Chat with mom January 26, 2015

Yo mommy Neicia is on!! Talk to me! I misses your face! I hear you are just doing great on my blog mommy!!! Keep it up!

There isn’t much to do now because everybody has to wait until the rainy season is over to rebuild!! Water has been a real issue!! We are not allowed to drink in the area at peoples houses because of cholera! And we have had no running water!!! Pipes are all broken in all of Blantyre! Bottled water is very expensive so we don’t ever buy!!! I have been very dehydrated and got quite sick!! But it is really all good!! The zone leaders have been getting us clean water in our 2 liter bottles They’re out every night at the well because they have to do it for the whole zone and senior couples!! There are 24 people so they are busy!! The water turned on yesterday (which we still can’t drink)!! I have a filter in my flat that I use!! I got to take a shower mom!! Be grateful I know how much you like to be clean!! I got a shower!! I think I was in there for about 45 mins!!! I just sat there because I was sick but it was one of the happiest things ever!!! I got to shower!! I will tonight too if, hopefully, the water is on! But if not, oh well dirty is good too! I have a bucket! 😉
​I told you I was very sick this week! I didn’t get to work or go out much!! I feel almost all the way better!! My tummy is still hurt a little but I walked here so I am obviously doing better! Two days ago I couldn’t walk across the room without taking a break! I probably had bad water or something!! I ate some nasty chips that were probably soaked in gross water. Chips are french fries-kinda!! I like them!! I eat them every day! It’s just water is low so all the food places are closed. We were starving and found that place and I don’t think it was sanitary!!
People don’t like to talk about the flood too much! They just think happy thoughts and move on with their lives and I don’t want to pry and ask people to relive their trauma!  Agogo is safe! She lived in a strong house!! She’s as happy as can be! Not that I can speak to her but hey she is sweet!!
A little piece of our chat when I got off for about 2 minutes.
Neicia: You said you’d be back.
Me: Umm…I am. We’re chatting.
Neicia: Sorry, I was impatient! I’ll repent!
Me: I think you’re okay.
Neicia: Heavenly Father doesn’t allow ANY imperfection in his kingdom!
Me: Then DO repent, lol. Better now than saving it for later when you may forget. And I forgive you. I was just confused. No harm done…does that make you feel better?
Neicia: I don’t need your forgiveness! The Lord’s will suffice and God’s mercy!! But hey, yours doesn’t do harm! So I acknowledge your forgiveness and I thank you for it!
Me: LOL!
Neicia: No seriously, Mommy!

Then after she sent out the group email we had another little chat session:
Me: Awesome story. Just like your stories of perfect obedience. Loves that story from the MTC.
Neicia: Ha ha! Except this one was a joke!
Me: As in a joke like it didn’t really happen?
Neicia: Of course it happened!! As in nothing!! Just my mind humor!!! I’m on my mission. My jokes aren’t entitled to be funny to mere civilians mother!!! 😉
Me: ‘Tis true, Neicia. I just needed a little clarification after you confused me. 😉
Neicia: Sorry, I’ll repent again!!!
I’m going to Ndriandre tomorrow on exchanges. I’ve been there one other time. I have no idea how big everything is because I just stay in my area. Look it up! My area itself is pretty big! I still have yet to get everywhere!! Not that it’s humongous though!! There are many houses very close together! Sometimes I’m talking like 1 1/2 feet from one another!! So it’s lots of people to see! I already have too many people to get to in a week!
No, but honestly we are fine! Life is going like it normally does!! It’s sunny today!! Pipes are being fixed and all the people have been relocated!! We even just had a party in the branch! We are happy! Things are good! 🙂

     

Group Email January 19, 2015

SO THIS WEEK STARTED OFF ROUGH!! LIKE VERY ROUGH!!! SO, REMEMBER HOW I SAID THERE WAS A STORM THAT WIPED OUT THE ELECTRICITY LAST WEEK? WELL IT DIDNT STOP RAINING! NOT FOR DAYS!!! IT WAS SO BAD THAT IT FLOODED AND DESTROYED EVERYTHING. HALF OF MY AREA HAS BEEN DESTROYED!! ALL THE HOUSES ARE GONE… THERE ARE 160 DEAD SO FAR, DONT KNOW HOW MANY MISSING AND 200,000 PEOPLE HAD TO MOVE DUE TO THEIR HOMES ARE GONE OR PARTLY GONE. IT IS ALL VERY SAD!!! LOTS OF PEOPLE IN MY WARD HAVE MOVED BUT LUCKLY NOBODY DIED! THEY HAD FAMILY MEMBERS DIE THOUGH AND THAT WAS VERY SAD!  SO WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO HELP OUT! AND WE CALLED ALL OVER AND TRIED MAKING SURE PEOPLE WERE ALRIGHT!! I AM SO SURPRISED MORE PEOPLE DIDN’T DIE!! MANY ARE INJURED THOUGH AND IN THE HOSPITAL.  SO IT HAS STILL BEEN RAINING AND WE JUST PRAY THAT THE FLOOD DOESN’T COME AGAIN!!

BUT, KEEP ALL THIS IN MIND!! HOMES DESTROYED, PEOPLE MISSING OR DEAD, AND THEN, LISTEN TO THIS:  THE AFRICANS ARE HAPPY. I CAN’T EXPLAIN IT. IT IS SO AMAZING TO ME. THE DAY IT ALL HAPPENED I DIDN’T SEE ANYBODY CRYING. SOME WERE LAUGHING EVEN. PLAYING IN THE WATER. IT’S NOT LIKE THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME, THEY JUST ARE SO MUCH MORE HUMBLE. THEY KNOW THAT THEY’RE LOVED ONES ARE WITH GOD AND IN A BETTER PLACE THAN THEY WERE ON EARTH! THEY ARE JUST HAPPY AND LOVING. THEY WERE JUST TO THANKFUL THAT THEY’RE ALIVE, EVEN THOUGH SOME LITERALLY JUST HAVE THE CLOTHES ON THEIR BACKS WE WERE ALL JOKING THAT GOD WAS CONFUSED. FIRST ALL THE MALAWIANS WERE PRAYING FOR RAIN AND WHEN HE GAVE IT TO THEM THEY PRAYED FOR IT TO STOP. PEOPLE HERE ARE FUNNY! I LEARN FROM THEM EVERYDAY BUT I REALLY LEARNED FROM THEM THIS WEEK. I LOVE THESE PEOPLE.

SO I MADE FUN OF THE ELDERS FOR KEEPING BUCKETS OUTSIDE TO COLLECT RAIN WATER RECENTLY BUT I HAVE FOUND THAT IT IS KIND OF A SURVIVAL THING RIGHT NOW. SO NOBODY HAS HAD WATER FOR DAYS EXCEPT FOR MY APARTMENT. WEIRD. LOTS OF MISSIONARIES ARE THERE EVERY NIGHT FILLING UP WATER JUGS. THE ONLY THING KEEPING PEOPLE FROM DEHYDRATION IS THE RAIN WATER. SAD THAT ALL OF BLANTYRE HAS NO WATER. CHURCH WAS CANCELLED THIS WEEK BESIDES SACRAMENT BECAUSE OF IT ALL!!

SO NOW FOR A LIGHTER MOOD:

I WAS ASKED OUT BY A 1/2 WHITE 1/2 INDIAN MAN THIS WEEK. WEIRD THING IS HE ASKED MY COMP OUT TOO!! WANTED TO TAKE US OUT TO EAT AND THEN SALSA DANCE. HE ASKED IF WE WERE ALLOWED TO GET MARRIED! HAHA THAT MAN! OH, HE IS ALSO MY LAND LORD!!! I DON’T KNOW HIS NAME! FLIRTATIOUS LITTLE INDIAN MAN! HAHA!

I GOT TO STUDY MY CANDLELIGHT!! THAT WAS FUN!!! I FELT LIKE JOSEPH SMITH!! I DON’T KNOW WHY BUT I DID!!!

WE GOT LOCKED OUT OF OUR APARTMENT BECAUSE I LEFT THE KEYS IN THE BEALS CAR AND IT WAS RAINING BUT WE HAD FUN! EVEN THOUGH IT WAS PITCH BLACK AND RAINING WE JUST DANCED!! SAW A NASTY BIG SPIDER CHASING US AND WE RAN FOR IT! OUR GUARD WAS JUST LIKE “AMERICANS.” OH, THEN THE BEALS CAME HOME AND THE KEYS WEREN’T THERE! SO I CHECKED MY BAG AND REALIZED I HAD THEM ALL ALONG!! BUT HEY WE HAD FUN! 🙂

SO I CANT REALLY THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE!! IT WAS A SLOW, SAD WEEK BUT ALSO HAPPY!! HARD TO BE SAD WHEN EVERYBODY IS HAPPY! I AM SAFE THOUGH AND FEEL SO BLESSED.

ANYWAYS I LOVE YOU ALL!! COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS, YOU HAVE MANY!!!

LOVE SISTER BROWNING!

P.S.  I TAUGHT A MALAWIAN WOMAN HOW TO MAKE AMERICAN SALAD THIS WEEK! SHE WAS JUST LIKE “WOOOOW.”