Four Years and What's Next

It is hard to believe that this month marks four years here in Malawi. 

Four.full.years. 

How is this even possible?! 

Back in 2013, we arrived in Malawi with four children, ages nine and under. 

Two of whom could not speak English! 

We had a 10’ x 4’ space of our personal belongings and nervous excitement in our hearts.

We really had no clue the ride God would have us on and the lessons He would teach us.

So much has happened in the past four years. We have grown as a family and as individuals. We have developed relationships, started programs, learned a billion hard lessons, made and learned from mistakes, laughed and cried until it hurt. We can hardly recognize the people who stepped off that plane four years ago.

As October has been quickly approaching, marking the end of our contract, we have been deep in prayer for many months seeking God’s will on what is next for our family. 

Through the adoption of our daughters, working with the children and families at Esther’s House, and being able to start a program working with single moms, God has really given us a heart and a passion for orphan prevention. 

So much so, that we feel He is calling us to start a new ministry whose purpose is to reunite families and also preserve the family unit.

After discussing with Pure Mission, our Board of Directors, about where God was leading us, we have agreed to continue to partner together. We will begin the new ministry, called “Ufulu Groups”, under the umbrella of Pure Mission and continue to be governed by their Board. We are also very honored that David has been given a board seat at Pure Mission. 

In January 2018, we will transition from Ntcheu to Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital city, about 2.5 hours away. We are really excited to begin this new ministry and to continue to partner with Pure Mission. 

Here are some answers to questions that you may have:

1) What is the vision of your new ministry? 

To empower vulnerable and under-resourced single parents through skills training and dignified work, resulting in family reunification and family preservation. 

We would be happy to answer any of your questions, and you can also check out the website for more information- www.ufulugroups.org (website is a work in progress)

2) What does this mean for Esther’s House?

We are very thankful to still be a part of Esther’s House! We will be coming to Esther’s House once a month to continue to support and help the Hanson family. We adore the Hansons and feel so good about leaving the ministry in their capable hands. We are thrilled to be able to continue to spend time with the kids and staff here. David has accepted a position on the Board of Directors, and we are thankful for the gift of continuing to be a part of the ministry at Esther’s House.

3) How will your children be affected by the move?

When we moved here, our oldest was a 9-year-old 3rd grader. He is now 13 and just started 7th grade. It is becoming more and more difficult to meet our children’s educational needs. We have tried to be creative here by hiring a private tutor. Last year, we even put him in the best school in our district. Unfortunately, it was not a viable option for our family. Moving to Lilongwe will hopefully allow all our kids to attend school with American curriculum, have friends, and participate in activities. The potential for these new opportunities for our children makes us feel relieved and hopeful, as it also coincides with the new ministry God has laid on our hearts. 

4) What does this mean for current financial partnerships? 

The way to partner with our family will not change. You will still be able to support our family and ministry through Pure Mission. More details will come out about this later. Honestly, with our move to the city, we will need your partnerships more than ever! We pray that you all will continue to see the value of what God is doing with our family in Malawi and continue to partner with us. Unfortunately, city life is considerably more expensive than living in the village. With rent and school, our budget will increase significantly, but we feel a peace that God will continue to provide, just as He has done for the past four years. 

Single Mom Sewing Program

I am so very excited to share with you a brand spankin' new program we just started at Esther's House.

But, before I get started, I should back up. Several months ago we began praying about how we could eliminate bringing kids into Esther's House. That may seem like  strange thing to pray for, right? Why would we  not want kids coming to our care facility? Well, kids not coming in means kids are not orphaned. That means mamas and daddies are alive and able to care for their children. Families are kept together. Wouldn't it be incredible to shut our doors down in the future because there are no orphans in our villages?

So, we began to ask God for ideas of how we could help eliminate orphans in our community. We started thinking about some of the most vulnerable people in our surrounding villages. Out of this prayer was born an idea to help equip single moms to be able to provide for their children in a dignified way.

Death, divorce, multiple wives, illness, abuse and abandonment are all common reasons women end up parenting alone in Malawi. Unlike the States, there is no welfare system or child support law that can help these women. So, they are desperate to do whatever they can to send their kids to school and put food in their bellies. These are good mamas doing whatever it takes to care for their babies.

We feel if we can support the mom, train her, encourage her, equip her; her family can thrive in a healthy way! If we can empower her to be able to create her own business, her ability to provide for her kids, receive medical care and  have choices has been increased exponentially!

So, in February we started our first "pilot" program. We interviewed and enrolled 5 amazing women from all different villages surrounding our campus. Combined, they have 23 children to care for! These women have committed to come 3 days a week for 6 months and learn how to sew. They are there simply to learn a skill that they hope will help them in the future. And maybe have a little fun too......

 

 During the week, the women will also meet together to study the Bible and participate in a parenting class.

After the course has been completed, the women will receive these brand new sewing machines as a gift to start their business. For a year, we will partner with these women; purchasing items as they build their client base in their villages, offering business advice, giving them the tools they need to succeed.

 

Like most new ventures, we are learning as we go.

Our prayer is that these women will learn these skills and apply them to better their lives!

That they will feel empowered.

That they will be able to send their children all the way through secondary school.

That putting food on the table will not be a problem.

That they will know Jesus loves them and their families dearly.

Would you join us in that prayer?