Leaving Malawi

Dear Family and Friends,

It is 2:05 AM on the morning of our departure from Malawi after our four years of service with ABC Christian Academy! It is indeed hard to believe that we are leaving, now in just a few short hours.

I would love to be able to take the time to share a few of the things that God has been teaching us through these last few months. Maybe we can have coffee or tea sometime and get to talk more about it. We are also eager to hear from you and about how the Lord has been growing and teaching you.

Prayer Items:

1. By the time most of you see this, we will be on the plane! Pray for patience with the children and their patience with us. Pray also that we would be shown favor as we seek to check in. We have the chance to be allowed 3 checked bags. If we are given al three here in Lilongwe, it could save  will save us a few hundred dollars.

2. Pray for continued good health for all of us.

3. Pray for all of us as we begin coping with the transition ahead of us.

4. Pray for wisdom and direction regarding where we are to go next. Brian still does not have a job.

Thank you again for all of the faithful financial and prayer support that you have given to us over these last four years. We could not, and would not, have wanted to be here without your support. Would you please consider still supporting us in the coming weeks as we try to get on our feet and as Brian continues to look for meaningful and substantial employment. The ABC Mission allows us to continue to receive support for up to two months after leaving the field. This would allow for the tax-deductible contributions through the end of September.

Grace and Peace,

The Carlisles

Post Election Update

Dear Friends and Family,

Malawi had its historic Tripartite Election on Tuesday. For the most part, the process went quite well. There were some irregularities at some polling centers and and funny business right before the elections. However, all in all they have been called credible and valid by both Malawian elections observers and international elections monitors. There was a bit of a panic in the country today when the sitting President tried to annul this past week's votes and hold new elections in 90 days which she said she would not take part in. The Malawi high court ruled against her in this matter and the votes are still being counted and will move towards finalization soon.

There have already been some ugly political results of this election and their could be much more. Pray that the heads of the political parties will act with prudence and wisdom and encourage their followers to do so too. Also pray for the people of Malawi. They are angry over the arrogance of their politicians with regard to the Cash Gate scandal that stole hundreds of billions of Kwacha from the government and there have been no significant prosecutions. There is very little medicine in the public hospitals. The police have not been paid for awhile and on and on and on. The common people are continuing to be squeezed. Pray that a new government will be installed soon and that there will not be any violence from the losing parties.

Also, please pray for our family. We are in the closing weeks of our time here. There is so much to do and so many things and people to say good-bye to. We are feeling quite overwhelmed with the process of leaving. Brian still does not yet have a job offer for once we get home. He is in different stages of the process with quite a few schools, but nothing certain yet. On many days he is ok with that, but on others it is very hard for him. Pray for the kids. This HAS been their home and the closer we get to leaving the more they realize it!

We are so thankful for all of the love and support we have been shown since we made the decision to come to Malawi. We could not have come or stayed without your prayers and sacrificial giving!

Grace and Peace,

Brian and Scharlie

Election Day Update and Prayer Requests

Dear Friends and Family,

This week, 20 May, is the TRIPARTITE Election for Malawi. This is a rare election cycle in that EVERY elected official in the country--local, regional and national--is up for election on Tuesday. There is a tense atmosphere in the country. Rumors are flying all over the place regarding what will or won't happen depending on who wins. There is a mild security concern for how things will go on Election Day, but the main reason we have declared a school holiday that day is so that our Malawian staff and families can get out to vote without any difficulties. If there is going to be a serious security concern, it will be in the days following Election Day when the votes are certified and a winner is declared. It is highly likely that the winner may only get 25-30% of the vote, which means that most people will have wanted someone else to win. As we experienced in the riots of 2011, the overwhelming majority of Malawians are very peaceful and do not want any kind of violent response, even to oppression or injustice. However, there is a growing movement in that direction among some of the younger urban Malawians.

Please pray for Godly men and women to be elected and to govern in the best interest of ALL Malawians.

Please pray for a peaceful Election Day, certification period and transition if new leadership is elected.

Please pray for the Church in Malawi to lead the way in showing what is a proper and Godly response to the outcome of the election.

Please pray for the Carlisles. We are OVERWHELMED and so tired, but God is blessing us so abundantly! We just sent 5 boxes with some friends, Matt and Rachel Floreen,  who are going on furlough and did not need all of their space! What a huge blessing. Many others have already helped with taking a box or two here and a suitcase there! There are a number of good leads on work for Brian, but no offers yet. We need patience and more trust. We also need to be loving our kids hard during this crazy period of the closing of our time here.

Please pray for Samuel on his seventh birthday tomorrow! We can hardly believe that our barely three year old that we came here with is now a big brother and  seven years old! Pray for the work of the Holy Spirit in Samuel's life.

We hope to get a "proper" communication out soon, but as Scharlie just told me, "that may never happen!"

Thank you for praying!

Grace and Peace,

Brian, Scharlie, Gwen, Samuel and Nathan

Update on Dani Jenson

I could not be more excited to report to you that Dani Jenson is out of the ICU and walking up and down stairs! It is very possible that she will fly home with her mother and sisters at the end of this coming week! What a blessing! God has been so faithful to Dani, her family and friends, and the rest of the ABC community during this time!

Update on Dani

(This was just sent out by Dr. Chinchen.)


Thank you very much for your prayers for Dani -- and for the many gracious and loving responses we have received. Below is a note we received this morning from our two American ABC missionaries ladies who are in Johannesburg with Dani -- Amy Staffaucher & Sydney Stringer. 

"We just talked to the trauma surgeon and still need to wait for the neurosurgeon before we can get a comprehensive view. She is still stable and they are going to start feeding her through a feeding tube soon. She is still ventilated and sedated. She has a basal skull fracture that the neurosurgeon needs to assess, and he will also be looking at the c-5 fracture and another small fracture on her L-1 (lower back). They will be putting in a chest tube to drain her left lung. She is starting to wake up without sedation which is encouraging to the doctors, though they are keeping her sedated while she is healing."

Please continue to pray for Dani and the others injured in the accident. Two of our college students -- Lonely Chinkuntha & Misheck Mlangali -- spent the night in the hospital with minor injuries. Misheck is the 6th man on ABC's national championship basketball team, and is the one who took charge of the accident scene -- pulling people our of the van, caring for Dani, and then stopping passing vehicles to load injured passengers. 

Two of the Children of the Nations children spent the night at our clinic, and one of their house mothers -- Mrs Munthali, whose husband was the driver of the van. All were discharged today, but one of the COTN kids, (a teenage boy beamed Jonathan Mvula) was a badly fractured arm that will require surgery. He was seen by an Orthopedic doctor at our clinic this morning, and will be traveling a hospital in Blantyre (five hours away) for surgery. 

I also wanted to send you the picture (to the side) of a young man named Joshua visiting with Amy and Sydney. 

Joshua as he is here sharing his deepest apology! He is choking up as he talks and has been praying for Dani.

Joshua works for the medivac company that airlifted Dani last night (NetCare). I, Peter Bartlett & Dr Jansen had been on the phone with Joshua for over 8 hours yesterday setting up the evacuation. I found out during my 3rd or 4th conversation with him (out of about 20), that he was a strong believer. He was genuinely concerned for Dani, and did all he could to get the plane moving as quickly as possible, but both he and I (and Peter and Perry and everyone else on campus) were maddeningly frustrated by the ridiculously complicated system of trying to coordinate the airlift company in Joburg with insurance companies in the U.S., with call centers in Asia, with hospital admissions people in South Africa, and credit card companies that were suspicious of charges large enough to buy a small house. Last night as we waited at the hospital for the ambulance to arrive from the airport with the medivac team I counted 252 calls and texts that I had made in the previous 14 hours since the accident (not counting another 20+ emails) -- almost all related to getting the airlift team mobilized. 

In the end Joshua really came through, but he was also very frustrated with the complicated protocols at his NetCare company, which put payment issues way ahead of the pressing needs of the patient. He called me last night at 10:30 to apologize -- after he had prayed for Dani at his Bible Study that evening, and then asked if he could pray with me on the phone. Wonderful young man. 

This morning he went by Milpark Hospital to check on Dani [Joshua is also an EMT], and to apologize in person to Sydney & Amy for the delays in getting their plane of the ground yesterday. But praise God that every report so far has been positive, and that she is in very capable hands at a very good hospital. The doctor on the medivac team told us last night that the hospital's top surgeon (a name he was surprised Peter & I were not familiar with) was personally taking over the case as soon as they landed in Joburg. 

Thank you for continued prayer. Paul. 


Paul with Misheck and his mother at the ABC Clinic's Tyamike Ward

Academy Teachers and College Students in Bus Accident

Dear Friends and Family,

Please Pray!

Today about 10 AM Malawi time, two teachers and three ABC college students were in bus accident on the way to the lake. The details of what happened are still not entirely clear to me. However, there were a number of scrapes and bruises and maybe one broken arm, but one Academy teacher, Danielle Jenson, is in serious but stable condition at the Kamuzu Central Hosptial in town. She is being tended to by two American doctors from Partners in Hope--I was under the care of the same doctors when I was so sick last June--while she is waiting to be airlifted to South Africa. She should be on here way there in about 4 hours and it takes 3 hours to fly there.

Thank you for your prayers!

P.S.

I just realized that I never gave a final update on Mzati Banda. Mzati was back at school about a week and a half after the mugging. He is doing better. I do not know how  he is doing emotionally or spiritually, though. Please pray for him on that front. The police recovered his phone last week and have likely found the two thieves that had robbed him. Pray for the muggers. Times are very hard here for many people. That of course does not excuse such violence, but just to understand it (if it is capable of being understood.)

Mzati Banda Update 26 March, 2014

Mzati was brought to the ABC Clinic for his stitches on his head to be removed, but the others were not yet ready.

However, he was very weak and did not look well, he was tested and found to have 4+ Malaria. This is very bad. He has had to stay at the ABC Clinic to receive the Malaria treatment.

Please continue to pray for healing for his body and grace for his sufferings and grace and comfort for his family.

Update on Mzati Banda

(I could not log in to our blog site yesterday to give an update)

On Thursday morning after Chapel, we took some teachers and students over to the Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) to visit Mzati. He was in on of the "paying" rooms ward. (All treatment and medicine at KCH is "free" except for a few fee paying rooms. The room he was in was similar to one at the ward at our clinic on the mission compound.) He had finished his blood transfusion around 3 AM that morning.

When we saw him around 9:15 AM and his spirits were quite high. (He said that he gave the thieves a 4 out of 5 for their performance. That's Mzati!) He also looked a lot better than I was expecting him to. When we were there, we were told that he still needed two more units of blood. I am unsure of whether this happened our not. (Side note: One of the blessings of this time has been our Upper School Science teacher, Gail Guidice. Gail knows a lot of Chichewa and was appointed a co-guardian for Mzati by his grandparents. It is scary to think what would have happened to him, if she was not there advocated for him and making sure that he was tended to!) They ran out of blood at the hospital but the blood bank was next door. I know that Gail went there to try to work something out, just not sure if it ever happened.

Mzati was discharged, again thanks to some serious advocacy and intervention by Gail, around 2 PM yesterday afternoon. He will go back for a check up on Tuesday.

Please continue to give thanks that God spared his life! Also, continue to pray for his brothers, Limbikani is a Senior this year and Shingi a Third grader, and for their mother who is out of the country currently. They live with their grandparents and their dad is not in the picture. These are three great boys! Pray for spiritual comfort and growth for them during this time.

A number of people have responded with inquiries about assisting financially. I do not believe there is any need for this, but thank you so much! The community here has been very supportive and encouraging.

I will update again after his check up on Tuesday, unless there is someing to report before then.

Please Pray for 9th Grade Student Attacked by Thieves

Dear Family and Friends,

Please pray for Mzati Banda. Scharlie taught him the two previous years and he is a fantastic kid. He lives about 5-7 minute walk from the ABC Mission campus in the same "neighborhood" as we do here. (This is also indicative of the mood of the country as we are in the "hunger times" and moving towards the elections in May.) As the email closes with, give thanks to God that he is still alive! It could easily have been otherwise. Also pray for a full recovery.

Hey all,

 

Not sure if you've heard by now, but Mzati Banda in 9th grade was attacked by robbers this evening as he was walking home from school.  Two guys assaulted him with pangas and dealt him some pretty serious blows.  He has two large gashes on his head, two on his shoulder, and one on his elbow: all requiring stitches.  Thankfully he was just near his house and was able to get inside for help soon after.  He lost a lot of blood, and was taken to The Clinic, a private clinic near Lilongwe Hotel.  He got stitched up and will be receiving IV fluids, pain meds, and antibiotics through the night there.  In the morning he'll go to KCH for x-rays on his skull and shoulder (the two deepest wounds).  I was there with Todd, Steve and Marion, Caleb and Sam and Mzati's grandmother.  Limbi and his grandfather were arriving as we left at about 9pm.  While we were there he was talkative and joking a bit.  He looked drowsy and a bit glazed, but actually was doing pretty well. 

 

Please be in prayer for him and his brothers and his family.  He was starting to really feel the pain when we were leaving, and large cuts mean susceptibility to infection.  Pray that his wounds don't involve any fractures or permanent injuries.

 

Also, praise God that it was not more serious.  He could have easily been killed by these guys wielding pangas, or been knocked unconscious and bled out on the road.

 

I'm sure we'll get an update some time tomorrow morning, but please be in prayer for him.  Thanks

Malawi Update Vol. 10

Dear Family and Friends,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Grace and Peace,

Brian, Scharlie, Gwen, Samuel and Nathan

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

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

Or via mail here:

African Bible Colleges

P. O. Box 103

Clinton, MS 39060

Please put Carlisles in memo of check

A Busy Semester

Dear Family and Friends,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

These two can have fun anywhere!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 Love,

 the Carlisles!

Scharlie's Grandmother Died This Morning

Dear Family and Friends,

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

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

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


Grace and Peace,

Brian and Scharlie

RE: Matters for Praise and Prayer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Grace and Peace,

Brian, Scharlie, Gwen, Samuel and Nathan

Praise! Nathan and Staff are better.

Dear All,

Many thanks for all your prayers. By the end of a very eventful week, all staff members were back at school and Nathan was well.

Grace and Peace,

The Carlisles

Please Pray for Good Health During Malaria Season

Dear Family and Friends,

Malaria season is upon us. We have already had Malaria in a few staff and students at the Academy and there is a bad virus that has been making the rounds. It is this virus and not Malaria that has hit us. Nathan has been sick since Friday with fever and diarrhea. He started an antibiotic Sunday, but it seems that maybe this is a viral bug. Please pray for him and for the general health of all at the Mission and its ministries during this time.

Thank you for praying!


Grace and Peace,

The Carlisles

Pray for Safe Delivery (Update!!)

UPDATE!!

Naomi Joy Floreen was born around 6:30 PM Malawi time.

Please join with the Floreens in giving thanks!



Dear Family and Friends,

Rachel Floreen, the wife of the assistant pastor at our church here, is in labor with their second child. (The Floreens are the ones that looked after me in June when Scharlie and the kids had to travel on to the States.) Matt and Rachel dropped off their three year old daughter to stay with us yesterday afternoon. (Abigail will be with us at night and some other friends during the day.) Please pray for a safe and healthy delivery of the Floreen's baby and for a good recovery for Rachel.


Grace and Peace,

Brian and Scharlie

Please Pray for Dr. and Mrs. Chinchen's Daughter UPDATE

UPDATE RECEIVED 20 OCTOBER, 2013
(This was sent out by Mrs. Laura Chinchen)

 Its nice to receive good news.  Annabelle is on the road to recovery and we are so thankful.  There are two emails below – one from Paul  and one from Ashley.  Annabelle should be released Monday.  She will have an IV and the hosptial will send a nurse to check on her once a day to change the IV and check on her for 5-7 days. …  At this time she will attempt to finish the semester at Biola.  We are thankful for Annabelle’s progress (she should make a full recovery), thankful for all our friends, family and churches prayers and thankful for good friends willing to help.  Praise the Lord for he is faithful!

On Monday this week, Dr. Paul Chinchen flew to LA to be with his second daughter Annabelle. Annabelle is a Junior at BIOLA University. She is at the UCLA hospital with bacterial meningitis. She is currently taking 4 antibiotics and her situation has been called "severe" by the doctors there.

Please pray for Annabelle and the rest of her family. Mrs. Chinchen is here with the three younger children.

Academy Teacher has Bad Concussion UPDATE

Dear Friends and Family,

This evening after working out with another Academy teacher, Christine Givens fell and hit her head. I am unclear of exactly what happened. After falling, she began complaining of headaches and eventually vomited. A doctor was consulted and he advised that Dr. Chinchen have her taken immediately to the diagnostic side of the ABC Clinic for a a cat scan.

Please pray for Christine. I will update when I have more information.

Please give thanks! Christine's scan did not show anything to be concerned by!

Thank you for praying!

Prayer Updates

My sister in-law, Rachel, delivered a healthy little boy at 7:03 CST on Thursday, 12 September! Ezra Matthew Carlisle weighed 7 lbs and 11 oz and was 20" long. I was post some pictures later. As of Monday night Malawi time, mother and baby are well. Please pray for my brother and his family as the adjust to the rhythms of having a newborn again.

Continue to pray for Kinglsey Kaponda and his family on the death of his sister last week.

I received an text on Saturday that one of the fathers in the school, I taught the daughter last year in 6th Grade, was shot two times as he was trying to enter the gate to his house. He was shot in the shoulder and chin on Friday night and was taken to South Africa.  He has stabilized and is doing better. Mrs. Mphwiyo went to SA with her husband while Pauline, 7th, and Paul, 4th, are staying with friends here in Lilongwe. Give thanks that the father's life was spared and that he was able to be taken to SA to receive care. I will update on his condition as I have information. I saw the children first thing this morning and their spirits seemed quite bright, given the circumstances.

Thank you for praying.