Malawi Update Vol. 10

Dear Family and Friends,

Here we are at the end of another year. We have just celebrated our fourth Christmas in Malawi and we are thankful for so many things. Recently we shared some prayer requests with you. We wanted to update you on those things and give a few more.

1. There has been much media coverage of the death of Mandela, but there are a lot of real South Africans for whom the maintenance of peace of that country is a need. We are also much more aware of conflict in other parts of Africa: South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Nigeria, etc. The Gospel IS exploding on the African continent, but there are still so many obstacles and barriers! Pray for the Church and Her work here.

2 and 3. Laurie Johnstone’s brother Gareth and Ashley Henderson both received kidney transplants (Gareth also received a pancreas, which we didn’t know before). Give great praise that they are both doing well, though there is still a road to recovery. Also pray for Gareth as his parents are there with him, but medical costs are still a major concern.

4. Please continue to pray for the families and the community on the death of the three Young Life workers we mentioned.

5. Brian’s STA interview went well in spite of technical difficulties. Please continue to pray for us as he looks for a job that will use his gifts and support our family.

6. Our school Christmas program went well. One never knows what seeds are planted. Pray for God to continue to work.

On another note… As the year is drawing to a close, we would like to make you aware of some year-end giving opportunities. We have begun to look for one-way tickets to come back to the States. This will begin at just over $5,000.00 before taxes and extra baggage are added. We have also registered for Mission Training International’s October session of Debriefing and Renewal. We have been strongly encouraged by many missionaries both currently on and off the field that this needs to be a priority for us when we get back. There are age appropriate sessions for the each member of the family that will help us to not only process our time abroad but also help facilitate our “re-entry” to our home culture. This week long session will be about $3000.00 total for the five of us. The total payment is due two weeks before the session begins. (You can find out more about it here: http://www.mti.org/programs/DAR). Lastly, it will take about $400-$500 for me to renew and or reapply for my teaching certificate.

Scharlie and I thank you and give praise and thanks to God for the amazing care He as taken of us over these 3 ½ years!

May the Lord bless you and keep you in the New Year!

Grace and Peace,

Brian, Scharlie, Gwen, Samuel and Nathan

Donations to the African Bible Colleges are tax-deductible and can be made online here:

https://africanbiblecolleges.net/EFT/?m=Brian_Carlisle

Or via mail here:

African Bible Colleges

P. O. Box 103

Clinton, MS 39060

Please put Carlisles in memo of check

A Busy Semester

Dear Family and Friends,

It is hard to believe that the end of the calendar year is upon us! We greatly enjoyed our time home this past Summer and came back and hit the ground running. We hope you enjoy the pictures and brief captions below. The pictures are pretty much in chronological order. 

The day after we got back to Malawi, the Biedebachs had made a "bicycle course" in the field next to our house. To Brian, it looked much like a primitive BMX track :) Samuel made his dad proud by showing his skills as he raced around the track.

First day of school: Samuel 6 Grade 1; Gwen 8 Grade 2

Good friends are hard to lose! We worked with Scott and Kristy Borders for two years. Above they are holding Ginny who was born a few weeks before Nathan. Below are our kids with theirs: Darius, Constance, and Ginny.

What a joy it is has been to look forward to each September or October when we get to see Dr. K and have a meal with him!

We planted this tree two years ago, it's getting bigger, just like our littlest boy.

Grandma C, I am ready to be packed into your suitcase to go home :)

Reading Day is one of the two Big days of the year at the Academy. This year Scharlie was Mrs. Teaberry from Mr. Putter and Tabby. Brian was Mr. Putter. Samuel was Mudge from Henry and Mudge. Nathan joined the fun and was Henry. Gwen bounced along throughout the day as Tigger from Winnie-the-Pooh.

Brothers having fun in the sand pile beneath the kitchen window. 

International Day is the other Big day at the Academy. The night before, Scharlie sewed a chitenje map of Malawi on the back of Nathan's USA shirt since he is sort of an American-Malawian :)

This maybe one of Samuel's greatest engineering triumphs yet.

These two can have fun anywhere!

With a big sister like Gwen, life is always filled with laughter.

The Thanksgiving pies with pecans and love all the way from McConnells, SC.

(Caption Contest: Whoever comes up with the best caption for the picutre, Brian will buy any one drink from Starbuck's the next time he is with you.)

Gwen has progressed very well in her swimming this year. Her first chance to swim competitively came in the Interhouse Swim Gala. This is Gwen in a relay race. Gwen got a first, second and fourth in her races! Way to go!

I taught with Jean Mpata my first year here, and she taught both Gwen and Samuel in Kindergarten. She is an incredibly godly lady, from whom I have learned much, about the LORD, about, prayer, about trust, and about Malawi. Brian and I were invited to participate in the celebration of her 25th Wedding Anniversary. Her husband, Stephen, also a mentor to many, has taught a number classes at African Bible College.

We were asked to speak as a couple who has had some sort of spiritual influence on them, standing in place of her parents as another couple did for Mr. Mpata. We were honored. Yes there was dancing involved, yes we tried, yes, there was much laughter both at and with us. But, as it was also a fund raiser for Child Evangelism Fellowship, and as we figure laughing people give more money, it was worth it.

Scharlie lost her dear Grandma Frame (shown here with Gwen this past Summer). Grandma went home to be with Jesus for Christmas, their common birthday. 

Mmm--Enjoying popsicles on a very hot, rainy season afternoon--Malawian Christmas Eve 2013.

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a.... bouncy Chinese reindeer :)

Nathan was not happy to find switches and coal in his stocking.
(This reminds me of another dreadful, but hilarious Christmas picture from 2004. Momma, please tell me you have that somewhere!)

Half way through opening presents: Gwen and Dad are putting together a new doll bed while Samuel is working on a new Lego creation.

Our annual Christmas breakfast was a lot of fun! It was bigger this year, about 15 total, but many hands helped out. We had three french toast casseroles and lots of other breakfast goodies.

May God richly bless you in the coming year, may He make all of us ever more faithful to Him!

 Love,

 the Carlisles!

Scharlie's Grandmother Died This Morning

Dear Family and Friends,

We have just received word that Scharlie's grandmother, Elizabeth Frame, has died of a heart attack this morning. She was taken to the hospital for chest pains in an ambulance from her home. We do not know any further details.

Please pray for comfort for Scharlie's grandfather David Frame and for his children Sandra, Marsha, Dave, Stan and Conan. Please pray for Scharlie and her sisters and the rest of her family and our Church and the community as they grieve this loss as well.

Grandma Frame's birthday is on Christmas and as Gwen said, now she gets to see Jesus and share his birthday this year!


Grace and Peace,

Brian and Scharlie

RE: Matters for Praise and Prayer

We thank you for being faithful to pray! Here are some areas that we would request prayer for:

1.     The nation of South Africa on the death of her senior Statesman, Nelson Mandela. Please pray for peace and stability in this important and powerful country in this region of the world.

2.     Laurie Johnstone is one of the teachers at the Academy. We have become good friends with her family. Her brother, Gareth, lives in the States, I think Texas. He has been in need of a kidney transplant for some time. He has just been notified of a match. Pray that he is strong enough to have the procedure. Pray for their family. His parents are flying from Malawi to be there with him. Also pray that this would be an opportunity for him to come to faith in Christ through the witness of his family and the recognition of God’s goodness with this match.

3.     Ashley Henderson is a little girl from our church, Olivet, in South Carolina. She is Samuel’s age and has had many health complications. She too is in need of a kidney transplant and has been scheduled to receive one on Thursday, 12 December. Give praise for this and pray that the surgery is a success and for continued grace, strength and peace to be given to Ashley and her family as they walk through this time.

4.    There was an awful car accident this week involving two Young Life Leaders and a missionary from, we think, Oklahoma, who had been working with them. They had been attending a Young Life conference in Zimbabwe and were returning to Malawi. (For those unfamiliar with Young Life, it is a Christian outreach ministry to teens. It is very active in America too). The two men were regional directors for both Lilongwe and Blantyre. The regional director form Lilongwe, Wanongwa Sanga, (sp) we knew and I had interviewed his wife, Mphatso, for a teaching position at the Academy. Both of these men were young had been married for about 18 months or so. The American woman has been in the country for a some time. This has been devastating to this community. Pray for Christ to minister to the young widows and to the friends and family of all three. Also, pray for this ministry as it is a terrible blow.

5.    This seems small compared with the above requests. I have a Skype call on Monday with the recruiter that I will be working with from the Southern Teachers Agency. Pray that I represent myself well and give a good sense of where I would be a “good fit” to my recruiter as he seeks to match me with potential school positions.

6.   Our school Christmas Show is this coming Thursday. There will probably be between 600-700 people in attendance. The gospel is always presented and many people in attendance are not believers. Pray for hearts to be softened.

Grace and Peace,

Brian, Scharlie, Gwen, Samuel and Nathan