The sunset is always beautiful in Bangula, of that we can be certain. The sun begins as a fiery red ball at about 5 p.m. and then quickly sinks, leaving the sky a beautiful pink in it’s wake. ‘Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens. Your faithfulness stretches to the sky.’ Does it stretch here? It does. I know Christ is here because he has promised never to leave me or forsake me. I also know that He is where the poor and down trodden are.

Our journey here was long and demanding. The flight was the long part but not as demanding as the drive from Blantyre to Bangula. The beginning of our drive reminded me of other African cities I have been in, hot and active, lots of people selling, buying, washing, watching.

However, as we descended into the Shire Valley, the temperature began to rise. The beautiful view became a barren wasteland on closer inspection. The paved road turned to washboard. The dust swirled around us, making my hair feel like I had spent the day at the ocean. One of our boys rode in the back with Mo and our luggage and many new friends. The other two kids slept on my shoulder and knee. The sweat dripped down the backs of my legs. Where was Jesus leading us? Could this become home?

Next stop – the little shop beside the road with ‘fanta’ – how good that pineapple fanta tasted to our parched throats.

As the sun slipped below the horizon, we drove past the Bible school, which appeared to stand on it’s own, apart from the town. As we drove through Bangula, Ken (the driver), pointed out the hospital, and various schools.

We crossed the airstrip and pulled into the lane that leads to our house. Many friends waited at the house to welcome us. I wanted to collapse but before that could happen we needed to set up the bug tents and get the beds ready. The kids showered and were very happy to climb into their tents and zip out the world. They needed their space.

The kids’ room

As I lay down that night, I was grumpy and tired and trying to hold myself together. I slept fitfully, woken many times by the kids, needing reassurance and water. Since then, sleeping has improved. We have had one good night as I write and look forward to more as we adjust to the heat.

What is the house like? It is a three bedroom bungalow with two bathrooms. The kids are in the master bedroom because there is a bathroom attached. There are bugs everywhere – last night Mo killed a large spider and if we try to put a nail in the ceiling to hang anything up, there is a shower of dirt from the termites nesting in the roof. Yesterday there was an awful smell in our room. Charles (an angel sent from heaven I am sure) went into the roof and discovered the source – a dead rat. Once removed, the smell quickly disappeared.

We have another angel here whose name is Peter. Peter is helping me with housecleaning, cooking and laundry. This is a really good thing as it took me a good hour just to wash out a few clothes. Peter worked for ten years for an SIM missionary family who lived in Blantyre. We are both adjusting to having no oven or fridge. We do have a freezer, which means we have cold water – a real privilege. Peter is a gift – he speaks English very well and is helping us to adjust.

Mo is working very hard as he is the only Westerner at the Bible School at this point. This means that he does a fair amount of teaching, as well as managing the accounting for the school. Fran has returned to the U.S. for a break. Pam and Will are now running a center for orphans. They are living in tents on the other side of the air strip while they build several buildings. They used to live in this house, and moved over to make space for us. Again, an amazing gift! Tents would be really hard for us at this point.

I presented them with a soccer ball which they immediately put to use.

The Bible school is looking good. They now have water but no power. There are four dorm rooms and an office as well as a kitchen (a shelter for preparing food and cleaning dishes).

There is a lot to learn about living simply, about humility and about waiting. God will direct us in how to proceed, how to discern the greatest need, how to respond to the children at the gate.