Category: Missions

Day 56 Our Last Sunday

We had an amazing day with the church today. The surrounding congregations that we have worked with all met together today. It was so wonderful to see everyone and to hear the beautiful singing.

Bible Class

Lawrence taught the adult Bible class and led a song or two. I helped with the children’s class today. Wanangwa did the lesson of the lost sheep. I helped the kids make sheep. (Thank you, Pat, for cutting out 100+ sheep for these kids!). It’s so wonderful to have Christian sisters who help out! The kids do not have many opportunities to do crafts or papers that go with the lesson. This was a special treat for them.

Usually, when we arrive the classroom is already full of kids. I have seen as many as 60 kids fit in a small room not much bigger than my little kitchen! The kids are eager to learn. They are so well-behaved.

The building is packed this morning. As is customary visiting brothers help out in the service. Bless Soko does the sermon on rejoicing. Some other men we have met during our time here are sharing in the service. The gardener from the vocational school does a great job song leading! Who knew he had such a voice? A visiting elder gives the longest lesson at the Lord’s supper I have ever heard! I look over and see a familiar face of a young man we worked with a couple of years ago. Surprise!

After church some of the women prepare lunch. When churches have area-wide meetings the host church provides lunch for the visitors. The church presented us with gifts and thanks us for coming to Malawi. The church sent a gift for my mom and all of her gifts she made for the trip. We enjoyed a great time visiting with everyone after church. We have been so blessed to work with these people!

Esther has her last class with the youth and I meet with young moms and share the extra baby bags we have left from the maternity clinic. We have already shared them with the expectant moms in the congregation. They are very excited to receive these. My mom has been a blessing to so many through her sewing.

Three Baptisms!

Three young ladies have decided to be baptized. Tomaida, Alinafe, and Kate. Lawrence stays at the building with Esther while I go with the three young ladies. We have a car full. We go to the usual stream where we see animals and people occasionally and the closest place for baptisms.

Lunchtime! What a full day. Raphael has prepared our lunch while we were away.

 

 

Day 53

Our time is nearing the end of this trip. So many things to do and so many goodbyes. There are so many people coming to say goodbye that I can hardly keep up or get packed. I am so sad to leave these people.

The sewing workshop continues all day today. The group is having a great time learning and their excitement continues as they learn more. They are very excited to show me what they are working on each day and how much progress they are making.

Lawrence continues his constant work on World Bible School. He will be meeting with one of the elders today and making some final plans for our WBS workers. It’s hard to believe our two months are almost over.

I am packing and distributing leftover items that I have not given away. I am leaving some of my clothes behind too.

Day 54

Our Last WBS Meeting

Early this morning our WBS workers are already gathering outside for their final meeting with Lawrence. They are always excited to talk about their work. This morning they are discussing their study groups.  A green car pulls up in the driveway.

A Special Gift

Neema and Matthew Phiri are here with a few other people. They have a seat in the yard and explain that they are on their way to a funeral and have come to say their goodbyes. Matthew asks if he might have a word with Lawrence. So the WBS workers take a short break from their meeting.

Neema is very excited to get her graded lesson. 100%. Matthew and Neema introduce us to their companions. Matthew has brought his brother Kings to meet us. Then Matthew surprises us by presenting Lawrence with a beautiful hand-carved cane with our names and the date of our trip carved into it, as well as the name of his village.

Large Print Bible

Matthew has admired Lawrence’s large print Bible several times and I had secretly planned to bring him one on our next trip. Lawrence decides to go ahead and give him the Bible. He is thrilled and praising God!

We are sad to say goodbye to these sweet people. Lawrence returns to his meeting. I greet another visitor who has shown up to meet us. Victor grew up in this area and is back for a visit from South Africa. He is planning to come back and make his home here. Victor is very interesting to talk with. He is full of questions about the United States. We try to satisfy his curiosity.

A New Sister

When Lawrence finishes his meeting it is time to go pick up a young lady who has asked to be baptized. Victor accompanies us. We pick up Thandiwi and drive to the stream. She looks like a teenager. I find out that she is actually married and her husband is already a member. Thandiwi Makamo is one of the WBS students our team is working with. This is very exciting for us all.

Day 55

Market Day! 

Today is market day! I love all of the sights and sounds. Colorful chitenge’s hang from displays in the market. It seems everyone is here selling something. Beans, tomatoes, fish, maize, chitenges, buckets, etc. There is a van with a loudspeaker which is attracting a lot of attention. People go upfront and dance. There is a large crowd. It is intended to draw a crowd and sell more of its products. Everyone is having a good time.

Maize

Esther and I wanted to do a little shopping. I feel bad that I have almost nothing to take home. We are on a mission to drop off more maize. Wanangwa has already sold several bags of maize today that were delivered this morning and people are asking for more. She sets up the maize a little ways away from her shop. I run the shop with some help from Tomaida (Wanangwa’s sister).

While I am at the market I meet with Bertha, the tailoring teacher from the vocational school. I give her the fabric for the skirt she is going to make for me.

Malawi Snacks

Esther bought some snacks she wants to take home to share with the grandchildren. The car is leaving for home. I see our friend Bless! When we get home we see the students are still working on their sewing projects. They are supposed to have a short day today because of the market day!

We find out one of the boys in the village has been drinking. Esther and I are so sad for him. He seems to be heading on the wrong path for a young man his age. There have been several incidents that we have suspected he was responsible for. He does not have a dad in the home. We pray for him but do not know a real way to help.

Old Socks – New Toys

Esther has been having fun making toys for the kids out of old socks. The kids and parents are thrilled. There are not many toys to be seen.

 

 

What a wonderful day today has been! This morning Wanangwa told me she was going to the shop and would meet me at the church building. So Esther and I got ready for class. Mbwenu didn’t want us to leave without having our tea so he encouraged me to wait a few more minutes for the fresh cow’s milk.

Ladies’ Class

While I was boiling the milk I got distracted and then I had a mess to clean up. After I got that done. Esther enjoyed her tea and Lawrence his coffee. I was content to grab a doughnut and head out the door for class. We arrived about 30 minutes late, but of course, this is Africa. Soon Flora arrived. She lives next door and I didn’t realize she was coming. Flora hasn’t come very often so I  am very happy she came today. Her husband is one of the new Christians in the church here.

Scripture Coloring Sheets

Because no one is there for class I begin to wonder if anyone is coming. We sat and chatted with Flora and I decide to go ahead and give her a scripture coloring sheet while we wait for the others. Soon three more ladies arrive and in the end, we have a dozen ladies, 2 babies, and me and Esther. All of the ladies start coloring their scripture sheets as each one arrives and then we take a break from that and start our class when everyone shows up.

Prayer

We usually start class with a song and prayer. Today we are finishing our discussion on service and faithfulness. Afterward, we share prayer requests. I was really touched as the ladies shared their needs. An alcoholic husband, lack of peace in the home, sick relatives, one child has lost his tuition sponsor, business is slow, etc. Praying for these ladies I realize how much I am going to miss their sweet spirits.

I announce to the class that we can do the cloth sanitary pad sewing class this afternoon. Then I distribute the baby bags we have saved for our ladies at church who are having babies. Esther and I wave bye and start the walk home with Flora and Loveness. We say bye to Loveness first and continue on our journey. Some kids come out to greet us and follow us for a bit.

Lunch

When I got home I heated the leftover beef soup from last night. We ate a quick lunch. Lawrence is working tirelessly on WBS. I help him package up some of the lessons that are ready to return to the students. Another one has earned a Bible. We usually give them a Bible when they complete course # 5 out of the 7 courses. If you want to see happy people just hang around when someone gets a Bible! I love this. It may be the only book in their home and of course the best one!

Sewing

At 1:30 I start setting up for the class. I am not sure where to do the sewing. I clear the table and lay out the supplies. Soon I glance outside and realize the ladies have arrived and are sitting on the mats under the trees. They want to sew outside and the light is better for my old eyes. I collect the kits I have prepared and take them outside. I start with three ladies and soon there are 8 ladies. Three more ladies come by when we are almost finished and say they want to learn too.

New Sewing Machines

The new sewing machines are assembled there under the trees too. New students show up. Chiwemwe is going to be a great teacher I can tell! Excitement is in the air! Everyone is excited about the opportunity to learn to sew.

Empowerment

One of the neighbors who is a businessman stopped by and said this is empowerment! These people will do well. You just have to get them started. More people have heard about the sewing workshop and have stopped to ask if they can learn too. We have a full class at the moment.

Charles, the young man next door came by on his bicycle. I asked him where he was going. He told me he was going to Manyamula. I gave him some kwatcha and a note to give to Wanangwa at her shop. He brings snacks back for all the students and a Diet Coke for me! I give him a tip. I am so spoiled!

Dinner

It’s getting dark now and everyone is leaving. Esther and I start the dinner preparations. I cook ground beef with green peppers and onions and rice. Esther cooks pumpkin leaves and soup. Our family returns and we all eat and share the happenings of the day.

Thirteen-year-old, Bless has malaria!  So many around are getting malaria! Our new WBS lessons have been printed and delivered and we really need them. We have almost 100 students waiting for these lessons. And the last news is the car is still not fixed.

Lawrence and I spend some time on the computer and then we get ready for bed.

 Day 46 Family

Today is a cloudy day so there is no electricity from the solar panels to be had. In the mornings I usually check for messages from my kids and send them too. I have a nice chat with Isaac before I start the day. Today I am so thankful for the family God has blessed me with and amazed at the talents and gifts God has bestowed on them. Even though they are grown I want to be the best example and encouragement of faith that I can be. One day I want us to all walk together in heaven.

Church Family

I am thankful for the Christian family, the church and so thankful I am not in this world alone without them. I regret the times in my life I have missed sharing God’s glory being stuck in my own survival mode of living each day. May I use the opportunities as God brings them my way!

Our family back home is getting ready for bed while we are beginning our day. We are 8 hours ahead of Tennessee. Time to get ready for the day and preserve my battery power until the sun comes out and I can recharge.

Field Day

This is going to be an exciting day! Today is National Field Day. I have been told about this day but have no idea what to expect. Matthew is coming to drive us to the events because our car is still being repaired.

One of the 10 Preacher’s Trained by Raphael Chirwa

Before we were ready to go one of the area preachers stopped by to greet us. His name is Kings Mumba, Washington’s dad ( a WBS worker we work with). He was one of Raphael Chirwa’s 10 preachers he trained when he moved back to the area from Tanzania. These men were part of the foundation which helped the church to spread and grow in this area. These guys were all supported out of Fort Worth, Texas and so well worth it!

Matthew shows up to take us and it is an amazing journey. Lawrence did not sleep well and decides he must stay home. We stop at area farms and see how well they are doing. Certain fields have been selected as examples of how this deep bed gardening works. A natural gardening method is encouraged. There are lots of people. Cameramen, truckloads of people, area farmers, dignitaries, etc. At each stop, a speech is given and cheering and clapping and we move on to the next one. There are some amazing fields that will soon have a great harvest.

National Field Day becomes International Field Day

The grand finale is held under a big tent on the soccer field. One speech after another is given. People from the Federal Agriculture Department, local agriculture leaders, etc. They come and get us to seat us under the tent with the special guests. We are embarrassed but not surprised. We must stand and greet them and introduce ourselves so they can welcome us. They say from the microphone that National Field Day has now become International Field Day.

Drama a Common Language

After the speeches, a drama group performs. Everyone is ready for a change after so many speeches. Even though I could not understand every word I got the message. The crowd loved the performance. Finally, we can go home!

I prepare our lunch at 3 pm and then Esther, Lawrence and I work on WBS lessons. We are not hungry when dinner time comes around.

Day 47 Stay at Home Day

Today appears to be a stay home day. I heat water for baths. After our bath, I mop the bathhouse as well as the floor of the toilet. I am feeling productive this morning.

More WBS Work

One of our WBS workers came by to pick up some more lessons. Lawrence and I work on getting our WBS caught up and make great progress until our cartridge runs out. We contact Mbwenu to help us order another one which should arrive tomorrow.

Charles is Baptized

Finally, today Charles will be baptized. It is a very hot day. One preacher walks with us down the road to a small body of water where we meet up with one of the elders of the church. ( I find out later that one of the men is a bit afraid of water) so that is why we have two. Urgent, our elder, uses a stick to check the depth of the water and decides it is too deep. The water appears to be about 4 feet deep. I ask if children swim here and they say no they will not come back out. So far I have not discovered anyone who swims.

We walk further to another small body of water and use this one. We pass where our car got stuck last week. Deep ruts are still visible. This is the one we will use. We sing and have a lesson and baptize Charles and he rises a new brother. We are very happy that we were finally able to make this happen. Rejoice! We usually have baptisms immediately but several things prevented that from happening the night Charles asked to be baptized.

Charles Speaks Chichewa

While getting ready for the baptism I made a discovery!  Charles’s first language is not Tumbuka but Chichewa! This makes a lot of sense. He is very quiet and doesn’t always understand what we are saying. He also gets someone to help him interpret the English in his WBS lessons. We happen to have a Chichewa Bible for the family,

Pork and Gravy Over Rice

Esther and I prepare a lunch of pork and gravy over rice. After lunch, Lawrence and I work on our WBS lessons. It is hard to keep up at times. We are thankful to have several teachers in the states who help us grade the lessons. We now have over 400 students.

Cleaning Lawrence’s Shoes – an act of kindness

The kids came over to jump rope. It was a lot of fun watching them. They are really enjoying this. I went outside to deliver some WBS lessons and I noticed that our neighbor was cleaning Lawrence’s shoes. We have had so much rain this week and although the ground dries quickly there are still some slippy spots. I didn’t know that Lawrence had fallen earlier so his shoes were a bit muddy. This young man apparently witnessed this and had taken Lawrence’s shoes from the porch to clean them. This reduced me to tears. I went and told Lawrence what was happening and we were both choked up. He put the shoes back nice and clean after he spent some time brushing and cleaning them. This young man is one of our WBS students and a new brother in Christ.

Roasted Corn

Later the same young man brought us some corn he had roasted over charcoal and it was wonderful! I am so touched by his kindness today to me and my husband.

Some of the kids are jumping rope and some are playing cards. There is a lot of laughter ringing through the neighborhood as they all play. I love the sounds!

A car stops and drops off a bag of food. I usually know what is for dinner and start the preparations but today I am not sure. Dinner will contain chopped veggies I am sure so that is where I begin. Wanangwa gets home and quickly finishes our dinner.

Tonight we sing Send the Light in Tumbuka and English! What joy!

I am planning to visit the area school in the next few days. I want to make sure I have enough supplies for the students. Tonight Wanagwa brings us the numbers! Unbelievable how many students are in these classes. Form 3 has 200 students, Form 5 has 176, and Form 7 has 116. Crazy numbers. My supplies will not go very far. I will make a plan.

Day 48

Esther and I start peeling potatoes for breakfast. Today’s breakfast will consist of fried eggs and chips. We try to hurry while Lawrence gets his bath.

The weekly WBS meeting is supposed to be at 9 am. While the workers show up a car pulls up. Gabriel is the driver. He is a local worker for the agriculture department in this district. He also owns a car and makes extra money transporting people. Today he is taking us to Manyamula to do some shopping. I thought I could walk but my host family said no! I am glad I didn’t walk it is certainly further than I remembered.

Transport

Gabriel is a good driver. I found out he ordered his car in December and received it about a month later. Cars are usually shipped from Japan. He told me that he was able to pay for his car with the proceeds from his maize field! That’s a great profit. He told me where he would be and I went to the small shops. I purchased tissue, fabric for a school uniform, sweets, diet Coke, etc. I looked for a bucket and could not find one. Gabriel took us home and charged me 4000K. About $6 US.

Our First School Shirt

I gave the fabric to the tailor to make a school uniform shirt for a young man in our village area. He seems to need some encouragement. Esther wants to take him home! Soon the tailor was back with a nice shirt. I paid him 1500 K (2.25 US).

The Soccer Jerseys Have Arrived

Exciting news. Our printer cartridge has arrived and the soccer jerseys. They are beautiful. The team will be so excited. We are to present them on Sunday. I know that it is a strange thing for missionaries to buy soccer jerseys…There is a reason though. The task force (community group started by the church) I have mentioned them before is working with this soccer team. They will be doing halftime shows at the games teaching about HIV prevention using drama and music. Every team in the district will participate in a class about HIV prevention and have the opportunity to take WBS lessons! This is a HUGE thing! The logo on the front of their shirts is our WBS logo!

We have had a full day. We make scrambled egg sandwiches for dinner.

One exciting thing I forgot to mention is that our great WBS student Kondwani wants to become a preacher. He has already been helping others understand their lessons. We think he will do great.

Day 49 – Portable Toilet

For breakfast, we have chips and avocado with our milk and tea today. Today is market day so  Wanangwa will be at the shop today and Mbwenu is dealing with the car.

Raphael is going to take me by motorcycle to the market to look for another bucket for the portable toilet we are trying to make. One of our elders has been having a huge burden. His dad has been ill and apparently has dementia. This brother has been in such distress at how his dad is deteriorating. He cannot walk and so this elder has been carrying him on his back outside to the toilet and back. We are not even sure how that is possible.

Anyway, we decided to try to make a portable toilet. We have a plastic chair and we have one of the men cut a circular hole in the middle of it by heating a large knife in the fire. It works great.  We put a bucket beneath it. Later we decide maybe we can insert the bucket in the top. I hope this is a help. This brother certainly needs some assistance.

I also make a stop at the printer and of course, buy some more chitenge and diet Coke. Raphael drives me home. Esther has cooked lunch for us. Rice, soup, and eggs but there are none left. Esther fed some to the neighbor kids which I suspect are often hungry.

Young Moms

Two of the young moms sat on our porch for a while chatting today. I love hanging out with these moms who are nursing their babies and chatting as moms do everywhere. One of the young men, 10-year-old Owen is carrying the less than the 2-month-old baby on his back and she wakes up hungry. Her mom takes her and feeds her. I love that all the moms nurse their babies here!

One of the young moms earns her Bible today for completing her 5th WBS course!

The boys played soccer for a while with a homemade ball.  While the older kids were playing soccer I sat with the moms with babies and their toddlers. I gave the toddlers some little plastic dinosaurs I had brought from home. They really like these.

Lawrence and I work on WBS and soon one of our workers comes by with a mistake I had made. One of the students received the wrong lesson! I hope there are no more mistakes! Ugg!

Day 39

I woke up with a bad headache today and some of the same symptoms as the others with malaria. I take the meds I brought with my breakfast. Today we have buns from the Mtendere Bakery and bananas for breakfast.

We have a lot to do today so it will be hard to stay on schedule especially since the car is still not working. We have ladies’ class, baptism, and life group on the schedule today.

Ladies’ Class

I make copies for my ladies’ class and walk to the church building. When I arrive there are only two ladies there. This is puzzling as there are usually many. The ladies start their shading while we wait for everyone else to arrive. Some more ladies arrive and soon there is a room full. The ladies young and old all enjoy the scripture coloring sheets. This can last a long time so when everyone arrives, I usually have them put aside their coloring while we do our lesson and complete the coloring after class. We continue our class on Proverbs and I decide to only do part of the lesson and finish next time because of the baptism.

Samuel is Baptized

Ela Soko shows up to transport us to the baptism. She was to pick up Lawrence and Esther first and then come to the building. Unfortunately, they just looked at each other and could not communicate. So we go to the house and pick them up. She is a great driver and manages the big van and the roads remarkably. There are very few women drivers and these roads are unbelievable to travel.

We pick some others up and Samuel who wants to be baptized. Laurent from the vocational school goes with us and does the baptizing. We have our usual devotional and welcome time for the new Christian.

We drop everyone off and head home for a lunch of leftovers and a few other things thrown into the mix. Ela visits with us for a bit and shares lunch before we get ready for life group.

Life Group

Justin, one of our elders stopped by and says he will escort us to the life group meeting today. Ela is our driver and seems to know the area well. We make a couple of stops along the way and pick up a few people. She drives us down a narrow path between the maize, to the house where we will meet today. Lawrence is the teacher on Romans 6 today. We shift seats a bit and the men laugh that I choose to sit on the mat instead of on a chair as the men. ( I think the women love that I am one of them). We have a great time together and the ladies ask me to stay.

Eager Student

Kondwoni comes by when we get home with another completed lesson. Most likely he will be our first student to complete all 7 courses and beg for more. We borrow one of his lessons to duplicate. Ela agrees to drop it off at the printers in town on her way.

Harrison dropped by with a gift of cucumbers in the afternoon. The people here are so generous. I am amazed and humbled. He is one of the young men considering going to South Africa for work so he is eager to practice his English and learn how to ask for a job.

My head is still hurting so I do not help with dinner preparation tonight.

Day 40

Early this morning one of our WBS workers came by and dropped off some completed lessons. I offered him coffee. I am not sure he liked it. He did add sugar.

Our neighbor Cadamanja came by to check on Esther. He is the friend who took us to the doctor when she got malaria. She is feeling a lot better.

Every day we have a lot of kids and adults who come by to practice their English skills with Esther. After the 5th year of school, it is all in English. So being able to speak and understand is a very important skill for school and work and even helps with getting a job.

Esther, Esther

Shortly, after six a.m. I hear a tiny voice calling Estaa! Estaaa! Mutende 3-year-old little girl from next door is up early and wants to see Esther. The preschoolers are even picking up a lot of English words. They are adorable and all of the adults get excited when they learn some new word.

I printed some pictures for them to color. I discovered that some of my crayons are missing. This is the huge pack I was considering giving to the school. I hope it turns up. (They are returned by morning).

Ten Mile Bike Ride

One of our friends Washington rode his bike from Mzimba (probably ten miles one way) to bring us 96 completed WBS lessons from the Mzimba prison where we have worked before. The Chaplain is the transfer person because of Covid. Washington brings new lessons and picks up the completed ones from Peter, the Chaplain. We ask him about needs in the prison and he shows us pictures where he has given soap to the prisoners recently through the guards. A gift from David Harper of Concord Rd. Church of Christ. I know how much they appreciate this gift! They have told us that it let’s them know they are not forgotten. Washington gets on his bike and rides back to Mzimba!

Day 41

This morning I took my malaria meds on an empty stomach and this was a big mistake! I threw up and felt sick most of the morning.  Esther cooked for us but I couldn’t eat much.

Several people stopped by to chat with Lawrence, neighbors, students, and elders. Esther had her usual crowd surrounding her practicing English, (and Esther her Tumbuka), playing games, coloring pictures, listening to music and hanging out.

We had heavy rain today. Today was mostly a lost day for me.

Day 42

Lead Farmer Training

Faith from Namikango will be at the Tombolombo Church of Christ today for a workshop! I am excited to meet him. I was hoping to get to visit the mission on this trip but all the car trouble has prevented it. Today should be a good day!

Certificates

The purpose of the workshop is to present certificates to those who have completed a 3-year Lead Farmer program taught by Namikango. The program consists of classroom and hands-on training. and the trainer visits each farm. They periodically have meetings with extra training. Lead farmers have traveled a great distance to participate today. Many arrived last night and slept in the building.

What Do You Have in Your Hand?

Today we discuss what do you have in your hand to invest and give back to God. A great lesson. Even though Faith is a young married man he presents a great lesson on Marriage.  We take a break with cookies and soft drinks and enjoy the nice day outside. People are spread out all around the building. Someone is preparing lunch for the group. We have a nice lunch and then resume our meeting.

No Hunger

One quote I found interesting today was from one of the women who is a lead farmer. She is obviously a good leader and encourager. “No hunger is found in any of our homes since we started Farming God’s Way.” She is speaking for the whole group of lead farmers. This is impressive! After the speeches are completed Lawrence helps with the presentation of the Certificates. The farmers are excited about their accomplishments. We say our goodbyes and congratulations and Faith drops us off at home.

Something Funny

Lawrence and I work on WBS. I chat with the neighbor for a while. She knew I was sick yesterday. While we were talking she asked me why I didn’t bathe yesterday. 🙂 (No I did not stink). I’m sure they find my bathing habits humorous or at least curious. I always go to the bath house with Lawrence and I am not sure what kind of rumors we have started but I do know they are watching.

Someone delivers a live chicken to us. I think it is supposed to be for dinner. Wanangwa comes home and kills and cooks the chicken for dinner. She makes this look so easy and fast! She is so amazing! We are very close to our food source here in so many ways.