August 14, 2013

Hi everyone! 

First I want to apologize for the lack of posts recently.. It has been a busy, yet amazing week! I will have to write a much longer post in a few days.. 

But for a short story.. On Monday we brought about 20 boys from the Reform school to the plateau for a hike followed by lunch. Most of the boys don't travel beyond their villages, so it was sweet to enjoy this new experience with them! We took a hike to a waterfall nearby where we shared the Word. I was very impressed and inspired by Mussa, a post secondary school Passion boy, who gave a wonderful message about living our lives for Christ. It was a beautiful day and a wonderful time of fellowship together! 

Today is the last day in Malawi for Kelly and I.. We have said our "see-you-later's" to the staff and kids at the Passion Center that now hold a special place in our hearts. It's hard to leave this beautiful place but I find comfort in that fact that God will continue His work here in Zomba. 

As we leave tomorrow morning I ask for your prayers of travel mercies. We are both very excited to be reunited with our families and loved ones! 

Thank you once again for all of your prayers and support. This would never have been possible without such a loving community! 

August 7, 2013

"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of services, but the same Lord... All these are the work of the same Spirit, and He distributes them to each one just as He determines" 1 Corinthians 12:4-5 & 11

   We have all been blessed with specific gifts and talents, in which each was given by one God, and each can be used to further glorify Him. Yet one person alone acting on their own accord does not accomplish much. Yet in community with our brothers and sisters we are apart of the body of Christ. In an area where one person may be weak, there will be another to be strong. Yet as part of the body we need every single part and every person, to function properly while seeking God together. 

    This is the theme of our Passion camp that will take place for the next three days. Unity and community. 

    Today was the first day of the camp with the Passion kids. When we first arrived we all wondered if word had spread the way we expected by the lack of kids... However once we set up the PA system with music flowing throughout the grounds, we had about 80-90 kids! 

    We opened with a word of prayer, songs, and a message about the body of Christ. Then we moved on to playing game after game after game! It was such a blast! All of the games emphasized teamwork and unity, including human knot, over and under, hula hoop pass, and blog tag.

   One of my favorite moments was when we were playing "over and under" with the younger kids. The goal was to get a bean bag down the line the fastest by passing it over your head, then under your legs. We were all yelling "passe" and "mumba" meaning "down" and "up"! Once the bean bag got to the end, the kids exploded with cheers! 

   We also played the hula hoop pass with the higher standards and form students. The object was to move a hula hoop around the circle created by everyone holding hands. After a few times around, they were really getting good! During the last game the group was so close to making it all the way around until two people broke  the circle! Everyone was laughing and so eager to try it again! 

    Days like today fill your heart with such joy, just being able to hang out with so many beautiful kids. Each child has an incredible, yet heart breaking story... It's sweet to see them just having fun, laughing, and smiling. It's also in these moments where you realize you can never let these kids go. Their story is now a part of our story. We are woven together in Christ and in community, apart of our Lord's story. 

August 5, 2013

     As we weeks are winding down, we had our last English lesson today. Lindsie and I taught standard eight again and reviewed proper sentences. We had small groups create short stories about hiking. They wrote about the monkeys and hippos that they saw along the way. After we had the students read their stories and as a class we corrected the sentences along the way. To end our classes in celebration, we had a muffin and soda with all the kids. However we barley had enough because of the unexpected attendance of Michelle and Kelly's class. They had over 60 students come to class! It was sweet to see how many kids were eager to come and have fun while learning! But maybe they just heard we were having sweeties.. :) 

   In the afternoon we took the Passion football team to the reform school for a pick up game. All of the boys put on their jerseys and had a great time playing! Even Kelly got to jump in during the second half! 

"It was almost surreal to play football with the Malawian teams. We shared a common language of sports regardless of different cultures and language barriers. They were so welcoming to have an azungu, and a girl nontheless, to play with them." -Kelly 

   Of of my favorite parts of the game was not watching the boys play, but watching how excited the the headmaster was from watching her boys play! It was a very exciting game where we also got to see the boy's talents shine through! 

 

August 2, 2010

On Friday morning we continued with our English lessons. I am so proud of the standard eight students Lindsie and I are teaching. They are in summer school preparing for their exams in the morning till about 10 o'clock, then come straight over to our class till about noon. It's completely an option to come to our classes but they are all eager and enthused! 

   Michelle and Kelly taught standard 1-5 students. They sang songs, learned about syllables and vowel sounds. So many students filed in for their lesson! 

Friday afternoon we visited the Reform School again. This time we put together a talent show! Our team put on a skit that showed the   unconditional love of our Lord. The boys then took turns performing songs, skits, and talents. One of my favorite skits was an acting out of a soccer tournament. The two teams were team Jesus and team devil. The boy commentated the entire 'game' even taking time for, a word from sponsors! The Jesus team would pass the football back and fourth between Mark and Luke, then to Romans, then to James. Jesus team eventually got a goal in the fourth quarter! 

   The skit was so creative and had a great message. I was impressed how the boy's faith shined through their talents. They sang hymns and songs of faith and a couple boys recited Bible verses. 

   It was a great way to share our strengths and gifts that God has given us. Sharing these gifts with others is just another way to glorify God and thank Him for all He has provided us with. As the Bible says, there are many different gifts, acts or service, and works, but in all of the gifts that are in everyone, come from the one God. 

August 1, 2013

   This week has flown by! It's hard to believe we have less than two weeks left here in Malawi.. Every single moment has been incredible, sharing memories with this wonderful team and incredible kids and Passion staff. 

     On Thursday we visited a Child Headed Household, James. This was our second visit this trip so it was great to see the whole family again! As we arrived, so did about 70 other village kids! We gathered everyone together for a few worship songs and games. After, Kelly shared a powerful testimony about trusting in God. It was a wonderful, impactful message for us all to hear. 

    Later we split up the Passion kids from the rest and had small tutoring sessions with the standard and secondary school students. While Michelle, Kelly and I taught, Linsie and Daniel stayed busy playing a bunch of games with the rest of the village kids! 

   It was a sweet time spent with James and his family. Please keep them in your prayers, along with the CHH ministry. In addition, please pray for Titi. He is part of the Passion staff that has dedicated his life to helping the Child headed households. He continues to pour his heart into these deserving kids and is dedicated to brining them hope. This ministry would not be possible without Titi. 

     Thursday afternoon, Nathan continued his filming of the Good Samaritan. He brought together a cast of Passion kids to star in short films that he will be editing and premiering next week! We will have the movies posted as soon as we can! The kids are having a great time acting, filling there role with charisma! 

You know you're in Malawi when...

You know you're in Malawi...

When the best rental car's brakes grind against the rotor

When you cram ten people in a Pajero

When kids run all the way up the street yelling Azungu and wave! 

When you've tried every variation of PB&J possible

When random fires on the side of the road don't bother you anymore

When you can't fill up on gas because the power is out 

When all the women here can out-lift the guys on our team 

When a baboon steals your hamburger... Twice 

When you're excited that your car starts 3 days in a row

When the produce stand comes to you  

When dust is an additional food group

When your "milk" has a shelf life of four months

When a fresh loaf of bread costs less than 50 cents 

When a live chicken is in the offering basket 

When you really do wonder why the chicken crossed the road 

When you say a prayer of safety every time you drive over a bridge 

When you signal the blinkers and the windshield wipers turn on

When you cram 30 kids in the bed of a pick up truck, and it's legal 

When you experience pure happiness and joy every time you drive through the gates of the Passion Center 

July 29, 2013

     Had such an amazing time at the Reform School this afternoon! Every visit is always filled with joy!  The day started off great with two of our Passion collage kids, Prophet and Musa stepping up to MC the entire day! They spoke with such energy and worked great together! It was sweet to see the growth of these boys over just one year!

     Today Austin, who is the head of the Community Health Network, shared about HIV and AIDS. He talked about the spread of the disease and multiple ways to prevent it. He shared stories of tradition village initiation ceremonies where the activities increase the spread of HIV significantly. Please be praying for the villages and children involved in these ceremonies. 

     After Austin shared, we passed out coloring sheets to all the boys. We will be leaving these letters with the Passion Center to later be delivered to children in the hospital to provide encouragement and prayer. 

   I can't express how enjoyable it is spending time with the boys here at the school. We will be back soon this week to continue with the fun!