Getting Ready (again)

 Our time in Lilongwe is about done.  We have been oriented to the workings of Ministry of Hope, especially the Crisis Nursery that we are going to be functioning like.   We have purchased home furnishings from the Dimmocks, since they are liquidating before returning to the U.S. for a year.  So, all that is left is to register the Land Cruiser, get car insurance, get an oil change, load the truck that will haul us north and we're set.   Sounds so easy, but when the day was spent we got about half of it accomplished.  The insurance company was actually a breeze, a nice building with professional staff that understood what was going on.   It only took a half hour to get insurance, and that was before we transferred ownership.  Next stop, the Road Traffic Office (read Motor Vehicle Department).   Thankfully I had Mr. Kamonga, the "do it all" guy from Ministry of Hope with me.  After arriving at the shabby offices with a dirt parking lot, we milled through a line to ask where to change ownership of a vehicle.   We were directed to the back of the building and found a tiny office labeled Vehicle Registration.  After presenting the bill of sale, previous registration, and road tax receipt, we were told that the documentation was insufficient because the owner was an Indian citizen and had only a passport for identification.   We must return to the owner and get something Malawian as I.D.  So we returned and found that even though the wife was the registered owner of the Land Cruiser, she doesn't drive or have any Malawian I.D.  So I filled out the 4 page form for transferring ownership and put in the info that was provided and we will try again tomorrow, since the office begins to wind down at 3 pm.   In the meantime we did get the lorrie (code word for a flat bed truck with sides about a foot tall) that will transport our stuff partially loaded with appliances purchased in Lilongwe and the other home furnishings.   So tomorrow (Friday) we will try for the other half of the list, oil change, car registration and finish loading.  The Lord must be teaching yet another lesson in patience here, as almost everything takes much longer than expected.

 

On the bright side, Lisa had another success with her "miracle drug" for stomach trouble (grapefruit seed extract).   The gardener/day watchman was sick for the past day or so and showed up late for work today.  When Lisa found out that his symptoms were similar to what our Sarah had suffered, she offered him the same treatment.   He reported that it helped and he was feeling much better after one dose.  He was given some medicine from the missionary in the other house but he said it hadn't worked.   He had gone to the hospital and they had given him Immodium but he said that her medicine had worked when the others hadn't.  Sounds like the wish list of things to bring or send us may include this handy item since it's also good for general disinfecting as well as stomach ailments.