Day's Diary

March 23 , 2007 ~ Mulanje Mountain

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The Staff of ZTC had the opportunity to do its annual staff retreat at Likhubula House this year, thanks to the vision of Silas Ncozana and the generosity of the Pittsburgh Partnership. In the past, the retreat has been on campus and was really just a long staff meeting. Silas dreamed of something different – a time away to wrestle with the challenges that face the college, but in a setting where there would be no distractions and we would be surrounded by God’s presence. That describes Likhubula House on the side of Mulanje Mountain, a retreat center that the Synod owns and is in the process of refurbishing, thanks to a grant from the Church of Scotland. The staff loved the idea and so we set the wheels in motion to make it happen. The Pittsburgh Partnership caught the vision with us and so we set about planning.

Silas took responsibility for the menu, the shopping and leading the discussion about the college. I was assigned to prepare devotions for us, morning and evening. We hired a minibus to transport us and all our katundu (stuff). This way we could all be together and none of us have to worry about driving. This was not the typical minibus ride, since we each had our own seat and there were no stops along the way for passengers. That is the only way I can deal with a minibus.

We left the college on Wednesday afternoon amid farewells from the students and arrived at Likhubula House in time for dinner. The power was out when we arrived at just about dusk. That made great fun to settle in in the dark. Candles and flashlights were the order of the night. We had brought the food with us and needed to wait for dinner to be prepared. Dinner could be cooked because Silas had special wood burners installed at Likhubula House to augment the electric and to cut down on charcoal use, since most Malawians still prefer to cook certain things (like nsima) over an open fire. We had hot water because of solar panels that service the chalets. It was very comfortable.

While we waited for dinner to be prepared, we had an introduction to Likhubula House by Silas, complete with tales of losing campers and encountering leopards. Silas had developed and directed the retreat center in the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s and had lots of stories to tell. As we sat down to dinner, the power came on. After dinner, we had devotions, reflections on Jeremiah 29:10-14. That was a time to allow people to begin to share something of themselves and they responded well. Later I heard that people who had worked together for 8 years or more were learning things they had never known about their colleagues. Just as we were finishing devotions, the power went out again. We carefully moved in the dark from the house, down the hill to the chalets where we were staying. The advantage to that was that without lights around, the stars were incredible. I felt as if I could reach out and touch them, they were so bright and there so many of them. The chalets are on a hill above the Likhubula River, which flows rapidly down the mountain and over the rocks. The rushing water was a lullaby all night. It was almost as good as being at the ocean.

After breakfast on Thursday, we had devotions again and more sharing then moved into the meat of the retreat with a look at the college in the past and present. This set the stage for discussions about the future. The college is facing a number of challenges at present. Great among them are the finances. There are none to speak of. The struggle among the Synods has had a great impact of their support of the college. Both Nkhoma and Livingstonia have begun their own theological training programs and are putting their money into those instead of into Zomba, the denominational college. The staff made some good suggestions about fundraising and about working with the board on defining the college’s role in the denomination at this crucial time in the CCAP’s history. They made suggestions about course offerings, about staffing issues and about the facility itself. These discussions took until evening, with a break for meals and an afternoon respite.

We decided that after lunch, we needed to get out and enjoy the mountain and get a bit of recreation. This was voluntary but everyone decided to join the hike part way up the mountain. I am older than I thought. I am hurting today from the hike yesterday, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Dr. Hara, age 67, was strong and fun to hike with. He kept us laughing. Silas ran circles around all of us. He is amazing. We decided not to go all the way to the waterfalls, but felt good about the hike we had done. This was really a team building opportunity as the younger, stronger staff members took it upon themselves to set a pace that was good for everyone. That meant slowing Silas down at a number of points. We heard more of Silas’ stories as we hiked, and saw the location where he stared down the leopard (who, as Silas tells it, by the grace of God was not hungry that evening and turned and walked away).

After showers (it was a hot walk), and tea, we resumed the discussion and carried it straight through dinner. We ended the evening with communion. I had chosen to do it by intinction, since this fit the meditation and was easier to prepare for. This was new for most of the folks there, including Steve McCracken from Ireland. He had many questions afterward. I forget that some of the things we do in our church as common practice are new to folks outside the United States.

Today after breakfast we had devotions outdoors at the pools. Just below the chalets is an area of small pools among the rocks that, when the river is slow, are safe for swimming. It is a beautiful spot that offers a breathtaking view of the valley below. It is a short walk, not even a hike, from the road and made up for not making it all the way to the waterfalls on Thursday. We had wonderful reflections on “Living Water” and after prayer we sang “How Great Thou Art.” It was a powerful ending to a meaningful retreat.

Then we headed down the mountain, stopping to buy cedar items from the carvers who have stands just below the retreat property. Mulanje cedar is special and the craftsmen make lovely boxes and walking sticks and other items. We definitely helped their economy.  We made a short side stop at Mulanje Mission, which most of the staff had never seen. We had a brief tour and then headed back to Zomba, arriving here about Noon. An indication of the success of the retreat was the staff response that they need to do a “get away” like this annually and want to put it into the budget for next year.

Praise God for this opportunity to share some vision, to grow together as the body of Christ and to enjoy God’s great creation. From the entire staff, thank you to Pittsburgh Presbytery Partnership for enabling this to happen. You have encouraged the hearts and spirits of the staff at an important time in the college history. There is a plan for the future, and we continue to pray that we will hear God speaking and we work with that plan. We came away believing God’s promise in fresh ways: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11