monthly support and breakfast

I don't think that I tell you (my supporters) often enough how blessed by you I am. Right now, I mean financially, but you bless me in other ways too. We recieve our financial statement at the beginnning of every month and this month's was very encouraging, humbling, and full of blessing. Not only was it a larger amount that usual, but it is so fun to see the ways that God is working in the lives of people at home to support me here in Malawi. It is an incredibly humbling experience to rely on the generousity of other people as my only means of income. Anyway, thank you for believing in and supporting my work here in Malawi.

A story about my breakfast. I woke up at about 7 a.m. feeling like I'd had a good night of sleep. I had to get out of bed because my mosquito net was touching my face, which is about the worst feeling ever. I was also really hungry. Now, breakfast in Malawi is a little bit tricky. I have been trying not to buy cereal because it costs about $6.00 for 1 weeks worth, plus milk, which costs upwards of $6.00 per gallon (and tastes disgusting). So, that means I spend close to $12 a week on breakfast, seems a little high to me. Anyway yesterday I bought a new hot cereal to try. We had this really yummy cream of wheat type stuff in Cape Town so I thought this might be it.

I went out into the kitchen and started making this new stuff. It's called Mealie Meal. (I guess that should have been my first clue). It smells not so good. I cook it anyway. I see black things in it. I cook it anyway. It starts to thicken, looks gross, and smells gross. I keep cooking. It's done cooking, I put it in the bowl. Taste it. Gross. I'm about to eat it anyway because 1. I'm hungry, and 2. I feel like I haven't given it a fair chance. Upon closer inspection of the black things they are found to be bugs. I start to pick them out and eat it anyway. But I just can't do it. Not today. Sorry Mealie Meal, the South African favourite of families, not for me.

Zimbabwe Elections

Please join me in praying for the country of Zimbabwe. They have had their elections, and as far as I know the results have not been released. The current leader, Mugabe, is nothing short of a tyrant. "Africa's Hitler" is how I've heard him described by people I know. Perhaps a dramatic comparison, but when 80% of people are unemployed, inflation is at 100,000%, electricity, petrol, and food are scarce you really start to wonder. Especially when he throws a million dollar birthday party for himself.

I know a lot of people from Zim, and I can't even imagine what it's like to be completely displaced from your country, and to know that it's in shambles. Please pray for Shelley, Glenda, and Owen, fellow staff at the academy who are from Zimbabwe.

For more information:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/02/world/africa/02zimbabwe.html?ex=1304222400&en=e4f95916b4e5d098&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1726790,00.html?xid=rss-world (this one's good)