Joni's Blog

Well, It is definately volunteer season here in Malawi. We've been so busy we can barely find time to sleep much less blog or email. Today we went with the group from Liberty Corner to the Khwamba Feeding Center. It was really fun. They just arrived on Monday so this was their first trip into a village and they were so eager to learn about and be involved in the culture. Everything they saw was so amazing to them. It made me realize how de-sensitized you get when you live in Malawi. I have begun to see the poverty and hardships as just a fact of life. Being with this team made me remember why it is that we are here and why we want so desperatly to help the people of Malawi. I really wished today that you could be here to see what we do and why we do it. I wanted to share my experiences with you but I have found that words and pictures don't do it justice. Dave, one of the group memebers asked me today "How do you share these experiences in a way that people can understand?" I didn't know what to say. After thinking about it all day my answer is this, you take pictures and talk about the things you saw and how they made you feel and hope that you've provided a good enough glimpse to touch somebody's heart.

May 8, 2008

I haven’t gotten to post anything since we got here so I though I would update you guys on what I’m up to.
Pretty much nothing... Justin and I get up in the morning and get ready for somebody to pick us up and take us to the office around 8am. When we get there, we check our email and answer any that need answering. After that Justin coordinates volunteers (booking hotels, making iteneraries, working out the details, etc.) and I read. At the moment I am reading a book titled, “Friend Raising” by Betty Barnett. However, I only have like 2 Chapters left so I will probably be finished by today or tomorrow. And then I will start “The Gospel according to Disney: Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust” by Mark Pinsky. I usally read and work crosswords until luch. After lunch I will finish whatever I was doing before we sat down to eat. As soon as I’m done with that I usually walk down to the nursery and play with babies or run errands with Justin. And then at about 5ish somebody takes us to get food and then back to the lodge we are currently living in....

When the teams start to arrive I will probably volunteer with them in the villages and nurseries but until then my days are pretty....relaxed. So thats it in a nutshell, a day in the life of Joni Manon!

Well, we have officially moved out of our house, moved into Justin's brother's house and are in the process of packing (six 50-pound bags!). We leave tomorrow (Wednesday the 23rd) for Texas to visit my parents for a few days before heading back to Malawi. We will be in Texas from Wednesday to Saturday. Saturday morning we will leave Texas and fly into Chicago. Sunday evening we will officially embark for Malawi. I don't know about you, but I AM EXCITED!!!! I will get to see my family and my friends for a few days and then I leave for my favorite place in the whole world.

Justin found a can of Greek Style Pringles in our kitchen as we were moving. These are very special because you can only get them in Malawi and they are my favorite flavor of Pringles. They are dusted with feta cheese and just a hint of avocado oil. They're delicious! Suffice it to say... we ate them and it made me VERY excited to return to Malawi. It made me think of the afternoons in the village sitting under a tree watching the children play "duck, duck, chicken" (apparently they don't have geese...).

The time I spent in Malawi last summer was time of peace and feeling content in my heart. I truly love the country. The adults are so kind and hospitable, the children have an amazing sense of trust and curiosity and, the scenery is gorgeous. I can’t wait to get there!!!!

Justin and I have started preparing for our departure to Malawi. This means moving, doctor visits (followed by enough prescriptions to start our own pharmacy), Visits to the dentist (you don't want dental problems in Malawi!)and... TWO WEEK NOTICES!!!

Moving is a little overwhelming. I never knew we had so much stuff! We're sorting through everything with piles of "going to Malawi", "going to Malawi, but I need it for the next few weeks", "not going to Malawi, but not keeping it" and, "not going to Malawi, needs to be stored." Our house looks like the aftermath of an indoor tornado!

The doctor visit consisted of asking for Lariam, Cipro and, Athsma Medication (for Justin). That took all of five minutes. Filling all of those prescriptions took 3 phone calls from the Pharmacist, 2 phone calls to the insurance agency and hopefully less than a 3 week wait for the Lariam (we have to start taking it a week before we leave.) Just in case you don't know what Lariam is, its a preventative medication to protect us against Malaria. Cipro is like a REALLY strong antibiotic in case eihter one of us cathces anything while we are there.

The dental visit was WAY less fun... I needed a routine check up because I hate going to the dentist so I never go... They said, "You're a good brusher." I thought "I'm in the clear!" Then, they said "You should floss a little more." I thought, "Well, its not the worst thing they could say..." FAMOUS LAST WORDS! They followed that by, "You have six cavities!" Appearantly I'm a little kid that needs to lay off the candy!

The two week notice has been fun for me, I have a little countdown going on. I have to work 8-10 more times and then I am a housewife (without a house because we are moving out of it)for a week. I think Justin is looking forward to this time too because it means that we'll be leaving for Malawi in a matter of days.

So, today Justin set it up so that I can blog too! I'm excited that I can share my thoughts, feelings, joys, and prayer requests with those of who check the amanonamission website.

I am very much excited about returning to Malawi. The thought of seeing the children and seving them warms my heart. Technically my job there is to support Justin but I totally get to play with the kids too!
Just in case you don't know my side of the Joni/Justin story I'll give you the VERY short version. I met Justin in Malawi, developed a crush on him while playing with babies at the Lilongwe Crisis Nursery, and fell in love when I saw how he was with the children in the Village of Matapila. I went to Africa knowing I was in for an adventure but had no idea exactly what kind of adventure...God can be so surprising. I can't wait to see what he does this time!

JONI