June 16, 2005
Embangweni #27
Dear Friends and Family,
Northern Malawi is experiencing beautiful, cool, sunny weather
at this time of year. Actually, it is quite cold at night. Last
night we attended a dinner at the School for Deaf Children on
the station and were quite cold during the dancing performance
of the children before the dinner. There will be little or no
rain until November or December.
We are becoming concerned about the impending hungry season this
coming November through May. This year’s crops have been
poor due to inadequate rain and even more due to the extreme increase
in the cost of fertilizer. Many families had little maize in their
gardens and so when last year’s maize runs out, they will
starve. There is a good chance that Malawi will experience another
famine. Bill has been working on a letter to churches that have
partnerships with churches or prayer houses in the area letting
them know about the difficulty and a possible way to help their
friends. If any of you are interested in this, please let us know.
Embangweni’s grain bank is buying maize now and finding
the cost over double what it was last year at this time. This
is not a good sign. So for the outlying areas where there is no
grain bank, the prospect is poor. We would like to request prayers
for all of these families who will be affected.
For us, Americans, we have the money to purchase food and so
would not starve, but will be very concerned for our friends and
neighbors. We can purchase some of our “American style”
food in Lilongwe or Mzuzu at the groceries there and do not have
to depend on maize.
For Beth, this has been an exciting week as the three-month supply
AIDS drugs from UNICEF have arrived. This is a culmination of
many months of preparation for our AIDS treatment program. From
the beginning pilot treatment program we have learned that the
drugs are only a part of what is needed. There is no help for
staffing the clinic or for the diesel fuel needed to transport
our patients. There are also no food supplements provided for
our patients. So with our ARV (anti-retroviral) drug trust fund
that has been purchasing drugs, we will be needing to use some
of the funds for these other things—particularly food and
diesel and the rest for second line drugs. We thank everyone who
has helped with this project.
The space for the clinic is going to be a long time in coming,
as it is a large building that will take time to build. We have
two thirds of the funds for it. And so, we are anticipating that
the program will have to begin limiting new patients next fall
until the building is completed. Many of you have sent money for
this building, and we want you to know that we are starting it
before having secured full funding.
It is interesting to watch as the word is spreading about what
these life-saving ARV drugs can do for those with AIDS and for
those exposed to AIDS. Hospital employees who are exposed to patients’
blood or body fluids can take them preventatively. There is also
a protocol for patients who come in following rape. The sad side
of that coin is that we have had four young children come in for
treatment following rape in the last six weeks. One was 6 years
old, two were 5 and one was 4. In all but one case, the perpetrator
was a family member. We have had no women come in for the treatment,
and I am wondering why. I suspect that the women do not even tell
their husbands if they are raped out of fear of accusations of
complicity. Most cannot seek any kind of treatment without permission
from their husbands.
On a more personal note, we are enjoying our good friends John
Lown and Toya O’Hora who are staying with us now. This is
their third visit here and they are quite comfortable on the station
visiting and helping at all the schools, the hospital, and at
their partner church at Kalikumbi. Last Sunday John preached again
at Kalikumbi. Tonight we will all go to dinner with Rev. Mhango
at the manse.
News from our daughter Karen is that she is mountain climbing
in North Carolina in her second trimester of pregnancy! Can’t
keep that girl down! We miss our family, but isn’t it amazing
that we can get instant news by email. Now we have a telephone
in the house as well. Malawi Telecom has been installing phone
service all over the station. Soon we will be able to phone (our
former cook) Andrew’s new restaurant and order a pizza!
And to think there was no electricity until 2001.
Several of you have been sending us jokes by email and we have
been enjoying them. Our doctor, Martha Sommers demands a joke
from Bill every day and you have been helping him, as he had completely
run out!
We are grateful for all or your prayers, email and support for
us and for our work here.
May God bless you all.
Bill and Beth
The 2005 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
337
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