Life is a series of choices. Today I made the right one as I
said I would take the classroom for Bro. John while he went and bought cement
for the compound in Nsanje which is three hours south of us, a long three hours
sort of like Dwayne Eddy wrote music about (40 mile of bad road). John and I
started the process yesterday by stopping by the cement factory where we were
told we could not buy there as they did not accept money (cash) because large
sums were too difficult to keep on site. We’re talking cement not gold dust.
John was told to go to a certain bank and make a deposit in
their account and on the next day come back and pick up the 30 bags of cement
after showing a deposit slip, sounds easy. This is something that you
have to experience as a missionary in a 4th world country to
understand “what do you do with all your time when not preaching or teaching?”
This is what your missionary is doing.
John left the house a little past half nine after teaching his
eight o’clock class. Went to the bank and arrived in close proximity to 1000
and was in line behind Asian business men who were making large deposits of
Kwacha over 6 million for one guy and 8 million for the other, all in small
bills. Only one teller and a looooong line. After better than an hour in line
he was told he was not in the system and could not buy cement, he had already
made the deposit but no receipt for cement. He was able to apply it to another missionaries
account? and get a receipt.
Again back at the factory in his little 3 ton lorry John is told
to see the traffic director for placement in the line of BIG
trucks. Well the TD was going to lunch and did not have time to take care of
such a small load. John used his time wisely and took care of some personal
business had lunch and went back to the factory, still no TD so he was told to
park his truck in a certain place but because he did not have appropriate
paperwork he could not enter so it was a standoff, he would smile and they
would smile back.
When the TD returned from lunch John was told he would
need to have the truck inspected for safety on the road and safety in the
compound where he was to pick up the cement. After the inspection he was
directed to the compound to pick up the 30 bags, at the gate he was stopped as
informed he would not be allowed in as he did not have a hard hat, safety vest
or safety shoes and a mask to cover his mouth and nose. He explained he was not
a worker but a customer, no dice. What to do? Well he borrowed equipment from
so employees
But no one had shoes to fit an American. He was told he could
get in line but not to get out of the truck, well once in line he read and
napped and waited for all the BIG trucks ahead of him to get serviced, when it
was his turn the man in charge signaled him out of the truck for consultation
Oh no, what to do, no shoes. After much discussion and passing out tracks to
the assembled onlookers he was permitted back in the lorry, reminded he did not
have safety tire blocks and road flares or orange reflective triangles (nobody
in Malawi has the last article)
John call at 1530 and said he would be home soon. Well at almost
1700 he arrived at his castle, tired, hungry and just a little piqued.
Please don’t ask a missionary what he does with all his time,
these adventures happen all the time, try going to a Malawi hardware store
sometime.
Yes I made the right choice today, let’s see what tomorrow
brings. God bless and keep you. Mr. Malawi
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