Water Filters

So many of you already know that Jack's 4th grade class chose to make our trip to Malawi the focus of their spring service project.  Ms. Uthe and her class decided to sell flower pots to raise money for water filters.  As a class they developed a business plan, pot designs, and set a goal of selling enough flower pots to buy 3 water filters.  The class really got excited about this project and sold over 100 flower pots, raising enough $$ for 10 water filters!  Truly a blessing!

The day the class painted the pots we arranged for Lou Haveman, the Sawyer Filter salesman, to give a clean water demonstration.  The kids walked from school over to Hughes Park to find the dirty water we "planted."  With Mr. Haveman's water filter the kids were able to drink our neighbors green pool water right there on the spot.

It's now August and 4 of those filters have been given to the Tsandule Early Childhood Center in Dowa, Malawi.  This center services 5 villages, and has about 120 preschool students in attendance every morning.  The water filters will allow the children and the surrounding villages to have clean water.  No longer will diarrhea be a way of life for them.  They will enjoy health and clean water all because 4th graders in Hudsonville Michigan took the time to care about others; friends they may never meet.

THANK YOU MS. UTHE'S CLASS!  AND THE PARK ELEMENTARY FAMILY! 

The rest of the water filters will be distributed to 3 other early childhood centers in the Dowa District.

Last Day

I can't hardly believe today is our last day here in Malawi.  Seven weeks have flown by so quickly.  We're not ready to come home yet. (Jack just wants to get on the plane and go, no more of this packing and living in anticipation of leaving....if we have to leave, let's just go...)

Yesterday Steve was able to go to the building site and check on progress.  He was also able to say his "good byes" to the workers and Patron.  Dad and the boys continued to work on hanging the drywall in the office.

Today Dad and Steve hope to complete the drywall and trim work at the office, and still have time for one last trip to the Crisis Nursery.

This has been an amazing adventure.  Thank you to all of you who have supported us both financially and through prayer. We are so blessed!

Grandpa arrives in Malawi

Saturday we welcomed my dad to Malawi.  The kids could hardly contain themselves on the ride to the airport.  What we didn't realize was that on Saturdays groups of people use M1 to promote their causes.  So what we thought was going to be a 15 minute drive to the airport turned into a 30 minute drive.  I started to get nervous about missing Dad's plane landing when we saw all the traffic.  Then we discovered the traffic back up was due to a group of Muslim youth asking for money in the middle of M1.  Then, not 5 minutes later a Catholic choir was also asking for money.  Really, do you need an entire lane of the highway to beg for money on a Saturday?  Really?  I want to see my Dad...  We saw his plane land while we were driving, and we made it to the airport before he made it through customs. 

Arriving in Lilongwe
 



Dad's birthday was Friday while he was flying.  We made a cake and bought ice cream to celebrate.  Happy 65th Dad!
 

 

Grandpa and the girls working hard at the conference center.

CBO Visit

 


The children are practicing their alphabet and numbers.




The first room of the two room library.  There were books in both English and Chichewa.

Yesterday's CBO visit went very well.  It is amazing the difference between the first CBO and the second.  The first had just a tiny building with a grass roof, this one has a large 3 room building, metal roof, and a library.  Both CBO's service 5 surrounding villages.  This one also works with orphans and those with HIV. 

This time we taught them the song "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes", and played lots of games.  The kids had already showed us that they knew the parts of the body, so it was fun to teach them a song to help them remember.  They caught on very quickly.

 

Jump the River



Before leaving we presented one of the Village Chiefs with

two soccer balls, and promised to return with water filters from Ms. Uthe's class.  Then as we left the teachers sang to us as we drove away.  What a great day!  Looking forward to bringing the water filters next week!