More coming, but this is what I have right now!
The Tanzanian program... Door of our truck
At a well...one of the few kids who let me hold her
MMM African staff--field officers from Tanzania, Malawi, and Zambia
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Finished!!!
2,578 wells have been installed this year!! That means 38,600 people now have access to clean, protected water! (Calculations based on about 150 people served per well)
We met with the whole team in Mzuzu on Friday night (long drive down from TZ). Roughly 24 volunteers and 40 Field Officers and 6 Support Staff come for dinner and sharing time. After a feast (salad, veggies, chips, rice, chicken, beef, and desserts) we each stand and tell where we saw God in this year's trip. Stories from first time volunteers who can't believe what was accomplished to those who have been coming for years who still find we are doing the impossible. As far as we know, this is the only organization to succeed or even attempt to install 2500 wells in 8 weeks. And we can only do it by coming together as people of God. With the support of so many back home, with the leadership of our African team, with the knowledge that what we are doing is making a difference...we push and we are successful! Utukufu kwa Mungu!! Glory to God!!
PS. There are still about 800 wells that have been built but have yet to be funded...be a part of the miracle! Www.MMMwater.com
We met with the whole team in Mzuzu on Friday night (long drive down from TZ). Roughly 24 volunteers and 40 Field Officers and 6 Support Staff come for dinner and sharing time. After a feast (salad, veggies, chips, rice, chicken, beef, and desserts) we each stand and tell where we saw God in this year's trip. Stories from first time volunteers who can't believe what was accomplished to those who have been coming for years who still find we are doing the impossible. As far as we know, this is the only organization to succeed or even attempt to install 2500 wells in 8 weeks. And we can only do it by coming together as people of God. With the support of so many back home, with the leadership of our African team, with the knowledge that what we are doing is making a difference...we push and we are successful! Utukufu kwa Mungu!! Glory to God!!
PS. There are still about 800 wells that have been built but have yet to be funded...be a part of the miracle! Www.MMMwater.com
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Dedication
I "helped" install 83 wells this year! (I don't do the installations, i drive to the wells) What a blessing! In Tanzania the villages seem to be larger and the need for multiple wells is great. Many times on the way to the well we were to install we would pass one that had been installed in previous years and a couple that were put in by Team 1. I love seeing past wells that are still being used!
As we dedicate the well to the glory of God, there is clapping and ululations. Sometimes I have to start these (though not often) and other times someone from the village gets onto them. We begin with a prayer by a church person usually from the village. As it is in Swahili I pray on my own for the village, the women who don't have so far to walk anymore, the children who won't get sick as often, the water that it blesses all who use it, and the other volunteers and MMM workers who are working all over Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia, traveling over "roads"and paths to the remote places.
Then Woody or I talk about the well: how Christians in America heard about their need for clean water and wanted to help. That they donated money to finish the well built by the villagers. That the well represents the love of God and it is written on the top to be remembered and used as a reminder to pray and give God the glory for all the blessings in our lives. We speak of the ownership of the well, that it does not belong to me, or to MMM but to the village (I try to instigated some cheering here). And with that ownership comes the responsibility to take care of the well and the water beneath it by keeping the area clean and the animals away from it. By keeping up with the maintenance plan and calling the maintenance man promptly if it breaks. We ask that they share with others what they have seen and heard about the well and about the goodness of God. Time is given to them to add words. Many thanks are proffered to God, to MMM, to us, to the donors back in America. They tell us that this well is very needed and please can we help their neighbors with this blessing. They assure us that they will take care of the well (and some start lecturing their fellow villagers right away). Their thanks are often prefaced with, " we have no words." And the gifts we were given (chickens, bananas, ground nuts, and onions) with "we have no gift." They feel the inadequacy of trying to repay one of God's blessings. But the lights shining in their eyes and the smiles in their lips are more than enough for me.
If it is a new village, a demonstration on correct usage of the well follows and then we make our way back to the truck to head to the next miracle!
As we dedicate the well to the glory of God, there is clapping and ululations. Sometimes I have to start these (though not often) and other times someone from the village gets onto them. We begin with a prayer by a church person usually from the village. As it is in Swahili I pray on my own for the village, the women who don't have so far to walk anymore, the children who won't get sick as often, the water that it blesses all who use it, and the other volunteers and MMM workers who are working all over Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia, traveling over "roads"and paths to the remote places.
Then Woody or I talk about the well: how Christians in America heard about their need for clean water and wanted to help. That they donated money to finish the well built by the villagers. That the well represents the love of God and it is written on the top to be remembered and used as a reminder to pray and give God the glory for all the blessings in our lives. We speak of the ownership of the well, that it does not belong to me, or to MMM but to the village (I try to instigated some cheering here). And with that ownership comes the responsibility to take care of the well and the water beneath it by keeping the area clean and the animals away from it. By keeping up with the maintenance plan and calling the maintenance man promptly if it breaks. We ask that they share with others what they have seen and heard about the well and about the goodness of God. Time is given to them to add words. Many thanks are proffered to God, to MMM, to us, to the donors back in America. They tell us that this well is very needed and please can we help their neighbors with this blessing. They assure us that they will take care of the well (and some start lecturing their fellow villagers right away). Their thanks are often prefaced with, " we have no words." And the gifts we were given (chickens, bananas, ground nuts, and onions) with "we have no gift." They feel the inadequacy of trying to repay one of God's blessings. But the lights shining in their eyes and the smiles in their lips are more than enough for me.
If it is a new village, a demonstration on correct usage of the well follows and then we make our way back to the truck to head to the next miracle!
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Typical day (2016)
Tanzania and Malawi are a little different. In our days it doesn't seem to be much different but still. In Tanzania (and some of the stories I've heard from other volunteers even in Malawi) they don't stop for lunch. I wasn't sure how I was going to deal with that. For one thing, I'd forgotten to bring any snacks to have when meals schedules and my hunger didn't quite get along. For another, I like to eat and take a small break from the bouncing and jostling of dirt roads. But, I figured I would be open...
My days have always started with breakfast. (Again, some volunteers say they skip that because they start so early--craziness, I say.) Usually an egg and white bread slices this year and sometimes a boiled sweet potato piece. (Last year add potato fries each morning.) Then load up the truck with more than enough pipes and pumps for the days plan (one day we planned on 10 and completed 11 because one just happened to be on the way back). And then start driving...
The roads are hazardous. People, bicycles, motorcycles, animals, other vehicles and a bad paving job....keeps you alert. Then you turn off the main road to a dirt road and all the same challenges apply (not the paving but then there are the washouts and ruts). Bouncing along to the first well after picking up a team of installers and builders. Here the villagers don't meet you at the truck. They trickle down to the well as it is being installed. Again they are shocked when I can do a basic greeting and I love seeing the smiles light up their faces. At many villages it is a second (or more) well so we don't have to do the demo or the full dedication service. We have a prayer, say a few words, and take a picture. Them it is off to the next well. These multiple wells are great. The need for clean water is so great that the lines at the wells are very long. And it was great to see previous wells that are still in good repair and use!
At some point we have a package if biscuits (cookies for Americans) and that suffices for lunch...and you eat them on the way to the next well. Once the wells for that day are done we head back to the hotel, and in some order depending on the time, shower, have dinner, prepare water and self for the next day and collapse into bed.
My days have always started with breakfast. (Again, some volunteers say they skip that because they start so early--craziness, I say.) Usually an egg and white bread slices this year and sometimes a boiled sweet potato piece. (Last year add potato fries each morning.) Then load up the truck with more than enough pipes and pumps for the days plan (one day we planned on 10 and completed 11 because one just happened to be on the way back). And then start driving...
The roads are hazardous. People, bicycles, motorcycles, animals, other vehicles and a bad paving job....keeps you alert. Then you turn off the main road to a dirt road and all the same challenges apply (not the paving but then there are the washouts and ruts). Bouncing along to the first well after picking up a team of installers and builders. Here the villagers don't meet you at the truck. They trickle down to the well as it is being installed. Again they are shocked when I can do a basic greeting and I love seeing the smiles light up their faces. At many villages it is a second (or more) well so we don't have to do the demo or the full dedication service. We have a prayer, say a few words, and take a picture. Them it is off to the next well. These multiple wells are great. The need for clean water is so great that the lines at the wells are very long. And it was great to see previous wells that are still in good repair and use!
At some point we have a package if biscuits (cookies for Americans) and that suffices for lunch...and you eat them on the way to the next well. Once the wells for that day are done we head back to the hotel, and in some order depending on the time, shower, have dinner, prepare water and self for the next day and collapse into bed.
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Tanzania
Three days in (it is Sunday now) and Woody Davis (from Jackson, Mississippi) and I have helped install 23 wells! We did 11 the first day. The villages in Tanzania are larger and many of them have had wells in past years and they want more because the need for clean water keeps lines long at the wells.
Tanzanians are a more reserved people compared to Malawians. We aren't greeted with the exuberance that I am used to but with a quiet earnestness as they greet us, listen to the dedication and watch the demonstration. They are very thankful to God for the opportunity to have the well, to those in America who donated to make it possible, and to us for helping with the installation.
If possible I find the children even more shy than in Malawi! I have scared one off just by smiling at her...not getting closer or anything. She didn't take off screaming, but she definitely left!
At one well there was a grandmother so excited she was bouncing through most of the dedication. She made sure to come and take my hand and we ululated together. Everyone still gets a kick out of that and I'm getting lots of practice. I still make a better sound when I move my head but to take a picture I try to keep my head still :)
I'm learning some Swahili as my Chichewa doesn't come in handy here. Utukufu kwa Mungu (Glory to God) is on top of all the wells. And I try to say God bless you before I leave though I have yet to get it out smoothly-- Mungu awa bariki.
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Assignment
Training went well. It is a lot of information at once. Most of it useful at some point but it can be overwhelming especially coming after such long flights and the jet lag! Introductions of the team...about 25 of us... A devotion from Matthew 3:11 about being baptized with water and spirit and the connection between the two. Words of welcome from the MMM Malawian coordinators and then the nitty-gritty...android training (to record the location and quality of the wells), talk of some cultural differences and re!indeed that the Africans we work with are the experts with the training, phones, money, pictures, tool boxes and installation/dedication services. We get our placements and partners and head out to practice driving the trucks (on the left and stick shift).
I have been partnered with Alisa Simpson from southern Illinois and we are headed to Tanzania! I've never been, so yippee, to new adventures! This does mean 2 days of driving before we even get to our first well...
**We have arrived in Mbeya now. It was 1 really long day of driving and a second somewhat shorter day. Wells start tomorrow (Thursday). I'm ready to get started (though grateful for this afternoon to rest up)!
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
We're here!!
We're here!
Team 2 has made it to Malawi! It took a while (those flights cover quite a bit of distance) but we all made it and all our luggage did too!
Arriving at the Lilongwe airport is such a welcome relief and as much as I would have likes to pur off getting my visa until I arrived it is definitely nice to have it already done because the line is shorter to get through passport control. I met some fellow volunteers in Addis Ababa (my last layover) and we worked at pulling off action packers (luggage of choice for most MMM volunteers) from the luggage belts. I stepped out early to meet with Linn, whom I hadn't seen in the 4 years since I left Nkhoma! She is a Norwegian nurse and is down visiting right now and this would be our only chance to see each other as I'm headed north with MMM. It was a great but short catch up time.
Soon the rest of the team came out and we started loading up the trucks. I heard another familiar voice from Nkhoma and looked up to see Jane, an English nurse who I thought I was going to miss completely! How much fun to come all this way and meet up with friends from everywhere!
An hour's drive took us to Mponela where we come for training and to *catch up* on the jet lag (as if that can be done overnight). Dinner and a little chatter with new and known faces before crashing hard under our mosquito nets...
Team 2 has made it to Malawi! It took a while (those flights cover quite a bit of distance) but we all made it and all our luggage did too!
Arriving at the Lilongwe airport is such a welcome relief and as much as I would have likes to pur off getting my visa until I arrived it is definitely nice to have it already done because the line is shorter to get through passport control. I met some fellow volunteers in Addis Ababa (my last layover) and we worked at pulling off action packers (luggage of choice for most MMM volunteers) from the luggage belts. I stepped out early to meet with Linn, whom I hadn't seen in the 4 years since I left Nkhoma! She is a Norwegian nurse and is down visiting right now and this would be our only chance to see each other as I'm headed north with MMM. It was a great but short catch up time.
Soon the rest of the team came out and we started loading up the trucks. I heard another familiar voice from Nkhoma and looked up to see Jane, an English nurse who I thought I was going to miss completely! How much fun to come all this way and meet up with friends from everywhere!
An hour's drive took us to Mponela where we come for training and to *catch up* on the jet lag (as if that can be done overnight). Dinner and a little chatter with new and known faces before crashing hard under our mosquito nets...
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