Latest news

I just had to go and move the car because they (the workers) want to be able to throw bricks at a 45cm spitting cobra snake! Tandary has run over to Sydney’s to get some of the bigger  boys from his school to come and help. Ok  this is serious they have called for more helpers, this snake is a killer and we have kids here all the time in fact there are at least 10 already playing with the dolls and little cars and it is still lunch time. I want to go and get a good viewing spot.

News on the Maize mill and ‘community spirit’

The land has been levelled for the much anticipated Maize Mill, it is going to be the best thing to happen to the village in a long, long time. Thanks to everyone who is getting behind it. I really want to get started before prices go even higher. The price of the actual motor has almost doubled since we first looked at costs.

You are not going to believe this.....yesterday Esau, Poniso and I  went to Dwanga to check the bank, and to look for maize to buy. It is about an hour drive and is a main trading centre. We actually ended up buying the maize back at Kachere at a cheaper price. But there was obviously a higher purpose for the trip. As I was driving  Poniso said “slow down slow down”, I had no idea why, I was looking around for some sort of danger and all I could see was different groups of people on the sides of the road then he said “STOP!” He and Esau jumped out of the car to ask a guy in his 20’s why he was wearing our stolen Magpies jumper!! It has been missing for over 2 years!!! How did they spot that jumper in the crowd from so far away.

Sometimes I went for a run up the beach of Lake Malawi and the locals would laugh and point. After all, I wasn’t chasing a ball, so what was the point of running? I’ve questioned the point of many things since I’ve been back in Australia, and spent a lot of time doing pointless things to stop the questioning.
Africa rattles you. Sure a lot of people are hungry. A lot of people are sick. I think mentally you step off the plane prepared for that. What you are not prepared for is the beautifully simple gift of friendship.

Below you can see Robyn’s new ‘home’ – what do you think?!  Thank you to EACH & EVERY SINGLE PERSON, however you may have contributed, to make it possible for this home (and the other building) to be built by the work party who were in Malawi recently.  Robyn has now moved in and she couldn’t be happier with it!  And well done to the work party for d

Early June 2006

As I am typing this, the first of the work party (Geoff, Leanne & Gretah Gray & Kevin & Julie Lee) are arriving in Lilongwe, Malawi, soon to be followed by Mick Newton & David Woolhouse. I spoke with Robyn last night & you have no idea how excited she is to have all these people coming to visit & help! She sounded like a kid on Christmas Eve, waiting for the big day to arrive! Kristi Van Es, who has been with Robyn for most of the last 3 months, has finally said goodbye to Robyn & her Malawian friends (welcome home Kristi!). Kristi will be putting something together for the next newsletter which will be fantastic. Naturally, Robs was feeling very sad to have to say goodbye to Kristi after having her there for so long. And she said she was glad the work party were on their way – it was going to help with the inevitable feelings of loneliness & homesickness. When I received the content for this newsletter (& I’ll have you know there were 16 typed pages of it!) Robyn told me she was a bit worried about you all having to read it – there haven’t been any flash floods or car accidents since the last newsletter - & she’s worried that after all the action reported in the previous newsletter you might get bored with more ‘normal’ reading! I assured her that wouldn’t be the case.

Late April 2006

I can’t believe how quickly the month has gone by! It feels as though the last newsletter has just been sent out to everyone & here we are again busy preparing the next one. As many of you will know, it has been an INCREDIBLE month in Kande village, & that really is an understatement. For those of you that don’t know, Robyn telephoned us on the evening of Easter Sunday (it was about midday in Kande village), she was in tears & as she was talking to us, flash floods were washing through the village, knocking down houses & collecting people & debris along the way. She rang pleading that we contact as many people as possible, asking them to pray. There was nothing else they, or we, could do. Children & adults from Kande had been swept away by waters out into Lake Malawi. Our kids – the ones attending the day care – were missing. At the time, she said people were standing along the lakeshore & river mouth just waiting for bodies to be washed down. In a conversation with Robyn later that same night, Robyn said they could really feel our prayers. Miraculously, every person was found except for one.

Late March 2006

Hello again everyone. For those of you that don’t know, Robyn left our shores on 8th March, arriving in Lilongwe Malawi on 9th March. Thank you so much to every person who contributed to getting Robyn there. In the first email I received from Robyn, she shared about the hut she had previously been living in, & how it is practically falling down. But she goes on to say “It doesn’t matter where I live, it can be a bark hut for all I care - I am just sooo glad that you have all helped me to return”. I think that pretty much sums up Robyn & the type of person she is. We won’t have her living in a bark hut, but we are attempting to raise some money to enable a humble dwelling for her to built when the work party travels to Malawi in June (more on this later).