We've waited six months to come to Malawi and meet our brethren here. The past week has been filled with many new experiences. Thankfully we were met at the airport by Aaron Dean and Haiton Thungula. Otherwise I think we might have been lost. Interestingly, although we have a long enough visa to cover our time here, the border agent at the airport in Lilongwe said we only have a short period of time before we have to leave the country. We can return as many times as we want throughout the year, but must leave periodically (if I understood her correctly). We are going to do some research into that before we jump to too many conclusions. Haiton drove us to our new home through quite a rainstorm. The rain is wonderful since the region has been in a serious drought for three years straight. This past year in Alabama we prayed that God would send rain to the Southern United States and to Southern Africa because we were both plagued by a lack of rain. Eventually the rains did come and now the Alabamians are safe from fires and the Malawians can grow their crops. As we sat in the back of the van, our lives for the next year packed in suitcases in front of us, it was easy to see we were headed for quite an adventure. Our week began with trips into town from our little housing development with the help of LifeNets employee Joseph Mughogho. Shopping is a little different in every place you go. Different foods, different ways people wait in lines, different products on the shelves, different standards in cleanliness and expectations. All of these things we have dealt with before in different regions of the world so we weren't too surprised. Rather it was nice to see brands we were used to and names of goods we did recognize. Items we needed were not too difficult to find. We even visited some very nice shopping areas so we knew where to go. Meeting the brethren on the Sabbath and throughout the week was definitely a highlight and the real reason we are here. Before services on our very first church service, we went through and shook hands with nearly everyone present. I was introduced for a sermonette in which I introduced Lena and myself, and spoke a little about unit and the role of a pastor. The was a small crowd to start with. Apparently after I had sat down, the audience had tripled in size. There is definitely a difference in time concepts between different cultures. I always regret not taking certain photos to be able to share with others. Sadly I didn't take any at services, but Mr. Dean did and was able to share them on Facebook. The photos I did take show bits and pieces of our time here so far.