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

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

A Miracle for Mphatso

Yesterday a miracle trip began for Mphatso!  Read his story below:

The above picture is of Mphatso and his family.  They live in a village about 2 hours off the paved road outside of Lilongwe.  Mphatso is sitting in his father's lap.  He was born with a severe cleft palate and cleft lip.  When he was born the people of Mphatso's village tried to get the parents to kill the child.  They said he was a curse on the family and would always bring bad tidings to the family unless he was killed.  Mphatso's parents are Christians, however.  They said that the Lord gave this child life and the Lord could take the life away, but only the Lord should have power over life and death.  

Mphatso's parents are very loving and caring parents who try to give their children the best they can.  When they heard about ConnectMed International coming to Lilongwe last May they brought Mphatso to see if the doctors could help.  Dr. Gosman was able to repair Mphatso's cleft palate during the surgery week.  However his cleft lip required more complex surgery and would need to be repaired in a more advanced medical setting.

Dr. Gosman and some members of her team also work with another nonprofit out of San Diego, CA called Fresh Start Surgical Gifts.  Fresh Start's goal is to provide disadvantaged children who suffer from physical deformities the gift of reconstructive surgery.  They are the organization that allowed for Dr. Gosman to perform our son's cleft palate repair just a year ago.  Praise God that through those connections we are able to see more and more children receiving the life saving gift of reconstructive surgery!  

Jeremy, Dr. Gosman, and Fresh Start have been working tirelessly to get a few different children from Malawi over to San Diego to receive surgery.  Mphatso and his guardian, Justice, are the first to go.  For more on the story of Mphatso and Justice please see this previous blog.  Justice is giving up his home and life for two months to travel with Mphatso as his guardian.  Although they had never met the connection between the two was immediate.  They are already close friends.  

So yesterday was the big day!  Mphatso's family had traveled a couple of days earlier to Lilongwe to stay in town while waiting on the flight.  The day before they left Justice and Jeremy along with Mphatso and his dad went around gathering up some supplies that they would need for the journey.  We were able to supply Mphatso with some clothes and some toiletries.  And Justice took Mphatso shopping for some shoes!  Jeremy even took them all out for pizza.  Mphatso ate half of a large pizza!  It was the first time he or his father had ever had pizza.  Justice correctly commented that as long as Mphatso loves pizza he'll get along just fine in America!

Yesterday morning we met up with the family to take Justice and Mphatso to the airport.  Mphatso's baby sister is severely sick with sepsis so she and Mphatso's mother weren't able to travel to the airport. But Mphatso's father was excited to make the trip and he couldn't stop smiling as he watched the planes land and take off.  None of them had ever been to the airport or even seen an airplane before. 

Jeremy getting Justice all checked in and giving some last minute advice on airports and customs, etc. 

Mphatso and Justice with tickets in hand!

Jeremy, Mphatso, and Justice

To watch this miracle unfold is quite a humbling experience.  The steps that have been taken by so many people to get this precious child the help that he needs is nothing that could have been accomplished without the hand of God!  We have been blessed to be just a small part of the mighty work that the Lord is doing in the life of this child.  Mphatso's mother kept praising God for His miracle and she prays that this act will change her village.  She prays that through this story they will come to know Christ as their savior and realize how precious each and every life is.  God has used a 6 year old boy and his birth defect to change our life and the lives of so many others.  He has shown that "all things work for the good of those who love him, those who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)  To God be the Glory!