Progress on the pig cage

New faces at the training center

Since we are ministering to women it seemed only fitting that we a a few more cleaver females to the center. So in the pig department we have added Charlotte the future mother of many. Then we have my mom's latest granddaughter Sparky a German Shepard puppy who we hope will grow up to be our strongest watch dog. I'm hoping that I will be able to trainer her to respond to commands which the other dogs do not do. Apparently what I thought would be a great laying hen has turned out to be a rooster, so we will have to find a friend for him, but meanwhile he is keeping the pig company while we build a cage for the pig.

Little Birdies in my Windows

Here's a few of the little birdies in my windows. The windows are reflective outside so the birds love to come and talk to themselves or perhaps they are at war with themselves . I'm not sure which but either way they give us a lot of joy and enjoyment, some even have a few dances that they do and that proves entertaining as well.

Working on Home Gardens

Yesterday's lesson was on water management. We also
Talked about the the potential these women have and the fact that they are all very cleaver. I told them that if they put their minds to it they can do anything.

We gave each women a bag of bean seeds and stems they can plant for a good crop of sweet potatoes. Both products were given for ground preparation so that when other things are planted the ground will be a bit dug up and will have been fed with nitrogen from the planting of beans.

A visit to COTNIs Chitipi Village

It has been a few months since Mom and I have been out to Chitipi to see the children and I have heard they moved all the Little-ones there and Tellina my friend is the new mom for all of them. Tellina has the house all cleaned up and the furniture has been recovered so the home is quite nice.
We arrived at the house and I could hear the Children calling out that Auntie Michelle has come. They didn't see that Grandma was with me, but once they did they were even more excited.

The Children walked us in the house and we held the babies and loved on the other kids as well. One little boy brought a Christmas card that was sent to him from his sponsoring family and asked grandma to read it to him. Of course Mom read it to him but he wanted it read over and over again. The kids were all wanting to sit and talk with him. I took a group out to look at the farm to see what they were growing . We walked by a bee hive but fortunate ly we has walked by it before I realized what it was and told the children to walk fast. I didn't have my epi pen. which was not bright on my part, but a good warning of what not to forget again. All in all, it was a nice visit which left me very proud of Tellina for the way she is managing the home.

Starting a Prayer Tea

Today we are starting a prayer tea. As was the case in Liberia during the war, it was the prayer of the women that changed the nation. I believe it will be the prayers and empowering of the women of Malawi that will change this nation. So pray with us that this small group of pastors wives and women leaders will be the kindling from which a mighty fire of God will be started.

Praying for water

Friday I thought it might be wise to bring our problems to the Lord. So we prayed and asked the Lord for water. Then I went and tried to rent a water pump. We wrestled with the pump for hours but it never was able to pump the water from the deep well. I finally gave up and took the pump back. With in an hour of our return home it began to poor down rain. We were able to fill our reservoirs with water. I got a very clear message from the Lord: "Ask me and then wait and see what I will do. I don't need your help."

Because of hard rains and electrical storms which lit up the sky, we lost all power yesterday afternoon. It has been about 18 hours but the power is back. For how long, no one really knows. The power is very unstable so I have gotten serge protectors in hopes of saving my appliances . The training center is beautiful , rich with all kinds of food plants and we look forward to starting classes next week. Birds and butterflies of all sorts of colors and sizes flutter about. life has returned to what was once a baren plot of land. My prayer is that the whole village will catch the vision and move forward in self sustenance. Pray that the women will be encouraged and be empowered.

How rain causes power shortages!

It's Sunday and we have had no power all day. We started the day cooking on the coal pot and now it looks like it will end in the same fashion. Yesterday we had a torrential rain in the afternoon which apparently knocked down several power line poles. I'm guessing the dirt around the poles became so saturated with water that the poles just slid out of the holes and somehow damaged the lines. I called the power company and they said we might get power tonight.
Sometimes I wonder if life is easier if you don't have any of the modern convenience , not really but the inconvenience and frustrations of not having something is character refining at times. Pray for strength as we face these challenges on a daily basis.

Doctor Clark

It's 7pm,raining cats and dogs, lightening fills the sky and I'm called to check on a lady I know. Word has it she has a head ache and can't walk. The combination sounds like it could be cerebral malaria so I didn't want to chance it without checking her out. When I got out of the car to walk down the high grass, mud puddled path the rains were at their peak, I was hot so didn't mind getting wet but was a bit afraid of the lightening. My friend decided she wouldn't die during the night and would like to wait until morning . Her eyes looked ok so I decided she could wait . We drove back home and I was thankful that I didn't have to spend the evening in the hospital. I still haven 't gotten over jet lag. Mom was in bed by 7pm. Now it's my turn .

The departure date

I will be leaving Seattle on February 8th and arriving in Malawi on the 10th. Mean while we are frozen in here on the Island on and off. I am excited to go home and my families in Malawi are happy to have us come.

Happy New Year 2012

I'm cleaning out my mom's storage space. It's amazing what gets stored just because we think some day we might use it or we just aren't sure what to do with it in the first place. I'm sure our mind, and bodies are the same way.
I was on a walk with a friend of my sisters and she told me last year she and her husband made 60,000 dollars more than this year and although year they aren't doing as much as they did , they are still well fed, clothed and live in a comfortable house.
She said no matter how much they make it never seems like enough.and imagine the women I'm working with make less than a dollar a day. No it is not all relative either.
I find myself wondering how they do it. How can they keep going in such suffering. I know that they have gained new hope in the classes I have for them, so I hope and pray that it won't be long before we can gather together again and sing and learn. I'm home sick and every day I cry out:"I want to go home, Lord I want to go home" PRAY that the finances come in so we can go back soon. I just need 465 dollars a month pledged and we can go, without those fund I will have very little to use for the women.