P.S.

We had the privilege of seeing two babies go to permanent homes, Victor to his father's village, Smart went to Rafiki, the orphanage/home, this week. We saw two babies who had been returned to family in December and were doing very well. Not all the babies are so lucky, of course.

As babies are placed, new ones arrive. Yesterday, Darlene wrote:

"Our new baby is Alise and she is 9 days old [gb: and weighs 4 pounds]. After 24 hours on hourly feedings with an eyedropper (25 cc at a time) she is doing much better and can suck and moves around a lot and has periods of being awake and looking like a normal premature baby. I think she will live and be really cute and healthy. she just needed a little food. Her mom gave birth while WALKING to the hospital so the people escorting her decided she should walk back home since the baby already came. SO after walking back home she hemorrhaged and got an infection and died 3 days later. The landlady took the baby and said, after not feeding her for a day, "She just wants to sleep". Well...yes. That happens when infants get no food. She was really weak when we got her but is now responding so well that I am very hopeful that all will be well. She is sucking and alert at times. It's amazing to watch the determination of the human spirit."

Today Darlene writes: "The baby is getting better and can suck and takes 25 cc at a feeding now. Her reflexes have returned and she looks at us as well. She's cute!! Social Services was involved but we did everything. So it's official, and they look good."

Aid to developing nations is a complex and confusing topic. In this case, however, the donors and the recipients know what they are getting. There are no funds siphoned off for unintended expenses (if you don't count the annoying Malawian taxes on aid organizations), the Malawian staff support extended families on modest salaries*, and these babies get a second chance.

Gayle

* There are 3 nannies on all the time. They work 12-hour shifts and bathe, feed, and care for 5 babies each, plus do laundry and other tasks. This is a 24x7 operation, so there are two cook-cleaners, two nurses, an administrative assistant/bookkeeper, and night guards.

Finale

We're sorry for the long delay. A week ago Tuesday we took off for Lake Malawi and some R & R, especially so for Paul and Darlene, who needed to get away from the nursery for a few days. It was fun for us, too. Gayle took a dip in the lake, Scott succeeded in a short paddle in a dugout canoe, we played Quiddler and enjoyed the view of the lake and talking with the woman who runs the resort Paul and Darlene found. Here's how they heat water by wood at Nkota Bay.

On our way, we stopped at an open air market for carvings, and Darlene was our very fine negotiator of prices.


On Thursday we headed to Lilongwe, the capital, and on the way stopped to see twins whom the nursery had cared for until the father and his new fiance (after the twins' mother had died in childbirth) could take them. Darlene and Paul were very excited by this placement. Not only does everything look good, but the babies didn't want to go to Paul or Darlene. This means they're now at home in their new home. Sometimes the reaction has been just the opposite, which can be distressing.





Chicken coop at this home.

On Friday, we flew out of Lilongwe and were home in 24 hours by way of Addis Ababa and Rome. We're about recovered from jet lag, and maybe even from intestinal distress! But before we say goodbye we want to back up and show you some other pics we never got a chance to write about:



Anna, the long-serving nurse (with a Phillies cap from the Swarthmore Goodwill); Darlene, Gayle, and Memory.





Darlene (Mama Mariskia), and the collared Reverends Paul and Scott, at the Mchengewautuwa Presbyterian Church outside Mzuzu.


Grace Obama Chiumia, her mother, and Sam, at Grace's home where we were served lunch after worship. Grace was the director of the youth choir that came to Northern New York and Bennington in 2007. This past year, she added Obama as a middle name and won a seat in parliament! We think she was helped in her campaign by some Watertown, NY folks. They have recently acquired a large piece of property which will be a home and training center for widows learning new farming techniques, including fish farming and cooking.



We drove to this spot on our way to Lilongwe for a great view. The man on the left was a host who had us sign a guest book.





We bought a couple of hanging baskets from this 7 months-pregnant woman in the Mzuzu market. She appreciated Darlene's haggling humor. After Darlene's counter offer of 600 k was denied, Darlene then said, "OK, how about 500? 450?" The woman laughed and said we'd be taking food away from her baby and did we want to care for it since she'd have nothing? So Darlene made sure she planned to breastfeed.

The Mzuzu Crisis Nursery, where up to 15 orphan babies at a time are cared for round-the-clock by a staff of nannies, nurse, administrative assistant, matron, director and guards, often having been brought back from the brink of death, and treated as the children Jesus spoke of when he said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of God."

Thank you for being a part of our excellent adventure!

For more about the nursery, see http://suffer-the-little-children.blogspot.com.
Love to all,
Scott & Gayle

God Conspires for Good

So the day has improved since this morning. Paul and Scott had two successful trips into town with a number of errands -- food for the nursery (bread, yogurt and eggs), fruits and vegetables to take home, paying various bills, bank, new padlock, car battery store, vet to see more about getting Rocky fixed, landlord (a delightful woman).

Scott has also been trying to have a small basket commissioned with a lamb on it to match one with a lion. The shop keeper finally came back with what his father painted, but it was a painting of a lion and lamb. Miscommunication, even though both Paul and Scott thought we'd been quite clear that I wanted one of the lions on the wall and a lamb to match. The sister who was also there appears to have understood the original request and corrected her brother after Scott said no, we didn't want the painting. We may get a basket tomorrow before we leave town, but who knows.

The most moving part of the day was the send-off for Victor. He was discharged to the brother and sister of Victor's mother. Everyone -- all the gathered nannies, Paul and Darlene, Anna, Augustine and we sang a couple of hymns, including God Be With You 'Till We Meet Again. Paul prayed for Victor and his new family, that he would always know the love of God for him, that his family would always show such love and that he would grow up to be a man who knew love and would show it. Lots of pictures. Anna, the nurse, and Augustine drove Victor and his new guardians away to his new home. The nursery sends a package of clothing, a big blanket for sleeping, knitted blanket, receiving blanket, towel, soap, nappies, plastic pants, diaper pins, socks, toys, a sippy cup, bag of porridge, mosquito net, shoes, 1 kg of kitchen salt, 2 packages of sugar and vaseline. Victor seemed to know something was up. No doubt he'll make the adjustment quickly and we hope he'll be well-cared for. They will do a follow-up visit to his home in a month.

Smart was also interviewed by Rafiki, including had tests for syphilis, HIV and Hep B. Everyone is very excited for him. He has no relatives, and to go to Rafiki will mean good care and education until he is 18. Smart is well-named, a smart kid. Gayle just taught him the Bronx cheer.

On top of all this, Gayle's been able to create new brochures for the nursery, both for in-country and the U.S. Darlene is very excited.

How things have changed from this morning!

Disaster

[note: When I looked at this post, the date listed was Sunday the 10th. I'm actually writing this on Monday the 11th.]

"It's going to be a beat-up-on-you-Malawi-day," Paul just said, when I mentioned that internet seems quite slow this morning.

The disaster is that we turned on the computer this morning, not this one but the new one we brought from home, that had pictures and videos downloaded on and also the printer driver for the new printer, and also work Gayle and Darlene had begun in order to produce a new brochure for the nursery, the computer that worked fine last night as we looked at pictures and videos from the day, and this morning the computer was dead. It looks like power is getting to the computer but that's it. Nada. Squat.

So, after wailing and gnashing of teeth, we have to assume that this is one of those blasted tests of character and ingenuity. "T.I.A." the expats all say. This is Africa. We will take the computer back home, get it fixed, maybe have to do all the reconfiguring and re-downloading, and have the Hellers' daughter bring it back when she travels here next month.

There are pages to write, but for now, we had a good day yesterday, first worship at Mchengewatuwa Presbyterian Church, a couple of vestry meetings, one before and one after the service, a 2+ hour service which included singing by three choirs, English hymns and everything else in this service in English. Paul prayed, I preached, the clerk read a godawfully long petition from the synod to the President of the country about the new quotas for who gets to move on in schooling (20 minutes), and the children's story for 30 or more children was about helping your parents as Jesus did, plus the memory verse from Luke 2 (Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man). This was the church from which came the choir that visited NNY and Bennington 2 years ago. Norman Harra has been transferred, so we didn't see him, but we were graciously invited not only to tea but lunch at Grace Obama Chiumia's. Grace (the former director of the choir) is now a member of parliament! She actually changed her middle name for the campaign. Grace and Sam (who had been in the choir) are a couple. They took us afterwards to property several miles away that they have acquired which will become a training place for widows in agriculture and fish farming and cooking. It is a beautful spot with plenty of work to do.

Funny incident yesterday afternoon: We went to the market and found the stand that had plant hangers that Gayle wanted to buy. Price, 1,000 kwatchas. Darlene said no, she paid 600 for the last one. Answer, oh, no. Darlene, "Well, then, how about 500? Or $450?" Laughter and response: You'll make me so poor you'll have to take my baby to feed it milk." Öh, no, Mama; your own milk is the best." More laughter. More banter about when she is due. Finally we paid 600.

This is our last full day here; tomorrow we head for the lake. Don't know when we might get to write more. Maybe later this afternoon. But the sun is out, there is singing in the nursery, Victor is going to a home, and God is still with us. We don't need a computer for that.

Play Day

Yesterday the power went off for a few hours just when Darlene had banana bread in the pan and the oven pre-heated. We left for town and spent the entire day there. We walked in and back (Paul says 7 miles, total), following the well-worn paths of the people who don't have cars -- the *real* main highways. We did shopping and errands, and Darlene had a skirt shortened and taken in by the tailor who made it. Gayle got a few pieces of fabric, one at a regular storefront and two from the "mall"of little shops made of wood. One was so dark that Gayle and Darlene had to carry all the pieces to the light to see what color they were. We had lunch at "Big Bites", which is the only restaurant the Hellers feel safe eating in. Later we had tea at another place. Scott had instant coffee with chicory, and we had the toughest donut ever. They must stir and stir the batter! They would probably think one of our delicate cake donuts (or worse, yeast donuts) would have no substance.

Schedule: we're "off" today, do church tomorrow, work Monday, go to the lake region on Tuesday, be there Wednesday, drive to Lilongwe (the capital) on Thursday and stay at the Baptist Guest House as we did the night we arrived, fly out Friday afternoon, home on Saturday afternoon. So we only have one more regular work-at-the-nursery day.

Nursery work never ends, of course, but it slows down on the weekend. Yesterday was a full one for the nursery. Ann, the nurse who has been the rock of MCN tfor years, took "Adam" back to the police station. It's been no small task to convince them that MCN can't take him in. He's too old, primarily, and he's not an orphan. We learned later that his mother is a prostitute and his father is very young -- to young for this kind of responsibilty. However, the police got the father to agree to take the child to his village and get the grandmother to take care of him. Adam is significantly better than when he arrived almost 2 weeks ago, but still has the hard belly and puffy arms and legs that are typical of protein deficiency. Anna de-wormed the child before he left.

The hospital wanted to discharge the baby with birth defects and Anna got the father to agree to take him home. In the end, yesterday afternoon and evening Augustine drove Anna and the baby (and took his wife of 2 weeks for the change of scenery), plus food and clothes and stuff for the family, and the father, back to the village, a 3.5 hour trip each way.

Today, Victor's family is visiting, in preparation for taking him home with them. He's a cutie and Scott has spent a lot of time with him and with Smart, the two who toddle around everywhere. Smart is probably going to go to Rafiki, soon, as a permanent home. Everyone is really happy about that because there's no guarantee when the babies go to the villages that wife #2 (or whoever) will take good care of them.

Scott has just finished his sermon for worship tomorrow at Mchengewatuwa Presbyterian Church. Gayle is now walking Glory around. Don't you love some of the names? She's having a great time with the babies!

Internet in Africa

Today we are at an orphanage for children right up through age 18 (except for newborns, which MCN specializes in), Rafiki. We had no internet, and it turned out that a tower for broadband is down and there's no internet in "the north." But Rafiki has satellite coverage! So we came to download a printer driver from HP and to do this kind of thing.

While the download was going on, we went to the central hospital to visit the brother of a baby who is at the nursery. The baby's quite sick, and Darlene's not sure what will happen. He isn't officially with MCN but might be if he can recover. So Darlene had a brief conversation with a young man in a white coat (not very informative) and gave moral support to the "nanny" from the nursery who stays with the baby.

We are in Malawi!

Twenty-six hours after arriving at Dulles International in Washington, D.C. on New Year's Day (and having driven there the afternoon before and had our last (U.S.) supper of steak in the hotel), and after three stops (Rome; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and Lubumbashi, Congo) and one plane change, we arrived in Lilongwe, Malawi. They call Malawi the warm heart of Africa, and we were warmly and joyfully greeted – and vice versa – by our friends Paul and Darlene Heller after successfully clearing customs. Plus, all four of our big checked containers arrived! The T.S.A. had apparently been interested in one, the same one the Malawian customs agent looked in, but we got in duty free, especially after clarifying that the printer had cost fifty dollars, not pounds. What a relief and joy to be greeted by friends when everything is foreign! Then we found out we weren't going to have to make the 5-hour drive back to Mzuzu that night but instead would be staying over at the Baptist Conference Center. The guard let us in, we unpacked, took a walk, and then went to – get this – a Korean restaurant! Besides us, there were just four others plus a celebration of what appeared to be a farewell celebration for the Japanese equivalent of the Peace Corps. To end our long day that way was such a treat.

Sunday we spent most of the day driving north to Mzuzu on a road built with funds provided by the European Union. Huge billboards with the president's picture trumpet this accomplishment. I won't say any more about this now except that we saw a front page news story picturing Presbyterian clergy leading a march in protest of a new quota system limiting the number of students who can be admitted to high school from the north. (Students from the north were outperforming students from the south.)

When we got to Paul and Darlene's house, the power was out. Evidently this is not unusual. We take reliable electricity so for granted, it's hard for us to imagine how people have to take all this in stride. If you didn't, you'd go crazy. But it means you have you adjust. We took a walk to the open air market, and by the time we wanted to have dinner, the power came back on. And we slept pretty well under our mosquito nets.

Today we went to the nursery. We'll write more about that later, but here are a couple of pictures.