Safety in Nkotakota, Malawi What do other Racers need to know in order to be safe? Current safety protocols/precautions in place? Any relevant issues/concerns? Any precautionary suggestions?
People’s Opinions
Pastor Anthony did not believe it would be safe for us to leave the confines of our fenced in home. He was very worried we would be “exploited” or have rocks thrown at us. However, when out in public the people were extremely friendly or just left us alone.
Ministry Summary
Teams have learned so much about what a vision from The Lord looks like and how to pursue it.
Hut-to-hut ministry evangelizing to people who are hungry to know Jesus – this ministry is awesome because they do follow-up on the relationships that are built! Also great because it’s holistic ministry – not just evangelism but they provide the people with water filters to improve the health of the community
Ministry Summary in Nkotakota, Malawi Breakthroughs? Suggestions? Concerns? On a scale of 1-4 (1 being not at all, 4 being absolutely) how strongly would you recommend another World Race team go to this ministry location & why?
People’s Opinions
We worked with one of the branches of Harvester Ministries this month. We spent most days going anywhere from 15 min to 1.5 hours down the road to help plant local churches or go out into villages to spread news of the church. One issue we encountered was most villagers did not have or have access to a bible. At the end of the month my team donated money to buy 100 bibles to be passed out to locals. Hopefully a future team will see that in action. Hottest month of the race so far..sunscreen and water folks..
Ministry at Timothy Harvest Ministries was pretty diverse. They gave us a great intro to door-to-door evangelism. There is also opportunities to do youth ministry and play with the kids that come to the base grounds every afternoon to play in the huge field. This ministry is full of a very loving staff that will make the team feel like family very quickly.
Lodging
Teams have stayed with Eddie Shecko, he was a partner with THM and they say it was incredible.
It was a dollar a day per person.
He offered two rooms where teams could use there sleeping pads with bug nets.
Bucket showers with boiled water for each participant to shower.
Eddie and his family will treat you like their own and love the crap out of you.
Lodging in Nkotakota, Malawi Where did you stay? What were the accommodations (sleeping arrangements, toilets, showers, etc.)? Cost (per person per night in USD), Contact info.
People’s Opinions
We spent our month with Pastor Anthony and his family in a house locally. Probably the hardest lodging month of the race. Due to heat and poor air circulation it is unbearable to sit inside during the daytime, and the only reprieve from the sun is the shade provided by a fence surrounding the property where you can catch the faintest bit of a breeze. It’s also unbearable to sleep inside at night time. Our entire team went to bed dripping sweat every night. We had access to bucket showers about every other night when water would actually work. Western toilet (hooray). Water was hard to get sometimes because the tap isn’t clean to drink. We would have to repeatedly ask for more water because Paster Anthony thought we could each survive off one small bottle a day. The family is really awesome though and are willing to hang out whenever the sun isn’t too hot.
Lodging in the dorm/hotel rooms was awesome! Warm showers, beds with mosquito nets, toilets. It was really great. They do not provide toilet paper. Electricity is limited to four hours a day and the lights come on by solar power. So no inside lights during the day. Lodging was $3usd per night, per person.
Food / Meals
It was $4 a day for food with Pastor Eddie and they cook you amazing food.
One of our previous racers here posted “Some of the best food I had on the Race – Loveless (Pastor Eddie’s wife) cooks the best beef sauce – super yummy with noodles! No ugali here!”
Food / Meals in Nkotakota, Malawi What did you eat? Where did you get the food? Cost (per person per day in USD)? Contact info (if applicable).
People’s Opinions
Pastor Anthony’s family cooked all our meals. Breakfast was usually quick but pretty good. Lunch varied based on ministry for the day from a full meal to just bread and soda. Dinner is usually rice or nsima, some form of meat or beans, and some side. We were usually given plenty of food for a guy heavy team. (Note to future racers..chew the rice softly…rocks will surprise you..)
Timothy Harvest Ministries provided food for our team. Alpha who is Frackson’s wife cooks so well with the other ladies on the base. The food gets repetitive, but it is still good. Lots of rice, beans, and cabbage. Breakfast was a lot of peanut butter and eggs. Food provided by THM is $4usd per person, per day. There is a People’s store in town where we went to get snacks or extra food.
Transportation
Teams generally walked from Pastor Eddie’s house to the Timothy Harvest center site.
They have also traveled around taking bikes! It is real cheap ($1) to hire someone to ride you via bicycle to wherever you need to go!
Transportation in Nkotakota, Malawi What transportation did you use to enter the country? Where were you coming from? What transportation was used to move throughout the country? Be sure to include the cost per person in USD and contact info if applicable.
People’s Opinions
We rode with the same driver anywhere we went. He was safe and fun to talk to. However, if you want transport for anything other than ministry make sure to let Pastor Anthony know in advance.
Transportation was a bit tricky with THM. You will find that transport in Africa is not cheap. My suggestions if y’all are going to Timothy Harvest Ministries is to discuss the transport budget very early. Tell them how much you have(after your treasurer calculates a good buffer) to spend and that you cannot go over that. Pastor Anthony usually coordinated our transport with drivers he knew. There are also bicycle taxis in town that you can take. Be sure not to overpay just because you are white. 🙂
Medical
Medical in Nkotakota, Malawi Information on local hospitals / doctors / pharmacies. Where would someone go in a medical emergency? (addresses and contact info).
People’s Opinions
There was a government hospital in town that is very cheap. This was the only medical center I saw in town and there didn’t seem to be a pharmacy in town either. If you are sick or need medical attention, your best option is this hospital.
Communication
Previous teams borrowed a stick from THM for the month, which was a huge blessing (this may not be the case for you it has just happened in the past).
There is an Internet cafe a few blocks from THM, which has great Internet for a good price.
Communication in Nkotakota, Malawi Did you have cell reception / Internet service? Where? Carrier / Provider, where did you get phones / SIM cards, cost? Country code?
People’s Opinions
We used Airtel SIMs. Service was pretty good everywhere. Timothy Harvest provided a modem and a wifi box for us. All we had to do was buy air minutes through TNM. You can buy those in town and usually Gracious or Frackson would do that for us if we just gave them the money. Usually 1500k would get us a good bit of wifi. DO NOT expect to download anything or FaceTime/Skype with anyone this month. The wifi/modem was just good enough to check FB, emails, spreadsheets, etc.
Financial
Financial in Nkotakota, Malawi Location of banks or ATMs, notes about transaction fees, best places to exchange money, and other money related advice.
People’s Opinions
So, the two atms we went to did not work! if you’re a treasurer then please get the money you need before coming.
Nkotakota has one ATM. It worked well for us. Pastor Anthony did say some cards won’t work and sometimes the ATM is down. The next ATM is in Salima (about an hour away). Exchange your money before leaving the airport because we didn’t see anywhere to do it in Nkotakota.
Translators
Translators were provided from THM
Translators in Nkotakota, Malawi List any local translators – name and contact information, languages spoken
People’s Opinions
Translators vary based on the day. Most of the time some different group of locals would accompany us to ministry. Most were pretty good, but Pastor Anthony’s sons weren’t very good translators. Most things you’d try to say to people would not get across to them after translation. I’m sure as time goes by their english skills will increase however.
Off Days / Fun Activities
Off Days / Fun Activities in Nkotakota, Malawi What activities did your team experience? Recommendations? List locations/contact info. Any locations to be avoided? Any extra safety tips for off days?
People’s Opinions
You need to go to Satima Inn right on the lake. It’s about a 5 min drive from where we stayed. Esther, the South African owner, speaks perfect english and can set you up with all sorts of fun things as well as ministry opps. She took us out to the island for a day one weekend and also set up a chance for our team member who is a nurse to go help at the local hospital. She has a huge heart for local kids and education. Also the food at Satima is awesome.
Other Important Contacts
Other Important Contacts in Nkotakota, Malawi Additional ministry opportunities, local pastors, etc. Relationship & follow up suggestions
People’s Opinions
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Tips
People’s Opinions
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Additional Info
Additional Info in Nkotakota, Malawi Anything we’ve left out? Any additional suggestions to make travel easier for others?