Rain!

The rains have arrived in Zomba! I was down in Chikwawa in the Lower Shire River, enjoying scorching 44*C weather while Zomba received rain. Everyone's been waiting for the rain to start planting their maize.

The only place that did not need rain was Namasalima. But they got rain. And all the water from upstream as well. So just 8 hours after the rain, water came over the partially completed dike. My colleague Edgar was there as it came over the top and captured it on his phone camera.

the dike holding back the water

minutes later, the water flowing over the dike

It's hard to believe that one rainfall not only brought water to the dike, but also overflowed it. With only 8 days left the race against time is on. And the work is at least twice as hard now, bagging wet soil and carrying it through deep water and mud. (the frogs were celebrating though, very loud! and lots of birds too, ironic how water brings life and disaster)

this morning, the work continues

Namasalima is not the only place affected by heavy rain. We heard at the market this morning that 90 houses have collapsed because of the heavy rain (apparently it was on the radio). It looks like disaster has struck with just the first rainfall.

People are planting maize everywhere. Really, the people of Namasalima should not be working on the dike project right now. They should be in their fields planting their maize, but now they're having to do both.

Planting Malawi - November newsletter

Planting Malawi - November newsletter

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November 2008 Emmanuel International Planting Malawi Isaiah 61.3 an update from the VanWoerdens in Malawi Prayer & Praise: • completion of the dike at Namasalima by the end of the month before the rains come Namasalima [fight against floods] Last rainy season, the dike at Namasalima broke in several places. Many families were displaced by a meter (3 feet) of water, some of their houses collapsed, and they lost a lot of their crops. EIM received funding for a food-for-work program to mobilize local villagers to rebuild the dike that has protected them from flooding for the last five years. But because the funding was not approved until late October, which is usually the beginning of the rainy season, it’s been a race against time. Because of the time constraint, we had to use sandbags, which were not included in the funding. we recruited 600 people from 15 villages for 1 month (instead of 300 for 2 months). We borrowed some money to buy 6000 empty bags so they could get started. And then it became Andre’s job to find donors who could meet the funding shortfall. It was a leap of faith but God provided through several Canadian connections. It’s quite impressive to see 600 people, many of them women, working with their hoes to move soil and fill sandbags, carrying buckets and sandbags on their heads. They have made tremendous progress by day 16 of 30 and the gaps in the dike are shrinking. Hopefully they will finish building up the dike before the rains come. They will receive one 50kg bag of maize flour each at the end of the month. But more importantly, they will be protected from the rising waters of the Domasi River. [photo gallery on our blog] • although no rain is good for Namasalima, everyone is waiting to plant their crops, and we’re looking forward to its cooling effect (it’s hot here!) • Chichewa is proving very difficult for us to learn but we are starting lessons with a primary school teacher • we’ve been mostly healthy and pray for continued health • our workers have noticed we’re different azungu—pray that it’s Jesus they will see as we develop relationships A Place to Call Home [our little piece of paradise in Malawi] Imagine: A practical cottage on a beautiful one acre property with large shade trees and a variety of fruit trees located at the foot of Zomba Plateau. Enjoy fresh mangoes, guavas, papayas, avocados, bananas, and masuku fresh from the trees around the house. A large garden provides maize, a variety of vegetables, and fresh strawberries. Relax on the covered veranda or in the shade of one of the mango trees while the children play on the swing in the avocado tree. Almost sounds like a vacation destination, doesn’t it? It’s the place we’re calling home here in Malawi. No, we haven’t moved to this piece of paradise. We’re still in the same house that we were never intended to move into. It’s the “intern house,” where students and short-term teams usually stay and it’s a bit small for a family of five (by Canadian standards). We’ve had our eyes on several houses that were supposed to come vacant but in the meantime we have not had a place to really call home. So we’ve decided to stay and make this home. We might have been able to get a nicer house but it probably wouldn’t be on a property like this. Life happens outside here and the kids have lots of room to play. There are no playgrounds in Zomba, but where else in the world can kids swing from an avocado tree at 5 o’clock in the morning? [And no, it’s not all paradise. Remember, we don’t have a washing machine, playground, or other conveniences we enjoyed in Canada.] Our garden is almost ready for planting. We’re just waiting for the rains to come, just like everyone else. Namasalima dike project view photo album online more stories & photos on vw-mw.blogspot.com (more than 200 photos so far!) Planting Malawi | November 2008 We may not be typical azungu [but neither was Jesus] We’ve been told over and over that we’re not typical azungu (white people). For one thing, we don’t have a big fence around our yard (yet), which means often people will stop on the road to check us out. This especially happens when Alex helps our housemaid with doing the laundry or when Andre helps the gardener take laundry down from the line at the end of the day. We often get in trouble for trying to wash the dishes. Our gardener told us, “Azungu are not supposed to help, they’re supposed to show they are the boss.” But we told him that’s not what Jesus would have done. He would have done the laundry and cleaned the toilet. Jesus broke the norms. He did not come to be served but to serve (Matt. 20.28). Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.” (Lk 22.25-27) We may not be typical azungu but neither was Jesus. The gospel is countercultural. At work, Andre sometimes eats “nsima ndi ndiwo” with the Malawian staff, which apparently is also not typical. Not only because azungu don’t usually eat nsima, but especially because superiors don’t eat with their staff in Malawi. So we’ve enjoyed making friends with our neighbours, defying cultural barriers, and developing relationships with people even upper class Malawians don’t associate with. Because the Jesus we know and follow did not do what was typical. This is the same Jesus who has taken us to Malawi to be his hands and feet. May God reign in Malawi. Pang’ono Pang’ono Our family has slowly been adjusting to all the changes of life here in Malawi. Sometimes things are frustrating – like the frequent power failures, the constant barrage of vendors, and trying to communicate in Chichewa – and often we wish for the conveniences of a consumer culture – like being able to buy what you want to buy in the store and have a choice, not just buying whatever happens to be at the store – but in the last little while we’ve been seeing some signs that we are starting to get settled here. [adjustment and acceptance, ‘little by little’] after work just to say hi to ‘her often play with their two-year girls’ and sometimes she old boy, Jailos, and they’re ‘knocks off’ from work early starting to learn a few words of just to spend some time with Chichewa. [Our Chichewa is them. Our other neighbour, also coming along pang’ono Esther, often just comes over pang’ono. We are now taking and sits on the couch. Even lessons with a primary school teacher.] Our though there’s “Maybe it’s the fresh gardener and very little conversation, mangoes but we like housemaid used to go over to our she seems to think that they neighbour’s yard happy just to come over think we’re okay.” for lunch but more frequently now and sit. And one day she gave her baby to our neighbours come and sit Alex and left for an hour. We under one of our mango trees. didn’t know where she went Maybe it’s the fresh mangoes but apparently she had gone but we like to think that they to have a shower. Our girls think we’re okay. Emmanuel International Canada PO Box 4050 Stouffville ON L4A 8B6 905.640.2111 info@eicanada.org www.eicanada.org Like just last week, when the power went off after dinner. Talia and Ezera were in the bath and Lara was doing a craft but there was a surprising absence of any loud shrills and screams at the sudden onset of darkness. They finally seem to understand that darkness is just the absence of light and nothing to fear and that Mom and Dad will soon bring out the lantern and candles. We also seem to have gained some acceptance by our Malawian friends. Our neighbour, Aunt Mary, for example, comes over almost every day Andre & Alexandra VanWoerden [Lara, Talia, Ezera] Private Bag 12 Zomba Malawi 265.8.169.380 (Andre) or 265.8.169.382 (Alex) alexandre.vanwoerden@gmail.com vw-mw.blogspot.com

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Namasalima: dike reconstruction

Last rainy season the dike on the Domasi River in the Namasalima area broke in several places, flooding the area, displacing families, and destroying some of the houses and much of their crops. Now 600 people from 15 villages are working to rebuild the dike in one month, before the rains come again. Read more in our newsletter...

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