Engaging the Malawian Culture!
Greetings from Olena and Mariel! We are all soaking in another beautiful week in Malawi 
On Saturday, we rode to the village of Mtsiliza to learn more about the Widow’s Ministry there. We were greeted by 20 beautiful women who proudly displayed an array of Chitenje skirts, colorful bags, and hand-crafted jewelry that we could purchase. The money from the products sold goes to the women as a source of income for them and their families. It was wonderful to see these women who previously had no hope for the future, but now have hope in Jesus Christ and His provision! After we got back, we said goodbye to some of our new friends, a team of girls from Atlanta who were here to work with the widows and teach them new projects! After lunch, we journeyed over to Chitipi Children’s Home once again to play soccer and other games with the children. It was great to see the kids again and get to connect with the amazing staff there.
Sunday, we attended Flood Church again and returned to Njewa for what we thought would be a peaceful day of rest. What followed wasn’t quite what we had planned! Gretchen, Sarah, Olena, and Mariel were all invited by one of the COTN matrons to attend a Malawian Bridal Shower across town on Malawi’s army base. It was a blast! The bride came in dancing, and hordes of colorfully clad women came up in waves to literally “shower” Kwacha bills on the bride and into baskets. Women from the bride’s church also came up to give her advice on subjects ranging from communication, to dealing with the in-laws, to nutrition and HIV/AIDS prevention. It was a beautiful celebration of love and marriage, and we all felt so blessed to be able to share in that cultural experience with the Malawian people! After returning that night, we took a spontaneous run to 7-11 (yes, those exist here!) with Jeremiah, one of the cooks, for some filtered water and snacks.
Monday and Tuesday were spent with a team from Summit Church in Orlando, Florida, in Mgwayi village working on the community center there! It was great to get to know the other team better and to be able to play with the children more! The girls also got to take an adventure to another village for more bricks, which involved piling into the back of a flatbed truck and traveling on the highway as well as some rutted backcountry roads. Talk about bumpy! It was a little frightening at times, but the important thing is that we all made it back alive! 
Today, wednesday the 4th, was spent in Mgwayi village taking photos of the COTN children to update their sponsorship profiles! It was a great opportunity to get to interact with the very children that are being impacted by the love and support of COTN!
That’s all we have for now, but we’ll be sure to keep you all updated as we get to experience even more amazing ways that God is moving here in Malawi. Thank you SO very much for all the love and support!
with love,
Mariel, Olena, and the rest of us!
Most of us in the van! Sarah wasn’t quite there yet… Sorry!
p.s. quick correction- our friend and interpreter Alford is a volunteer, not a gap student. He is attending Kamuzu Academy and studying to become a doctor sorry for the typo!
Any chance you’ll get to attend a Malawian wedding? That would be wonderful!
We actually were going to attend the wedding this weekend, but we instead did the mobile clinic up in Gusu! Aw Schucks! -Bryan