Today Scott Lockwood and I went bike riding. I really enjoy getting out, getting exercise and seeing things close up. On a trip like this you don't get much aerobic exercise and today was the first time in almost two weekws. One of the workers at the Nkopola Lodge,, Elison, who I remember from former trips is always ready with bicycles for rent. He brought two mountain bikes in so-so shape. An attempt to shift gears will cause bad gear slippage and brakes are non-existent, but they were good enough to for a ride.  

The road out of the Nkopola Lodge is graded smooth and reasonable to drive on. On past the mosque and out to the main road which is now PAVED! Yeah! From here Scott go north, through a settlement.   Bikes pass us by. We pass others carrying huge loads. We pass by women carrying water and other items on their heads with babies strapped to their backs. It's exciting!  
Church services start promptly at 10:30 am. Mr. Salawila has the sermonette and I have the sermon about the clarion call of the New Testament Church which is for repentance as we accept the Kingdom of God.
 
In the afternoon we held a LifeNets board meeting. We have not yet registered LifeNets in Malawi, yet we do so much of our work here. Before we register we have to select a board, officers and make a resolution to register as an NGO (non governmental organization). Cephas Chapamba is not here yet from Blantyre, but we hold the meeting anyway. The board will consist of Eliphazi Salawila (chairman), Lewis Salawila (treasurer), Wordsworth Rashid (secretary), Cephas Chapamba and Beverly Kubik. We want the Malawi board to help prioritize and go over the grant requests made in this country. We also want them to supervise some of our bigger projects, in particular a school we want to build. We want them assess the individual school scholarships and make certain that the students indeed are properly doing the work.  
It's amazing how quickly it gets dark at 5:30 PM. There are so few other lights and you just live in darkness for the remainder of the evening. Tonight is the goat roast barbecue and talent show. The Lockwood's, the LifeNets board all pile into the ambulance for the meeting hall. It's a hot muggy night.
 
When we arrive there is music in the air, food is being prepared and people are sitting around obviously enjoying one another and the entire setting. Left aligned photo tag:

Right aligned photo tag:  
Women carrying huge hot pots of food on their heads arrive and the buffet table is set up. It's just so interesting to watch the entire spectacle to us. I just love it.
 
As we eat, the talent show begins. Some of the acts we've seen from years past, however some of the routines are new.
 
We love it all and have some clips on video. I've got video from the former three FOT's that we've been to here and would like to put all of it into one clip and send it back to them.  
 
We learn that Cephas Chapamba's car broke down in Mangochi on the bad bad dirt road. Diverson Chonde is going to help tow him in. It's got to be totally black out there and I hope that Cephas AND his car can get in.
 
Scott, Bev and I talked some more before turning in. I'm writing this Friday AM outside our room and ants are crawling up my legs, arms and even on the screen of this laptop. Better shut down.