Hi everyone! It's been a
wee while since our last update, quite frankly because things have been
changing at such a pace that we have barely been able to understand what's
going on ourselves, let alone explain it to others in blog form!
Coronavirus
You won't be surprised that a large part of this month has
been spent grappling with the global pandemic that came totally out of left
field and sent the whole world topsy-turvy. I had planned to just have a short
paragraph on this, but there's just too much to share to get into a short
section (I've tried writing this blog three different times this week, and by
the next day everything I'd written had changed!), so please bear with a bit
more chat about Covid-19…sorry!
Malawi was one of the last countries to confirm cases of
coronavirus, in early April. The numbers suggest that the spread here is pretty
slow, and largely just imported cases. At time of writing, there have been 17
confirmed cases of coronavirus in Malawi, though we expect the actual number is
likely higher than that, as testing has been minimal, results have been delayed
in being confirmed positive, and we struggle to believe that everyone showing
symptoms is seeking testing.
Government Guidance
Guidance from the government on how to manage the virus has
been…mixed. We've been really encouraged to see good hygiene practises being
prioritised in lots of ways; any public buildings are required to have hand
washing facilities at the entrance, and the government have been very clear on
the message to regularly wash hands, catch your coughs/sneezes with a tissue or
elbow, and stay at least 1m away from other people.
At the same time, the information about new measures being
implemented from week to week have been unclear, contradictory at times, and
just confusing. As we've been working closely with the church here, we have
been focussed on what the guidance is for public or religious gatherings, in
order to follow this guidance and protect our church members. Over the course
of the last three weeks the guidance has swung from "no social gatherings
over 100", "all social gatherings are banned", "religious
meetings are cancelled", "religious meetings are not cancelled",
"no gatherings over 10 people", "no gatherings over 5
people", "no gatherings over 5 people unless it's a religious
gathering, then it's fine as long as it's under 50 people" and back again,
seemingly every other day…and sometimes on the same day, depending on which
government minister you get your information from. It's been very difficult to
know what is trustworthy (as fake news spreads very fast here too) and how to
make decisions or plans. It's been pretty exhausting!
Last week, the government announced that the country would
go into a 21-day lockdown as of Saturday 18th April. Honestly, I was personally
relieved to have a clear answer as to what to expect life to look like for a
while. Even with this decisive action, lots was still unclear, like, for
example, what movements were actually restricted during lockdown, and just
exactly how to get permits to travel for essential means. Anyway, as we waited
for a bit more clarity, but prepared ourselves for at least 3 weeks at home, we
found out on Friday (the day before lockdown was due to begin) that a human
rights group in Malawi was taking the government to court, for not consulting
Parliament before implementing the lockdown, and that the court had ruled a 7
day stay on lockdown, so it could be discussed by all parties. So effectively,
lockdown is paused for this week, and we await more news. Again, all very back
and forth and confusing!
Healthcare
A difficulty the country faces, especially now, is the weak
healthcare system. Alas, there is no NHS here. Healthcare has to be paid for,
and when much of the country lives in poverty, healthcare is difficult to
access. Other concerning news from the week are that there are only 20 ICU beds
across the whole of Malawi, there is a significant shortage of nurses, and over
this weekend, some public hospitals across the country have come to a
standstill as medical workers strike, because of under-staffing, and the lack
of PPE they are being provided with. Needless to say, that this is all
heartbreaking, and concerning. It's also been reported that many nurses and
healthcare professionals are not being allowed onto public transport, and are
facing discrimination in their communities, out of fear that they will spread
the virus onto people. Which is just so sad.
Politics &
Poverty
Two other major issues here in Malawi, that are being
accentuated at this time of national emergency are the political situation, and
the widespread poverty that many people live in.
We have faced daily reminders that being in a position to undergo
'lockdown' is a privilege that many don't have. There have been widespread
riots and protests since the lockdown was announced, as people declare "I
would rather die of coronavirus than of hunger". And this is the reality
that so many people are living in. For those who wake up each day and go out to
seek casual labour for work, or who rely upon their market stall for their
daily funds, in order to be able to eat that night, lockdown really does mean
loss of livelihood, and therefore, hunger. We've yet to hear if there is a plan
from the government to support people through this, should a lockdown happen. It
is exceptionally hard to know what is best for the country, when lockdown
brings so many issues, but coronavirus is also dangerous. Even in the case of a
lockdown, the reality is that townships and market places are overcrowded, and
that people have to leave their homes to access water and food each day.
The political situation is the country remains fairly
turbulent. In February the courts declared that the election results of last
year were voided, due to inconsistencies in the vote count. New elections were
to be held within 150 days of this ruling. Since then, the ruling party, and
the electoral commission have both gone to court to appeal the result, which
has been a long process in itself, and now the coronavirus looks set to impact
whether the new elections can happen. This has led to widespread suspicion of
government guidance around lockdowns for example, as many feel it is a
political move, in order for the president to remain in power a bit longer.
So, there are many complex issues playing out in the
country, and it is all having an impact on how this emergency is being
addressed. And it is very difficult to find any answers that meet or solve
these problems. We are so used in the West to facing a problem and immediately
doing something to fix it. We believe we can fix our own problems. I have lived
my life with this perspective. Being here this last month has shaken that
perspective. Initially, I was angry. Angry at the government, and angry at
people, for not presenting clear methods of fixing the problem, or protecting
people. The more time has gone on, the more I have seen that some problems just
don't have answers. I'll be honest, I have felt angry at people this month for
saying, "we have to trust God will protect us". As a Christian, I
believe that God does protect us. But I was feeling anger at what seemed to me
like foolishness. I wanted people to do something
to protect themselves. Again, this is a privilege that I have grown up knowing.
If I face a problem, either myself, or someone I know, or the leaders of my
country, will probably be able to do something to help me out. It's hit me more
and more as time has gone on, that sometimes we have to fall upon our trust in
God, have to fall upon crying out to Him in prayer, because there is sometimes
nothing we can do to fix, or solve, or prevent these huge problems. But we do
know the one who can. So please, if you pray, please pray with me protection
over Malawi. These problems are too big for me, for my church, for the
government…but I believe they are not too big for God.
Our Perspective
Right now, I just feel tired. At other times I have felt
scared, then anxious, then angry, then sad, then alone, then hopeless, then
like no-one understands, then numb. I am thankful that I have found a source of
peace during times of worshipping my Father. But, honestly, it has been hard,
and my mental health has been effected pretty significantly, as I'm sure we are
all experiencing to some extent.
As with many other countries across Africa, there was a
delay of about 3-4 weeks between the first cases in the UK and the first cases
in Malawi. For us, this meant that we have felt the effects of having one foot
in the UK and one foot in Malawi very keenly, as we switch in and out of two
very different mindsets multiple times in any given day. It's all been very
strange, and feels a lot like going through culture shock round two, as we try
to live with both feet firmly in the country we are currently dwelling in,
whilst, admittedly, sometimes feeling like it would be much easier to have both
feet planted in the UK.
We've tried to use the extra time ahead of the virus
reaching Malawi to prepare for how we can support the most vulnerable members
of our church community, and thanks to a well-timed, unexpected financial gift,
we've been able to provide food relief items for 11 of our most vulnerable
families for a month. We delivered the last of them earlier in the week, just
before lockdown was announced. We're thanking God for His provision in this
area, and for his perfect timing, and praying for continued protection for
everyone in our church, and across Malawi.
There have been a number of hard decisions that we've had to
make in the last month, and the song 'Should I Stay or Should I Go' has never
been stuck in my head so often! As the British government put out calls for UK
residents currently abroad to come home, we had to make the decision of whether
we had the capacity to stay here, knowing healthcare would be less easily
accessible, that lockdowns were potentially on the horizon, and that commercial
flights were almost certainly going to be suspended for an unknown amount of
time. Trying to make such a difficult decision, with very little information to
base our decision on, and with a lot of fear flying around was so hard. But for
both of us, when we switched off our phones and sat in silence with God, felt a
peace about staying that quite frankly shouldn't have made sense. We believe
that God spoke to us about coming to Malawi this year, that He has not been
caught unawares by the arrival of this pandemic, and that He will continue to
be with us in this time, as He has been for the first six months here, and for
the entirety of our lives. Since making the decision, the virus has arrived in
Malawi, commercial flights have been suspended, lockdowns have been announced, and
things are feeling pretty scary. I have to remind myself every day (sometimes
it's more like every hour!) that I do not have to give in to fear. Sometimes
that works, sometimes I feel the fear and it paralyses me. So again, if you
pray, I'd so appreciate your prayers.
Before we flew here this verse was incredibly important to
me:
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do
not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you
wherever you go." Joshua 1:9
I have been encouraged by this verse again this last week, as
I read through Joshua during my morning quiet times. In particular the phrase
"do not be discouraged" stood out to me in a way it hadn't before. To be DIScouraged, is to have courage taken
away from you. To lose your courage. I have known discouragement over this last
month. But I keep coming back to this verse and the truth that God tells me to
have courage, not because of my circumstances, nor because of my strength, but
because of HIS presence. And this verse reminds me that God is with me wherever
I go. He has not left me. So I do not have to lose my courage.
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| L-R: Cute kids, Mayi Tambala, Mayi Harrison, Me, Linds, Dumisani, Mayi Chitani, Mayi Nzeru. |
Lindsay Visit &
Easter
Onto some brighter topics! We are SO grateful that our dear
friend Linds managed to visit us, in what ended up being one of the last weeks
of normal travel being available! We had the most wonderful time catching up
with her, receiving encouragements (and snacks!) from home, introducing her to
new friends, seeing her reconnect with old ones, visiting the lake together
(glory!), and witnessing her profound love for 'puffs'. Lindsay has, for many years now, been someone
I can rely on to make me laugh, to make me cry (in the best way), to just get the ups and downs of living in a
different culture, to share bowel stories with, and to encourage me in a
down-to-earth but also lift-your-gaze-to-Jesus way. We love her and are very
grateful we got to spend some easy, fun, encouraging time with her during our
time here.
Our Easter here was a delight, despite being a bit up in the
air as to what we would be doing, or whether the church would be able to meet.
As it was, we met in smaller groups of house churches, and had a wonderful time
of joy, in the middle of fear and sadness. And that I guess is a wonderful way
to celebrate all that Easter is. When things seemed hopeless, and Jesus was buried
in that tomb, He rose from death to life, and brought us eternal life, joy and
hope in Him. Also, Scrivin and Annie's dog had just had puppies, which I got to
snuggle and play with! So that was an all round excellent Easter gift that I
was genuinely thankful for the whole rest of the week. Thank you Jesus for
puppies!
That was a long one. Good job for making it to the end!
Lots of love and prayers,
B&B x
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