February 2007

Dear Family and Friends,

After seven weeks in the States we have returned home to Malawi. We left in mid-November for medical follow-ups for Jim and Michael in Virginia, proceeded to visit Jodi’s aunt and uncle in Arizona who had never met any of the children, then settled for a few weeks at Mission Haven in Atlanta. Our plan was to have a family vacation of about eight days seeing the sights of northern Arizona but the best-made plans…. Jason woke up the second morning of our vacation with severe abdominal pain and vomiting, so Jodi took him to the emergency room at the hospital in Flagstaff where he was admitted with a partial bowel obstruction. He had surgery and after five days in the hospital was discharged in time for us to pack up our things and after one night at a friend of a friend’s house (a family from heaven—taking in eight unknown McGills!) we drove to Phoenix for one more night at Jodi’s uncle and aunt’s house, then flew to Atlanta.

Being a “guardian” in a U.S. pediatric unit was quite different than being one in Malawi. For that, Jodi was quite grateful. She did not have to fetch and heat water to bathe Jason—there was a bathroom and shower in the room. She did not have to bring food from home or buy food for either of them, nor did she have to find firewood to cook the meal—the hospital not only provided food but there was a menu from which they could choose! Jodi did not have to watch the intravenous fluid line so she could notify the nurse when it was empty—the lines were run through machines that beeped when they were finished. Jason’s temperature was not measured using a glass thermometer that Jodi had to hold in place while the nurse measured 30 other children’s temperatures—the nurse had an electronic thermometer that she ran across Jason’s forehead, which gave an immediate reading. So, although Jodi spent most of her Arizona holiday in the hospital with Jason, she felt she had it easy compared to Jim, who was trying to keep the other five kids occupied. And although the technical care given to Jason may have been more modern that available in Malawi, the thoughtful attention given to Jason by the U.S. staff was certainly equal to that which he would have received in Malawi.

While in Atlanta we celebrated two major family events: the eightieth birthday of Jim’s mother, Nancy McGill, and the baptism of John and Joseph at Columbia Presbyterian Church in Decatur. Jim’s mother was with us, which means that she has been present at the baptism of all of our children; Michael and Jason in 1997 in Embangweni; Salome in 2001 in Mzuzu; at Columbia Presbyterian Church in 2003 for Selina 2003; and now with John and Joseph. We are thankful for the unreserved acceptance and love shown to us by the pastor and congregation of Columbia Presbyterian Church.

One of the duties Jodi returned to was helping administer the Synod of Livingstonia’s Secondary School Scholarship Fund. The school term in Malawi is January to November, so student selection had to happen almost immediately. In addition to the application form, the students are to write an essay. Below is the essay of one of the selected students. And although his situation is a little direr than others, it is not uncommon and is one of the reasons the fund was established. Because of the support the fund has received, we will be able to fund at least 160 students this year.

My father passed away in the year 1990 when I was very young, and our mother remarried to another man leaving us in the care of grandparents, uncle, and aunt. Our stepfather doesn’t allow us to stay with them, hence we children were shared among our relatives for support and I was under the care of an aunt, grandfather, and grandmother of paternal side. The grandfather and grandmother died sometime in early 1993 and 1994 respectively. My aunt died late last year in August.

I am now under the care of my uncle, who is already having three children at secondary school and caring for other children from my aunt’s side who also lost their father in the year 2004. At the meantime we’re about 15 children plus parents under one roof. Although uncle is a parish minister and aunt is working, the life we’re living is a very difficult one since we’re many. Praise God we are not in town but in the village where we can hoe gardens and plant maize and other crops. Aunt at the meantime is a patient, as she was involved in a car accident and sustained a broken left arm.

That’s why I beg you if you can consider my application because I love school.

Thank you for your prayers, emails, and letters.

Peace,

Jodi, Jim, Michael, Jason, Salome, Selina, John, and Joseph

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 337