Sunday news, both good and bad

Hi all - first the good news today. The chicken house that was started and worked on by the team during the 2010 visit is set for expansion thanks to generous funding from the LCPC family and friends. The chicken house is going to be rebuilt and greatly enlarged, clearing much more room to raise valuable chickens as a sustainable source of nourishment for those nearby.

As the photo below shows, construction is underway and while much work is yet to be done, you can see the progress already on the enlarged facility!

Also, in so far as today's Sunday, the team's going to church. Paul Sigmund has graciously offered to help deliver a sermon today while there. You may recall from prior years communications that church services in Malawi can be an "all day affair", going on for 4-6 hours and sometimes more. It's a truly joyous and spiritual occasion with much song and dance, prayer and giving of offerings which in their case are often grain and other supplies to help those in need.

The team has encountered a challenge, however and are asking us to keep them in our thoughts and prayers. It seems the national gasoline shortage in Malawi is taking a toll on their ability to source sufficient gas to make the drive each day from where they are staying to the feeding centers and nurseries. Many gas stations have no supply and others that do have lines a mile or more long.

The team was able to obtain a few liters of gas today - enough to get them through the day - but each day will become more and more challenging if they are not able to continue to refill their gas tank.

For those unaware, the fuel shortage there is so profound locals are even turning to websites like Facebook to find sources of refills. See here:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_192822307434950

Wish them luck in their efforts to continue to be able to travel within the country given this deeply limiting challenge.

Until next time...