Something interesting always happens on Saturday visitation.
This past week when we were visiting in Phokera, Shadrick was witnessing to two men. A little boy, 7 at the most, was in the background. He casually picked up what looked like bamboo, but much wider than any I’ve seen. Next, he grabbed a machete and started trying to chop into the stick, which he had standing up and somewhat propped leaning against his belly. I thought someone would surely say something! But no one did. As he was pushing down on it, I was so afraid the machete was going to slip off onto his stomach, his leg, or foot! He stopped for a second and I thought I could breathe again – until he called over two little ones, maybe 3 years old, to hold it for him!
After he cut off a piece, he took off and I thought definitely it was safe to breathe. But a second later, a 5 year old walked over and picked up the machete! He attempted to cut the stick with the machete upside down and the two little ones wrapping their legs and arms around it to hold it for him. NO ONE said anything! 😳
After Shadrick finished witnessing, he asked if I had anything to say. I was so shaken up that I couldn’t think of anything. 😆
While we were out, I learned another cultural difference – it is more respectful NOT to look at someone when they’re talking. The women are more likely to practice this. I haven’t really noticed the men doing this. After one of the houses where I witnessed to a lady, I commented that no one seemed to be interested. Shadrick shared that they weren’t looking at me out of respect.
It’s so funny how different cultures take things differently!
A few pictures of the littles playing.🥰
AND a blessing to share!!! The water guy is here today! Praying that he fixes it today!
I think I must make more mistakes in a language than is humanly thought possible!
My most recent ones involve the video about running water the kids recently made. When I was filming them run across the yard with buckets of water, the workers began gathering to watch in amusement.
I tried explaining it to them in broken Chichewa with a few English words thrown in. We were creating a video for grandparents and friends back in America about running water.
Then I thought, maybe they don’t refer to indoor plumbing as “running water”, so I said in America we call water in homes “running water.”
It seemed like all was understood, but I decided just to ask Brother Shadrick about it. And he asked me, “Did you really say RUNNING WATER?”
When I replied that I had, he told me that refers to flooding.🙈
So basically it looked like we were making fun of the flooding of houses! Thankfully I could have him clarify things for me.
Then today I said, “Sammy is helping daddy take off his boots.”
But I didn’t know the word for boots. Frequently they just say an English word in a Chichewa way. So, I took a chance and said it.
The word I said sounded like their word for worms. Sammy is helping daddy take out worms. 🤦🏼♀️ This time it was just with Shadrick. (He was thinking I was referring to the worms that get under your skin.) Haha
I have overheard him telling some people in the village that I’m struggling some with Chichewa, but that I’m getting there little by little. 😆
Sometimes the difference in customs of a place can be so hard to us! We just finished singing a song in Sunday School when I heard what sounded like a mob chanting/singing. I thought maybe they were storming the church! Brother Shadrick told me they were marching a thief to the police, beating him and chanting something like, “Don’t feel sorry! You have robbed yourself!” There is no police near here. Maybe a 30 minute drive away there are some police, but I’m not sure. We don’t know if the person made it or not. Often, they are beaten to death. This form of judgment makes crime low here, but I still was tempted to run out and see if I could stop the mob! With the Lord’s help I was able to compose myself and teach my lesson, but it is something that sticks with you.
Isaac made his trip back to Phokera today for the Bible study. He’s as excited to see the kids as they are to see him!
I wasn’t able to say much today because Brother Shadrick needed to take someone to the doctor. Thankfully, his wife was able to teach. Isaac greeted everyone and led them singing and reciting their memory verse.
After hearing about the little ones who passed away, I was specifically looking for some of my regular kids. I don’t know which ones it was. The little one who loved to sing Jesus Loves Me (I posted a video about a month ago), was not there today. I know they could have gone somewhere else, like the displaced persons camp…but still it hurts to think about it! I feel so much relief any time I see someone who I’ve had contact with previously!
We were able to find some tarp and one large bag of corn flour, which is their staple food. I had hoped to get 3 to share with some of the families of the children who come, but Eric couldn’t find more. They are also really gouging the prices of food since trucks can not get in right now to bring more.
I know my posts have been more discouraging lately and I have considered just not posting, but it is a relief to have a place to journal everything and share. The laughter, singing, and smiles have not stopped- both in our home and in the church. God is good! All the time! We are not suffering. Our minor inconveniences include eating the last of the ice cream today (something most of them have never tried), washing clothes by hand (something they do every day), drawing water for washing (we have a well and just pull the hose over to the porch to fill buckets-they wash their laundry in the rivers or get water from a central pump). No. We are not suffering. We are so very, very blessed!
“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” Psalm 42:11
I visited a few of my kids Friday after Bible study. The roof caved in on some, but the house was still standing. One of them has 7 children and her husband is up in Blantyre. The part of the village closest to us had less flooding. All the houses within 3 kilometers of the river were flooded. One of the men in our church decided not to leave his home because he said the river had never flooded near his home, but it did this time. Thankfully, he is safe.
Walking through the village, people were still smiling and greeting us. We were walking to sit with them, and smiled and talked – even with their homes falling apart in the background. I have so much to learn about contentment from them!
Today we went to the nearby village, Phokera. I almost didn’t go because I was exhausted, a kid had a minute meltdown, I needed to wash several loads of laundry, put together my Bible lesson for tomorrow…but I decided that, even if I don’t get anything else done, I would go. I always feel encouraged after witnessing and my life feels like it has more purpose. So we went.
We walked by one house completely gone. We were told that the lady who lived there was safe. We have visited with her twice and she has made a profession.
The first house we came to shared with us about a lady who tried to cross some water at a certain spot with her two children tied to her back. Both children were swept away by the waters. I did not think I would be able to refrain from weeping! The lady has been coming to our Bible lessons on Sundays and her kids come to my children’s lesson. She says she has trusted Christ. My heart just breaks and my mind began picturing all the kids that come out. Oh! We truly don’t know what tomorrow holds! May we use every opportunity the Lord gives us to be a witness!
Pastor Nelson’s wife went to the other side of the street. There was a lady who had asked her to come back and talk with her. All those houses were gone.
Everything looks so beautiful now! It’s hard to imagine all that has taken place. Roads are still washed out in many places though.
We were sent a video of a pastor using a boat through a little city about 30 minutes from us. It has dried down now and Eric was able to go there today to buy some drinking water, a little plastic for roofs, and one bag of corn meal for us to give out. He said he could only find one bag, and it was very expensive because the trucks are cut off and can’t get to us. He was able to get some diesel there too, but they said it would be gone within a week. We are also cut off from the bank. But the Lord knows all of this! He sees every sparrow that falls! He knew before we came everything that would happen and has us here for such a time as this! Pray that we will use every opportunity He gives us and that people would come to Christ before it is too late!
The first picture is of our village. You can see the mountains of Mozambique and it is gorgeous! The rest are in Phokera today. We always have a group of kids who tag along. Brother Shadrick had Anna and Lydia pull them aside and sing with them while we witnessed.
I am going to try to post videos of our village in the comments.
The rain has finally stopped and we saw the sun for the first time in at least a week. It feels like it rained forever!
It has also been 3 weeks since we had running water. I feel like I should be making marks on the wall to keep track of it. Due to the storm, we have been without electricity too. It feels easier when you know what to expect and you’re ready.
It seems like such a small thing when we know that many in our village are now without a home. One of our workers had to move his family as flood waters were coming up to their house. Another pastor shared that his nephew’s house fell on them, killing them. We’ve also received videos of people being swept away by water. We heard there have been over 200 deaths from cyclone Freddy. It is truly heartbreaking.
Flooding has washed out the roads to both cities, in 3 places on the way to the city we get many of our supplies from. We are locked in with no access to stores, drinking water, pharmacies, hospitals…thankfully, Eric was able to stock up on most things. We are already trying to figure out how we will handle getting clean water if we can’t get to town.
I wasn’t sure how many kids would come out Wednesday for services, but when we opened up the church door, in came a large group of kids! My heart felt like it would soar from being so happy to see them! I was relieved to hear that none of my kids who came Wednesday had lost their homes. I had hoped to visit others this weekend to see if there were any needs, but with the roads washed out, I’m not sure there is anything I can help with. I pray the Lord will give us wisdom in how we can help.
Looking over my nice, sheltered yard and home, it would be easy to not be moved by the devastation around me. Over and over it has caused me to think of the security we have in Christ. How easy it is for Christians to get comfortable with being safe and secure, and be blinded to the lost world around us! May we not get too comfortable that we can’t be moved with compassion for those without this sweet peace!
“I shall never, never, never learn the Japanese language. You may put it on my tombstone: expired in despair. I am in the middle of my language lessons, and have stopped short to tell you so…it is more important for me to warn you to send out no more missionaries to a land with such a language, than to go on longer trying to learn it.” Amy Carmichael, written when she was a missionary in Japan
This made me laugh out loud and made me feel like I have found a friend! To know there is another missionary, a highly respected one, who felt as dramatic as we do sometimes. I wouldn’t say that I’ve quite felt the same despair as Amy, I’m not learning Japanese either, but it can feel so slow!
Mudzi, m’modzi, madzi, mwazi…say that 3 times fast.😆 One of those means water…one means blood, so definitely don’t get those confused! They have a few like that. One little change, and the entire meaning changes. One I just recently learned was that if you accidentally say “it’s raining” incorrectly, it could mean instead “I’m undressing”. Eek
I think language can be one of the most frustrating things for a missionary! There’s not only the construction of sentences, all the forms and prefixes, suffices, etc, which change who you are referring to and tense…but also you have to try to stop thinking with your English understanding of how to construct those sentences. I have also mixed these up. Coming home from the church plant in the other village I was trying to talk with one of the ladies. She pointed at a house. I said, “Your house?”…at least, that was what I was trying to say but accidentally said, “My house?” She understood and acted like she didn’t even notice.
A few Fridays ago coming out of Bible study, a gentleman greeted me differently, so I just replied with what I know. Then he said something else. I got a confused look on my face and looked over at Shadrich. Everyone started laughing and he scolded the smiling man, then told me I had answered fine….the man had purposely greeted me in Sena then Portuguese (we are learning Chichewa)! It made me feel more at home to know they were comfortable picking on me!
I don’t get many opportunities to practice, except with the children because it seems like wherever I go, I’m always with the children. But I have found that they are the perfect ones to practice with and are always willing to help teach me how to say something. Some evenings, when I’m not too exhausted from my duties, I sit on the porch while they all play with the outside toys. There are toy dishes and food. And I practice a few words or phrases as we “cook and eat.”
Learning a new language is definitely a humbling and, at times, frustrating process. But may the Lord open our mouths that we may speak and give us understanding!
Saturday morning we went to the nearby village. Our Saturday soul winning group only seems to get bigger and bigger each week. After splitting up into groups, we started our walk through the village – the same direction we went last time.
As we passed by one of the houses, the lady begged us to stop again. She made a profession last week and has a desire to know more about God, but cannot read, so was discouraged about that. She shared that she has had her son read to them every day. We encouraged her that was a wonderful way for her entire family to hear the Word of God!
After spending a little time with her, we continued on to houses past hers. We were welcomed by a woman who quickly pulled out chairs and mats. Within a few minutes, we had a large group of women and children who listened as I presented the Gospel. Before going to the next house, they asked if I was American. They had heard that Americans only have 2 kids and thought that I must be European because I had more. (This question was actually asked at a few different houses.) The conversation that followed was so fun! I also learned that it is considered taboo for your husband to deliver the baby. There is something about going out telling people about Jesus that is so refreshing! God always blesses it!
Every time we go out, we meet people who are feverish and sick with symptoms of malaria. Many tell us that they went to the clinic and were sent away because medicine wasn’t available. We are able to send them to the doctor to treat them. When you meet so many people dealing with this and know that many others have it who you may not meet, it gives even more the urgency to get the Gospel out for you really don’t know if you will have another opportunity to share it with them.
Sunday morning I taught at our village church. It is always such a blessing! As I was teaching, a little one came to the front by an older sibling. In his hand was what looked like a big, green toy cricket…except it wasn’t a toy! It was a locust! His sibling took it for a second and started pulling its legs off. It made it just a little difficult to keep my focus! They are a common thing for the kids to play with here, but we still aren’t use to it! Later in the village, kids were passing around one during my lesson. They were going to pass it to Anna, but her distraught face and moving away let them know she didn’t really want to play with it.
We have now been almost 2 weeks without water. Eric has been innovative and rigged up a bucket with a hose sprayer so we can take regular showers. We have gotten in a better system for drawing water that has helped us keep up with household cleaning. The laundry is probably the most difficult. The kids said they’re just going to sit and watch the washer spin once we get water again. We will all be very, very thankful for it!
Bible college opened up here on Monday. Eric, Pastor Nelson, and Shadrick all have different classes that they are teaching. All but one of the students are pastors who just haven’t had previous Bible teaching. Praying the Lord uses this to train them for the furtherance of the Gospel in Malawi!
Life here is very full…sometimes it feels too full…but it’s such a privilege that we get to be a part of it!
As we pulled into the nearby village today for witnessing, kids were already gathering. Even though Brother Shadrach had told them we would be doing lessons only on Sundays, they still gathered when they saw us. After we told them we’d be having a lesson tomorrow, we started down the paths. House to house, they would yell their welcome to us, then scramble to find seats for their “guests of honor”. It is always humbling to sit on their few seats while they sit on the ground!
As we got ready to leave, I said, “Stay well!” (a common goodbye here.)…well, at least that’s what I THOUGHT I said. What I actually said was, “Sindili bwino!” instead of “Tsalani bwino!” So instead of “Stay well!”, what I actually said was, “I am not well.” I quickly caught and corrected myself.
We continued walking house to house. Some had buckets of water out with little ones washing dishes in them. Others were sitting on cane mats cutting and peeling food. But all welcomed us.
As we continued, our little group grew as kids continued to join our group. They walked with us and sat to listen at each house.
When we finished and just stood around waiting for the other groups, the kids gathered around us. One mischievous little girl scooted very close to me. I felt a little tug of my hair and glanced down. She had one little strand and was trying to pull it out! I nonchalantly pulled my braid to the front of me and continued talking. She glanced down at her pinched fingers, now without my hair between them, with disappointment.
Sunday after our services, we went back to the that village for the Bible study. We started under the big tree with the adults so Lydia could play guitar and Brother Shadrach could lead singing. He does a very good job leading singing. Then we led the kids to the tree in front of the chief’s for their lesson.
I tried using my flannel graph, but it was so windy that the flannel graph pieces flew off the board. After chasing them a few times, I just held each piece up while teaching. It was a little difficult, and a couple times my notebook with my lesson fell to the ground while I was teaching, but we made it through! We ended the day with ice cream.
We have been without water for a few days and we’re not sure when it will get fixed. They worked on it all day Friday, but were unable to figure out what was wrong.
Thankfully, the electricity has been working more so we were able to get water from the pump outside. Eric filled buckets and Rubbermaid containers with water and carried it to the house. That is usually the women’s work – to bring the buckets of water. I’m sure the ladies all watched in shock to see my husband doing it instead!
The girls got their first experience with hand washing. They started out all smiles, but we were all exhausted by the end. Because the electricity stopped working weren’t able to finish, but I think the kids were happy about that…and surprisingly still had plenty of energy to play. I, on the other hand, was about to drop. The man who works on it will come again on Thursday to try something else. If it doesn’t work, we may have to order parts from South Africa- which would mean a month before it could be fixed. We’ve been making it, but I’m praying that’s not the case!
Days here seem to pass SO quickly! I feel like I blink, and they pass!
We went to the Bible study/church plant last weekend. It is always fun to see the kids anxiously waiting for us! They always look for Isaac, my puppet. As we get out of the truck, they look for my big, black bag. When they spot his big smile peeking over the side of the bag, they excitedly whisper to one another, “Isaac! Isaac!”
The Lord blessed our time. They sit pretty well throughout the lesson, but get a little unruly when it’s time to say their memory verse. They’ve also started messing with the girls’ hair and pulled a little out. The girls said it didn’t hurt, but I may have to separate them at the village. They sit with the other kids at our church, and they really want to at the village too…we’ll have to see.
Eric made it to the city on Tuesday! Then when he got there, he almost wasn’t able to buy ice cream because it all looked sold out! Finally he found two cookies and cream … and two mini containers of vanilla for me, since I can’t have gluten. Everyone was excited! We’ve had a hard time not digging into it, but I try to space things out purposely so we can enjoy them. I think the kids are dreaming that Eric will come home with a cooler full of ice cream so we can have it every night.😆
The other thing that has been a favorite treat is pickles. 🤷🏼♀️ The kids were talking about how funny it seems to space out things like that, because in America we had a Dollar General just down the street. Now, we have to drive 4 hours for a jar of pickles or ice cream.
Speaking of food… Mercy was out playing with one of her little friends, Wells. She pointed at some ngoobies (termites, which are commonly fried and eaten here) and asked,
“Do you like to eat ngoobies?”
Wells replied, “NO!”
Next she asked, “Do you like to eat ants?”
Again he replied, “No!”
She then proceeded to pick up an ant off the ground and pop it in her mouth, which got the reaction she was hoping for…
A big YUCK from Wells!
I’m not sure what I’m going to do with that girl! Haha
I have had a couple times now when I’ve felt a heaviness/discouragement. The first time was Wednesday. Another lady was supposed to teach, but she didn’t feel well so I taught. I prayed all throughout the song service before we were dismissed and the Lord brought peace and joy again. Even though I felt like I couldn’t teach, it was exactly what I needed! And at the end, a young boy raised his hand for salvation. Today, I have felt it again. I know it’s from Satan sent to discourage me before church times. I know he would love to hinder the ministry here. The verse the Lord brings to my mind frequently is, “And David was greatly distressed…but David encouraged HIMSELF IN the LORD HIS GOD.” 1 Samuel 30:6
I know I have shared this verse before, but, Oh! What a blessing this verse has been to me over and over again! Sometimes I can feel so alone, with no one to turn to…but I am reminded, I need no other! Only the Lord MY God! He alone can bring encouragement to me!
I want to encourage you to memorize that. You may not be in the middle of a strange land with truly no one…but Satan doesn’t look at our circumstances when he sends discouragement. You could be surrounded by loved ones, then hit with a heavy loneliness. In those moments, the only thing that will help is to encourage yourself in the Lord your God!
“You may have left much to follow Christ, you may have believed on Him, and worked for Him, and loved Him, and yet may not be like Him.
There are two wills, two interests, two lives. You have not yet lost your own life that you may live only in His.” Hannah Whitaker Smith
Recently I have thought on this fact often. Yes, I have “given up much” to follow His direction in our life…but I still so frequently notice my own likeness and interests.
A missionary friend told me once that the mission field can show you what you’re really like. It brings out things you didn’t know were there. And she was right. Testings always bring forth the faults, just as the fire brings forth the dross.
You would think that by surrendering as a missionary, you would be even more spiritual than others. But, we are only human as well and this journey only seems to show just how much. Little things that we might not have noticed, suddenly appear blatantly obvious when our surroundings are changed. Amy Carmichael wrote about this very fact.
“Wings are an illusive fallacy. Some may possess them, but they are not very visible, and as for me, there isn’t the least sign of a feather. Don’t imagine that by crossing the sea and landing on a foreign shore and learning a foreign lingo you ‘burst the bonds of outer sin and hatch yourself a cherubim.’”
No. Missionaries are far from saints! We have so many of our own interests that often become more noticeable on the mission field. We like our coffee a certain way, particular spices, specific shampoos, toothpastes…and when we no longer have access to these, we can get grumpy or depressed. We like to bring over what we can to make things familiar – foods, household goods…
Just the other day, someone here shared about one of their friends. They talked about how beautiful his home was. And said, “He’s building a heaven on earth for himself because he believes after he dies, he will come back and live in his place.”
We laugh and think that sounds silly, but it made me think – is that the appearance I give? Do I put too much into creating my little home? Making our homes a heaven on earth has always been seen as a good thing…but are we seen as settling in to this worldly home and neglecting looking ahead to our heavenly one?
Amy Carmichael wrote,
“We profess to be strangers and pilgrims, seeking after a country of our own, yet we settle down in the most un-stranger-like fashion, exactly as if we were quite at home and meant to stay as long as we could.”
Again, my heart is torn! Oh, how I love to create beauty in my little home! I have enjoyed getting the handmade, wicker things made locally. They are very inexpensive, but so beautiful! But then my heart is torn…is it wrong to get pretty things for my home? Or invest time in creating a beautiful home? What about doing little things like occasional face masks or painting our nails? What would the Lord have me do?
Then there are the immense needs all around me. And my heart again feels guilty…”Is it wrong to have things when those around me have nothing?”
Only questions my Lord can answer. But I know that within me still lies many of my own desires and interests, that may not necessarily be my Savior’s. I cannot compare to another and say, “But Lord, You have allowed them to do such and such or have such…” because who am I to tell the Potter what the clay should be made into and used for?
My prayer must be,
“Lord, enable me to regulate this day so as to please Thee! Give me spiritual insight to discover what is Thy will in all the relations of my life. Guide me as to my pursuits, my friendships, my readings, my dress, my Christian work.” Hannah Whitaker Smith
What a difference in each of our lives if this was our prayer!
And may I eventually be able to truthfully say,
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:” Galatians 2:20
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