My Favorite Malawian Christmas Memory!

Whatever sadness that was possibly in me for being thousands of miles away from my family this Christmas quickly vanished at the sight of this...


Santa first appeared to me in Blantyre as I was sitting in church Christmas morning, completely tuned out of the Chichewa sermon that I didn't understand a word of. All of the sudden, I looked out the window to see a nice big garbage truck driving in the drive way with one of these guys on the back.

I quite nearly lost it. I had to put my Bible infront of my face so as to not embarrass myself from laughing in the middle of the sermon. It was to much!

Then a few hours later, I'm sitting in my house, and Santa shows his face once again!

Apparently, the garbage pick-up guys aren't scheduled to work on Christmas (understandable)... but, they made their rounds anyway... requesting a small donation from you for working on Christmas... dressed like that!

I think that no matter how hard it gets for me in life... I will always be able to pull this picture back up in my mind and know that everything is going to be OK.

Hilarious!

Merry Christmas... I think...

Thoughts on Christ (and his birth)

God with us...

Living among us...

Dwelling in us...

Wow... A reason to stop the world and celebrate!

To think that the Ruler, King, Creator of the entire universe would wrap himself in human skin and plant himself among the poorest people is pretty hard to grasp.

I love Christmas.

This year is definitely different though.

I've tried everything I know how to make things feel a little more like "the Season"... but, nothing seems to work. I was beginning to get a little alarmed that it is now merely days before Christmas, and it still feels like any other day.

Any other year, I would have fully immersed myself in Christmas by now, but not this year.

In an attempt to revive my thoughts of glad tidings and great joy, I have gone to extremes...

I keep cycling through the handful of Christmas songs on my computer.

The other night, I found a recipe for eggnog and made me a glass.

It was good, but it didn't do the trick.

Something about drinking eggnog while sitting perfectly still with sweat dripping down your brow isn't right.

All that to say that I'm really thankful for this Christmas.

For the first time in my entire 23 years of existence, I have been able to almost completely miss out on the commercialization of the birth of Christ.

Yeah... I still have a small tree (which mesmerizes me with its flashing fiberoptic lights), and I am still going to open a few gifts on Christmas morning from my family.

But, on the quiet nights alone that I've had over the last week that weren't packed with concerts, candlelight services and Christmas lights contests... I've been able to reflect on those simple words...

God. With. Us.

Thinking about what that truly means in every aspect of my life.

How different things are now... since that cold night that God stepped into a bucket of itchy hay in the Middle East.

I am overwhelmed when I think about the comfort and peace I have knowing that with any worry that comes to my mind, I know that God is with us. He is with me.

God became personal.

It wasn't a silent night at all. It was raw and real.

It was the reality that we live in such a broken world that even the One that came to redeem it was born into a society of oppression. In his first breath on earth, he was shoved into a shelter for animals.

God with us meant that rather than seeing oppression and sin and brokenness from the point of view of a wealthy king, feasting in his palace with other wealthy comrades... or reading and writing about all the problems there are in the world he created... or even throwing money or resources at our problems... He planted himself smack dab in the middle of them and experienced every last one.

There was nothing about him that looked like anything special. There was no reason for us to even give him a second glance.

He was the kind of guy that was cussed at and ridiculed around town. He knew all about sadness and suffering... first hand.

Like the kind of guy that we look down and avoid eye contact with when we're in the wrong part of town, we thought he was worthless.

But... all the crap that we do, but don't like to talk about because we're too prideful... he claimed it as his own. Yet even still, we failed to see any worth in this man. He was just a nuisance.

Eventually, they put a knife in his side and killed him because of all that crap that we really did.

We were given PEACE all because he took our punishment.

Those knife wounds were the very things that healed our screwed up lives!

Even still... like stupid animals, we try to do our own thing. We run the opposite way than we're supposed to. But, rather than punishing us, that man took it on himself.

If ever there was someone that was oppressed, it was him. However, he never complained about it. Even when they were killing him, he didn't demand his own rights. He was silent.

The very things that he came to free us from, oppression and judgment, were what took him in the end.

All of that for us.

~Isaiah 53 (paraphrase mine)

It wasn't a silent night. There weren't presents or candles or red sweaters with decorated trees on them done in puff paint.

It was simple.

Raw.

Real.

He had a purpose.

In order to free the most screwed up, messed up, broken of us... it couldn't be done with all the bells and whistles.

He became like us...

Knowing what it's like to go hungry...

... feel the stares of the people that thought they were better than him...

... be wrongly accused of something done in innocence...

... try to serve people, but get the shaft in the end...

... fight for the cause of justice, but in the end, get killed as a result of the lack there of.

Yeah... God. With. Us.

We're pretty lucky when you think of it like that.

Strip all the bells, tinsel, lights, music, gifts, family, friends, eggnog and cookies away. There is still an enormous reason to celebrate... wouldn't you say?

Backyard Treasures...

I looked out my window and saw the kids playing in the backyard, staring intently at something on the ground. My first hunch was that it was a snake. In the last few days, we have found 2 Black Mambas (one of the world's deadliest snakes) around the place.

So... I went out to check on things and found these amazing looking creatures. In true Ryan fashion, I didn't stay long to stare before running back in the house to grab my camera!

You can see how extremely big they were in comparison to my sandal...

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!

Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree!

,

Christmas has just vomited all over my living room!!

AND I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


This afternoon I drove home to see two beautiful boxes waiting on the porch for me to tear into them. I was really thrilled.

I opened them to find a complete supply of everything that I would need to enjoy Christmas the all-American way.

The packages came from some ladies that I haven't even met before from St. Elizabeth Hospital... but, they definitely know how to be a blessing!

Wow... I am without words...

A huge, heart-felt hug goes out to you ladies from Malawi!

In combination with the plethora of items that my mom sent with Sara to make my Malawian Christmas one that I won't forget, my living room now looks like a department store the day after Thanksgiving!... and my pantry is stocked to see me through the "winter".

Just know that this white boy is showing his big white teeth right now!

Ndikuphunzira Chichewa...

Muli Bwanji?
How Are You?

Well... my language learning is coming along quite nicely.

I finally got a language helper that I meet with once or twice a week for an hour or so. He is a great guy from the church that I go to here.

I am building up my vocabulary little by little.

One of the best things I did for myself was labeling my entire house in Chichewa (as seen in the picture above)!

So now, every time I use the restroom, I stand there and repeat the word aloud until I'm done. Let's just say that I know the word "Chimbudzi" better than any of the others!

But, I've also labeled most of my food items. So, while I'm cooking at night, it's a nice little Chichewa lesson.

In a lot of ways, the language is much easier to learn than English is. However, there are a few things that make for substantial stumbling blocks.

Overall though, I am making progress... and people are noticing!!

Every once in a while, I will whip out some phrase that I know and shock people.

However, the other day, I was getting a little too comfortable with myself when I was walking through my yard. I walked past this little girl...

Rachel...

She lives on our property... so, she was no stranger.

But, she was wearing this really nice little dress... and I wanted to be a nice good male figure in her life and tell her that I thought her dress looked pretty.

So, without hesitation, I said...

Ndikufuna delesi.

Immediately I knew that the wires didn't cross right in my brain... my mouth did not communicate what my English brain meant to say.

I said: "I WANT your dress."

I stood there for a second kinda stunned, while she was just staring at me like I was some mixed up, cross-dressing, white man. The bad part was that my mind was blank as to how I could correct myself.

So... In a really awkward, Ryan manner, I just fumbled around and said, "No" and walked off.

I felt like a complete idiot.

So... I guess what I'm saying is that I have got to the point where I have just enough language expertise to make a fool out of myself.

25 Cents...

Lately I have been questioning the definitions that I find of the word: Poverty

As of yet, I haven't been able to find one that satisfies what I am seeing with my eyes... or feeling in my heart.

It's not that these definitions are wrong or completely off base...

I just feel like they are only dealing with surface level issues... the issues that we in the West don't seem to struggle with all that much.

We want so bad to be able to quantify poverty, when it is much more of a qualitative concept. Meaning... we want to be able to draw a line with a dollar sign because it's easy. We don't want to recognize that poverty portrays itself on all sorts levels.

We rarely like to talk about the poverty that exists in the beautifully landscaped suburbs in western countries. The kind of poverty that removes front porches from houses and places them behind the house and behind a tall wood fence, forsaking the community and relationships around them.

Forget about the poverty that keeps men at their work places until late hours of the night while their wife is taking care of 4 kids at home by herself.

What about the poverty that comes when we loose sight of the fact that when we hold on to our money too tight, we loose so much more in life.

The poverty found in selfishness...

The poverty found in possessions...

Poverty has many faces... that's for sure.

Each of us, in some area of our lives, are impoverished.

A few nights ago, I made a few cups of tea and walked out my front door for a nice chat with my friend Jackson who looks after our property during the night. We talked for a long while about all sorts of things. Mainly, comparing things in Malawi to things in the States. He was really curious about all sorts of things... from eating goats to how old people are when they get married.

We began talking about how much money it costs to live in America for 1 day.

Although it's really hard to come up with a hard-fast answer to that question, I took a figure out of the sky that sounded about right for a middle-class American.

$20-30

I feel like I shot pretty low.

Most college students that I know spend more than that on coffee and fast food alone in a day.

He was pretty blown away.

So, I decided to pry a bit. I asked him how much his family of 5 lives on in a month.

7,000MK = $50.00

At first that figure is a little hard to process...

I pulled out my handy-dandy cellphone with a calculator in it to make it easier for me to understand.

We went through it step by step together...

First, we pulled off 1,200MK for rent each month.

Then, divided that number by 5.

Divided that number by 30 (days in a month).

Then, converted that to USD (divided by 140).

I nearly dropped my phone when the number came up...

25 cents.



Each person in his family on lives on 25 cents a day. We proceeded to talk about how hard it is to buy clothes for children on that amount of money. There is never money left over for luxuries. They never eat meat or chicken. Each day, their diet consists of nsima (flour/water mixture) and a small portion of over-cooked, nutrient deficient vegetables.

No bread...

No tea...

Palibe (nothing)!

Meanwhile, I spend the next day making a meal that was literally the direct opposite of their diet... CHILI. A meal that is solid beef!

As hopeless as that story may sound... I stood there next to Jackson and encouraged him that his riches far surpass millions of people in the West.

Yes... he is rather short on cash.

Yes... that does translate to a life that leaves you constrained.

But, I'm telling you... you should see this guy smile!

He is such a hard worker. I have never seen him in a bad mood. He is not tied down by a house full of possessions and credit card debt that is eating at his insides night after night.

Last week, I met a guy that challenged me in some incredible ways. He is a missionary from South Africa working here in Malawi... but, doing things way different.

One of the many things that he challenged me to think about was the thought that every sentiment of "poverty" that people feel here in Malawi about themselves was imported here from the West. It wasn't until someone came in and told a lady in a village that she lived in poverty because she lacks a gas stove that she felt impoverished.

Yes... we all deserve to have access to some basic necessities of life. But, who left all the Westerners in charge of deciding which things were more noble... riches or relationships.

Yes... poverty is real. It's real all over the world. We need to address it in Malawi... but, we also need to look in a mirror at our own lives and examine the things that impoverish each of us.