Random Pics

Flamboyant or flame tree in our side yard

"Dr. Dolittle" and his animals. Note the rabbits in the cage, the dog in the foreground, the deer to the left, and the turkeys in the background.  Aye, aye, aye....

Our Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys.  You see that they are both still alive and well.

There is always fresh fish along the lake.  These are called chambo and are a form of tilapia.  As the locals would say, "Very nice!"  And they are, indeed.

Wrapping some Christmas items from Africa for John Easter to take back

with him and mail to our kids.

Dual Thanksgiving Celebrations

At Bill and Sharon Johnston's house the week before Thanksgiving since they were leaving town the next day...

At Gaylord and Fredna Brown's house the evening of Thanksgiving since we couldn't resist getting with friends for this celebration ...

 

 

Sorry for that unflattering pose, Jerry, but note that STEVE took the photo!

Reasons to Give Thanks

I have many reasons to give thanks his holiday season.

• * I am so blessed to be redeemed from spiritual death to life by an awesome creator.
• * That same creator considers me worthy and reliable to share His message of redemption to others.
• * My husband never ceases to amaze me, and I love him more now than I did 28 years ago.
• * My three beautiful children, who are intelligent and witty and adventurous and who love God and strive to please Him, have brought me more joy and capacity to love than I ever felt capable of.
• * My family provided a rich spiritual heritage and continue to share their love and support.
• * Friends and family from far and near have added dimensions to my understanding and my ability to relate that I never imagined possible.
• * The difficult and dark times in my life have not consumed nor embittered me but have demonstrated that the faith I strive to have is real and reliable.
• * My life will be forever changed by the opportunity I have had to travel and live in other parts of the world through this exciting adventure we call missions.
• * Age and longevity run in my family, so I may be able to enjoy these blessings for years to come.

Thank you, God, for all of the reasons I have to give thanks today.

You know it's hot when.....

...you carry your own fan to church in your purse.
...the frozen water you took to church is room temperature by the time you get there.
...your dry-clean-only clothes become damp and begin to shrink.
...dripping beads of perspiration feel like insects crawling down parts of your body.
...the air blown by the oscillating fan feels like a convection oven.
...the hair you dried to come to church becomes wet again.
...the people around you wipe their faces with washcloths instead of handkerchiefs or tissues.
...mothers take their infants' clothes off and begin fanning the babies with them.
...this missionary says, "Now it feels like Texas!"

Guests Welcome

It is always good visiting with friends whom we haven't seen for a while.  We are having that privilege this month with guest lecturers John Easter and Denny Miller. 

It is  also good seeing our general superintendent from Namibia, who is here for ANTS.  Pastor Hiamambo took a break from his studies today and joined us at our home for lunch.  We introduced him to all the pets and gave him the full tour.

 

Making friends with the dyker and explaining about the incubation of turkey eggs

Posing in front of one of our shrubs

Picnic in Malawi

We knew that there would not be a place to eat in the timeframe we had to go to Nkhotakota and return today, so Gaylord suggested that we pack a lunch and find a spot to have a picnic along the way.  That turned out to be a great idea.

Our project foreman, Gama, needed to return to Lilongwe because his wife was admitted to the hospital this morning with a bad case of malaria.  After photographing each site, we picked him up and headed for home. 

Out of the clear blue, Gaylord declared that he was going to pull off the road and eat at that nice cafe.  A puzzled Gama said, "But Pastor, that is not a cafe; that is a school." 

Of course, he was right.  We pulled into the school lot and again, Gaylord stated what a fine cafe he had brought us to.  Gama's puzzlement seemed to border concern at this point.

When I brought out a bag containing fried chicken, potato salad, beans, and sodas, a big smile of relief came across all three of our faces.  We enjoyed a very nice lunch and were even able to share it with some of the local children who began to gather.  They were very apprehensive of these visitors, and one little boy never would accept a piece of chicken from me, though he was glad to share from a distance what his friends received.  (He is the little guy in the yellow shirt in the background.)

      

We even spotted several Baobab trees in bloom - something I had not seen in Africa before this season.

 

Church Plants Progress

Gaylord and I made a trip to Nkhotakota today to check on the progress of the two new church construction sites that were begun in September.  Wow!  By the end of next week we should have roofing sheets totally installed on both buildings.  At that point, the jobs will be complete.  PTL! 

 

Lozi church site should receive rafters and roofing this week.

 

Sani church has rafters and should complete iron sheet installation this week.

There is always a crowd of onlookers when we arrive.

   

Thank God for the contribution of each partner in these strategically-located church plants.  We pray for a mighty harvest of souls through each body of believers.

What A Week!

What a week this has been!  Our students completed their first week at ANTS, and the new cook and support staff and I pulled off a set of new menus with very positive reviews from the students.  One week down - three more to go! 

Our director, Enson Lwesya, opened with morning chapel.

 

Student-led prayer and worship

International director, John Easter, teaching course one: Biblical Theology of Missions

 

Research is already underway in the computer lab

And then, of course, mealtime....