Blog: June 2009

June 30, 2009

picOur travels are officially under way.  We left Philadelphia on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.  After numerous hours and countless attempts to sleep, three airplane meals, a half-dozen movies, and some in-flight Tetris playing, we arrived in Johannesburg.  Our longest haul was from Washington D.C. to Johannesburg with a one hour fill-up stop in Senegal, where we were not allowed to unload, so all in all it was a 17 hour and 40 minute flight.  But actually, it didn’t seem like that bad of a flight.  South African Air is a nice carrier, as mentioned before, there was good in-flight entertainment and Lindsey and I had two seats together near a bathroom.  We checked into our hotel upon arrival and fell asleep shortly after.  It is always so comfortable to physically lie down after travelling. 

 

After a good night sleep, we awoke to check out the market and mall that our hotel offers a shuttle to.  When we entered the mall, one of the first things we saw were these children in these hamster balls in a pool.  We both thought it was hilarious, yet a brilliant idea.  Because the balls are floating in knee high water, they don’t move very fast.  So here these kids were running their hearts out but not really going anywhere.  I’m sure some of you with young ones would love to have a giant hamster ball to put your kids in and leave for awhile.

 

Tomorrow morning we are flying out to Malawi.  This is where our true trip begins.  Johannesburg was a good lay-over; it at least allowed us to rest and adjust to the six hour time difference. 

 

Stay tuned . . .

June 26, 2009

group54Last weekend, with the big yellow van packed from floor to ceiling, we headed to the airport where the interns would begin their 24 hour journey home.   As we were driving down I-95, in the midst of a few different conversations in Chichewa, one of the girls started to sing, "Palibe ofana naye, palibe ofana naye, palibe ofana naye".   This song, one of my personal favorites in their repertoire since the beginning of the year,  has taken on new meaning.  The group sang this song at dozens of churches, it is track number 6 on their CD, this is the song that they sang at my wedding last October, and the song that my great aunt calls "the banana song".   One by one, the other interns joined in the chorus until it was, once again, a harmonious medley that sent chills down my spine.

While it does sound like they are singing about bananas, the song is in Chichewa and it says that there is no one in the world like Jesus.  Not in Camden, in Wilmington, in Malawi... no where.   Yet, anybody can know Jesus from anywhere.  It's amazing!   Our interns are now back in Malawi with their loved ones.   They are half-way around a world that seems so big, but they are still worshiping the same God.  

My husband, Andy, and I will be visiting our four ministries in Malawi during the month of July.  Follow our journey on our blog to hear what is happening on the ground!

-Lindsey Markelz

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