29th January 2026
Today we took the morning a little slower. I had some time to try and get some extra sleep and also have a second cup of coffee. Cephas went to his clinic across the street for a while until I was ready to leave for the Nkhwazi congregation’s property. I’ve never seen the place during the rainy season before so this was a treat. There has also been a lot of work done to certain parts of the property including a renovation of the hall, a new water tower being built, and some showers converted to hostels.
Driving through the fields leading up to the property was amazing. There is such variety in the crops that people plant around here. Maize (pretty standard), groundnuts (peanuts), soybeans, sunflowers, tobacco. I’m sure there are more. And that doesn’t include ask the different mango trees and other kinds of trees. We chose the perfect day to tour the Nkhwazi property. Not a drop of rain. I might mention that some of the crops grown commonly in Malawi are for food while others are cash crops which are sold to distributors (soybeans, groundnuts, cotton, tobacco). For our brethren it can be tempting to grow cash crops but some have a more direct benefit and less risk than others. A troublesome one is tobacco which has health dangers for those who grow it, harvest it, and process it.
Cephas and I walked almost the whole perimeter where we have a filled that can easily be ready for soccer, cross growing which can help support the congregation, a few test patches of grass seed to hopefully find some pleasant ground cover. The main area has some semi permanent bamboo structures that are covered in handmade reed mats for the Feast of Tabernacles. There are also three different wells on the property, each with their own tank (except the newest which will soon be installed) and solar pump. There should always be plenty of water for all sorts of activities including the Feast, youth camps, Holy Days, baptisms, and whatever else the congregations might think of.
Just as we were thinking of going to visit a few of the brethren in the area, Cephas received a call. It was an old instructor of his who happened to be in the area for work. The man stopped in for a short visit.
In the afternoon, while waiting for another planned visitor from a different part of the country, we drove to visit the Kanthiti family. They live not too far from the church propert in an area with other family members. We had a chance to see many of the crops they have grown this year including rice and the tamest maize I think I have ever seen. They have a nice plot of land and access to water for irrigation.
We headed home for lunch and to regroup a little before our visitor from out of town arrived. We had a nice long chat before saying our goodbyes. A little while before sunset we went back out to visit a few more homes of some brethren. I had a chance to practice some of the Chichewa phrases I’ve learned in the past. We got to really see how people live, what their homes are like, the crops they grow, and also to see more of how different everything is during the rainy season.
For dinner we had a lovely treat: chambo and chips! Another nice end to another lovely day. Now for sleep. Tomorrow starts early.
PS – The mosquitoes decided to start showing their presence today. Thankfully I was only bit a few times and mostly during the daytime. The most dangerous mosquitoes come out at night. That’s what nets are for.
-Lewis VanAusdle
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