Beyond the Shire

A Full Tank!

2012-01-24T05:18:00.000+02:00

This may seem like a strange thing to mention, but I assure you it is no small matter! Yesterday, I received my car back with likely not enough fuel to make it home from the repair shop. (When I had dropped it off it had a 1/4 tank???) The first gas station I came to had petrol and I only had to wait about 40 minutes to get it! They also were allowing people to "top up" or get as much as there vehicle could hold. Some stations had been only selling a certain number of litres or MK10,000 for each customer. We are very thankful to have our car back and have fuel in it!

Malawi Update Vol. 6

2012-01-15T17:14:00.000+02:00

Notice of Hotmail Account Down

2012-01-13T21:55:00.000+02:00

We just want to let folks know that we are still alive and ok! Something happened to our personal email account(the Hotmail one) that has blocked us out of it. We have not had access to it since New Years Eve. If anyone knows of a way that I can email MSN/Windows Live/Hotmail to explain my situation, please let me know. I have not been able to successfully comply with anything they have asked due to my limitations here.

We have had many days where the power is only on long enough to cook meals and keep food in the refrigerator from going bad. Thankfully we got a gas/electric stove installed over the break. We had bought it in July bite things take a while sometimes:) The oven is electric but the range is gas. That has definitely been a big help recently.

We are trying to get a new letter out and hope to do it before we go back to school on Tuesday.

One thing that you can pray for us about is that we have been quite discouraged as of late. We have been longing for home and the familiar and the financial, political and social scene in Malawi is getting more tense and difficult. So, please pray for encouragement as the busyness is about to begin and we do not feel at all ready for it!

We appreciate your prayers and know that the Lord works through them.

If you would like to email us you can reach us here at brian.carlisle1@gmail.com or Scharlie at scharlie.carlisle@gmail.com .

We will give notice when our Hotmail account is back and running.

2011-11-26T13:16:00.000+02:00

Letters from Malawi

2011-11-20T14:57:00.001+02:00

I hope that all of the letters we sent have reached their recipients by now. A brief word of explanation is due though, so that you do not think too poorly of the Malawi Post Corporation. Many of the letters that were sent on 20 October, were written in mid-July. On the inside of the card there is the date when we wrote them, but they did not get sent until mid- October. We were wanting to get them all written before we sent them. We did not finish before school started and progress was quite slow thereafter until the mid-term break.

Mailing them from the Post Office was an interesting process that took over an hour. Each letter was weighed individually and then the stamps were counted off for each. Then they had to be licked and stuck on. (Missed those sticker stamps and the fact that even if I had a stack of mail to send it would be taken care of in 10 minutes at the McConnells PO). We did not think the stamps would stay on well enough, so we added the extra step of covering them in clear tape. Aren't they pretty?:) So, sorry if what we said was a bit out of date. We love you all. Take care.

The Rains Have Begun

2011-11-19T17:34:00.000+02:00

This has been a most unusual beginning to the rainy season. People have said that it has been decades since there has been rain as early as this year. Throughout mid-late October, there were many isolated hard rains. Last year, we had a brief 30 minute shower in October, but then the "real rains" started in late November or early December.

It is so beautiful when it rains. The temperature drops afterwards and everything begins to green up again. It really is a completely different landscape. It is also lovely to be under a tin roof when it begins! I have posted a clip of the first hard rain during a school day while the Academy is in session. This is looking out the front doors of the Admin Bldg. This happened on Tuesday 15 November. (It took about 45 minutes a piece for these clips to load. I could have used a different format, but looking at it on my computer it was so grainy that it did not seem worth posting. I am not able to tell if this will be any better. If someone with a "real" internet connection can look at this and tell me if it was worth posting, I would appreciate it. If it is not, I will probably give up trying to post videos and just stay with pictures. [I could not get the second one to load at all!] )

Please pray for the people of Malawi. Pray that the rains will be what they need for their maize crops to do well. In the last six months fuel has gone from MK256/ liter to MK380/liter ($1.46-$2.17) for petrol and about the same percentage increase for diesel. Now most Malawians of course do not have vehicles, but many in the city use the mini-bus to get to work and they are significantly affected by the rise in the price of food due to the increase in transportation costs. During this same time Kwacha has been devalued some, not as much as the IMF and World Bank would like, but that has also had an affect on the rise of prices here recently.

Then, this past week the Parliament unanimously voted themselves an increase in their overall monthly compensation package from MK390,000 to MK 1,000,000 ($2,228-$5714)! The President said that he would only sign it if the MP's impeached his VP!

Things are getting increasingly difficult for the average Malawian. Please pray for their leaders to place the needs of their people ahead of their own personal and financial gain. This problem is not unique to Malawi, but it seems much more egregious here.

Children

2011-10-22T22:58:00.000+02:00

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to help host a baby shower for one of the ladies who cleans for our school. Jean Mpata, with whom I taught last year, knows Esnart well and wanted to give her a shower and asked if she could have it here. Showers here are usually only for first babies. Esnart got married at the beginning of last year and this year she’s welcomed little Miriam. Jean spent some of the time translating so that the ladies who teach, clean, and work in various other capacities at the school would better understand each other. I appreciate Jean.

Esnart was surprised, I think, really appreciative, and a little overwhelmed maybe. I was reminded of the blessings of the body of Christ as Jean prayed for Esnart, gave her good advice on mothering, and reminded all of us who were mothers that it is not only the physical needs, but also the spiritual needs of our children we need to see to. Jean, after all, has the wisdom of the mother of near-grown children and the close memory of a mother of a three year old. Pray for Esnart, her husband, and little Miriam.

Pray for us too. Balance is hard. We are busy and though we also spend time with Gwen and Samuel, we sometimes find it hard to just sit and talk with them. Pray for our family relationships and also, you parents who’ve been here, feel free to send along some good advice. We want to love these children in ways that build and train, bless, and point them to the Savior.

Also, will you please be in prayer for several families who are in various stages of the adoption process. It is very complicated here and, as anywhere it is hard to wait and not know what will come next, even as their hearts are already committed. I know some of you know about this first hand. Thanks for remembering them.

Rain

2011-10-22T22:49:00.000+02:00

(composed 8 October, 2011)

Sometimes when it rains, it pours--both literally and figuratively. “It’s been a week .” That’s what my dad used to say when it had been a hard one. Well it feels like it’s been a week and a half. Our water heater went out on Sunday and was finished being repaired (including some leaking through the ceiling) on Tuesday afternoon. Samuel came down with fever on Sunday night and missed three days of school (I missed two with him--just a virus). On Monday, Gwen started swim lessons again (so will Sam next week) and we discovered how crazy our Monday schedules are (if you never pray for us any other times, pray on MondaysJ). On Tuesday it rained all afternoon and night(apparently the biggest rain this early in twenty-something years). This was lovely(for me, as I have a good roof and no major building projects going on, personally)--cooled everything off. But then when I ventured out in it to do some grocery shopping, I had a problem. After my second stop, the car wouldn’t start. I called Brian, but got it going again. We missed each other (long story) and it quit again--this time in the middle of a busy road in the rain, in the dark. Thank goodness for caution lights and the LORD’s protection! I called Brian, who was out in our neighbors car and he found me, called a guy who does maintenance at the college, who helped jump it well enough to get it back to campus. (It would not be safe at all to just leave it wherever it stopped). So, someone from the college fixed it. We are so thankful for our community here. Friday was Reading Day at school--lots of fun, but a lot goes into it. In the afternoon there were a swim event at the pool, which Brian helped out with a little, and a shower at our house.

This Saturday has been most welcome. Though writing about what is hard also reminds me of what I have--hot water and power most of the time, mostly healthy children, a car, a house with a good roof, and a husband who’ll come out in the rain to help me when I’m in a jam! A lot of blessings have been poured out on me too. Hmm. To paraphrase something that Joe Novenson said, "May the LORD help me to live more in light of His provision, than my condition."

Calling All Teachers

2011-10-05T22:59:00.000+02:00

If you have ever thought about teaching abroad in general or in Africa specifically, please continue reading.

We have a need this year for a teacher to do a maternity leave beginning in January and ending in April. This is a 4th grade class.

With regards to next year, we will have the following vacancies: all levels of pre-k to upper elementary; ESL/Special Needs; MS/HS Math and Science; HS Spanish; MS/HS English.

Any teachers who come across this, please pass it around to any others who might be interested. I am happy to answer any questions that a potential applicant might have. You never know where and how a teacher is going to find out about the opportunities here at ABC Christian Academy! I am including the link for the school website below. There is also an online application for anyone needing more information.

I appreciate your help in getting the word out!

http://africanbiblecolleges.org/abc_academy_.php

The Homecoming of Alicia Ligomeka

2011-09-11T16:59:00.000+02:00

Dear Friends and Family,

On Wednesday September 07, the Lord brought home one of His younger servants: Alicia Ligomeka. Alicia had been a part of the ABC Christian Academy school community since preschool. She was in the third grade this year and it was the start of her fifth year at the school. Alicia was at school the previous Friday, but her mom sent a note on Monday with another student stating that Alicia was sick and would not make it to school that day. She was not able to make on Tuesday either. On Sunday night, she tested positive for malaria. On Wednesday morning about 4 AM the Lord took her home. We can be thankful that she WAS a believer. She had trusted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. However, her sudden death has been a shock and jolt to all of the school community, but especially to her mother and classmates, many of whom had been with her since preschool.

For whatever reason, the family did not state that malaria was the cause of death, but rather tonsillitis?? (I was told this at the memorial service held at her house on Wednesday.) This does not make much sense to me. What would make sense would be that she had cerebral malaria. This is a particularly aggressive form of malaria that claimed the lives of three people from our campus or family members of people who work here last March-May. Alicia walked into a clinic/hospital on Tuesday afternoon/evening and died early Wednesday morning. Alicia was an only child and her mother is not only now childless but also a widow. Her husband died when Alicia was in Kindergarten. Please pray for Alicia's mother, Rose Ligomeka. I cannot even begin to imagine the bitterness and sorrow of soul that she is experiencing!

I would like to relate some more details from last Wednesday.

As we were coming out of morning devotions, Kelvin Banda, one of our new teachers, told me that one of our students had died earlier that morning. I went to my office and was met by one of our Malawian teachers who gave me more details. After praying together and discussing what and how the school should respond, we decided that we would call all of the third grade parents to let them know what has happened. We also let the parents know that there were three options for their students that day: 1 we had arranged the use of the college bus to take a group of students to the house to pay respect to and offer condolences to the mother; 2 the parents could come and pick their child up; 3 the students could stay with the other third grade teacher, Ms. Clarke, until the regular dismissal time. (I would like to state what a blessing it was to have Mwizaso Khonje, Jean Mpata, Shamiso Najira, and Sam McDonald to give counsel and assitance in dealing with this situation. The first two are Malawian teachers. Jean is the one that Scharlie taught with last year. Shamiso is a Malawian parent of one of the girls in Alicia's class. These three offered much needed culturally relevant counsel to me in terms of how best to deal with this situation. Sam is an instructor at the college and is the Head of Mission in Malawi while Dr. Paul Chinchen is on furlough. Sam's pastoral nature and presence as well as counsel were deeply appreciated!)

Mwizaso and I called all of the third grade parents to find out who was going to be able to go visit the family and who would stay at the school. While we were doing that, Jean was giving some grief counseling/spiritual comfort to the third grade classes. She was also instructing the ones that would go on what the protocol for the visit would be. Jean also had the students make some cards to take to Alicia's mother.

Just after 10 AM, we left school with about 15 or 16 students and another 10 or so meet us at the house with their parents. I drove Sam McDonald, Igna Van Rensburg--Alicia's teacher this year, and Cara Clark--Alicia's teacher from last year. Jean had already prepped the kids that she would offer some words and then pray. Then the students would sing. Then I would offer some words and pray and give her the flowers and card from the school and then we would leave. There were probably 60 or so women in the house crying and singing when we got there. We walked in and went to a side room where the mother was brought out to see us. It was overwhelming for her to see all of the children in their uniforms. We followed the protocol that Jean had coached us on and then all of the students hugged Mrs. Ligomeka as we left. It was a very tender and solemn scene.

Once we were back outside, we--Sam and I--consulted with Shamiso and one other parent and decided that the next step was to cancel school for the day on Thursday. We were able to call Glenda Saywood--one of the secretaries--and she and Kelvin got the word out in hard copy and email to all of the students before the end of the day. Before we left, Alicia's uncle asked Sam if he would represent the school with some words at the memorial later that day. Sam of course agreed.

We got back to school and took care of a few matters. I went home for lunch and then some of us met at 1:30 to go back to the house for the memorial service. The coffin was to be taken to Zomba which is about 4-5 hours south of Lilongwe to her family's home village for the burial. Sam drove Owen to the house and I drove Cara, Jean, and Catherine Stephens. (Catherine and Owen had been Teachers Assistants in Alicia's preschool and kindergarten classes.) When we arrived at the house the women went into the house and the men sat in chairs outside of the house. (There were only three mzungus there--Sam, Cara, and me.) There was a steady stream of women coming and going out of the house because they could not all fit at one time. For the next three and half a hours there was mostly singing going on in the house, punctuated with some loud wailing. It was amazing to here them sing! There were well over 100 women in the house at once. Outside, the men were very subdued but were talking quietly and just waiting for the coffin to be brought from the mortuary. There were some chairs right out in front of the house. These were reserved for the church leaders, the village chief, and one of the grandfathers. The next row of chairs which was to the front and right of where I was seated, were filled with the uncle and other close men of the family and important members of the community.

When the coffin was brought back at about 5:30, it was taken into the house and the crying and singing got so much louder. There was an opportunity for the men to come in and walk around the coffin and then go back out. After we were all seated again, the women began to come out of the house and were seated on the ground and then the coffin was brought out for the memorial service. (There were well over 250+ people there.) The pastor lead the singing. Then Sam gave his short word representing the Academy and Mission. He mixed his message with some Chichewa and English. However, one story he told became the main theme of the pastor's address. The story that Sam told happened in Gwen's first grade class earlier that day. Gwen's teacher, Ms. Herbst, was not sure how to tell her students so she prayed and then told them that Alicia had gone to be with Jesus in heaven and they began spontaneously clapping for her! What an incredible picture of childlike faith!

After the pastor spoke, there was another song and then about 6:15 PM the coffin was loaded into the hearse and the family members that were travelling in the two buses all loaded up and left for Zomba. It was going to be a very late night on the road.

There was certainly a subdued feeling on our campus Friday, but everyone seemed to be hanging in there.

Please continue to pray for Alicia's mother and family and friends as well as our school community.

(As we were walking to the house for the memorial service, Sam told me that this was probably the most significant ministry that I had been involved in so far in Malawi. The importance of funerals and showing respect, support, and solidarity with the family and community during such a time is of incredible importance in Malawian culture. I consider it to have been a blessing to participate in this ceremony even though I felt quite awkward and could not understand everything that was going on around me. I had the chance to let this mother of one of my students know that I loved her and wanted to help bear her grief and mourning in whatever feeble way I could.)

Below are some pictures of Alicia and her classmates from last year.

First Days of School

2011-09-02T03:49:00.000+02:00

The Drs. Wong and Dr. E would be proud

Friday night has come and we are EXHASUTED (so much so that I can no longer spell :)) We have already seen many things that are encouraging. My teachers are off to a good start. I have only heard one say that the week has been hard. The others were tired by today, but had a very positive first week. We have 313 students. GOD is GOOD!

Gwen and Samuel have done so well. Gwen loves her First Grade teacher, Ms. Herbst. Samuel is enjoying Ms. Chris and Mr. Gray. With the exception of today, they both woke up and got dressed with out any promptings from mom and dad. (Samuel stayed home with a fever today. Kind of hard because it was the first Chapel day).

Scharlie is easing into middle school and is glad to find she can still do math. (Many thanks to Mrs. Sherer, Mrs. Sandifer, Mrs. Nance, and Mr. Good and a whole lot of elementary folks too, I guess:) I'm finding too, though, that there was at least one lesson learned in Kindergarten that I'm very thankful for: Do not procrastinate! (Momma, I can hear you laughing. It only took 33 years)! Thanks for prayers. It has been a busy week, but a good one. And we're glad it is started. The three weeks before almost did us in!

Does that look like a family that is ready for school or what!

Samuel and his buddy JJ on their way to school

Our very own First Grader!

Dressed for success

Malawi Update Vol. 4

2011-08-19T21:13:00.000+02:00

August, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

Brian and I celebrated our 11^th Anniversary last week (though it was on the 15^th of July). We had dinner out (a nice treat) and a long conversation about the Lord and how He mercifully works on us, usually in ways we don’t expect, definitely ways we would not choose. As usual, though, He knows better than to let us choose. He loves us too much. He loves us too much not to give us the experiences that will grow us in Him. I will be honest, this year has not been hard in the ways I expected. I expected to make more material sacrifices. While there have been some, in mild ways here, I think God knew these were areas where I would grit my teeth, bear it and even possibly feel more holy for going without. Instead I have not been allowed to feel holy at all and have been tested in areas most dear, most significantly, my family and my time. As I struggle with these changes I would not have sought, I begin to see their value. I have seen sin in my life that I might not have otherwise. It’s amazing to me that God can use and sharpen tools at the same time. But maybe it’s not so strange--both scrape away parts of the tool. If I sound a bit scraped up, don’t feel sorry for me. (I’m sure I have done enough of that for myself and will again). Right before we left for Africa our dear friend Nicholas Ireland, who spent several years as a missionary teacher in Romania related something his team leader there told him. This is not a direct quote, but it was something like, “God doesn’t take you to a mission field to ‘enrich’ your life. It is His mission to break you, so He can re-make you.” It is my belief that we all have mission fields as Christians. I know that everyone God calls he makes new, and therefore more useful. So, rejoice with me that God is continuing a good work in me. He can do that anywhere, but He’s chosen to do it here for now. Thank you so much for your prayers for us this year. I cannot tell you what a comfort the knowledge of them has been.

We also celebrated the first anniversary of our coming to Africa. We are thankful to be here, though we have not stopped missing you badly (and will not). We are about to start another school year. It will be different. Brian will continue to be headmaster and will still teach one class. I am going to be teaching 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th Grade Math. I am excited about this change, but also apprehensive. It will be another busy year. Gwen and Samuel will both be going to school. Please pray for us. Pray too, for other new and returning teachers and students.

Since our last update, we have had our first--and we trust not our last (hint, hint)--visitor to Malawi. Brian's mom was here for the month of June. So many things to give praise for about this time. Mom had no trouble at all coming or going. (On the way back she got to travel as far as Washington D.C. with Dan Trumble fellow ABC missionary and financial controller at the College). We got to take her to Lake Malawi and for a one day/night safari to Liwonde National Park in the Southern Region of Malawi. This was a lot of fun and we still need to post some pictures from that time. It was so nice to get to share life here with someone from home. Mom was around for the last weeks of school and saw us "in action" before things lightened up a bit for the long holiday. (Long holiday is a compromise because I always want to call it Summer Break when it is really Winter Break here. It just sounds too strange to say Winter Break in July and August!) Mom had lots of Gwen and Samuel time, and she also got to relax and watch them play with their friends. We have been acutely missing home as of late. So, it was nice to have a little bit of home here in Africa. Shortly after mom arrived, so did the first container. I believe this was earlier than it has ever come before. Along with getting Academy supplies that were inventoried and distributed for the coming school year, Gwen and Samuel also got their bikes. This was a blessing too because they have had the whole break to ride them. If there are any reading this that have even the briefest knowledge of my time growing up BMX bike racing, you will know how it thrills my heart to see both of my children riding around on their bikes! We also were able to open the boxes that my mom, dad, and brother sent us while my mom was here.

During the Long Holiday, there are mission teams that come and stay on ABC's campus to do work here and with other missions in and around Lilongwe. (Since there are always a number of ABC folks that are gone for the "Summer," so things can feel a bit like a ghost town without the College and Academy in session.) One of those teams was from Washington State and they conducted a VBS here on campus and one in the village across the street. Gwen and Samuel really enjoyed the lessons and singing. Two of the girls, Jordan and Gabby, Gwen connected with and cried when they left. Probably the biggest event to take place on campus was the Evangelism Explosion training that went on for two weeks in July. I am not certain, but I believe there were over a hundred delegates in attendance. While most of the participants were from Malawi, there were over 10 other African countries represented! Many of these worshipped at IBF with us and they greatly enhanced the singing and “amening” during the sermon.

Another item to give praise for is our new/used gas "cooker" or stove. Brian's mom took up a collection for us to get a new stove because of the decrepit status of our current one. Also, with a gas one, we can still cook when the power goes out, which is happening more frequently. A brand new one would have been very expensive and still relatively poor quality. We found a Bosch stove on Lilongwe Chat, which is the Malawian version of Craig's List. We were so thankful! Just a reminder of the goodness and provision of God even in the little details of life.

Brian took some time off in July, but due to the fuel situation we just stayed here in Lilongwe. We are homebodies so that did not bother us much:).

Well, school starts on Monday. I have been working on bulletin boards and lesson plans. All around preparations are being made-- desks being painted, things being repaired, families coming in to see which teachers their children have, buying uniforms-- there is so much that goes into the start of a school year. Please pray for us to be ready. Brian's been the part-time financial person over the break, which has taken a lot of time. Pray for him as he is teaching on the book of John in his Bible class with older students as well as his work as Headmaster. Please pray for me as I make the jump back to middle school (a bit higher than I have been before). Pray for all of us to have a good year, and also especially for new teachers.

Brian's administrative assistant, Khambile Msonthi (shown here with Brian--both in “traditional” dress--on International Day), leaves to study in the States for a year at RTS in Jackson, MS. Pray for her safety as she leaves Thursday as well as for her to have a very productive time of study. The arrangements for her replacement have fallen through at the last minute. Pray for us to get someone quickly that will capably fill her position! (Update at posting, position filled today!!!)

Also, Malawi needs prayer. There is still some unrest. Pray for peace, for cool heads so that there can be dialogue, for people to do what they know is right (even in large groups), for wisdom for leaders to lead in a Godly manner. The demonstrations set for August 17 were cancelled because of dialogue being held. We know that God has answered the prayers of so many of His people both here in Malawi and around the world. What a blessing! Thank you for praying.

Love and Thankfulness,

Brian, Scharlie, Gwen, and Samuel

Join with us in giving thanks! Please pray for

-Academy has all postions filled -Spiritual growth of our family

-Safe travels and visit with Brian’s mom -Continued peace in times of

-Good times togehter as a family political and economic uncertainty

-Good health -Gospel work in and around Malawi

-Continued prayer and financial support -Helathy balance of work and family

-Wonderful staff -Continued good health

-Soft hearts for new and returning students

Financial Support may be sent to:

African Bible Colleges OR Online at: https://africanbiblecolleges.net/EFT/?m=Brian_Carlisle

P. O. Box 103

Clinton, MS 39060

Please put Carlisles in memo of check

One Year in Malawi

2011-08-04T00:46:00.000+02:00

One year; 12 months; 365 days; 8,760 hours; 525,600 minutes-- Okay, you get the point, we've been here a while. We've not travelled more than 250 miles from our doorstep since we arrived. In our next news letter (yes there will be one, thanks for your patience), there will be more on how we are thinking about our time here, one year into it. But for now, a few pictures of our trip to Lake Malawi, which is the only beach our children have ever seen. Brian re-claimed a day off from a vacation day that he had to work. We asked people at school about places to stay that were not too far and were cheap. A co-worker shared this winner, so we spent one night. It was a great opportunity to spend some time as a family-- play, climb, splash, talk, collect shells, and just be together. We took food and kept things really simple. When we first drove in it looked kind of sketchy, but the cottage where we were was fine, old, but clean. And the beach--well, have a look!

Unrest in Malawi

2011-07-21T08:07:00.001+02:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Just wanted to give you a quick update on the situation here in Lilongwe, Malawi. There were demonstrations and some violence and looting here in Lilongwe, but matters were worse in Mzuzu (northern region) and Blantyre (southern region) than they were here. Things were quiet once dark fell on Lilongwe. I am the campus radio liaison with the US Embassy and I was in radio communication with them throughout the day and we had extra security posted at each gate and round the walls for about 36 hours. There was no danger or trouble where we are. The campus was safe and secure all day and night. I am writing on Thursday morning and I believe that things have quieted that people can go to work and be out their business here in Lilongwe anyway.

As great as are economic and political needs are in Lilongwe the spiritual needs are far greater! I am sure that is the same for back home. Please pray for the work of the Gospel here in Malawi. We are praying for the States.

P.S. It has come to my attention that some foreign media outlets are trying to spin the events here as some sort of ground swell for "homosexual rights" or xenophobia (anti-foreigners). This is could not be further from the truth. There are significant and systemic issues here at all levels of society and that is what people are trying to bring attention to.

Grace and Peace,

Brian and Scharlie

Talking with Samuel Shaba

2011-05-25T22:22:00.000+02:00

Last Friday afternoon, while I was working on lesson plans, Samuel Shaba came into my office to sit down and drink some coffee with me. Samuel is a first year student at African Bible College. We met sometime in August or September and have had many brief conversations around campus. Right before the Easter Break he told me about going up to his home village with Dr. Larry Brown--one of the professors at the college--and two other students to show the Jesus movie and preach on Good Friday, Saturday and Easter. I told him that I would be praying for the time and would like to hear how it went.

Well, we finally had the chance to talk. They were able to show the Jesus film and preach numerous times and he said that the people were hungry. Mzimba is the area Samuel grew up in. He has been wanting to go back to his village and preach for awhile. He says that there is such a need to have Gospel preaching in his area. There are churches, but there is not much sound teaching/preaching in the churches. On Easter morning he had the opportunity to preach to over 1,000 people without any amplification.

It was great to hear his passion and desire to reach the people in his home area. Samuel already has one Bible College degree and has been a pastor, but the training he is receiving at ABC is far above what he has already had. We talked and drank coffee for about 2 hours. We also talked about cultural differences and similarities. We--Scharlie and I--have not had that many opportunities to get to know the college students. I am glad that Samuel is a first year student and that I am a first year headmaster. I think we will have many more conversations in the future.

Malawi Update Vol. 3

2011-05-04T19:57:00.000+02:00

May, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

Our Easter Break is almost over. It has been nice. We have had a chance to talk to a few people on skype, which is good. It is not until you get to talk to a few folks from home that you realize how much you miss people. This has been the busiest second semester we have every experienced! And we have not yet made it to the last month of school! While you are in the work mode, here as anywhere, it is easy to get consumed with the day-to-day and neglect less pressing but more important matters. Some of those matters are taking enough time for family and individual “rest”--rest of course comes in various forms--time with God, physical rest, seeking out new relationships and keeping in touch with friends and family back home.

There have been some moments of repose. I (Brian) get to come home for lunch each day for an hour. (I usually make it home on time). This has been a tremendous blessing. We eat and then usually get to read something together and then put Gwen and Samuel down for their naps. We finished the Chronicles of Narnia, which was wonderful.

Another set of books that we have read together this year is called the Sprit Flyer Series. Our friend, Chris McCartney, gave us the first one in the series years ago. We were able to borrow the others from some neighbors and read them all to the children. They were a fun read, but a little intense at times for small children. The books talk about being able to see the “deeper world.” By this is meant the spiritual world. The way the author talks about and illustrates the effects of sin on believers and unbelievers alike, made for many good talks afterwards with Gwen and Samuel. The “deeper world” is all around us, whether we are back home in the States or here in Lilongwe. It seems though, that the “deeper world” is less subtle here in some ways. There have been a number of deaths from malaria that have touched the ABC community since January.

Death is a very real and very common visitor here. It is the last enemy to be conquered. As we have just celebrated Easter, it has been a good reminder to me that death is real, but it is not the end. Christ’s death opened the way for his resurrection and it is through his resurrection that we know his death was sufficient! In a recent conversation with Mwizaso Khonje--Middle School Bible teacher--about her grandmother’s funeral that she had just returned from, we talked about Christianity in Africa. The following is the gist of what she said.

“There is a frequently repeated phrase that, ‘In Africa, Christianity is a mile wide and an inch deep.’ There is some truth to this statement. BUT all we have is Christ! When the rains do not come on time and the harvest does not come in, there is no one to give us food. The government cannot help us. Our families are poor and in the same shape as we are. When our loved ones are sick and do not have access to medical care or cannot afford it we pray and that is all we can do. We are dependent on Christ for everything. So maybe Christianity in Africa is shallow in some respects, but I am afraid of what will happen if we continue to experience ‘progress’ in the form of Westernization and higher standards of living. What will become of our dependence on Christ? Will that understanding of dependence decrease and be replaced by dependency on self, the economy or some other god?”

We have definitely been reminded more frequently that there are many things that are not in our hands. That’s not a comfortable thing to remember at times, and yet ultimately it is the greatest comfort. Nothing happens without purpose. God is always working, even when I’m frightened for a student who has malaria, or I have to wait in line for “petrol” for an hour, someone mentions that the pharmacies are “out” of various medicines, or even just begin to think about the amount of need that is here that I cannot touch. He is at work when all the things we typically lean on or take for granted are gone or fail. He is reminding us that He is all-sufficient. We may lean on lots of things, but we must not depend on them. At the end of the day, we like African Christians, must say, “All we have is Christ!” But we can’t say that as if it means that we have something very small. Having Christ, our greatest need is met, along with many others. Praise God for this great truth and for the many joys he gives us along the way.

Since the last letter we sent, we have been having, as mentioned before, a very busy semester. It has not been a bad semester, though it has been stressful. Some of the highlights of the semester were Spiritual Emphasis Week at the College and Gospel Emphasis Week at the Academy. We were able to host the college’s speaker, Rev. Vince Woods, and his family for a meal and attend one of the worship services. During the Gospel Emphasis week at the Academy, we focused on Christ’s work for us. Some of the college students came and taught lessons and songs. We talk about the gospel in class all the time, but we were really taking time for more discussion and trying to communicate it in various ways.

On a family note, Gwen is reading more and more. She is getting ridiculously tall (it seems to us) and has decided she likes her hair long. She is improving her bike-riding skills and perfecting her tree-climbing skills. She would rather play outside with her friends than eat (though she’s doing plenty of that as well, growing all the time). Samuel has learned to write “SAM.” He is looking like a boy who will soon be four! (How DID that happen so fast)? He is developing a good sense of humor and also improving his tree-climbing skills. Our neighbor calls them her monkeys because they spend so much time in her trees. (Her trees are taller than ours).☺ The two of them play at being animals frequently. Any morning you might be greeted with, “I’m a rabbit today,” or some variation on that. Their funny thing right now is for one of them to say to the other, “Pretend I am a baby (elephant, hippo, rabbit, dog, etc.) and you found me. I have a broken foot (leg, arm, etc.) and no home or family. Ask your mom and dad if I can stay with you.” Then one of them will come with this story, begging to keep the poor lost, lame creature. We always consent, very glad that so far there have been no scenarios with real animals. They continue to be good friends, for which we are very thankful.

We are fine. Neither Brian nor I have grown any bigger, thankfully. ☺ The four of us were able to take a little trip over the break, finally seeing “the other Africa” as Samuel says. He means Africa as he expected it to be from the pictures we showed him when we were talking about coming--wild and full of animals. Poor kid, he didn’t know we would live on a campus in a city. (We should have shown different pictures). We had a nice time and got to hear elephants eating the trees outside our door at 2:00am! We also saw more stars than we have ever seen--really beautiful. (Look for a future blog post about our trip).

Please pray:
-for our family: continued health; spiritual growth and maturity; time together
-for Brian’s mom, Clara Carlisle, to have safe travels as she is coming to visit us for the month of June.
-that we can finish our first school year strong
-for the work of the Gospel in the lives of our students
-that the Academy will have the teachers needed for next year (any third or fifth grade (or other) teachers available for a year or two)???
-for Brian as his responsibilities change slightly next year with the Superintendent and Assistant Headmaster will be on furlough for a year.
-for Scharlie, as she will be making a change from teaching kindergarten to teaching 7th, 8th, and 9th grade Math.
-for all the new teachers coming and people returning from furlough to have a smooth transition
-for College and Academy graduates
-continued prayer and financial support
-courage and opportunity to share the Gospel

It’s hard to believe we’ve been here for nine months and are about to finish our first school year. We give thanks to God for the work He has called us to here and for the provision He has made for us. Thanks for being a part of that!

Love,

Brian, Scharlie, Gwen and Samuel

Financial Support may be sent to:
African Bible Colleges OR Online at: https://africanbiblecolleges.net/EFT/?m=Brian_Carlisle
P. O. Box 103
Clinton, MS 39060

Please put Carlisles in memo of check

Catching Up a Bit

2011-01-03T22:51:00.097+02:00

In Malawi, every night is a camp "in."

First day of Kindergarten and Headmastering

A familiar face

New friends and neighbors

View of the Malawian countryside on our first road trip

Mount Soche as seen from our hotel in Blantyre

"You can take the boy out of the country..."

Malawi has great playgrounds!

Lake Malawi

Wheee!

"I look like a real Malawian."

Puttin' up the tree, workin' up a sweat

Naughty or nice???

Who knew Brian could take a picture this good!!!!

"Yeah! Noah's Awk"

"I fought the law and the law won..." (If you want to know more, you will have to email and ask me about it.)

"AHHH" (Refreshment brought to you by Coke)

If you can explain this one to us, please email!!???

Brian with "the big rock"

A nice day for a hike

"Brother" and "Sistuw" (Hard to write the way Sam pronounces his words.)

A day that met expectations

This breakfast brought to you by Cotton Hills Farm. (The grits are in the bowl!)

Who knew monkeys lived on campus at ABC?!

We have been wanting to post some pictures for a while. These pictures were taken throughout our first 5 months here. We hope you enjoyed them!

A Conversation with a Senior Education Student

2010-12-14T23:52:00.001+02:00

I have just come inside from speaking with Joseph. Joseph is 40 years old (has an 11 year old son) and is a Senior at ABC. He is an Education major. When he graduates in May, he will be able to teach in a secondary school or at a teacher's college.

I was having a cup of coffee and a brownie with Joseph. He is one of the student-guards that the campus employs at night as a security guard. Joseph was studying for his Child Evangelism and Philosophy of Education exams. I asked him if he wanted a cup of coffee and a brownie and he said yes. So I brought two brownies and two cups of coffee out with me--one cup had cream and sugar.

When Joseph was in primary school, he had to run 8 km.--4.97miles--each way to school! He said it took him about 45-50 minutes each way. He ran through some woods and the bush to make it to his village school. When he was growing up, primary education was not free, your family had to pay school fees. He said that his father told him he would have to work hard if he was going to make it.

He sure has the work hard part down! Joseph was a primary teacher for 10 years before starting at ABC. The average teacher to student ratio in a public primary or secondary school in Malawi is 1:120!!! That is amazing to me. He said that the situation was not always this way.

In 1994, when Malawi became a democracy, the government made primary education free for all Malawians. It was not, and is still not, compulsory but it was to be free. (Secondary is not free and still charges fees.) Before the change, there were apprx. 600,000 primary students in the country. After the change in the laws, there were 2.7 million! Joseph said that there were children under trees and anywhere else that they could be put. I can only imagine.

I greatly enjoyed drinking coffee and talking with Joseph. American education and Malawian education share some of the same noble goals and aims, but also some of the same difficulties and shortcomings. It sounded very familiar to hear him describe how often curricula and methods/models for education are changed before there is any chance to see if one set of ideas was better than another. Also the problem of big promises that are not given the adequate resources--financial and otherwise--needed to come close to fulfilling those promises.

I think someone like Joseph is going to be around for awhile and will hopefully have the opportunity to impact many students and schools throughout his teaching career. He is getting a good education at ABC! I trust the Lord will use him and many like him throughout this country.

My hat goes off to students like Joseph.

Dzaleka Refugee Camp Dowa Diststrict, Malawi

2010-12-13T17:28:00.026+02:00

Some Ethiopian refugees

Malawi is called "The Warm Heart of Africa." This title is well earned! Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, not just in Africa, but it is very peaceful, safe and hospitable. The people are kind and helpful. However, there is another reason that they deserve to be known as "The Warm Heart of Africa." Malawi has given generous help to her beleaguered fellow Africans from war torn parts of central and eastern Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia.

Scharlie and Sam waiting for the music to start.

In 1989 1.2 million Mozambican refugees were taken in during a period of severe crisis. That means 1 out of 10 people in Malawi were refugees! Not only did the Malawian government and people allow them to come into the country until such time as they could peacefully return to Mozambique, but within a few years, they were all resettled! This is an amazing feat. Then as now, the refugee aid was being administered by the UNHCR--United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

The Emmanuel Full Gospel Choir

On 20 November, the Carlisles [including Gwen and Sam] and about 50 African Bible College students, ABC professors, ABC Christian Academy and Clinic staff drove 1.5 hours to the Dzaleka Refugee camp. This trip was organized by one of the college students. We were able to drive two students in our car and had a nice time getting to know them on the way there and back. Normally when I think of a refugee camp, I think of lots of tents, temporary shelters, feeding lines, and people waiting to go back home. The Dzaleka Refugee Camp is more like a permanent village. The people are not going anywhere anytime soon. Many have been there 10 years or more. Some do not remember their age when they left their homes, but have since married and started their own families while at the camp.

Soccer Skills!!

The purpose of our trip was just to take time to listen to people’s stories and find out more about them and try to encourage them. The College's super talented Mingoli Singers were going to be putting on a concert followed by a time of preaching. So as we talked to the people, we also wanted to invite them to the concert and preaching time. We set out in groups of 6-8 total--the college students were mixed with the ABC staff folks. We had our four plus four students in our group. Many of the people at the camp would learn Chichewa, but maybe not English. The first language of most of the refugees would be some form of Swahili. The people would speak to the translator in Swahili, and translate into Chichewa for the college students, and then they would translate into English for us. Then the process would be reversed if we had a question to ask or wanted to contribute to the conversation. We were able to speak with two women. The first had been young when she left the Democratic Republic of Congo and had been married at the camp and had two children. The other woman that we met had started out in Burundi and fled to the DRC. While she was in the DRC she was seriously abused by a group of soldiers and contracted AIDS as well as other chronic health problems from their treatment. She then had to flee from there and came to Malawi. It had been over ten years since she left Burundi. She told us that had accepted Jesus as her personal Savior. I asked her what portion of the Bible or what story from the Bible that comforted here most. She mentioned the story about the woman with the bloody issue. She said that she had experienced many times that the Lord had helped her when the doctors were not able to.

Jonathan Robson preaching (ABC professor)

There were other hard things about the camp. The main preacher was corrupt. Because the college student who organized the trip did not bribe him, he rented the building where the band was supposed to play and hid the few nicer tents. This guy dressed to the nines, while lots of the people were in rags. That was really discouraging. Talking to the students who rode with us on the return trip, we learned what their food allowances included. It was something like: 15kg of flour per family per month (regardless of the size of the family) and 1 cup of sugar for the same. There was more that I can’t remember, but there are also problems with distribution, i.e. corruption. They are in the middle of nowhere, not close enough to get transport for jobs. There are so few jobs anyway, a refugee would never be given one over a Malawian. There are only three ways out: 1. The first is for your homeland to be peaceful enough to go back to. But even then, you have to have the resources to get there. You have to be on good terms with the current government. You have to have somewhere to go, and your land may have been confiscated and your family displaced or killed. 2. Your host country allows you to assimilate. This only happens, usually if they have the means (which Malawi does not) or if you have a specialized skill (nurse, doctor, etc.) 3. Another country can sponsor them. This too, is unlikely, as there are about 10,000 people in the camp and the leadership at the camp determines who gets picked for those small groups. You can imagine what it would take to convince them you are “eligible.” So, most of these people are stuck, indefinitely. There is a lot of hopelessness, and yet, there are those spreading the hope of the Gospel all the time. We would like to go back. The student is trying to form a relationship between the college and the camp, so that there are opportunities for ministry there.
Gwen and Sam did well too. They walked around with us and played with some of the kids ( to whom they could not speak).

Malawi by the Numbers

2010-12-11T21:36:00.001+02:00

Here are just a selection of somewhat random facts:
(For reference 1000 Malawi kwatcha (MK) is roughly equivalent to $6.oo). Badly inflated currency is a little inconvenient to use.

Instant coffee costs about $7 per half pound or MK1200 per 200 grams (Africafe is the preferred instant brand. It is still instant, but noticeably better than Nescafe).
Regular coffee costs about $5.45/pound or MK1800 per kilogram. One of the small but pleasant surprises about being here is that the coffee is much better than previously reported to me. A number of different brands of coffee grown in Malawi can be purchased. I have become a fan of the Mzuzu Specialty Coffee. (The cheapest place to buy it is at the Cross-Roads BP station. It is about MK300 less than anywhere else.)
Coffee consumption-I have never kept track of my coffee consumption before, but thought it would be interesting. From 21/11/10-11/12/10(4:09 pm as I am writing) I have drunk 122 cups of either brewed or instant coffee! (51 one instant cups and 71 cups of brewed coffee). 5.8 cups/day the avg. The least drunk in one day was 3 and the most was 11 (2 times) followed by 10 and 9!
Cheddar cheese costs about $6/lb, mozzarella is about the same.
By contrast, produce:
-potatoes MK100 per "bundle" (about 10 sm.-med.) (if you're a regular customer and you buy more
than one bundle, often they will throw in more out of a large pile)
-lettuce MK 50 per small head
-onions MK 50-100 per bundle (three large or about 6 small)
-green peppers MK 50-100
-green beans MK 50 per bundle (very fresh and good)
-carrots MK 50-100 per bundle (depending on their size)
-bananas MK 150-200 per bunch
-enormous mushrooms (saw these for the first time this week) MK 500 for 3-4
- strawberries MK250-350 per cardboard tray
-fresh garlic MK 100 for a small bag
-but apples are MK50-70 per apple (they're imported from South Africa)
Milk fresh milk(which is dispensed from a stainless steel drum or a (clean, we hope) garbage can depending on when you get there) is MK130/litre. UHT milk in the box with a long shelf life is 300/litre. (I will let you work on your conversion skills with this one.)
Bread (always fresh) MK115 per loaf
Ground beef or "mince" is about $8/lb.
Boneless skinless Chicken breasts are about $1.50/lb
Cornflakes costs about $3.3/lb or MK1200/kg.
Petrol/gas is $5.86/gal. or MK256/litre
Clear packing tape is $8 per roll!!!!
Fuel Economy The Carlisles are the proud owners of a 1997 Toyota Ipsum. This is a cross between a station wagon and a mini-van. 18.7mpg or 80kpl.
Front page news is when the Malawian Government is accused of steeling MK 6 million or about $36,000 from one of the political parties! There is not much going on here!
More front page news there is a shortage of subsidized fertitliser which is very important to the average Malawian. However, the Minister of Agriculture assures the people that according to his records 95% of all the subsidized fertiliser has been distributed. Therefore, it is impossible for there to be a shortage!
Commuting times on the way to work it takes me about 4 minutes and the return trip is 6 minutes (it's only up-hill one way)
Malawian currency's largest bank note is the MK500. This is rather inconvenient since a shopping trip usually requires taking MK30,000. (This translates into three little rubber-banded stacks of 20 bills each). You always feel like you're carrying too much money.
Conversion rates for USD to MK: At the ForEx with cash MK175-180 (depending on the amount) per $1; ATM/Bank transfer 150 per dollar; transfer from support account in states to academy to a check 165 per dollar.

Our Purpose Here and Daily Life at ABC

2010-11-13T00:07:00.000+02:00

So, I've been wanting to let you know what we do here--both how we serve and what life is like.
I remember the first time as we were referred to as "missionaries." It seemed really strange. It still is, as what we do isn't what I think of missionaries doing. We have not yet had an opportunity to visit a village or go evangelizing like my sisters talk about from their time in Uganda. (Though we're going to a refugee camp later this month). That's not even what we're primarily here to do. I guess you might say that we serve in a support role. I'll explain.
Malawi was evangelized by Presbyterians long ago (the Dr. Livingstone you've heard of). So many Malawians will call themselves Christians. There are many, many "prayer houses" all over the country. But there are very, very few pastors. Most pastors here cover a number of these small churches and may have thousands of parishioners. Of course they cannot preach in 20 places each Sunday, so when a pastor is not present anyone may "say a word." As you can imagine, with the level of education, particularly theological education, here, what is said may not be AT ALL Biblical. So you end up with lots of dangerous mixtures of old superstitions and religious beliefs. (Baptisms being thought of as magical, lots of health and wealth type gospel. There was even one church--or anti-church that was telling people and Jesus was just for white people and a new type of religion was needed for Africans). This was why African Bible College was begun, to train pastors and lay people in theology and communication, so that as they go out into their country they are leading others in the right direction, whether as pastors, teachers, leaders in their churches or in businesses, or government (and ABC graduates are everywhere here and being a positive leaven wherever they have influence--I know, I teach with one). So, then those who were teaching and running the college needed to have somewhere to send their children to school. Local schools were not a terrific option. Home schooling was going on, but there were getting to be a lot of children and so a school was begun. At first it was only children of ABC missionaries, but soon there was a desire that it be serving Malawi as well. So, now each class is kept at 50% Malawian and 50% Non-Malawian. Now, this is where we come in. This is where in begins to make sense for us--Brian and Scharlie--to be here. Brian's been working in schools for over 10 years and has had a lot of different experiences that help him with this one. I like teaching and being a part of a school community. Education, and yes, Christian education is something that's been important to us for a long time. We're really encouraged about how self-consciously Christian this school is. It knows it is Christian and evangelical. There are (of course) nominal Christians mixed with true ones, and there are also a few atheists, Muslims, and Hindus sprinkled in. We respect that their beliefs are different, but students are not excused from Bible classes, or chapel, or Scripture memory. So, in that sense, we are evangelizing, just not in the same way. I love being so free in the way I'm able to pray and speak about the Bible. Brian's Bible class had a pretty good discussion recently on the problem of suffering. I'm thankful He's their teacher. He made those older kids think. This brings me full circle, I guess--We don't always understand why we have difficult things to go through. We don't always know why God calls us to certain places at certain times or away from others at times, but we can know that He is good and that if we are in Him, he has our best in mind at all times. We are glad to be here. There are hard things (though, not really in the areas you might imagine or we expected). But, just pray for us. We will learn what we are supposed to from those things, I trust (sometimes).

So, on to what our days are like. They begin early. Brian is usually up before 5:00am. I am usually up at 5:00 (sometimes before if necessary). Gwen is up by 6:00. Brian leaves around 6:40 Tues-Thurs. as he's in charge of staff devotions. Priscilla, who keeps Samuel (and does laundry--bless her) comes between 6:45 and 7:00, at which time Gwen and I kiss and hug Samuel and head for school. After staff devotions, Brian stands out in front and greets parents and students. I head to my class and get ready for the day. Gwen goes to the playground or plays with things in the classroom with her classmates (Tayamika is her favorite school friend, so far). At 7:25 Kindergarten 2 (my class) begins with Calendar time and prayer. Then we have Phonics, Reading and Handwriting (most days). Then, about 9:30 there is snack and recess time. Brian teaches History from 9:15-10:05 every day and Bible from 10:30-11:20 three days a week. After recess, kindergarten comes in for Math, Social Studies (or Science) and Bible (all taught by Mrs. Jean Mpata). The plan was for me to leave about 11:00, but often I have things that need to be done--communication with parents, getting homework packs together with reading books, getting copies made, etc. So usually, I go home with Gwen when she's out at 12:00. Brian heads home at 12:30 (by the way, it might help to know that our house here is about a five minute walk from school) and most days, we have lunch together. Brian heads back to school for all sorts of things from 1:30 to 4:00 or so. I put the kids down for a nap from 1:30-2:30 or 3:00. Two days a week, Priscilla keeps them in the afternoon and I go to school and work or have meetings with the other kindergarten teachers. The other days, I do work at home during nap-time (unless I take one too). When Gwen gets up we take about 20 minutes to do homework and then she and Samuel usually go out to play with neighbor friends until about 5:00 or sometimes we go to the pool here. (Oh, yes, the seasons are reversed here because we're below the equator. So, while you're getting out your coats, I'm wishing I'd brought more tank tops:). Sometimes, I go out too and can visit with other neighbor women. I enjoy that a lot. Between 4:00 and 5:00 (usually) Brian gets home. We have dinner and hang out with the kids. Some nights (if time and water permit) the kids get a bath before bed. They ALWAYS NEED one. You would not believe how dirty they get here. Anyway, they go to bed around 7:00pm. After that, usually Brian and I do the clean-up in the kitchen, so the ants don't take over. Then we do school work. We aim to be in bed by 10:00. You can pray for that. It frequently doesn't happen. So, that's our typical day. Weekends are nicely different. In another post I'll outline what a shopping trip entails--that makes for a different day, for sure. Hope this helps you to know how to pray for us. Also, we're 7 (EST) or 8 (CST) hours ahead of you. So, when you get up in the morning, we're finishing lunch. When you're having lunch, we're putting the kids to bed. When you're coming home from work, pray that we've been in bed for a while. If you go to bed at 10:00pm, we're getting up. Take care all. We'll post some more pictures soon.

Things We Like About Malawi

2010-10-29T23:21:00.000+02:00

Inevitably, when you move somewhere new, you're faced with all the differences you do not like. We've shared some of those, but we'd also like to tell you what we enjoy. So, here, in the safety of our mosquito net (where the "mozzies," lizards, and chop-chops (scary spider with large pincers, but no poison) cannot get us) we will share, in brief, some of the things we really like about being here.

Parents that support teachers and administration
The people (Malawian and not that we work and interact with)
Pot-luck night (most Friday nights all the folks on campus get together for a meal. We all bring something. Usually there's a theme).
Cool mornings
Late afternoon dips in the pool (both kids are swimming under water:)
Our son has decided that he will use the bathroom before moving back to America (at age 7)
Being able to walk to work (esp. after that 40 minute commute last year)
Coming home for lunch (Gwen's out at 12:00. Brian's lunch hour is 12:30-1:30)
Chapel at school
Going to the market (even haggling)
Sobo (This is a liquid you mix with water to make a drink like Tang, but it's better than Tang in the same way chocolate syrup makes better chocolate milk than the powder stuff. Brian does not touch it).
Mzuzu Specialty coffee and Chombe "export quality" tea
Teaching students from all over the world, who like each other
Our church
Having people over for meals often
Beautiful trees in bloom right now
Children being able to play outside with friends without direct supervision
Dry heat (not humid)
The bread--always fresh and good
Living on this campus, we're pretty sure we wouldn't make it in a village
Colorful, beautiful Chitinge material (worn as over skirts by women here to keep the others clean, cover pants, sling babies on their backs, etc.) I (Scharlie) have two I wear when market shopping)
Getting gelato--Italian ice cream--when we go in town.
Our house
"Digestic" biscuits as G and S call them (round sweet crackers that Brian consumes by the 150 g package:)

There are surely many other nice things about living here, but this is a good start.

ABC Christian Academy Reading Day 01 October, 2010

2010-10-13T22:49:00.001+02:00


Bilbo Baggins, Angelina Ballerina, and Fancy Nancy made a visit to Reading Day

I was very nervous about Reading Day. Reading Day is a five-hour school day during which there are lots of activities that have to do with reading and during which there are no other regular subjects taught. Also, everyone dresses as a book character. So, I was nervous, remembering how my 6th graders used to act any time they were out of dress code and knowing my team teacher would not be there that day.

We had Gwen's costume taken care of a while back. We had everything but the ears, which I made. I also made Brian's hobbit vest (which was only crooked after having been worn all day--my sewing's not that bad) out of a shirt we bought in the market. I was Fancy Nancy--lowest budget and time consumer of the three, worst outcome. You can't tell I'm wearing heels in the picture, but my feet have not yet recovered.

But, coming to the point, Reading Day was WONDERFUL! First we gathered our kids and talked about who they were dressed to be. Then we had a pre-school-6th grade parade around the campus while the older students watched. Almost all teachers participated in the dressing up. We ended up in the pavilion, where Brian emceed a time of story telling, a brief skit featuring some of us teachers, and the announcements of costume winners. (Samuel came for this part dressed in his Peter Pan outfit). After that we had our regular snack and recess time. We then went to our classes for other activities. I read Going on a Lion Hunt then had them draw themselves with the lion. The 3rd graders came to read to them, then two parents read. We finished the day with a lively pretend "Lion Hunt" outside and settled down finishing of The Lorax.

The older students had a regular day, but teachers were encouraged to go along with the reading theme. Brian read about Eustace being "un-dragoned" from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in his Bible class. One student was encouraged to go back and re-read the Chronicles of Narnia.

And, it was not chaotic. It was fun. My students were so excited about their costumes, the extra snacks parents sent, the books we read, the skit the teachers did. I had already reminded myself of what the day was supposed to be, so it was hard not to be excited with them, especially since they were so delighted with everything and only got a bit unruly once and were quickly set to rights. For next year we're going to plan costumes this summer, so we don't have to be up late the night before. (You know me). I've also been pretty gratified that Gwen's worn the mouse ears part of most days since then. I love that girl.

Observations and sayings of the Carlisles

2010-08-28T21:47:00.000+02:00

Samuel:
(For the first two weeks)Where is Africa? When are we going to the the other Africa?
(The first Sunday we were here) "Can I take this stick to Scout?"
(Gwen or Samuel when one of them hears the muezzin--in Islam the one who calls the people
to prayer 5 times a day.) Are they worshipping idols again? We need to pray for them."
(Periodically) "I miss my friend Thomas [Clinton]
(Upon his first visit to the pool) "They have enough chemicals in this pool, it is blue."

Gwen:
(While at the Market for the first time) "Why are all of the people here brown?"
(At lunch) Dad asks, "How was school today?" Gwen replies, "O, math and Bible were great!"
Dad, "what was great about math and Bible?" Gwen: "Bible was unique, pleasant and quiet."
"Today was stressful!" (At lunch some other day)
(At lunch yet another day) Dad asks, "How was school today?" "PE was the best thing of my
life!!!!" says Gwen. "Wow," replies dad, "what was so good about PE today?" "We got to sit
way high up--imagine Gwen stretching her arms as high above her head as she could--on the bleachers!!!" (Ah for the simple things in life!)
"When are we going to start telling people about Jesus?"
"Can we go play with ...." (Fill in the blank with any of about 11 children age 6 or under that
literally live within 50 yards/metres of us.)
(On waking in the morning) "Momma I woke up two times in the night and I was blind."
(There were two power outages during the night, so no light on in the hall)

Scharlie:
(After we spent the equivalent of $12 on 5 "tupperware" containers and one of them was
cracked when we got home and another one cracked shortly after got home while we were
putting them away) Brian says, "maybe we should have gotten the more expensive ones?"
Scharlie responds, "Sure, then we'd have more crummy tupperware." (The principle being,
the only thing that changes with increased cost is quantity---you just get more of the poor
quality stuff. Higher quality is not to be found. Not all "made in China" is created equal!)
(To her kindergarteners) "The first thing you should always do when I hand out your papers is
write your name. Please write your name at the top. Yes, you can write it right now. Please
finish writing your name before you start. _________ finish writing your name please.
_______ please give _______ his pencil back so he can finish his name. Do we all have our names on or papers? NOW, let's get started."

Brian:
"Boy, I am tired." (Somethings never change!
(To Laura Chinchen) "You are going to need to repeat some of this again. I cannot listen that fast." "That costs a lot here." (Said about most things)
"I was planning on paying cash for a vehicle." The man replies, "I can take a check." Brian
replies, I can write one, but if I write a check like that I will probably get deported!" (The
asking price for a 2002 Chevy Blazer was a mere MK 4.3 million[Kwacha] or about $25,000
USD. But he would be glad to give it to me for only MK 4 million.) Crazy Mzungus [white
people who are of course all loaded and filthy rich!!!!]
"Hi, my name is Brian [or Mr. depending on the person] Carlisle I am the new Headmaster. Can you tell me your name again. (To most people he meets at the Academy.)

Spontaneous outburst of clapping and cheers across the campus of the Academy can only mean one thing, the power just came back on. (This is Africa after all :))

Anonymous:
"In Malawi, they practice the democratization of corruption." (You get stopped by the police) "Hey, I am thirsty." (HEAR: I need a bribe before I let you go.) Or you go by to see a government official and they say "I am hungry." (HEAR: I need a bribe for you to get done what you need done.)
"Hey, this is Africa after all." (This is said on any occasion when something happens that you do not understand or that seems like it could have been easily avoided or for any number of other reasons."

All that said... Things are going really well for the Carlisles here in the Warm Heart of Africa. The people--Malawian, Missionary folks, expats--could not be more helpful or encouraging. Every place has its quirks. We hope these are half as enjoyable for you to read as they were for us to remember and put here!!
--Brian and Scharlie

Before I Came to Africa I Did Not Think...

2010-08-21T16:17:00.001+02:00

We could be so cold at night that we had to sleep in our sleeping bags under the covers for three nights!
Yes! We have been experiencing quite chilly nights here in the "Warm Heart of Africa." I think they are about gone and we have tried not to be too bothered by them. It has also been fun to see my breath in the mornings the first week of school as I do the meet and greet with parents and students as they are arriving. Scharlie and the kids were sick for awhile and could not quite get over it because it was so cold here. There is no heat or a/c in the houses. So it was always colder inside than it was outside and for a few days there nobody could get warm.

Much about having electricity and running water.
ESCOM (The Malawian power company) has recently changed its motto from "Always on" to "We're trying to be always on." (It is something close to that. They just printed new stickers to place on all of their trucks and vehicles.) So, we are getting used to the daily power outtages which do not usually last that long. All of the campus is hooked up to back-up generators--except the Academy and more about this later. There is about a 5-10 minute lag between when the power goes out to when the generators kick on. (Sometimes they forget to keep enough diesel fuel on hand. This is going to be extremely interesting when there are fuel shortages later. I have been assured that there are always fuel shortages around December/January. The government fixes the price for fuel. Right now petrol is MK262.56 a litre or $ 5.67 a gallon. )

Water outtages are more common than power outtages. On Thursday morning I felt like Pa in Little House on the Prairie while I was getting ready for school. The power went out, but the generators kicked on but we did not have any city water so we were on the reserve tanks. (We are one of the highest houses on campus so although the reservoir is near us, we get the least pressure from it.) There was very little water coming out the taps. So, I took the water that I was heating up for tea and coffee and brought the kettle in to the bathroom and poured some of the hot water in to the sink (now wash basin) and added a little cold water to it and was able to take the stubble off for another day of school. Even as I write, the ants are on our dishes on the counter because there is no water (hot or cold) to do dishes with.

With all of that said, who would have thought that when you go to the "dark continent" you would usually have plenty of electricity and hot and cold running water. I am sitting here on my laptop using wireless internet. It is quite slow, but still far ahead of free dial-up days! We are able to Skype some and make computer to land line and mobile phone calls. The connection is usually not great, but still worth the effort. We have cell phones through TNM and I must be honest although texts are patchy, my phone here drops fewer calls than my last AT&T phone did!

That I would be intimidated about riding my bike into town!
The only thing that is more dangerous than driving in Malawi is riding a bike on the side of the road!! (John Reed, we need to talk about this a little bit.) Traffic fatalities are a leading cause of death and you do not want to go to the ER here!!!! Now for those of you who do not know or have forgotten, I used to BMX bike race and ride my mountain bike down the sides of a mountain in college, BUT the guys who have their bikes loaded down with chickens, coke bottle crates, sugar cane, their brother, etc. are way more gutsy than I ever was! (The bike is really used like a pick-up here. I have seen everything attached to the rack of a bike or loaded down on the bike and the owner just pushing it.) As local, though not a Malawian, put it Malawians are not aggressive drivers they are just bad drivers! The official US Embassy policy for its employees is that if you cannot make it home before dark get a room and come back the next day.

Much about the FDA.

I do think that the FDA is a good idea. I cannot imagine all of the snake oil and quackery that would go on without it in the US. In its absence here, the packaging on some products is quite funny. Now, I have just had confirmed through scientific research one of my mostly deeply held prejudices. Namely that coffee is essential to a healthy lifestyle. In fact, we need to drink far more of it than we currently do. The Mzuzu Coffee Co. is insistent that it is even more important that coffee be consumed for its health benefits than for the pleasure it brings. (I am still waiting for the claims that peanut butter helps to reduce aging and your risk of heart disease.)

I would have tech support for my Mac.

Who would have thought the IT guy at ABC would have a Mac?! Lots of folks here have Macs. Nicholas, this is certainly different than Romania. With the speed of the Internet connection, I am very glad that I updated the OS and software in McConnells before leaving.

We have been having a good time here. We are quite tired and overwhelmed with lots of different things and I do not think that this will change for a while. I do wish it would let up some though. (I teach 400 minutes a week--8 preps a week. This week we begin staff devotions and I am leading the Tuesday morning one on I Peter and I will speak in chapel three times!!!! Then there is the headmaster side of things and the family side.)

We have met many nice folks. The people that live across from us have been particularly helpful. The Dehnerts both teach at the college and Connie is a Covenant grad from the early 80's. Kelly spoke to us during the new missionary orientation time about how to handle some of the cultural issues that we are presented with by being here. (Things like how to deal with beggars on the streets, but also your house help--gardeners, babysitters, cleaners, cooks etc.--more on this later, much later). One of the handouts he used was gleaned from a publication of the Chalmers Center. Another couple that we have enjoyed getting to know are the Whites. Jeff teaches at the college and academy and his wife is a nurse at the clinic. We rode out to the Khumbali Village with them last night and they let us borrow their car this morning to do our grocery shopping. Another family, the Robsons, lives just down from us and they have a 2 yr. old girl and 4 yr. old boy, Georgia and JJ. Samuel and Gwen have had a good time with them as well.

I think I will sign off for now. I am going to get some picture on our blog so that you can try to get a little bit more of feel for the place.

The Shire?

2010-08-08T18:15:00.000+02:00

For those of you who are not familiar with J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, (hopefully only a few:) the Shire was a region where the Hobbits, among other folk, lived and let live. They did not worry too much about what went on outside, beyond how it affected them daily. This is, in some ways, how we have been and I do not plan here to find fault. Community is a good thing and there is a particular small community in South Carolina, USA of which we are very fond. In the last couple of years it has been hard to look beyond our own family, or at most our own church. So it is very new and different to find ourselves, not only looking outward, far beyond our realm of experience, but actually living far beyond what we know. I think of Bilbo Baggins leaving Hobbiton in the Shire, missing his comfortable hobbit hole and all he was familiar with. I think of Frodo and Sam off on their journey, knowing what they were doing was right, and enjoying some parts of it (I'm thinking we'll enjoy our time FAR more), but sometimes pausing to reflect on how much they love where they came from. Now I know this analogy breaks down very quickly, so don't push it any further. I won't:) That being said, there is still another reason for the name. Not too far from here (I'm not sure how far) there is a river called the Shire (pronounced Shih-ray). We thought that was fitting.

Anyway, look out here for info on what we're up to. We plan to post to this once a week. We hope you enjoy hearing about our time here in Malawi. So far, we can say, we are very glad to be here. It is very different, even on the campus where we live. Everyone here says that by comparison, we're living in a little America. In some ways that is very true. We have electricity (most of the time), hot water (most of the time), and wireless internet (most of the time). It's hard to beat that in one of the poorest countries in the world. So far I'm still so amazed at what we do have that it's hard to be really bothered by daily outages of some sort. They last at most an hour, it seems and you do your best.
The school, similarly, is incredibly blessed with resources, large classrooms, and pretty amazing teachers. Please pray for both of us, we are rather overwhelmed on the school front. We want to be truly useful here, to the Kingdom and to this school specifically.
We are also blessed with neighbors who are very willing to help us learn the ropes. Christy, across the way lent me her cook book with lots more recipes from scratch. Carson, two doors down, took me to the market and demonstrated how to haggle. She's only been here a month, so I'm encouraged. The Chinchens and others are trying to help us navigate in a new culture. Brian's doing GREAT driving on the left side of the road and the right side of the car. I haven't tried it yet, but I think I probably will. I'm more worried about the other drivers than those details.
Anyway, one of the hardest things is how expensive groceries, etc. are. I simply cannot tell you how much I miss Aldi. Some things aren't bad (especially in the market), but my ironing board (not half as steady as the one I used at home) cost $28. I'm SO glad I brought some inexpensive tupperware type stuff, b/c a very small one here costs like $6. Everything here is imported (mostly from China) and it is a landlocked country without a developed country bordering it, so everything is more expensive because it costs so much to get it here. That being said, none of us is going hungry. We just have to figure things out. Love to you all and thanks for enabling us to be here. Please keep up your prayers!