Yesterday it was a special day, as we took to the village the General Manager of the bank where Hope for the Future Malawi has its accounts open. I met Mr. Alison several years ago, when he assumed his role at the bank. He is the one helping us with every transaction and that is how I learned that he was born in a village very close to Muheriwa.
On the way to Muheriwa he told me a bit about his life as a young boy in the village. He remembered having water problems as a child, missing school because he had to go fetch it. He remembered the poverty and the hard times that seems to have remained the same for the people he has left behind. He told me that no one important, no business man, no politician and no white folks have ever visited those areas. Many times people have no hopes and live their lives ready to die at any moment.
Mr. Alison was extremely happy to see that we are working "at his home" or in the area where he grew up in. He renewed his promises to continue to help our ministry so that the work will go on.
After I showed him the church and the well, pastor Maere took us to the fence that separates the village from the wild animals of Liwonde National Park. Elephants come in the village on a regular basis and destroy everything in their path. Recently, hippopotamuses have also been spotted. Being the rainy season, these large animals feel comfortable even if far away from the water.
The work in the village continues even if some minor problems pop up every now and then. The well was dug down to 124 feet deep and the plastic pipes were installed all the way. Yesterday we were planning to do a pump test in order to assess the volume of water available, but the electric pump broke soon after we started. The crew took it back to Blantyre (more than 100 miles away) to be fixed and sometimes this week we will try again. After that test is completed, we are ready to install the rest of the pump, operation that is pretty much fool-proof and should not take more than 2 days.
God is good with us and He has blessed the ministry in Malawi from day 1, way before we even arrived here. He has blessed my father-in-law's vision and we continue to reap the results today. Even more, we pray that He continues to bless our vision to continue and expand the ministry. We are nothing but honored to be part of what He is doing in Malawi. We pray that He will find us faithful day by day but also at the end of it all.
Below you can see more pictures taken with Mr. Alison, pastor Maere and with the fence that separates the village from the Park.
In the next picture you will be able to see some elephant footprints. They always come at night, looking for ways to break through the fence in search of young corn plants. The fence should be electrified, although none of us are willing to test it. :)
In this picture you can see the footprints of a young hippo (mvuu in the local language).
Next, a comparison between my foot (size 10) and an elephant footprint.
This tree, a young baobab, was attacked by elephants some months ago. Baobab's bark is full with water and the massive animals use it during the dry seasons.
The other side.
On the left side you can see the fence, while on the far right is the pastor's house. Some months ago, an elephant came at night, circling the house and looking for food.
Pray for us!
Pray for Malawi!Labels: bank, borehole, Hope for the Future, Malawi, ministry, missions, Muheriwa, visits, water, well, work
