Summer Service: Malawi and many other places

T-minus 22 hrs.

mlmyers — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:59:00 GMT

H. Teitt has been successfully ransomed for 5 loaves of banana bread. Should her mother choose not to comply Hannah may not be seen outside of Hillside dormitory. Anyone else that may wish to contribute to her ransom is encouraged to make/buy any fattening sweet.

While in the village, a brush fire singed our eyebrows off, but the rest of our parts escaped unscathed. No big deal. Immune systems were on the rise as well- Praise God.

Justin Manon has become manic depressive at news of our depature tomorrow- please keep him in your prayers; his sanity is of upmost importance to his wife.

This is our final blog- should you not see us Saturday, July 19 send out the search party.

Best Wishes,

SS08

Dzuwa Village

mlmyers — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:36:00 GMT

After setbacks from illness the team finally made it to the village of Dzuwa- 3 hrs outside of Lilongwe, but only 45 miles. While there the team worked with Fletcher Matandika's second undertaking, the Joy to the World Ministry. We toured the area, sorted bricks for the clinic under contruction, attended a church revival in a "nearby" village and built relationships with the staff and children. Considering Joy to the World started in 2006, there has already been tremendous improvement in the schools and Christian community all thanks to Fletcher and his dedicated team.

We have returned to Lilongwe for the last time. Sadly, we will be leaving the Manons and departing tomorrow at 1:30 for the USA. We are all looking forward to sharing our experiences at the conference! Our time in Malawi has been very enriching and God has taught us quite a lot.

Can't wait to see you all! Please pray for uneventful travel and safe luggage!

All the Best,

Malawi 08

New Generation Mission Conference, etc.

mlmyers — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:45:00 GMT

The first New Generation Mission Conference was a great success! The team was able to help with serving meals, taking pictures, and assisting with other errands. The speakers were wonderful and many lives were touched in the short 48 hrs we were together. It was a solid start for a conference that will, God willing, continue for many years to come. It was a joy to see it come to fruition after many years of praying and planning.

We have postponed our last trip to the village due to illness. 4/7 have been under the weather- so prayers are more important than ever! We only hae one week left to serve and dont want to miss any opportunities to build relationships and assist the Joy to the World Ministry in the Dzuwa village. The Manons have graciously opened their home once again, what a blessing!

Week 3- Back from Blantyre

mlmyers — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:43:00 GMT

The team, after a few long hours in a van, has made it back once again to Lilongwe.

We started our time in the south with a two day retreat with 6 youth and an Abusa from the Blantyre Synod at the Likuhbule House on Mulanje mountain. The views were spectacular as was the conversation and relationship building. We hope to stay in touch with our new friends once we have returned to the States.

We then traveled to Zomba and met with many of the administrators from Zomba Theological College as well as internationally known Silas Ncozana. We felt very honored to be so welcomed by these important people and learned so much from our tea time and individual home stays with them.

After church on Sunday, the team rejoined at Rev. Ncozana for more tea before heading over to the Domasi Mission. The next 2 days were spent visiting mission sites and seeing the wonderful things God has done for the people of Malawi.

Chinguni Hills in Lawonde National Park was our final stop before returning to the north. The team had some recuperation time and were able to see many unique animals you can't find around Westminster college! The Next Generation Mission Conference, the event we've all been waiting for, begins tomorrow, so we will spend the evening catching up on laundry and charging batteries!

Look for pictures soon! And please be praying for the conference and energy for all!

In Christ,

Malawi SS 08

The fight for survival continues

mlmyers — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:19:00 GMT

The team has made it over the hill of their adventure, as has Tom English in terms of years of life. There are only 12 days left in Malawi and the team is anxious to utilize their skills to the very end.

The time spent in the south proved eventful as Meredith, who tripped 10 ft. from the edge of a waterfall, was adeptly grabbed by Super Steph just before plummeting to her death. Naod was mauled by a hippo that did not approve of picture taking no more than 24 hrs after he recovered from a vomit-inducing parasite in his intenstines.

After impressive photos and camera work in Chinguni hills, Meredith and Stephanie have been hired by National Geographic for a documentary series to be aired on Animal Planet in 2010. The theme will be the deceitfullness of the Disney Film "The Lion King" as experience shows warthogs are much less congenial than Pumba suggests and hyenas are larger in real life and do not sound like Whoopi Goldberg. Additionally, the hippos do not sing and dance and, as Naod experienced, are quick to bite. Expect an emmy.

The team will report back with new information once it has been released by the Malawian government, who confiscated their journals at a random road check.

Best wishes,

SS08

The serious one

mlmyers — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:20:00 GMT

We are back in Lilongwe after another successful stay in Matapila village staying with two staff members from the Ministry of Hope. We have become more and more comfortable in the village and this stay flew by quickly. We even learned some of the daily tasks of a Malawian and gave our hostess, Esna a day off from cleaning, cooking, and water retrieval for a sabbath this past Sunday. A day none of us will soon forget.

We have survived a pulled hamstring in a soccer/ football match, some upset stomachs and sore throats but after a night at the Manon's, a luke warm shower, and rest, spirits and health are revived.

We are running errands today before we catch the bus to Blantyre (the south of the country) for 9 days. We will be traveling to various places including a "safari," a retreat, a mission station, and one overnight in a village. We will be back in contact when we return to the capital city of Lilongwe in time for the Next Generation Mission Conference. Continued prayers for health, safety and growth are much appreciated.

Much love, God Bless, Summer Service 08

Week 2

mlmyers — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:10:00 GMT

Jon, ravished and cold from sleeping in a tree (Tom, you were right), returned to the village just in time for the Matapila Games. With only our innate talent and aid from the Ministry of Hope staff the Azungus took no prisoners. Meredith lost all her gambling money down the chimbudze- an answered prayer for the team.

No deaths or dismemberments to report. A near drowing in Lake Malawi by Naod in a leaky kayak, but Beth Arnold's yelling beckoned him back to shore.

10-4

SSMalawi

But really- here's what we've been up to...

mlmyers — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:24:00 GMT

Hello All,

We departed the 13th for the Matapila village about and hour from Lilongwe. We stayed with Gift Matandika, brother of Conference friend Fletcher, and his family for 5 nights. During the day we provided short lessons for the children at the Katonde Village feeding center and also sang, played, and learned for many, many hours. Please enjoy the pictures from our David and Goliath skit and our attempt at a kickball game at the Matapila center. We enjoyed staying in the village and have learned many Chichewa songs and food dishes. The people are very welcoming and helpful, a great environment of love and hospitality.

Only one sprained ankle and two scraped knees to date, so everyone is doing pretty well! We ask for your continued prayers for our health and safety.

We are back in Lilongwe for the night before a day trip to Lake Malawi tomorrow. After that we will return to the Matandika's home for 3 more nights, assisting at a Feeding Center in Salengo. We have been scheduled in a soccer, volleyball, and net ball tournament with the children and Mission of Hope Staff. We'll need prayers for endurance! Netball is a cross of basketball and ultimate frisbee played by the girls- soccer is a male sport.

God is Good, All the Time!

Malawi Team 08

** go to the summer service photo gallery to see some of our pictures!

Week One

mlmyers — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:15:00 GMT

Day 9- provisions are running low. sprirts are weary and chimbudzied out. SOS call made to Manons for back up and land cruiser. Taking us to mainland for running water and non-chichewa interaction. Jon lost on mountain, we fear hyena attack. You will no longer be able to identify us by our fingerprints- burnt off by nsima patties. WIshing all the best-

Over and out,

SS08

p.s. Christine has found Malawian husband and will not be returning at months end. She sends love to her family.

We have arrived

mlmyers — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:38:00 GMT

Hello all, We have arrived safely after nearly 40 hrs of travel in plane, car, and other Malawian cramped autos. The Manons have kindly opened their home and we will spend the next two days becoming acclaimated to our surroundings before heading out to the villages. Our first adventure will be grocery shopping and picking up chitenjes in the market, a true Malawian experience.

We will be in touch when we can. Thankyou for your continual prayers.

God Bless,

Summer Service 2008

And here we go...

mlmyers — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:52:00 GMT

We, the team, met in New Wilmington for our introduction and orientation to our mission in Malawi, Africa. Without any major catastrophies (some bug bites and sprains) the team made it through training and commisioning Sunday morning. Our flight leaves from Pittsburgh at 7:20pm Eastern Standard Time and will be arriving at our destination, Lilongwe, at 12:20pm on Tuesday!

We will be greeted by our conference family abroad, Justin and Joni Manon, at the airport. Prayers are appreciated for smooth traveling and transitioning to the Malawian culture.

Internet will be spotty, but we will do the best we can to post often and thoroughly, God willing!

Peace and love,

Beth, Meredith, Naod, Stephanie, Hannah, Jon, and Chris

Congratulations to the 2008 Summer Service Team: Malawi

Andrew Dawson — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 02:43:00 GMT

Once again, I'm pleased to announce the members of the 2008 Summer Service team to Malawi. Our own Beth Arnold will be the team leader. They will help with onsite organization and work for the first ever Malawi Mission Conference which will be held from July 3-7, 2008 on the campus of the Natural Resources College in Lilongwe, Malawi. We'll post more details soon, so check back.

Here is the team:

Stephanie Smith
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
College: Furman University, SC, sophomore
Major: Biochemistry
Age: 19
Year at NWMC: 3rd

Hannah Teitt
Hometown: Marysville, OH
College: Otterbein College, Westerville, OH, sophomore
Major: Visual Communications, Graphic Design
Age: 19
Year at NWMC: 10th

Christine Wright
Hometown: Tullahoma, TN
College: University of Tennessee Chattanooga, junior
Major: Pre-Law
Age: 20
Year at NWMC: 15th

Meredith Myers
Hometown: Concord, NC
College: Clemson University, SC, junior
Major: International Health & Language
Age: 19
Year at NWMC: 16th

Naod Tekeste
Hometown: Silver Spring, MD (Ethiopia)
College: Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Major: Architecture
Age: 22
Year at NWMC: 3rd

Jon Oegema
Hometown: Lawton, MI
College: Hope College, Holland, MI, senior
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Age: 21
Year at NWMC: 4th