Snake !

It's different here in Malawi. Instead of oak and maple trees, we have jacaranda and acacia. Instead of robins and bluejays we have mouse birds and kingfishers. Monkeys, not squirrels, steal the corn from our garden and if there is a snake in the garden, chances are it's not harmless.

Factoid: 90% of the snakes found in Africa are poisonous.

We have seen snakes on the road and snakes on the path. Friends have reported snakes dropping from trees in their yard and even a snake dropping from a ceiling rafter into the bedroom. But we never, ever spotted one of these venomous vermin in OUR yard.....

until last night.

True, we had a small snake in the house at Christmas time, and another on the porch last week. Paul removed their heads with a big kitchen knife just to be safe. But they were not poisonous.

Last night was different.

About 8 pm we were sitting in the living room when the guard rapped on the gate with his keys. This usually means he wants tea leaves, or T.P., or some other something of little consequence. I sighed. “What now?” But when Paul went to the door he immediately called to me. “You gotta see this!”

There, dangling from the end of a long branch held by our guard, was a 2 foot long, deadly snake. The guard had killed it with a brick as it was making it's way down the driveway. OUR driveway. Towards OUR house. Just seeing the limp corpse gave me the heebee geebees!

Rainy season saturates the earth so snakes can't go into their holes like they usually do. The result is they are more apt to be out and about, especially at night. They hide in grass and bushes, hang from trees and generally terrorize the psyche of the children of Eve. I try not to think about it.

This morning, when our gardener talked to the night guards, he got thoroughly spooked and nearly turned white. As we left for work he was energetically cutting all the bushes and trimming all the trees near the snake's site of death. The last time he got this energetic was when the guards next door killed three snakes (count 'em—3 big ones) in one night.

At our home here in Malawi we go to great lengths to keep out intruders. There are bars on all the windows and doors. Our yard is completely fenced-in with a locked gate. An Emergency Response Service is prepared to send a crack team of professionals within 15 minutes of being summoned. And we have 2 guards on duty every night.

But none of these precautions are guaranteed to stop a snake in the grass.

God bless our guards.

And our gardener. We will return to our freshly trimmed yard and hope we don't have a repeat of last night's near security breach.

Short Timers

OK, we admit it. We have been slacking off lately. Hiding out. Perfecting avoidance.

Truth is, we are suffering from short-timer syndrome. Our flight home leaves Malawi in 10 weeks and counting.

“Who is going to replace you?”

This is our most FAQ (frequently asked question). Our unflinchingly confident reply is: “The Malawian staff.” It is both humbling and comforting to know that the Mzuzu Crisis Nursery is prepared to do quite well without us, thank you very much.

Who are these faithful Malawian professionals?

Augustine Harawa has been the Administrative Assistant and financial secretary almost since the founding of the Nursery in 2006. He has a Advanced Certificate in Business Management from Mzuzu University. More importantly, his honesty and integrity are above reproach. In fact he keeps us honest when we submit a voucher for reimbursement. His motto is: “No receipt, no reimbursement.” Augustine married lovely Tawonga on December 26, 2009 and their daughter Olivia Sandra arrived on November 28, 2010. He is a true gentle-man who speaks softly and carries a big smile. We sometimes refer to him as St. Augustine.

Joyce Nyasulu became our Nurse in February, 2010. Joyce came to us with many years of experience working for other NGOs (non-governmental organizations). She obtained a BSc degree in nursing from Howard University in Washington, D.C. as well as numerous diplomas and certifications in Malawi, including nurse-midwife. Her husband, Johanne teaches in the Physics Department at Mzuzu University and they have 4 grown children. We hope that she will be willing to function as Nurser/Director for the Nursery.

The plan is to create a local “oversight committee” so that Joyce and Augustine will have a supportive structure right here in Mzuzu. This group will likely consist of 3 Malawians and 2 Ex-pats. Part of the plan is to create a separate Mzuzu Crisis Nursery account in the States to facilitate direct donations. All this should become more clear in the months ahead. We'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, we try to stay focused. Above all we try to enjoy and give thanks for this privilege of living and working in Africa on behalf of God's most vulnerable little ones.