I had a nice time visiting the States for two months, although it was pretty busy and the paperwork was very overwhelming! I did manage to get all the visas mentioned in my last blog post, although not without a lot of prayer, hard work, tears in some cases, and occasionally some rather unconventional methods! (You'll hear about that later on when I talk about the Malawi trip...)
I applied for the Malawi visa first, and called the Malawi consulate in DC an undetermined but excessive number of times to make sure the visa was, indeed, approved and coming back to me within a certain time frame. I'd like to give a shout out to Agnes, who appears to be the only employee working there or at least the only one answering the phone, for her patience with me. By the end of the process, she recognized my home and cell numbers and started answering the phone "hello, Abbie." Someone needs to give that lady a raise.
While in process for that visa, I finished compiling all the papers necessary for my South African visa. My friend and host in Chicago was also very patient with me as I couldn't nail down exact travel dates until less than a week before my arrival! I drove down on a Sunday, submitted paperwork on Monday, and drove back on Tuesday...which sounds simple, but it wasn't!
Sunday went well, although I probably arrived a little later than anticipated as there was a lot of roadwork on the way there. It was so nice to see my friend Kristine (from the Bible discipleship school I attended eight years ago) and catch up with her.
The plan was for me to leave Monday morning in plenty of time to apply for my visa. "Plenty of time" doesn't always end up happening with me, particularly when catching up with an old friend, and I left a bit late - although not before booking my parking on an app as per her recommendation. This was a really good thing because I paid about $7 as opposed to $30. (Chicago is not kind to the budget!)
I could not find my parking at first and circled the same block multiple times before realizing the parking garage was actually underground and Maps wasn't trying to completely confuse me. I managed to get in and park, but when I got out on the street I couldn't find the consulate! It was raining and I was wearing multiple layers and running up and down the crowded sidewalk...with an umbrella, causing quite the spectacle. I probably ran at least a mile, back and forth, before I finally found the consulate and burst inside, roasting hot, wet, sweaty, and not smelling so great. It was ten minutes before closing time.
The list of necessary paperwork had apparently changed, although thankfully, I had brought along a couple of the extra things not listed - just in case, or I just "happened" to have them on me, like my South African health insurance card. They weren't happy with my bank statements because I'd given them the ones that didn't show regular activity, so they sent me to the FedEx around the corner to go print more and to copy my insurance card. I spent more in that print shop than I ever have spent to print anything before - they charge you by the minute for your internet use as well!
However, I finally managed to compile everything I needed and headed back to the consulate, which graciously allowed me to come in and submit the necessary papers even though the visa submission hours had closed for the day. That was kind of nerve-wracking, however, as the person receiving them didn't seem very happy with my application and was possibly concerned that I was trying to retire to South Africa. (What??) I left the consulate with a nagging fear that perhaps my visa wouldn't go through this time.
I spent the rest of the day at a conservatory enjoying the flowers (yay! Something free in Chicago!) and visited several thrift stores and "Al's Under the L" takeaway while I waited for my friend to come home from work. It was a much nicer afternoon than morning.
I headed back Tuesday afternoon, braved all the roadwork again (I listened to the first book in the Ashtown Burials series by N.D. Wilson - I would highly recommend them!) and arrived back late that evening.
The next two weeks were spent visiting my friends in North Carolina and Minnesota! It was so nice to get a chance to catch up.
Sarah and I (above) and Anna (below). My girls are getting so big now!! You can read our story here.
My best friend has a BABY! I'm an auntie...well, I have been an auntie for years but now I am one again!
Shortly after returning from Minnesota in the beginning of June, I received my self-addressed envelope in the mail with my passport. I opened it in anticipation, to discover that my visa said it was valid for three months - not three years!
To say I was shaken would be an understatement. I didn't know what had happened, particularly since the expiry date on the visa wasn't for another three years. That led me to think it might be a mistake, but mostly, I was just freaking out. My life here is basically my whole world...and it was very difficult to trust God with the thing most precious to me. That night was pretty tough as I waited to call the consulate the next morning and see if they had made a mistake.
I was reminded of one time in church when our pastor asked us to write down the one thing that mattered most to us, that was the most valuable, and leave it under our seat when we left as a sign that we were surrendering it to God. I didn't do it because, quite frankly, I told myself it was silly, but honestly, that in itself was probably a pretty good diagnosis of my heart attitude.
It was one of the more unpleasant 24-hour periods of my life, but all in all, I can be thankful that God is working in me and loves me too much to allow anything to take precedence over Him...even working for Him and relationships with the church. And, I was very happy to discover the next morning that they had made a mistake and I could send my passport in for correction immediately! Please join me in praying, however, that I will somehow, some way be able to obtain paperwork that is more stable than a volunteer visa!
It was good to be able to spend time with my family while I was home. My grandma was not doing so well at assisted living so we moved her to a nursing home, which was difficult. It took a long time to get her dementia medicine sorted. She seems to be doing a lot better now, for which we are grateful.
Out for ice cream - my birthday and the day we moved her
Cousins!
Hiking with friends
Anyway, by the time we left at 5:30 AM for the bus the next day (I overslept - my body apparently couldn't take the sleep deprivation one day longer) I was very, very ready to sit and do nothing, if not for the entire 34 hour trip duration, at least for a while.
Boarding the bus
34 hours is a long time. Especially when you're basically subsisting on chili cheese puffs and coconut biscuits. At least that helped with the toilet situation. Since we rode the "nice" bus, we had a toilet. This toilet, however, could only be used for #1, which meant that we needed to time all other bathroom needs according to the schedule - and let me tell you, those buses hold a LOT of petrol, so it became a game of "whose tank is bigger?"....I had the cheese puffs working in my favor, though, so I ended up making it without any serious incidents.
There was a bit of a scare at the SA/Zimbabwe border where I was told I might not be able to get the Zim transit visa. Thankfully there was nothing to the warning and I was actually able to obtain one that was good for the return trip as well. I've been to Zim now and I have the papers to prove it, but it was dark both going and coming back, so I really haven't seen anything of the country besides a very questionable toilet in Harare in the middle of the night. I'm a bit sad that that, and the tumble dryer effect as the bus tried to make up time, are the only memories I have of that country. Hopefully someday I'll get a chance to return and see more!
We made it past the notoriously corrupt Zim/Mozambican border, although not without temporarily leaving half of our party behind when they went to go brush their teeth. The officials wouldn't let them walk across, but they were able to catch a ride on another bus and meet us at the next checkpoint, 100 yards or so down the road. We traveled through what is very much the "back country" of Mozambique, NOT the tourist area (very little in the way of towns at all, actually) and it was an enjoyable drive with a lot to see. I'm pretty sure my phone was dead by this point, so I couldn't take pictures.
We arrived at the Mozambique/Malawi border and stood around in a huddle for a long time while pickpockets, hawkers and beggars circled us like the prey we were. None of us lost anything - we were very careful, but I saw someone rob one of the vendors and run away. Someone bought a SIM card and some airtime from one of the vendors and we were able to call our host, who was on the way to pick us up. Hooray for skipping out on the rest of the bus ride!
Avoiding pickpockets like the pros
We very much enjoyed the ten days we spent there! If I'd been a faithful blogger, I would have done this a lot sooner and given you a day-by-day account, but this post is already getting kind of long so I'll just give you the highlights.
Obviously one of the best parts was getting to stay with the Chilingulos. It was so nice to be able to catch up with them and they were wonderful hosts, welcoming us into their lives with them, power outs and all. (There are a lot of power outs in Malawi - usually every day.) I loved getting to know people from the church there as well. Reformation Bible Church has 30-odd members, if I remember correctly, and most of them are in the young adult age group. We attended several conferences/seminars with them, including some that Donovan taught at the church and a marriage conference at a Bible school.
The Chilingulos - Newton, Vanessa, Chisomo, and Karabo
Church
Chisomo helping (or maybe just being cute) at a conference
On Saturday, we attended a prison ministry headed up by a local pastor. It was so cool to see how God is working even in the darkest of places. We were not allowed to take phones inside, so there are no pictures, but there were probably a hundred or so men there, eager to praise God. Maybe not all of them are serious, or some of them are putting it on, but there is definitely change happening in a number of men. Some of them even finished serving their time and went on to seminary. The man who heads it up is a former inmate and some of the current inmates play major roles in the prison church there.
We spent several afternoons during the week doing evangelism at a local teachers' college and on the street. This is not my strong suit and I was encouraged by how eager the members are RBC are to share the Gospel! It made me nervous, but it was great to do it alongside them, even if they were WAY better at it than me!
On the way
The chiwaya place
Visiting friends - Mercy (far right) was an intern here at MBH and we had dinner at her house.
Visiting a carpentry business run by a guy from RBC. There are a number of people from the church who have started businesses that seem to be thriving and it's cool to see!
I can't keep up with the men when it comes to eating pap...haha!
Two of my teammates
One of my favorite parts of Malawi? The signs!
The meaning of this sign is slightly unclear....haha!
Look, Shoprite has made it to Malawi!
Also seen (I didn't manage to take pictures) were:
Cc's God's Chosen Cosmetics and Salon
God's Time Barbershop
God's Will Car Wash
God is Wonderful General Plumbing Works
God First Furniture and Joinery Workshop
Praise God Kennedy Butchery
Blessings Shoppings
Lost but Found Halaal Butchery
In Christ Salon and Cosmetics
No Blackout Salon and Barbershop
Let God Be God Shop
Highly Favoured Cosmetics
Rock of Ages Takeaway
Praise God Shop
I enjoyed my week in Lilongwe! There was always something new to see when we went out for a drive!
I would be remiss to avoid mentioning the entire Mozambican Visa Ordeal, which definitely deserves to be capitalized. As I mentioned in my last blog post, I needed a return transit visa for Mozambique, and I needed to apply for it in Malawi. The timeline went something like this.
Monday: Show up at consulate. Realize we didn't check hours for visa submission. Consulate is closed.
Tuesday: Show up at consulate. Realize they won't let me in wearing flip flops ("slipers" and "bere muscles" were both apparently on the banned list), so I need to wear either Newton's or Garakai's shoes. I ended up wearing both of them, at different times, getting blisters, and making memories!
Garakai was stuck wearing my flip flops throughout this whole process...
Apply for visa. Realize that all that Malawian currency I just pulled out is not accepted because I'm not Malawian. They want USD. I have $20, not $50, so we need to find a place to exchange money. One place you have to have an account. Another place only has $100 bills and $8 in change. I don't want to trade money on the black market, so we have to drive all the way across town to somewhere where we can exchange money. (Let me take a moment to mention that Newton - our host - was an absolute saint throughout this entire frustrating process!!) Return, submit money for visa, which will come out Thursday.
Thursday: Went to Lake Malawi and made arrangements for it to be picked up, but it accidentally didn't get picked up.
The person felt really bad and totally went out of the way to help us, which culminated in a crazy weekend where we went and picked up the lady who ran the consulate after church on Sunday (we had to pay a bike taxi to show us her house), drove her to her boss's house to get the keys, drove to the consulate where we got my passport (yay! although I was feeling less than victorious at this point...just exhausted!), drove to the bank so I could pull money and give her a tip, then drove her back home. Oh, but the Sunday afternoon sounds uneventful? Throw in the fact that she was called "Mai Apostle" and ran her own church. The two very tactful, very kind, but very Reformed guys in the vehicle with me waited till I had my passport in my hand before they started in on the questions...😉
We headed back home that next week. I'd like to say the bus trip back was uneventful, but at least one of our members was nearly detained and thrown in a hospital for ten days to prove that she didn't have yellow fever from being in Zambia six months prior (i.e., they were looking for a bribe...) After that rather nerve-wracking scenario, we managed to finish out the rest of the trip and make it home, tired but all in one piece and not stuck in the back of a Mozambican police station or some hospital somewhere. All in all it was a very memorable trip!
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