Our first day in Embangweni was wonderful. The morning started with the crowing of the rooster and music. The sun was up early and it was warm by the time we ate our breakfast. I wish we could send pictures with the blog but look like those will have to come later. The most challenging part so far has been the internet connection. The people have been extremely warm and welcoming. We met many people today of all ages. We practiced our Tambuka and said “Monire” many times as well as “Yewo, Muli Uli, and Nili Makola.” Thank you Lydia Kellett for giving us Tambuka cheat sheet to be able to say, “hello, thank you, how are you, and I am fine.”
First we met the Head of Station and Pastor, Henry Mvula and we discussed the plans for Vacation Bible School this week. Helen Zimba came to greet us and we all walked to the hospital to find Ishmael Nyienda, Chief Clinical Officer at Embangweni Hospital. Henry introduced the office staff and we presented a donation from Westminster Church to the hospital which Henry graciously accepted and thanked not only us but everyone who made a contribution from Westminster. He also assured us that the money was very much needed and would be used to buy medicine. From there we had a tour of the hospital. The children were so patient and mostly waited outside all of the areas while we went inside. They did come in to see some tiny babies who were all premature and in the incubators. This time of year is slower for the number of deliveries, so the beds were not all full. They said during the busy time of the year all the beds are full as well as the floor. We discussed the need for more incubators because it is not uncommon for babies to come early and they do not have the space for many preemies. I have talked with a PCUSA mission team from Virginia coming in September who hopes to bring parts to fix some of the items in the hospital that are not working such as additional incubators. It is virtually impossible to find the needed parts in Malawi, so we hope we can bring back information to help this team find parts to bring with them. Westminster also supports the Medical Benevolence Foundation which is connected to the Presbyterian Church. MBF sends containers on a regular basis of donated items from the United States. This could be a way for the hospital in Greenville to donate working incubators to Malawi when they are no longer needed in Greenville.
We enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Guest House that everyone loved. It consisted of nsiema which is sort of like think grits, cooked greens, cooked vegetables, roasted chicken, fried eggs, a tomato sauce for the nsiema, chips (a.k.a. French fries) and papaya fruit. Look out Regina, because Ellis said the chicken was the BEST she had ever tasted! The ironic part was the lunch was little late because the power went out and they had to cook it all over the fire. We decided that was the secret ingredient for the chicken! After lunch Kim and Trey went back to the hospital and spent the afternoon there. They discussed several challenging cases they saw in a boy who is 14 and a woman who is 72.
Speaking of chicken… they are all around here. The boys, Jack and Ben, really like the chickens. Jack keeps talking to the roosters and they seem to answer him back most of the time. The Guest House manager noticed how much the children enjoyed the chickens and invited the children and me over to his home to see his baby chicks as well as meet his four children. It was a short walk to his house and on the way we were able to see the church, the Deaf School in the distance, and some of the community. Joseph pointed out the area where the family of patients stay while the family member is in the hospital. As we approached Joseph’s home, the children were so excited to see us coming. They yelled “Musungu!” Which mean white man or white person. They smiled and waved while yelling “musungu” over and over. We met LOTS of children. Our children LOVED seeing the chickens and asked to come back tomorrow as soon as we had to leave. They also enjoyed meeting Joseph’s children and Ellis played a round of chess with the oldest son, Wiseman followed by a round of checkers, which they call “Draft.” Joseph treated us to little bags of roasted popcorn that his oldest daughter, Vanessa, makes and sells. He also treated us to Fanta and Coke. After our snack, drinks and games, we walked back to the Guest House.
Macleod Hara who is in charge of the School for Deaf Children came and greeted us at the Guest House. We will go see him in the morning. We also met two medical students who are here from England. Kim and Trey enjoyed working with them at the hospital and they are also staying at the Guest House.
A delicious dinner was served which was spaghetti, tomato sauce, cooked greens, beans, papaya and a fruit we named “yellows.” Trey told Jack we have a fruit which is orange that we call oranges, so why not call this one yellows. It was much like a grapefruit. After trying the internet again without success and a couple of rounds of crazy 8’s, we went to our rooms for the night. We reflected on what a peaceful place this is, how accepting and welcoming everyone is, and how we hope we can reflect God’s love back as warmly as we feel it here. Tomorrow we begin our day with chapel at 7:00 a.m. at the hospital. Everyone is excited to worship with our new friends.
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