I just wanted to share some of the emails he sent before he left and the emails he sent while he was there! Enjoy the little glimpse into his Malawi adventures, and take the time to check out the organization he works for - Children of the Nations. And if you are interested in financially supporting Peter's work in Malawi - then please take the time to check out his page!
9/13/2012
Hello,
I hope you are well. You are receiving this email because you are a friend and supporter of ours.
This evening I am leaving for Malawi, but alas I will be traveling without my best friend and travel buddy, Malia - she is staying home with LB (baby's nickname). I will be returning on October 1st - I am really excited about this trip but also sad to leave Malia behind. It is always tough, and I am sure tears will be shed from both of us.
Anyway, please pray for my trip - for travel mercies, bags, flight safety, hassle free immigration...for health and safety in Malawi and also that this trip is a successful and encouraging one. Also, please pray for Malia and LB, that they would be safe and well cared for while I am gone - they are my world. If you feel like it, give her a call or two, invite her for dinner or even to stay the night...she will be sad that she is not there with me as she loved Malawi the last time and any love you can give her would be fantastic.
Thank you and I look forward to sharing with you all, when I return! I will try to post some updates on my blog while I am there...
9/16/2012
Hello? Muli bwanji? (How are you?)
I have arrived in Malawi, well I arrived yesterday in the afternoon, after one 6 hour flight, one 13 hour flight and one 6 hour flight with layovers in between! It is good to be here, and good to see some of of the children already...
Last night under the huge Malawi stars I met Sandram, who is 14 years old. He came with his sister, Zione (meaning Precious) to COTN when he was very young. His parents had died when he was 3 years old, and had moved in with his Uncle who made him work with the cows on his farm, where he had a penchant for beating him and his sister. COTN was referred to them, and took them both into our care nearly 10 years ago. Now they are both in school and dreaming of the future, Sandram can be best described as very curious about all things...!
He says his first goal is to love God and his second is to work hard in school! His sister and him are miracles, coming from being orphans, dressed in rags, watching cows and being beaten to dreaming of going to University and fulfilling their potential.
Thank you for your support of us and COTN in ensuring children like Sandram are no longer throw away orphans but are future engineers, doctors, entrepreneurs, lawyers and teachers!
Malungu a bwino (God is Good)..
9/16/2012
Hello,
As I write this I sit in the dark with a head lamp, I hear the teenagers laughing, as they study for the first day of class tomorrow. They have been busy most of the day doing chores like laundry, cooking, cleaning and now they study to the sound of crickets. Today I was at Chitipi home, where I was greeted by children holding my hand and singing me songs. They come from backgrounds we can not relate to yet COTN has brought them into such a loving environment that they can think about becoming a pilot, teacher, doctor rather than when will they get fed or will they be beaten today or will they have somewhere to sleep tonight..
Your support of us is not make believe and nice stories - it is changing lives, in a tangible and real way. Anness Banda, has graduated from college and is pursuing a career in social work but has spent a year teaching and serving with cotn after she completed college, Rebecca Chinseu, is now at college studying to be a teacher, Innocent is studying to be Doctor, and Irene Banda is in her GAP year before going to college next year. Stephan, Tika, Patricia, Brian, Caleb are living joy filled, and happy childhoods with big dream. Their lives were forever changed when YOU joined the mission to raise children who transform nations.
9/18/2012
At the center the children are fed, a soy, corn porridge mix. As the children gobble it down, mixed in with calls for WAN MORE PITCHA, it is impossible to not be reminded that THIS here, these children are why you support us, these children are why I work late at night calling Malawi, these children are why I harass all my friends into giving…is it worth it? You bet it is.
On my walk I met Davie, who is waiting to go to college to study communication, his parents died when he was two years old and now he lives with his sister. She is also a widow, and manages our Khamalathu program in Mgwayi village, which is a cooperative of women who are rearing pigs ( a program I was involved with creating) . She is also an HIV awareness advocate in her village. Dave and his sister, Salumi have all too familiar story of death and struggle in Malawi, what is not normal is that they are now on their way to being exceptional. Thank you COTN. Is it worth all the work to empower people like Dave and his sister, I will leave that to you to decide.
9/20/2012
Today I was blessed by the Madilitso Widows program, of Mtslitza. They danced for me, sang for me, made me dance, and even gave me gifts. These ladies are thriving, even using some profits to make and buy blankets for children in the community. They support one another and enjoy one another, and this month they have begun to open their own bank accounts through a micro finance program. How amazing that they now have bank accounts of their own! You can now buy some of their items on the Market Colors website…
On my way home this evening from the office, after a difficult attempt at skyping with Malia, I was escorted by Jonathon who is studying for his Form 4 exams in 2013 called MSCE, which is the last step before college. The exam is difficult and stressful for our children as so much rides on it…to go college you must pass. Well, on an average day, he starts school around 8am, finishes at 3, plays football for two hours, eats dinner and then studies until around 10pm…he then gets up at 3am and studies for another two hours sometimes till breakfast at 8! WOW. He is not messing around and is really putting in the hard yards to fulfill his ambitions! These are the kind of kids COTN staff in Malawi are raising – men and women of real caliber.
9/21/2012
Today I visited Chilombo village, which is about one hour from Lilongwe. Through crowded markets and dirt roads. The last time I was there, they had no school, and now they do…they used to study under trees or not at all if it was raining. Now UNICEF has built a school with fruit trees! How wonderful this is. But I spent a few minutes with a young lady, whose son, Innocent was just brought into COTN Village Partnership Program. I chatted with her on her door step, for a few brief moments of immense impact. She lives in a mud brick hut, with a straw roof that has gaping holes, that is smaller than my garage, she has no furniture, no bed, no light. She sleeps on the floor with her two children, luckily under a mosquito net. When she needs money she goes out and turns the dirt in the fields before planting – using a hoe and carrying her baby on her back. This work is exhausting, and for one acre she is paid $10. The catch is it takes 10 days to complete on acre…So $1 a day she uses immense amounts of energy, whilst still having to carry water, make dinner and care for her children. In Chilombo, if you do not live near the well you must walk 3 miles for water, then carry it back on your head. If you are child this means you may miss school and you may not even have had any food for breakfast! Do we need more wells in Chilombo, YES…and we will over the next few months…In the meantime we are providing soap, blankets, nets, meal supplements, hygiene supplies and medical care…This next year we will drill a well, maybe two, and build a community center. The people are going to help us build the center, and will take responsibility for it as this is a joint effort at community partnership.
Later on I spent some time with Flora, helping her with her English homework after I was done with meetings. These kids, they are so full of laughter and vitality, it is truly amazing. As I keep saying that a kid can come from Chilombo and graduate from college is simply amazing. It seems like a dead end community, but it is not because of people like you and your heart and desire to empower these people little by little. Thank you.
9/26/2012
Lying on my bed with sweat pouring off me, in the pure dark of a Malawi black out and in the distance I can hear singing – every time the power goes out at night the girls gather together to sing and dance. Their songs are broken up by raucous laughter…the Malawi singing voice is quite something…it is thick, creamy and buttery smooth…strange adjectives I know but I cant think of any other better ones. If you have heard it, you will know what I mean. In any case it is something I will miss, when I sit in the dark at home I will miss the noise of the girls songs…I will also miss the verve for life. Tonight we watched Secretariot, I am sure for most of the movie the kids were like what the heck is this? But when the racing scenes come, the kids were cheering, screaming and clapping, as if they had bet their house on this horse! It was incredible, and I will miss this kind of out pouring of joy.
9/29/2012
Hello everyone,
It is my last night, and where did the time go?! I spent my last day doing some last minute shopping, sleeping and packing as well as eating a MOUNTAIN of food – I think Jeremiah thinks I need to carbo load for the journey! I am excited to go home and see Malia and how our baby is adding to her beauty…but also dreading my 36 hour sojourn of 10,000 miles! Flying has lost its luster for me, and especially when there is more than one layover…but I will also miss the staff, and the children and just have to live and hope it will not be two years this time until I am back. Thanks for praying for me this far but please add a few extra in the next day or two as I get on this plane and come home, pray for travel mercies, safety, easy transit through the various immigration and customs checks…and maybe that the movies are good! I am sure the good byes will be hard, and that I will leave with a slightly heavy heart, but I am also looking forward to being in the cooler air of home!
As they say here …
God is Good,
All the time,
All the time God is Good
Wow!
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