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 Aren't they pretty?:) So, sorry if what we said was a bit out of date.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.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
The Rains Have Begun
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.
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.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Children
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
(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."
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Calling All Teachers
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
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
Sunday, September 11, 2011
The Homecoming of Alicia Ligomeka
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.
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.
Friday, September 2, 2011
First Days of School
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| 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!
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| Does that look like a family that is ready for school or what! |
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| Samuel and his buddy JJ on their way to school |
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| Our very own First Grader! |
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| Dressed for success |
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