About Time there was a new Message!!

My humble appologies. I had heard others say it was hard to keep up a decent flow of blogging, but I never REALLY understood until we came to Africa. There is very little time really, and the dial up speed is SO SLOW. We get high speed internet on December first then we can Skype, send pictures etc. HURRAY!!!!

Anyway, we are not only busy with the day to day work, but we have a team of ten from Calgary who have been here for nearly two weeks, and go home this Friday. This is the first time we have been exposed to having a team and let me tell you it is a lot of extra work. However, VERY worthwhile and rewarding for all.

We also had Gilles and Lucille Chaput with us. WHAT A TREAT!! We really looked forward to them coming and it was like old home week. We also gave them a look at Africa that they might not of expected but seem to certainly enjoy.

On the work side, we started the new outreach clinics in the North. We expected 200 people to come each day, there was 500!! Both days in different places. The team was exausted but happy, we have been very well received and there is a lot of need in the area. The actual clinic building has its wall rising, and will have windows and doors in a week or two. Pictures of all of these things to follow.

It was so sad one day last week in the clinic. One of the nurses called me over and asked if I wanted to see her patient, who was in bad shape. It was a little girl, about one years old. She had pulled over a pot of boiling water and had third degree burns to her face and arms. She was hurt so badly that she could not even suckle on her moms breast, and we were worried she would be at great risk if she did not get some help and in a hurry. It was beyond our ability at the clinic so we called the ambulance from Salima hospital and they came to get her. The mom told us it had happened five days ago and she had gone to another clinic and they had just given her ointment and sent her home. Unbelieveable.

Anyway, we are well, we are busy and we are learning a lot. We really feel African now as we sleep under a mosquito net!! Jesse the dog is a great blessing, even the Azungu have a healthy respect for her, and she barks at all of the right times, and few of the wrong times. The stupid dog next door barks at leaves being blown around which is ALWAYS in Africa!!

We are FINALLY getting to move in!!

Hi all;

We have been in the house for over three weeks but it has been the life of a gypsy anyway. First, the kitchen had to be emptied for two days to do the semi-annual bug spraying, then the painters came and were here every day for two weeks. All of our stuff had to come out of closets, put onto beds and tables and wait for the paint to dry.

This week, they were finished. We spent the weekend finally putting things in place and getting organized. Anyone who knows Ann will know it has been really bugging her to have everything all over the place. This really ends a chapter that started back in JUNE!! When we decided to move to Africa, Ann started to pack, move things, throw things out etc. and it has been like that up until this weekend.

The place looks great, and even the grounds are coming along with some loving care.

We had our first "really missing the family" day on Sunday. We miss them all most of the time, like anyone would, but it was kind of hard this Sunday. We got a call from them and they were getting ready for Thanksgiving. We had sort of lost touch with the dates, and when we realized that everyone was getting together for Turkey and the works it really brought it home that we are not going to be there for those events. With such a big family they have always been times we would all look forward to the food and the conversation and the friendship.

The kids ave been great about calling, and that has really helped. Tova found a calling card that she pays $2.70 for and she can talk to us for 70 minutes! good deal or what.

I am going to figure out how to put pictures into this blog, because I took some today that you just will not believe until you see them! More on that next time.

Best regards

Pat and Ann

Three Weeks in Africa Already - WOW

Whoever said time flies, was NOT kidding. Having the internet down for the last FIVE DAYS did NOT help!

We are settling into our house, and Ann is busy putting her mark on the place. She turned into Martha Stewart overnight! We are about half way through the painting, and we made kitchen and dining room curtains, and have started improving the small things. We cannot wait until they get to painting the bedroom, it is a mid-green and it has to go.

Ann has been attending a Small group bible study and is enjoying it a lot. Every day she passes on some small fact or piece of information about the country or habits or laws. We feel like we are settling in. I only look at the map a few times per journey. This place does not have one straight road! it was complex to get a sense of direction but that is coming along well.

Chris Brooks is going to Canada for a fund raising trip in a few weeks so preparations are well under way. He will be in Toronto for a full week and will be available at least one Sunday. Look forward to that and bring your friends!!

I have been up north to the new clinic site, and we have our work cut out for us in this project, that is for sure! Originally it was supposed to be budgeted so we would get a contractor to build it and we just get progress updates. Yea, right! We are now our own contractors and it is a very complex job, the finished building will measure 25 meters by 40 meters (about 80 feet by 130 feet for you old folks)it will be great when it will be finished, and I hope it will be complete in December. We are not waiting for it to start work. We have already hired most of the staff, so training has begun, we are searching for houses for them to live in and we plan to have our first outreach clinic on Oct.17, 2006. Real soon.

We just got our visas extended by 90 days while we wait for my work visa. our container, originally scheduled for Sept. 29, will now be in mid-Oct or Christmas, we are not quite sure over here.

We witnessed a miracle this Sunday in the villages. One of the PAOC churches was doing a crusade to plant a church in a village and we went for the Sunday wrap up. Ann gave the message in the Sunday service, and did a great job, I might add. One of the recent converts had a testimony that was amazing. He was a village headman, which means he has some stature in the leadership ranks, he was registered as a Muslim, but was secretly a senior guy in the Gullie Wamkulu sect which is based on witchcraft and many evil things. He not only gave his life to Christ, but has been making very powerful public testimonies to that fact which is causing quite a stir.

God does work in mysterious ways. Sorry it was so long between posts, we will get more regular with a little All-Bran!!

Love to all

Pat and Ann Laforet

A Tale of Two Nights (Slightly borrowed from a tale of Two Cities)

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times....

Pat's Tale: I had a very busy day, drove to the clinic about 140 Km from Lilongwe. I got to meet the staff and was quickly immersed in the details of the work. It was great to feel like I was finally getting started! Chris Brooks and I worked late into the night preparing his information for the upcoming fundraising trip. I had called to see how Ann was and knew she was nervous. When I called the next day she seemed alright and she had survived, so that was a good thing!! It is hard with all of the new things, and from here on it may get easier, I certainly hope!!

Ann's Tale: You must have good STRATEGIES!! Knowing I had the dog on hand made things a little easier. So, I was thinking, and bingo, a Lightbulb Moment!!

Knowing my missionary friends advice was NO horror films ( fat Chance!!) and even NO Murder Mysteries, and we do not get TV reception yet, it left few choices. So my idea was to turn on EVERY significant light in the house (note to self- pay the bill later)
Then I went to the Kitchen and turned up the radio (YES we actually have Radio in Malawi!) to the BBC News of Africa - All night. I woke up to a burning smell in the night the BBC calls the Hell Nights of Africa. It is when they burn all of the fields to ge them ready for planting and the smell is EVERYWHERE!

Someone else guessed I would sleep with the bible clutched in my hand. Not quite, but I read Psalms until my eyelids would not stay open any longer. I also remembered what I used to tell my kids at Christmas "You know, Christmas will come faster if you go to sleep NOW!!

At five AM I smelled coffee and knew I had survived! My best sleep was actually from 5 to 7 am!!

I had a great morning as I went to a local school ( I walked of course) and had a chat with the pricipal, Sylvester. He was very friendly and has great hopes for his school. It is a private school and charges pretty hefty tuitions. He was telling me that in the government schools they often have up to 120 students per teacher! How can they possibly learn anything??

The adventure continues, please keep us in your prayers!!

The First Weekend on our Own

We jumped out of the nest on Friday. We moved into the house we had waiting for us. Living with Chris and Heather Brooks was a godsend, really. It gave us a few days to get oriented. Our first night was not easy though.

We had lots to unpack, but the living was a lot different when there are not friends in the next room. The house is fine, lots of room and grounds. We met Alan, the gardener/day guard and Otto the night guard. We were not very happy with the watch dog however. He is a big old Rotwiller, but never seemed to bark, didn't come to the gate and overall was not instilling confidence that he would be "fending of the bad guys" We were told there was a dog available a four year old Rodesian Ridgeback and we went to see her Saturday.

The first night was pretty tense if you don't mind me saying. Neither of us were very comfortable and there are more locks than a medium security facility in Canada!! Ann's brother Willie is a Warden in the Federal system, and we bet he doesn't have this many keys! We survived fine, but things got a lot better when we went to see this dog. She is a Guard Dog, and works VERY well. she is also a big suck and is always looking for attention. she even gave our guards a message about who was boss when she met them but soon settled down. Ann LOVES her and feels much safer having her, and we keep her in the house at night which also gives us more piece of mind.

It has been a big transition, and I am VERY proud of how Ann is willing to learn all the things that will help us have a good life here. The next test comes tomorrow,when I will be gone overnight to the Clinic. Ann is getting set to survive that ordeal, and we have company in the other half of the house and friends close by.

We are learning it takes a LONG time to get things done in Africa, and we are adjusting with minimum stress. Please drop us a line on this blog to say hello.

Best regards, and plase keep us in your prayers

The Eagle has Landed!!

We have arrived in Malawi safe and sound, but tired. After a tough and tearfilled goodbye at the airport, we got on the plane headed for England. We had a seven hour layover, and my brother, Mark, who lives in England came up to join us for lunch at the airport.

The next leg to Johannesberg was the toughest, eleven hours in the same chair, and me snoring in Ann's ear. It was a long night. There was some relief in Johannesberg in a surprising way. we were both very tired, so tired Ann could hardly shop!! Now, THAT is tired! I turned a corner and came upon a small area where they had massage chairs and for $15 you got twenty minutes of a great massage! Heavenly.

When we arrived, immigration asked us how long we were staying, and because we have to wait for my work permit, we sayed three weeks. Then she said, "how many bags do you have with you?" To which I relpied "9" She asked agian "How many weeks and you have NINE BAGS??" But, we got through it OK.

Sunday at Church Ann was given a little baby to hold, that looked three months old at best. She was coming from a crisis intervention center, and we learned she was 9 1/2 months old. It didn't take long for some of the realities of Africa to show up.

Tody, Monday, I drove on the left side of the road for the first time. It was tricky and required constant focus, but it was not all that bad. We are off to a seminar for the next three days, so next message will be on the weekend. Love to All

Nearly on our Way

Time has been flying past!

We have had a sendoff party from our church and nearly 70 people came. It was very touching to hear comments and words of encouragement and support. They were also generous in their financial support for Ann and I.

We have been spending a lot of time with family and getting completions done. Everyone is encouraging and supportive, but we all know it will be quite different in our new circumstances. It is very hard to say good-bye. I never imagined it would be this hard. I know it is a healthy thing and we have also seen and heard sentiments and words of kindness and suppport from some very surprising sources. all in all, we feel we are getting the many little jobs done.

We leave in two days on Wednesday Sept 6/06 at 11:45 pm from Toronto and will be in transit for 36 hours arriving in Lilongwe on Friday at Lunch time. We have been planning for months and the only real question might be "So, what did we forget?" It has to be something!! Oh, well,thats how it goes. We are looking forward to starting our new roles and we heard from Dr. Brooks today who advised we will be staying with them for a few days to get adjusted.

Next message will be from Africa!