We've Got the Power

You’ve already heard me say multiple times that electricity isn’t a constant here in Malawi. I thought I would take a few minutes to explain this a little more. Malawi has one electric company, Electrical Supply Company of Malawi (ESCOM). Driving around you will see ESCOM trucks that have their slogan printed on it, “Toward Power All day-Everyday”. 

There are multiple challenges that Malawi faces when it comes to their electricity issues. The first being they don’t produce enough power to accommodate all the people that require it. Because of this, they cut power to different sections of the country when the demand is higher than the production.  Lately this has been happening daily. Here is an example of what the past week has looked like for us in terms of when we did or did not have power:

Monday: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm no power   

Tuesday: 2:00 pm - 1:00 am no power

Wednesday: 4:00 am - 2:00 pm no power

Thursday: 8:30 am - 2:30 pm no power

Friday: 4:00 am - 2:00 pm no power

Saturday: 2:00 pm - 1:00 am no power

Sunday: 4:00 am - 2:00 pm no power

Some quick math with show you that we did not have power for 64 hours of last week. I will try to be optimistic and say that’s only 38% of the time without power! However, if I am to look at this realistically, it is a huge problem. Malawi produces most of its power using hydro electric energy from the Shire River. Since it is currently dry season, and the very end of dry season, the river is running very low, and therefore not producing much power at all. We have been told by our friends here that once the rains start (in mid-December) there will be plenty of power and we won’t have as many power outages. That may or may not be true, but for now, we are dealing with 64 hours without power a week.

For me, not having power is an inconvenience. I am not able to cook on our stove, we can’t keep food in the refrigerator without it going bad, we can’t charge our electronic devices, and when the sun goes down sitting in the pitch black isn’t very fun. As much of an inconvenience as it is for me, it is a much bigger issue in other parts of Malawi, for example in the Hospitals. How is a hospital supposed to function the way it should when it does not have power? Oxygen machines, surgical equipment, sterilizing equipment, baby warmers and medication refrigerators all require electricity.  I am sorry to report that because of the power outages that Malawi faces daily, deaths in hospitals do occur as a result. Some hospitals try to combat this problem by installing solar power (which is a great option for Malawi due to the amount of sunlight here), however these systems are very expensive and often can’t be afforded without the help of outside funding. More reliable electricity would not eliminate all the deaths that occur in hospitals, but it could certainly save some of the lives lost.

Similar to hospitals other local businesses and schools suffer from not having power. Imagine trying to run a business without electricity. Or any of you teachers out there, imagine having a classroom of 65 students and not having any electricity available to aid you in teaching them. I am thankful that St. Andrews does have solar power for the students at night so they are able to study without having to use candles (a potential hazard). These are just a few examples of how not having electricity creates challenges in daily life here.

Not having power is not just an inconvenience; it is a serious problem that Malawians are faced with every day. I hope that as you turn on your TV or your light switch today, you think about all the people all over the world who are affected by not having access to constant electricity. If you really want a challenge, go without electricity for a couple of hours and walk a mile in a Malawian’s shoes.

Sunday Morning

Church here in Malawi is a very different experience than going to church in the US. Don’t get me wrong, some aspects are the same; there is singing, and a sermon, occasionally Communion, announcements, praying and an offering. Just because the bones are similar doesn’t mean the body is the same. Each Sunday St. Andrews CCAP (Church of Central Africa Presbyterian) has two Celebrations of Worship, a 7 a.m. English service and a 10 a.m. Chichewa service. In case you are wondering what happens between the two services, think again. The English service takes up the entire three hours each week. So by my calculations, by the end of the year I will have put in enough church time to cover me for a few Sunday morning sleep-ins. 

Church starts promptly at 7-ish. Malawians never seem to be on time for anything, so when I walk into the sanctuary at 6:59 like a good Presbyterian, I am one of a handful of people in the building. By the end of the service, every pew in the entire church is filled to the max, sometimes with people even standing in the back, or children sitting up front on mats. Worship starts with multiple choirs performing different songs. I used the word performing because there is usually choreography, or hand motions that go with almost all of the songs. There are a lot of different choirs in the church, some are all women, some all men, some young people, some older, anyone and everyone can be and is in a choir, and let me tell you; they can ALL sing and dance. It is so beautiful to watch these people sing their hearts out for their Lord and Savior. 

After the choirs, it is time for church announcements. The announcements are a little different from the ones I am used to hearing my Dad give on a typical Sunday. Things that are announced in church each Sunday are: the offering amount from the week before, who is in the hospital, deaths the previous week, upcoming marriages, where and when church meetings are to be held the coming week, where and when choir practices will be and if there are any visitors in the congregation today. Can you imagine if we had visitors come forward each week and greet the entire congregation … no one would ever come back to that church! Here it is very common and people really enjoy greeting the congregation they are visiting with. I am always entertained by the weekly announcements and realize it is really how information is shared with the church members. (No weekly e-mail blasts here.)

After the announcements there is usually a hymn and then the Bible reading. After both of those it is time for the sermon. Unlike in the US, it is not uncommon to see someone who is not a minister in the pulpit. This is because there are not enough pastors for all the churches in Malawi, so Pastors are assigned to multiple churches and prayer houses (smaller churches), that they travel to on various Sundays. In their absence, it is the responsibility of the elders and leaders of the church to preach. They do a wonderful job. Sermons usually last about 30-35 minutes (sorry if I ever thought you were long winded, Dad). Multiple times throughout the sermon the preacher will say, “The Lord is good!” to which the entire congregation responds enthusiastically, “All the time”. It is a treat to see the entire congregation engaged and really feeding on what is being preached.

After the sermon, it is time for the offering (after the offering there is one more hymn then worship is over, so when we reach this point I know we are in the home stretch).  The offering is something that I have always found inspiring in Malawi. Every single person in the church gives something during the offering, including children. If someone does not have money for the offering, those around them make sure they give that person some of their money so they have something to give. Everyone walks to the front of the church and puts their offering in a basket. These are people who compared to most Americans, have so little. Yet every week they march forward in that church giving a portion of what they have back to the Lord. They don’t do this with a frown on their face either; they often do it while singing and dancing, giving joyfully.

I have learned so much from going to church weekly here in Malawi, and most of what I have learned has not been from any sermon. A packed church every Sunday reminds me that even when circumstances are not what we would like, there is always, always, a reason to praise God. When I see people far less fortunate than anyone I have ever met in the States standing there praising God with everything they have, I am humbly reminded just how blessed we are. Seeing these same people, who may be struggling to put food on the table, or pay their children’s school fees, giving some of what they have to the church so the church can continue to do its works is so humbling. I challenge you today to try to find the same joy I see on their faces, even when the circumstances aren’t ideal. I also challenge you to give more in whatever that capacity is (time, talents, financially) because we are a blessed people, and I am reminded of that every day here, and even more so on Sunday mornings.

If you had to choose ...

Anyone in my family can tell you, I’m obsessed with the new hit musical Hamilton. There are so many amazing songs in the crafty and creative show, but one line has been constantly replaying in my head lately. The line goes:

“If you had to choose, If you had to choose”

The context of the line is the American people are forced to make a hard decision about who their next president would be (don’t worry this blog isn’t about politics, so it is safe to keep reading). This line got me thinking about how my decisions and the decisions of those around me are drastically different from the decisions I am usually faced with.

A decision I have been thinking about a lot lately is would I rather have electricity or water. There have been massive shortages of both the past couple weeks and we have gone many days without either. So every morning while I still lay in bed I think, which would I rather have? If we have electricity we can cook on the stove, keep cold water and food in the refrigerator, charge our electronic devices, use PowerPoint in the classrooms, and when it gets dark, turn on the lights. However on the other hand, if I choose water, I can brush my teeth without using bottled water, I can take a shower, wash the dishes, and flush the toilet.

I then remind myself that this is not a decision everyone has to make. There are people in this world who would never have to choose between water and electricity, they have plenty of both. There is not a doubt in their mind that when they push the power button, their giant flat screen TV will come to life, or that when they go to take their 30 minute long shower, the water will not run out before they finish rinsing off. I am also reminded that there are people who don’t ever have a decision because neither is available to them. Not far from my home here are people without running water or electricity in their homes, so they don’t have to make that choice.  Utilities are not something that everyone on earth has access to, so I am grateful to be able to be fortunate enough to even think about what I would choose.
 

I think I speak for most of us when I say we’ve all had the conversation that goes something along the lines of … “Where do you want to eat”, “I don’t care, anywhere”. This starts off the seemingly endless discussion of all the options we have available to us. Mexican food, Chinese, burgers, Italian, pizza, wings, subs, salads, or fast food (I am naming all the foods I’m currently missing and craving; sorry for the long list). We are forced to make decisions from the bounty of options at our fingertips. As I think about choices, food is something I automatically think of.

I wish this was a decision that everyone around the world had. Not only do so many people around the world and here in Malawi not have the amount of food options we as Americans have, but some people are faced with the decision of do I eat, or does my child eat. That is not a decision anyone should have to make. When you make the choice to get Chipotle over Chinese tonight (YUM!) give thanks for having that choice, and pray for those having to make more difficult choices about food this day.

We make a countless number of decisions every day. We pick and we choose. The choices we make say a lot about who we are as people, but they also can help be daily reminders of the blessing it is to have the ability to make those decisions because of the opportunities we have. If you had to choose, what would it say about you? I encourage you to be intentional in your choices, and hope you see the blessings in every choice.