Bridget's Day at the Salon

One of the benefits of being here is that I can get Bridget's hair done for almost nothing.  If I want to have someone cornrow her hair in the states it costs $75 and if you add extensions it's around $150.  I asked around and the gardener's wife was recommended so on Monday she came to the nursery to do Bridget's hair.  I brought some hair extensions from the states that I wanted her to use.  It was amazing to watch.  She was in such contorted positions but didn't want a chair.  Eventually Bridget fell asleep which made it easier.  Needless to say it came out beautifully and it cost me $3.50 for almost 3 hours of work.  If you can make that much a day here it is a lot of money.

How We Got Diesel

As I've mentioned before, we were running low on diesel in the van we have and there was none to be found.  Ironically, the man we rented the car from gave us this van instead of another because he said that diesel was easier to find and the other car used gas.  Things have obviously changed!
One day we saw a huge line for diesel but Andy didn't want to sit all day so he was going to go back in the morning.  The diesel was all gone by night fall so we learned that you don't wait.  Sometimes you can wait in line for hours and when you get to the pump it's all gone so it's a very frustrating process. 
The interesting thing is that they let people with gas cans fill up in between the cars.  We hired a friend from the church here who is out of work to take our gas can and go all over town looking for diesel.  By 5:00 that night he had filled up the can and called us to come get in.  With that amount we were able to fill up the van to almost 1/2 full.  I think we will use this tactic again.

A Gift

One of the babies that we cared for was named Gift.  He appeared to be mentally disabled as he never responded unless you were right in front of him and sang and clapped.   Then he would smile and wave his hands.  We thought he must be deaf. The nannies wouldn't interact with him because they thought it was a waste of time.  I had to remind them again and again to love him anyway and talk and sing to him which they finally did. 
I didn't know what happened to him but assumed he went back to his grandmother.  I have been praying for him and hoping that things turned out for him.  For some reason, he had touched my heart in a way I couldn't explain. 
When we arrived at the nursery I asked about him and was told that he lives in Mzuzu with his grandmother and is a normal little boy.  It felt like another miracle.
We met with his grandmother yesterday and asked her to bring him to the nursery so we could see him.  She brought him today.  We expected him to scream as most young children here aren't used to seeing white faces and they run screaming.  We were in our car when we saw them walking towards us.  We stopped the car and he started smiling at us.  He even let me pick him up and he said, "hello."  I started singing a song that I always sang to him and he smiled the sweetest smile.  It was such a great feeling.  God does love the little children, doesn't he?

Gift

Puppet Performances

We performed Skit 1 for the nursery last Friday and on Sunday we presented it at the church we attended when we lived here.  Skit 1 is about creation and compares who God is with who Satan is.  Andy followed it with more in-depth Bible teaching. Everyone loved the puppets and Andy didn't think they were as thrilled with his teaching but I noticed that many were listening attentively.
We will present one skit a week at each place.  On the week following our skits Andy will teach the men from the church and I will teach the nannies at the nursery a more in-depth Bible study that will reinforce what was said during the skits. Please pray for Andy and me to be led by the Spirit in our teaching and that God will open the ears and hearts of those that attend.

Ladies, babies and some men watching the puppets



Andy teaching at church with Adam & Eve in the background

The Nursery

Baby Room

We have been here in Mzuzu for almost a week and we visit the nursery every day.  We have been blown away by what good stewards they have been of everything here.  Since the nursery was first our home, we left all our furnishings, kitchen items and most everything else here when we left.  We left a boom box with some CD's and we were shocked to see that it is still here and it works!  Even the CD's still work.  Every day the ladies will show me something that we left and it is still in working condition.  To some of you this may not be a big deal but for this culture it is huge.  They just seem to have a way of ruining electronics especially which I'm sure is because most don't have washing machines and modern appliances.  The staff is very proud of their work and they have done a fabulous job.

Very organized blankets & clothes

We are in Mzuzu

We used the Crisis Nursery vehicle to get to Mzuzu yesterday.  Augustine and Kris stayed with our rented car with the plan to leave after the mechanic fixed it.  We arrived about 4 pm and Augustine arrived at 9 pm.  The rented car was supposedly fixed but Kris said it had hardly any power and there was no way our family with all our luggage would have made it.  But thank the Lord it all worked out.
We went straight to the nursery and they came running out on the road waving flowers and branches and singing to us.  It was very wonderful and we were all in tears.  They continued singing as we drove into the nursery compound.  Almost all the nannies were there to welcome us.  It was like seeing family again.

Lilongwe Crisis Nursery

If you really like to hold babies, the Lilongwe Crisis Nursery is the place to go.  We have been able to go there a few times over the last few days and have some pictures of some really cute babies.  Be careful!  These pictures might make you want to come over to hold them!

Kris

This is Hoseya, my favorite baby (I held him most of the time we were there!)

This is Dad and baby (not sure of the name)

This is Teresa (she was adorable and very fun to play with).  She is close to two years old.

This is Bridget with Teresa

This is Sophie (Sarah's favorite baby)

Does anyone need a secreatary?

Life in Malawi

We have enjoyed our stay in Malawi alot so far and have taken a few couple pictures that we would like to share with you that show alot of what Malawi is like.

Kris

This is the place to get a hold of professional help

How is that for some scaffolding?

Another Puppet Presentation

On Sunday we performed our puppet skits for a children's Sunday School Class at Msonkhamanja CCAP Church here in Lilongwe.  CCAP (Church of Central Africa Presbyterian) is the main denomination here in Malawi and Msonkhamanja is the biggest CCAP church in Lilongwe.
We arrived at 6:30 am and there were a lot of kids already there.  By the time we started at 7:15 there were at least 250 children ages 2-10 or 12. 
Our kids did a great job with the puppets and the children watching really seemed to enjoy it.  They were a little noisy during Andy's short talk in between skits but that's understandable. It was really a blessing to be there sharing God's word with these children.

Children watching puppets

Our Visit with Mphatso

The first baby we took into the Mzuzu Crisis Nursery was Mphatso.  He was 5 months old but looked about 2 months.  He became very dear to our family.  He was adopted by a German couple who live in Lilongwe and on Saturday we visited him and his family. 
He was very shy and pretty much ignored us but he did play with Bridget and Alina.  It was so great to see him and it was very obvious that his mother and father adored him.  We had a wonderful time visiting his family and so amazed at how God can work in the lives of these orphaned children.

Bridget and Mphatso Together Again

Change of Plans

This morning we were  up bright and early to get ready to return to Mzuzu.  We have all been so excited about returning and seeing the nursery and all our friends there.  The car was loaded and we were on the road by 8 am. 
The trip to Mzuzu takes about 4 hours and goes through some steep mountain passes.  As we got out of Lilongwe, Andy commented that the clutch was starting to slip so we prayed and hoped that we could keep going.  As we started going uphill it became obvious that we wouldn't make it.  We turned around and headed back to the guest house. 
At this point we aren't sure what we will do.  We are looking into renting another car but that has the same possibilities as the car we have.  Augustine is planning to come from Mzuzu this afternoon and we can go back with him tomorrow.  We , of course would love to go today as everyone is more than ready.  Thankfully God is who we trust to guide us and we are waiting on His plan to come to fruition. 
We are so thankful that we didn't get stranded somewhere between here and there and that we could return safely to Lilongwe and that we can still stay at our guest house.  God is faithful!
"Lean not on your own understanding, but in all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct they paths."

Power Outages

Since coming to Lilongwe (LLW) we have had many power outages--at least 2 a day.  This makes it challenging to cook so we have had a lot of PB&J sandwiches even for breakfast but we are thankful for that.  Most days it has been on through the night and if we get up before 7am we can boil water to make tea and coffee.  Coffee from a french press never tasted so good!  It also goes off some time during the day. 
The kids like the power outages because we have been buying samosas in town as most stores have generators.  Samosas are meat and/or vegetables wrapped in a thin dough and fried.  They are not very healthy but they are very good.
Yesterday the power was on for 24 hours so we were able to cook dinner and eat it with the lights on.  It was off this morning and the Malawians that are in the guest/servants quarters asked if I wanted him to bring their charcoal cooker so I could make lunch.  I thought it would be fun to try.  Just a few minutes later the power came back on so I guess we'll have to cook the normal way today.
We are so blessed to have the many luxuries we have in the States.  Count your blessings!

Our first puppet presentation

We performed for the first time yesterday at the Lilongwe Crisis Nursery.  The kids did a great job and the ladies seemed to emjoy it.  Our crowd dwindled mid way as babies needed tended and some of the staff had to leave but many returned for the last skit which was about trusting God to protect you from Satan and a message that they desperately needed to hear. 
Sarah caught a cold and wehn we got to the nursery she looked like she was going to faint and didn't think she could perform.  We prayed over her for healing and by the time we started she was much better and was able to participate.  God is faithful! 
We have been more sure since coming that thiese messages must be told. We've had more sickness starts and sleep lost to spiritual battles at night (the sounds at night will convince you that there is demonic activity all around).  God has kept us and will continue to keep us for that we are convinced.
Even though the audience was small the supervisors thought our message was very much needed and would have an impact wherever we presented it.  They were also impressed that our family worked together to present the message.  She said that they never see fathers, mothers and children working together as each goes his/her own way. They wished we were in Lilongwe longer so we could go with the Mobile Medical Unit that goes to villages every Thursday.  They said that while they are helping with the physical needs we could be helping with their spiritual needs.  We are considering coming back to Lilongwe a few days before we leave and going with them then. 
Please continue to pray for healing and protection for our family and that we will see where God wants to lead us.
I am hoping to post pictures when we get to Mzuzu as I would love for you to see those who we are ministering to.

The Trip

As you all know, we all made it safely here to Malawi, but I'm going to give you more details as to how the whole trip here went.
Our first flight from Seattle to London, started with a small technical problem with the plane (while we were still on the ground, fortunately) which caused and extra 1 1/2 hours of sitting on the plane at the airport seeing what little can be seen from an airplane window.  After the long wait, we were finally on our way!  The flight to London was about 8 1/2 hours, which sounds really long, but it wasn't too bad since we left around 7:50 PM, which made most of the flight overnight.  We landed in London around 12:30 PM (London time)
Our layover in London for this next flight was going to be 7 hours, but due to the delay in Seattle, it only ended up being 5-6 hours (it seemed really long anyways).
I am not sure if anyone is interested in our travel details, so I will try to make the rest somewhat brief.  Our next flight was to Johannesburg, South Africa.  This flight was only 10 hours (no problem).  Fortunately, it was an overnight flight so we were able to sleep some of the time.
We arrived in South Africa with no problems, had a 3 hour layover, then continued out journey on another plane to Lilongwe, the capitol of Malawi.  This flight was only 2 hours, 10 minutes.  It went by very fast.
We arrived in Lilongwe at 12:30 PM.  It was a great feeling to know that we were finally here!  I still can't believe we are actually here!
I want to thank all of those who prayed for our safety as we traveled.  It was appreciated.  Now that we are here, please pray that God can use us to minister to the people here.  I am really looking forward to seeing God work through us here.

Kris

We're Here

We arrived in Malawi yesterday and all went very well.  The flights were long and we were tired yesterday but we all had a good night's sleep.  Our guest house does have internet but the laptop has screen problems so it jumps all over as I type so forgive the typos :)
We were able to call Augustine last night and our car is supposed to arrive from Mzuzu today but the country is having serious fuel shortages and it is very difficult to find fuel.  At every gas station we passed, there was no fuel and many trucks just waiting.  The young man who runs the guest house was able to pick us up but was phoning all over last night to find more fuel as he needed to go to his village to help harvest.  He finally received a call that there was a station with fuel so left quickly to get it.  His truck is still here so we are not sure if he got any.  We will trust the Lord that when we need fuel we can find it.  We will be walking a lot to save fuel.  It is also very expensive as Fred told us it was about $9-10/gallon.  I guess that makes our gas prices look pretty good!  Just come to a 3rd world country and you'll appreciate what you have!
There have also been a lot of power outages too.  Last night the power went off and came back on during the night.  When we got up it was off again.  It came back on a short time later and we could have our coffee.  It was delicious!
The kids got a ride homje from the airport in the back of a lorie (truck).  Fred pick us up but the cab only seats 3 so he put rattan chairs in the back and thekids climbed in with the luggage and off we went.  They didn't seem to mind and got a good view of Lilongwe.
Plese continue to keep us in your prayers and that we will have discernment and wisdom in the direction God wants us to go each day.

We're Off

Today’s the big day.  Our flight leaves from SeaTac tonight at 6:45 pm.  We are driving to my sister’s in Tacoma this morning and we’ll have lunch with my family before we leave for the airport.  Everyone is very excited but amazingly calm this morning.  That’s why I have time to post this last blog J

We fly from Seattle to London (9 hrs.) with a 7 hour layover in London.  Then we fly to Johannesburg (10 hrs.) with a 3 hour layover there.  Our last flight is only 3 hrs. to Lilongwe which is the capital of Malawi.  We arrive in Malawi on June 14.  It will be a long 2 days but we are looking forward to the divine appointments God has for us along the way.  Much to my children’s dismay, we are not taking any electronic devices nor using the in-flight entertainment.  We want our eyes and ears to be open to God’s leading and tuning out does little for the Lord.  In addition, we don’t need any images that don’t glorify God in our minds as we embark on this ministry.  Actually, they have gotten use to the idea and we’re prepared with a lot of books and games.

We have been so blessed by God’s word these past few weeks.  It has been our anchor during times of doubt and fear as we’ve been preparing to leave.  God has given us a peace and confidence in HIS power that we see over and over in His word.  These verses have been so encouraging the last few days:

“And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.  For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.  And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.  And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:  That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”  2 Cor. 2:3-5

FYI, Andy’s eye infection is still hanging on but getting better.  This morning it appears worse but we are trusting the Lord for his healing.  My infection is totally gone so we are praising the Lord for his goodness. 

Please continue to keep our family in your prayers.  With your prayers God can work mightily through us.  Please pray for calm and patience as we fly and that we will pray when frustrated, pray when discouraged and pray without ceasing.  Flying with 6 kids can sometimes cause our patience to wear thin and we don't want to dishonor the Lord with our impatience.  We will update the blog as often as we can so you can share in God’s work in Malawi.

A Prayer

Friends of ours sent us an email this morning to say they had been praying for us and what they had been praying specifically for us and it summarized all that our family has been praying for concerning this trip. It was such an awesome prayer that I would like to share it with you and hope that it gives you specifics to pray for us. It was such an encouragement and a blessing to know that fellow saints are praying for us. It reminds me of this verse in Ephesians 6—"Praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints."

"We pray specifically for Andy, as the spiritual leader of your family, to have God's wisdom and discernment as you prepare to serve Him in Malawi. We pray also for Lisa and Andy, as one in Christ, to have a united vision and focus on God's will for your family ministries in Malawi. We are calling on the Lord to give you all clarity in the final preparations for your mission trip: Who to be praying for, alertness to the enemies lies and schemes, protection from the enemy, what to take, what not to take, and peace in the process.

Ultimately, that you will completely rely on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who was, and is, and is to come.

We will pray for quick and complete healing for Andy and Lisa.

We trust the Lord will provide everything you need to do His work in Washington before you leave and in Malawi when you arrive. It is exciting to know that this trip to Malawi will be unique, different from the last, for God has brought you all to a new place in your walk with Him. We envision the people in Malawi, taking in God's word of Truth as you perform with puppets and speak forth the Word of God. We envision transformation by the renewing of minds. Hallelujah! We are praying for a harvest which glorifies the Lord.

We love you all and expect the Lord to do a mighty work in you and through you.

Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me,

and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour. Isaiah 43:10-11"

 

Our Skits

We have 7 skits that we have written and will perform in Malawi. Our focus was to encourage and equip Christians in Malawi but we still wanted to have the gospel message for whoever might be listening. We wanted the messages to be what God wanted us to say so we spent much time in prayer regarding what to write.

Our first skit is on creation and Satan's fall from heaven and how he is a created being and doesn't have powers greater than God. The 2^nd skit is the story of Peter & John going to the temple and they end up healing a lame man who is asking for money. Since begging is non-stop in Malawi we thought the theme was appropriate. The message we wanted to present was that the lame man was asking for money which is temporal while God gave him something more—healing his body and eternal life. In Skit 3 we tell the story of when the Israelites are surrounded by the Assyrian army and King Hezekiah prays to God after being threatened by Sennacherib. The King says these great words from 2 Chronicles 32, "Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles." God then wipes out the entire Assyrian army. Skit 4 is the story of Saul's conversion on the road to Damascus. We wanted to present salvation as a life-changing occurrence where you turn from your old ways and are a new creature in Christ.

The remaining 3 skits revolve around Malawian culture and their beliefs. In Skit 5 we show a young man who is recently saved but is being asked to steal by a friend. He is then reminded by another friend of how as a Christian he shouldn't be stealing using Ephesians 4:27 which says, "Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that has need." The message in Skit 6 is for fathers to teach their children the truths from the Bible. A father is telling his child tales that are based on ancestral worship even though they are Christians. A friend reminds him that the Bible is our source for truth. The last skit is a true story that actually happened in Malawi. A Christian man was asked to sprinkle magic powder around his house because the village leaders thought that witchcraft was in the village and they needed the powder to keep them safe. The man refused because he believed that God would protect him. Two days later his young son woke up screaming and running around the house as if he could see something. When they went to investigate the Holy Spirit told the man that the demons were tormenting him because they had refused the powder. He prayed for protection in the name of Jesus and the tormenting stopped and they had peace after that.

Our prayer is that God will use these messages to remind the Malawians that "greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world" and that they can have victory in Jesus. It's a message that we all need to remember too.

Prayer Request

As we've approached our time to leave for Malawi both Andy and I have been hit with infections. I have a bladder infection that doesn't want to go away. Andy has had an infection in his eye for some time that just hangs on but doesn't cause too much trouble. We've tried everything but to no avail. It started bothering him again this past week and by Saturday it looked like he had been in a fight. His eye was swollen and is very irritated. We believe that this is the beginning of our spiritual battles and would appreciate your prayers for healing.

These trials will not stop us from leaving and we've commented to each other that it just confirms that we are doing exactly what God wants by going to Malawi. What these trials cause us to do is turn to God even more. Our prayers become more fervent and our thoughts are continually on the Lord. This is exactly where we need to be as we get ready to so we are thankful for the trials as they show our weakness and God's power. In all things God will be glorified!

"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." (1Pe 4:12-13 AV)

"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." (Jas 1:2-4 AV)

Spiritual Warfare

As we prepared to return to Malawi, we watched a DVD series called "Spiritual Warfare for Every Christian" by Dean Sherman and read his book by the same name. It is an awesome series and book and we highly recommend it. He has worked with YWAM for many years and the book and DVD can be purchased through YWAM's website.

One of the reasons we are returning to Malawi is to try and teach on how much power God has compared to Satan. Malawians understand the spiritual realm as they have seen and heard demonic activity all their lives—it is very real to them. Most of us, on the other hand, don't seem to understand or even believe that we are in a war every day. Dean Sherman says that we are involved in warfare all the time. It isn't an event but a life. He says, "Spiritual warfare is learning to recognize the strategies of the enemy, refusing to cooperate with the strategies, and aggressively cutting them off in Jesus' name." He doesn't see demons in every situation but points out how our Christian walk can either open the gate or close the gate to Satan's strategies. The bottom line is that we are to be aware of the enemy's schemes but be impressed with God and then we won't have any fear.

I have to admit that when I first started reading his book I was very afraid and wondered why in the world we would want to go to Malawi and teach this. As I continued reading I became more and more confident of God's power and that I didn't need to fear as "greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world." When I realize who I am in Christ, what power has been given to me through Jesus Christ, and then I can have peace. I'm not foolish enough to believe that we won't face trials because we will but that's the exciting part. If we never face trials then we can never see the power of God.

Another great book we've been reading is"Smoking the Mango Tree." When we told a friend about our plans in Malawi they told us to read this book. It describes the ministry of a missionary family from Scotland who goes to a tribe in the Philippines and experience many spiritual battles but also many victories as they and the tribe see God's power in action. The book reinforced the principles that we learned from the "Spiritual Warfare" series.

Since we experienced many trials when we lived in Malawi we know that we won't be immune from trials this time either. Our prayer is that through it all God will be glorified.

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places]. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;" (Eph 6:10-18)

A House

It looks as if we have a house in Mzuzu. Praise the Lord! It is the home of Jodi McGill, our dear friend who has helped us time and time again in Mzuzu. Her family is going on a 1 year furlough to the states and their house will be vacant the middle of June. The landlord has agreed to rent it to us for 2 months.

Augustine worked tirelessly to find us a house and the McGill's house was the only one available. Jodi originally mentioned it to me but said that it wasn't as secure as we may like due to our previous experiences with being robbed. I immediately said no thanks which was a decision based on fear. The Lord obviously wants us to stay there and my fears are irrelevant. He alone knows what we need.

The McGill's are letting us have the basics in the house during our stay so we won't need to pack (or buy when we get there) linens, dishes, etc. What a huge blessing. It is also on the same road as the nursery and about 7 houses down from it. The Lord must want us close to the nursery as the other house was on the other end of town. We are very excited that God continues to work on our behalf.

"In all thy ways acknowledge HIM and He shall direct thy paths"