Day 2 - Village, nets, markets and driving

Today was supposed to be a slower day, a day to acclimate to the culture and the new time zone. Instead we drove all over the city, bought vegetables in the local market, exchanged money, bought 446 mosquito nets, visited Chief Malika in the Chimpampha Village, prepared for our upcoming VBS, played fubol with the ABC team, went to India Town, met with our COTN hosts and a whole bunch more. One day removed from standing in line at the airport to now we're all over the place. It's an amazing world that we live in.



What I've found out already is that when you have a ton of people with you who are passionate about serving, you can get a lot done!



Buying 446 mosquito nets was a pretty amazing thing to be a part of, specifically because of how the money was raised. Several of our students raised money on their own and others contributed to this cause. If you think about the numbers, it makes you want to be a part of something like this.

446 mosquito nets at a cost of $6 each = $2,676.
$2,676 = 462,948 Kwacha (Malawian currency).
Each net means that 4 people will live.
446 nets = 1,784 lives potentially saved from malaria.
As I reflect about this though I'm still bothered. Because honestly it's only 1,700+ lives that are being given hope. That number should be higher and it just makes me want to figure out how we as Americans can do more. We should give more, help more, love more and help bring joy, peace and hope to the world. Tomorrow we're going back to the village to hand out some of the nets, but one of the things I'll be doing is walking all of our team by the well that is broken. Because I think it should be fixed. I don't think it's ok that people die from malaria because of a mosquito bite and go years and years without clean water. I'm hoping that when they see the well `they are bothered and they are driven to do something about it. This is how the world is changed...by going...seeing...and then doing.

Speak Love, Act Love, Live Love.
Change the World.

Paul


*pictures wouldn't upload with this so I'll add them on facebook later today.

- Posted from the other side of the world