First Impresssions of the VBS Team

Written by Beth Kelderman and Alyssa Vander Waal

July 24-27, 2024

After a long, exhausting couple of days of traveling we finally made it to Blantyre, Malawi, yesterday afternoon around 4pm. The size of the airport in Blantyre was a surprise, as we were the only airplane there and were unloaded via stairs onto the tarmac. Finding all of our suitcases and getting them out the door was definitely another chaotic experience, but we were very thankful to find that all of our luggage had made it! Exiting the airport, we immediately experienced the helpful nature of Malawians as they were eager to assist us with our suitcases. Florus and James (the driver) greeted us at the airport. After an eye-opening drive from the airport to the guest house, we settled in and enjoyed a delicious supper made by Florus & Janneke and Bep, which was very much appreciated!

Blantyre - Chileka Airport

On the left, the 10 together for the first time in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and on the right, they are welcomed by Florus & Janneke

We ended our first evening in Malawi singing Psalters.

After a good night’s sleep, James drove us to Michiru Nature Sanctuary. The drive to the sanctuary was an adventure all in itself! We had a true experience of Malawian gravel roads dodging rocks, fallen trees, washouts and even people in the middle of the road. We went on a 3 hour hike where we enjoyed some beautiful views of the city, as well as spotting some monkeys and a hyena den. After a delicious lunch at Mijn Kitchen, we went to the supermarket to buy our groceries for the week. We’re still getting used to the value difference in the Malawian money - “kwacha” compared to dollars. It’s hard to comprehend spending a couple hundred thousand dollars on groceries! We ended the day with a very gezellig visit at Bep’s house, where we went over some of the things we’ll be working on at the care centers next week.

Travelling in the land cruiser…

Tomorrow we plan to go to the New Canaan church with Florenz and Janneke.

-Beth and Alyssa