School is Out

Well, since we are starting back to school in less than 2 weeks, thought I should wrap up last years school year.

Oh my, how my kids have GROWN.....

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{oh my goodness, look how much my baby has grown}

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The first day of school pictures bring back SO many memories. 

Our girls had been home 2-3 weeks and we were about to move to the other side of the world in just a few short weeks.

We have often said that this year has been the fastest year of our lives, but looking back at these pictures, it also seems so long ago. 

School this year was a little, ahem, rushed? 

We moved and then began school in November.

The name of the game was get.school.done!

By the end of our school year we were doing school 6 days a week.

Ain't nobody who thinks Saturday school is fun.

But, we finished and hopefully we learned some too (I know I have)!

We are excited to be starting in August this year. 

Hoping to take it slower and enjoy the process a bit more.

Road Grading, Malawi Style {Malawi Mondays}

{Malawi Mondays is an attempt to show glimpses into "how we see Malawi" as someone who has moved here from another passport country. Hope to give a little picture of how life here is beautiful, exciting, difficult at times and full of learning experiences}

When we lived stateside, our house was  on a black top road that turned into a dirt road right after our property. As the boys grew up, they loved seeing the road grader pass our house. The drivers would always keep a bag of dum-dums nearby to hand out to the boys (and other kids) watching them do their "thing". 

The purpose of road grading is to smooth out roads so that cars can easily pass along, while also keeping the water draining (yes, I had to ask my husband the purpose ;). 

This is how we road grade, Malawi style.....

There are no air-conditioned tractor cabs with shiny blades.

Instead of blades, you use your hoe, and the strength of your back.

The government pays people in the village to grade out a certain sections of the road.

The ditches are cut lower and the excess soil is thrown into the middle of the road.

There is a long triangle of sorts (not pictured) made of 2 x 4's that is used to measure the road and make sure the slope from the middle to the edge is at the correct angle.

The soil is unbelievably  hard right now as rain has been non-existent since April.

The distance from the highway to Esther's House is 2.8 km and it has taken about a month to grade the road section by section to here.

There are a few blacktop roads in all of Malawi, but the rest (and vast majority) are dirt roads. This is how the roads are maintained all over the country!

Double Digits

It continues to baffle me how fast these years are going by!

I remember when David's grandma told me, when my boys were babies, that "the days are long, but the years are short"...oh, how that is true.

So, here is my first baby and he is now 10...TEN, crazy I tell you!

It is getting hard to get pictures of this one, and even harder to get permission to post them, so we'll see how long he will let me put him on the blog.
{And that is ok, I want to respect his wishes/privacy!}

 When my mom came to visit for the month of June, we got to show her Lake Malawi. 

You have to keep reminding yourself you're at the Lake, cause your brain thinks "ocean". 

This guy still LOVES to read, it is absolutely been his favorite thing to do since he learned to read in Kindergarten. I have to hide books from him for the next year's school or he'll read them all before we start. 

He is an "old soul" and our deep thinker.

At 10, he still has that innocence that he can grow up to be whatever he dreams of!

I love this!

The theme of this year for our family has been "transition". He has become a big brother to 3, moved to another country, lives a different way of life than what he is used to. Some days have been really tough, but he is finding his own place and growing in his relationship with Jesus. 

So, so thankful that God allowed me this gift of being his momma!

Birthday Interview at 10

Favorite Color: black

Favorite movie: The Lost Medallion

Favorite Food: Taco Pizza

Favorite drink: Cherry Plumb Soda

Favorite thing to play: Baseball

Favorite Friend: Corbin and Gavin

Favorite thing to do with mom: run

Favorite thing to do with dad: boxing

Favorite thing about living in Africa: finding crab claws at the Lake

Favorite Bible Story: Benaniah

Favorite subject in school: Reading

What you want to be when you grow up: Architect

Meat Market {Malawi Mondays}

{Malawi Mondays is an attempt to show glimpses into "how we see Malawi" as someone who has moved here from another passport country. Hope to give a little picture of how life here is beautiful, exciting, difficult at times and full of learning experiences}

So, I guess it is kinda obvious how I fell off the blog wagon for a bit. June was a busy month with finishing up school, hosting a missions team, and having grandma come visit for a month! 

Let the Malawi Mondays commence!

Meat here is considered a "relish". 

Relish is anything that you eat with your Nsima. See here for more info on Nsima.

Meat is pretty expensive and is a treat, rare for many we live around.

If you had some extra kwacha and wanted to buy meat for your family, you'd head to the market where you'd find chicken, rabbit, goat, or currently mouse kabobs (you read correctly, mice.on.a.stick)!

The goat is usually slaughtered out on tables and you can pick your choice meat along with weighing your portion and be on your way. 

{sorry if this pic makes you squirmish}

It may not be totally USDA approved, but we've still yet to hear of anyone with "mad goat" disease and it actually tastes pretty good!

Soap {Malawi Mondays}

One day, I saw one of our community boys walking home from school in the middle of the day. 

When I questioned him where he was going, he told me that his teacher had sent him home from school because he was dirty. 

I also had children periodically missing tutoring classes. 

When I would probe them as to where they had been, they often would respond, 

"my clothes were dirty". 

"We don't care if you are dirty, you're always welcome here," I would quickly reply back.

I didn't get it...

When you have no soap to wash your uniform, you can't attend school.

When you only have one pair of pants/dress and they are being washed....you're kinda stuck from going anywhere.

Soap daily affects our kids lives.

Once we were aware of how big an impact the lack of soap was having in our kids day to day living, we decided we MUST do something about it. 

So now, each Saturday, we are giving soap tablets to all the children we serve in our program. 

The kids NEVER forget to grab their soap before they leave. 

SO simple, but SO needed.

Clean clothes, clean bodies, more opportunities.

Harvest Time {Malawi Mondays}

It's harvest time here in Malawi!  

Harvest time is all about the maize, {aka corn}.

The maize seeds were planted months ago, prayers were lifted for watering, and God sent the rains.

Then, came the time where I began to get squirm-ish and I began to silently question, "for the love of all things sweet and juicy" when are you going to pick the corn already?

But, maize here is not grown for that burst of sweet juiciness; it is grown for food that will hopefully feed the family for the next 12 months.

First, you wait until the corn stalks are dry.... like bent over to the ground dry.

Then, the ears are pulled from the stalks and dried some more in the sun.

 

Harvesting is such a community effort, neighbor helping neighbor. 

 

Next, the dried kernels of corn are pulled off the cobs, where another drying process in the sun takes place, and the kernels are treated to keep out critters. 

 

The maize is then stored in 50kg (110lb) bags at the home.

When a bag is used up, a new bag is carried (usually by women on their heads) to the mill  to be ground into a fine powder.

The powder is laid out on woven mats to dry for a third time.

 

 

The flour is then used to make Nsima (see-muh).

Nsima is a daily staple that Malawians eat (and other Africans- my girls called it Fufu).

 

 

Let's just pause here a sec. and talk about the process of making Nsima.

Above is one of our house moms, Maggie, whooping up some Nsima over an open fire.

 Notice Maggie balancing the hot pot with her flip flop clad foot. She was adjusting wood, balancing the pot AND working that porridge- like substance, with a force!

I really think nsima-making should be a CrossFit WOD.

Reason # 564 Malawian women are ripped!

 

I will admit that my first week here, I tried to help our cooks make nsima in the big pot that we use when we are cooking enough for all of our widows and orphans on Saturdays.

I may or may not have been able to even stir the semi-liquid nsima.

 

Our cooks were killing it with ease and I will just forget to mention both ladies are grandmas.

 

 

Nsima with fish and relish (vegetables).

It is a very thick substance, kinda like mashed potatoes.

You eat it with your hands by rolling it into balls and scooping up the relish.

 

This is the finished product of the Harvest! 

Malawi Mondays

{I thought it might be fun to do a little diddy on the blog each Monday showing how we see Malawi.}

The women here are truly the hardest working women I have ever encountered. Like ever.

It is not uncommon:

to see a woman carrying a big bundle of firewood on her head, 

or with backs bent low hoeing a field with a baby strapped to her back, 

or carrying a bucket filled to the brim, balanced perfectly on her head, while nursing her child.  

The way they live their lives are void of complaint. 

I am certain that if I were in their shoes, I would have thrown myself into the ditch long ago and cried over the frustration and sheer exhaustion of it all. 

But nope, not these ladies. 

I want to be more like them. 

(did you know that you can enter your email over there on the right hand column "follow by email" and get blog updates straight to you inbox? it's true)

my kids are being deprived

There is something that can gnaw at me....even worse than the pesky mosquitoes of Africa. It's these little nuisances called "thoughts".

See, before we relocated our family {to the other side of the world}, a few well meaning people suggested that what we were doing was actually going to harm our children.

Satan LOVES to use seemingly "harmless" comments to fester in my mind until they seem to take over every thought. And I HATE that I let him do that to me.

Here's a little smorgasbord of thoughts that have been popping up lately in this ol' brain of mine:

"Man, my kids are really missing out. Baseball season has started and it looks like we will never.play.again!" (dramatic hunh?)

"my girls seriously would LOVE gymnastics, too bad we'll never be able to go to lessons"

"all of our friends are "graduating" to the next grade with cute diplomas and character awards to boot. My kids are stuck with me for a teacher in a class of 1."

"our cousins are on swim team this year, it'll be a miracle if we remember how to swim next time we get to the water.

"wow, every parent on Facebook is taking their kids on special field trips, playgroup dates, and enrichment activities. I don't think my kids have left the compound in a week."

and on and on.....it becomes really easy for my brain to throw a pity party about how deprived my kids are. When the brain goes, then my attitude goes. It ain't pretty.

And then, I  have to remind myself that Satan is a big fat liar!  I have to make an effort to preach some truth to myself.

Because in reality, this is what I honestly believe and am trusting God for with my kids:

my kids are getting to experience another culture, which is really cool. 

my kids get to see people worship God who don't look like them, talk like them, worship like them or think like them. they are learning that God loves ALL people and speaks ALL languages. 

we hope that our kids will learn that when you read the Bible and love Jesus, it requires an action. 

they get to see the Bible come alive here on a daily basis- widow's mite, woman at the well, prayer meetings that last all night, people who trust Jesus for every basic need.

they are growing a deep compassion as they play with friends who go home to a drastically different living conditions then what they (my boys) have ever seen before.

they are learning that they have a roll of caring for the orphan and the widow.....even at 4,6,8 and 9. 

they are learning that when you follow Christ (oh so imperfectly) that there is sacrifice, but deep blessing.

they are learning that sometimes it stinks to be the only person in a group who "sticks out" and hopefully that will develop into a compassion to include all.


they are learning to become each others best friends (slllowwwwly but surely)

So, even if we are missing out in cheering for our favorite catcher this season, I am trusting God that He will use this time in their lives to develop fruit in them that will last for eternity. 

6 fingers old

 It was a week full of birthdays with G & E having birthdays 3 days apart. 

One year, I may combine their birthdays, but this year, we knew they each NEEDED their own special days.

This was E's first birthday with presents!

She was so excited she could hardly stand it.

She requested cinnamon rolls for breakfast, grilled cheese for lunch, and pizza for dinner.

We had friends over and opened lots of gifts!

She was more than willing to pose for her birthday pictures!

This girl amazes me, she catches onto things super fast and tries really hard at everything she does.

She is a really good sport and can laugh at her self...I think that is such a gift.

I love how brave she is, how willing she is to open up, love and forgive others.

Coming into a new family at 5.5 years old is really hard.

She is the definition of courageous!

Nakupenda, we LOVE you!

At 6:

Favorite Color: pink

Favorite movie: Cinderella

Favorite Food: Grilled Cheese and Cinnamon Rolls

Favorite drink: Fanta

Favorite thing to play: Circle, Circle and Tag

Favorite Friend: Limbani and Eneles

Favorite thing to do with mom: "to help cook and to walk with you"

Favorite thing to do with dad: "help daddy"

Favorite Bible Story: "when Jesus come back alive"

Favorite subject in school: journal

What you want to be when you grown up: a Princess

EIGHT

I sound like a broken record every birthday, but it is true, birthdays are so bittersweet for me. 

I love to watch my kids grow and become more independent. 

Love seeing their interests develop and their minds' expand, but man, it is going by fast, crazy fast. 

My baby boy turned 8 last week.

He has a BIG heart and has always been a little partial to his momma.

I love how silly he is and how he lives to make people laugh.

I can always get him to show me his true grin in photos by saying, 

"Mr. Ramsbottom" or 

"I just did a boom-boom" (Despicable Me 2) 

or any other potty talk really. 

He can spend hours drawing.

He likes to play outside with his siblings and his friends.

He has always been super affectionate.

Happy Birthday buddy, we love you so much it hurts!

8 year old interview:

Favorite Color: red

Favorite movie: Kung Fu Panda

Favorite Food: French Dip

Favorite drink: Orange Fanta

Favorite thing to play: Wooshu (sp?) an African kids game

Favorite Friend: Isaac

Favorite thing to do with mom: draw

Favorite thing to do with dad: draw

Favorite thing about living in Africa: all the new games

Favorite Bible Story: King Josiah

Favorite subject in school: Reading

What you want to be when you grown up: an artist

Internship at Esther's House- A Guest Post

*I am excited to have my very first ever guest post! I am glad it is Seth too, because he is pretty special to our families here at Esther's House. I asked him to share some of his experiences as he completed an internship in Malawi.*

Hey Everyone! I am Seth Adams. I was a 2-month intern in for Esther’s House in Malawi. Hopefully I can give another perspective of life over there and maybe this can convince some of you to jump on board the ministry to support and serve.I have been home for a little over a month and find myself missing Malawi everyday. The experiences that I had over there have changed me forever and have deepened my conviction of serving in Africa. 

God placed a vision of using the tools and abilities he has gifted me with over in Africa at a young age. I was saved in the early part of my life and was given the calling of serving him for the rest of my life in middle school. Throughout my high school days he shaped my heart and willingness to serving the people groups in Africa. I believed that my call was to be a full-time missionary but the Lord didn’t have that in store for me in the immediate future. He still needs to teach, shape and mold me into the man for His purposes. He placed in front of me civil engineering, which is the study and design of elements within the physical world. This includes water, structures, soil and how they all work together. I believed that this major would be a huge asset on the mission field. I held this vision throughout college and it got me through the tough 4 and a half years of school that I had at the University of Arkansas. Throughout my college years I was led to Cross Church where I was able to serve and teach in the student ministry there. That is where I was able to meet the Carney family. I taught both Braxton and Ethan within my youth group. The boys were an absolute joy to teach and I have enjoyed watching them turn into the Godly young men that they are today. I was able to be a part of their transition of them moving to Malawi. From the moment I heard, I knew that I was going to go over there to serve with them. Since Africa had always been on my heart, I felt as though God was leading me to an opportunity to understand the true depth of the calling he has placed on my heart with missionaries whom I had already developed a relationship with. Which led me to my two-month journey in Malawi. 

My journey began with me boarding that long plane ride over. I got off the plane and was greeted by Jason and the boys and was surprised at how green and pretty everything was. I was able to go over in the rainy season, which is when everything is green and growing. There were mountains everywhere and it was honestly breathtaking. We drove back to the Carney house, in the Boma (city in Ntcheu), and I was able to meet the Wilson family. It seemed that instantly they opened up this missionary life to me and we were a team. God couldn’t have placed two better families there to work together to accomplish the vision that God has set before them. After dinner we drove to Esther’s House, where I stayed on campus with the 9 residential kids and the Wilson family. When we pulled through the gate the kids were on the porch waiting for us and I got to meet them. The kids instantly melted my heart. Through my time there I began to learn that they are regular children with their spouts of disobedience but its impossible not to love them through it. The first morning I woke up early to their laughter and went out to play with them. This seemed to be a trend for the rest of the two months in between work.  In the days to follow I began to work in my focus areas. I was sent to do a water study of the nearby wells. I was to make recommendations on the wells that required maintenance and the areas that were without a clean water source and in need of well to be drilled. I also was sent to assist in the medical treatment on the Esther’s House grounds. I began to learn that missionary life is a 24/7 job, which requires everything and pushes you outside of your comfort areas to accomplish God’s purpose. I was trained in engineering, with no medical training, and performed medical tasks that made the blood drain from my face, but was required for the children within our service. Missionary life will make you uncomfortable but for every uncomfortable moment, the Lord carries you and supplies you with what is needed to accomplish each and every task. Though those two areas were my focus at the beginning, it began to change as different needs arose. That included maintenance around campus, teaching a bible study class and some administrative tasks. One of the most rewarding ministry opportunities was being able to show the Jesus film in some of the nearby villages. That was an incredible opportunity to see the gospel translated into their native tongue and the 350+ people at each event share in an opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel. While participating at each event, God made certain things very evident to me. Watching the 350+ people standing and attentively watching the Jesus film in Chichewa, I was reminded of how big our God actually is and how often the gospel can be taken advantage of. We have the gospel so richly intertwined within our culture that we can become numb or detached from its true power and what implications it should have on our lives. The other truth that was revealed to me is that our God is not a God of boundaries or nationality. He is a God to all people and all nations.  For me, when faced with these truths, it changes the way that I see our God and the way that I worship Him.  

{showing of the Jesus Film}

Through my time there, I was able to gain life long friends in ministry with the missionary families as well as the Malawian friends that I was able to serve with. The journey has changed my life and I was able to gain a much better understanding of missions and the responsibility that all Christians have in ministering to the world. Missions isn’t a calling that only some believers are a part of but one that every Christian has on his or her life. John Piper describes missions this way, “Go, send or disobey”.  That we either go to minister to the world, financially support those ministering to the world or sin through our disobedience in not participating in the mission that all Christians are charged with. So I pray that you join this ministry in supporting financially or giving up your time to go serve alongside these missionaries while they minister to Malawi. You will never regret this decision and you will be an enormous blessing to this people group. I personally am counting the days until I get to return but until then will continue to look for opportunities to serve the missionaries and the people of Malawi back in the states.