Southern Malawi Ministry Centre

It is amazing how a few days can eclipse six months. What were we doing before coronavirus hit the world? We have spent the last few days preparing by setting up hand-washing stations at the gate and at strategic locations around the base. The children are washing their hands like never before. We have also given up shaking hands in favour of foot tapping or elbow knocking. It is hard to imagine how an intensely interactive community such as ours will be able to distance themselves from each other.

October was an intense month with lots of challenges. We had some major challenges at one of the 13 different secondary schools our children attend. We had to make significant changes in the arrangement of our girls’ houses, but all was eventually resolved. David, together with other leaders, were forced to do some quick work in hiring new teachers for the Iris Africa Primary School. We had found some excellent teachers at the beginning of the year, but two of those new teachers bailed early in the year. Interviewing is time consuming and quite difficult.

The other day I took a walk in the back property where we have planted hundreds of trees over the last year. There are trees at all different stages, from tiny seedling to fully mature. Each tree must be cared for according to its present needs. The littlest ones can’t survive without regular watering and weeding. The more mature trees can use their established root systems to find the nutrients that are required.

Every children’s home at Iris Malawi plants a field. They prepare the soil, plant the seeds and tend the crops, and then they harvest and eat the produce. This year’s crop was disappointing. While we did receive rain, it was inconsistent and there were long dry spells in-between. There was also a pest which ate the maize leaves, leaving the cobs vulnerable. Still, there was a harvest.

[Iris children and parents planting seed in their garden.]