Malaria and Mozambique

Hope you all had a happy Guy Fawkes night!

Unfortunately this last week I have been ill with malaria, but am now well on the way to recovery and getting more energy back each day. Thanks for all you prayers for a quick recovery – they worked well :-)
Well, it seems like ages away already but Mozambique was AMAZING! I had the most lovely relaxing week, lying on the beach, swimming in the very warm water, and even attempting to waterski – which I did manage for approximately 2 metres :-) we also did ‘tubing’ which is being pulled very fast along behind the speed boat on a rubber dingy ring! That was FUN :-)

We (Me, Phil, and Martyn) travelled up from Blantyre to the Mozambique border last Thursday and stayed the night at the Cowley’s (a mission family just the other side of the border in the Mozambique town of Mandimba). We then with the Cowley’s and their 4 kids travelled to Lichinga where we met with about 4 other families going to the ski camp and headed out to the lake near Meponda. The scenery was stunning and the water extremely clear. We piched our tents right next to the beach, and spent all of the 3 days in the water! We even went crocodile hunting in the evenings, we saw some crocs but they wern’t longer than a metre, it was actually more crocodile sight-seeing as we didn’t catch them! On the way back we stayed another night at the Cowley’s before travelling back on Tuesday to get back in time for lentil curry and bible study :-)

Well it is only 4 days until Vic gets here which I am massively looking forward to, it is really strange to think I’ve not seen any of my family or friends for 3 months now. We are planning to go to the Malawi side of the lake for the weekend and then travel back down to Blantyre to show her the sights and meet my Malawian family and friends! Please therefore pray for my health and hers that we will enjoy our time together. Also pray for our safe travels especially my coach travel up to Lilongwe to meet Vic, and for Vic’s long flight via Ethiopia and that her connections go well.

I enjoyed helping out with the McGrath youth group on Friday despite the malaria, especially since they had fireworks and sparklers! It was very strange having fireworks night on a hot evening, I miss the cold and frosty, hat and scarf wearing night that usually accompanies Guy Fawkes night, I’ll even got to have a sparkler without wearing my gloves – the shock!

The last thing I would like prayer for is the fact that specialty applications for NHS training have now started up. I have this month of November to refine my CV and portfolio and decide which applications to go for to start work in August 2011. I need to decide whether to apply for general surgery for 2 years then go into orthopaedics for the 6 years following that or a straight 8 years of orthopaedics. At the beginning of December i have to submit my various applications ready for shortlisting and interviews when I am back in the UK in January. The prayer would be for wisdom in what to apply for and that God would clearly show me the way He has planned.

H xx