Love's Harvest 2010

Friday 23 July with the Mothers’ Union and Balala Parish

After a farewell tea at Fr. Martin and Evelyn Mgeni’s home, we started off for Blantyre. We had a bit of drama—car trouble just as we entered the city—but our incredible driver John had us back on track in no time. We checked into our lodge, dropped all our bags, then headed to several meetings at the Diocesan Offices. Yasinta Mtambo, Mothers’ Union Coordinator and Love’s Harvest Director for Southern Malawi, joined us for a fruitful discussion with the very gracious Vicar General, Fr. Charles Msina. Then we were pleased and honored to meet with the top brass of the Mothers’ Union: Provincial President Joyce Jaffu, National President Alice Kambalametole and Mothers’ Union President Agnes Mwaulinwa.

What a savvy, warm and enthusiastic team! The Mothers’ Union is the backbone of Love’s Harvest. We depend upon the Mothers’ Union to implement and support our programs, and this meeting was an important step in our mutual understanding of how we can best support one another and grow together.

After lunch, Yasinta took us out to see our first village in the South, Balala Parish in Bangwe. We traveled quite a distance. When we met the women and men of the project, we then walked a long way to get to the demonstration garden.

Water is the main problem at Balala, and the reason why the main garden is so far away. We began to discuss with the warden whether a wheel pump might be built for Balala. It would cost less than $400 and permit a garden to be planted right at the church. We had our formal meeting in the church, with very moving speeches by the project secretary and church warden, who said this was the very first Mothers’ Union project the women had undertaken together. All expressed their strong desire to work hard to show their appreciation for Love’s Harvest’s coming to Balala.

We concluded our program visiting three sample gardens, all in the very earliest phases after only one day of training. Pastor Joseph will return to complete the first stage of teaching soon. We got back on the road and those of us in the back seat we surprised to learn we had another passenger on board—a live chicken given to Pastor Joseph as a gift!