2010 Photo Gallery | Malawi, Africa

Malawi 2010 Video

This was put together by Ryan Sharp at GCC. It’s a great presentation of everything we’re doing in Malawi.

Malawi 2010 Photo Gallery

These are just a handful of the pictures that were taken on the trip. As we combine albums with our team members, I’ll continue to add the best ones to this slideshow.

• GCC House #1

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  This is the house we worked on last year. They were able to get the exterior stucco complete as well as some interior finish. There was still quite a bit of work to do, however.

  

• GCC House #2

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  This is the second house in its condition upon our arrival.

  

• Working for the City?

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  Notice the 5 guys standing around while I do all the work. Some things are the same no matter where you go in the world.

  

• Timber Needs

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  Apparently there is no Home Depot in Malawi. We ran out of 3x2's for the cross bracing so Bonnie ripped some 6x2's in half with a circular saw.

  

• Setting the Trusses

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  It took quite a bit of manpower (and womanpower!) to hoist the trusses onto the roof. Once they were up, it was my job to level them out and get them temporarily braced in position.

  

• Hanging Out on the Roof

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  Waiting on the "lata" (tin sheets) so we can tack them down.

  

• Tin Install

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  It's easiest if we have one person on each row of bracing to nail in the tin sheets. Here we wait for Alex, the Malawian roofer, to line up the edge so we can bang away.

  

• Final Sheets

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  The last couple sheets are going up at sunset on the last day. Close call, but we got it done!

  

• Bucket Ladies

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  These ladies were in charge of bringing water from the well for the concrete mix. When they weren't carrying buckets on their heads, they rested next to the house.

  

• Bucket Ladies in Action

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  Here's the ladies doing what they do best.Most of the time they don't even use their hands. Incredible.

  

• Women + Power Tools = Nali

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  Pure awesome!

  

• Saw Horses and Poles Needed

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  Bonnie and Kelly built a couple much needed horses for the team as well as some poles to help hold the trusses in the air.

  

• Giddy up!

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  Posing with the completed saw horses.

  

• Seriously, They Need a Home Depot

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  The timber was so crooked we had to use a planer to try and get at least two sides straight for the closet installs.

  

• Getting Instruction on the Closets

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  The framework for the closets. Each will have several shelves for the clothes as well as hinged doors.

  

• Painting the Cabinets

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  The boys who are going to live in one of the houses came out to help the construction everyday. I had several of them pound nails in the trusses on the last build day. Here they all chip in to paint.

  

• So. Much. Painting.

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  You wouldn't believe the amount of painting that needed to be done. Cabinets, walls, ceilings, etc. It might be nice to invest in a spray gun. Too bad about that Home Depot...

  

• Head Honcho

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  This is Larry Allen with the Assemblies of God. He is the head missionary in charge of the project. His smarta$$ meter is fully tacked out in the red. I think that's why we get along so well. Love this guy and he's doing great work for the children of Malawi.

  

• The Family

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  This is the family that will be living in one of the houses (and our bus driver Martin in the black vest at left). There are 8 boys that were all orphaned or street kids. Brandy and Albert will be living in the house with them. The little girl is their daughter Totonda.

  

• The Americans who Stare at Goats

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  There seems to be an overpopulation of goats in Malawi. They're everywhere! We had several on and around the jobsite. And by several, I mean like 20 or so. We're still not sure who they belong to.

  

• Fierce

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  This looks like a very strong, proud girl. It's nice to see that despite having everything against her in life.

  

• Sunday Best

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  Everyone, including the children, wear their best outfits to church on Sunday. Which basically means, they wear their other set of clothes.

  

• Triumphant

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  I was able to hand out two soccer balls at the church we went to in a village called Dubai. One was given to the older youth and the other to the young kids. This little guy got to come up to the front to get it from me. He stood there with it over his head until the Pastor shoo'd him away. It was awesome. He was so proud.

  

• Brush Fires - The Symbol of Malawi

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  Fires are a common source of warmth and a way for the people to put nitrates back into the soil. These children on the jobsite fired one up to stay warm on a rainy day.

  

• That's How They Roll

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  This kid wanted a picture with his bike. He was the only child that showed up to the jobsite on a bike. Impressive.

  

• Church Service

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  There is lots of singing and dancing in the Malawian church services. I think there was some extra spring in their step due to all the "white people" their that day. It was an incredible experience. God's hand is far reaching.

  

• Baby's First Bible

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  This mother held her baby during service while he played with his tiny bible. It's nice to see the children are exposed to the Word at such a young age. Although, it's not like they have child care at church.

  

• Children at Service

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  There were around 100 locals at church on Sunday. Several children.

  

• Don't Cross the Line!

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  There were so many children that showed up at the jobsite we had to lay some ground rules to keep them safe. We told them they were not allowed to cross the trench which was on the edge of the work zone. So, they all congregated as close to the trench as possible.

  

• Following the Rules

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  Getting as close to the line as humanly possible.

  

• So Many Children

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  They loved to have their pictures taken. Although, there tends to be a lot of pushing and shoving unfortunately.

  

• Close Encounter

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  Close-ups of individual children were hard to get due to all the excitement. Luckily there were enough different people taking picture to distract them.

  

• It's About the Kids

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  Caption says it all.

  

• Satellite TV...

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  Yes, that is a satellite dish on a thatched roof. They use old car batteries to power things like TVs, radios, etc. They may not have any food, but they got their shows. I mean, it's not like you can miss The World Cup!

  

• Leopard

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  Poor guy just wanted to sleep. I guess diesel jeeps and spotlighting aren't conducive to that.

  

• Antelope

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  A couple boys trying out their antlers.

  

• Gone Fishin'

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  Lots of various birds in the gamepark. I couldn't even begin to guess the name of this one.

  

• Breakfast on the River

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  The lodge we stayed at in Zambia was amazing. They served us a breakfast buffet in the bush next to the river.

  

• Chalet

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  Here is our chalet at the Mfuwe Lodge in the game park.

  

• Baboons

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  You can find baboons all over the place, including on the lodge grounds.

  

• More Baboons

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  Here's a couple in a tree outside our chalet.

  

• Elephants

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  We were able to get within 20 feet of the wildlife in our jeeps.

  

• More Elephants

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  Momma and baby.

  

• Baobab Tree

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  This tree is over 200 years old. We were able to get out and check it out a little. There was a large beehive built in the trunk.

  

• Super Tree

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  Here is our jeep's group standing next to the 200 year old baobab tree to give you an idea of just how big it is. The trunk width isn't even fully in the picture!

  

• Giraffe

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  I like these guys. They're pretty low key.

  

• Family of Giraffes | Funny Story

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  We came across a large herd of giraffes. They started to walk away as we approached so our driver made an aggressive move to cut them off by going around that bush on the right. The goal was to get better pictures. Instead, he buried the truck in 2 feet of sand and we had to get out and push. No kidding. The funniest part was the giraffes stopped walking away and just stood there looking at us like we were stupid. Too bad we didn't get a picture of that!

  

• Lions

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  There is a pride of ~ 20 lions that moved into the area recently. We were able to find them sleeping the night away. They had hunted that morning and were all well fed. Notice the male has his sweetie next to him wile the other ladies rest just yards away.

  

• Lions

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  A daytime shot of the females after their morning feeding.

  

• Sunset on the River

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  We stopped by the river one night to snack and watch the sunset.

  

• True Beauty

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  Breathtaking.