Mark, Fiona

Mark Finney is a self-employed builder in Leicester. He looks like he's in his mid-50s, but perhaps he's a little younger. With a shaggy mop of snow white hair and a grey-white moustache from under which protrudes a perennial rollie, it's hard not to like him. He has a frozen shoulder, and the NHS haven't been able to do anything for it yet, so he hasn't worked in 2 months. He spends most days in his shed, building guitars, though so I don't think he minds too much.

Mark is good with his hands. Chisels, sandpaper, electric routing tools, they're all in his shed and he spends 10-12 hours a day with them. His guitars are brilliant, especially considering he only built his first about 5 years ago.

He has two students. Gazza comes on Thursday evenings and is building a mini-jumbo spruce-topped jobbie. Looks very good. And Ian comes pretty much whenever Ian can. Mark spends quite a lot of his day building Ian's guitar for him (he's a bright lad, but a bit slow, bless him), but of late Ian has been learning a few lessons in the art of wielding a chisel against the forces of tonewood.

Gazza used to come more often, but he's had lady-trouble of late. Ian is also a bit more sporadic these days, but his issue is money.

Fiona is a very different kind of person. She's about 28, attractive, and a very strong character. She works as one of the personnel managers for Kensington Mayfair in Loughborough, recruiting temporary workers for catering jobs. She hasn't been in Loughborough all that long herself, but already she has the locals feeling like she knows her way around better than they do. She's a traveller, you see...she learns new places very fast. She grew up in Swansea, studied in Lougborough, worked in Bradford (and retained the accent) and is now back in Loughborough. Once she knows a place, she asserts herself on it. She's a pop-culture girl, always knows the right thing to say in the right situation to make a client feel valued, or a temporary worker feel legitimate and useful. She also has the invaluable skill of turning common knowledge into a recognised training program.

Today she had a busy day, and revelled in it. In the morning 6 new recruits were in the office, and she inducted tehm, trained them in silver service and plate service, and managed to keep a potentially uncomfortable situation fairly relaxed for one and a half hours. As well as her regular work. There were 4 students, one old lady, and one ex-student today. The ex-student (Ian?) had the experience, but the girl with the car was the one to get ahead, and the bloke who liked working pubs would always have plenty of work this time of year, with all the Freshers' events going on.

Well, only time would tell. Training over, she got back on the phone to clients.

STORM 3, 4, 5

In brief:

Storm 3 - Nick HH almost didn't fly home. Newbies arrived, Berni sans bag, came next day. Induction, FR trust, visited Madziabango to organise...Holiday Club! This took up first half of week. Three day event, themed around 'King is coming'. Sam MCed. I led music. Simon told stories. Everyone involved in crafts, puzzles, games, registration. Huge success, got better as we went along. Had too few translators.

Set off for Nsanje Thu but broke down in Bangula. Iris saved us, we love them! Fri we went to Nsanje, some by matola. Saw the town, took part in pastor's conference. Lots of preaching, almost all delegated to us, lots of singing, some by us, lots of people, very excited, hope they learnt something and experienced God. Came back Sunday night.

At CPC, worship team had trouble.

Monday, we all went to Majete. Pretty good safari, saw elephant, hippos, lots of antelope. No sable this time, no eland. Tue 6 of us went to Mvuu, had a gd break there, saw roan antelope, got to know Amy/Abi/Ruth/Lizzie/Emma well. Came back Weds. Emma and Lizzie flew out Thu.

Fri we went to Bangula, dropped off Gillian/Abi/Amy/Ruth. Went to Nsanje/Tengani/Marka for BTM Saturday. Berni ill, Davina worried. Berni better next morning. Led worship at CPC Sunday. Team 4 arrived.

STORM 4 - Steph, Hannah Walsh and Rach Mander arrived. Went to HHI, but most were too tired to take in much. Induction, Trust Monday, I took Tuesday off, Wednesday we did an afternoon mission in Chemabvi village, very good. Thursday to Bangula, caught up with the girls, did boys club at Iris, then taught BTM in Bangula and Konzere before coming back to FR. Led worship Sun. Mon 6 went to Club Mak/Mvuu, we stayed and worked at Trust. Tue went to Chikwawa Prison, awesome day just to be there! Wed went to Jordan's in Bodza, also very good.

Thursday was STORM Olympics...we should have flown but had been delayed til Fri. Had to raise MK133000 in 24 hours for my ticket. Steph, Sam and Davina covered me.

STORM 5 - I wasn't there! I was in Loughborough starting my luthiery study

STORM 2

It seems a while ago now, but this is STORM 2.

After getting back from the lake, Si, Vix, Beth and I had one night before the team got in. And of course, we were due to lead worship at the church that morning. We roped ina drummer and it went well, praise God. When you've spent all week worshiping Him with your life, it's easy to find words to praise Him on Sundays.

The team got in ok, but were less a massive 11 out of 18 bags. South African Airlines, eh? Anyway, we got them home, tired but up for their induction chats. The team was big, 14, with Sam still to come. Our itinerary was much like team 1s, having been rearranged a little by Rory and I. We kicked off by talking to the schools, and ran into the first diversion - Mbame School were closing on Friday, so we couldn't teach then. Could we do Tuesday morning before going to Nsanje? Yes, we decided, we could hack that. The Madziabango school group chose to visit Ndayamwana school, in the middle of nowhere, and they were still on schedule for Friday. After leading activities at the Fisherman's Rest, where out rapport was growing, we prepared for the school. Teaching went really well. Lucy and I taught standard 5 and had a fantastic day, teaching agriculture, maths, english and bible knowledge. We then beat a hasty retreat, had lunch and headed into Nsanje - the dark unknown! Simon and I had been the previous year on a diffucult trip, but this year was to prove much better.
The journey was fast and dusty, and we arrived at Nsanje hospital brown but ready at 415. After gaining final clearance from the administrator, we split into 6 groups, each accompanied by a Church of Disciples Pastor. Pastor Rogers came with Lozi, Nish and I, and we went to pray with the maternity ward. The experience began a bit edgily...what do you expect in such a situation? But the further we went the more we loved it, praying individually for patients about their situations. Nisha even had a newborn baby named after her!

We then bedded down, prepared for the next morning. After a lovely breakfast, we went on tour of Nsanje...airstrip, market and port. It's a cool town for somewhere so far out the way. In the afternoon we set off for 2 distant village churches, where we shared from the Bible and held kids activities. Group 1s village was a bit unimpressed by us, but group2, a bit further into the bush, had a fantastic time.

Thursday we left early and in good spirits and headed back for Fisherman's Rest, via Chikwawa market and an unforgettable lunch in a truckers bar :) There we worked at the trust and the Ndayamwana team got ready for school, while the rest of us chilled out.
Saturday's BTM teaching turned out to be a long day - we traveled to Muloza, beyond Mulanje. The teaching was great, the kids were a few too many, but the travel was long and tiring. Two ladies confessed Jesus that day, which is worth the effort.

Sunday, Guy led worship at CPC and I enjoyed a day off! It was a fantastic service, again filled full by the experiences of the week. And then in the afternoon Sam arrived to enormous cheers and hugs.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were spent at the lake for the team. And on Tuesday Coops, Si and I hitchiked off to tackle Mulanje mountain. We made it to base camp by 6pm and hooked up with our guide, Macdonald. 7am the next morning we began, and hiked up the Skyline path to Chambe hut, where we cooked some lunch. It was cold at midday, which didn;t bode well for the night. 4 hours longer took us to Chisepo hut, at the foot of Sapitwa peak - the mountain where no-one should go. The night was cold, but the 4 Turks in the hut with us kept the air warm with their loud breathing!

Thursday morning we began early and started the last climb...and continued, and continued. The angles were ridiculous, 60 and 70% for an hour and a half. But we made it to the first rest, where we came across stunted forest and a series of caves. After the caves came the rock piles, where rock rabbits ran. Then there was more forest, more caves and crevasses, and a final rock climb. And then we were up, standing on the highest point in southern Africa!3000m, but the view was hidden by clouds and it was bitterly cold at 11am. We came straight down for a late lunch, and then force-marched to Lichenya hut, arriving just at dark, tired and worn. Thankfully, there were friendly faces at the hut, in the form of Mr Benbow of St Andrews High School and his family. They were taking their 3-yr old daughter for her first time up Sapitwa! We ate spaghetti together. It was good.

Friday we came down the suicidally steep boma path, again in the clouds, but made it the Pizzeria Basilica by lunch time. Too tired to hitch, we caught a minibus back to Blantyre and Sam drove us home.

Storm 2 had left on Thursday morning amid ticket controversies and hassle, but they had all got away. We had a day to prepare for team 3