I awaken to the sounds of crowing roosters and the village coming to life at dawn. There is no muslim call to prayer as I was use to in Koza. About three AM there were two dogs that decided to howl in unison for a few minutes. The wind sounded very strong about two AM. I awoke to chatter of the wind on the thatched roof and walls. I was immeadiately worried if this two storied thatched structure would collapse on us as we slept. After about a half hour and asking God to again protect us, i drifted off to sleep, until the dogs howled.
Now i sit 10 feet from lake malawi. Women with children tied their backs, wash cloths in the edge of the lake. Also last nights dishes are scrubbed with sand to get the soot off the outside then cleaned inside as well. Little naked boys 1-10 race around kickboxing with eachother and playing in the water. A few little girls play in the sand and others wash dishes and clothes with their mothers. In the distance a few dougout canoes return with their early morning catch.
Yesterday we hired a boat to take us out to see the fish eagles. We went to their area around an island that is clearly visible from land. Our guide would throw out fish and when they chose to, the would swoop down and snag the fish out of the water and fly back up to a crag and eat it. We got some great pictures of the catch. Then we went to another area and snorkeled. There were hundreds of fresh water tropical fish. Some were blue with black stripes. Others yellow wih a black pen stripe down each side, light blue with oeange dorsal fins, black with thin blue stripes, black with yellow dots… Variations were endless. I am constantly amazed by the beauty of creation that remains after many centuries of decline. I cannot wait for the day when the pain of this world is gone and we on e again are able to enjoy Heaven, they way God wanted us to live in the first place. How beautiful that will be!!! Im glad He’s given us glimpses of that, still seen on earth. Jesus, come and take us from this pain!
Today we head back to Malamulo. It has been such a peaceful time and I feel rejuvinated.
As Im writing this, a little girl, in a skirt walks up to the women on the beach and takes off her skirt and t-shirt then turns around grabbing her privated. Oops its a boy, and he is peeing on the beach facing me. I howl with laughter, then he lays down with criends on a small piece of burlap bag he had drug out with him. Now he scrapes the charcoal out of a pot and eats some then finishes washing it in the lake scrubbing the burned stuff with beach sand.
Other foriginers get into kayaks to go to the islands. Other caucasion kids that must be local, run around speaking chichewa and playing with the kids on the beach. Its neat that appear so comfortable. I dont know if I could ever feel the same way.
A mass of children run around doing karate moves on eachother as they have seen on a movie.
I see another naked girl, and immeadiately notice her umbilical hernia. At approximately 8 it wont close by itself and she likely will need surgery. Our training constantly effects how we view life and events around us. I stop writing my letter to you in preparation to take a swim. The water is very smooth today. Two weeks has flown by and one more remains.
Greg