This morning we’re pretty impressed with ourselves because we leave only forty minutes behind schedule. This is as good as being on time in Malawi! We stop at a store to buy a ladder and light bulbs. In no time we’re back in the van and on our way to the AP compound, ready to shed some light on the subject and scour the place from top to bottom.
Then, the unexpected-yet-expected happens: we’re stopped by the police. This is not unusual in itself since the police regularly set up checkpoints to look for proper insurance stickers and driver’s licenses. On any ordinary day, we are sent on our way in just a couple of minutes. Today, however, is not an ordinary day.
The policeman who stops us insists that our van is not licensed for the city of Lilongwe. We can drive to and from Lilongwe, but not in Lilongwe. A loud discussion, which draws a bit of a crowd, ensues and the police commander is summoned. In the van, we can only pray, which is the best solution in a situation like this anyway. It’s completely out of our control, as are most things here. As the discussion intensifies, so does the prayer. Finally, an exasperated Moses asks the commander “ Why are you making it hard for these people? They just helped build school classrooms in Kawale and we’re on our way to Kaliyeka where we work with 200 township kids. They’ve come all the way here to help Malawians – why would you want to make it harder for them?” At this point, the commander casts a quick look at our van and says “You’re right – just go on.” And that is that. (We haven’t been stopped since.)
Eventually, we arrive in Kaliyeka to clean, only to find that there is no water throughout the township. No worries – we use our bottled water to mix cleaning solutions and get to work. It’s a tough job, with lots of creepy crawlies forced from their hiding places by brooms and assorted chemicals. The back part of the lot bordering the creek, is filled with trash and stones and broken glass, which the team attacks with rakes and shovels. The creek itself is just sewage and rotting garbage. Though it’s not on our property, I dream of transforming it and, one day, seeing fresh water flow from the windows of the Chifundo center. Why not?
At 1:00 the children start to file in wearing their red AP shirts. The plan today is for Mikaela and Mackenzie to dance for them, showing them something new, before they begin to teach. Moses sets up a speaker in the back yard with cable stretching into the office, where their iPhone is plugged into an amp. – which is plugged into the wall socket by bare wires. They start their piece called Child’s Play, but the music is cutting in and out, so we stop. Fred Cressman and Moses set to work on the problem. We have no electrical tape on hand but they discover that, if they hold the wires just so, it works. Which is what they do for 8 minutes, not moving and barely breathing.
Outside, the kids are completely captivated by the dance and the various images formed by the hooped skirts. They laugh at the dancers’ antics and clap their hands at the lifts and leaps. From the side, I have one eye on the kids and one on Mikaela and Mackenzie’s feet. Their stage is a platform of broken, pitted concrete which used to be the foundation of a small house. The sun is scorching as well as blinding and the surface is tricky, but they manage to soar in spite of it all – and the kids are thrilled. We ask the kids to identify any animals or objects they may have seen in the dance – and hands shoot up. They got it. Mikaela and Mackenzie dance their piece, Undaunted – a dance about freedom that releases freedom. Kids and adults alike respond… in freedom. Ufulu! (The Chichewa word for freedom.)
Now it’s the kids’ turn. As Happy blasts from the speakers, a full-blown party breaks out. It took an hour to upload this little clip, but it will give you a taste of the moment! As always, we’re grateful to everyone for reading, praying, supporting and taking the journey with us. It’s only right that we share the joy – and the freedom:) Ufulu!!!