NMSI Triennial Retreat and Conference

We really enjoyed our time recently at the NMSI Conference and Retreat from Oct. 1-15. Every three years NMSI gathers all the affiliated missionaries together somewhere in the world. It is a time of learning and spiritual renewal. For us the conference and retreat really exceeded our expectations and we were greatly encouraged and refreshed. When we returned to Malawi, we had some exciting new visions to pray for and goals to work towards.

One of the most amazing things we learned during the conference is how living in a fallen world and our sinful nature really affects everything we do and think. We got some great insights on how much God really does love us and wants to lavish us with good things, but sometimes suffering comes with it. So, we now look at suffering differently - as sharing in Christ's suffering. A new definition for worship (from Andrew Olsen, our devos facilitator) is, "...tell God how beautiful he is because of pleasure over how he has satisfied and will satisfy our heart's deepest needs and longings." We made some great new relationships and renewed old friendships. It is just what we needed.

Bulgaria

The first week was spent in Hissar Bulgaria. The countryside was breathtaking and the conference was very inspiring. We attended workshops on missionary issues all week and had a few days to do some sight-seeing. The little town where we stayed has a natural spring under it and we enjoyed really nice tasting water from the spring. Bulgaria has lots of beautiful church buildings.

The striped building is the church at Rila Monestary - really awesome with immaculate artwork on the interior walls and ceilings and exterior walls.

It was very interesting how Christianity was brought into Bulgaria and received so easily hundreds of years ago.

Greece

The second week of our trip, we traveled by bus to Greece - the Halkidiki peninsula. It was so beautiful there. We also took a bus trip to nearby Thessaloniki (not a misspelling) as the Greeks call it. Our week in Bulgaria had been a preparation for being in Greece as we studied Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians. It was very insightful and inspiring. Modern day Thessaloniki is very densely populated with many tall apartment buildings in a small geographical area....talk about traffic! We are now more appreciative of Malawian traffic and see it is not really that bad.





We also saw a few beautiful sunsets on the Aegean Sea. The weather was nice and cool. It was considered the off-season so there weren't any water activities, but that was fine, because we were enjoying the coolness. It is very warm in Malawi right now.

One picking of mulberries!

MULBERRIES GALORE!

We love our huge Mulberry tree. This is the first year that we've had this bumper harvest. Mulberry trees are draught resistant and don't need any fertilizer at all. Last year we got several handfulls of mulberries. But this year Larry brings in two large bowlfulls every day! Mandy has been making mulberry crisp, mulberry muffins, and mulberry pancakes. Mulberries are also delicious on ice cream and cereal.



One of our Malawian friends was visiting and we offered him some mulberries. He told us that the Chichewa word for mulberries is "malbro" but he said it like "marlboro". So now we call our muffins, "marlboro muffins." We explained to him that in the US, Marlboro refers to a brand of cigarette. We had a good laugh over it.

More maize!!

Recently 200 bags of maize was delivered and put in our back yard. Our workers treated it like it was pure gold. They carefully placed it in the storage room in the little house in the back ground on the picture.

About 120 needy families will benefit form the maize, most of which are led by one or both parents suffering with AIDS. All of the people in our HIV program take antiretroviral medicines which help them to be healthy so they can work and also to prolong their lives. We will be giving them maize and beans to help sustain their families for four months during the famine.

We also plan to feed our orphans an extra day each week during those four months - maybe longer. This has been a vision of ours for a very long time. Thank you to our donors and to IDES for supplying this need.

Awesome kids!

Some of our favorite faces from the village!

Even the kids come to our lessons at the church in Mphanda village. They sit very attentively.

Layers for increased income and food production!

We have enjoyed watching our 50 baby chicks growing.

They are growing beautiful feathers and becoming bigger and bigger each day. In about 5 more months they will begin to lay eggs. Hopefully the egg business will supplement our orphan program.

Preparing for the Famine of 2008

Due to the poor rainfall this year in Malawi, many families were unprepared. They did not harvest enough maize to feed their families until the next harvest. Beginning in about October, families will not be able to purchase maize. They will struggle to find enough food to survive. November begins the planting season. The rains will begin then and end in about April. After that they will harvest their maize. IDES awarded us $35,000 to purchase maize, beans and baby formula (for babies of mothers with HIV/AIDS). Beginning the end of October we will begin to increase the orphan feedings, and deliver bags of maize and beans to families where the parents are suffering from AIDS. This month we began providing baby formula for 8 mothers with AIDS so they may stop breastfeeding their infants. The HIV virus can be passed through mother's milk to the baby. Praise God with us for His wonderful provision.

Struggling, but determined!