Sunday, April 27, 2014
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Back in Malawi
Sorry for the length but it's been a crazy week! Last Wed. morning at 6am Central time we left my Daddy's house and headed to the airport. 54 hours later we drove into Rainbow...back home!
It was quite a trip. First off, Joshua was amazing! Thank you for the prayers. We left New Orleans at 11 am and got to Chicago just after lunch. We had a 7 hour layover in Chicago before our 13 1/2 hour flight to Qatar. Thankfully Chicago had a children's play area so we let them run it out for about 2-3 hours! We ate Chili's in the airport...our last American meal. It turned out it would pretty much be the last time any of us ate until we arrived home. The food on this airlines was that bad!
The "long" flight was from Chicago to Doha, Qatar. Thankfully it was a red-eye. So after a little night-time medicine for Joshua (I really THINK we heard him sniffle before the flight so he needed that nighttime medicine, right? ;) ) everyone pretty much passed out on the flight, except for me. I just can't sleep on airplanes. The bad thing was, we left Chicago at 11pm and flew directly into the new day. We only had about an hour of nighttime.
We arrived in Doha at nighttime as well (due to the time change) and had another 7 hour layover. This was NOT a good layover. The airport in Doha is extremely small for the amount of flights and passengers that come through it. It was very crowded and busy. 7 hours there went by so slowly. Then the flight leaving was late....which made us late getting us into Johannesburg. We landed in Joburg with 45 minutes to get to our next (and final) flight. After two days of traveling we wanted nothing more than to get home! PLUS: the next flight out of Joburg on that airlines was Sunday. We'd have to wait 2 days in a hotel with no baggage if we missed it. Of course this is what we worried about the entire flight. We knew it would be close. No matter how many times we tried to give it to the Lord (and yes He did tell us He had it under control) we kept taking it back and worrying.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
So when we arrived at Joburg we rushed off the plane. Imagine sitting at the back of a 777...with 6 people in your party and all the bags you're carrying on. We pushed and shoved and asked for forgiveness along the way. We even charged through first class because they were leisurely taking their time getting off the plane and hadn't opened the curtain for the rest of the plane yet. We got someone to take us to the front of the line at immigration and tipped him well. We literally ran to the airline desk with 30 minutes to spare before our next flight. Nope. She wasn't letting us on! It was 9:27am for a 10am flight and she wouldn't let us board. I just wanted to cry! Two days worth of hotels? Are you serious? When we're this close??
But of course God was all over it. Apparently Malawian Airlines (an airlines that had gone out of business before we even arrived in Malawi) was back up and running using Ethiopian Airlines old jets. They had daily late afternoon flights. These flights just started two months ago! Seriously? Wow God! What a blessing!
So we spent two hours at the ticket counter getting our tickets transferred from South African Airlines (whom I'm still ticked at) to Ethiopian/Malawian Airlines. And all of this had to be done through Qatar because it was their fault we were late and they were paying for the changes. Awesome!
Later that afternoon we were in the skies once again- exhausted beyond measure- on our way home! We made it safely even though all of our bags got left behind in Joburg. We arrived to a very loving welcome and lots of cheers and hugs from the Rainbow kids! What a joy to be home!
For the past 5 days we have done NOTHING but clean. Yes, we put up everything we could and covered everything with sheets but those barriers did nothing to stop 5 months of African dirt from creeping onto every imaginable surface of our house. All clothes, sheets, and towels have had to be washed (and our washing machine is broken so we're toting it across the complex to another machine). All dishes, pots, and pans have to be washed! Even the walls and floors have to be scrubbed.
Yesterday was the worst! As we were ALMOST done with all of the dishes in the kitchen we opened the last cabinet to pull everything out. That's where they were. A nest of roaches and mice. For the next hour we chased, killed, sprayed, and caught everything that moved. At the end all of our newly cleaned dishes that we'd just spent days on...were covered in Doom (bug spray). All cabinets were emptied and Jeremy spent the rest of the day caulking cracks, drilling into walls and floors to put termite and bug spray in the holes, and basically killing everything.
Today I woke up and wanted to cry. It felt like I was starting over again. After 4 days of cleaning we were doing it all over again. But 4 of the Rainbow girls helped out and we have JUST NOW got it all done! The kitchen is cleaned and the clothes are...well, I've still got a ton to wash but I'm too tired to walk across the complex to the machine. So it will have to wait.
In all, we are very happy...yet very tired. It's good to be home and we can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us! It must be something pretty amazing because Satan seems to be trying to keep us down! Thankfully Christ's strength is all I need! To God be the glory!
Back In Malawi
Sorry for the length but it's been a crazy week! Last Wed. morning at 6am Central time we left my Daddy's house and headed to the airport. 54 hours later we drove into Rainbow...back home!
It was quite a trip. First off, Joshua was amazing! Thank you for the prayers. We left New Orleans at 11 am and got to Chicago just after lunch. We had a 7 hour layover in Chicago before our 13 1/2 hour flight to Qatar. Thankfully Chicago had a children's play area so we let them run it out for about 2-3 hours! We ate Chili's in the airport...our last American meal. It turned out it would pretty much be the last time any of us ate until we arrived home. The food on this airlines was that bad!
The "long" flight was from Chicago to Doha, Qatar. Thankfully it was a red-eye. So after a little night-time medicine for Joshua (I really THINK we heard him sniffle before the flight so he needed that nighttime medicine, right? ;) ) everyone pretty much passed out on the flight, except for me. I just can't sleep on airplanes. The bad thing was, we left Chicago at 11pm and flew directly into the new day. We only had about an hour of nighttime.
We arrived in Doha at nighttime as well (due to the time change) and had another 7 hour layover. This was NOT a good layover. The airport in Doha is extremely small for the amount of flights and passengers that come through it. It was very crowded and busy. 7 hours there went by so slowly. Then the flight leaving was late....which made us late getting us into Johannesburg. We landed in Joburg with 45 minutes to get to our next (and final) flight. After two days of traveling we wanted nothing more than to get home! PLUS: the next flight out of Joburg on that airlines was Sunday. We'd have to wait 2 days in a hotel with no baggage if we missed it. Of course this is what we worried about the entire flight. We knew it would be close. No matter how many times we tried to give it to the Lord (and yes He did tell us He had it under control) we kept taking it back and worrying.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
So when we arrived at Joburg we rushed off the plane. Imagine sitting at the back of a 777...with 6 people in your party and all the bags you're carrying on. We pushed and shoved and asked for forgiveness along the way. We even charged through first class because they were leisurely taking their time getting off the plane and hadn't opened the curtain for the rest of the plane yet. We got someone to take us to the front of the line at immigration and tipped him well. We literally ran to the airline desk with 30 minutes to spare before our next flight. Nope. She wasn't letting us on! It was 9:27am for a 10am flight and she wouldn't let us board. I just wanted to cry! Two days worth of hotels? Are you serious? When we're this close??
But of course God was all over it. Apparently Malawian Airlines (an airlines that had gone out of business before we even arrived in Malawi) was back up and running using Ethiopian Airlines old jets. They had daily late afternoon flights. These flights just started two months ago! Seriously? Wow God! What a blessing!
So we spent two hours at the ticket counter getting our tickets transferred from South African Airlines (whom I'm still ticked at) to Ethiopian/Malawian Airlines. And all of this had to be done through Qatar because it was their fault we were late and they were paying for the changes. Awesome!
Later that afternoon we were in the skies once again- exhausted beyond measure- on our way home! We made it safely even though all of our bags got left behind in Joburg. We arrived to a very loving welcome and lots of cheers and hugs from the Rainbow kids! What a joy to be home!
For the past 5 days we have done NOTHING but clean. Yes, we put up everything we could and covered everything with sheets but those barriers did nothing to stop 5 months of African dirt from creeping onto every imaginable surface of our house. All clothes, sheets, and towels have had to be washed (and our washing machine is broken so we're toting it across the complex to another machine). All dishes, pots, and pans have to be washed! Even the walls and floors have to be scrubbed.
Yesterday was the worst! As we were ALMOST done with all of the dishes in the kitchen we opened the last cabinet to pull everything out. That's where they were. A nest of roaches and mice. For the next hour we chased, killed, sprayed, and caught everything that moved. At the end all of our newly cleaned dishes that we'd just spent days on...were covered in Doom (bug spray). All cabinets were emptied and Jeremy spent the rest of the day caulking cracks, drilling into walls and floors to put termite and bug spray in the holes, and basically killing everything.
Today I woke up and wanted to cry. It felt like I was starting over again. After 4 days of cleaning we were doing it all over again. But 4 of the Rainbow girls helped out and we have JUST NOW got it all done! The kitchen is cleaned and the clothes are...well, I've still got a ton to wash but I'm too tired to walk across the complex to the machine. So it will have to wait.
In all, we are very happy...yet very tired. It's good to be home and we can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us! It must be something pretty amazing because Satan seems to be trying to keep us down! Thankfully Christ's strength is all I need! To God be the glory!
It was quite a trip. First off, Joshua was amazing! Thank you for the prayers. We left New Orleans at 11 am and got to Chicago just after lunch. We had a 7 hour layover in Chicago before our 13 1/2 hour flight to Qatar. Thankfully Chicago had a children's play area so we let them run it out for about 2-3 hours! We ate Chili's in the airport...our last American meal. It turned out it would pretty much be the last time any of us ate until we arrived home. The food on this airlines was that bad!
The "long" flight was from Chicago to Doha, Qatar. Thankfully it was a red-eye. So after a little night-time medicine for Joshua (I really THINK we heard him sniffle before the flight so he needed that nighttime medicine, right? ;) ) everyone pretty much passed out on the flight, except for me. I just can't sleep on airplanes. The bad thing was, we left Chicago at 11pm and flew directly into the new day. We only had about an hour of nighttime.
We arrived in Doha at nighttime as well (due to the time change) and had another 7 hour layover. This was NOT a good layover. The airport in Doha is extremely small for the amount of flights and passengers that come through it. It was very crowded and busy. 7 hours there went by so slowly. Then the flight leaving was late....which made us late getting us into Johannesburg. We landed in Joburg with 45 minutes to get to our next (and final) flight. After two days of traveling we wanted nothing more than to get home! PLUS: the next flight out of Joburg on that airlines was Sunday. We'd have to wait 2 days in a hotel with no baggage if we missed it. Of course this is what we worried about the entire flight. We knew it would be close. No matter how many times we tried to give it to the Lord (and yes He did tell us He had it under control) we kept taking it back and worrying.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
So when we arrived at Joburg we rushed off the plane. Imagine sitting at the back of a 777...with 6 people in your party and all the bags you're carrying on. We pushed and shoved and asked for forgiveness along the way. We even charged through first class because they were leisurely taking their time getting off the plane and hadn't opened the curtain for the rest of the plane yet. We got someone to take us to the front of the line at immigration and tipped him well. We literally ran to the airline desk with 30 minutes to spare before our next flight. Nope. She wasn't letting us on! It was 9:27am for a 10am flight and she wouldn't let us board. I just wanted to cry! Two days worth of hotels? Are you serious? When we're this close??
But of course God was all over it. Apparently Malawian Airlines (an airlines that had gone out of business before we even arrived in Malawi) was back up and running using Ethiopian Airlines old jets. They had daily late afternoon flights. These flights just started two months ago! Seriously? Wow God! What a blessing!
So we spent two hours at the ticket counter getting our tickets transferred from South African Airlines (whom I'm still ticked at) to Ethiopian/Malawian Airlines. And all of this had to be done through Qatar because it was their fault we were late and they were paying for the changes. Awesome!
Later that afternoon we were in the skies once again- exhausted beyond measure- on our way home! We made it safely even though all of our bags got left behind in Joburg. We arrived to a very loving welcome and lots of cheers and hugs from the Rainbow kids! What a joy to be home!
For the past 5 days we have done NOTHING but clean. Yes, we put up everything we could and covered everything with sheets but those barriers did nothing to stop 5 months of African dirt from creeping onto every imaginable surface of our house. All clothes, sheets, and towels have had to be washed (and our washing machine is broken so we're toting it across the complex to another machine). All dishes, pots, and pans have to be washed! Even the walls and floors have to be scrubbed.
Yesterday was the worst! As we were ALMOST done with all of the dishes in the kitchen we opened the last cabinet to pull everything out. That's where they were. A nest of roaches and mice. For the next hour we chased, killed, sprayed, and caught everything that moved. At the end all of our newly cleaned dishes that we'd just spent days on...were covered in Doom (bug spray). All cabinets were emptied and Jeremy spent the rest of the day caulking cracks, drilling into walls and floors to put termite and bug spray in the holes, and basically killing everything.
Today I woke up and wanted to cry. It felt like I was starting over again. After 4 days of cleaning we were doing it all over again. But 4 of the Rainbow girls helped out and we have JUST NOW got it all done! The kitchen is cleaned and the clothes are...well, I've still got a ton to wash but I'm too tired to walk across the complex to the machine. So it will have to wait.
In all, we are very happy...yet very tired. It's good to be home and we can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us! It must be something pretty amazing because Satan seems to be trying to keep us down! Thankfully Christ's strength is all I need! To God be the glory!
Monday, February 3, 2014
Life in Transition
We have been home on furlough for about three months now. There are two months left before we return to the mission field. We have been enjoying our time with family, the comforts of our home and the love of our friends. We love the fact that we can visit Target and Chick-fil-A whenever we want. We love that our power and water are NEVER off. We love the easy life that most take for granted living in America.
Do we miss Malawi? YES! We miss our ministry, we miss our friends, we miss the Rainbow kids who have become our adopted children (all 52 of them). We cry as we learn that two have broken arms, one is being disrespectful, one is dealing with medical issues that are new and scary. It's hard being away from them!
We miss the knocks on the door before we've even gotten out of bed. We miss the chance to minister to those in need, those who have no other choice but to ask for help. We miss seeing the obvious work that the Lord is doing through our amazing friends and the ministries that they are starting! And yes, we even miss the occasional power outage. Times like that, when all electronics and lights are off, and we sit around in the candlelight as a family....those are times when something magical can happen.
I was recently feeling conflicted about how I feel being back in America. I do miss Malawi. But I also love being in America. I didn't want to, honestly. I wanted to long for return to Malawi. I wanted to be disgusted at the prosperity and ease and overindulgance of life here. But I'm not. There are times when I roll my eyes as I listen to the gripes of some of the western world problems. There are moments when I see the way Satan is attacking my homeland with such a passion that I cringe. There is a hidden darkness that is unbearable and it's getting larger. But for the most part I'm very comfortable and happy. Isn't that wrong? Shouldn't I be disgusted? Shouldn't I be ready to change our plane tickets and get back to the work the Lord has called us to in Malawi?
I emailed a friend and fellow missionary who's been on the field much longer than we have. She encouraged me in so many ways. She said she dealt with the same feelings on her first furlough. Based on what others had told her she expected to feel bitterness and resentment for the "easy" life. She felt guilty for enjoying her time in America. But God showed her that He had them in that place for a season. And that loving being where God had planted them was ok, no matter where it was.
I have two homes. And I love them both equally. God has called us to serve in Malawi for a time. How long? Only God knows. But I love Malawi and I love our work there. I love it with a passion. I also love my home here in Mississippi. I love our church and our friends. I love the fact that we can get to all of our family within 4 hours. I love our country and I cried when the National Anthem was sung at the Superbowl last night.
You know, I've realized that it's ok to love both places. This is God's plan for us at this moment and we are to be sensitive to where He has us right now! We aren't to long for our other home here on Earth. We are to long for our heavenly home! And when it's time to return to the mission field in Malawi we will be ready. God will have us prepared and rested. For now we rest in the fact that we are in His will, in His place for us, and that we are here for a reason. May we be sensitive to the ministry God has planned for us in both places. May we follow His will for us daily. And may we rest in comfort knowing that He is a God who loves us, protects us, and has our future mapped out every moment.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
Jill
Do we miss Malawi? YES! We miss our ministry, we miss our friends, we miss the Rainbow kids who have become our adopted children (all 52 of them). We cry as we learn that two have broken arms, one is being disrespectful, one is dealing with medical issues that are new and scary. It's hard being away from them!
We miss the knocks on the door before we've even gotten out of bed. We miss the chance to minister to those in need, those who have no other choice but to ask for help. We miss seeing the obvious work that the Lord is doing through our amazing friends and the ministries that they are starting! And yes, we even miss the occasional power outage. Times like that, when all electronics and lights are off, and we sit around in the candlelight as a family....those are times when something magical can happen.
I was recently feeling conflicted about how I feel being back in America. I do miss Malawi. But I also love being in America. I didn't want to, honestly. I wanted to long for return to Malawi. I wanted to be disgusted at the prosperity and ease and overindulgance of life here. But I'm not. There are times when I roll my eyes as I listen to the gripes of some of the western world problems. There are moments when I see the way Satan is attacking my homeland with such a passion that I cringe. There is a hidden darkness that is unbearable and it's getting larger. But for the most part I'm very comfortable and happy. Isn't that wrong? Shouldn't I be disgusted? Shouldn't I be ready to change our plane tickets and get back to the work the Lord has called us to in Malawi?
I emailed a friend and fellow missionary who's been on the field much longer than we have. She encouraged me in so many ways. She said she dealt with the same feelings on her first furlough. Based on what others had told her she expected to feel bitterness and resentment for the "easy" life. She felt guilty for enjoying her time in America. But God showed her that He had them in that place for a season. And that loving being where God had planted them was ok, no matter where it was.
I have two homes. And I love them both equally. God has called us to serve in Malawi for a time. How long? Only God knows. But I love Malawi and I love our work there. I love it with a passion. I also love my home here in Mississippi. I love our church and our friends. I love the fact that we can get to all of our family within 4 hours. I love our country and I cried when the National Anthem was sung at the Superbowl last night.
You know, I've realized that it's ok to love both places. This is God's plan for us at this moment and we are to be sensitive to where He has us right now! We aren't to long for our other home here on Earth. We are to long for our heavenly home! And when it's time to return to the mission field in Malawi we will be ready. God will have us prepared and rested. For now we rest in the fact that we are in His will, in His place for us, and that we are here for a reason. May we be sensitive to the ministry God has planned for us in both places. May we follow His will for us daily. And may we rest in comfort knowing that He is a God who loves us, protects us, and has our future mapped out every moment.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
Jill
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Life in the Village
Today was wonderful and normal all at the same time. We love living in a village. We love the people God has called us to minister to. We love sharing and giving and learning more about our adopted culture day by day. As we pack up and prepare for our 5 month furlough we leave with tears of happiness and sadness. We're happy to be going "home" to see our friends and family and to share all about the amazing things God is doing here in Malawi. But we're sad to be leaving our home, our children (the Rainbow kids), our ministries, and our life here in Malawi. God has blessed us with an amazing life and ministry here. It's a busy, full-time job but we love it! Praise God for His blessings!
Here are some photos of our day today:
Jeremy sitting on the back porch learning Chichewa. He would draw pictures and say the English name and the kids would tell him the Chichewa name. They did this for at least 2 hours!
Jeremy, baby J, and I went to another village just next to our own village to visit a family who has become dear to us overnight. On October 22 (Jeremy's birthday) we received a frantic knock at our door in the middle of the day. Our gardener said that someone needed our help. A lady was in labor and had been waiting on a minibus to transport her to the hospital for over an hour. No minibus had come and the situation was becoming an emergency. Jeremy grabbed the keys to the Landcruiser and I grabbed a couple of supplies in case I had to assist with the baby. Now, I used to be a postpartum nurse but I never had an ounce of training as a L&D nurse other than having my own 4 kids. But I jumped in the truck and began praying!
We loaded the mother and 4 other women into the truck and took off for the hospital which was about a 30 min drive away. Thankfully she made it to the hospital still pregnant and delivered the baby safe and sound into the hands of a doctor! Praise God!
The mothers's grandfather, it turns out, is a pastor of a local church and was one of the men asked to preach at our revival this past Saturday. He came with news of the birth of a beautiful baby girl, and he also asked if Jeremy and I would name the baby. Naming a baby is a huge honor in Malawian culture and we were honored to do so.
So today Jeremy, baby J, and I along with Martin to translate went to visit the baby girl and her family. Jeremy chose the name Lydia and all the family was very excited. We gifted them with some blankets and clothes and promised to return to check on baby Lydia after our furlough!
Me with baby Lydia and her mother
Baby Lydia's family
Jeremy and baby Lydia
Jeremy and Lydia share the same birthday!
Baby J checking out the village. He just made himself at home and took off exploring!
On the way home we stopped by to see a precious lady that we all love. Amayi Milicent comes to Rainbow often and her kids are always playing with our kids. She loves loves baby J. She's always trying to get him to speak Chichewa and he does his best to ignore her most of the time! ha!
Last week Amayi Milicent had quite a scare. She is HIV positive and we heard that she was not doing well. It turns out that she had been told by her "church" (a local non-Chrisitan church) that taking medicine was of the devil and she should stop. So without her ARV's she went downhill fast! After church last Sunday a bunch of us from Rainbow Church went to visit her and pray for her. We all sat around as she laid on the floor of her home in extreme pain and sickness. But one thing that she asked was how was baby J!
The next day we took her to the hospital and made sure she received the medicines she needed. Today we took baby J to visit Amayi Milicent and we're so thankful that she is back to her normal beautiful self! She was so happy to see us! And we were so happy to see her wonderful smile back!
Please pray for Amayi Milicent and the many many people in our area who are lost and following a false religion. Please pray for her health and salvation as we continue to minister to her and all of those without the Light of the Savior!
Rainbow Church at work for Christ!
Rainbow Community Church has had a very busy few weeks. Two weekends ago we held a family conference in which discipleship was provided in family, marriage, finances, and relationships. There was much interest in providing additional training in marriage and finances. We are working to set up additional teachers and materials to help the church members in this way.
Prayers at Family Conference
Jeremy preaching on finances
The big rock is God. The jar is our life. There is only one way to make everything fit. Put God in first!
Revival was held at Rainbow last weekend. We had over 5 churches in attendance and the reaction was great. There was preaching, prayer, worship, singing, dancing! What an amazing worship experience. Please pray for the seeds that were planted. The Christ believing churches in this area are up against much spiritual warfare. Satan is hard at work but Christ is so much stronger! Together we can win this area for Christ! To God be the glory!
Christ is at work here in the Chiseka village community of Lilongwe. We are excited about all that He is doing but there is much work to be done! Please pray for our church and the churches in the community who proclaim the name of Christ as Savior!
"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9
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