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!

Thanksgiving

most pictures taken by Kimberly Richey

wells in pictures

 loading up

 greeting

 installation

prayer

 dedication

 demonstration 

before & after

Chifundo

Chifundo has worked at Ebenezer since I was there. He is looking to get help with more training and asked if I knew anyone who would help. I told him that I would put the request out there but he would have to write the letter...here it is:

I am Chifundo Chinsampha, aged 28. I have one some who is 3 years old. I stay in Nkhoma and have worked as an assistant teacher at Ebenezer Institute of Learning for 8 years.

I have been searching for the chance to be trained as a teacher but the grades I got my last year if secondary school have been a problem for me to he enrolled in government colleges. I have done driving training because I wanted to find a job that can support me better with the aim that I can still support myself for school and other personal needs but I have not yet gotten the driving job.

I would like to take Business Management course which has 8 subjects for the first year (Level 4). There are 4 levels -4 to 7- which can take 4 years to compete for an advanced diploma. The aim is that I can work as an accountant or human resource including other things in administration of the school or any other institution.

If I can take this course, it can help me with a number of basic needs which my family are making. I am responsible for my parents and other relatives in my village and am the only one employed full time. I earn $88 (64,000 kwacha) which is very difficult to support myself, my son and others.

I am in need of $500 (384,000 kwacha) for the tuition and examination fees. I will manage to pay for transportation (The school is 50km away from Nkhoma), registration and stationary (363,000 kwacha).

School will start in January, so in December, I need to pay for the examination and tuition fees.

Year's budget
Transport (48 weeks) --288,000k
Registration fee --50,000k
Stationary --25,000k
Tuition fee --144,000k
Examination fee --240,000k
Total --747,000k

Sponsor help --384,000k
I will pay --363,000k

I will be so thankful if I may be supported for this training.

Yours,

Chifundo Chinsampha

I have contact info for him, if you are interested in helping him directly or I am willing to be the go between. Thank you for considering this request!