Esime-catch up post #3

In early December Crisis nursery had received another baby from a family about an hour from Lilongwe. The baby was tiny (2kg or 4.4lbs), and the 7^th born in the family. The mother died from post partum hemorrhage (a VERY common thing in Malawi) and the father was too overwhelmed/couldn’t care for this baby as well as the 5 others at home (the 6^th born died from HIV complications at 2 years of age). Upon receiving the child at Crisis, the director (Mwawi) called me to come get Esime. She was very concerned because Esime had a rattly chest and was breathing very rapidly, as well as being malnourished. I brought her to Tiyamike (our children’s ward) and Dr. Young assessed her. She was placed on strict feeds and antibiotic injections. Esime thrived and grew very quickly. She was only at our ward for about 2 weeks, which looking back on it now was incredible. These kids that are brought to our ward are simply amazing. Becky, Dr. Young and I always say how astounding it is that these kids can thrive when all the odds are against them. It’s moments like these that remind me of how powerful God is, and how there’s no earthly explanation of why these kids thrive. It is simply the work of Christ. That is why I really like our motto at the clinic, “We Treat, God Heals”. It couldn’t be more evident than in these kids. I’ll be posting a recent picture of Esime soon, you won’t believe how big she is now!

It’s ALL about Jesus,

-Carson-

Gosh, she's just huge, isn't she? NOT! 

TINY!

I think she was tired of me taking pictures at this point

I think she's saying, "enough already!"

Zikomo-giving

Zikomo is thanks in Chichewa. Actually, zikomo can mean a lot of other things as well, but it’s the word used for thank you. Anyway, this Thanksgiving was fun, different, and memorable. We had most of the “normal” American foods. We even had sweet potato casserole (my favorite!). Initially I was kinda bummed because I wanted sweet potato casserole, but sweet potatoes weren’t in season during Thanksgiving. BUT momma Dehnert is smart and put some sweet potatoes in her freezer to have to make sweet potato casserole to share with everyone for Thanksgiving. Turkey, dressing, veggies etc were all served. Of course, there was pie. Lots and lots of desserts were available, and the most coveted dessert was the pumpkin pie Becca Hiroto made. When it was time to serve dessert everyone rushed to the table to get a small slice of her pumpkin pie. Becca was smart and had some pumpkin puree from the States shipped, so the pie was not only good, it tasted like home. I tried to make pecan pie with the pecans the Franklin’s sent us, but I didn’t have corn starch, so I kind of made pecan pie/pecan mush. Either way, it was tasty and it too tasted like home.

Also, Chisomo had been improving so well he was able to attend Thanksgiving dinner! Becky and her family are fostering to adopt him (after all the crazy paperwork goes through) so below are some of the pictures of him. He looked 10 times better than when we had rescued him only 2 weeks prior to that! He was the center of attention, and he loved every minute of it!

So this is my catch-up post #2.  I hope to be caught up to present day soon!

Carson

Yes, I was a LITTLE over enthusiastic about the sweet potato casserole. Thanks momma Dehnert!

Chisomo and Jeff at Thanksgiving dinner

He is such a ham!

Chisomo playing with Becca and Kellen

I couldn't post this picture in my last post because the internet was too slow to upload the picture, BUT this is the picture of the things the lady heaved up. The rock was not in that paper we just placed it in there for the picture. But the note was ripped up, and that is the red string that was tied around the woman's abdomen.

Fuel Shortage

Since last Saturday, April 2, there has been a fuel shortage in Malawi. Friday I got out of school at 1:10 and went to sit in a line of cars waiting for fuel. The tanker had not actually dropped the fuel off yet because the tanker was not in Lilongwe. I waited about 2 hours before the tanker arrived with the fuel. Once the line started moving I was thinking it would not take very long. I was wrong! Once I got close to the front, I realized they were letting people with all types of bottles and cans get in line to get fuel as well. As far a I know that is actually illegal in Malawi when there is a fuel shortage. Then they were letting cars in 2 different entrances which created an even bigger problem with traffic flow. I finally got to the front and heard they were only allowing people to fill up with 5,000 kwacha (about $30) worth of fuel but we were on empty and needed about 10,000 kwacha. I started talking to the manager about 3 cars from the pump and asked him how much I could have. He asked how much I needed so I told him, “10,000K.” He talked to me until it was my turn and filled me up! I took a few books to read while waiting and I am glad I did because I sat in line from 1:30-6:10. I was actually never frustrated or mad because I went in thankful that fuel was even available. Pray that the fuel problem ends soon as it is still not readily available!

Because of Jesus,

Jeff

Singanga

I know it’s been QUITE a long time since I have posted. I sure hope everyone had a great holiday season. Believe it or not, the holiday season in Lilongwe was still just as busy. Even though we didn’t have the constant commercialized reminders that it was Christmas time, we were still just as busy. So, I figured I’d post the latest happenings one post at a time until I catch up to current day.

On Monday, November 29^th it was a normal Monday at the clinic. About 7:45 am a woman arrives with her husband. Her husband said his wife woke up in the night unable to move her legs. I immediately thought, “oh great, drama before 8am.” We get her to lay on the bed and when we ask what’s wrong, the woman can’t speak but mouths that her belly hurts and she’s unable to move her legs. We take her vital signs and nothing is abnormal. Dr. Young looks in her mouth and there’s nothing obstructing her throat or anything. We start asking her husband multiple questions and the woman starts heaving violently. Becky and I grab an emesis bucket because she looks like she’s going to puke. After a full minute of the woman heaving, a rock, piece of plastic and piece of paper come out of the woman’s mouth. No mucus, no vomit, no spit, the paper was dry and the rock was about an inch in diameter. We were puzzled. Then the woman was grabbing her stomach so we pulled her shirt up and saw a red piece of cloth tied around the woman’s abdomen. This is a sign that the singanga, or witch doctor, had been to visit her. I opened the piece of paper and it had 3 crosses written on the top. The letter was in Chichewa, but the husband said it was a death note. It was a definite indicator that the witch doctor had come to visit this woman. The husband was spooked and asked if he could take the contents to his church. We wanted to burn them, but he insisted that he take them to the church the couple attends weekly. We allowed them to take them, but not before we got a picture of everything. The husband was asked to gather family members to pray and sing over his wife. People arrived and they sang and prayed. About 2 hours later, the woman was able to walk out of the room on her own two feet with no problems. Weird? Yes. Crazy? Yes. Explanation…Jesus is in control and the devil is very much alive.

            Jeff and I constantly say how much we try to rationalize things like this when in fact they’re complete evidence of how God is in control and the devil is working. Could there be some scientific explanation of why this woman’s airway didn’t close up? I’m sure. But the truth is the devil is alive and working all around the world. We were very scared and spooked by this whole situation. When asking some of the college students around campus about these types of incidences, they all can give some sort of account of an experience they had with a singanga. But if these things were to happen in the States we would blow them off and give some sort of “rational” excuse of why it happened. It’s very interesting to me how much we can “rationalize” situations in the States, but here in Malawi they accredit these incidences to the singanga. I almost feel as if they have it more figured out than we do, like they give God the “credit” more than we do in the States. 

God & Sports

I have some new updates on what the next year will hold for me at ABC. The athletic director (AD) for the College, Derek Breuninger, is returning to the States. He had committed for 2 years and his commitment is done in July, so I will be taking over the sports program in July. Being the AD will involve many things. I will be the head of all PE classes for the College but will not be teaching them all. I will be responsible for finding teachers for all the classes and making sure a syllabus exists for all PE courses. I will also be the head of team sports for the College. Again, I will not be coaching any of the teams, assuming each team has a coach, but will be the coordinator for all the team sports. We currently have 5 team sports: men’s soccer, basketball and volleyball and women’s basketball and netball. Along with being the AD, I will continue teaching Christian education courses in the College and being the coordinator for student sponsorship at the Malawi campus.

I am super excited about this new opportunity and using sports as a tool to share the gospel with many people in Malawi. It is amazing to look back and see how God has prepared me for each thing He calls me to do. I was involved and ran Upward Sports for 5 years at First Baptist and it was a great training for being involved in College sports and PE since it laid the foundation of using sports to reach people for Christ! Also, coaching recreational and competitive soccer teams has helped me understand that sports can be fun and competitive at the same time. I sometimes wondered why I committed to coach the teams I did even when “I didn’t have time.” I now see God pushed me to do those things in order to prepare me for ministry.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me and encouraged me through sports, both playing and coaching. There were many times I was not qualified or messed things up when coaching but the parents and players always supported me! Also, thank you to everyone who never gave up on me during my playing days. It is probably hard for most of the parents and my teammates to believe I am now using sports to share the gospel at a Christian college, but God has mercy and grace and for that I am truly thankful! And a huge thanks to my parents for always doing everything they could to help me be successful in sports but never forcing me to play. It was always enjoyable because I knew my parents would be completely okay with me stopping and pursuing other things.

I pray as this new opportunity arises that God would use it to bring glory to Himself and make His name known among the nations! As it gets closer to time for me to officially take over as AD I will let you know more about what is going on in the world of ABC Sports.

I am truly grateful for the prayers and support of family and friends. I thank God for you!

Because of Jesus,

Jeff

Sports & Other Happenings

Things have been going well lately. I have started playing some with the men’s volleyball team and really enjoy being around the guys and playing. They are doing quite well and we actually played the Malawi National Team a few weeks ago. It was a great experience since I have never played a national team in any sport. We lost but the first 2 games we kept it close.

Spiritual Formation class is going great as well! Many of the students are telling me they are growing spiritually and learning some new things. The ones that I have talked to seem to be very encouraged in their spiritual lives because of the class so that is super encouraging and exciting for me!

My Academy classes are also going well. We have 11 weeks left of class now (with a 2 week Easter Break in April). It is still exciting being able to share Christ whenever I want with the students. We are studying Ancient Egypt in 6^th grade and we did a contrast paper for Egyptian religion and Christianity. One of the books says that the 3 major monotheistic religions worship the same God so we spent ample time talking about how our God is different from all others (mainly Jesus Christ)!

For the next few weeks things are pretty normal around here as far as I can tell but we are looking forward to the summer when Carson’s mom, my dad and a group from Faith Baptist come to visit!

A few things to pray for are teachers for the Academy for next year (if you are interested in teaching in Malawi let me know), Spiritual Emphasis week at the College to go well, College midterms starting March 21, and continued good health for Carson and I.

Thank you for praying for us and loving us!

Because of Jesus,

Jeff

College, Friends & Ministry

A lot has happened over the past month in our ministry. Classes have started at the Academy and the College. The college class has been a huge encouragement to me and the ministry that God has placed me in. I am teaching Spiritual Formation (mainly focused on practical application of the Spiritual Disciplines). It is only offered to sophomores and it is an elective so it is not required. The class limit was set at 50 and we only had 50 books available. The first class I had 53 students so I knew that they were not all registered for the class. The following week I had 60 students. We made a deal with them that they were responsible for borrowing a book and turning in all assignments but they were welcome in the class. So 60 students are taking the class and seem very eager about learning the disciplines of the Christian life and applying them to their lives. We are using Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney if you are interested in pursuing Godliness (1 Tim 4:7) through the spiritual disciplines.

Our visitors, the Long’s, have returned to Wichita Falls and it was great having friends from the States! They took tons of pictures while they were here and some of them will be used in making new brochures for ABC as well as for the College and Academy yearbooks. Things at the Academy are going well also. I am enjoying more and more getting to talk about God in relation to history and having a Christian worldview. I am still learning classroom management and those kinds of things that come with teaching middle school students but by the grace of God I am improving. It is helping me rely on God in everything I do because I do not have all the answers or knowledge.

We went to an orphanage about 2 hours away from Lilongwe where 2 ABC graduates are involved in helping organize an orphanage of about 60 children from babies to high school students. Another ABC graduate is a high school teacher in the same trading center (small town) where the orphanage is located. We are praying about if and how God wants us to be involved there. We also visited a feeding program, nursery school and other various projects called Bright Vision with our friends, Kellen and Becca Hiroto. They have helped sponsor this ministry while training a Malawian (who is originally from the area that Bright Vision works in) to actually run the day-to-day ministry. It is also something we are praying about being involved in and if we do get involved, what that would mean. These would be extra ministries added on to our main focus at ABC. We truly believe that through education and the ministry at the clinic we can have a more broad, long term impact than by any other means. That does not mean we will not be involved with these other things, it just means our main focus is our ministry at ABC.

Thank you for praying for us, loving us and encouraging us in Christ! We appreciate all of you and thank God for you! If you ever have questions please let us know!

Because of Jesus,

Jeff

Long Overdue!

I am back to blogging. Sorry it has been such a long time since I have posted and kept you updated on our ministry and life in Malawi. We pray that you had a great Christmas and a wonderful start to the New Year. The Christmas break was very relaxing and a much needed break for us. We were able to take a short vacation to Cape Town, South Africa, and see some of the most beautiful places on earth. It was absolutely stunning to drive down to the Cape of Good Hope and see the incredible things that God has created.

The Academy has started back and we finished finals for the first semester January 20-21. I feel much more comfortable planning and teaching this semester. The College starts classes on Wednesday, January 26 and I will be teaching a spiritual formation class which will focus on learning and applying the spiritual disciplines. I am using Donald Whitney’s book, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, as the textbook and drawing from many other sources for the class as well. If you do not know much about spiritual disciplines, I would suggest this book for you.

We received some friends, Scott, Beverly, and Raquel Long, on Sunday, January 16. They are staying until February 10. We are excited to have people come serve alongside us and encourage us in our ministry. They have already been a huge blessing to us and many other staff and students on the campus. They are taking tons of pictures so make sure you check out their blog for updates and pictures (http://www.blongphotography.com/). We have a lot of stuff planned for their visit and pray that God would bless their time here. They also brought a lot of stuff from the States for us (thanks to everyone who gave stuff) which is nice on those hard days. Among the things are Starbucks coffee, Hot Tamales, Reese’s Pieces, tons of DVDs, shampoo, conditioner, travel coffee cups, a few college football game recordings and many other things. Thank you, thank you, thank you if you sent stuff! The Hiroto’s also brought us things back as they went to the States for Christmas and a wedding. We are so blessed to have people who are involved in ministry with us!

I plan on updating more often now that school is back in session and there is a routine. If you are interested in coming to visit and minister with us, please let me know. We want people to come and visit and see what is happening through ABC and in Malawi. You are always welcome! Thanks for the love, prayers, support and encouragement! We love you!

Because of Jesus,

Jeff

Dzaleka in Pictures

Brian Carlisle holding sleeping Samuel. He chatted with these guys for a long time!

Sunga and me

Some of the kids performed for us

Humphreys, Eunice and others dancing

Lifton Square

Can you guess where they're from originally?

Some of the kids that sang for us

Melissa entertaining kids....who'd have thought twirling was so popular? Danie's in the background in the white shirt

These kids were booty dancing, no joke

Lifton teaching us some dance moves

The beautiful Mingoli girls....Linda got cut out of the picture, sorry!

Mingoli performed while we were at Dzaleka. They did a GREAT job!

Praising Jesus congo line style

Mike dancing with the kiddos during the congo line

I caught Larry joining in the congo line

Lifton catching his breath after the congo line!

Mike and this guy were buddies for the day 

I wanted to post some pictures of our day at Dzaleka Refugee camp. We were humbled by the stories of everyone we met. I think each family there could have a book written about them. Their experiences are so humbling, and I can't begin to try and understand how they feel. I want to have faith like the people of this camp. They are true examples of praising Jesus through the storm.

It's all about You, JESUS

Carson

Refugee Camp & God

On Saturday, November 20, we took a trip to Dzaleka, a refugee camp about an hour drive outside of Lilongwe. Kelly Dehnert, a music professor from Wyoming, set the trip up and about 35 students went on the trip with about 20 missionaries. In the morning, we met with a church who had people to translate for us. We split into 8 different groups to spread out across the refugee camp and listen to people’s stories about fleeing their countries and ending up in a camp in Malawi. Our group had 6 students, Carson and me. Our translator spoke Swahili and was from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), so we went to the area of the camp with people from DRC. We first listened to the story of the translator while sitting in his home. His wife left him recently because she could not handle the hardships of living in a refugee camp. He was left with 3 children to take care of. In the corner of the room we were sitting in was a bag of maize with the label “a gift of Spain” written on it. We found out that the people in the camp cannot grow gardens but are dependent on UN aid for all of their food. It is also very difficult for them to have jobs since they are not Malawian citizens.

We moved on from the translator’s home to the home of 2 more families. Their stories were similar. They fled DRC because they supported the presidential candidate who lost. The president who won started killing people of the opposing party. They ended up in Malawi because it was the closest refugee camp. They are totally dependent on God to provide all of their needs through other people and do not have much in terms of material possessions. This camp is probably the worst form of poverty I have ever seen but one thing stuck out to me even in the midst of suffering. Each time we asked what we could pray for and the response of the people showed me what true faith looks like. They simply said to pray that God continues to provide and protect them as they are in the refugee camp.

What?! No prayer to get out of that place? No whining because they are in a difficult situation? This is the faith that I believe we are all called to but I know I do not live daily in that kind of faith. I am American. My needs are provided. I am always safe. I do not have to rely on God for those things, right? Well, I am starting to view things in a different light. God can take it all away in an instant and would I say, “God please provide what I need today and keep me safe?” That is my new prayer that I would live in such a way that God is my All in All and my Sovereign. I want to rely on Him for everything and not depend on myself.

I am completely and totally thankful that I was born in the States and that God has blessed our nation so tremendously. I do not take that for granted, but I do not want that blessing to be something that I replace God with. I will go back to the refugee camp to continue to minister and share the gospel with non-believers and encourage the believers while being ministered to and encouraged at the same time.

After we had lunch, a group of students who are part of our college band, Mingoli, performed a concert. Jonathan Robson, a professor, shared the Word of God with the crowd and more music followed. As the music resumed, people started dancing and singing with the band and overall having a great time.

Thank you for supporting us and praying for us as we have the opportunity to minister with the ABC students in places that change us as much (or more) than it changes those we went to minister to.

Because of Jesus,

Jeff

Rescued

Chisomo in August 2010 prior to his placement back in the village

2 months later

Jeff and Chisomo napping

At ABC Clinic

Same chair, same pose, only 2 months later

"Malawian baby stroller" He was exhausted and I was tired of holding him

This past Saturday I had the privilege of going to do a village assessment with Mwawi (the director of Ministry of Hope Crisis Nursery) for a child that was recently placed back in his village for the 3^rd time.  Chisomo was first placed in the Crisis Nursery at age 1 month due to his mother’s inability to care for him.  She has mental issues and is in and out of the mental hospital. His father has never been in the picture. When Chisomo was placed back in his village at one and a half years old he deteriorated because his family neglected him, and three weeks later he was back at Crisis Nursery. In August, walking, talking, independent Chisomo was placed back in his village again because his great uncle wanted him back. In Malawi, even though it doesn’t seem right, if a family member wants or shows interest in caring for a child of a family member who’s parents are not around or able to care for the child, then he or she must live with that family member. So, even though Mwawi knew he would not thrive well, he was placed back in his village. When we arrived at Chisomo’s village he was nowhere to be seen. We saw a hut about as big as some people’s pantry and Mwawi said the first time she rescued Chisomo was in that hut, where he slept with 7 other people. The hut was sad, and the thatched roof was so bare it wouldn’t have held up in the rainy season. Mwawi asked the great uncle that had originally wanted Chisomo back where he was, and he pointed to another hut. We walked to the hut (which was tiny) where Chisomo’s grandmother had him strapped to her back. His hair was discolored, his feet were extremely swollen and he was very lethargic. His hands had dirt caked on them (and he sucks his thumb a lot, so no telling what kind of bacteria was on his fingers), flies swarmed around his mouth, nose and eyes, and he had nothing on his bottom to catch urine or feces. I buried my face in my hands and cried. He had a high fever, and his grandmother said he’d had fevers for about 3 weeks. Mwawi told the village chief and the great uncle she was taking Chisomo and they would never see him again. She told them they were killing the child and she would not stand idly by and allow that to happen. Chisomo also has an older brother, but the village will not release him because he can work in the fields, and they don’t want to lose manual labor. After some harsh persuasion from Mwawi (which was interesting to witness because culturally a Malawian woman is not allowed to talk to a man in that manner or tone) the village chief and great uncle released Chisomo to Mwawi. The grandmother strapped Chisomo to Mwawi’s back and we headed for the car. When we arrived back to Crisis Nursery Mwawi did a full assessment on him while Becky and I helped and watched. Chisomo had been on malaria medicine and some antibiotics, but he was extremely sick. We went to Dae Young Luke (Korean mission hospital) and he was diagnosed with pneumonia, 1+malaria, severe malnutrition, and septicemia. He was 10.2 kgs prior to being placed back in his village he now weighs 8.7kgs. We took him to our clinic where Becky and I attempted to start an IV literally 15 times. He was so frail and wasted we couldn’t find veins on him. After some time we finally were able to start an IV and we started him on IV antibiotics as well as IV quinine for his malaria. We also started the formula feedings for his malnutrition. The first 24 hours were scary. His respirations were about 90 per minute, and he was so weak he couldn’t cough up the phlegm that was packed into his lungs. Becky and I gave him around the clock feedings, IV antibiotics, and care. He stayed mostly at Becky’s house because she and her family were attempting to adopt him before he went back to his village. We’re now on day 3 of his rescue and Chisomo’s looking great. His fevers have subsided; he’s drinking his formula (when Becky and I hold him down and force feed him) and starting to talk. He smiled at Becky and I yesterday and we were excited to see that sweet smile again. Oh, and he still loves chips like you see in the picture. He loves Cheetohs. He still has a long road ahead of him as far as recovering from the malnutrition, but between Becky and me I think we’ll get him healthy in no time. He’s staying with us (Becky and me) until he can feed on a regular basis. On Saturday when we rescued him Mwawi only gave him a 50/50 chance of survival. He’s responded so well that we think he’s going to make it. Thank you everyone for the prayers. I posted a few pictures on facebook and asked for prayers, and this little guy has felt your prayers.  I’ve included some pictures of Chisomo in August before he was placed back in his village. I will keep everyone updated on his condition as we continue to care for this little guy.

It's ALL about You, Jesus.

Carson

2nd place...

the ONLY time I saw all the Malawians during the race

The start

The finish!!!

Lucy and I after the race. We usually run together but she decided to whoop me this day

Danie and I in front of the Half sign

By second place I mean I was the second azungu (white person) girl to cross the finish line. When the race started I saw tons of Malawians in worn out shoes with their tattered clothes and stick skinny legs, and I never saw them again. They took off in a dead sprint and I knew then I was going to come in dead last. I’ve never ran a half in this kind of heat before (approx. 90 degrees), and never have I tried to run that many hills. I stopped counting the hills after 21. The winner’s time (of course he is Malawian) was 1hr 7 minutes. He competed in the common wealth games this past October and came in fourth place. The first Malawian woman to cross the finish line finished in 1 hr 24 minutes, second Malawian woman finished in 1hr 27 minutes. Of course the Malawians were all of five feet tall, maybe. I finished the race in 1hr 59 minutes. The first azungu girl to cross the finish line finished in 1 hr 55 minutes. Usually the girl that finished first and I run together, but she proved to be the better runner that day. All in all it was a great time. Danie, another ABC missionary ran it as well. Peter Bartlett, the audiologist from Australia was the first azungu male to cross the finish line in 1hr 32 minutes. We had a great time, and I was able to cross off one of the items on my bucket list. I will definitely run this race again next year!!

Oopsie Daisies!

So, I haven’t written in quite a while. My bad. I’ve been off to the races with the recent things that have been happening at the clinic. Our new OBGYN unit will be up and running by the 31 of October. While I’m not in charge and have no clue about what to set up for the OB unit I’m still a part of getting things ready. We have vamped up our operating theatre (British terminology, UGH!) to get ready for c-sections that will take place every Tuesday and Thursday. The first delivery will happy in about 3 weeks, so we’re cutting it close, but are confident our OB unit will be completely ready by then. The everyday happenings of the clinic are always changing. In Malawi, it is culturally acceptable to miss many days of work because you are attending a funeral. Death is such a common part of life here that people can miss many days of work d/t the amount of funerals they are attending. Not only is it culturally acceptable to attend the funeral of your close family members, but your neighbor and second cousin’s as well. Basically, they attend a lot of funerals. If you do not attend the funeral, then you are considered to be happy that the person has died. I know what you’re thinking give me a break, right? But that’s what they’ll think, so I’d rather just go the funeral to make someone happy than be accused of being GLAD someone died, wouldn’t you? Anyway, so the days that we’re really short staffed I am the only nurse on the private side of our clinic to do triage.  Which I absolutely love, of course.  

Room 2

donated items for the theatre

Room 1

I wanted to include some pictures of the rooms Becky Epperson and I cleaned out. I’m going to post before and after pictures, so here’s the before pictures. These rooms are the delivery rooms for the private paying patients at the clinic. All the equipment is donated and some of it is from the Vietnam War.  Becky and I had a grand time cleaning these rooms out.Also, these past few months I’ve stumbled across some “Malawian-isms.” Some of them drive me crazy, but some of them just make me giggle:

1. Apparently if you ask a yes or no question a proper response is yes or MMmm. For example:

Me: Is that where the paper goes?

Malawian: MMMMmmmm(with a single head nod)

Me: Is MMmmm yes or MMMmmm no?

Malawian: MMmmmm

Me: Wait, so was that a Mmmm yes or Mmmm no?

Malawian: MMM mmm sure

2. It’s near impossible to out-thank a Malawian. I’ve gotten in a few thank you wars already, but the Malawian is always victorious.

3. Malawians don’t say no. This is how they respond with a no:

Me: Can you do this?
Malawian: Of course because I cannot do that.

ME: So the answer is no.

Malawian: Of course I cannot.

Me: Oh, right, of course….

4. Doing something now and doing something now now is 2 different time periods.

5. Malawian’s don’t understand sarcasm. I’ve been accused of being mean to someone because I was being too sarcastic. That’s a constant struggle for me to NOT be sarcastic

6. A few of my Malawian friends at the clinic think America is the land of milk and honey. They think if they just step onto the soil they will be rich and have no problems. I’ve tried to explain to them that the single difference between America and Malawi is that America is full of more options. They do NOT believe me that cheese comes in packages already grated, there’s about 15 options for what type of cheese you want, and that it’s about $3 a bag.  They don’t believe that nearly everyone has a car, that gas is cheap, and nearly no one rides a bike to and from work because that is their only mode of transportation.  They refuse to believe that almost everyone has a computer, a lot of people get to go to college, and that minimum wage is $7.25/hr. It’s fun yet sad to hear all these things that they refuse to believe.

Crisis Nursery:

I’ve been to the Crisis Nursery sparsely throughout the past few months. We work 7:30-4:30 5 days a week, so finding time to get to the nursery has been a little hard. Backston went back to his home village. I was really sad that he left, but I know it’s the best thing for him. I would much rather him be placed back with his family (assuming they take good care of him this time) than be placed in a foster home. Mwawi, the director of the nursery in Lilongwe, is going to check up on Backston in the next few weeks and I will get an update on him then. Meshach and Shadrach are getting so big! Meshach is crawling and sitting up quite well by himself, and Shadrach is starting to make the sweet baby sounds and sits up on his own. Lately Meshach likes to use my phone as a chew toy. If you take it away from him he starts crying and screaming, so I just give it to him and wipe the drool off when it’s time for me to leave. It’s kinda gross but if a green cell phone is tasty to chew on and makes him happy then I’ll oblige. They are some of the happiest babies at the nursery. Their smiles and giggles are always a great reminder to me that these children really ARE His children. 

Meshech

Chewing on my phone


Mateyo

Gule Wamkulu

This past week we had a beautiful young girl came into the clinic to have her hand cleaned and a dressing placed on it. When I asked the nurse to ask her why her hand looked so bad and was infected, the nurse told me the patient said that the kids in the village stabbed her hand. They hurt her hand because she’s in the gule wamkulu (gang dancers) group in her village. The girl didn’t want to be in the group, but was forced in the group because her older brother is in it.  The agogo(grandmother) of the child also proceeded to tell us that the girl was told by the group to kill her agogo because it’s part of her “duties” she’s assigned, and her reward would be an airplane.  The gule wamkulu is a gang of dancers that perform at ceremonies and are clothed in animal skins, grass skirts etc. They are said to be the spirits of the dead ancestors from the underworld sent to roam the earth.  In The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, the writer talks about them in better detail. Basically at night this particular group of people go around and try to find young kids to take back to the graveyards.  The kids are tempted to be in these groups because the group tells the kids if they eat this meat then they’ll go to heaven. Only after they’ve eaten the meat do they find out that it’s human flesh they’ve really eaten. I guess if they eat human flesh then they’re cursed because the evil is already inside them. Then, at night they fly around on “airplanes” that are said to be capable of taking the kids to London in a second if they wanted, to rival gule wamkulu clans.  The kids are sent to other “wizard’s” houses to perform their powers. If the children are killed while “performing” then the wizard will then know how to develop something stronger against his enemy. There’s apparently a secret football match between the rivaling clans where the match is played with human heads and the winners get cups of human flesh. Obviously this is all nonsense, but their belief in these tales is real.

So I’m assisting the nurse in taking the packing out of the girl’s wound to clean it and dress it before she left the clinic. I asked the nurse to ask the girl if she’d ever seen any other child’s airplane they receive from doing these awful assignments. The girl said no, so I asked her if she still planned on killing her agogo. She said no. The nurse told me that if she had wanted to kill her agogo then the agogo would be dead already. Oh, did I mention this little girl is 10 years old? Yah, 10. Imagine dealing with these issues as a 10 year old. Before the girl and her agogo left, the agogo told us that the girl is in standard 5 (5^th grade) and is extremely smart. The teachers at the girl’s school are scared that the girl will be killed soon due to this gang and their activities. The agogo said she wants to take the girl to Faith Orphanage to get her away from the awful things that go on in the gang. So, this agogo would rather send her granddaughter away to an ORPHANAGE than have her live with her. This statement tells me something really awful is going on in that village. Something awful is happening to this girl and her agogo thinks the only solution to the problem is sending her beautiful granddaughter to an orphanage. The agogo didn’t ask us to personally take the girl to the orphanage, but it got me thinking about what I should do to help. Should I take the girl to the orphanage to get her away from these horrible things that are happening to her in the village? Should I just send her on her way with her grandmother to deal with it? Should I take her home with me? The girl will be back in the clinic on Monday to have her hand looked at again to make sure it’s healing. I still don’t know what to do for the girl though. I know in Malawi there are millions of stories like this one, but I believe in helping Malawi one child at a time. As Janine Maxwell from Heart for Africa said once, helping one child has to be enough for you, because if it’s not then you get so overwhelmed you don’t know how to help.

Included below are some pictures of people I get to work with everyday. They keep me smiling and laughing.

Felix

Chrispin


Rosemary Honde

Oh, did I mention Jeff went to S. Africa? You can read about his trip in the previous blog posting.  He brought back some goodies from S. Africa though. He brought back 2 area rugs (can’t really buy those cheaply here), a huge package of mentos (my favorite! And they don’t sell those here), a hair straightener (so I don’t look like a Duggar anymore), coffee (Malawian coffee isn’t all that great),  some trail mix which is hard to find and expensive here, and a flashlight to use when the power decides to shut off. I was super excited Jeff brought all that home! Oh yah, and that he got back safely!

So, I think I’ve posted enough for now. I’m going to hop back on the bandwagon and post more often.  Thank you for your continued support and prayers. We love and miss everyone!

It’s ALL about You, Jesus,

Carson

Rezolution Conference, Johannesburg, South Africa

I took a trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, from October 12-19 for a conference with John Piper and Conrad Mbewe. I went with Pastor Brian and 8 college students. We drove from Malawi through Mozambique and Zimbabwe before arriving in South Africa. I will give more details about the road trip but I do not want it to overshadow the power of God working in my life.

            John Piper focused on finding joy in the glory and majesty of God and sharing that with others. He puts it like this: I exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples. I have heard this and read this many times but God really reminded me that my passion should be for God’s supremacy and finding my maximum joy in Him. Again, Piper says that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. Like I said, I have known these truths but God reminded me in a big way that He is supreme and I am commanded to find joy in Him (Psalm 37:4). Sitting under the teaching of Piper and Mbewe for 4 days was a refreshment for my soul and I am excited once again to seek my joy in the supremacy of God and spread that to others. This is the most loving thing on the planet that I can do. I was also struck by the fact that God is uppermost in His own affections and it is not idolatry because He is God and is the highest treasure. I could go on and on about the greatness of God and how I have a renewed passion to seek Him and show that He is my supreme treasure in everything. The urgency to share the gospel and disciple others has once again captured my heart and I am praying that God would lead me wherever He wants and that I would be willing to follow. Thank you for encouraging Carson and me as we seek to follow God in Malawi. I pray that we would be faithful to God in everything we do.

Conrad Mbewe

Piper & Me

Piper & Us

Mandela Statue

Skywalk

So now for the road trip part of our journey. We left at 5 am on October 12 and were through the Malawi/Mozambique border by 7 am. About 200 km into Mozambique the van broke down. Brian worked on it for a while (thinking it was a fuel problem) and we were on the road again. We broke down 3 more times within about 60 km and worked on it each time. Finally, someone towed us to Tete, Mozambique, and a mechanic worked on it also. He did not find anything wrong with the van, so we headed out again. It was about 5 pm by the time we got through Tete.  We were cruising pretty good for about 50 km and then broke down again. We were in a town so we pulled over by an outdoor bar and Brian worked on the van again. We spent about an hour working on it this time. The van started and we took off again. We made it about 100 km and the van shut down again. We were not in a good place on the side of the road to work on the van, so we waited for a bit, turned the van back on, and headed down the road. We made it all the way to the Mozambique/Zimbabwe (Zim) border at Mutare and spent the night at the border in a tent. Since it was not a safe place to set up a tent, the students took 30 minute shifts sitting outside the tent to keep watch. After sleeping for about 4 hours we were up again to cross the border and head to South Africa. We made it all the way to Masvingo, Zim, and stopped at a mechanic shop because a tire was low on air. When they aired up the tire it blew which was okay with us because it was better than being in the middle of nowhere. After spending a few hours in Masvingo we were on the road again. We made it into the border of Zim/SA that night, ate at KFC in Musina, SA, and headed to Polokwane, SA, to stay the night. Brian has friends who teach at Christ Seminary in Polokwane and they had a few extra dorms for us to stay in. It was a blessing to not have to drive 3 more hours into Joburg that night. So you are probably wondering what was wrong with the van. We are pretty sure it was bad tank of fuel that clogged the fuel pump and filter which just shuts the van down. We made it to the conference in Pretoria on Thursday and then traveled to Joburg that night to stay at host homes. I actually stayed with Brian at his in-laws house (he married a South African woman about 7-8 years ago).

Breakdown

Towing

The Guys

The Guys 2

Moz/Zim Border

  South Africa is very nice and it made me feel like I was in the States in many ways. Although I have only been out of the States for 3 months, it was very refreshing to have some “normal” things.

Texas T-Bone 

 Now for the trip home. We left Joburg at 4 pm on Sunday after the conference was over. Our goal was to make it an hour into Zim and camp at The Lion and Elephant, a lodge and tourist place. We made it through the SA/Zim border by 1 am and were headed to our campsite. An oncoming 18-wheeler was coming at us and there is not a shoulder in Zim and it is hard to see when oncoming traffic is approaching. We hit a pothole that extended about 3 feet onto the road from the side and the rim got bent and the tire went flat. When I say a pothole, really there should be a sign that says, “Road washed out ahead” because it was that deep. We had a spare so changed the tire and headed down the road again to get to our campsite. Within the next km, we hit another pothole (road washed out) and bent another rim and the tire went flat. It was now about 3 am and we are stuck on the side of the road in Zim. We decided to throw up the tent and sleep for a while on the side of the road. The next morning Brian caught a ride back to the Zim border to get the rims repaired and tires put on. By 11:30 am we were back on the road and headed toward Mozambique. We made it past Harare, Zim about 8 pm and came to a police stop about an hour east of Harare. Brian asked if we could set a tent up and sleep close to them in order to have some safety. They directed us to the police station, so we went and inquired about sleeping there. They were gracious and let us set up a tent at the police station which was actually really nice with green grass (better than the dirt and rocks on the side of the road the night before). We got up about 4 am to hit the road again so we could be home on Tuesday. We made it to the border and the guys at the border held us up longer than necessary because they just wanted to be difficult. Once we got through the next obstacle was going to be crossing the bridge at Tete (it crosses the Zambezi which is similar to the mighty Mississippi). The only problem is the bridge can only have one way traffic so they let one side go for a while and then switch. When we arrived in Tete, we did not have to wait because traffic was flowing our way!!! That was probably the biggest answer to prayer on the whole trip (other than us being kept safe of course). We finally made it to the Mozambique/Malawi border and one last obstacle stood in our way. We had brought a lot of stuff back from SA for the house and other people and stuff, so the Malawi border could have us unload everything from the top and back of the van to inspect it and possibly charge duty. Well, Brian started driving to immigration and went through the gate, the one he isn’t supposed to go through, because there were cones out but the gate wasn’t shut. The border officer got very angry and told him to reverse immediately. Brian complied and we parked and went to get our passports stamped. On the way out, Brian went and smoothed things over with the officer and told him how he was sorry for not following the rules and became “friends” with the guy. When we pulled up to the gate, where they can ask us to unload everything, the officer simply waved us through as he sat in the shade!!!! We made it home Tuesday afternoon about 5:30 for a trip of 49 ½ hours! I really enjoyed it, but I think if I go next year I will take a 2 hour flight from Lilongwe to Joburg.

Zambezi

As always, thank you for the prayers and support! We love you guys more than you know! If you have questions feel free to email or facebook us at anytime.

Because of Jesus,

Jeff