Fire Alarm...
There was high drama in the small hours of yesterday ( 1.30am) as a fire alarm went off at Whitelands College, an arm of Roehampton University, where I am based. Hundreds of students in the halls of residence including my own, Beverley, rushed downstairs as per fire drills, to gather at the assembly point in front of the hostels.
I didn't believe that it was a genuine inferno in the offing and I had to be persuaded by the hall rep, Emma, to come out of my room. I took my time and dressed up almost fully, including a winter jacket and took along my passport, the various cards that govern life here in Europe and my camera.
It was interesting to see the gathering of the students..some in pajamas, some in coats some shivering in the cold, yet others smoking cigarettes.
The fire brigade came and it turned out to be a false fire alarm. It was hard to sleep after the hustle and bustle and attendance was affected with regard to classes at the university.
Go Well My Beloved Reverend
I got a very upsetting sms today as I was in an orientation seminar in the library of Roehampton University. Reverend Lonjezo Phiri had passed away. What a shock to me! I knew he had been in poor health due to a long-standing liver problem but last time I called home he seemed to be in good health. I had been praying for him alot, and I tell you, when you pray for someone and they pass on, it hurts...yet the answer lies with God.
Reverend Lo was my nephew who turned one just two days ago. I saw in him a man who would preach and testify about God's goodness in his life. I saw him overcoming his health challenges to grow up in wisdom and stature to reach out to many people through ministry.
That is why I referred to him as Reverend Lonjezo. I broke down on the phone as mom spoke of how his health took a turn for the worse on his first birthday and how today he woke up strong in hospital and was singing baby songs..must have been praising God for the time he shared he shared with us!!
Then his condition suddenly changed around lunch hour and he was gone. I'm hurting but mom's words have been an encouragement...he went peacefully and his rest is the will of God. Mom sang over his body the hymns she often sang to him, before he was taken away to the mortuary.
May my beloved Reverend minister to many tomorrow as he will be laid to rest at Likhubula cemetery in Chilomoni, Blantyre, Malawi.
This is an sms I sent to Jane my sister, mother of Lonjezo on the baby's birthday on Monday, 8 January 2008:
Happy Birthday to my beloved nephew Reverend Lonjezo. I wish him God's favour, anointing to overcome and overtake. May he grow up praising God and testifying.
God be praised.
Another chapter...London
A year ago, I never ever imagined that I would be living in London and studying in this city. As a young boy I always dreamed of winning a scholarship to study journalism or creative writing. I even tried to apply for correspondence school when I was in primary school, but the dream never materialised because I couldnot afford the fees. Many years later, I'm in London and pursuing further studies, just as I wanted when I was about 13 years old, in a small village called Chibwana near Chilomoni township in Blantyre, Malawi. God is good!
I'm at Roehampton University for the second semester of my MA programme. London is busy and big and very expensive. But then it is warmer than Sweden and therefore alot of green in the foliage! I'm enjoying the planes as they fly low near my hostel to land at Heathrow..small and huge aircraft!
Yesterday, I visited Mary Ching'ang'a, a friend I have known for close to 20 years. We had nsima the Malawian dish and meatballs with alot of pepper...the Malawian way.
It is interesting to note many other similarities and differences of London and Goteborg. But then it is another milestone and another chapter in my life.
Nyarsdagen...
New Year's Day...I thank God again for giving me the grace to witness new year's events in another country, away from Malawi. I spent the last hours of yesterday, Nyarsafton, at my church Smyrna International. Pastor Belton Mubiru led the congregation in praise and worship. The man is talented musically..his compositions are great!! The service was marked by a break between 10 and 11pm to eat dinner.
The youth from Smyrna added to a new dimension to the worship and the teenage guitarist was fantastic, Here I Am To Worship, Lord I Lift Your Name On High, Reign In Me, How Great Is Our God, Celebrate Jesus Celebrate, are some of the songs I enjoyed. After the service the congregation set off fireworks. It was a night to remember.
Pastor Belton prayed for me too and released me, as it was my last time to be at the church. Praise God! Today, it snowed abit in Goteborg and I managed t call home to say, Hape Nyuwere!!
