“A lot of people told me, ‘You’re going to miss out on SO much!’ But I don’t feel like we’re missing out on anything!”

Anna sat beside me on the front porch and shared this with me.

I am extremely thankful that my kids don’t feel like they are missing out or being deprived because the Lord has called us to the mission field! I am grateful that they want to help and have kept their sweet spirit, even if they are living a little different now.

Their joyfulness and songs are not only a great blessing to me, but also a testimony to the Malawians. They say that we are a happy family, that loves one another. It is so different for them to see as most homes here are filled with fighting, husbands beating wives, vice-a-versa, and even spouses killing each other.

What a testimony and light our families can be in this world where they have lost natural affection! It is only because of Jesus! May those around us and those around you see only HIM! May they see a difference!

P.S. Don’t feel sorry for missionary kids. They are learning true contentment in a way that wouldn’t be possible anywhere else. Because true contentment comes not when life is perfect, but when we can praise the Lord…even when doing laundry by hand.

Sammy’s photo bomb didn’t turn out the way he expected.😆

We were in the middle of our Wednesday night lesson, when suddenly we saw Eric and Pastor Nelson running out of the church toward us. “Move the kids! Move the kids!” They yelled. “There’s a snake!”

We quickly moved the kids. A snake slithered into the church during the preaching. Eric was sitting across from where it came and pointed it out. Everyone scampered back and the snake slithered back out. It ended up on the other side of the wall from where the children were. A minute later we heard everyone stoning it, then we saw them beating it with long sticks with brush on it (similar to a broom).

We finished up our lesson then all went out of the gate to see it. Max chopped it with a machete then burned it. Some said it was a black mamba, others a spitting colbra. Take your pick!😆

Many here are still without homes and crops are washed away from the hurricane. Corn last year was around $6. I believe it is over $20 now and they are talking about it possibly being up to $100 a bag! The Lord provided a way for us to buy some bags of corn for people. The needs are so great and we desire to help people as they face starvation, but it can be discouraging as they do not respond with gratitude. Instead, no matter what we give, their response is that we have not given enough. That is when we are reminded to take our eyes off men and focus on the Lord. We will get discouraged if our eyes aren’t on the Lord. We have to just pray and do what the Lord directs us to do, whether it is appreciated or not. But it is like that in any ministry.

I have recently found out that some of the kids asking for prayers are actually practicing witchcraft personally. One young one even admitted to traveling very far in the evening to attend a ceremony. My heart feels very heavy! Oh! May the Lord save them from satan’s clenches! May He reach them before it is too late!

A couple weeks ago one of our pastors was in an accident. They were directly told by someone that they had been “praying” to Satan for him to die so they could have blood for their sacrifice. The spiritual battle is so great, and we can feel the oppression from it.

Here in our home we have been struggling with a sickness that is going around. Everyone has been struggling with a lingering cough. Anna in particular has been hit hard by it and has been having fevers off and on for over a week. We did test her for malaria, but it seems like it will just need to take its course. I pray that it won’t be too much longer.

Amidst it all, our water system has broken again, the van battery and alternator needed to be replaced, we have been hindered from going to Phokera for 3 weeks, and the bank hasn’t allowed us to get the money we had sent over a week ago. I must admit with all that is going on, I have had a few moments of discouragement. But in moments like that, there is only one place to go-I run to my Savior! When I am weak, then is He made strong! What a sweet comfort!

Please continue to pray for us! And not only is us, pray for your missionaries who aren’t as vocal about what they are going through. They, and I, cannot always share what we are facing. But we desperately need your prayers as “…we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:23 It is a battle that can only be fought on our knees. Will you fight this battle with us?

We didn’t understand why, but the Lord had a reason.

🚩Disclaimer🚩

➡️This post deals with some tough topics, like witchcraft, which you may not want to read out loud with little ones. (My own children do not know all the details.) I try to not go into detail, but please use discretion.⬅️

Eric only had one lesson left to complete in his Bible lessons, but we have been hindered from having the Bible study in Phokera due to weather. Today we found out why.

Due to a sickness going around our family right now, I was unable to go with him. As he headed out the door, he turned around and said, “Pray for us! I’m finishing up this particular lesson today and it deals strongly with salvation! Pray those who need it are there!” Little did we know!

Today, satan sent another hindrance. They couldn’t get the vehicle started! They fiddled with it, tried different things, but it just wouldn’t work. They prayed, and the Lord got it working!

In Phokera, James, one of the faithful men, was out passing tracts when he met a lady. He convinced her to come to the Bible study today. She sat and listened intently. When Eric closed the message, she immediately came up and said that she needed to be saved today. She was only 29, but due to her lifestyle looked much older. As they sat and talked with her, tears poured down her face. She began to share all the wickedness she had been involved in. My mind cannot even fathom! She was not only involved in things like prostitution and human trafficking, but she was also heavily involved in satanism, including human sacrifices. She was now covered in sores because they threw some type of water mixture on her when she refused to sacrifice her oldest, 14 year old son. At the time that James came to her home, she had a bag of pills in her pocket and a rope hung with the plans of taking her own life.

I get chills just thinking about how satan almost had her! What we saw as hindrances, God had it planned for Eric to do that particular lesson on that particular day! Pray for this lady as I’m sure she will be experiencing many attacks. Pray that she will have a peace that she’s never had before, a peace like no other. Pray that the Lord will completely transform her life and others will marvel at how God works! May she be another maniac of Gaderrah, another Mary Magdalene!

And remember to pray for your missionaries! We don’t, and can’t always share every detail of every problem, but there is a great spiritual battle that we are facing! Sometimes it comes in physical sickness or discouragement from nationals, but it is not a battle of flesh and blood that we fight! It is a grave battle with principalities. We have gotten a glimpse lately, and it is great! The only way that battle can be fought is on our knees.

Internet is frequently poor, which is why I can’t always post weekly. I usually type out what I’m going to say ahead of time and then when I get it to work, quickly copy and paste. If I still have internet, I can reply to some comments and messages. I have noticed at times that when I like or reply to your comments that it didn’t go through. So, please forgive me if I miss something. Each of your comments and messages are a blessing!

We got to experience something new this week…a Malawian private clinic.

Abigail had been having some strange fevers and we had been advised to take her in for some bloodwork. She is, thankfully, doing much better now.

The clinic was definitely different than ours, but clean. While I was there, I greeted a group of ladies with “Good Morning!” in Chichewa. They were shocked and started giggling. One lady in particular found it amusing and said, “Most English people only say, Moni!” And “How is it she can speak like she was born here in Malawi?!” I thought maybe I shouldn’t try to say anything else or my poor Chichewa would be found out!😆 But I couldn’t help it and interjected a comment here and there, to which they always broke out in laughter saying, “She understands!!!”

Today during at the end of children’s church I decided to take prayer requests. Everyone here (well, around the world it’s human nature really) people seem to care only about themselves. No one is willing to help a neighbor or let the poorest have the food, they each want it for themselves. I told the kids that’s not how Christians should be. The Bible says in the last days men will be lovers of their own selves, but God asks us to look every man not on his own things, but also on the things of others. So I want them to begin praying for each other.

As they shared, I also wrote down their names. I wasn’t sure what to expect. In America kids ask prayer requests for everything! I thought I would possibly get a request about hunger as many are struggling to find food after the flooding. I wasn’t prepared for what they would request, or if they would feel comfortable sharing any requests. The two top prayer requests were for safety from witchcraft exposure in their homes/villages and the other was for nightmares, which I would guess is related. My heart just broke as they shared. If you think of it, will you please pray for these young ones (and I’m sure many more) dealing with this influence? Here are a few specific names you can pray for, a young man named Made, and some young ladies named Natasha, Esther, Eyanko, Takondwa, Tadala. I have them for such a short time! Praying that the Lord protects them when they are away.

We went to the village today (Sunday) but because it was about to rain, we sat with the adults for a short lesson. Near the end, I noticed the kids pointing at Isaac, so I decided to bring him out for a little while. (Isaac is my little puppet.) Within seconds I was surrounded by at least 50 kids all wanting to touch him and shake his hand! I thought, “Oh no! I’ve started a mob and I’m sitting down unable to get out of the way!” 😆 Thankfully I was able to safely excuse myself.

I shared earlier that missionary life is boring, in that often it is just being faithful, plodding through a similar routine. But it is definitely not considered boring if you count all the unexpected things thrown in! We came home today to find out that someone had climbed the wall during the night and stole all the grounding wires. We’ve had one week of water and electricity (which has barely been shut down- we’ve been told because of the holiday). It is not the funnest part of being a missionary, but it’s a common part of missionary life.

Really, we’ve only had minor inconveniences here and there…so light compared to some! But it could still bring discouragement. Outside of the Bible, I have found missionary biographies to be a great source of encouragement and can agree with this quote by Amy Carmichael:

Amy Carmichael was “fortified and cheered” when she read missionary biographies. Their stories were “a sort of standing dose of mental and spiritual quinine.”

I am a slow reader as I don’t have much time, but I greatly enjoy when I have the opportunity to read. I am still reading a big biography about Amy Carmichael. Though there are some things she and I would disagree on, I have really enjoyed it – more the first part than the end.

Even if you’re not a missionary, I want to encourage you to read Christian biographies. Even if you’re a busy mom or not a reader, try to read a chapter here and there. There’s something about reading their testimonies which encourages you to lay aside every weight, run the race, and draw closer to the Lord.

April 9, 2023

Happy Resurrection Sunday! We serve a RISEN Savior!!! He is not dead, but He is Risen!! 🌅

April 4, 2023

“Practical missionary life is an unexciting thing. It is not sparkling all over with incident. It is very prosaic at times.” ~Amy Carmichael

I’m currently reading through Amy Carmichael books and I always seem to find a quote stating my recent thoughts, though she puts it much more eloquently.

The routine, schedule…everything seems less than exciting, and definitely not glamorous! But life is so full! I have decided that I’m okay with that. We are boring, routine people who use to order the same favorites at restaurants…and that’s okay. God uses different kinds of people for different purposes.

The truck is being repaired so we weren’t able to go to Phokera. Instead we went out in our village, down paths that cars couldn’t get to. We did not find many home as everyone was out in their gardens. God still opened many doors to witness and meet people. You can see Sammy running to give out tracts in the pictures.🥰

It’s funny how shocked people are when they find out that we’re staying down here. They assume we’re staying up north, in Blantyre or further north. White people come down to offer aid, but never live down here (so we’ve been told).

When we greet them in Chichewa, they often are so shocked and it doesn’t register that we are greeting them in their language. They think it is hilarious once someone tells them!

The bulls and cows have been joining our Bible study on Sundays. Sometimes it seems like they’re going to walk right in the midst, but so far they go around.

The kids are usually the first to meet us. Sometimes kids around 5-8 will come carrying younger siblings on their backs. One little girl came with a baby who couldn’t have been more than a couple months. The littlest ones are a little scared of us as they have never seen a white person before. Sometimes it is funny, sometimes it makes me sad as I would love to pick them up and love on them!

Following the children’s lesson, I was walking back to the van carrying my puppet, Isaac, when I noticed an older lady staring at him. So I put my hand in and had Isaac “greet” her. Her eyes got big and she stared at his mouth in shock and started laughing. So I had “him” say as much as I could in Chichewa. She just stared at his mouth in amazement! Lydia and I were as tickled watching her as she was watching Isaac! We think she thought the puppet was actually the one talking!

And I’m excited to report that Eric was able to rig the water so that it works! We had an entire day of water AND electricity! I have been running the washing machine ALL day and doing as much as I could. What a great blessing it has been! Continue to pray that they can get it completely fixed and running normally.

March 29, 2023

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!