “I’m Hannah!” She was beaming with pride as Cleopas ran and played with the other boys.
Mrs. Kadango is the leader of the Mothers’ Union, and we moved into the church for a report on how the kitchen garden project has been going with the women in the village. The women were wearing matching chitenji, or cloth wrap skirts, as a kind of uniform. They told us of their successes, including earning extra kwacha selling vegetable to buy sugar to make tomato jam, which they then shared. They are now on their second growing. They plan to use the money they make to help their sick neighbors. One woman expressed how much our coming has encouraged the group.
This parish has a school with 740 children, and a feeding program which provides porridge for the children every day. The headmaster arrived. He travels 20 km by bike to get here.
The kitchen gardens were a long way out. We saw three, and each woman was very proud to display her work in permaculture. Mrs. Theresa Harrold opened the fence to her pumpkin garden and said, “See how well I’ve learned?”
After leaving Chiradzulu, we stopped at the monument to Joseph Chilembwe, a priest and freedom fighter who is commemorated on the 500 MK note, the main bill of currency in Malawi.
We drove on to Holy Innocents Parish to see a kitchen garden in an urban area. Beth Kaswaya, wife of Fr. Konstantine Kaswaya, has a very modern house built up on a rock. She has a thriving and extensive garden in the walled area behind her house, and she and her friend Miriam Tingwa gave us the tour. They are growing some plants we had not seen before, including rugare from Zimbabwe.
We had a huge agenda today: to visit three parishes, speak with their priests, look into projects at the churches and priests’ houses, and then meet with individual members of the Mothers’ Union who have started permaculture gardens on their own land. All this by 3:00 pm at which time we had an appointment with Rabs Tea, a tea packaging plant just outside town.
Our first stop was St. Andrew’s Church in Chiradzulu Parish. We were greeted by women in the Mothers’ Union, who sang and danced. One of there songs included the lyrics, in Chichewa, “Come to the Anglican Church and learn Permaculture!”
Fr. Benson Aipa is the priest-in-charge. We visited wih his wife Bertha and their three year old son Cleopas before looking at the priest’s house garden, conveniently located right next to a water pump. They’ve dug a channel so that water run off goes directly to the garden. Bertha told me that she had been childless for eleven years and then Cleopas came along. I said, ‘You’re Hannah!” and she threw her arms around me and said “I’m Hannah!” She was beaming with pride as Cleopas ran and played with the other boys.
Mrs. Kadango is the leader of the Mothers’ Union, and we moved into the church for a report on how the kitchen garden project has been going with the women in the village. The women were wearing matching chitenji, or cloth wrap skirts, as a kind of uniform. They told us of their successes, including earning extra kwacha selling vegetable to buy sugar to make tomato jam, which they then shared. They are now on their second growing. They plan to use the money they make to help their sick neighbors. One woman expressed how much our coming has encouraged the group.
This parish has a school with 740 children, and a feeding program which provides porridge for the children every day. The headmaster arrived. He travels 20 km by bike to get here.
The kitchen gardens were a long way out. We saw three, and each woman was very proud to display her work in permaculture. Mrs. Theresa Harrold opened the fence to her pumpkin garden and said, “See how well I’ve learned?”
After leaving Chiradzulu, we stopped at the monument to Joseph Chilembwe, a priest and freedom fighter who is commemorated on the 500 MK note, the main bill of currency in Malawi.
We drove on to Holy Innocents Parish to see a kitchen garden in an urban area. Beth Kaswaya, wife of Fr. Konstantine Kaswaya, has a very modern house built up on a rock. She has a thriving and extensive garden in the walled area behind her house, and she and her friend Miriam Tingwa gave us the tour. They are growing some plants we had not seen before, including rugare from Zimbabwe.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Mother Malin's Blog-Sunday 10 August 2008 Manyamba
Sunday 10 August 2008 Manyamba
Fr. Lymon was my translator for my sermon, as he was last year when I preached at the bishop’s vistation to another church in Mulanje. He is so connected and expressive, with a great sense of humor. He made it possible for me to really preach despite the language and cultural differences between me and the people in the congregation.
Tomorrow, we are off to see three parishes close to Blantyre in which Yasinta has started gardens with the Mothers’ Union. And tonight I had a hot bath! Heaven!
Mother Malin's Blog from Malawi- Saturday, 9 August, 2008 The Bullets v. the Wanderers, and a trip to Mulanje
Saturday 9 August 2008 The Bullets v. the Wanderers, and a trip to Mulanje
After lunch, Dean Kalilombe dropped us near the stadium and went to pick up Steve Smith and his kids Kyle and Christie, who had come down from Zomba to join us for the game. Fr. Lymon from Mulanje Parish met us at the gate and we entered the stadium. It was quite the scene. These two teams are very competitive and quite athletic. It was exciting to experience the crowd and listen to the fans. The game was a draw and most people seemed satisfied.
After saying our good-byes, John, Mom and I piled back in our van and John Msusa drove us out to Mulanje where we are staying overnight at the Mulanje Mountain View Motel before going to Manyamba for church on Sunday.
The Mulanje Mountain View was more like your most basic dormitory. The rooms were individual cells, with a bed, a chair, a mosquito net and some hooks on the wall. There were no outlets and the communal bathroom was a distance from our rooms. I was exhausted and I still had a sermon to write.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Mother Malin's Blog from Malawi- Friday 8, August, 2008
Friday 8 August 2008 Mindanti and Chikwawa Parish
We drove to the center of the village and I was delighted to see an absolutely beautiful khola constructed out of all natural, local materials. The goats will be on a raised platform, so they would not feel the damp and so their droppings could be gathered below and used for manure for gardens. The khola is big enough to hold one hundred goats, and workers were thatching the roof while we admired their work.
As we spoke together and worked on the numbers, we came to the conclusion, with Charles and Yasinta, that we should not build two goat sheds but rather have one large one and concentrate on breeding. We’ll maximize our resources in a number of ways, including having to hire only one laborer and one night watchman.
As we returned to Fr. Mapundula’s house for tea, there was great conviviality and animated conversation about the future. Fr. Mapundula did not have any idea of the scope or the potential of this project. He kept saying, “I don’t know about goats. I’m a priest!” And I said, “I don’t know about goats either. I’m a priest too!” This is why we need Malawian experts on the ground here, like Charles and Yasinta who are knowledgeable and responsible leaders and guides.
Clearly the priests in Malawi play a pivotal role in their communities, and they are overworked and paid very little. They are willing to adapt to new ideas if it will help them serve God and their people. Time and again John and I hear the message from priests, “I have to learn. I need education.” These permaculture projects are not intended to be run by priests, but the relationship begins with the church and is then managed by experts. This way, the people will be more likely to trust in a new way of doing things. They will hear the message, from someone they trust, that our intention is not to give a hand-out and then walk away, but to implement practical and responsible projects that will empower Malawians. And that we will come and see.
I asked Fr. Mapundula to give a brief greeting to the people of Christ Church on videotape, and while he was clearly nervous, he graciously complied. We set some goals and deadlines for putting the business plan together, and exchanged contact information. Then, Yasinta, John, my mom and I climbed back in the van for the bumpy ride back to Blantyre.
Our day began at 9:00 am when we left Blantyre with Yasinta Mtambo and drove west to Mindanti in the Shire valley. We stopped at the bridge over the big, strong Shire River to take a few pictures, and then headed on to meet Fr. Steven Seyani in Mindanti. He leads worship in a small, older church across from the maternity clinic being built by St. James’ Church. A new church is being built but it’s taking some time. The big problem in Mindanti is water. Despite the efforts of Warm Hearts International, drilling and putting in a new windmill, there is not enough water being pumped and the water they have is too salty for drinking or agriculture. It’s a very difficult situation. From Mindanti we journeyed out to Chikwawa, to see our Christ Church Bronxville goats, or mbuzi, at last. The road was the very worst I’d ever traveled in Malawi. I was in the back of the van and my head hit the ceiling four times.
All Saints’ in Chikwawa Parish is right next door to a large cane sugar operation called Illovo. We gathered in the parlor of the priest’s house, which is the custom in Malawi. Fr. Patrick Mapundula is the priest for the parish, and he has a long career of service as a priest in Malawi. Our meeting was quite formal and a bit stilted at first. We learned that, due to a delay in building the khola, (goat shed), the goats were not yet in residence. I was clearly disappointed. Fr. Mapundula and Charles Mkhutche, (the project director/goat expert), could see how let down I was. They explained that the original site for the khola was rejected, but that they’d found a much better site and it was very nearly completed. The goats, which would be purchased locally, would be moving in next week, and they would take us to see the khola and the goats.
Fr. Mapundula produced a meticulous accounting of the money spent thus far. I explained a bit more clearly just how Christ Church Bronxville wanted to partner with Chikwawa Parish. John talked through the necessity for a business plan, and how we imagined this project working to the benefit of the community. Suddenly everybody loosened up. Charles told us about goats and we soon knew more details about gestation periods, births per year, supplemental food, etc., than I ever expected. It became clear that this project would be a true boon for this parish, and that, after about eighteen months, a significant income could be realized. This parish and this priest need help, and our goats offer hope.
We drove to the center of the village and I was delighted to see an absolutely beautiful khola constructed out of all natural, local materials. The goats will be on a raised platform, so they would not feel the damp and so their droppings could be gathered below and used for manure for gardens. The khola is big enough to hold one hundred goats, and workers were thatching the roof while we admired their work.
Charles and Fr. Mapundula were mystified to hear that I wanted pictures of the goats, but they were game to help, and I managed to take some photos of our mbuzi waiting to move into their new home. A marvelous benefit to this location is that there is good, fresh water and grass for grazing close to the khola. The goats will only need supplemental food. Also, as it is the center of the village, it will serve as a visible symbol of our partnership and a sign of blessing and hope for the future to the villagers, who are clearly in need.
As we spoke together and worked on the numbers, we came to the conclusion, with Charles and Yasinta, that we should not build two goat sheds but rather have one large one and concentrate on breeding. We’ll maximize our resources in a number of ways, including having to hire only one laborer and one night watchman.
As we returned to Fr. Mapundula’s house for tea, there was great conviviality and animated conversation about the future. Fr. Mapundula did not have any idea of the scope or the potential of this project. He kept saying, “I don’t know about goats. I’m a priest!” And I said, “I don’t know about goats either. I’m a priest too!” This is why we need Malawian experts on the ground here, like Charles and Yasinta who are knowledgeable and responsible leaders and guides.
Clearly the priests in Malawi play a pivotal role in their communities, and they are overworked and paid very little. They are willing to adapt to new ideas if it will help them serve God and their people. Time and again John and I hear the message from priests, “I have to learn. I need education.” These permaculture projects are not intended to be run by priests, but the relationship begins with the church and is then managed by experts. This way, the people will be more likely to trust in a new way of doing things. They will hear the message, from someone they trust, that our intention is not to give a hand-out and then walk away, but to implement practical and responsible projects that will empower Malawians. And that we will come and see.
I asked Fr. Mapundula to give a brief greeting to the people of Christ Church on videotape, and while he was clearly nervous, he graciously complied. We set some goals and deadlines for putting the business plan together, and exchanged contact information. Then, Yasinta, John, my mom and I climbed back in the van for the bumpy ride back to Blantyre.
Mother Malin's Blog from Malawi- Thursday 7, August, 2008
Thursday 7 August, 2008 Thylo and Mulanje
On we drove out to Mulanje, which is the most beautiful area of Malawi in my opinion. The verdant tea plantations and towering Mount Mulanje are an unbeatable combination. We visited Sodza in Mulanje Parish, which is an outstation of St. Andrew’s. Again, we met the women of the parish and saw their gardens. We noted how beautifully they related to Yasinta; with mutual respect and enthusiasm.
We had our first early night, having planned our day for tomorrow. John, my mom and I relaxed for an hour or so, then had a light dinner in the restaurant before turning in. Fr. Lymond asked me to preach on Sunday out in Manyamba, in the village where I worked on the priest’s house last summer. I will fall asleep thinking about the gospel passage “See, I am sending you out as lambs among wolves; be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” It’s a great passage for me right now, because Jesus tells his disciples not to worry about what they will say when they must speak; that God will give them the words they need!
Photos: Introductions in Thylo; A woman in her garden in Mulanje Parish; Cindy showing the potter her picture.
We met up with Dean Kalilombe and Yasinta at St. Paul’s Cathedral and then picked up Fr. Lymond Sonjo, an old friend from last year. We will be with him for church on Sunday. We drove out to Thylo, first to see a kitchen garden at All Saints and then to meet with a group of women leaders who planted individual Kitchen Gardens in thei
r parish. We were thrilled to witness both how the gardens were thriving and how the communities of people were working together. We were greeted with songs and dances, and the women showed us their work. We conversed with them, with Yasinta as translator, about introducing a livestock project. In Thylo Parish, the women agreed with one voice that they wanted to begin a pig operation. They warmly expressed their thanksgiving for the gift of permaculture, and even sang a song in Chichewa that went “Permaculture, Shines Shines.”
It’s charming how the older women gravitate to my mother, and powerful to see how the younger girls and women look at me in my collar. I am more aware this trip than I was last year of my functioning as a female priest in Malawi; my embodying this position as a leader in the church. It has a significance, particularly for Malawian women, that is humbling. At first, they cannot even see my collar. Then, when I am introduced to them as a priest, they whoop with joy and bless me and tell me that they like my collar. What a privilege it is to be here.
On we drove out to Mulanje, which is the most beautiful area of Malawi in my opinion. The verdant tea plantations and towering Mount Mulanje are an unbeatable combination. We visited Sodza in Mulanje Parish, which is an outstation of St. Andrew’s. Again, we met the women of the parish and saw their gardens. We noted how beautifully they related to Yasinta; with mutual respect and enthusiasm.
We gathered around a woman making a small cookstove out of clay called a chakohita, and the leader of the women told us of their first year of doing permaculture, what their problems were, what they hoped would happen next. They are interested in mbuzi: goats! They will build the kholas, or goat sheds, if we can find a partner parish to provide the goats, and our conversation made me excited to set out to see Christ Church’s goats on Friday. On our way back to Blantyre, we stopped at the Mulanje Hotel for a late lunch at 3:30 pm. I had chambo, the national fish of Malawi, and it was delectable. Each time we sit down for tea or a meal, we brainstorm with our Malawian friends and partners about the projects as we get to know one another. We talk about the Olympics, about Obama (a HUGE source of excitement here, but also disbelief that Americans would actually elect a black man to be President), about food and family and how our cultures differ. And we laugh so much together.
We had our first early night, having planned our day for tomorrow. John, my mom and I relaxed for an hour or so, then had a light dinner in the restaurant before turning in. Fr. Lymond asked me to preach on Sunday out in Manyamba, in the village where I worked on the priest’s house last summer. I will fall asleep thinking about the gospel passage “See, I am sending you out as lambs among wolves; be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” It’s a great passage for me right now, because Jesus tells his disciples not to worry about what they will say when they must speak; that God will give them the words they need!
Photos: Introductions in Thylo; A woman in her garden in Mulanje Parish; Cindy showing the potter her picture.
Mother Malin's Blog from Malawi- Wednesday 6, August, 2008
Wednesday 6 August, 2008
The Leonard Kamungu Theological College and Blantyre
This vision was revealed in a stirring meeting over tea with Dean Alinafe, Pastor Joseph, Fr. Mgeni, Fr. Goodwill (another seminary professor), Dean Auster Kalilombe, Steve Smith and our team abou
The Leonard Kamungu Theological College and Blantyre
We were awakened at 3:30 am by a confused rooster who was about two and a half hours off schedule. By 6:15 am we were packed and ready to go to the Theological College for a 7:00 am mass, at which the Rev. Steve Smith would and preached. After a delicious breakfast at Stev
e’s place,
at last we toured the Kamungu Permaculture Farm. Fr. Mgeni point to an area covered in scrub and dust, and told us that that is what the land used to look like. He then showed us lush crops growing in healthy soil . The first wave of this transformational project is already producing such bounty. Corn that was planted just a month ago is now taller than I am. Bananas will bear fruit next year. The college had enough food from this farm to cut its overhead costs by one-third.
While the Kamungu Farm still exemplifies a more traditional style of planting, Fr. Mgeni and Pastor Joseph will now introduce the true permaculture method of raising crops. Each bit of land will have 3 if not more plants growing together. The natural stream nearby means th
at wa
ter is not a problem and the college will be able to grow food year round. As we walked, Pastor Joseph explained the transition to full-scale permaculture farming. What was a bumper first crop of maize this year, producing 65 bags, will be two and a half times that amount next year. Maize has skyrocketed in price; one bag now costs as much as two weeks pay.
The farm will be expanded, with our help, to be a comprehensive demonstration farm and livestock complex for training seminarians to support and encourage people in their parishes; to serve as an education facility for priests from all over Malawi to come and spend four or five days learning about permaculture; to provide a revenue stream for the theological college; and of course to provide food for the college. The farm has the full support of the Dean of the Seminary and Fr. Mgeni, who is passionate about ensuring its success. They see, as do we, the potential to give new life to the land of Malawi as well as new life to the Anglican Church.
This vision was revealed in a stirring meeting over tea with Dean Alinafe, Pastor Joseph, Fr. Mgeni, Fr. Goodwill (another seminary professor), Dean Auster Kalilombe, Steve Smith and our team abou
t the Love’s Harvest/Christ Church Bronxville partnership effort. We experienced such positive, creative collaboration: hard questions were asked, realistic goals were set, relationships were affirmed and celebrated. John and I left the meeting energized and confident that the demonstration farm will be at the heart of our future work in Malawi.
After lunch, Steve asked me, John and Dean Kalilombe to join him for the seminar about the Episcopal Church which he was leading for the entire student body. He gave a brief introduction to the Episcopal Church, up to and including our present controversy, and then asked me to speak about my experience as a woman priest. I do
n’t think many of the students had ever seen or spoken with a woman priest, and they were quite intrigued. They asked questions of me, including whether I experienced being “sidelined,”
or discrimination from male priests, and whether my husband served a typical “clergy wife” role. John spoke about the Episcopal Church from a layperson’s point of view, and Dean Kalilombe talked about his experience in the U.S. last year when he studied at General Theological Seminary and served at St. James’ Church. It was quite intense, and a true honor to address these young men.
We then drove on to Blantyre, where we met with Yasinta Mtambo, the head of the Mothers’ Union and director of the Kitchen Gardens project, at her home. We had a productive meeting to plan out the coming week, including where we were to visit Christ Church’s goats! Then she produced a marvelous meal and we had good visit with her husband Leonard. We planned to meet at 9:00 am the following morning and at last we checked into Pedro’s Lodge for a good night’s sleep.
Photos: Kamungu Farm; More of the farm; Initial Sketch of Fr. David’s priest’s garden; Steve Smith’s seminar on the Episcopal Church
or discrimination from male priests, and whether my husband served a typical “clergy wife” role. John spoke about the Episcopal Church from a layperson’s point of view, and Dean Kalilombe talked about his experience in the U.S. last year when he studied at General Theological Seminary and served at St. James’ Church. It was quite intense, and a true honor to address these young men.
We then drove on to Blantyre, where we met with Yasinta Mtambo, the head of the Mothers’ Union and director of the Kitchen Gardens project, at her home. We had a productive meeting to plan out the coming week, including where we were to visit Christ Church’s goats! Then she produced a marvelous meal and we had good visit with her husband Leonard. We planned to meet at 9:00 am the following morning and at last we checked into Pedro’s Lodge for a good night’s sleep.
Photos: Kamungu Farm; More of the farm; Initial Sketch of Fr. David’s priest’s garden; Steve Smith’s seminar on the Episcopal Church
Friday, August 8, 2008
Mother Malin's Blog from Malawi-Tuesday, 5, August, 2008-Depart from Lilongwe and head to Zomba
Tuesday 5 August, 2008
Depart from Lilongwe and head to Zomba
Photo: Evelyn Mgeni and Kate
Today we checked out of the Kiboko Town Hotel for a day of travel from Lilongwe down to the Leonard Kamungu Theological College in Zomba, where the big demonstration permaculture farm is in its first phase. We picked up Pastor Joseph Chawawa and drove to Salima because we wanted him to meet Lucy Finch at Ndi Moyo. When we got there, she was out. We walked around the gardens until she returned and then had a short tour. We were then behind our time and drove quickly back to Mua Mission to pick up my carving, which ended up taking far longer than we’d planned. The carver was still finishing, and as we stood around him in a circle, frantically slapped wax all over it and told me to polish it up when I got back to the states. What seemed like a great idea two months ago now felt like insanity, as we crammed into our car and inhaled the fumes from the wax all the way to Zomba. But when the carving is on my office wall, I am sure I will love it all the more.
We arrived in Zomba close to dusk and unloaded at the guest house at a conference center near the Theological College. We said good-bye to Chichi and paid him. Then we had to sit down for a minute over the sticker shock. Prices had essentially double from last summer. Petrol is over $8 a litre. We recovered and then piled into the seminary car to go out to visit Fr. Martin Mgene’s home.
We toured his garden, which is moving into becoming a permaculture garden, and then shared a delightful tea with his warm and gracious wife Evelyn, who is taking her theological degree. After too short a visit, we drove to pick up Fr. Steve Smith and his kids at the college. Steve was the leader of my first trip to Malawi from St. James’. He is now getting his doctorate in Missiology from the General Theological Seminary, and is doing research and teaching at Kamungu.
We had a wonderful evening catching up on Steve and the kids’ experience living in Malawi over a pizza dinner. A delicious break from chicken and rice! Then it was back to our guest house for just a few hours of sleep before a chorus of roosters woke us a 3:30 am. Tomorrow is a transition day before we head down to Blantyre to begin the second half of our journey in the Diocese of Southern Malawi.
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