Friendship and Medical Trips

“Food secure” is a term we don’t hear in America. It means that a family has enough food to last until the next harvest; they’re not concerned about where their next meal will come. In VIP’s Impact Area, where all people are subsistence farmers, I’ve never heard anyone say they are food secure. Until this summer. I heard it, on multiple occasions. And I’ve realized our approach to helping people lift themselves out of poverty is bearing significant fruit!

We met with a group of 20 women who belong to a Village Savings and Loan program. They have been able to start small businesses through saving and lending to one another. All of them sat on the bamboo mat, explaining to a group of VIP visitors and proudly told us that they are food secure, they don’t worry. One woman said that many people this year are crying from hunger because of the heavy rains which destroyed crops this past growing season. None of these women are crying from hunger, they are food secure.

This is one of the healthiest comments we can hear. It means that the many varied VIP initiatives are collectively working to enable people to lift themselves out of extreme poverty and become independent. Thanks to all of you who have supported our brothers and sisters in the region of Sakata. Life is changing! We are seeing and hearing miracles!

Before – 2008 Kalupe Medical Clinic

I am sitting outside of the Kalupe Clinic as hundreds of Malawians stand patiently in line to see the medical staff. It is another brilliant, beautiful day in Malawi; the temperature’s in the 80’s under crystal blue skies. Healing is taking place all around me. Suddenly in my mind’s eye I am drawn back to eleven years ago. It was the summer of 2008 that we were first brought to this very spot. 

After – 2019 Kalupe Medical Clinic

Then there was no clinic; only a dilapidated broken-down building and an old man molding bricks in the hope that one day there would be a new place for people to receive medical treatment. That was the beginning of VIP. That old man died this past year, but his dream and ours is alive and well. From that otherwise insignificant day God has launched a movement that is transforming thousands of lives including my own.

Clinics, wells, schools, businesses, bridges; hopes and dreams everywhere I look. Healing is swirling around me. I come back to myself and watch as a mother and her child head for home with a prescription and the new life it represents. Something deep inside of me stirs.

Last year, I almost made the decision to go. But I did not. This year, in January, that call came again. This time I answered…”Here I am Lord”. Our first day on our Christ Mission Trip to Malawi began on a Sunday—a day of worship. What a day it was! In a country qualifying for one of the poorest in the world, the resource of a vehicle to take us to church was a commodity that is not common among the inhabitants of Malawi. The fact that we rode on a bench along each side of the back of an SUV that vibrated and bounced our bodies with every bump on the unpaved dirt roads did not seem to bother us as we rehearsed the song “We are Walking in the Light of God” in both English and Chichewa. Once at Church, we rehearsed again outside under a blazing sun with the other members of our team who came from different parts of the United States.

The sermon was given by the wife of the pastor. Preaching the word of 1 Kings 17:8-16 where Elijah encounters a widow and asks her for water and bread although she barely had enough for herself and her son. Elijah tells her that the Lord wanted this to happen and she obeyed. After giving water and bread to Elijah, she and her household ate for many days thereafter. The point of the sermon was that in the face of great despair and great odds against you, have faith in the Lord who will provide. What an important message!

The statistic of being one of the poorest places on earth was not evident as the richness of Christ was superimposed in the eyes of the young children, in the rhythmic moves of the teenagers and in the hearts of the ladies. They are rich in the Lord. They are truly walking in the light of the Lord. This feeling carried us to our home visits as our team broke off into three separate groups that afternoon. Each group were to visit two families and each had a suitcase full of clothes and a bag of towels and toiletries. I was in the group led by Liz Nelson, executive director of VIP. We drove through those unpaved roads to our first home. It was the dry season and I imagined how it would be when it rained, how muddy the fields would be and how the lack of shoes on most feet we encountered withstood the conditions.

The leader of the first home was the grandmother. Agogo is the term for grandmother in Malawi, and this Agogo was truly an inspiration. She had nine children, all of whom are still alive—to the amazement of Pastor Stephen, Liz’s husband. The respect that she commanded from her children and 32 grandchildren, all sitting on the dirt around us, was truly evident and inspiring. This led me to ask for pointers as I enter my grandfather phase of my life. We met in the open air as mats are placed on the dirt ground for women to sit on and men are given chairs. This is their tradition, and we respected it. Agogo eloquently answered our questions. Because of her age, she does not tend the garden that surrounds the home, and pointed to her children and grandchildren. This year the harvest, which occurs in March and April as Malawi is south of the Equator, was not very good as there was flooding.

There was no sorrow in her voice as she described the harvest. For all these years, God has provided and the sense in her words is that no matter what happens, God will always provide. While the conditions which we Americans would consider the poorest of the poor, I did not see any sorrow in the Agogo’s or her children’s words. I did not see any “Woe is me” attitude. In fact, before both home visits were over, women broke into a spontaneous song of thankfulness. After a thorough discussion, we asked to see one of the homes.  As we entered a small, and I mean very small, three room home, I saw no dresser full of clothes. In fact, there were no clothes. I did not see a refrigerator. In fact, I saw no electricity. I saw no stove—just several pots that may be used as dishes. The residents of the home sleep on mats which are placed on the dirt ground.

We exited the home and went to our vehicle to get the gifts that we had brought with us. We sized up the children and their parents and Agogo, and we took out clothes that we thought would fit each of them. We didn’t have clothing for everyone. I wish we did. We presented the clothes and the toiletries to Agogo. We also gave her the eggs that were given by the Lady’s Choir. She was very appreciative. Then we took out the soccer ball and the eyes of the children lit up. They clapped with joy. In the yard, there were no swings or slides. There were no toys left by the front doors or on the side of the house. When the children saw the soccer ball, their eyes were filled with extreme happiness. That alone was worth the trip to Malawi.

As this year comes to a close, we want to recap the amazing work God has done through you and the VIP family in 2018. Your dedication to our mission and compassion for the people of Malawi is helping us fight poverty every day. Through our mission trips, your gifts, and the lasting partnerships, we’re so excited to see the continued impact we’ll have on our brothers and sisters in the years to come. On behalf of our Malawian family, we send thanks!

This year, VIP had our first college student, Lucius Phiri, graduate from the University of Malawi. We met Lucius after his family exhausted their resources trying to pay college tuition for him to continue his education. He dropped out of college for a semester. Then he heard about Villages in Partnership. After learning of his struggle, VIP provided the funding through the John Nathan Anderson Scholarship to complete his degree in agricultural studies thanks to Gayle and Phil Anderson.

We implemented solar irrigation this year thanks to your generous gifts. The irrigation system covers 12 acres and will benefit 70 households. The introduction of solar irrigation will completely change farming practices leading to full harvests. VIP is moving towards our goal of having farmers in Malawi becoming self-sufficient and not relying on inconsistent weather patterns due to climate change.

The 2018 USA medical team, composed of 29 nurse practitioners, physicians assistants, nurses, medical students, and our support team, paired up with Malawian medics and VIP’s Malawi staff and served over 4,600 patients in Malawi this summer. The teams saw all these patients in the time span of just three days. Our trips bring our team members closer to God while developing a deep love for Malawians and the medical profession. With such a high demand for health care, we decided to take our mission to the next level by hosting two Medical Trips in 2019. Click here for more trip information.

God put a calling on our heart in 2018 to build a medical clinic in the remote village of Khanda. The villagers have prayed that we bring medical care where there is none. We felt the calling in a powerful way this year and began our efforts to build this clinic brick by brick. We kicked-off the giving season with Giving Tuesday in 2018 and we’re so excited to see how God will use your gifts in a powerful way. The building of the clinic will be an ongoing project and we’re still accepting donations. Click the link to learn how you can help! https://villagesinpartnership.org/khanda-clinic/

Malawi leaves an unforgettable imprint on the hearts of everyone who takes the journey to walk alongside our brothers and sisters. Trip participants leave learning much more than they ever imagined. Through singing, praise, and an unshakeable sense of hope, the power of the human spirit is revealed. Love is exchanged with every smile as the team travels through the villages. VIP’s projects show trip participants the transformative power of giving back first-hand. Our July Friendship team felt deeply moved as they came to the end of their trip. Before traveling back to the airport, everyone expressed their excitement to share their life-changing experience with their family members and friends. See the team’s takeaways below.

“I felt called to come to Malawi for work and the experience, but what I received was a connection, meaning, and my own healing.” – Megan Sanders from Wylie, TX

“This is NOT a sad place. The colors and sounds are wonderful” – Anne Diebel from Allentown, New Jersey

“The joy on the people’s faces is amazing. I have prayed about coming here for a while and I am so glad I am here. This place has hope; these people have GRIT! So inspiring!” – Wende Liebert from Wylie, TX

“The Malawian people are just like us, just poorer. They have the same basic desires as we Americans. If there will always be poor people, as Jesus says, perhaps that is so that we with more resources can show compassion by sharing ours.”  – Bart Hubbard from Garland, TX

“I expected this to be a great experience, and it has. I feel that I have acquired a great deal of knowledge about the lives of the people of Malawi and I feel great love and compassion for them.” – Kent McCully from Dallas, TX

“Going to Malawi gave me a new perspective on life reminding me how small gestures of kindness can make a world of a difference for families with very little. The work VIP is doing is truly life changing. To see the transformative power of giving back first hand was incredibly moving.” – Carissa Rea from Lawrenceville, New Jersey

I was barely aware that she had a baby with her, much less that she was breast feeding while she quietly handed over her medical passport. She spoke to my translator and described her reasons for seeking care for her baby and he turned and carefully chose the English words to translate her Chichewa (the local language) into terms that I would understand. I could use this description for dozens of the patients that I’ve seen over the past two days at a small medical clinic in the village of Liti in rural Malawi. Today was the second of three clinic days. Our team saw just over 280 villagers over the course of 6 hours. They come to us with fevers and wounds and a variety of conditions that would warrant admission to most U.S. hospitals, and they patiently and quietly wait to be seen. There is no visible frustration on their faces, no sense of entitlement or voices of impatience, a subdued yet determined demeanor permeates their culture.

I chose to come on this trip with Villages in Partnership with very little persuasion from my clinical instructor at Xavier University. I have worked in a busy U.S emergency department for nearly 6 years and I saw this as an opportunity to regain the perspective that made me want to be a nurse in the first place. Too often I leave work with frustrations of the American bureaucracy that healthcare has become with more thoughts about whether I had diligently documented than the care that I provided. Nursing schools emphasize the concepts of beneficence and non-maleficence (do good things for your patients, don’t hurt them) and this experience has allowed me to get back to the root of those tenets and that has been more refreshing than I could have imagined.

The baby was done breast-feeding and stared at me with giant brown eyes and a full head of matted kinky hair that stood at least three inches off her little head. I asked my translator, “Tell her that her baby is beautiful and has more hair than I have ever had”, he quickly complied. She let out a soft laugh (I’m completely bald and likely to be the first white person she has ever interacted with). Her nine month old had a cough and a fever, symptoms that many American parents would simply treat with over the counter children’s Tylenol and rest. Things get a little more high-stakes in a place where there is no counter, and Malaria is a very real threat when these symptoms appear. We tested 122 patients for it our first day, 59 came back positive, and still they wait patiently to be seen by a provider to receive their prescriptions and plan of care.

The team splits into three groups in the morning. The first group is going to harvest honey with village bee keepers. I was originally intending to travel with them but my newly acquired cold makes me fearful of being stuck in a bee suit with no way to reach my nose. The second group is going to help some construction workers move bricks to the construction site – as thrilling as this sounds, I think I will pass. So, I join the third group. We are going to work with a group of village women to prepare lunch for the team. A village lunch is always an interesting affair. But before we travel into the villages for lunch, we must make a stop to pick up groceries.

We pull up on the tarmac (not an airport, just another word for paved roads here in Malawi). Mada, our community health worker, runs to the car and climbs into the back. She individually asks us all how we are doing in typical Malawian politeness and then directs my Mom to the next stop – the butchers.

Farther along the road, we park. There are two wooden stalls here surrounded by a cohort of men. Hanging from the roofs are large chunks of freshly butchered goat meat. A leg is identifiable but the rest is ambiguous. On the table underneath the stall, I see pieces of liver, and one man even holds up the testicles. Mada informs us later that the testicles are her favorite part of the goat – very soft and juicy. They put the meat on scales balanced with metal weights on the other side to determine weight and price.

While the butchers are measuring out the meat and chopping it into pieces with a machete, one man tries to talk with me. He is speaking rapidly in a language I do not understand – I assume it is Chichewa that has simply exceeded my limited vocabulary. When I try to communicate my lack of understanding, “Pepani, sindikumva,” which literally means “Sorry, I don’t hear,” he starts laughing. All the men do. I blush. It can feel very disconcerting to have a gang of men speaking a language you don’t know and laughing at you. Finally, he recovers his composure.

“Yao!” He says. Understanding crosses my face. He is not speaking Chichewa; he is speaking Yao. I join them, laughing at myself. We azungu (white people) must look very silly.

The goat meat is ready and we drive along to a much larger market. Piles of tomatoes, oranges, bananas, lettuce, potatoes, rice, and other produce stretch as far as the eye can see. They are laid out on the ground, in piles, on cloth, on plates, in trays, or just on the dusty ground. There are some more unusual food stuffs too – dried insects, live chickens, fried mice. We pick up firewood, tomatoes, rice, cooking oil, and six live chickens. We put them under the seats of the car where they squawk occasionally.

When we finally begin moving again, we are a carload of Malawians, Americans, chickens, goat testicles, firewood, and an assortment of other goods. Mada leads the car in song. As we sing, the chickens fall silent. Little do they know, this is their funeral dirge.

Joy is the best word I can use to summarize the past few days here in Malawi. With every visit to a new village, we are welcomed with open arms and thankful hearts for our partnership. It’s so powerful to see first hand how our churches back home in America have impacted the Sakata Region VIP works in. We visited the Libwalo well this week with our Friendship Trip team providing us with a clear understanding of how clean water can dramatically alter life. Prior to constructing this well, villagers had to walk miles just to collect water. Now, the local well allows children to spend time in school rather than gathering water for the household. The accessibility of this well also gives women the extra time to focus on other daily activities to help bring in an income to support their families.

Once we arrived at the Libwalo village and piled out of the Land Cruiser, a group of women joyfully greeted us by singing and dancing. They eagerly invited us to see their well that Canyon Creek Presbyterian Church from Texas provided funding for in 2015. The villagers happily shared their success stories by explaining how the community is experiencing less sickness overall by drinking clean water and traveling less to collect it. Everyone continued to show their appreciation through songs, dancing and clapping during our time there. Our Canyon Creek members on our Friendship Trip team; Megan Sanders, Wende Liebert, Kent McCully and Bart Hubbard, all had a chance to pump the well to celebrate the life-changing difference this project is making.

As we began to wrap up the visit, the villagers walked us over to our Land Cruiser singing and dancing once again. Liz encouraged me to go dance with the group before we left. As I slowly approached them, a woman grabbed my hands while everyone crowded around me celebrating their answered prayers for clean water. The village’s love for VIP was strongly translated as they graciously showed their appreciation to each one of us. Seeing the well in person opened my eyes to the impact clean water has not only on their health but everyday lifestyle as well. The generosity of Canyon Creek Church was a direct answer to prayer in this village.

Waking up to the call of a rooster was a gentle reminder of how different life is here in Malawi. We started our first day at breakfast together reading a passage of scripture and talking through the message’s impact during our time here. The verse was reflective of the power of love through hospitality and selfless care for one another. Love was a keyword that stood out to me today becoming very real as we journeyed through the Villages. Culturally, Malawians are different in plenty of ways; however, love joins us together and in the end makes us much more similar than I realized.

The first trip we made was to the Chimpeni Primary School. Our Land Cruiser rolled up catching the eyes of students as they began racing towards us with gleaming smiles. As we piled out of the truck, they were bursting with excitement and curiosity about our visit. The VIP staff gave us a throughout tour of the grounds along with a great overview of the school’s progress since construction. This progression was a clear demonstration of how villages partner together with American “villages” through selfless care and giving. I was blown away by how much progress has been made since the first structure was completed in 2012 thanks to our VIP supporters. In Malawi, the average teacher to student ratio is 1 teacher to 100 students. Here, the average was closer to 1 teacher to 40 students creating a more productive work environment. Our teacher housing at the school along with solar lighting retains more teachers contributing to this success. The passion from them along with the students was noticed immediately after stepping into the first classroom.

During our visit, they radiated happiness and graciously thanked us for the work VIP contributed to enhance education in Malawi. Every teacher greeted us separately with warm smiles asking for our names and welcoming us to the school. Malawians have an incredible way of making you feel so welcomed and appreciated. Experiencing the classrooms in person was so eye opening to me. A common question the teachers asked students was what they wanted to be when they grow up. Individually, students responded saying doctors, police office, teachers, and so on. Through VIP’s love, we really are able to make dreams come true for these students. The scripture we read on paper this morning came to life in person today and helped me to shift my focus to the life-changing impact of love, hospitality and selfless care for others. First hand I was able to witness the transforming love from VIP reflected onto this community.

We drive over rocks, bumps, decayed wooden bridges that look on the verge of collapse, dirt roads that look as though no vehicle has ever driven there before. When we finally stop, we are deep in the village of Phetembe. No other vehicle in sight. No other white person in sight. An older man greets us but, before formal introductions, we must wait until his son joins us. When the son comes, Mr. Mwalabu, the project manager of Villages in Partnership, Malawi, leads the introductions. He introduces himself, the field worker Matope, and my Mom. In Malawi, she goes by Mayi Liz, Mayi Nelson, or Mayi abusa. Mayi, meaning mother in the local language, Chichewa, is the prefix given all women. Mayi Abusa is the name given to the wife of a pastor. Mr. Mwalabu refrains from introducing me and allows Mayi Liz to try her Chichewa.

“Uyu ndi mwana wanga” she says – this one is my daughter. She turns to me, “how do I say lastborn?”

“Womaliza,” it is probably the only word I will say for the entire visit. Hierarchy is very important in Malawian culture – as a younger person I am expected to be seen and not heard. And in an important meeting like this, I am all too happy to just observe.

The men laugh, happy to see white people at least try to learn their language.

In their own turn, the men from the village introduce themselves. Everything is translated as neither speak English. Mr. Ndala and his son are here to show us a piece of their land. VIP is in search of land where they can build a secondary school. Here, in the heart of these villages, any student who makes it through middle school must travel miles to a secondary school. Hours of walking increase dropout rates, as it cuts into time to study and quickly becomes a wearisome walk. A new secondary school would be a gift to everyone in the community.

Mr. Ndala walks us around the perimeter of his land. There are no markers to indicate the edge of his property, and as we walk through the brush, it is difficult to understand how they have decided where the property ends. We seem to be trudging through the middle of a field as far as I can tell. To our left lies a line of trees and I cannot understand why they are not the property markers.

It seems like a sizeable piece of land although even this is hard to tell when we are walking on foot. When we arrive back where we started, Mr. Mwalabu indicates we should go to a more private area to talk in depth. We retreat to Mr. Ndala’s house. My Mom and Mr. Mwalabu drop behind to confer. I hear her whisper “should I ask about price now? Or should we wait for another meeting?”

In a land where I will never fully understand the culture or customs, trust in our Malawian staff and partners is of the utmost importance. They guide us through proper ways of showing respect and teach us the correct customs. I am reminded of the importance of honoring this relationship as a partnership. We are not the experts – we are collaborators coming to learn as much as we teach. I am always impressed with my Mom’s ability to honor this aspect of the work.

When we reach Ndala’s house, we sit on a reed mat and begin the meeting. First my Mom admires the land. She compliments the beauty of the area, the hospitality of the community. In turn, Ndala and his son speak to the importance of having a new school where young people can be propelled into new stratus of life and ideas. It also might help keep them away from the bars and opposite sex, which is an added plus. A secondary school, they say, will bring light to our village. It is a beautiful sentiment.

After 20 minutes of compliments, the conversation circles around towards the main point. “When we came to consider land,” my Mom says, “we had to consider 3 things. Size, if it was flat, and price.” The word lingers in the air. Price. “So… what can you offer?”

Of course, they will not make any decisions during this meeting but at least we will walk away with a baseline. It is clear the men are ready for the question. “If you were a business man, we would charge you 12 million kwacha. But because you are coming to build a school, we will charge you 9 million.”

My Mom says she was hoping to pay less. I can see her excitement rise – the negotiation. I hate this part. She loves it. “I will have to go ask my superiors. Maybe you can meet us somewhere in the middle?” I smile. Of course, the superiors comment is only half true. She is, after all, executive director. They agree to compromise when she returns from her “superiors.”

More pleasantries are exchanged. After another 20 minutes, we depart. In America, an exchange like this would be infuriating. 1 hour of meeting for what added up to about 5 minutes of actual exchange of information. But in Malawi, we take it in stride. At least it wasn’t 3 hours.

Are you thinking about joining a trip with VIP to Malawi? You may be feeling called to join; however, questions are filling your mind from logistics of travel to the culture. Friendship and Medical Trips allow us to come along side our brothers and sister in Malawi to develop lasting connections and provide healthcare to the most vulnerable. This country is faced with extreme poverty and our presence is deeply appreciated, life-changing, and transformative. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be discussing these topics and answering questions you may be asking yourself. Our first topic is your health and steps you’ll need to take before taking your trip.

How do I start preparing?

Your health while in Malawi is important and we’re sure that if you follow these steps you’ll greatly reduce any risk during your time there. After signing up for a trip, we recommend you start gathering your past medical history of vaccinations to evaluate what you’ve already been treated for. Once you have this information, schedule an appointment with your health-care provider at least 4 – 6 weeks before your trip. This time frame will allow your vaccines to take full effect before arriving to Malawi.

What vaccinations do I need exactly?

First, make sure you are completely up to date with routine shots including the measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT) vaccine and the poliovirus vaccine. Once you confirmed you’re caught up with these shots, speak to your health-care provider to see if you were vaccinated for Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and Typhoid. If not, these three vaccinations are recommended for this trip and are all given in shot form. You may need to see a Travel Health Clinic since many doctor offices do not carry the vaccine for Typhoid.

Do I need to take Anti-Malaria treatment?

Yes, Malaria medication is a must for travel in Malawi. Typically, health-care providers recommend that you start taking the medication prior to your arrival to ensure its effectiveness. When speaking to your doctor, be sure to tell them that you will be spending time in the sun since some malaria medications can cause your skin to become sensitive to the sun. Anti-Malaria treatment usually comes in pill form and can be taken orally, this is not given as a shot.