Adventures! Archives – Page 2 of 4

March 30, 2020

Sharing Hospitality During a Pandemic

Today I want to share some encouragement and hopefully some ideas of how we can share hospitality during a pandemic.

I love sharing recipes and collecting recipes. Over the years I have traveled back and forth across the country. Most of those trips involved ministry of one kind or another. I have collected recipes on these trips. Many of the recipes I share on this blog have come from some of those collections.

As I have sat around the tables of many of my Christian sisters I realized that a lot of encouragement happens in the homes of fellow Christians. In fact, I believe more happens there than any other place. I believe the early Christians were very hospitable.

Hospitality in the early church began in Jerusalem when the early church was started. Many people were there and stayed there. The Christians gathered daily growing their new faith in God. I can just see the new Christian sisters gathered around sharing what they had with others. Sisters cooking side by side to feed those new friends and brethren. Opening their hearts and homes to these new Christians.

Acts 2:44 -47 All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ⁴⁶Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

So many of my life stories have come from Christians who have opened their homes to me and my opening my home to others. Strangers united by Christ.

We can change the world through hospitality. When this pandemic is over open your heart and your home to those around you that God has placed in your life for just such a time. But while we are still in the midst of social distancing. I want to suggest some ways we can practice hospitality.

Think of those who may need a word of encouragement.

Write notes.

Do not think you need fancy cards or stationary. Just a piece of paper will do. If you want to draw a funny picture or send a cartoon you have saved, great. Everyone needs a laugh. What about all of those postcards you have collected from trips? Why not send those to people who would enjoy them.

Care Packages

You might want to send care packages or a sunshine package from the wealth in your own home. Do you have a book you have already read and enjoyed? Send it to a friend. What about an adult coloring book? Send a page or two with a note. Or color the page or have your child color it for a friend or neighbor. Sometimes suspense is fun. Make an envelope for each day of the week for them to open. Items you might want to include in the envelopes: scriptures, pictures, homemade confetti (you know which of your friends can handle this), a fun memory or picture of a time you spent together, assignments like writing 5 blessings you have on this paper, etc.

Phone Calls

Almost everyone in America has a phone it seems. Call someone today, just to say hi or share a memory you have of them. Ask them, “Do you remember when?”

Call an old friend you haven’t talked with in a while. You will both be encouraged.

Blessing Ring

Start a blessing ring today. Count your blessings for they are many.

Fun and Games

Maybe you can make up a game.

Send a puzzle you have already done for someone else to enjoy.

A deck of cards.

Teddy bears in your window to cheer passersby.

Check out the Facebook group Happy Heart Hunt. Placing cheery hearts in your windows, chalk outside people’s doors, etc.

A lady from church gave me permission to share what her neighborhood is doing. Chalk the walk. So that when people take a walk they will be cheered.

Also, my neighbor had the idea to chalk a hopscotch game on the pavement behind our townhouses. Fun!

Check out Pan and Cora’s Adventures on Facebook. http://redaredding.com/PanAndCorasAdventures

Send Encouragement Online

One thing I did today was to send encouraging scriptures to my friends in Malawi. They do not have many available Bibles and really appreciate the scriptures and encouraging words. I used WhatsApp to do this but we have so many resources to use. I also sent them a face mask pattern. I was told they have no masks there.

Have an idea of how we can practice this gift of hospitality in the midst of the coronavirus? Leave your ideas below. We can all use some more ideas to get through this.

Let me know what you decide to do.

March 24, 2020March 24, 2020

Making Old Fashioned Banana Bread

I didn’t really start the day planning to make old fashioned banana bread. Today I was sorting books and got to looking through some old cookbooks. I found a recipe for old fashioned banana bread. We had some overripe bananas that needed to be used so I suggested Esther make banana bread. She got even more creative and made a video of her process. This was her first attempt at banana bread. She said to remind readers to soften the butter which she forgot to do. And she said she poked it a few too many times checking for doneness. The bread turned out to be delicious.

Even though she put the recipe at the end of the video I am including it here at the bottom of the page.

Old Fashioned Banana Bread

3 ripe bananas

1 Tbs water

1 cup of sugar

1/4 cup butter

2 beaten eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbs vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 cups flour

1 cup nuts

Mash bananas and water together. Set aside 3 minutes, and then mix remaining ingredients together as listed. Bake in loaf pan at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.

March 18, 2020March 18, 2020

Fun Things To Do With Your Kids at Home

Yesterday I started brainstorming about fun things to do with your kids at home. Many people have found themselves unexpectedly homebound. How long will this crisis last? Tornadoes, viruses, injuries, and snowstorms can all cause our world to come to a screeching stop. I do not remember a more uncertain time in my life. I do not ever remember workplaces shutting down at this rate. This has produced a lot of anxiety for some people.

I recommend making your day a more positive day. Don’t give into sitting and watching a play by play on TV or on the internet. There are many things you cannot control but you can control your home environment. Don’t give in to all-day screen time.

Below is a list that I compiled just off the top of my head. There are many things you can do. These are some things I have done over the years or wish I had done. I hope maybe some of these ideas will make your days at home a little easier.

I have eleven children and I have homeschooled for well over 30 years. Staying home for days at a time surrounded by great books with beautiful and brilliant children was my joy and my life. I miss those days. Were my days perfect? No. There are so many things I wish I had done better. Here are a few things I did do.

Making Chores Fun

If you haven’t already gotten your family on a chore system now is the time. There are several reasons for this. First, you will feel better when the basics are taken care of. This is a basic life skill. Second, you have a lot of hours on your hands and children truly need something to do and this benefits the whole family. There are several ways you might do this.

Pull slips with jobs on them. This adds a bit of mystery. You write single jobs on strips of paper. Fold them up and put them in a basket. Everyone chooses one and goes and does that one. They continue until all are done. You can set a timer to make it more interesting. These are extra jobs, not weekly chores.

Whiteboard with lists of jobs let them choose which one. And of course, get the joy of wiping off the accomplished job!

Assign chores by the week as I did when my children were younger. They became chore chart participants at 8 years old. We switched every Sunday. Dishes, table, babies, floors, etc. We have 11 children so for many years I needed help cleaning the high chair, buckling kids in car seats, etc.

Set a timer and have everyone work together in one room or folding all the laundry and then do something fun.

Stories

Tell Stories, everyone loves stories

Make chain stories where one person starts it and each person takes a turn adding the next part to the story. We did this frequently on car trips.

Read

Listen to audiobooks available free from your library even when your library is closed.

Read great books. If you have not read the classics they are great! There is a reason they are called classics. The long ones I prefer the audio version. Unabridged of course.

All those books on your shelf that you haven’t had enough time to read. Now is your opportunity.

Set a reading time every day during this confinement.

Write (or Dictate) and Practice Penmanship

Have your children write and illustrate a story. I have recently been going through files of things I have saved from my children’s younger days. Their stories are fun to read later.

Write stories and then let each one share. Your younger kids can dictate their stories to you. You can have them dictate first and then illustrate or the reverse.

Writing simple reports can be fun and educational. Let them choose a topic to learn about and research about it for a set amount of time and then have each one share his report.

Write out a scripture verse each day.

Write a letter to a grandparent, friend, neighbor, a sick person, or someone in the nursing home.

4 year old's report on frogs — Stages of Frog

Arts and Crafts

Have an art show. Hang a string from your curtain rod end to end. Especially if you have a large picture window. This works great. Everyone draws or paints pictures etc.

Craft time. Drag out the craft supplies and create pictures. If you have no craft supplies get creative and use noodles, string, make newspaper hats, etc.

Draw a picture for someone and mail it to them.

Take old mismatched socks and make something out of them. Ideas: sock doll, ball, puppet, doll hats, etc.

Make soap or paper.

Do origami.

Make a hopping paper frog.

Memory Work

Memorize ABC verses and offer a reward when they are finished. Here are links to two lists from previous posts. A B C BIBLE VERSES H and icanteachmychild.com/abc-printable-scripture-cards/

Memorize other facts you may need like multiplications, verbs, etc.

Games

Play sound games with your preschoolers. Ask them how many words can you think of that start with the same sound as banana, or apple, or penny, you get the idea.

Drag out your board games.

Play charades. Choose a topic. Bible characters, animals, etc.

Music

Learn a new skill

Practice a musical instrument

If you do not have an instrument you might make a paper keyboard and practice as did several famous musicians. Or create rhythm instruments from things around the house.

Practice singing together.

Learn to read music.

Toys

Get out the legos and play together.

Have the kids sort their toys and find some they would like to share with others.

Put together jigsaw puzzles.

Homemade Fun

Make your own homemade family carnival.

If you have a laundry basket make a game of throwing old socks or balls, etc. and ringing the basket from different distances.

Make your own ring toss game.

Make your own dart game using rubber bands and try to hit a target you make.

Get out the shaving cream and on a safe surface give everyone some shaving cream to play with. It is a lot of fun. Remind them not to rub their eyes.

Make playdough ( recipe here) make figures out of it. Set themes: everyone make a dinosaur, or farm animal or flower, etc.

Cooking

Cook together

Bake cookies or bread or pretzels.

Let each child help you make a meal.

Set the table extra pretty for special guests who are going to be there and let someone make a centerpiece for the table out of things you have on hand. When supper time arrives tell your family they are the special guests.

Outside

Let the kids play in the yard or if they don’t want to, insist they run a couple of laps around the outside of the house for exercise.

Go for a walk.

If you cannot go outside put on some oldies and have a dance party. My 20-month-old granddaughter loves Barbara Ann. Take this time to laugh and be silly with your kids.

Look out the window and count how many birds you can see and what kinds. If you don’t know what kind of bird it is look it up!

Exercise videos

Play hopscotch

Generational

Have your child play the reporter and Interview their grandparents on the phone or face time. What games did they play? Were they ever stranded at home? What was the longest time they ever remember staying at home? Snowed in? Epidemic? Earliest childhood memory?

Have the child interview different members of your church by phone and have them ask about their conversion story! How old? Where? Etc.

March 17, 2020March 17, 2020

Have You Been Snowed In During the Wintertime?

Have you been snowed in during the wintertime? If you know me you know that I lived many years on Redding Mountain. I used to have a blog called Redding Mountain. If you would like to read some tales about our adventures there you can check out www.reddingmountain.com.

Although we are going through a different sort of adventure at present there are some similarities and so it brought back many memories.

When you live in West Virginia it is very likely you may live on a mountain and find yourself snowed in during the wintertime. If you lived on Redding Mountain you would surely have experienced this as well as many other “adventures” in the wintertime such as no electricity for days or weeks, frozen water pipes, cooking on a kerosene heater, and/or a ride up the hill on the tractor when the road was impassable.

During our snow days, we became very creative. Being snowed in actually became some of our fondest times. When you are snowed in for days everything becomes an adventure. Keeping your water pipes from freezing was a chore we had to deal with. If we had a frozen pipe, someone would go under the house and find which one was frozen. We would then use the hairdryer to thaw the pipe. That is if we still had electricity. If no electricity we would have to rely on the water we had filled available containers with to use for drinking, cooking as well as flushing toilets. Many times we would have a kerosene heater to keep the main living area warm.

If the electricity was out we would move all the mattresses into the living area and close off the other rooms or cover the openings with blankets. There were so many of us that my father-in-law would mention how many BTUs we produced. That many bodies in a small space produced a lot of body heat. I would pile on the quilts and soon we would all be toasty.

During the day when we were not taking care of survival, we would read books and play games. At night we would have our Bible reading time and sometimes quote memory verses or sing songs. Stories would be told by their dad and lots of laughter would ensue. Especially, with the antics of the “three little gitters” with the Redding kids always saving the day.

So find joy in these days that might seem hard and stressful at the moment for they’re what memories are made of.

March 16, 2020

Easy Homemade Playdough Recipe

Are you looking for things to do with your kids?

Below is a recipe for playdough that I have used with my children for many years. You probably have all the necessary ingredients in your cabinet. This will only take a few minutes to make but will give you hours of fun!

One advantage of making homemade playdough is that you know exactly what ingredients are in it and you can create your own unique colors.

Recipe for Homemade Play Dough
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 Tablespoons cream of tartar
1 Tablespoon cooking oil
1 cup of cold water
food coloring

Mix flour, salt, and cream of tartar. I put this in a small non-stick pan if you have one. I add the oil, water, and color and begin to stir over low to medium heat until it begins to thicken and stick together. It almost becomes a ball. I remove from heat and knead a little and set aside to cool for a few minutes. It is ready to play with now. Remember to store this in a sealed container or a sealed Ziploc plastic bag.

Let me know if you make homemade playdough and please share how much fun you had making it and playing with your kids today!

March 11, 2020

What Does Will Roger’s Birthplace Have to Do With Education?

What does Will Roger’s Birthplace have to do with education? It seems like yesterday that we lay on the grass at Will Roger’s birthplace in Oologah, Oklahoma. We were a young couple in our 20’s with a baby. We like to visit historic attractions and of course free attractions. So we explored this beautiful place. Soon we found ourselves lying on the grass and our son experiencing the early days of his education.

I had grown up seeing the face of Will Rogers even though I really didn’t know much about him. He was a funny cowboy. I didn’t know he was a member of the Cherokee Nation, a commentator, newspaper columnist, as well as an actor.

I remember what a beautiful day we had. We lay on the grass, we may have had a picnic, we talked and interacted with each other and our baby, Micah. I remember we showed him the texture of the bark on trees and the blades of grass. This might seem silly to some but it was my way of approaching life and the education of my baby.

I took my baby outside in all weather to experience God’s creation. I knew even then that babies learn a lot from being outside. Even before a baby can speak words they have a great knowledge of many things. I wanted my baby to have great experiences so that as he grew and when he started to read he would know first hand what grass was, he would have touched and smelled and felt God’s creation. He was collecting a great amount of information about the world and God even though he was yet to speak a whole sentence. He was drinking in the wonder of God’s creation.

This was not his first experience with nature nor his last. By the time our son was two years old, he would have had many of these experiences with nature. And soon become an avid reader and explorer of the world around him.

This is a glimpse into the early days of the making of a mom and dad who would go on to have 11 children and teach them by letting them explore the forests, beaches, mountains, night skies, and meet a lot of people along the way. We continue to carry this philosophy with us on the journey.

Check out the home of Will Rogers at:

https://www.willrogers.com/birthplace-ranch

November 25, 2019October 20, 2020

Gratitude – Redding Formal

Gratitude. My heart overflows. The more our family grows it gets harder for us to all get together at the same time. I am thankful to Gabriel who started the Redding Formal tradition. This last weekend was the Second Annual Redding Formal. Solar Punk was the theme. I am not sure I really understood the theme but I did dress a little more colorful than usual.

What mom doesn’t like to have all of her children together for a beautiful event? I am thankful that each of our children, their mates, and children were all able to be there.

We had before dinner speeches, and strange (non-alcoholic) drink combinations, ate crickets, told stories, and shared our year. We had a delicious catered dinner of baked chicken, red potatoes, green beans, caesar salad, and rolls. Dipping dots and ice cream with peanut butter was our offerings for dessert.

This time of year I think brings our hearts closer to family and a great sense of gratitude for all God has done in our lives. I especially have so much to be thankful for and in reality, we all do.

I want to do better about expressing gratitude even after the immediate events have passed.

Today I tried a new online company source for cards and invitations. I have used several of these sources through the years and was thrilled to be invited to try this one. I explored the website and found several useful products. It was easy to use and to personalize. I love the little envelopes you can choose for your cards too! So check out: https://www.paperlesspost.com/

August 3, 2019

The Power of One Person – Holocaust Museum

HOLOCAUST MUSEUM AND LEARNING CENTER

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

My husband has a doctor in St. Louis, Dr. Simon Yu. Recently he had a lengthy visit with a procedure. After our lunch break I had two hours to spend in St. Louis. I decided to Google things to do near me and Google came through with several suggestions. I found the Holocaust Museum was in walking distance of Dr. Yu’s office. My youngest daughter and I went to the Museum. She was a bit reluctant. I feel like it is important for us to study the Holocaust and other times in history even though it is uncomfortable and unpleasant at times.

Fear

As we neared the entrance to the building I noticed a sign near the door about new security features. Isn’t it sad that we still have to fear those who will enter our doors to mistreat or kill us? They let us enter and were very gracious and appreciative of our coming to the museum.

How the Museum Came to Be

Our first stop told how the museum came to be. The museum was in memory of Gloria M. Goldstein who’s husband had made great contributions to establish the museum.. In 1977 a Center for Holocaust studies was established as a living memorial to the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. Many Jews had settled in this area during and after the war.

According to the brochure, “Provocative speakers drew Holocaust survivors who had settled in the St. Louis area. They were invited to share their oral history and experiences with schools, churches, and other organizations. They became the teachers and as they shared their stories people listened, asked questions and learned the horrific lessons of the Holocaust. The Oral History project enabled the center to interview and preserve the testimonies of the survivors, liberators of Nazi concentration camps, non-Jews and all those who were impacted by World War II.”

We chose to do the self guided tour although there are guided tours available. We found out that all of the artifacts had a direct connection to people in St. Louis. As we walked through the exhibit we stopped to watch footage, read exhibits, and look at artifacts and photos from World War II and the concentration camps. No one was laughing and talking as they visited this museum.

Estimated 11 Million Lost Lives

Over 6 million Jews lost their lives as they were targeted by Hitler’s genocide. We learned that many non-Jews, maybe as many as 5 million also lost their lives. We learned about the different Star designations that betrayed obvious prejudice and hatred. The horror of women being ripped from their families, having their heads shaved and all their possessions taken, even family photos. They were allowed to keep their shoes. There were so many little details that my study of WWII in the past had omitted.

The Power of One Person

One part of the display stands out to me and that is the power of one person. Individuals who chose to risk their lives to care, defend and save the lives of others while risking their own lives. Stories of those who had hidden children and families to rescue them and help them escape death. One lady is thought to have rescued thousands of children. I am fascinated with these stories and I hope that I would have been willing to risk my life if I had lived during this time period!

Make A Difference in Your World

Regardless of what your government or anyone else does you can still do right. You can still make a huge difference in the world. Impacting one life is a beautiful thing. Don’t let this kind of horror happen again. Go out and make your world a better place. Be the change you want to see in the world!

God Bless You!

Reda

Mural at the Holocaust Museum - St. Louis — Mural at the Holocaust Museum – St. Louis

Visit:

Holocaust Museum and Learning Center

12 Millstone Campus Dr, St. Louis, MO 63146

(314) 442-3711

According to the website the museum is open Monday through Thursday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Docent-led tours by appointment. The museum is a department of Jewish Federation of St. Louis. Fran Poger is Chairperson.

July 16, 2019July 16, 2019

Camping at Savage Gulf

A new adventure! Friday morning I left home with a group of 14 (10 teens and 4 adults) from church to travel 93 miles to Savage Gulf State Natural Area. We set up our camp at # 4 Group site. With hammocks hung and tents assembled we were ready for some fun before dinner.

Some of us decided to explore the falls while some stayed behind to play games. The hike to the falls started at the Ranger station. About 300 yards from our campsite was the Ranger station, so we had an easy time of it! It was 1.5 mile hike to the falls from the Ranger station. One plus to having the Ranger station nearby was that it has flushable toilets!

We crossed two suspension bridges on our way to the falls which were really cool. The hike was fairly easy. It was very humid but as we neared the falls the air got cooler and cooler. There were pools that ran over huge rocks. The kids stopped and climbed down the rocks to play in the pools.

Peeking through some giant honeysuckles I could see the pool but not the falls. We stood on the top of the giant rocks and looked over into a larger pool. I walked on down the path to the bottom of the falls where the water cascaded over the rocks from above and dropped into a beautiful pool surrounded by natural rock walls. As I was watching my son climbed around on the giant rocks surrounding the pool. It was beautiful! It was a fun place to climb around. Then I climbed back up the steps. Those steps were the hardest part of the hike for me. Getting my breath I started the 1.5 mile hike back to camp.

The next morning we decided to leave camp at 8 am to hike to the falls again with our whole group. It was actually much more humid than the evening before. Trees which must have blown over in the recent storms were uprooted and fallen along the path. A deer silently watched us from amid the trees. Crossing the suspension bridges took a bit longer with a larger group. We crossed two at a time stopping in the middle to look at the stream before stepping on to the end. When we had all crossed we continued on down the trail toward the falls.

No one was in sight when we arrived at the falls. It was very still and beautiful. The pool was shadowed because of the time of day but soon the sun reached us from between the high canopy of trees. Everyone decided to go swimming. There are too many huge rocks beneath the surface to allow jumping or diving but there were plenty of places to swim and play in the water. The group had a great time climbing around and standing beneath the water fall to get a shower. We explored the rocks and swam for a couple of hours and then headed toward our campsite.

As we started the return hike we met several groups out for a day hike. There were several family groups with young and old hikers. One group was 11 ladies, old college friends, who meet-up every year for a reunion. Everyone on the trail was friendly to our group. By the time we arrived at the Ranger station we were all hot and sweaty and ready for the bathroom and some water.

I had fun hiking in Tennessee!

July 7, 2019July 7, 2019

My Journey to Malawi

Malawi Young women receiving hygiene bags with great joy. — Young women receiving hygiene bags with great joy.

Billiwiri Church of Christ - Malawi — Billiwiri Church of Christ

My journey to Malawi was an amazing experience! My husband and I spent two weeks traveling and teaching in Malawi. It was the most wonderful ministry experience of my life!

What did we pack for Malawi?

It took a lot of planning and decision making to get ready for our trip. Every day I watched the airlines for tickets so that when the price dropped I was quickly able to purchase our tickets.

We packed and repacked to keep our bag within the weight limit. How could we make the best use of our bag space? What would we take with us? We had some direction from our friends in Malawi about what we should bring. Missionary friends who had gone to Africa also shared ideas with us. Lawrence and I were each allowed a carryon bag, a personal item and one 50 lb. checked bag. What did we carry in our bags? Our personal item was our laptop and lessons. In our carry on bags we packed our clothing. We packed gifts, teaching materials, soccer balls, hygiene bags, protein bars, sheets, and mosquito netting in our checked luggage.

What did we teach?

For weeks Lawrence and I prepared for our lessons. You see Lawrence had been teaching World Bible School lessons for about a year and having a great response from his students. Our contact in Malawi asked us to come and see the work first hand. We were very excited to make this trip.

As we prepared our lessons, I discovered a lot of my teaching was very Americanized. I did not realize how much of my culture was infused in my Bible teaching. Even though I tried to be aware of this I still found surprises.

Having never been to Africa I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect or who my audience would be. Each day I had several opportunities for teaching so I had to be ready to teach at any moment. I did not know when I would be teaching or whom I would be teaching.

Colossians 3 was the text I chose that would apply to everyone. I talked about things we as Christians need to rid from our lives and things we need to incorporate. Starting with these paper dolls pictured below I made a book with the pictures of African women clothed in native attire.

We studied about clothing ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Each page featured one of these topics and had a pull out section with scriptures which we discussed. Many years ago I used a flip chart of the Gospel Presentation that I took with me to Africa and used many times. I was so thankful for the preparation I had done. Our brethren have very little in the way of possessions. Few Bibles, teaching materials, binders, office or craft supplies, etc. So I left almost everything I took with me with our Christian brothers and sisters.

Where did we teach?

We taught in prisons, churches, beside the road under trees, in small little rooms full of children and out back behind church buildings.

In the prison my work was a bit different. Being the only woman in our party, I was taken alone with a female guard back through the prison to the women’s section to teach. The number of women inmates was much less than the number of men. My largest number of inmates was 10 as compared to 500+ men inmates that my husband and other preachers were teaching. Sometimes I would teach outside in a courtyard or in a room. My students were inmates and guards. These students were eager for teaching and were very happy to sit for long periods of time to hear the Bible.

There were very few Bibles therefore I carried an extra Bible in my pack in Chichewa so that they could read the verses in their language. Most of my students knew some English. If asked what their greatest need is they would probably say Bibles. Sometimes they would sing for me and it was indeed a huge blessing to hear their lovely voices.

In one location 500 inmates were sharing two Bibles. The ladies section at that same prison had 1 Bible and a part of a Bible which was well used and they shared with one another. It was obvious they loved the word and wanted to learn more.

Results of our teaching in Malawi.

I saw many people obey the gospel. They were baptized in streams, in church and prison baptistries, and in portable baptistries as a result of our teaching and the teaching of our brothers in Malawi. One day we had to travel about 20 miles to find enough water to baptize. On another day I saw 32 obey the gospel. After my return several of the women I taught continued to study World Bible School and obeyed the gospel. One of my sweet guards wrote and thanked us for showing her the way. I am able to communicate occasionally with her through Whatsapp and continue to share studies from the Bible with her.

What did we eat?

We were in Malawi during a time when there seemed to be plenty of food. As we traveled along the roads or through the markets we would see produce stacked in pyramid shapes for sale. However, the natives did not eat three times a day as Americans are accustomed to doing. Nor did they eat the amount of food we eat.

For breakfast we had eggs (fried, boiled, etc), potatoes, toast, omelets, hot tea, coffee. At our second meal we ate chicken, goat, eggs, tomatoes, onions potatoes, rice, nsima, and pasta. There was a bit of fruit available in the markets and English biscuits that we purchased to keep with us. Every day we had to purchase water. I purchased “sweets” to share with the village children and many times the adults too.

Sometimes we would go all day without stopping for a meal so the snacks we had packed helped hold us over until dinner. We shared the snacks we brought from home with our traveling companions. These snacks were new to our friends and they enjoyed them very much! They especially liked the tuna pouches.

We are going again!

After coming back to the states it was very hard to go back to normal. We left so much of our hearts in Malawi. The students studying through World Bible School continue to increase and many obey the gospel every month. We are working for and with Malawi on a daily basis. We are excited to begin planning our return trip this September to Malawi.

Let Me Share My Story with You.

There is so much more that I could share. I would love to share my story about the work in Malawi. If you have questions about our trip or the work we do in Malawi please just ask. I would love to talk about it!!

If you would like to help with the work I can tell you how to do that too! If you know someone you think would like to hear about our work please share our contact information. My husband would be happy to come and talk with your church or eldership.

Invite me to speak to your ladies group or organization. redaredding@gmail.com

Smyrna Church of Christ

Malawi Missions

P.O. Box 314

Smyrna, Tn 37167