My Girlies! Madalisto & Mirriam

As I look a bit run down in this pic, it is only a reflection of my day today. Yes, that is spit up on my left sleeve. It started as a normal day at the nursery, followed by a mid-morning jaunt to the health clinic. 9 babies needed immunizations and there were 3 of us, 2 nannies and myself, giving us 3 babies each. We loaded up in the minibus, I had 3 on my lap (no carseats here!) as did the other nannies. It was a sight, and I would have snapped a pic if I had a free hand. I am thankful for having 6 years of nursing practice and a lifetime of holding babies for this trip, because without it, I am almost certain someone would not have survived. As I have mentioned before, most of the roads are dirt, very few paved and they have large potholes and crevasses making a smooth ride more of a concept than a reality. What else should I expect? I am in Africa. So, we were bouncing around, as was the seat I was sitting on that was not bolted down and we pulled up to the clinic. The nannies were laughing because everyone was staring. I wasn't sure if it was because we had so many babies or if it was me. The nannies were certain it was me. They kept joking with me, telling me "They think you are Madonna!". The people stare not out of rudeness, but more out of disbelief that I am there. As Americans we are exposed to diversity all of the time that we don't even think twice about seeing others of a different race or nationality. Here there is very little diversity. It would be fair to say that almost every person here of a different race is doing some type of mission work. An example is from an encounter I had on my walk home this evening. First, Malawians are very friendly. A "hello" is not complete without a "how are you?". This is the greeting that is exchanged upon seeing just about anyone. So I passed this guy and said "hello, how are you?". With wide eyes he replied "fine, how are you?" and quickly asked if he could ask me a question. I said sure, so he asked me my name. He proceeded to tell me that I was the first white person he has ever spoken with. He was so excited. I thought it was neat too.

Good changes are happening at the nursery. The babies are doing great and most are growing. I am still concerned about a few but we are making some nutritional changes to help them grow. They are all such blessings. They thank you for your prayers.

..."My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9