High Tea and Luggage

Malawi Church of God Logo

We've had a couple of good days--Monday we were finally able to retrieve our two missing pieces of luggage! PTL! Tuesday we ran some errands, met some of Tammie's friends and visited the recently purchased property where the Church of God is building a training center on about 7 acres.  So far they have a well with hand pump, a very nice bricked 3-hole latrine, and an almost completed house where the overseer of the property will live. In addition to this, there's a temporary thatched house for the guard and a temporary thatched roofed area that a new  church group is meeting under.  The last workteam that was here also planted an area with Mango, Avacado, Papaya, Guava, Orange, Lemon and Lime trees.

Church Shelter/Guard House

Latrine

House for Property Manager

There's a master plan for the property for classrooms, church and dormitory, road with a bridge over a small ravine, etc. but building can only be done as funds are received.  The next project is the road and bridge for accessing the property as they have been borrowing a passage-way through someone's garden and soon it will be time to plant again...

The "Lodge"
After looking over the property we headed off to the Satemwa Tea-Coffee Plantation about 20 miles out in the middle of hundreds, if not thousands of acres of one coffee or tea field after the other. It was a beautiful ride through the rolling hills of various shades of green. We passed a grove of Macadamia Nut trees too. We arrived at the "lodge for "high tea" about noon and it was like 

Three for Tea (Art, Suetta, Tammie)

One garden area/pool

Tea field

something out of an old novel or movie...our three plush chairs and a coffee table were set out on the lawn under an umbrella with another umbrella-ed table nearby that had our finger sandwiches, scones, and "biscuits" ? , jam, marmalade and clotted cream AND, of course, a couple pots of tea. To top it off there was a lovely (and very yummy) chocolate cake with a fresh flower atop it. A most relaxing and beautiful setting (except for the tea fleas). We looked in some of the rooms they offer for over-night guests and they were done elegantly with mosiquito-net drapped poster beds, sitting areas with fireplace, footed tubs (one bathroom even had a fireplace) and delightfully attentive servers. A real get-away place to relax! Then we came back to reality and drove home--stopping on the way at a quaint little coffee shop where we watched the woman actually roasting the coffee and making "blends". She also had macadamia nuts and dried fruits. Art and Tammie had a cup of her fresh roasted coffee and I inhaled the wonderful aroma. It was a wonderful day!