An End

3642 photos, 335 days, 29 plane flights, 5 continents, I am home. It has been almost 12 months since i left Australian shores but to me it feels like an age has passed. I enjoyed this year immensely and it wasn't a case of time dragging but more because every other week i was in a new place or seeing something different. At home or work the weeks tend to blend into one big mass but while travelling I couldn't remember what I had done 4 weeks ago. Good thing I kept a blog to remember what happened :o) For 2010 I have lived my life to the fullest, packing years of adventures into 11 months to gain experiences I never would have had if i hadn't stepped out into the unknown.

But it is now finished. Travelling for that long takes a lot of energy and although I am glad for the experience I know that never again will i attempt that - although the occasional shorter trips are inevitable. Now I am home and have already been reacquainted with friends and family in Devonport and this weekend i head to Hobart. I missed everyone and am glad to be home, nothing has changed, everyones the same, just as i prayed it would be. So from Bobby's Blog 2010 thankyou for staying with me, thankyou for your comments and prayers, am looking forward to whatever the future has hidden and being amongst friends once more.



Now to get a job

Beautiful Bali

Apart from the occasional shower Bali was an island paradise. With almost two weeks to enjoy myself i went in search of watery adventures. Jet skying, snorkeling, para-sailing (the best), swimming, surfing & failing at it lol and just good ol-fashioned lazing on the beach. Touring was a bit difficult since they're set up for groups or pairs of people but fortunately scooter hire was cheap as and fun. The monkey forest was enjoyable apart from when the monkeys tried to climb me to steal my grapes. They had the grottiest little paws but were pretty cute so they were forgiven.




Although there was a lot to do in Bali I am well prepared and looking forward to returning home. I find I'm so excited I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it is the excitement only a tired man can feel, a tired man at the end of a long journey whose destination is so close. I hope that each and every person that has prayed for me realise my gratitude for their love. I hope that everyone Ive interacted with this year was encouraged by my presence, I hope they forgive me if they were not. I hope I can make it home safely. I hope to rejoin my friends and family again. I hope that that my joy and love for them is as strong as i remember in my dreams. I hope.

At Worlds End

It might be because I just left a 3rd world country, it may be because Johannesburg painted such a terrible picture of South Africa or it could be that its almost identical to Hobart but Cape Town is one the most beautiful cities I have enjoyed this year. Cape Town was en rout to my next leg and I'd allowed a quick 3 days to see and do whatever I could squeeze in. I started with a leap from the lions head and then a visit to Nelson Mandelas prison on Robben Island. A trip to the fluffy African penguins down at Boulders Beach and then met 4 Germans and another Aussie who together hiked up Table Mountain. At the top the clouds flowed over the apostles like a slow motion waterfall and when the sun eventually set the sight was truly majestic.



Soon after I was meeting up with Leow Mei Yi in Kuala Lumper, Malaysia. A friend who's studying at Utas she insisted that I should come to over so she could show me her country. To be honest after experiencing everything Africa had to offer I just couldn't get the energy to go out and explore properly. With 3 days Mei Yi and I just walked around the capital experiencing the culture: shopping, eating, fish foot massage, etc.. Id hate to be the fish that's gotta nibble feet all day but my feet loved it. I took a lot of willpower to do it since I'm extremely ticklish. Mei Yi on the other hand had no problems, she's pretty tough :o)

Hmm not as much Bobby humour in this blog compared to others. Maybe a lame joke will balance it out.

Q: What do snowmen eat for breakfast?

Heartbreaking

"Hello my Friend" is what Ive heard a hundred times each day as i walk through the streets of Malawi. The local life here is worlds away from life back home and words cannot do it justice. You have to be here to see the deprivation they live in, hear their enthusiasm as they struggle to earn a living, smell that stench that is only and always found in 3rd world countries and feel the energy of the community that is abundant with life & culture. The food tastes pretty good too but It'll never compete with a pizza. I'll miss this amazing place and would love to come back. Will I? I'm just working on the present at the moment, trusting whatever future I have to God's great plan.

Disaster in my last week. The rains are finally here which is fantastic for everyone but when it rains here it buckets down and tragically the septic tank collapsed due to the build up of water around it.

We only finished building it last week. This is another blow for the orphanage as its already suffered its fair share of disappointments. However I firmly believe "...in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" Romans 8 v28. The work will continue here after I'm gone so please add to your prayers all the people involved in this project from the vulnerable children in Malawi to those in Australia who have given so much time, money and energy.

On a more cheerful note the rains mean that planting season has arrived. Yay! the aim is to eventually make the orphanage self-sustaining. Rather than have 'rich' white people pay for everything year after year. Eventually the site will generate its own food and income through the vast fields available for farming. Everyone got stuck in and started planting maize, bananas, paw paw and other stuff I can't name.


So from me its farewell to the kiddies as I leave Malawi. I feel like I'm finally on the home stretch now.

WARNING - Child Exploitation

_______________________________
______Happy Birthday Mum :o)______

Malawi - The Work Begins

Over the last couple of weeks so much has happened. If you’ve been praying for something and then they are finally answered it is easy to see how God has always had a plan in your life, pitfalls and all. My miracle came about two weeks ago in the arrival of Robert and John Boyle. These Aussies from Victoria have been involved in the project for over a year and returning for their 3rd visit to continue work on the ORBUS orphanage construction project. In what can only be put down to God’s perfect timing we have embarked to do as much work on the project while we are here.

The project has suffered many setbacks not just from the weather but also poor management. So the Boyles are here for over 2 weeks to manage and supervise the construction and get as much done in that time as possible. They have hired a bulldozer and backhoe and so many things are happening; it’s a whirlwind of activity that is a testimony of God’s grace and provision. The most important goals are: get the water mains connected, sewer pipes and sewer pit constructed, roof installed for one of the buildings, clear out the land and plant maize, an orchard and plus lots more. The biggest blessing has been from the water pump installed about a month ago and it’s incredible how just one pump benefits the entire community. One man has been farming the land for years and now he has a water source mere metres away, you can imagine how grateful he is.



With the sun rising over the distant mountains the work site is a dazzling scene. The orphanage is seen nestled between fields of green, yellow and brown with mothers and children wearing their colourful array of bright clothing. In the morning the women work away carrying buckets of water on their head some with a babe strapped across their back. Malawi men are up and about digging or building and the average labourer gets 350 kwacha a day or $2.50 Australian, most don’t even wear shoes. The orphanage is a generous project from the Presbyterian church of Australia. It is hoped that when it is finished it will be self sufficient and the locals will take pride and care in the building and use it for the care of orphans and vulnerable children. To experience this project has been truly humbling.



The Boyle’s head back today after a very productive couple of weeks. Blessings is a good Christ-like Malawian (The guy in the marines shirt) that has been very helpful on the project. Between him and me we hope to wrap up the remaining tasks in the next few weeks. Prayer is always appreciated, especially for the people of this country.

This is Africa

I am in landlocked Africa, in the middle of a country so full of mosquitos that they are the national animal, a country so hot that you get sunburnt in the shade, this is the heart of Africa, this is my temporary new home, this is not Spain, this is Malawi. Ive been here for about a month and have seen enough of this country to realise how special this place is. The more I learn here the more i find i don’t know. For example: This country is very religious, church attendance is high and those who don’t go are looked at as wacky. However crime is high, adultery and teen pregnancies are frequent and corruption everywhere. Unemployment is so high (ive heard 85%) and poverty is rampant however many Malawians, ministers and Christians exist here and do a lot for the less fortunate. Spend a few weeks here and you will see a country thats not made for tourism (like the many ive been to so far) but a genuine nation struggling, trying to use its weak economy like a feeble crutch to stand up and declare “We are Malawi and we do not need aid”.



I am grateful for the warm welcome i have received from Rev Lewis who works with the Presbyterian church. My first 4 weeks have been mixed. As you can read above this country has made a big impression on me. Its people culture and history are a new experience and impossible to relate but i will try. On a sorer note I unfortunately arrived in this country minus my phone and camera (Hence no photos yet). I think some South African Airways baggage handler has an unfortunate habit. It sux that they were nicked but if he needs to steal to have a good life then I feel more sorry for him than for the loss of a couple of things. On the positive I have been provided a place to stay at the Presbyterian Synod in Blantyre at The Resource Centre for the 8 weeks that I am here. Apart from the occasional black-out, water outage, heat and mossies it’s a luxury.

So why am I here? Good question sonny jim. Unfortunately my role here so far has been limited. The task I was to be working on: ORBUS the orphanage construction project has been scaled back and the buildings are being used to accommodate orphans in the most need. I’ve been helping out fixing and sorting things out at the resource centre but theres only so much i can do. I spend more time in prayer and bible reading than I have before and although I am grateful for the opportunity to relax, learn about Malawi and its struggles and read from the Christian library i’ve been praying that an opportunity to serve here will grow. Pray for the Christians of this country, the poor, the sick, the widowed, the corrupt, its leaders, the unemployed and the criminals. I have had a lot of time to pray and I have been praying a lot for everyone I can think of. Recent scientific surveys show that I pray more for those who read my blog.

Congratualtions to Charlie Kuiper on his amazing escape from the womb. I reckon you’ve joined a good family mate and you should have a lot of fun. See you in a few weeks.