Going with Dad to Malawi

This past week we went with Dad to Malawi. Because of his new assignment as Logistics Coordinator for the countries of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, and Angola, he has a lot to learn. He has taken a trip already to Zimbabwe to try to get a handle on things and us girls were left behind. This week he is going to Zambia without us. So, last week he took us with him to Malawi. It isn't THAT far so we went by car. 

The day before a road trip is always a busy prep-day. Literally, there is only a couple of gas stations where snacks and drinks can be bought on the whole trip. So, I made banana bread for breakfast and BBQ chicken sandwiches for lunch. Then I made rice krispie treats and cookies. Then some grapes and apple slices for snacks. We also pack our water and drinks for the journey.

We were up and out the door very early Saturday morning, like 5am early. Because of some switching around of cars while we were in the states, we are driving a small pickup truck. The backseat was very "cozy" with 3 fully grown girls sitting side-by-side.

The first part of the journey wasn't too bad. They have just resurfaced a portion of the road from Nampula to the city of Cuamba. So even though it was early, we were happy campers on that part.

There are beautiful mountains along the whole journey.

Then, we hit the dirt. Because it hadn't rained in a couple of days the ruts and bumps were as hard as concrete so we felt every one. I developed a headache not too far down the dirt road and my new medicine was not working to get rid of it. Also, I was trying to help out the girls by taking a turn in the backseat. I have a new appreciation for those sisters. We bumped and knocked each other into the next district. It was AWFUL! 

Don't let this good-looking road fool you!
It is a beast!!
We were on the dirt for about 155 miles and it took 5 hours.
That is 30 miles/hour!!!!

Togetherness! 

After 14 hours of hard driving we arrived in Lilongwe, Malawi. It was great to see some old friends and meet some new ones. The Baptist guest house there is lovely and we really enjoyed our time there.

Sweet Meg ready for church.
She loves getting dressed up.

This girl....loves her jeans.

Valentine's Pizza 

Loving the Italian restaurant

Dad and all his girls for Valentine's Dinner

One of the bonuses of this trip was getting to hold colleagues' sweet babies.

Such a fun girl lunch.

With milkshakes

Meanwhile Lee was hanging out with the men at the market while the rains poured.

Great lunch place that was a tropical paradise.

Looking at Malawian crafts.

At the plant nursery.
We sure don't have anything like this in Mozambique!

Huge elephant ears.

Because the drive over was so difficult, Lee decided to take us home a different route. We drove south through the city of Blantyre, Malawi and down to the Mozambican border. Near the border, but still in Malawi is an area full of tea plantations left from British colonial times. We asked someone while we were still in Lilongwe for a recommendation for lodging in this area. From that conversation we ended up making a booking at a Lodge in a Forestry Concession at the base of the mountain.  While this was far from the worst place we have ever stayed, it wasn't the nicest either. Unfortunately there were no air-conditioners and no fans in the rooms. However, there were lots of mosquitos! 

Mount Milanje and the tea fields heading to the lodge.

Dinner was prepared by the staff just for us. We ate in the dinning room while they waited on us.

Relaxing on the porch.

Check out the honey bee hive at the end of the building. There were thousands of bees coming and going.

This was almost exactly 4 years ago, just after we arrived in Africa.
We were on our way home from a meeting in Malawi. The girls were so small. 

This is in almost the same spot. Look how they have grown!!! 

Men and women picking tea in the fields.

There was just about 2 hours of dirt before we got to the black top that took us home to Nampula.

Always an adventure!!!

Tracy

Getting back into the swing of things....Mozambican style

We are finally settled and back into a good routine of cooking and school. 

(And that is what we seem do the most of around here.) 

Here is a glimpse into the last few weeks.

Unpacking all of our bags.
"Mom, where's my.....?" 

Our sweet Ode was a shaggy mess from 7 months of no grooming!
Firsts things first....a bath and a haircut. 

That's much cooler!

Emma and her puppy have been inseparable.

We were happy that we didn't miss all the pineapples.
Can't beat a straight from the field tropical pineapple.

Unfortunately it is very hot in the city of Nampula. Only one room had AC in it when we arrived back.
So it was almost 2 weeks of "Slumber Party in Mom and Dad's room".
Thankfully now the girls have their own AC and are happy in their own rooms.

We were very happy to get back to our church home here in Nampula.
Not much has changed on the drive into the neighborhood.
The trash is thick as ever!

Our first Sunday back happened to be the Sunday ending the  "Right of Passage" or
"Coming of Age" teaching that some of our young men participated in.  Normally this is done out of town where a traditional older male teaches the boys about all things men in his tribal culture. Thankfully our church is challenging tradition and doing these teachings from a Biblical perspective. The boys came from the place they had been staying for 3 weeks into the church covered so no one could see their faces. 

For those of you who are wondering about the church construction, you can see the new concrete block walls going up.
In the middle, the boys are sitting still with heads covered. They stayed this way almost the whole service.

Our regular offering was collected plus an offering for the young men and for their leaders for the past 3 weeks.

They uncovered just part of the boys' faces during the offering.
Much discussion was had in the middle of the service about whether or not it was appropriate to uncover their faces just a bit. This is new territory for the church and they were unsure of how to dance carefully around tribal traditions.

This little guy was wondering who was under the coverings.

Here they are back covered, exiting the church to go home to reunite with their families. 

Lee sure what happy to see the guys and they were thrilled to see him.

We are back to homemade tortillas

Homemade cookies

Chips made from the tortillas

With homemade salsa!! So good!

And Meghan's famous cinnamon rolls!

Tracy

What a Great November and December!

Well, we are back on the continent of Africa! 

We left our American home in Charlotte, North Carolina, Saturday, December 26 and will arrive back in our Mozambican home this coming Saturday, January 2. 

Every year at this time our organization has a youth camp for the Missionary Kids (MKs) in Southern Africa. This year all 3 of our girls are attending MK camp. That means that Mom and Dad are resting and recovering, in South Africa, from jet-lag and a very busy November and December! 

In mid-November we took Meghan with us on a trip to New York City. It was a late 16th birthday present from us. This was a special time with her that we will likely not get again for long-long time. We had a blast!!

Time Square

The 9/11 Museum. So well done. It is worth a trip to NYC just for this.

The top of Rockefeller Center with the Empire State Building in the background.

My favorite thing we did.....Matilda!

For Thanksgiving we were able to visit my Grandmother's house and celebrate with many in my family. My Nanna has always been one of my favorite people on earth and she is my last living grandparent. It was such a blessing to be at my Nanna's house to visit with her before we returned to Africa. Plus we were able to eat her cooking!

My Mom's brother and sister and their families.

In early December we took a trip to Florida. After speaking to church in Daytona we headed down to Orlando for a week of fun.

Hard Rock Cafe

Meghan getting Henna

Diagon Alley!
We love Harry Potter (don't judge) and had a blast in Diagon Alley

Lilly's birthday is December 30. She wanted to celebrate with her friend Katherine before leaving the states. So the two of them went to an art studio and painted. They had a great time and their finished product was adorable!

Our last Sunday in the states was one to remember. Our Lilly was baptized! We are so proud of her and her decision to follow Jesus.

As our time in the states was coming to an end, we were able to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus, with our parents/grandparents. What a blessing to be together this year at Christmas!!

Lee's parents.....Granny and Pa

My parents......Grandma and Granddad

Many people have made the comment that we have been very busy. That is true. But, we are so thankful for all that we have been able to do and experience during this Stateside time. When we are in Mozambique there are very few things to do for fun. So we played hard knowing that it was just for a few months. Now, it is back to work!

Tracy