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Malawi Journal – Day 5 – Area Preachers and HIV Task Force

Meeting the Area Preachers 

9:00 is the official meeting time of most meetings. This morning we met with the area preachers and found out even more history of the church of Christ in this area as well as the work each man is doing.

The Start of the Tombolombo Church

In 1968 the Tombolombo Church of Christ was started with Mr. Chirwa, now deceased it’s first preacher. He helped train ten men in the Bible and preaching who went out into the surrounding area. This congregation has a great connection with the surrounding area and even into Zambia because of the gospel of Christ and Mr. Chirwa’s work. Many of these men are still living and preaching the word in area churches. These preachers rotate each Sunday to provide preaching and instruction to many churches. Much like circuit riding preachers in our history. There are now over 50 area churches as a result of their work. Churches are more localized in the villages because of the lack of transportation. They still go on foot but not as far if their is a church in the community.

Lawrence asked them if there was still. need for more workers and work to be done teaching the gospel and they answered with a resounding voice. They said this is what Tombolombo church has always been about.

Centrally Located

The Tombolombo church is centrally located at the heart of the community. This provides a great place to reach out to neighboring villages. Tombolombo Church is serving their community through a Famer’s cooperative, the Mtendere Bakery, a health clinic, and a nursery school.

Mzimba School of Preaching

After Mr. Chirwa passed away they realized the need for a preacher training school in their area so that people did not have to leave the country for more training. Hence, Mzimba School of Preaching was begun.

HIV Educational Task Force

In the afternoon we met with the task force for HIV which is hosted at the Consip Cooperative. This group was started by a local church. It is an inter-denominational group of young professionals, teachers, medical people, etc.

The goal is to educate youth about the cause and prevention of HIV as well as to provide resources for those already infected. Soccer, drama, and music are used as teaching tools to dispel myths and teach facts. They are allowed to travel all over the district and provide these educational programs. We were able to gift them with two soccer balls and a pump to use in their program because of some generous donors.

 

Malawi Journal
Gifted Soccer Balls
Malawi Journal
HIV Task Force Coach
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Malawi Journal – Day 4 – Our Surroundings and Meeting the Elders

Our Surroundings

We got up eager to see our surroundings by day. Having arrived at night we didn’t really know anything about our surroundings. We knew it was rural and the roads narrow and rutted. Now we know we are staying on a farm nestled among many other farms in Tombolombo.  Beautiful fields of grain, beans growing, goats, chickens, a dairy cow, beehives, and a grieving dog are all part of our surroundings.

This farm is a part of family land with several family members living nearby. They have their own fields to plant and their own homes. They share a  common well and several families share a common outhouse as we would call it.

Our Hosts

Our hosts, the Chirwas are an amazing, hardworking, talented, inventive, family. I can’t say enough. They are up early tending to the animals and daily necessities of life cooking, sweeping the area around the house, and heating water for baths, as well as managing their farm. There are 4 sons in the family which are 8,13,16, and 19 years old.

The only source of electricity is solar. These solar panels once installed should last about 25 years and yield free power. Mr. Chirwa teaches sustainable gardening workshops and practices it too. Looking at his fields and those surrounding them there is a very obvious difference.  Mrs. Chirwa has a small grocery shop and is a  part of a bakery co-op.  Mr. Chirwa is the director of a farmer’s cooperative that has over 700 participating farmers. This cooperative allows them to sell to customers needing greater quantities as well as other things which I am learning about. There is more opportunities available when small farms band together. This family is very active in their church and community! Special people for sure yet they share the same struggles and needs and goals that most of us deal with.  The Chirwas have welcomed us into their home in a beautiful way.

Meeting with the Local Elders

Today we met with the elders at the local church. Everyone gave self Introductions and the church leaders made speeches of welcome. Speeches and welcoming are a normal part of the culture in Malawi.

The elders shared the history of the church and its current ministries. We talked of working together for the glory of God as we shared our hopes and future possibilities.

Mtendere Bakery

After a very nice meeting with the elders and church leaders, we got to visit the Women of Hope’s sponsored Mtendere Bakery.

It was an incredible bakery and I was so intrigued by their ovens. I really wanted to join right in as they kneaded the loaves of bread. Esther got involved in making cupcakes. The ladies had a great time with Esther teaching her to cream the sugar as they do. I am hoping to get to try these earthen ovens while I am here. We are treated to their singing and dancing as the ladies share the story of how blessed they are to have this opportunity to work in the bakery and provide for their families. Many women are widows or left to provide for themselves and their families while their husbands have gone away to work in South Africa ( this is a very big problem in Malawi).

We would love to see more opportunities for work right here in Malawi. The bakery is one of these wonderful opportunities. With their success may be many people will see they can create work right here in Malawi, as these women are doing.

After we returned home some of the youth, as they call them came to get to know Esther.

Malawi journal
Goat Pen
Malawi journal
Huge cactus in our yard
Malawi journal
A new shoot on the huge cactus
Malawi journal
Earthen oven – Cupcakes!
Malawi journal
Bread, scones
Malawi journal
Hot Cross Buns
Malawi journal
Bakers – Giving thanks for the Bakery and opportunities to support themselves
Malawi journal
Esther getting baking lessons
Malawi journal
Mtendere Bakery – Women of Hope
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Malawi Journal-Day 3-Malawi at Last!

Malawi Journal – Day 3

Addis Ababa

Arriving at Addis Ababa they opened the doors of our aircraft and placed stairs for us to walk down with our carry-on bags and backpacks. This is a bit much for me because I packed my bag with teaching materials and it was heavy. Esther exited first and was herded into the building and quickly disappeared. They took Lawrence on a special ramp and in a wheelchair. It is hard for him to walk long distances so this helps a lot! We were quickly reunited to go through the X-rays and scanners once more before we could enter the building. They questioned the bag with the Bibles once more. Once this was complete, they had a special area for Lawrence to wait and a separate area for Esther and me. We prefer to stay together.

To Lilongwe

In a couple of hours, we are ready to board our plane for Lilongwe, Malawi. This is our final leg of our journey. We get to sit together!

As we were in the air they served us a snack. We eat so much on these flights! As soon as they had finished serving snacks they came through with lunch. The food is good!

Health Screening

Our flight seems so short after the last one and soon we are on the ground. Disembarking we are directed toward two big white tents. We are told to wash our hands with a chlorine hand wash and then we enter the tent. Some are having temperatures taken and some are directed to give their Covid testing lab results. After our medical screening, we get in line to get our visas. The process is very quick, and I am surprised the price is about half what it is when we purchase our visas from the embassy in D.C. Next, we go through customs and immigration where they check and stamp our passports. The next step they waved us through without screening our bags or asking any questions! I am tired and thankful to finally be in Malawi!

Our Friends Greet Us

Mbwenu and Bless are here to meet us! Lawrence and Esther go with them to load our baggage while I get funds transferred into kwacha. Mission accomplished we get in the car and proceed to Mzimba, a 4-hour drive.

Police Roadblock

Along the way, we are stopped at a police roadblock. We acquire a ticket for having 3 people in the middle. It has three seat belts and normally this is not a problem because this is a 7 passenger vehicle (baggage in rear seats). Because of Covid, they have reduced the number of allowed passengers. Our ticket is 15,000 Kwacha which is about $20 US. Back on the road again. The scenery is beautiful. Everything is very green and maize is growing along the road. We are making good time and soon drop Bless off at home in Mzimba. We travel on as it gets dark and arrive at Mbwenu’s home.

This is a very gracious family and we are thankful to spend time getting to know them and the culture we are living in.

We eat dinner, sing some songs (yes we brought some songbooks!) We are all tired. It has been a long wonderful day for us and our host family who tended his farm milked the cow, etc., and then drove 4 hours to meet us today. Then they turned around and drove the return trip!

And what a trip it is!

We head down the path before we get ready for sleeping and that is the conclusion of Day 3.

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Malawi Journal-Day 2-Luggage, Security, Addis Ababa

Malawi Journal – Day 2 – Luggage, Security, Addis Ababa

Leaving Washington, D.C. at 10 a.m. meant getting up at 6 and catching the shuttle back to Dulles International Airport with all of our luggage.

Luggage

Our luggage includes 5 – 50 lb. bags besides our 3 carry-on bags and backpacks. To most people, this looks extreme and it feels extreme to me at times. Would I ever do this for a personal trip? No! I can usually pack in a backpack or certainly not more than a carry on for a two-week trip.

Why so much luggage? Malawi is one of the poorest countries on earth. We carry hygiene bags, sewing kits, baby blankets and hats, ibuprofen, books, school supplies, communion trays, and cups, Bibles, teaching materials, and so much more!

Ethiopian Airlines is one of my favorites and they have a friendly spirit and attitude of service. We find out we can check one of our carry-on bags so that frees us up a bit. They go over our paperwork thoroughly. Covid test results, passports, etc. Now we are ready for security. At least we thought we were ready for security.

Security

This morning security is not very busy so there is numerous extra staff on hand. I am not sure what they were preparing for but I was not prepared. They cleared us and our backpacks but pulled both of our carry-on bags to go through X-ray multiple times. Then they opened each one and went through all the items. Opened a new package of Bibles and scanned each one as well as the children’s books I was carrying. I found out they were scanning everything for explosives. Eventually, they finish and give me the mess to put back together. I think they should have to repack after the mess they made, but I don’t say so.

Afterward, I find out that the supervisors were present so they were trying to look busy…. 30 minutes later I am on my way to the gate. As we leave the security checkpoint we hear the signals going off and the officers saying shut down all security stations. We were thankful to be through before they shut it down and walked away quickly to avoid being caught up in the excitement.

We arrive at the gate which is across from Wendy’s so we grabbed a breakfast sandwich and soon boarded our plane to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, our longest flight over 13 hours.

Onboard we were able to spread out because there were a lot of empty seats. I had three seats to myself. Plenty of room for a nice nap or two during such a long flight. The long flight went by quickly. The flight attendants kept us busy feeding us snacks and meals. There were many movies to choose from, even though it is not usually my thing. I did watch Abraham Lincoln.

Soon we set foot in Ethiopia.

Day 2 complete.

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Malawi Journal – The Journey Day 1

Malawi journal

I hope to journal as often as I can as we live out our two-month stay in Malawi. I will upload my journal when I have wifi. This means our journal entries will be delayed a few days.

A different kind of trip.

This trip will be a different kind of trip for us. Lawrence, Esther, and I have all been to Malawi before but not to this area. This time we are going to a new area and living the village life.

Up early dressing and checking last-minute details. Josiah and the grands arrive and Gabriel next. They help us load the bags and with last hugs, we are off to the Nashville airport.

The boys help us get our bags inside the airport and Jonas stays with us in case we need anything. Thank you, Jonas! Soon we are through check-in and headed through security and to the gate.

Masks

Being masked certainly changes the dynamics of this trip. For one thing, I have only worn a mask for two hours at a time. I don’t like it but I try not to complain under the circumstances. Our longest flight is almost 14 hours and will require a mask. I miss those smiling faces. So communication is different as well as the discomfort and anxiety caused by wearing a mask for hours!

We board for our first leg of our journey, the short flight to Washington Dulles International Airport. Our flight goes well and soon we are landing, Upon arrival, we find out that we have to collect all our luggage for the night! We ponder this news for a while and decide we will stay at the motel across the street.

All five 50 lb. bags are loaded onto the shuttle and our carry-on bags as well. A few minutes later they are stored for the night and we are checked in. Because of Covid, they are only doing take-out meals so we order and soon eat dinner and read the Bible, and head to bed.

Day 1 of our 38-hour journey is complete.

 

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Yummy Pumpkin Bread

Yummy Pumpkin Bread. Okay, so you know how some days you wake up and just want a specific food? This morning as I turned my water on for tea I just knew I needed some Yummy Pumpkin Bread to go with it. I immediately started making some. There was no arguing with myself I was going to have pumpkin bread.

Out of my stashed recipes, I found this recipe that I am sure came off the back of a Libby Pumpkin can at some point in the last 40 years.  As my computer is dying a slow death I have been backing it up with Time Machine and revisiting years of saved files and recipes, this is one of them.

As you may have guessed the pumpkin bread is now in the oven and my house has a wonderful smell drifting through it. And later I will enjoy it with my tea!

Yummy Pumpkin Bread
Yummy Pumpkin Bread
Yummy Pumpkin Bread
Yummy Pumpkin Bread

Here is the recipe you are waiting for! Try it and let me know what you think. Please feel free to share your favorite pumpkin bread recipe because sometimes you just need pumpkin bread to go with tea.

Yummy Pumpkin Bread

3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

 1/4 tsp. baking powder

 2 tsp. baking soda

 1 1/2 tsp. salt

 1 tsp. each nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon

 1 1/2 c. each granulated sugar and packed brown sugar

 1 c. oil ( I used 1/2 butter and 1/2 coconut oil)

 2 c. canned pumpkin

 4 eggs

 1 c. each raisins and nuts (optional) ( I used 1 cup of chopped walnuts)

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and

spices. Add the sugars, mixing well.

***It is worth the sifting just for the memories. I have a sifter that looks just like the one from my childhood.

Yummy Pumpkin Bread
Using a sifter is worth it!

Mix dry ingredients with the oil and pumpkin, stirring until

well, combined.

Add eggs, one at a time, blending thoroughly. Pour into 2

greased and floured 9 1/2 x 5 1/4-inch loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes or until the tester

comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes. Remove from pans.

Place on a wire rack to cool.

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1933 Biscuit Recipe

Biscuits
Biscuits

I am not really sure where the 1933 biscuit recipe originated from. It has been in my files for many years. Yesterday I did something I have not done in years. I made a single recipe of biscuits! That’s an accomplishment for me! Below I will share the single recipe and then my Redding size batch that I used while I was raising my family.

A Little Family Trivia

This is not my grandmother’s recipe but I do remember seeing my mom and my grandmother make biscuits. They started with a huge bowl of flour and then made a well in the middle and added the ingredients and slowly mixed it by hand. I am not sure if they measured the ingredients beforehand or by instinct knew exactly how to make them. My dad called these pinching biscuits. Still makes me smile. If any of you have heard of pinching biscuits please let me know.

1933 Biscuits Ingredients:

2 cups sifted flour

2 tsp. baking powder

4 tablespoons butter or shortening

1/2 tsp. salt

about 3/4 cup milk

Sift flour once, measure, add the baking soda and salt, and sift again. This will make your biscuits lighter or softer. Cut in shortening or butter using a pastry cutter or I use my hands by rubbing the butter into the flour until it is like tiny pebbles. Add the milk gradually, stirring until a soft dough is formed. Turn out on lightly floured board and lightly “knead” for 30 seconds, enough to shape. Roll 1/2 inch thick and cut with 2 inch floured biscuit cutter. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet in a 400° oven for 12-15 minutes. Makes 6 biscuits.

Redding Family Ingredient Amounts

This makes a lot of biscuits! Enough biscuits in fact to feed 8 hungry boys and maybe a few girls.

8 cups flour

8 tsp. baking powder

16 tablespoons shortening

2 tsp. salt

3 cups of milk

For this Redding size batch proceed with the directions from above.

Enjoy your hot biscuits with honey butter or strawberry jam! Yum!

Below you can find a link to another biscuit recipe I have used.

https://redaredding.com/homemade-biscuits/

Happy Baking!

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Unexpected Happenings in the Covid Life

The excitement was building as I packed, weighed, and readjusted my bags. Hoping to carry the most needful things to my friends in Africa. Just a few more days and we would be on our long flight. I was excited about spending two months in one community but I was also dreading the 14-hour flight with a mask. And then the unexpected happenings in the Covid life.

Discovering Anxiety

Last year I discovered that I must suffer anxiety at least in some situations. After falling last February and tearing a muscle in my arm, I am a lot more careful for sure. Visiting the doctor to assess the damage, I went home and assumed it would be back to normal soon. After months of trying various things, I gave up.

I have no insurance so I do not go to the doctor very often. I went back to the doctor and he ordered an MRI. Thinking nothing of it I showed up for my test got strapped in and prepared for my test. The earplugs were the last straw. I knew there was no way I could go in that tube. Asking for a moment to get me together the tech took one look at my face and must have seen something resembling terror. He said, “she can’t do this. The other machine is available so let’s try that.” I managed with much prayer, closed eyes, and a conversation with the tech to be able to manage this one. I rehearsed each Bible memory verses I had memorized in my 60 years and felt a new wave of gratitude for my healthy life.

Covid

Covid Testing Requirement

Back to my trip. I was already planning my coping skills. Lots of diet coke, bathroom breaks, eating, sleeping, books to read, lessons to review, etc. Our bags are all packed except my personal item and Lawrence’s carry-on. We had taken the required Covid PCR test and awaited the results ($750 poorer). The nurse called and said your test is negative, Esther’s test is negative but Lawrence’s test is positive. My heart stops. We fly tomorrow, at least we were supposed to fly.

Lawrence and I sit and discuss possibilities. This is an unexpected situation. We feel pretty good. No one has a fever. Lawrence has a little cough. Could it be a false positive? The nurse said not likely and to quarantine for 10 days and go from there. I contact the airlines, our friends in Malawi. They ask questions I have no answers for. Will we all get it? Do we reschedule our flight? Do we assume the best outcome or wait? Wait.

The Wait

We are on day 11 of the wait. What do I do when I was not supposed to be here? Better prepare my lessons, order groceries, update everyone of the change of plans. Check on others we may have been around as we wait for us all to get sick. We take vitamin C, D, Zinc, lots of fluids, juices, and chicken soup, check our temperature and oxygen levels, and rest and pray.

I am so very thankful to know God and to know his timing is best. Thankfulness for the prayer and concern of loving friends and family. Thankful that we apparently suffered a mild case.

So yesterday was the suggested day to retest and now we wait again for the results to see if we proceed with our plans.

 

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Merry Merry Christmas to You!

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Merry Merry Christmas to you! As we near the end of the year and look back you no doubt will have some strong memories. Tomorrow is Christmas. My wish for you is that you will have joy, peace, and gratitude as you head into the new year. That’s what we all wish for, right? Well, at least the joy and peace part. Sometimes we just want to have our own little pity party and rehearse all the bad things which have happened to us. Say NO to that!

You are so blessed

Yes, this year has been a doozy! But look closely at your life and see all the fantastic and beautiful things that have happened amidst the struggles. Please remember those things. Choose to celebrate the blessings instead of the struggles at least for one day. I do not know your circumstance but I do know that you are so blessed. Refuse to give in to the negative. Make your day full of joy and gratitude. You will feel better and so will everyone else you share space with.

A tiny list of my blessings

God is my Father!

Unlimited supply of clean safe water.

Food.

Two legs.

Ability to speak.

I have two eyes and I can see.

I have an amazing family. Yes, both physical and spiritual!

My husband’s health has improved this year.

A new grandson this year.

There are thousands of things that I could add to this list but this is just a tiny list so I will stop there. Why don’t you make your own tiny list?

Thank You!

I want to thank you for reading my blog this year. You have brought me joy in so many tiny and big ways. Your words of encouragement have lifted me up! Have a beautiful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

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Putting More Joy in Your Christmas

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Putting more joy in your Christmas

What Christmas traditions do you have that do not require spending money? Or buying gifts? Can you really have a Christmas without things? I personally do not know. I have lived most of my life in the land of plenty. But traveling to some of the poorest countries in the world really has had an impact on my perspective. There are many places and people in the world who never even question what they will buy for Christmas. Yet they are full of joy at the approach of Christmas.

What do you do when you have little or no money to create a big Christmas? One friend told me that you make the celebration bigger. Homemade decorations maybe, Christmas movies together, hot cocoa or popcorn.

Maybe this year you have chosen to keep Christmas simple for many reasons or just want to add some simpler touches.

Childhood Memories

So ask yourself what memories do you have from childhood? What was fun? Compare Christmas from your childhood with what Christmas looks like now. If you have children at home maybe you can share stories of your childhood Christmas. Most kids love stories. Get the grandparents involved with sharing their stories of childhood Christmas past.

What do you wish for? Personally, I think the gift of time is the best.

Here are a few suggestions for putting more joy in your Christmas

Play charades

Caroling to your neighbors or with them

Lego building contest

Flash mob of Christmas songs

Gingerbread men or houses or Graham Cracker houses

Bake sugar cookies and decorate them.

Make ornaments

Paper chains even the youngest children enjoy doing this.

Have friends or family over just to enjoy time (no gifts allowed) calm, lowkey day, sing songs, put together a puzzle, play a game. Eat soup maybe Andalusian Christmas Soup but keep it simple.

Making gifts for each other from things you have on hand – give a favorite book you’ve read, with your own review or some unknown tidbit about the author. Maybe you have a teacup to share.

Make coupons for backrubs, no chores pass, clean out your car, etc.

Giving something from your wealth of possessions to friends and family.

Write a poem or story for a specific person.

Give extra blankets, coats, gloves, etc. to those in the cold.

Perhaps you will want to purchase a “doing gift” for your family. An experience. This can be a lot of fun but may require some scheduling.

I know that many of you have some great ideas to share. Please do share below!