Merry Stengelmas

By the time you are reading this, my family and visitors from Pittsburgh (my mom and sister and the Stengel family) are safely home and hopefully adjusted back to Pittsburgh’s time zone. I think it is probably safe to say they are missing the warmth of Africa. Having them here for Christmas was the best present I could have ever imagined. It was so much fun being able to share my life here with them. We packed about as much into their 2 week trip as possible, and I wanted to share some of the highlights and pictures with all of you. So here it is: the Merry Stengelmas blog entry. 

Picking them up from the airport was certainly a highlight; I will be the first to admit I cried as soon as my arms were around my mom and sister. I miss my family so much so finally being able to be close to them was so great.

 

We headed from the airport to Liwonde National Park where we would spend the next 4 days going on safari, looking for animals and experiencing God’s creation. It did not disappoint. Seeing animals is not always a guarantee, but we were fortunate enough to see just about all the park and river had to offer. We saw two huge bull elephants, tons of hippos, lots of different kinds of antelope and deer, a heard of zebras, countless monkeys, and even a few crocodiles. We also spent our time at Liwonde playing games, doing a little shopping, driving through the mud, and catching up on all that has happened in the past four months.

From Liwonde we headed north to Lake Malawi. Joining us at the lake was the Ncozana family, who are very good family friends of ours. It was such a blessing to share our time at the lake with them and have all of our families united as one in such a beautiful place. We spent the days swimming in the lake, snorkeling, admiring all the beautiful fish, and jumping off rocks into the clear water. It was so relaxing and such a nice get-away for all.

From the lake we made the 5 hour drive back to Mulanje. While we had visitors, I traded in the little car I normally drive for a mini bus. Eight azungus (white people) in a mini bus with all of our luggage was quite a sight to see. Luckily we had no problems on the drive and made it safely back to Mulanje. We spent Christmas Eve morning attending a wonderful church service at St. Andrews CCAP, then relaxed and enjoyed watching Christmas movies at the local hotel the Stengel family was staying at which had much appreciated air conditioning. We then returned to our home for Christmas Eve dinner all together. 

Christmas morning was spent reading the Christmas Story out of the Bible which is our tradition, then exchanging gifts. Unlike in Pittsburgh we spent Christmas afternoon at the local natural pools of Likhubula swimming and relaxing on the rocks. It was a nice break from the heat of the day. At night we gathered all together with some of our Malawian friends here in Mulanje for dinner. It was a wonderful way to spend the holiday. It was personally such a joy for me to cook next to my mom; she taught me so much in the 2 weeks she was here, it was such a blessing.

We spent our last day in Mulanje visiting the two local hospitals here in town. I will talk more about the hospitals in another blog, but for now I will just say, every time I visit a hospital here in Malawi I am reminded to be grateful for all the facilities we have available to us. Our time is Mulanje was so special. I loved having Christmas with my family and friends in my home in Malawi, and being able to show them where I have been living and working. 

From Mulanje we drove about 2 hours to the Zomba Plateau. Zomba Plateau looks out onto the Great Rift Valley and you can see for miles and miles on a clear day. Unfortunately when we arrived it was so foggy we could hardly see 10 yards in front of us. We did not let that stop us from having a blast. We spent the next two days relaxing, playing games, and chatting around the fireplace. We cooked and made s’mores and I personally just enjoyed being surrounded by people I love. Finally on our last morning there the clouds broke and we were able to see the spectacular view. 

We had one last stop before it was time to say goodbye to our visitors. We headed from Zomba south to the Shire Valley, to a game reserve there called Nyala Park. This park is privately owned by a large sugar company and is home to many animals including giraffes. Fortunately it did not take us long before we found a heard of about 10 giraffes! We saw everything the park had to offer, had a picnic at the park, and then headed back to Mulanje for one final dinner and one final night.

As joyous as hugging my mom and sister was when they arrived, it was equally as difficult to hug them goodbye. However, having all of them here for Christmas was the best present I could have ever asked for. I have now been in Malawi for over 4 months, and was really starting to miss home, especially around the holidays. My visitors helped renew my spirit and helped remind me why I am here fulfilling a call instead of home with all of them. Thank you Mom, Heather, Chris, Angie, Fritz and Joey for all the memories and laughs while you were here and that I will hold onto and remember when times get hard. Thank you to all of you who continue to pray for, support and encourage me every step of the way. Near or far, I couldn’t do this without you.  

Enjoy the Merry Stengelmas music video, Bless the Rains!

After School Activities

I am happy to say that both my students and I survived Term 1 of this school year! I am proud of how well my students did and how well they were able to learn from me; what a blessing and a learning experience it was. As we move into Term 2, I thought I would take a minute and tell you what both my students and I do when we are not in the classroom teaching and learning.

After classes let out at 3:30 p.m., students who do not board at the school head home. Some walk, some ride bicycles if they live further away. Some day students travel for over an hour each way to attend school daily. The students who live here at the school have a short break after classes where they usually go back to the hostels and change out of their school uniforms. During the week they have a strict schedule that they follow.

At 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. the boarding students have an hour of study/prep time. During this time Lauren and I often return to the classrooms to tutor the students in whatever subject they are having trouble with. I have found this to be one of the most rewarding times of the day. The students love to learn, and they also love to just sit and talk with us. I will admit that we have occasionally been distracted by me showing them pictures of my family and friends, places I have traveled, and their favorite, snow! It is so encouraging to see the students working so hard at their studies to give themselves the best chance they can, and it is such a gift that I am able to help them in that. They also have dinner and evening devotions each night before they head to bed.

On the weekends the students have some free time. They usually spend this time playing soccer, singing in choirs, doing homework, or sitting with their friends chatting or playing games. Recently we convinced some students to learn a new skill/game. We spent a Saturday morning teaching students how to throw and catch a Frisbee, and then we taught them how to play ultimate Frisbee. I had so much fun playing with them and watching these students that work so hard relax and have fun playing.

When I am not teaching, grading work, or preparing for upcoming classes, I find ways to keep myself busy. Mulanje does not have a movie theater, or a mall, or an arena where the Penguins play, so I have had to find other forms of entertainment. Reading has been my go-to form of entertainment since I have arrived in Malawi. I love to read and will read just about anything, but I find that reading is something that I never seem to make time for when I am in Pittsburgh. I made it a goal to finish one book per week that I live in Malawi. Thankfully before I left I went to the local library and got a new library card and was told to download an app that allows me to rent digital copies of books from my library back home. So far I have been here 19 weeks and have read 30 books, it has been wonderful! I am always taking book suggestions so if you have any for me, please share them!

We do not have a TV or cable here, so watching television is another form of entertainment we do not have. Instead, we have movies and TV shows that we downloaded and brought with us that we project onto our living room wall to create our own home theater/TV room (when we have power). It is amazing how much more free time I have when I don’t spend hours in front of the TV.

The time that I spend out of the classroom here in Malawi has been just as fulfilling as that time that I spend in the classroom. It is such a blessing to be in this beautiful country. Please continue to pray for me and my students as we grow and learn both in the classroom and outside of it.

Bless the Rains Down in Africa

I hope and pray that you all had a very Merry Christmas! As we look forward to the coming New Year, it is common for us to set New Year’s Resolutions. These resolutions are often hopes and dreams for all the future year could offer. This year as I was thinking about what resolution I could make, I found myself instead staring at the rain that was falling heavily outside my window. This gave me the perfect idea for a New Year’s Resolution that I would like to challenge all of you to make with me. 

Since it is late December we have officially entered rainy season. Unlike my usual Pittsburgh seasons, there is no summer, winter, fall and spring in Malawi. There is rainy season and dry season. During the rainy season we just entered into, everyday it will rain for a while. It does not just rain a little bit; it pours a massive amount of water in a pretty short amount of time. There are huge gutters along the sides of most roads and all buildings that quickly fill with water. While it is raining people take shelter wherever they can to avoid the downpours. Although this rain can seem like an inconvenience, making it harder to dry clothes outside on a clothes line, or getting my car stuck on a dirt road that has turned into mud, this rain is truly a blessing. 

As soon as the rains start consistently occurring, everyone in Malawi begins to plant Maize (corn). It is amazing to see all of the fields that have been reddish brown with the rich Malawian soil all suddenly turn green with the prospects of new plant growth. The Maize that is grown during the rainy season will later be dried out, ground down, and cooked into the staple food here in Malawi, Nsima. Most Malawians grow enough maize during the rainy season to harvest enough to feed their family until the following year’s crop. The rains also raise the rivers and increase the amount of hydroelectric power that is produced for the country. 

This works very well for Malawians, as long as the rains do not end early. In years past, the rains have stopped before the crops were ready for harvesting, resulting in huge famines all over the country. Without the proper amount of rains, a short growing season can mean that many people will go hungry. When famine strikes in a country like Malawi, it is likely lives will be lost as a result.  

As I watch the rain outside my window I am very thankful. Thankful that this water is helping the crops to grow and flourish. Thankful that a good harvest will mean less people with food insecurity in the coming year. Thankful for this opportunity and all of the experiences that my year here in Malawi are teaching me.

So as I look into the New Year, I am making a New Year’s Resolution to use the rain as a reminder. On rainy days where it is dark and gloomy, I want to remember what a blessing the rains are here and give thanks for the blessings in my life. It is easy to see the rain as a burden, but my goal is to use it as a beautiful reminder during the next year. I hope that you will join with me in spending the next year letting the rain remind us how blessed we are and how much we have to be thankful for even on the rainiest days.