Malawi Update Vol. 4

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.