Visit Every City

3rd February 2026

Before heading to Dowa, Cephas and I made our way to Lilongwe, stopping at City Mall after fighting some of the queues. I was the driver for today … all day this time. We make a brief stop to find some coffee. My supply was running low and I was sure I could find something to get me by, even in Blantyre. Coffee, like most things, has become very expensive in Malawi. The instant coffees are just as expensive as the whole bean coffees grown locally or imported from other African countries. I seriously considered switching to tea for the remainder of my trip. Instead I opted for a cheaper coffee option—53% coffee, 47% chicory. I’ve tried the two common brands before. They aren’t exactly glamorous, but they’ll do in a pinch. And maybe with the right combination of cream and sugar I could get used to the warm molasses sort of flavor from the chicory. I bout a can of instant Frisco brand crystals as well as a small box (maybe a handful of servings) of Trekker brand grounds. The Trekker is 60% coffee.

We managed to arrive at the Thungula’s home in Dowa in time for lunch. Sophie was glad we wouldn’t be disappointing her this time. We were joined by Haiton’s friend Hampton Makwera, a very knowledgeable agriculturalist who did some training at Oregon State University in the early 90’s. It was another delicious meal which included bananas grown in Dowa. I was thinking it might have been my first Dowa-grown banana but it turns out the Chapambas have been feeding them to me all week!

Before heading out Haiton showed us some of the equipment he’s been able to purchase thanks to Good Works donations. He’s a retired forester and now a pastor and farmer. Actually most people in Malawi farm, or at least have some crops growing to feed their family. Through the years Haiton Sophie have fed their own children but have also helped raise many of their grandchildren, making sure they were taken care of and went to school. They’re still doing that. Farming has helped with that through the years. The Thungula farm in Dowa has experienced some serious droughts. Thankfully it’s located near a small river that they’ve been able to use to help irrigate their crops, but running a petrol pump from the river to cover the whole area during dry spells gets expensive and challenging. Good Works has supplied funds for a borehole well with a solar pump and storage tank to alleviate the pains of drought so the Thungulas and everyone they care for might continue surviving.

Again I was the driver. This time only a short distance in the direction we headed the previous day. At a certain point we turned off the tarmac and into the farmland. Haiton’s Hilux easily traversed the uneven pathways that are usually only navigable by foot or bush vehicle. We stopped in just a little ways where we could look out over someone’s field and see the mountains on the other side. A breathtaking view on such a day, between the greenery, the mountains, and the blue skies peaking through the fluffy clouds.

We walked down into the valley below through fields of maize and tomatoes, past pumpkin vines and mango trees. I even saw some okra and guava growing there. At a certain point we found the start of Haiton’s land, some maize fields across the path from a neighbor’s tomatoes. We walked the property line to the corner and then down to a clearing where a borehole well has been dug. A basic structure to hold a water tank has also been constructed. The only thing left to do is install the tank and pump, and then fit the pipes. There’s also a matter of security. Haiton has plans to try and make the positioning of the solar panels and the access to the pump undesirable for potential thieves.

Just across from the went into the banana field. I’ve seen fields of banana trees plenty of times, and individual trees growing here and there, but this was my first time walking through a banana forest. Bananas take a lot of water to grow. Now that Haiton has access to plenty of it. We pray that God sustains the water table in the area as well as the river nearby.

We went down to the river just to get an idea of what it must be like to try and irrigate from it. Then we went back to the banana grove to get an up close look at the crop. Meanwhile Hampton saw a snake slither away. I think that’s only the second or third snake I’ve seen in Malawi.

I typically give a live Bible study on YouTube every Monday night. These are usually done on location in various places in NYC. And when I’m traveling if I’m able to I go live wherever I’m at. There’s a pretty substantial time difference between NYC and Malawi, plus I’ve had difficulty with consistent signal in the past so I haven’t done any live studies online from Malawi for a few years. If you happen to tune in at 7:30pm Eastern Time you can use this link to watch each week: http://www.youtube.com/c/ucgnyc/live

I did want to try and record a study if possible. What better location than a banana grove in Dowa! Cephas and Haiton joined me as we discussed our history in the Church of God as well as some of the history of God’s people here in Malawi. Once I’m able to get the video loaded you can find it here along with previous Bible study videos: https://youtube.com/@ucgnyc

After recording the video we headed back to the Thungula’s house. We never did get rained on even though we saw the clouds in the distance and heard thunder rumbling across the valley. As we saw what looked like rain falling on mountains across from us but it was difficult to tell. There were signs of rain on the road along the way, and once we got nearby Haiton’s place it was obvious that there had been an intense but brief shower. Everything was wet.

Another cup of coffee before heading back out (Cephas had tea of course). We made a quick pitstop not far from Dowa near Dzaleka. There is a refugee camp nearby where (according to Google) over 56,000 refugees from mostly the DRC, Burundi, and Rwanda live. Apparently it was converted from a former maximum-security prison. It’s now very crowded. The market was very crowded and in the background we could see so many houses where I’m assuming quite a few people live. As I was waiting in the car for Cephas to return with a few groceries a procession of motorcycles drove by. I managed to capture it on video.

We were on the road again, traversing the streets and roundabouts of Lilongwe before heading back towards Nkhwazi. After dark it started raining. Driving at night on Malawian highways with no street lights or reflective lines on the roads is not for the weak. That night I had a few flashbacks to my very first time driving back to Lilongwe from Nkhwazi in the Bongo in 2017. Same roads, same potholes, same trucks, same people and cyclists running for cover.

Surprisingly the ground in Nkhwazi was completely dry. But there was electricity (if I remember correctly) and a warm meal waiting for us.

-Lewis VanAusdle