"Consider it pure joy..."

During my quiet time this morning the Lord laid it on my heart that I needed to let you know some of the things that He has been teaching us over the past 9 months.  I don't want to paint the picture that it's been a bed of roses but I also don't want to make you feel like it's been so difficult and discourage others from possibly following the Lord to the field.  The truth is, sometimes it's hard to share the hardships.  And yes, it's been hard.  This has been one of the hardest times in our lives yet also the most rewarding.  I hope you will see this and rejoice with us in what the Lord is doing in our lives.

A precious friend of mine is going through a very difficult period in her life.  She has been amazingly transparent throughout the entire ordeal and has shared all aspects of this difficulty with those who read her blog.  I have learned so much about the Lord and His strength and forgiving power through what she has shared.  I'm amazed to see what the Lord is doing with her family through these trials.  So in light of what she has taught me I feel the Lord showing me that I need to share our struggles and trials with you more, so that you will know how to pray and also see what the Lord is truly doing in our lives.  It's sometimes so amazing that I'm speechless.

First- I want to make these posts short so I'll share a little at a time. I hope you will see the Lord's hand in all circumstances.  This year has been a series of one trial after another.  We met with difficulty from the very beginning and have had periods where it's been so bad that I felt as if I couldn't breathe. I've been on my knees crying on the kitchen floor or curled up in a corner of my bedroom with tears running down my face asking God why it has to be so hard.  I don't pretend to try to understand the reasons why.  It could be that the Lord is stripping us down so that He can build us back up into who HE wants us to be.  Or it could be spiritual warfare.  In my heart I know that it is a little of both.  James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything."

I remember one specific period where we had about 6 weeks straight of trial after trial.  Some of the trials were small such as no fuel, no water, a broken washing machine, a flat tire, no electricity,  or a stomach bug.  But then some were huge such as a newborn who wouldn't eat and was loosing weight, finding out that our precious baby had a cleft palate that would require surgery in a year, etc.  We were facing trial after trial.  This was a very very difficult time in our lives.  Daily I would wake up and say, "Today is going to be better".  And then almost immediately something else would break or something else would go wrong.  This went on for weeks.  I would just repeat to myself, "consider it pure joy...consider it pure joy".

At the height of this difficult time I remember standing in my shower crying and singing praise songs to our Heavenly Father.  I realized then that HE was teaching me so much.  I realized that I'd learned to let go of so many earthly things and cling to HIM as my source of strength.  I realized that I was at a place in my life where I was completely broken and dependent on HIM for EVERYTHING.  I needed HIM to get me through the day, to provide our food, to give me the strength to breathe.  Literally I was more dependent on HIM than I ever had been in my life.  And I praised HIM for this.  This is exactly where HE wanted me.  This is where HE wants all of us.

I won't go into detail about all of the trials but I will say that our perspective on what we NEED has changed SIGNIFICANTLY since we arrived in Malawi.  We have been many times without water, petrol (gas), power, a vehicle, certain food staples, etc.  And it's ok.  God is our strength and there is nothing that we are going to face that HE isn't going to give us the strength to get through.  "Consider it pure joy..."

more to come...

Jill

What is it?

Ok, give up or have you figured it out??  These are brooms.  Maxwell told me the other day that we needed more brooms.  So I gave him money and a man happened by the gate that very day selling brooms.  Maxwell bought 10 of them and laid them out to dry in the sun.  Above are the brooms.  Below is Gidgi with Maxwell trying to teach her to sweep! Please notice how short the brooms are!  And they sweep everything here!  Maxwell sweeps the leaves and dirt from our driveway and sidewalk each day.  Driving down the road it's not unusual to see people sweeping the dirt on the side of the road.  I imagine there are many sore backs in Malawi! ;)

Dedza Pottery

Our family loves pottery.  A special outing for us when we were still in the States was going to one of those places where they let you paint your own pottery and then they fire it for you.  I have handprints on plates of each of the kids when they were young.  Thankfully, we have a place here in Malawi where we can do this as well.  It's about 2 1/2 hours away- but it's on Lake Malawi so it's worth every mile (and the VERY HARD TO FIND fuel)!  Nkhotakota Pottery Lodge is a perfect weekend getaway for the family.  Sometimes you just need a break!

Here is baby J at 6 weeks old chillin' out at the lake.

The family getting ready to paint our pottery.

And this is how the pottery is made.  There are two places in Malawi where this amazing pottery is made and purchased.  Here at Nkhotakota and in Dedza as well.  I've now been to both and they are both fabulous!  I want to buy everything in the store! ;)  We all loved getting to watch them make the pottery. We were able to see step by step how our precious items end up on our table.

Yusef (our pottery guide) is helping CJ put his hand print on his plate.

These are our finished products.  Now they will be placed into the kiln and fired.  We'll pick them up in a couple of weeks.

Here is Julius.  He's one of the professional painters at the Pottery Lodge.  He was so happy to let me take his picture.  He's very proud of his work.  It's amazing to watch them!

Some of the many items for sale at the Pottery Lodge.  Be still my heart!  This is one of my biggest weaknesses here! ;)

ABCCA Swim Gala

This past Friday it was the younger kids' time to shine!  Remember in December AJ had her swim gala and participated in many races showing off her swim talent.  The smaller kids didn't swim races but they had a demonstration where they were able to show off all they had learned in swimming this year.  Yes, we've been swimming for the past few months.  Remember it's summer here!  

Here is SM with some of her classmates waiting for the Gala to begin.

Kicking in the kiddie pool!

Swim! We are so proud of her!  At the beginning of the year she was afraid to even get in the water.  Now she's swimming!

All of the Reception (preschool) kids!

Now it's CJ's time to shine!  Here he is showing his talents with a kickboard.

CJ has really progressed in his swimming!  His freestyle is getting pretty good.

Here he is about to swim the entire length of the pool!  Yay!!!!

Getting his certificate!  Way to go Prince-Man!

Our Malawian Baby!

A rite of passage as a Malawian baby is being put into a chitinge for the very first time.  At 7 weeks old it was time for J to take his place as a true Malawian!  Agnes wanted him to go onto AJ's back first because her back was smaller.  She showed us how to properly tie him up and secure him.  We still need for him to gain a little more head control before I'm comfortable carrying him around on my back.  But what an exciting time we had learning to tie the chitinge and exactly how to get him safe and snug!  What would we do without Agnes???  

As with most Malawian babies, J went right to sleep on AJ's back!  Agnes said it's important to start him out this early to get him used to being on the back.  I think he likes it!  

Lake Malawi!

Just a few pictures to share from our little trip to Lake Malawi this past weekend.  Enjoy!

Yes, that's a monkey in the tree!  There were at least 20 outside our door each morning!

Our beautiful view!

Taken from our front door...

The local fishermen bringing in the nets.

Having fun on the rocks

more to come...

This is our Africa...

Our family was able to take a couple of days (and our last remaining fuel stash) and head to Lake Malawi this past weekend for a much needed break.  Jeremy and I celebrated our 12th Anniversary on the 4th.  The trip to Lake Malawi is amazingly beautiful.  Pictures don't do it justice but here are a few that may give you a little glimpse into our Africa!