A Weekend in Lifuwu

July 23rd, 2013

This weekend Kim and I stayed in Lifuwu for the first time.  After all the excitement of safaris and mountain climbing, we thought it would be a good idea to see what the villagers do on the weekends.  On Saturday morning, we worked on a farm that belongs to a family that we have grown somewhat close to here in Lifuwu, where they grow maize, cassava, and pumpkins.  Kim, Zohair, and I helped them till the earth with hoes.  It truly is backbreaking labour.  There were no men in sight—for Malawians, farming is the work of women and children.  It seems that everything here is “woman’s work”, since many of the men just sit around during the day.  Here are a few shots of us doing work. 

 

As it turned out, Kim was not very good at using a hoe.  It’s a good thing she is not from sub-Saharan Africa!  Zohair and I were a bit better, but the children were just as good, if not better.  It truly was a humbling experience to do the work.  I kept thinking about my grandfather farming in Roseau, Minnesota, and how much easier these people’s lives would be if they had a combine and a tractor.  With modern machinery and proper irrigation, life would be so much better for these people.

On Sunday, we worshiped at the local Anglican with the same family that we farmed with.  It was so nice to worship in a humble house of God.  Somehow it seemed much more fitting, given Christ’s emphasis on people living in poverty.  The women sat on the left side of the church, and the men sat on the right.  There were no pews, straw mats on the concrete floor.  Here is what the church looked like.

 

Before the service, the pastor immediately (and warmly) welcomed us to his church.  He asked me if I would read the gospel reading—in English—so, I agreed.  Then he asked me to give the sermon as well!  The readings were Joshua 1: 1-9, Ephesians 6:11-20, and John 17: 6-19.  I quickly read all three passages and thought of something to say.  Then, I delivered the sermon, which the pastor translated into Chichewa.  The people really loved my sermon!  They liked it so much that they asked me to give the sermon next week as well.  It was a really unexpected day at church.  I cannot believe how welcoming and trusting Malawians are toward people they hardly know.  They didn’t know me from, well, Adam, but they asked me to become a central part of their worship service—very weird!  Anyway, I will be back next Sunday to reprise my role.  We’ll see how it goes.  At least I have the readings in advance this time: Job 42: 1-6, Philippians 2: 1-13, and John 13: 1-15.

The service was quite different from our American church services.  Almost the entire service was conducted in song—the liturgy (obviously), but also the Lord’s Prayer, the Nicene Creed, everything.  Also, they had a very good choir led by the pastor’s cousin.  All the singing was a cappella, and it was very joyful—just what one would expect in an African church.

In the afternoon, we went to Salima to buy wood to make the chicken coop for Brutus and Maximus, our pet chickens.  Here they are playing around the house.

 

This week the plan is to finish their house so that they wont be sleeping in a basket in the guesthouse anymore.  They are already quite precocious and should be fine outside, although it can get a bit cold here at night.  We also worry about the dogs here, but if they have a house, everything should be okay.

Otherwise, things here have been going fine, as usual.  It’s hard to believe we have been here over a month.  Kim and I really have come to love Lifuwu and don’t relish coming back to Baltimore.