Gloria in excelsis deo

Suddenly a great company of heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Jesus, the babe in the manger, is Peace come to earth. Jesus is God's goodwill toward us. Peace on earth and goodwill toward men- me, you, us. Amen.

Please pray for me as I head out to the village in a few hours. I will be there with Dan and Beth Robbins (my neighbors and friends). We will have a chance to hang out with the kids there, as well as talk with some local teachers sharing ideas and whatnot. I am really excited to be doing the kind of minisry that originally brought me to Malawi and made me fall in love with it. If you could just pray for our safetly and health while we are there we would appreciate it!

I pray that you are being blessed this Christmas season!

beauty

Scenery is beautiful.... (this is about 3 hours north of where I live)

But the true beauty of Malawi is right here:

questions

I talked to a man today who just spewed forth statistics and information about the state of this country. He said that about 70% of the population is infected with HIV, and it just keeps spreading because of the widespread belief that sleeping with a virgin will cure you. The middle generation (ages 24-35) is nearly wiped out because of this disease. He said that the country has plenty of food, but the government takes their crops to export and pockets the money. I'm not sure how much of this is true, but it was a good reminder that there is extreme suffering all around me. As weird as it may seem, it's easy to forget that. I live on a compound with other Americans and it is almost necessary to desensitize myself to the beggars and the desperation of the people here so that I can go on with the work that God has called me to. But I don't want to be desensitized, I want to see Jesus in those people, I want to know how to help them.

Things that make me smile...

I have 7 boys in my class. They are very anti-affection. I can barely get them to give me a high five on their way out the door and they walk like a duck in the morning so that I won't touch their shoulder as they enter the classroom. On Wednesday, though, Mzati had a sudden and spontaneous change of heart. As he walked into the classroom he threw his arms around me really quick, to make sure no one noticed. At the end of the day he gave me a high five, took two steps out of the room, turned around and gave me a great big hug. How sweet is that?

Also on Wednesday I was doing some grocery shopping at a store that I very rarely go to. I was taking my time, debating on which shampoo and conditioner I wanted to spend tons of money on. I finally decided none of them and walked to the counter. Walking through the front door was my friend Rachel- from America! She was on my team last time I came to Malawi, and I knew she was planning on moving to the southern part of Malawi with her husband. However, things did not work out for them here and they were just getting ready to fly to Uganda. Praise the Lord for his providence in arranging for us to be in the same spot at the same time. It was so wonderful to see her!

Today in chapel went something like this:
Chapel speaker: Don't you love the time of day when you get to go home? Don't you love getting to go home and see your parents?
Reception-1st grade students: Yes!
Speaker: What if you had done something bad at school and your teacher was going to walk with you to meet your parents? Would you be excited then?
Students: No!
Speaker: Why not?
Kindergarten boy: Because you know your just going to get a smackin'!

a rainbow is a promise

Life has been "foggy" this week. Foggy is a word used by the Stauffachers to describe a variety of situations. For example, when you are so hungry that you can't think about anything else- foggy. I have been stressed, and tired, and grouchy. HOWEVER, today was a great day and I got a lot of stuff done throughout the day. I came home feeling much better. It's funny because life is really extreme here. Things are either going really great, or really awful. I either feel on top of the world, or in the bottom of a pit. I'm not sure why that is.

Words and thoughts that have been encouraging me lately:

"Don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today...The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm." Exodus 14:13-14

"Those who trust in me will never be put to shame." Isaiah 49:23

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldy enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him." Hebrews 10:19-22

It is impossible to ignore my need for God here. In America, I can go about my daily life and make it on my own fairly well. Here, the minute I try to do it on my own I am quickly reminded that I need my Savior.

I'll leave you with some examples of why I teach first grade.
Today in Bible we were talking about the rainbow and other promises that God makes to us some of my responses:
"God promised that Jesus would come back to earth."
"God promised to send Jesus to earth to die for us."
"And he also promised that he would rise again after he died on the cross."
"Jesus promised to look after us." (Imagine the accent)
"When I am naughty and I talk to God about it he makes it better."

Things to pray for:
Unity among the staff at ABC
Organization and productivy in my classroom

Things to praise for:
Britt had her baby girl, she's healthy and beautiful, so I hear
I have not seen a huge ugly spider INSIDE the house yet, just in the carport

daily life

It occured to me that maybe I should blog about what it's like from day to day here. Today was a good example of what a typical day living here is like. Although it would be a typical Saturday since I didn't have to teach today.

1. I woke up and make breakfast. I slept in until 7:45. That's about as late as I sleep in these days.

2. Annie (my roomate) and I went grocery shopping. We went to two different grocery stores and bought some fruit from the vendors (I did it all by myself!). It took us about an hour and half and I have two different stores to go to tomorrow to get the rest of the stuff I need. Grocery shopping is definately a chore here, although it is growing on me.

3. This part is not typical of life here, but was a reward for Annie and I making it through first term...We got pedicures and went out to lunch. It was a great treat, and even getting a pedicure is a chance to build relationships which is something I appreciate about this culture. It is very people driven and relationship driven.

4. Got home and started the process of cleaning the vegetables and fruit that I bought. Every produce item that I purchase has to be soaked for 15 minutes in a sink full of water with a capful of bleach, then soaked in a sink full of plain water for another 15 minutes. Some people don't soak their vegetables, but the doctor and his family do, so I figure I will too.

5. Alinane, our work study student, came over to clean. She does our dishes, cleans the bathroom, and sweeps and mops the floors. She works about 10 hours per week and what we pay her helps pay for her school fees. It is really weird to have someone in your house like that, but I have been really blessed in getting to know her, and it is so helpful to have her.

6. I made banana bran muffins which are delicious! I'm learning to cook from scratch, and make my own snack food. It's too expensive to buy, and too hard to live without for my busy schedule. The power went off, but came back on in enough time to keep cooking them.

7. I went to the Stauffacher's house for dinner. Played with the girls, chatted with Amy, ate good food and enjoyed the feeling of being part of a family.

8. All staff Bible study on the Ten Commandments. The power went off twice, but the generator quickly sprang to action to provide us with light.

Such is life in Malawi. Tomorrow holds: babysitting the Stauffacher girls, another trip to the grocery stores, a visit to the nursery, dinner with Dr. Boersma and his family, games with the young teacher crew. Good times all around. I am definately enjoying my break. Hopefully I manage to get some work done tomorrow too.

Pray for-
1. another good day of productive classroom time
2. Britt Boersma- she is due to have a baby in the next week. It's her third and she has chosen to have the baby here in Lilongwe. Pray for safety for her and the baby as there are no medical facilities to deal with any complications.

Praise for-
1. the ability to be thankful in all circumstances
2. rest and relaxation over the last few days

God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. Amen.

the lake...

Lake Malawi is moving up on my list of favorite places in the world. I hope these pictures will help show you why. Before you look try to imagine living in a city where everything is surrounded by brick walls with wire on top, bars on the windows, and dirt and dust everywhere. Then you take a drive. The road has more potholes than cement and all kinds of animals walk...no, mosey...across the road whenever they want. The drive is long and stressful, but then you get there and you see this:

It's so beautiful. I love it. I spent the entire weekend staring at this and listening to the waves. Oh, and playing with my new friend Annika, who is 4. It was a great time for reflecting and thinking and praying and processing. I'll leave you with a picture of the "scenery" here, taken from the back seat of the car.

From what I hear this will all turn green when it starts raining. Speaking of rain, I can't wait for it to rain! When all you Oregonians get tired of the rain, remember me over here, sweating like crazy from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the hottest month of the year!

Well, I'm signing off for now. Tionana (see you later)!