July 28, 2013

The three week team will be leaving Malawi today, and it is definitely a sad goodbye.. We have become so close as a team, with everyone bringing special and unique characteristics that helped to form this special bond between us. Us left behind will miss them very much.. Please pray for safe travels for the team. I'm sure you will all see them very soon and hear many wonderful stories! 

"It's sad to leave the Passion Center today. Driving down the now familiar dusty roads for the last time made me think of our first days here. I was unsure of what to expect. . . Everything was new and unknown. Now after just a few short weeks, Zomba feels like home. The villagers were always welcoming to us, the children would run from their homes and wave to us as we azungus drove by, and we were always greeted with a warm smile and "muli bwanji".  I will miss that terribly. Even more I will miss the Passion Center kids who were content with nothing more than for us to hold their hands. They are such special kids. And then there is the Passion staff who all are so committed to the kids, the community and God's kingdom. They fully live their faith without hesitation. They are selfless in their commitment to the children and I feel blessed to know them and have them as a part of my life. I will miss them all!" -Kathy

"Wow. What an amazing time in Malawi. I am extremely sad to leave. God's hand is absolutely at work here. With a heavy heart, I leave but I know these kids are in good hands. The staff are unbelievable God fearing people. The thing that I believe I have learned the most is how amazing The Lord is. His provision is amazing and he cares for his children. So many testimonies of God simply providing for every need because this is where His heart can be found. The tears I have poured out fade and I realize this is not a forgotten place. God will always care for his children." -Marc

"What a wonderful experience! 

It was a blessing to see how the staff had a heart for God and to know that his little angels are in good hands." -Desmond

July 24, 2013

Every single morning I thank God for being able to wake up in the most beautiful place here in Zomba! The mountains, city, and skies are a sight in itself.. Buts it's the children and the people here that really shine bright. This week has been a little slower pace, but has given us all the time to just enjoy being with the Passion kids. 

On Tuesday we held a large scavenger hunt where the kids had to come up with creative items that symbolized words like forgiveness, love, and peace. I was amazed by some of the kids findings. A lot related the words back to scripture they had memorized!  

Wednesday we visited the Reform School which is guaranteed to lift your spirits. The Reform School is some-what of a juvenile delinquent center for young boys. However, the crimes vary from serious acts to back talking a parent. There are about 70 boys that live in this facility where they are not allowed to leave. Through just words, it may sound like a depressing atmosphere, yet it is quite the opposite. The boys are filled with smiles, laughter, and joy. They are some of the most well behaved kids I have seen, always acting with respect. A lot of this credit goes to their headmaster, who is a woman of strength and kindness. 

     During out visit, Desmond shared his testimony which was so powerful for these boys to hear. It was about how Desmond had died to his old self and found his new identity in Christ. The boys were all engaged and soaking in his words. However, about half way through one boy actually pulled out his headphones to listen to his music, but it was sweet to see his friend next to him yank out the headphones and point him in the direction to listen. 

     After Desmond shared, we split the boys into groups and had rotations on various subjects. Lynsie taught French, Kelly demonstrated a few chemistry experiments, and Daniel explained the natural food chain. I was so impressed by the questions and interest all the boys had! They were even saying "Bonjour" and "Je m'appelle" throughout the day! 

     After all of the rotations we played a game of capture the flag. We only had time to stay for one game, but the moment we told them we would leave the "flags" (aka oven mitts) for them to continue playing, there was an uproar of excitement! 

Every single time we visit those boys, I leave with a feeling of peace. God says that He will never leave or abandon us even in times of trials. During those times we can rely on Him for our strength. I can only imagine the trials these boys have been through... Yet they are thriving here at this school. I know that God is there with them and will never forsake them. Please continue to keep these deserving boys in your prayers.  

July 16 - Blantyre Trip

Early this morning we made our way down the Plateau to meet up with the Passion children,  some in secondary school and some in college. Lynsie,  Daniel, and Alicia joined the bus with the kids, also dubbed the peptobismol bus for its pink coloring.  We made our way to Blantyre for an educational and inspirational field trip.

Our first stop was at the Malawian cultural museum. It was amazing to see how the kids clung to every word the tour guide said.  We then drove to a park where we ate lunch and received a spirit filled message from Desmond and Alicia.  It was powerful to see how the spirit moved through both of them as their messages complimented each other, both speaking on spiritual importance of friendship. We then drove around Blantyre to various colleges and business centers,  inspiring them to dream big for the endless opportunities available to them.  While enjoying conversation in the car we made our way to shop rite for ice cream.  Alicia and I enjoyed a powerful moment as our new friends Precious and Peter eyes widened as the creamy ice cream reached their tongue... "it's so delicious" they exclaimed.

As the day was coming to a close,  it was time to board the peptobismol bus once more for the two hour ride back to Zomba.  These two hours were filled with singing,  screaming,  laughing, and crowding from all sides.  All in all a successful day,  another blessed day in the beautiful Malawi.
- Lynsie

July 16

Today was the final training day for the teachers. The lesson was all about the anatomy of the human body and various ways to teach and explain it. We started with singing "head, shoulders, knees, and toes" which they all loved! We then showed them all the materials we brought like stethoscopes, skeleton models, flash cards, and puzzles. It was the best and most energetic day of training! Everyone was engaged and enthusiastic! We were also able to make many connections and contacts to move forward with the ministry in years to come. We will be bringing back a list of suggested donation items if you feel called to help in this deserving ministry, as their needs are so great.. Every step we take in helping the teachers, carries over to helping the children. 

Later in the day we also distributed blankets to each of the Passions kids and their families. These are the children that live with either one parent or a guardian in local villages.  A portion of the money fundraised went towards these blankets, so I also wanted to extend an extra thank you to everyone who has supported this team. Each child received two thick blankets that will help keep them warm at night.

July 11

We met down at the Passion Center and split up into two groups for the morning session. The village bible study I heard went well as two different cultures came together to worship one God. The Community Health Network session was enlightening. The Malawian people of the CHN came together to update Dr. Tracy about how the community's health was over the past year. It was mostly good news and most are in good health, but there were a few people who had some serious health setbacks. They started the session with a couple songs of praise and it was amazing to hear their beautiful voices sing out to our heavenly Father. After the update, we gave them supplies and shared conversations over bottles of Fanta. It was awesome to communicate with them and learn some Chichewa. 
     Once the session was finished, the few of us who went with Tracy to the meeting played a small game of pick up basketball with some of the Passion kids until we left for the afternoon session. It was so cool to connect with them through sport and have a good time. We spent our afternoon at a Child Headed Household and put on a mini VBS for their community. We shared the story of salvation by making bracelets with them, each color of the beads representing part of the story. We provided paper and crayons to color, painted fingernails, and played with balloon animals. Uncle Titi shared the story of one household of CHH kids (James, Moses, and Patrick) and how he provides food for them so they can go to school. It was very touching and heartbreaking to see their living conditions, but inspiring and exciting to see their joy from the mini VBS.

July 12

Today I helped with our first ever teacher training seminar. We met right after the graduation ceremony in one of the classrooms of the Mulunguzi Primary School. Forty-three teachers sat patiently as we explained all the uses for the math materials we brought, as well as a lesson on pulleys. It was hard to tell if anything was making sense until we broke into groups and let the teachers explore the materials on their own. That was when the conversations and questions started happening.
 
Later we were able to answer questions, some of which just seemed like personal health questions. Then I got to teach a lesson on phonics and beginning words. Tammy taught more advanced English lessons like making sentences and writing essays. Kathy made a solar oven out of some boxes and we cooked s'mores. It was their first time seeing marshmallow, so we may have started a new trend. We ended our time today with a round of the song, "I like to eat apples and bananas, " which they seemed to really enjoy.
 
It was interesting to hear the challenges the teachers face with classes of sixty to one-hundred children. With no computers and very little training available to them, I hope what we brought will inspire them to figure out new ways to teach all the students in their care. 
-Michelle

July 13

Today was absolutely incredible and beautiful.  We had the chance to bless and play with the Passion kids at the Passion Olympics. It's a day where we prepare six different events that the kids compete in, resulting in one champion in each event. We played games like, a foot race, crab walk, and bean bag toss. As the day went on, more and more kids poured in. Towards the end, there was probably about 250 kids participating! 

Not only were we able to spend time with the Passion kids, but also the Child Headed Households. This was a day where they could let go of all their responsibilities and have a chance to actually be a kid, when they never had a chance of a childhood. 

My favorite part of the day was walking around the field hand in hand with Blessings and Maliko. "Ten thousand reasons" started to play in the background over the PA system. 

"Bless The Lord oh my soul, oh my soul. Worship His holy name. Sing like never before, oh my soul. Worship His holy name"

As I walked I saw Gods beauty in the blue skies, rolling hills, but mostly in the laughter and smiles of the kids. There was a certain joy that was radiating from the field. Our team was filled with energy while the staff had a chance to relax and play games as well. I can not explain the feeling of pure joy as we walked worshiping the name of our Lord.

-Becky