Where Have I Been?!?

I'm sitting here wishing the wings on Sara's airplane would have fallen off right before she got on.

I just dropped her off at the airport a few hours ago, because she has been here visiting me for the last 2 weeks. This is the reason I haven't really posted much in that time.

We had such an amazing time together, and we were both so thankful that God made her a way to come and see what I am experiencing with not just her ears on the phone, but with her eyes in person.

We packed the time full with stuff to give her the full Malawian experience as much as you can in 2 weeks. I was lucky in that I was able to take a little time off of work and travel a bit, and she was able to do some of the work along side me as well.

Here's a brief rundown of what's been happening in my life for the last 2 weeks...

First crack out of the bag, we got all dressed up and went to a birthday party for a Malawian friend of mine. It was a really fun time to see a different side of Malawian culture that rarely gets publicity. I think Sara was a bit afraid that she wasn't going to experience anything truly "Malawian" in her stay here after this party... it was quite a snapshot from the West.

The next morning, we took a little day trip to the tallest mountain between South Africa and Kenya or somewhere, Mount Mulanje. It was so incredible! The hour long drive to the mountain from where I live is one of the most beautiful drives in Malawi. You drive right through the area of Malawi where all the tea plantations are. Considering we are now in rainy season, there were rolling hills for miles with some of the most beautiful lush crops you could imagine.

While at the mountain, we hiked up to this really nice waterfall and I decided I would jump in the really cold water and swim around a bit. It was quite invigorating!

Later that week, I arranged for Sara to go out with me and one of the Malawian guys that I work with to one of the villages in the south of Malawi where we do Home-Based Care. This village is way in the middle of nowhere along the Mozambique border.

The drive down to that part of the country is one of my favorites though. Coming out of the mountains where I live, you get some of the most incredible views!

After driving for a few hours, I suddenly noticed a strong hissing noise coming from behind me... so, I brought the Pajero to a quick stop and realized that not 1, but BOTH, of the back tires had simultaneously exhaled on me!

At this point, I knew we were going to be in for an interesting two days! After several hours of sitting in the car playing card games while someone goes to the nearest village on foot to fix one of our tires, we were on our way.

Sara was definitely able to get a taste of village life on this trip. It was also really good for her to be able to see some of what I am doing around here. She was able to go around with our amazing volunteers and visit with patients that we see weekly.

But... I think we were both ready to get back to running water and good cooking!

With only about a day of rest from traveling, we loaded up the truck once more with two other friends and headed to Lake Malawi!

The lake is so beautiful!

We spent two nights camping on the beach at a place that makes pottery. So, when we weren't swimming or reading on the beach, we were in the workshop painting our own pottery!

This trip allowed us to see a lot of the country as we drove to the lake as well.

Between all the side trips, we spent plenty of time sitting around and talking about the deep things of life and just enjoying each others company.

It was really sad to have to sit on the roof of the airport and watch her plane fly up, up and away from me. But, I am really happy that we were able to do so much while she was here.

I know that she was able to learn so much while she was here, and it really helped me to have someone to bounce my thoughts off of about everything that I am experiencing.

I will miss you!