Shirley and I go Camping!

 

I guess I haven't mentioned Shirley on my blog. She is a volunteer Med Student from the UK and we met literally 30 mins after she arrived in Mzuzu. She's not shy at all, so we hit it off right away. 

We've gotten to hang out a lot from her bag getting stolen and us going on a police chase to find it, to having tea time, to going to Chinthechi beach together.

The best part is that I got to talk to her quite often about the Lord. She isn't a Christian but believes she should be a good person. We talked a ton about what I believe. 

By the time her 6 weeks in Africa were up, here are some of the things she had said to me:

"I really want that peace that you have"

"I think that what the Bible says is true. I beginning to believe that Jesus is who he says he is."

Her last statement to me concerning Christ was that she wants to make the decision but she isn't ready to leave her current lifestyle yet. She is back in the UK now with plans to come back next summer. You can keep her in your prayers. 

The coolest thing we got to do together though is we got to go camping out on the lake. We had a blast! They aren't allowed to have fires in England, so her dream was to have a campfire. Get this: she had never roasted a marshmallow and didn't know what a s'more was! Bless her heart. :) So, we made a campfire and roasted hotdogs, kabobs, and boiled potatoes. She was quite excited. She even tied up the bag of our rubbish in a tree to "keep it from the bears" (she said that in her best southern accent). We pretended that we were camping in South Carolina. :)

I must say, I was really grateful to have a good friend, even if it was just for 6 weeks.

There is currently no diesel in Malawi.

My truck is diesel…yep, that's a problem.

I have less than half-a-tank, so driving places and extraneous trips are out of the question, and lots of walking has to take their place.

Yesterday, there was a rumor in town that the Total stations were going to be getting diesel, and there were over 60 cars lined up in the queue waiting for it. Craziness!

But the real reason I wanted to write this blog was to let you know how expensive/cheap things are here. I think that people assume everything is cheap here, but that is definitely not true. It's my theory as to why this country is so poor; people can't afford to live decently.

Now, there are some things that are cheap. For instance:
A glass bottle coke: $0.30
A pair of brand new real-deal Crocs: $1.60
5 tomatoes: $0.25
Watermelon: $1.60
Oranges: $0.06 each
a maid twice a week: $4.60 a week
1 loaf of bread: $0.66
4 yards of authentic Africa material: $4.60
Having a tailor custom make you an outfit out of the material?: $8

But here are some things that ARE expensive (most things are)
Gas: $6.00 a gallon
Apple: $0.45 EACH
1 small box of Laundry Detergent: $20
4 sticks of butter (1lb): $8
1 gallon of shelved milk: $10.60
1 can of corn: $1.60
1 package of Bacon: $5.30
7 lbs of dog food: $13
1 block of cheddar cheese: $8
1 box of instant oatmeal: $7
and 13 cents per text, and about 50 cents per minute on the cell phone.


After writing all of that, it really makes me feel guilty that I live here like I do....
The 45 cents an hour my night guard makes, doesn't quite cover costs of living a decent life. Granted, he doesn't need gas, bacon, or instant oatmeal…but he can barely afford the cheaper food.

Have you ever watched one of those TV shows that tours you around movie stars houses, and the extravagance that they live in is somewhat covetous yet revolting at the same time because that money could be going to more profitable endeavors?

yea….I think I'm that movie star…and I have been my whole life.

Especially since I'm sitting here writing this on a Mac in my $80 jeans.

Nothing like a little Africa to put life in perspective.

Alive

Since coming here, its amazing to see how the Bible has really come alive. Verses that I've read a hundred times now seem like they were written just for me during this period in my life. Changes, new situations, and mostly suffering plays a big part of that. (and of course the Holy Spirit).

But today, a parable came alive for me.

I was driving down a road I hadn't meant to drive down a few hours after I was intending to be in town. Its a holiday today, so my usual bakery was closed, so I was going to try a random one.

As I drove down the street, I look over and a man is having a seizure right there practically in the road. No one is around him and his is dressed like he may be a street person.

Immediatly, the parable of the Good Samaritan popped into my head. Honestly, my first instinct wasn't to stop and help him. He could be a crazy man...he could be a drunk...and he could seriously do this white girl some damage.

But, I parked and ran quickly to him anyway. By then, a couple of guys had wandered up to him and were dragging him out of the road. They knew him and said he was known to have this kind of trouble. He was then unconscious, and I was starting to get worried.

I then ran to the bakery and got him some bread and a Fanta for when he came to. He then moved and went right to sleep there on the sidewalk.

We sat there and waited for about 10 mins when his brother showed up. I started asking him questions about his medicine and how often these happen. About every 2 or 3 days he says, but he takes his medicine regularly. Sometimes, he said when the moon is during certain phases, he can have them twice a day.

I texted a good friend who volunteers at St. Johns Hopsital, and she said to take him in.

So, we woke him up, piled him in my car, and I drove him to the hospital.

Unfortunately, today was a holiday, so the hospital closed at 12 and it is 1:15 by this time. Luckily, I was just in the hospital on Monday getting tested for Malaria, and I ran into the young doctor that treated me.

I really pulled the "Mzungu" card and pleaded for him to look at my friend. This is a miracle because first of all, we hadn't paid, and second of all, it was an hour past closing time. The hospital will only look at someone if it is serious trauma on a holiday.

Anyway, we are coming back tomorrow to see a doctor about changing his meds.


Talk about scriptures coming alive.
Pretty cool.