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Malawi
Edwin & Lina Crookshank
P.O. Box 595
Lilongwe, Malawi, Africa
Phone: 011 (265) 1 759 159
edcrookshank@hotmail.com |
Crookshank Mission Fund, Malawi, Africa
c/o Crieve Hall Church of Christ
4806 Trousdale Drive
Nashville, TN 37220 |
LINA'S LINES
March 1st, 2004
March 1: It poured all morning, and quite heavy as well. I was hoping to
cancel my appointment with Precious this afternoon because I was not sure
how safe it would be to go out into this particular township with the heavy
rains. She insisted we can make it. Our mission this afternoon was to go
and see one of the ladies who had a new baby. It was still raining when we
took off. Getting to the house we sought was something else. I was quite
nervous. It appeared to me there was no road to the house but the owner of
the house, whom we had picked up along the main path, kept directing me in,
out and around houses. There were streams of muddy water to drive through
and sometimes the path so narrow and rough, that my faith would dwindle.
There was no turning back as there was not enough room to do so, I had to
keep on going. Finally we got to the house and I still wasn't sure how I
was going to get out of the place. My mind was soon distracted when we got
in to visit the new arrival of the house, a precious little baby boy. I was
ever so pleased that I had a large sack of baby clothes I could give this
family. This made them very happy. Many thanks to all who made this
possible with all the children's clothes you sent.
With some manoeuvring I managed to get turned around and by this time the
rain had almost stopped. I would have hated to have gotten stuck in this
place. This poor family lives right next to a thriving beer hall.
March 3rd, 2004: The Wilkes, Peggy and Linden came over for supper
tonight. They were in Lilongwe renewing their passports. These are
missionaries down south of us, some 4 hours away. The pumpkin season is in
and so I decided I would make a pie. A can of pumpkin pie filling would
have been a lot easier to mess with. The pumpkin pie from scratch turned
out real good despite the fact I did not have all the spices. We all
enjoyed it very much topped with ice cream in place of whipping cream.
March 4th, 2004: We went to get the pickup inspection done this morning.
We thought we would get there when the place opens and be first in line.
Well, we almost made it. There was one other car ahead of us. It still
took us 2 hours to get this done. Unreal! The inefficiency is something
else. One has to allow yourself lots of time to get things done around
here. There is no hurry for anything.
March 7th, 2004: The brethren in Mchinji have been asking for us to come
their way. We found this morning a good time to visit them. It is about an
hours drive from here, almost to the Zambian border. We went with brother
Gondwe and his family. We managed to find the church building but the place
looked deserted except for a lonely hound dog lying between the pews. We
received word that they were trying to establish a church at the high school
and thought that is where everyone is. Sure enough, that is where they were
assembling. They are many students at this boarding high school that are
members of the church and find it difficult to make it to church clear
across town. The classroom they were in was packed with people. The
singing was great. They had to be out of the building by 11 am and they
actually did finish on time. We all went down to the river where 3 precious
souls were added to the Lord's church. The scene we experienced at the
river is one we more than likely will never see again. The baptismal spot
was along the main road. All 100 of us gathered at the river bank and
passersby, on foot, bicycle and even motor vehicles stopped to witness
what was going on. I was so thankful that Ed was feeling so much better.
He took this opportunity to preach to the spectators we had attracted,
probably 100 in all. If the people never heard a sermon on baptism, they
heard one today. It could not have been any clearer. I think we all left
the river rejoicing. It was a great Lord's day.
March 9th, 2004: I went to change Manus's wound this morning as I always
do. I found that she had not kept her sock on and the wound got wet and
dirty. I gave the mother a good lecture on the importance of keeping the
wound clean. By the time I finished I think she knew I was serious and I
got the feeling this would not happen again.
March 10: We felt like we struck gold at the post office. A whole bunch
of boxes with used clothing arrived. Believe it or not, even 2 of the
cartridges that were sent last August, airmail finally arrived. To clear
this box of cartridges Ed had to pay $80. He did not have enough money with
him and so he had to come home to collect the funds. On his way back to the
post office he came across a road block. He thought nothing of it till he
went to produce his drivers license. Can you believe this? It had run our
3 days ago. There is no grace period around here. They charged him $80 on
the spot. He felt like he had no choice but pay it but I think he could
have done differently. I am positive this money was pocketed by the 2
policeman because they gave him no receipt. After paying this fine he was
left broke and had to return home to get more money for the post office. If
it is not one thing, it is another. This time Ed wanted me to go with him
and do the driving. I sat in the pick up while Ed went to collect the
package. While I was waiting I had several beggars approach me from all
sides. A young man on crutches came to my window and when he opened his
mouth to ask for money he nearly knocked me over with his alcohol breath.
It annoyed me so much that I lectured him and sent him on his way. After
him a lady came with a baby and said she had just come from the hospital and
needed transport money to go back to the village. I asked where home was
and it was not to far from our area. I offered to take her home and she
accepted. She claimed her baby was sick but the baby looked healthier than
the mother. We dropped her off where she told me and I think she expected
money as well. I do believe she was one disappointed lady but she asked to
go home and I got her there. Maybe that was not what she wanted and that
could not even have been where she was headed for. She asked for help and I
gave it to her. If she was just a regular beggar maybe she will have to
change her story.
The excitement over the box of cartridges was short lived. All the trouble
that went into getting this box here the cartridges it contained were the
wrong size. Poor Ed, he wasn't having a very good day. It seems like what
could have gone wrong went wrong.
Next we went to renew his drivers license. That was an ordeal. When the
lady behind the counter finally waited on us we found out you now have to
have a physical exam with a doctor's signature before getting a license.
We were given the necessary forms and we were on our way. Our next problem
was who do we go to for a physical. Ed decided we go back to the doctor he
had seen the last time. When we got there, his office was closed. We just
decided to go home and call it a day. It took all day to get this little
bit done. That is the way things go around here and we try to learn to live
with it. Ed has a lot more patience than I have and I am glad he does
because he has to deal with me too. Ha!
March 11th, 2004: Moses Banda dropped in this forenoon and ate lunch with
us. We then went on to Mitundu to see Lazarus and see how he came out with
his trip from Mozambique. Unfortunately he was not in and we could not
phone him and notify him of our coming as he has no phone. We went ahead
and visited with his wife who was not well. She had fallen off the bicycle
on their 120 km trip from Mozambique. I had some pain killers to ease the
pain from her bruised ribs. Cokes and great big buns were brought to us to
eat. We laughed at how big the buns were and even laughed harder when we
found out that these buns are called Bin Ladens. We were amused to find out
that everyone knows them by this name.
Lazarus is a great gardener and his wife wanted very much for us to see
their garden. On the way to the garden we came across a building with huge
bald letters across the front that read, Bagdhad Club. How funny!
March 12: This morning we went to the Mozambique embassy to apply for
entry visas into the country. We got the forms and found out if we wanted
the visas issued to us in a day they would be twice the price. Otherwise,
to get it at the cheaper price the process takes a week. Don't ask me how
they figure that one up. We opted for the one week process of course.
March 14th, 2004: Our journey took us an hour to Mkangamila. Some spots
in the road were very bad. It is a wonder we made it through. We had Moses
and another preacher, Michael with us. When we got to the building we found
a lady that had seen us on the main road. Unfortunately we failed to see
her flagging us down. She had cut through the bushes and just about beat us
there. This gives you an indication of how bad the roads are for the
vehicles.
There were 6 congregations represented on this Sunday morning. The
building was so packed it could not hold another body. Many had to sit
outside. This is not one of those small building either. We had over 400
in attendance. It was a great meeting.
There were many people to give clothing too and we did. We gave out 3 very
large boxes full. Lunch was served to us at one of the elder's homes. The
folk in this area are very good farmers. We spent quite a bit of time
visiting with this family. The women even called me into their kitchen to
help out. They had me on a little stool trying to stir the nsima like they
do and there is no way I could master that art now. A few years ago, maybe.
I told them if I had to go through all they do to make a meal, I would
have to change my diet. There is nothing automatic about what they do. It
is all manual labor.
When we said our farewells to these good folks, they gave some of
everything that they had on that place. We felt like we took half the
village with us. It was certainly more than we needed. There were peanuts,
bananas, lemons, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, maize and eggs. We had plenty to
share with the workers at home.
Isaac arrived from Salima in good time. He has offered to come in every
Sunday to translate for Ed. Ed has started a class for the cooks that are
members of the church in our neighborhood. This class is on leadership.
They would have a very difficult time getting off time during the week but
most of them get Sundays off. This afternoon there was 4 of them present at
the house all eager to learn. They all have great potential of being good
leaders some day. We are having a hard time getting them to encourage their
wives to attend. I would love to have the class with the women but an
interpreter is my problem. After this class we have a short devotional.
They all enjoy it so much.
March 17th,2004: Little Manus was glad to see me come for the last time to
tend to her wound. She was even happier when I did not have to put a new
dressing on. She hated to see me come with that yellow bag with mankwala
(medicine) in it. The sight of that bag alone made her cry. Even today
just seeing the bag made her cry and I could not convince that I was just
taking a look. The wound healed beautifully but she refuses to ever ride on
her father's bike again. I can't really blame her.
March 18th, 2004: Today we found Lazarus at home and we were able to
discuss the Mozambique work. The brethren at that end are making
preparations for our coming and are very excited about it.
Ed went to get a thyroid level drawn and at the same time to get his
physical done so that we could get on with renewing his license. We have
come to the conclusion that this doctor has been in Africa too long. He
does not keep to his office hours. Anyway we got it done.
March 19th, 2004: We were at the traffic department when they opened but
did not get waited on till 2 hours later. By the time we were sent to 3
other counters for the different processing it was another hour. After all
this time you would think you have a new driver's license. No such luck.
Ed walked away with a temporary and was told to come back and check for the
real thing in another month. We had intended on being home a lot sooner
than this. I had planned on purchasing my living room fabric soon after
this but decided to go on home as the area in that part of town would be to
crowded this time of day.
March 20th, 2004: I hung up some new bedroom curtains this morning. What a
difference it makes. I can actually pull them shut and open them properly.
The old ones just fell apart and for the past 6 months I have had sheets
hanging up over 2 large windows. They served their purpose but I am glad
they are down. I look forward to having new ones in the living room soon.
Ed had a meeting with the elders at Falls Estate but that did not
materialize this morning so he came back home to complete studying for his
lesson tomorrow. At 2 pm a deacon from the Falls church showed up and said
that the elders were ready to meet with him now. He got home after 6 pm.
The meeting was a little on the negative side of things so I will not
elaborate on that. I feel like everything that happened this month had a
negative connotation to it.
March 21st, 2004: Mzilidza is a huge shanty township about 3km from where
we live. There are many people that live in all size, shapes make shift
houses. The area stretches out for miles on end. The 2 congregations there
could do so much more than they are doing. The Dickson congregation we
visited this morning has a huge building and it could have been filled with
people. The difference is that it is in the town area. The folk in the
village would have the building packed. It was good to get to visit with
them. After services we went and visited with one of the elders at his
house. Ed had preached a sermon on faith. This elder was rather
embarrassed about the fact that his wife had stayed home from services to be
home with the grieving family next door to them. He admitted that they have
a real problem with forsaking the assembly for funerals. It is a real
problem over here. With continuous teaching against such practices it is
making a difference with some Christians. We can tell it is going to be a
slow process. In the meantime, lots and effort and prayer is going into
combating this problem.
March 22nd, 2004: Finally! Finally! I have new curtains in the living room.
What a difference it makes.
After reading the daily paper this morning we found out that prices have
taken yet another hike. Just 3 weeks ago gas prices were announced. In 3
weeks there has been a 10 cent raise in gas. Other essential commodities
such as sugar, cooking oil and others have also increased. In the year we
have been here prices have increased on many items as much as 100%. I can
sure tell it when I go grocery shopping. To mention a few. A 32 oz. jar of
mayonnaise is costing over $8, and ½ gallon of ice cream is $7. I feel for
the poor Malawian. For the majority, mayonnaise or ice cream is not on
their grocery list but even the maize meal has gone up in price. That is if
it can be found. Rumour has it that there has been some mismanagement of
maize and some 250,000 metric ton of maize has gone missing. Fortunately
harvest for most people has started. I pray we do not have a repeat of
2002.
March 23rd, 2004: Lazarus, his wife and 2 other preaches from Mozambique
dropped in this morning to finalize plans for the meeting in Mozambique. We
had to have Moses Banda around to interpret. We did break for the lunch
hour and Patrick and I cooked up some beef stew and kidney beans. Patrick
found the biggest pot I have in the kitchen and cooked nsima. Believe it or
not, we had some left over. We had a good time together and I believe plans
for Mozambique are coming along very well. We look forward to meeting with
the brethren there next month.
March 24th, 2004: Still no word about Ed's printing machine. They have
given us more stories about that poor copy printer that we don't believe
what they tell us about it anymore. I wonder where the machine sits today.
March 28th, 2004: We were up early this morning to get a good start to
Ncheau. It is about an hour and half's drive from here. It is all on
tarmac till we had to branch off to get to the meeting place. The church
is small here and they meet in a building that was used to house refugees
from Mozambique in the 80's and 90's. Moses and Lazarus accompanied us on
this trip. The brethren were glad to see us. Several from other
congregations came to meet with us. The most frequent request we get is for
Bibles. We did not have any with us but in another week we should have
some. Ed has just put in a big order for Bibles. Rome, Georgia has given
us a good contribution for those and we are very grateful for their
kindness. The next lot we order will not be available till August, we are
told.
Brother Francis Banda is a school teacher in Ncheau bomba but a hard worker
for the Lord as well. He showed great hospitality by having a whole bunch
of people from the church eat at his house. We deeply appreciate him.
We arrived back in town on time to pick Isaac up at the bus depot, get home
and have Ed's class on Leadership. Another great day gone by.
March 30th, 2004: Three preachers from the Namitete area came by this
morning. They are all eager to have the leadership seminars in their
respective congregations. By the time they left we had set up a very busy
schedule with them for the month of May and what looks like a hectic July.
That's ok, that is what we like. These men left with baptism certificates
and transfer letters. Everyone around here uses plenty of those.
Before I close I would like to thank you all for your most fervent prayers
that went up on Ed's behalf. He seems to be doing really well now. He gets
tired some in the afternoons but I think that goes with his Hypothyroidism.
You will all be glad to know that he is back to normal, his old mean self
again. Ha!
Deepest apologies also for getting this out so late. Between the power
outages and internet services done, it is a wonder we get anything
accomplished. The power has been off a lot and for long periods of time.
This all makes us realize how reliant we are on electricity. We are
thankful for what we have.
We appreciate you all very much for all that you do to keep this work
going. Zikomo kwabiri.
In Christian love,
Lina
Read previous newsletters:
February 2004
August 2003
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