Prayer Letter: April 2021
It is good to be writing to you from Mzuzu again. When we last wrote, we were completing our self-isolation after travelling from the UK. At that time, Malawi also experienced a second wave of COVID-19 cases that was much larger than the first. Hospitals began to fill up, and oxygen supplies started to run […]
Splendid Isolation?
We returned to Malawi last week, escaping the UK on lockdown day. We’ve arrived back as the country is experiencing a rise in coronavirus cases which is being attributed to the South African variant. Essential Travel In a journey that was full of hurdles that could have seen us returning to Edinburgh, we’re thankful that […]
Kirkintilloch Baptist Church
It was nice but strange to be back at Kirkintilloch Baptist Church on Sunday (6th September) – there was nobody there! Jacqueline and I each had time to share an update on what life has looked like over the last year or so in Malawi and the girls were excited to be on the television. […]
Prayer Letter: July 2020
Greetings from Edinburgh! I hope this belated update finds you well as lockdown begins to ease. It’s been a while since our last Partner Plan letter, and a lot has happened in that time. Let me bring you back up to speed. Our planned deputation visit for April and May was cancelled when UK restrictions […]
5 ways you’re getting cross-cultural experience on lockdown
It’s been 3 weeks since we came back to Scotland. While we’re looking forward to getting back to Malawi, we know that that’s uncertain for now. Maybe it’s longing to be outside in warmer weather, but I can’t help noticing some parallels between cross-cultural living and life on ‘lockdown’. So, with a mostly humorous tone, […]
Not quite home from home
I should start by saying that we have been wonderfully welcomed to Malawi. One of the reasons that this posting was so attractive was that it is in the northern city of Mzuzu. It’s big, but not too big. People get to know you, but not everyone knows you. It’s well served, but not too […]
Prayer Letter: February 2020
Malawi, like much of Africa, has a reputation for having a slower pace of life. However, that does not seem to marry with our experience as it feels like a few weeks since our last letter and it is actually over two months ago. While it is true there are many things that can’t be […]
A day in the life…
It might be easy to imagine me out ‘in the field’ (wherever that is), traveling in a 4×4 through the red-brown mud of rainy season and wearing a khaki utility vest (I have the vest, it has 14 pockets and 4 hooks – for what, I do not know). I do go out to visit […]
Prayer Letter: December 2019
Christmas carols in over 30ºC heat is a new experience for our family. This time last year I was headed home after spending 6 weeks here in Mzuzu, starting work and preparing for our big family move. Now Mzuzu is a second home to us. We have friends, colleagues, a local church, a house and […]
It’s time for men’s disempowerment projects
Through work overseas and life in general, it’s impossible not to notice the harsh and cruel realities that women face. The reality of violence – physical, sexual, verbal and psychological – is all too present in our world. Violence inflicted by men and left unchecked by the (generally) men with the power to change it. […]