What a day looks like...

Billboard at a busy intersection...good reminder in life

Of course every day is different but here is an overview of the average day. 

I set my alarm for 6am...to hit snooze for at least 7 (usually 10) minutes. Up for some stretches to get ready for the day. Pack up my bags (water, android, phone, snacks, visor, keys and....) Head out for breakfast of eggs (hard-boiled or omelette style), bread (sliced and a little tough), and cassava or yam with tea (or coffee if you prefer). We then read the devotion together (There are 4 of us US volunteers: Tiffany Poch, Richard Ashe, David Fisher and me). (Join us! Email devotions@mmmwater.org for a daily email or get the kindle version on Amazon for 99¢.) Rev Mwasakifwa (pronounced as it looks), the MMM coordinator in Tanzania, and Innocent Deus, a Field Officer, are often at the hotel by then. 

We head for the office to load the pipes, pumps, and small parts and tools that we'll need for the day. Tiffany, Innocent, and I head out to the Mbeya Rural district. (Mbeya is the town/city we are based in.) After about 1.5 hours and a few stops to pick up installation supervisors and builders, we arrive at the first well. In Tanzania the villages are much larger and very spread out. So we install many wells in one village but they aren't usually very close to each other. 

Our installation supervisors and builders grab everything they need from the truck and head for the well. We follow (a bit slower). As they measure and install, we fill in information on an Android that gives MMM stats and greet those who are at the well. Once the pump is in, the dedication service and demo begin. Then on to the next well. We keep installing and dedicating until about 4 and then head back home, dropping people off again and (hopefully) getting back before dark. 

Dinner and a shower (not necessarily in that order). Chatting with the others about the adventures of the day. And then bed!! Hopefully some journal and reading time but that is usually cut short with the call of sleep!

Week 1

Sunday: arrival of the rest of Team 1 and travel to Mponela for orientation.

Monday: long day of training. Learned a lot and met the team after a night's rest. (Getting off the plane with that jetlag makes people fun but we don't necessarily remember a lot)

Tuesday: travel to Tanzania. Leaving at 5am and arriving at 7pm. (Losing another hour to a different time zone).

Wednesday: changing money, getting phones set up, more driving practice, flat tire

Thursday: first well installations! 12 in and so many happy people. We were fed in the village : rice, chicken, eggs, beans, cabbage

Friday: 11 more in and another meal! On the way home we completely broke the back pipe rack (holds the pipes on top of the truck so they don't bounce too badly). Made it back with a few more stops for adjustments.

Saturday: 12 wells installed and we got to hold some babies.

Sunday: church in the morning and rest in the afternoon getting ready for another (full) week of installations.

Hoping that our vehicle adventures are about done!

Tanzania encore!

Team 1 practicing entering well info into androids and find shade at the same time!

Orientation went well. It was long (only 1 day but there is a lot of info imparted). We were welcomed by each of the area coordinators (Nkhoma Synod & Livingstonia Synod in Malawi, Lutheran diocese in Tanzania, and the synod in Zambia). So that we don't have to listen to one voice, each of the returnees is asked to present a topic and mine was cultural differences. (Lucky me it was the same one I did last year and I still had my notes!!)  A few moments from the first 2.5 days:

At dinner the first night I asked for Nali Garlic, a garlic hot sauce that I adore. There are many different flavors of Nali (such as hot, ginger, gold, kambuzi, etc). The server said she would check (Nali Kambuzi was on the table, Hot the next day). She then came out with a bowl with peeled fresh garlic in it...not quite what I wanted but I couldn't be rude! While I didn't eat all of it with dinner I was glad for a room to myself --definitely no vampires either!I

During one of our breaks at orientation I had tea and I added some lemon juice. Not thinking anything of it I added milk as well and it curdled on contact...I had no idea it would do that but now I know. (And knowing is half the battle)

Tuesday morning we took off for Tanzania! Rev Mwasakifwa set our departure for 5am and he drove. With our luggage on top and well tied down we went. I was facing backwards as I get carsick from sitting sideways (This vehicle has two benches down the back facing in but we only had 3 people) and I saw a plastic bag look like it came from the top but it could have been over the car so I just kept watching....well that'll teach me! The next thing to go was a sports bra of mine! Stop the car!! The top of my action packer (black heavy duty Tupperware used as suitcase) had been tied down too tight and was bowed to catch the wind! Tied it down again and I got the plastic bag contents back but the sports bra was gone when we went to get it! Oops!

We crossed the border after a wonderful early lunch/breakfast in Mzuzu (Thank you, Peter!). A 12.5 hour day of travel to reach our hotel for the night. We lost another hour crossing the border into TZ and this are 7 hours ahead of NC time. 

We are now in Tanzania and it is time for some rest before starting tomorrow!!!

Arrival

I have arrived! After driving (thanks, dad!) to chapel hill and staying Wed night (thanks, kate!) And getting to the airport for a 615am flight our of Raleigh before Flo came through...24 hours of traveling (Raleigh to Washington D.C. to Addis Ababa to Lilongwe) I got through immigration and am back in Malawi! I

Isabelle picked me up and we took off for Salima and Cool Runnings (great place to stay). Glamping for two nights, relaxing, napping, swimming and getting over jetlag (maybe) and meeting some interesting people (2 guys in for 2 weeks of diving safari, an Australian couple who are taking 2 years driving around Africa (14 months in), and others).

Today we came back to lilongwe where I met Team 1 and am getting ready for orientation and wells!

MMM!!!

I'm getting ready for my 5th trip with Marion Medical Mission and am so grateful for all of your support! I'm leaving home on Wednesday and flying out VERY early on Thursday from Raleigh. (Thank you, Kate!!) 

This year I have been asked to be a member of both well installation teams, thus spending 6 weeks (September 16- October 28) helping to provide clean water and doubling my impact! Marion Medical Mission has set the goal of 2,900 new protected water sources (100 more than last year) as well as expanding into new districts for even greater distribution. I am so glad to be a part of this organization!

I ask for your prayers while I am gone and look forward to sharing new stories and experiences when I return in December after traveling around to visit more friends!

Peace,

Jessi Stitt

P.S. Marion Medical Mission (www.mmmwater.org) has a devotional booklet created for this year's well season. It is available by daily email if you put your name on the list by emailing devotions@mmmwater.org or by download on your phone, tablet or e-reader from Amazon for $.99 search MMM Daily Devotions 2018.

summer in pics...

worship each night...hiking Table Rock (x2), Lookout Mountain in Montreat (x10)....paddling the lower Tuckaseegee (x4)...climbing (x4)...1 road clean up....2 backpacking trips at Huntfish Falls...and on camp activities...What a great job I have!!

there are many many many more pics from the summer on camp grier's facebook and instagram if you're interested!

Camp summer #3

My 3rd summer at camp has finished! I love working at camp-- faith, kids, outdoors-- but it is exhausting (so if you talk to me now that is what you might hear). After 10.5 weeks (2 of staff training & 8.5 of camp) you can bet I'm counting the weeks/days!  Most of our camps are 1 week programs for ages 7-17 (rising 2nd grade through high school), with the older groups having some 2 week options and the last half week for a parent and young child.

My responsibilities included worship each night and driving & participating with groups at off campus activities-- hiking, rock climbing, white water canoeing, service projects and backpacking overnights-- and many other things that come up.  Again, exhausting but so fun!

This years theme is Peace of the Wild Things--taken from Wendell Berry's poem The Peace of Wild Things:

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

I picked 4 Bible stories and weaved the idea of where we can find peace through the lessons:

• Moses and the burning bush-- Finding peace in facing fears and knowing that God is with you
• Naomi and Ruth-- Finding peace in community
• Jonah-- Finding peace in listening to God (while Jonah wasn't happy with the result, I think he found peace outside the fish) and believing that God gives us multiple chances to do what's right
• Jesus in the wilderness-- Finding peace in Scripture and knowing we belong to God

I get to use the stories each week and feel that I get my point and stories out a bit better each time...guess it is good I have 8 weeks... (ok, I have help for when I'm not there and on backpacking trips--thanks Luke! and week 1 Pastor Carlton takes the lessons--thanks!