The promised (boring) details

Details of Malawi Trip: Forex: While the main office of Mr. Zuza’s Forex is strange, it seemed to flow smoothly, and the rate of 151 Kw is a good one. I spoke with him today (4/18) and he says that the rate of 151 is solid, that he may be able to do a little better with a larger sum of money, but he won’t know until the day of the transaction. I have placed his numbers into our phone, under “Zuze” and “Lovemoore” – the Telecom number – you are to phone him on arrival. The Forex rate is now 147 naturally, so 152 or 153 is a real possibility. Grace Bandawe: I spoke with the office this AM – the best rate they can give is 4050 Kw/day for single room or 8100/day for a block. For a short-term mission trip, this seems okay, but for a stay of any length it will be prohibitively expensive. The desk lady said that arrangements had to be made in writing in advance to receive this 10% “discount” – I may fight this battle a little more tomorrow, but it will only save a little bit at this point. House rental: We have approached KAMU real estate, located in the “Feed the Children” compound, to look for a house near the property with 4-5 bedrooms and security – they feel this can be found for 80-100000 Kwacha a month plus electricity charge, and they are looking for such a house. I have given responsibility for this search to Elton, just to research possibilities. A 5-bedroom house could be used for teams in the future as well as the Wallaces, at least until the construction is completed. The savings for Randy alone will not be much, since there’s only 1 of him, but will be substantial for teams and for the Wallaces. Having a house would also enable some “permanent” storage of medications, the printer, appliances that have been purchased, etc, etc. – and would avoid some of the incessant begging that goes on at Grace. Some of the gated communities, such as the Nyambadwe town houses right across from the property, have superior security to Grace – and better privacy. Security is an issue at night, but has not been an issue during the day anywhere that we have been. KAMU contact number is Penjane Mbale, cell +265 (8) 736 992. Feed the Children: We have visited the facility twice. As far as we can see, this huge property is being used for physical therapy for Cerebral Palsy victims in one room 9-12 and 1-4 M-F. The rest of the facility is not really used. The Lord has blessed us with information about programs that used to be carried on through Feed the Children but no longer are being done. In fact, every time we have heard about Feed the Children, it is about some good thing they were doing in the past but stopped. One of the construction workers shared with us that he used to have a job at FTC teaching vocational work (bricklaying), but that they had laid him off due to lack of money. It is very telling that, when I approached Joanne (the lady in charge) about the orphanage project, the first thing she asked me was whether there might be a job at the orphanage for her. I didn’t see anyone to ask about whether they would give us their property (smiling). Grey Mnunka: Wanda and I have been struck with the fact that, no matter what subject we are researching, this name is always associated with big problems. That the ministry could have its reputation so damaged in so many different ways by one person and still be surviving and thriving is a testimony to God’s hand in it, and to the strength of some of the other aspects of the ministry here. We can be in Limbe, or at the Electric company, or at the Water Board, or in an attorney’s office, or in Kip’s, we have never seen the consistency with which every aspect of everything touched by this man has not been blessed. We don’t know him, but strongly feel that he cannot be associated with this project for the foreseeable future if it is to continue with God’s blessing. We find people discussing him in a neutral sense as far as the pastors are concerned (a good thing, as they are not just bad-mouthing him), but I’m not sure they really see him as a criminal that needs to be brought to justice for his own good. Prison in Malawi is not good, but we visited the prison today, and it is not as bad as has been represented, at least at far as the Chichiri prison is concerned. I feel strongly that, unless Grey comes in true repentance and offers full repayment of all stolen resources, he belongs in this facility, both for his own sake and for the sake of the others in the ministry. Prisoners regularly get changes of clothing from their families, as well as special food and spending money, and the church could well provide these for Grey in prison. Attorneys: The land attorneys which we have been using are very slow and very expensive. We are going to get the final land title this week, at a staggering cost of 64,000 Kw in legal fees – this for a piece of land that sold for 30,000 Kw in 2006, then was sold to us for 450,000 Kw at the end of 2006. The documents that prove this were given to me by accident in the attorney’s office this week. The person that arranged this transaction and dealt with these attorneys was Grey. The possibility of foul play in the greatly inflated land price and the unbelievably inflated attorney fees is HUGE. Randy and I have discussed kickback schemes that may have been in operation. I feel strongly that we should find another attorney, one that has no connection with previous ministry administrators, as soon as this transaction is done. KAMA Construction: I have been through several stages with KAMA. They are a hard-working team, and have tried very hard to restore the relationship between themselves and Acts 3. I have been a little too soft with them, believing that, after the several-month hiatus in which no work was done, we just needed to have a fresh start. Their labor prices have been very reasonable, and the labor is such a tiny fraction of the overall cost of the orphanage, that I felt that a strong and trusting relationship between KAMA and Acts 3 was worth some renegotiating, particularly since they control the cost of materials by asking for excessive amounts of supplies to “have on hand”. This having been said, I have found them, as Randy has said, to be always finding excuses to renegotiate prices, and I am certain that this will continue to be a problem. I have called their hand on this a couple of times, and they can see it. I find the larger KAMA to be delightful most of the time, and a very hard worker. I am glad that Randy is taking over, as he has more experience with the negotiating aspect of things. I am preparing a spreadsheet with schedules and agreements specified, but it’s not ready yet (sorry). I do recommend that we continue with these guys. Also, I’d like to have many praying that they’ll come to Christ. Project: The diesel cement mixer stopped working on the 2nd day, so the foundation work stopped while it is being repaired. It should be fixed tonight, and we have it for the next 3 days. Construction of the substructure is under way in the areas where the foundation was already poured, and it looks SO COOL. The ditch is being bricked in around the fence, and will provide good protection for the wall in areas that had to be graded for the building. KAMA has agreed to build up the back wall of the ditch to substructure level. This is taking a good many more bricks, but I think is worth it. The gate has been redone, and is ready to be installed. It will need some additional iron sheets on the outside to be really finished, but it was done for half the cost, so we will still be doing real well, even if some additional work needs done while in place. The electrical work on the storage house is done and we are appealing to ESCOM to wire us up – this may be done before I leave. Interesting story – Frank M. came to me and told me that the work was finished, so that the labor charge should be paid. I had already looked the job over, and noted that several things had not been completed. I asked Frank about them and he confidently stated that they had been finished. I had a good time watching him taking me over to show me that they were done, when I already knew that they were not. We had a good laugh at Frank’s interpretation of “finished” – I told him that I hoped he didn’t extend that interpretation to Christ’s finished work on the cross – that is, kinda finished but still with work to do… I know that Randy will be disappointed in the renegotiating of a price to properly finish the wall, putting a decent cap on the wall and pointing the entire wall. He has already stated that the picture he was shown had the cap already installed on it, so it should’ve been included in the previous price, but I’m not sure that the extra amount to finish the wall well and to protect it from the elements isn’t worth the cost – and I was able to get some assurances that several other needed parts of the project would be included within that price, so… I will be paying KAMA labor costs right up to the moment on Friday, and will be receiving quotes on the electrical plans and labor for the job. I may well just bring these back to the States to go over with the Acts 3 Board. I will prepay for cement, leaving money in the pastors’ account for transport charges. Bank: I have been so happy with the Inde Bank, I can’t begin to express it. Mrs. Martha Moyo has been exceptional to work with, has taken a real interest in the project, and is always friendly. The tellers have gotten to know us well, and are always really cooperative. We are to meet with her for the final time Friday morning after the pastors’ meeting, at which time we will set up account balances for the weeks until Randy comes. The only issue is that the banks here close at 3:00 consistently, which is a little hard to get used to. This has only caught me short once. I will have all the wiring data with me when I get home, I didn’t think it was a great idea to broadcast these details widely (smiling). Pastors: Both Wanda and I have observed that most of what we’ve been doing with the pastors and their wives since we have come is re-parenting them. It is fascinating that, in Malawi, this is the exact term used for discipleship – re-parenting. These are wonderful men who are so full of energy, life, and spirit, but who have not received the cultural parenting that would lay foundations of ethics and behavior, learning how to speak the truth instead of just saying what you think the other wants to hear, learning how to say no to authority figures when they are telling you to do things in a way that is not right, learning how to handle money, to make wise financial decisions. They are all excellent parents themselves, but how can they instill in their children what they have not yet grasped themselves? We are very impressed with their wives, and feel that they have responded very well to our meddling in their lives. Salaries: A sore subject. I have spoken with numerous people in all kinds of circumstances here, and have heard a uniform theme. If we are talking to a business owner who is making money for their boss, they say that a good salary is 5000-7000 Kw/month. If we are talking to just men on the street, they tell us that a reasonable salary for a full-time worker is 10,000-12,000 a month. House rent for a dump is about 3000 Kw/month, plus electricity. There are school charges, all the normal life issues. The same people who say that 5000 Kw/mo is a good salary go to the Shop-Rite and spend 7500 Kwacha on one cartfull of groceries. These pastors are barely surviving on 5000 or 7000 Kw/month. Placing responsibilities for ministry money, however small or large, is such a strain when they are living at or below subsistence levels. We want to train them to be responsible, but asking someone to distribute food to others when their children are going hungry is idiotic. If we are going to continue to give them these salaries, then we must also start taking up collections for them regularly in the spirit of 2 Corinthians 8, “fairness”. I, for my part, think that all of the pastors who are working full-time should be salaried the same, talking away any financial incentive to become a leader. This is the model used successfully by the Salvation Army for its entire 2-century existence, where the beginning salary of $14K/year is the same salary that the top brass receive. You lead because God calls you to be a leader, not because it benefits you. Frank Maini: I think Frank is great. He is a natural leader of men, and has the gift of evangelism. He preaches an evangelistic message every time he starts anywhere else. I think we need to consider using his gifts of leadership and evangelism to rotate between the churches, preaching in each of them, helping to maintain cohesion between the churches and keeping his evangelistic fires burning. He visits some homes, but many of the pastors do so much better than him in this area of pasturing and shepherding. Frank Gama: A sweet, funny man. He is full of enthusiasm, and has gained SO MUCH from his experience in prison. He used it as a point of renewal, and is growing every day. We are praying for a good woman for him, he seems to be ready to do better in a new relationship than he did in the previous one, and I think it would help him. I have heard him preach, he still has some work to do on substance, but his delivery is quite good. Elton: This man has gained so much from the month we have been here. Unlike Frank G, he has carried around the hurt from his imprisonment, nurturing it and trying to make a systematic persecution issue out of it. He is of such a slight build that construction projects are just not a great thrill to him. We had a powerful teaching on different personalities, and it was very clear to all of us that Elton is the “high C” personality, the eagle that causes much to be accomplished or causes so much pain to himself and others. Once this was clearly understood and discussed, everyone seemed to relax, and Elton began to blossom. We have given him many responsibilities, mostly centering around visiting the sick in all 3 congregations, helping with translation at the ladies’ conferences, and being my medical assistant on our forays into the villages, following up with medicines and prayer in the homes where we visited. This has so fit him that he is a different man. Also, we gave him money to bring back his wife, who had gone to their village several hundred kilometers away to care for a sick relative, then had no finances to return. All are agreed that Elton is a much better man when his wife is around. Aubrey: He is so excited about his upcoming marriage to Madalo. He is deeply involved in wedding preparations, but is still busy at the project, probably hoping that the time passes quickly until May 25th. He has just moved from one house to another (note Madalo did not like the other house, and we are so happy that he has taken pleasing her this seriously). The ministry gave him 50,000 Kw as a wedding gift – both Frank M. and Aubrey firmly stated that this had been agreed upon, I sent several messages to Randy to confirm this but got no response, so I went ahead on faith and provided it – and it has been a real blessing to watch him enter the pre-wedding phase. We have kidded him incessantly because he tries to maintain a real cool composure about this, and keeps a distance from Madalo when we’re around him, but we have not let him get away with it. He blushes really well. Bosco: This man is a really great father and husband. He is a good song leader and preaches from the heart, but still has a ways to go in terms of being able to lead a congregation. He is our designated driver and takes this responsibility very seriously – but has very little wisdom when it comes to decision-making on the truck issue. A mechanic will tell him that he needs a new fuel filter every time he changes the oil filter, and he’ll say “okay” even when I’ve already told him it’s not true. He will drive the truck into an impossible spot to unload gravel because Mr. Kama says to do it, then is surprised every time when the truck gets stuck there. He loves being responsible for the truck, and his eyes SO SHINE at the opportunities he’s given to prove his truckly-manliness. He is a tireless worker, and has received the teachings on ethics squarely. Matthias: Matthias seemed like an outsider to the group when we first came, and acted a lot like that, too. However, as the month has proceeded, he has become more and more involved. He really enjoyed having the medical work come all the way down to his house, and the meeting last Friday with pastors and wives was enjoyed by Matthias and Beatrice so much that I think they really feel like a full part of things at this point. Matthias continues to do some work as a plumber, but has also done some of this work at the property as well, and this skill can be greatly used. Rhoda: She is doing pretty well, we have had numerous interactions with her both here at Grace Bandawe and at her house. She is weak at times, but gets around pretty well, and her recent blood testing was not quite bad enough to warrant long-term anti-retroviral treatment as of yet. She is doing a solid job with maintaining inventory lists at the property to be sure that nothing is walking off the place, and takes this responsibility seriously. I think she is counting empty cement bags to be sure that they were used on the project (bless her heart). I think we need to continue to support her, but this should be part of on overall plan for her, and not just a job. MANASO: The Malawi network of AIDS Service organizations – contact person is Cassim Chilaya, phone 08524100, he is a converted Moslem who was cut off from his family after becoming a Christian, he has AIDS since 2004 and works as an AIDS counselor at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. This is an organization of networking service providers with a very low annual membership, advantages are information-sharing and some degree of legitimacy, some funds are funneled through this organization, and they actually examine all of their member organizations every 3 months to be sure that they are doing what they say they are. Regional officer is Mr. Ndaona Muyaya, 09935188 0r 01835046. Evangelical Association of Malawi – good luck on this one. It was supposed to be a real entity, but Frank and I chased around several places where others had told us they were headquartered, finally found a house on the Presbyterian Synod grounds where people living in the house beside them said they were quartered, but we found the place deserted with the power shut off. One part of the house had had a recent electrical fire… Malawi Revenue Authority – What a great find. It’s across the upper street from the Shop-Rite in Chichiri, and we got tax-free status from them for the cement. Equally importantly, if we have large purchases from one supplier in the future, for example the major wiring purchases or furniture or sanitary supplies (toilets, sinks, etc.) we can go to them and get tax-exempt forms for each purchase for 1200 Kw fee (each). Frank and I have discussed this at length. Office of Social Welfare: The letter that was written last week has been accepted (thank the Lord), and we have the application to complete and submit. We think we’ll be able to do this on Friday, we have a good working relationship with the assistant director there, she seems to actually like us, and I think we can build on this relationship in the future. Cornfield near the property: A church bought this property to build on, then changed their mind and moved to Zomba. Elton is checking on this, and has made contact with the owner. They will be contacting him back in the next couple of days. I think this is a great idea, and will provide both some work-study opportunities for the orphanage and some needed food. I would expect the price to be 60K-100K, and I think we should jump on it if it is anywhere near this. Bibles and songbooks: We bought 120 Bibles and placed Moslem witnessing tools in each one. We also bought 30 songbooks. All have been evenly divided between the churches and delivered. The girls did a great job of coordinating this. We tried to get a Bible to “Samson” the tinsmith, but he was not there the day we went to Nkolokoti – Randy will have to get this to him. Tendai: She seems to be doing well, in a caring environment, surrounded by family. I doubt that much more can be done for her. Giving her more things will increase inter-family jealousy in all likelihood. We have fostered an attitude in her family that somehow Acts 3 should be providing for her – it seems that any contact we have with them is an opportunity to ask for azungu money. We gave 7000 Kw in supplies to the family, then brought her to the hotel for a day – I think she enjoyed herself. Congoma: We did get to the Congoma headquarters over on Ndirende loop near the Portland Cement plant. They told us that we must belong to Congoma by Malawi law, and it was listed by the Office of Social welfare as a necessary step. I think that we should just play this by ear after we hear the result of our application to the District Assembly. They may mandate it, but otherwise I’m still not seeing the advantage… Regular supply of maize and medications: I have asked the pastors to identify those older widows who truly can’t support themselves and who are taking care of orphans or multiple dependants. I think we need to be providing a small amount of maize or other staples regularly to these church members. I know that we don’t want to create dependency, but I find little “wiggle room” in James 1:29. I have asked Elton to oversee this. Pastors’ account books: I have been using the pastors in specific areas using formal log books and mutual accountability, and it seems to be working thus far. I have entered all data into my computer and am following each book regularly, making sure that the books balance and that Acts 3 moneys remain separate from personal money. I have given Frank Gama responsibility over sand purchases from the local women who are piling regularly around the property; Bosco is responsible for gravel and brick purchases and truck expenses – gas & maintenance; Aubrey was responsible for the gate purchase; and Frank Maini is responsible for hardware and lumber purchases. I give them money as needed, then examine their books and purchases and cash-on-hand to be sure that they all match – and they have done incredibly well with keeping the balances accurate (except Frank Gama who has a little problem with math…). I’d like to see this system continue, since it is working so well, and provides the right balance between trust and accountability. Money given as allowances this month: I had an intense conversation with all of the pastors, and told them that I was expecting a great deal out of them for the entire month, that this was a one-time gift, and that they should not expect any change in their overall pay schedule. I do feel that the men at the property working for us, being paid daily wages for helping to shovel gravel and stack bricks, are worthy of being paid, but did not want the pastors to be in a position of working harder and longer than these men and being paid less (while also carrying their church responsibilities). All this to justify the following expenses: Frank Maini – 12,000 Frank Gama – 10,000 Aubrey Kalima – 10,000 + 50,000 wedding Elton Jobe – 4000 for wife transport; 10,000 allowance Bosco Masaukis – 8000 Matthias Komkwani – 7000 Rhoda Mvola – 7000 Security Guard #1 (living on property) – 3500 Security Guard #2 (living off property) - 4000 Hospitals: Queen Elizabeth – this is an unacceptable level of medical care for any purpose other than desperate need, and even then is really not something that I would recommend. See my comments in the blog. Mwai Wathu Private Hospital (near Grace Bandawe on Chileka Road): We visited this hospital today, and established a first contact. It is a great facility, very clean and well-kept. I am writing a letter to them requesting that an account be set up for us to use for ourselves and possibly for the orphan needs. I will be getting a price list for services, and will visit them again prior to leaving. Salvation Army: What a great contact we had with the Salvation Army today. Every time we have dealings with this organization, we are reminded of how much we enjoy their philosophy and their personnel. We met Lieutenant Colonel Jean & David, who have been officers in Tanzania and Malawi for decades, and are just going back to the main headquarters in Great Britain. She (Jean) filled us in on the SA outreaches, including running the local churches, doing orphan care, a marvelous adult literacy program which they use to introduce health issues and Bible study courses, HIV counseling, water projects, and some micro-credit programs designed to begin business skills in select groups of Malawians. We are still processing some of these concepts. She did confirm that only 12% of males graduating from high schools get jobs – the rest just sit. We are thinking and praying about local answers to some of these problems. Stefano: This is a young man at Nkolokoti church who was a pastor in Zomba, moved here to find work, leaving his family (wife & 2 kids) at home. He has a very sweet spirit and is regular in attendance at Nkolokoti church, serving as an elder and visiting the sick. I felt that we should look into his situation and consider some kind of intervention, as the Lord leads us. I invited him to have a preliminary conversation with Elton, Frank M and myself, but it has not materialized. Mr. Makunganya: This is a recent member of the Ndirende church, started coming to the church 3-4 weeks before we came. He is a “pastor from Zomba”, also left his family in Zomba (we think). Frank Mine is concerned about him, Elton has had more dealings with him, and is more comfortable. He takes a group of people to the mountain to pray each week, and receives donations from some church members. He is going to the mountain to pray with Rhoda and others (hopefully) all night this Thursday night. We have delivered warnings about wolves and those who lead women astray to the pastors. This situation bears some watching. Adam : Adam has been driving us around, and has attended the Ndirende church at Easter. We went to his home, spent an hour with Adam, Chrissie, Ignatius, and Emily. I don’t know whether Adam is interested because of azungu money – he has been direct in asking us to help him get a car of his own. His home is way below standards, even for Ndirende, but Chrissie keeps it well, and seems to enjoy the attention from us. Cab fares to Blantyre: 500 Kw – Shoprite: 800 Kw – Limbe: 1000 Kw. Public transport is available and is much cheaper, but very crowded. It is always available – little waiting time. We used public transport a great deal – not as efficient but I think really bonded us more with the pastors and women. Speed of putting the orphanage into service: Every orphanage owner/representative that we talked with (4 total) had the same recommendation: GO SLOW. The staff is of critical importance. The staff must be carefully selected and fully trained. They must be committed Christians, known to the pastors. Horror story after horror story was told to us of teachers who secretly teach Moslem doctrines or witchcraft; of caretakers who take sick children from orphanages to the witch doctors; of staff members molesting children; and on and on. Staff selection is of critical importance, and going slowly as God provides appropriate and high-quality staff – this is everyone’s recommendation. The need for orphanages is great, but it needs to be safe and high-quality care, otherwise we are taking children from one bad situation into another. We need to plan for full occupancy in 2 years, not 2 months – unless God blesses us with fully trained and excellent Christian staff all at once. The reputation of this orphanage is a precious commodity, and will be tarnished greatly by avoidable mistakes. Just because we have found teachers and nurses willing to work does not mean that they will be good for the children. Prison ministry: Today we had a marvelous time at the Chichiri prison. We were escorted into a field area, and about 70 men gathered for an impromptu service. It was marvelous, with good singing and excellent preaching by Frank Maini. Elton added a bit, and I added a little more, but the effect was remarkable. We took sugar and soap yesterday as our ticket in, but I feel that this prison ministry should be a regular weekly part of the Acts 3 ministry, perhaps rotating different preachers into the prison in a certain time slot.

Printer: I don't have a printer cord to connect my laptop to this particular printer. It looks to be in excellent working condition, I think I can confidently say that it should work, for as carefully as it has been handled. The battery/power supply is listed only for 110, as is the printer itself. I was not comfortable plugging the battery into the 220, although I'm sure that's what has been done in the past. I would bring the cartridges.