We don't know what to do but our eyes are on you. 2 Chronicles 20:12

This week would have been the time we would travel back to the States for a few months. It's weird to think that we wont have to pack our bags this year. I mean we have been doing this thing every year for the past 10 or so years. And its like our rhythm has been broken a second time this year. 

 Even though we will miss visiting our different churches, friends and family this year, I have to confess I will not miss the packing, unpacking, the in-between many feelings and the transition of it all. In other words, even though we are starting to freeze in this cold weather (Southern Hemisphere guys!), we are fine with staying here this season. Our life will definitely be quieter this time of year that's for sure!!


It seems that our lives here are all about reaching out and being out of our comforts and meeting new people constantly. And sometimes it can be hard and we do have to just go out of our comfort zone. It’s so easy to just be passive and be stuck in one place. I can just stay with my people, my house, my little corner, I know this and sometimes it’s hard for me to get out there too.. I like my safe quiet place. But we have been called to reach out and love people. 

In the past few months a lot has happened here with new church plants and Bible studies that we have heard a lot about. We are so excited to take this time in the next few weeks to visit them around the city of Lilongwe and around the country as well, to just encourage, minister and definitely be encouraged as well! 




So here are some pictures of the past few weeks visiting 2 of our sister churches. Next week we will be going 2 hours away to Senga Bay to visit another of our churches with the Slivas and we cant wait!

                                               Sunday morning at the new church Plot!

Below is our new church plant in Lilongwe Area 25, an area closest to the airport on the outskirt of the capital. Pr Jervis and his family started the church 6 months ago with a small team, all sent from our main Greater Grace Church in Lilongwe.

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." Philippians 2:13    

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

With Love from Malawi.

God’s leading and Cross-cultural fear.

"Your Word is a lamp unto my feet,  and a light unto my path" Psalm 119:105

    In the days before Covid even arrived to the land of Malawi, we had been touched by it because of it touching our friends and families all around the world. Malawi was actually one of the last countries to get cases.  Our international school was closed early on even before we had a confirmed case.

There were a few conversations about whether to continue to meet as a church. When the first case arrived we decided (along with a few other international churches) to close our churches. It was such a confusing time as we didn't want to be seen as living in fear. 

  On our way to our "Dapp" outing (secondhand store) with our masks on. (We are not required to wear them and we only do it because we want to (and for the picture ;) 

   A few times we have been stopped by the police, questioning us about why we aren't wearing masks and why we were still in Malawi. It's like they have found another opportunity to stop and fine us for something because we are foreigners. It’s ok though because its never stopped us before. 

Unfortunately, we and some of our national friends had concluded that it might not be a good idea  to go in the local areas for a while because we would be seen as the ones who brought the Covid virus to the place. We haven't even travelled at all this past year outside of Malawi. We had just heard from a few of our friends also being seen as possible targets in this country and from other countries around us.

For many weeks, the US embassy had been sending us emails about health updates, and about if we wanted to leave the country then we would have to leave now. After the Malawian borders and airports closed, they gave us one last emergency evacuation US flight. If we didn't take it  we had to be prepared to stay here indefinitely.  We prayed and decided that we would stay here as Malawi has become our home and we would be safer here. And the spread of the virus has been happening at a very slow pace in the country.

Having lived in southern Africa for many years, we understand the fear that any changes can bring.  The people here already live hand to mouth hoping they will find work or food on a daily basis, and they didn't need to hear they wouldn't even be able to do so because of social distancing.  Fortunately, the Malawian government hasn't given people many restrictions. As most people could never quarantine themselves completely. We understood that most people’s fear was more about not being able to feed their families than the virus itself. 

Church Outside and Social Distance sitting on the school ground

It’s been different and hard for us. To decide what we can or cannot do. Chris' parents who have been serving with us for many years, had also decided to stay. As they are elderly, we have to limit our exposure in order for us to keep helping them with groceries and such.

Our churches have been meeting in smaller groups and some Bible studies have even multiplied during this time. We have divided our one main church in the South of the City into 3 parts which are all getting new people. Its amazing how God can turn a seeming curse into a blessing.

Bible College Students are picking up their Final Exams to take at home.

Some Prayer Requests:

-Pray for relationships, marriages and families in this time

-Pray for our marriage and children. God has brought us closer together as a family and as a team. Pray that God would continue to protect us all.

-Pray for wisdom as we are coming to the end of our 7th year in this country. 

-Pray for us as for the first time in 10 years we will not be going to the States for the summer. We are ok with it but its been a bit hard for our girls who every year look forward to Convention and Camp Life.

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This is our church plot and the church building being built "pangono-pangono"[little by little] by Pastor Malrone and a church crew.

Pastor Malrone digging the well

With Love from Malawi

Behind the scene of transition

     As we adjust between 2 very different countries and cultures, our 2 worlds tend to conflict a bit. The transition and adaptation can be different and shorter as the years go by and I’m learning to trust God in the process. He has called us to this life after all. 

What you can expect to be done in an instant in a first world country can take days even weeks here. What we can take for granted there we see it as a great blessing here. Just listen to my kids or look at them when the power goes out in the evening and it’s like our new normal now, no one reacts or cries, “just light the candle”, or “just wait a minute dad will hopefully turn the generator on!” And then when the power comes back and everyone in the house is so excited. And then when the water comes back on after a few days off or when we find something at the store that we have never seen here before and it’s there!

our water tank and our back yard

What you are so used to have and then it’s not there anymore. When you are used to walking down the street and nobody really cares that you are there and then you remember where you are and every eyes are on you.

Yes the transition is hard. I always have this inner battle in me that refuses to adjust in the first few weeks back or that wants to complain about every little thing that doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to.

Through this inner war, I’m understanding more concretely His promise of peace:

“You [God] will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” Isaiah 6:23 

Change is hard. It can be confusing and depleting at times. But through it, I’m learning to depend more and trust more in a God who always stays the same.

Recently, God has been speaking to me through Psalm 139. Here is a portion of it:

 “Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast…

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…"

These last few years have not always been easy, but God has been faithful. He’s guided, protected, and healed.

I’ve personally experienced that God is my never-changing constant.

Please pray for us as a lot is changing here. New teams are being prepared to go. New people are coming and it’s so exciting to see what God will do. Pray for our girls in school and their teachers. I thank God everyday that we have an International Christian School in this city. 

The path of life..

“You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fulness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11

Hello family and friends, 

Julie here.. I know it has been a while...

I almost forgot about our blog, lol.

And then a lot happens and we forget to write about it, and then more life happens.. 

    

It has been quite a summer so far… but before that, I wanted to share a few thoughts on here about what I shared during convention...  - you say WHAT now?! ..yes, I was asked (sometimes I get asked.. and say no) to share a little about our life in Malawi  -mothers/ladies session- and I said yes!  -I even surprise myself sometimes-...lol 

ok then… 

Motherhood and the missionfield ..

 

There is this saying I read about, when someone talks about distance or a far away land it brings this fascination or a magical intrigue. You look at families far away or people who come back from a foreign place, and you wonder and it interests you. 

Some people ask questions: why do you do it? How do you do it? When did you know? What about money?...

You get asked for news and if we have any prayer requests...

The closer you get to Home, the less captivating the work of sacrifice may seem. When you are a mother at home with your children, the church and everyone around, is not asking you for prayer requests. Your work is normal. You have the Lord and you want to share the Gospel. It is So easy to feel discouraged thinking that the work you are doing is not important. But there is no greater sacrifice than motherhood, whether overseas or back at home. Our children have eternal souls and they are our mission field.

Motherhood on the foreign field ..

Now the difference between you and the life my family and I have, will be in the change of location, moving and adapting to a different culture, packing and unpacking lots of bags, adjusting to different situations that we don't know, learning and trying to understand a foreign language….

I thought I would share on here a few challenges that I have gone through personally in the first few years in Africa.

The first one would be loneliness. Yes I have a husband and children. I am talking more about having to go out there and making new friends with people from a different background and culture. It is a long and difficult process. My husband is usually busy with his own ministry schedule and I am just at home with my children. 

I had prayed for many years for female team members in which God answered and this has helped a lot. We also found a homeschool Co-op and met with many other american missionary families.

The second challenge will be the Culture. Our point of view, the way we live, what we eat and where we live is so different. We are free and have joy but we need to learn to be sensitive and respectful.  We also have 3 different culture going on in and around our family. I was born and grew up in France, my husband is greek american and we live in a third culture with the malawian/african culture. 

My children are loud and cant stay still. Wherever we go we will be a spectacle no matter what we wear or do or what we say will be taken differently or with a different meaning... Malawian children will run to them and touch them or be afraid of them.. they will want to feed them and us too.. 

No matter how many times we can say No to someone who is trying to sell us something, they will not get it, until we tell them, no money or next time or not now ...

 

The third challenge will be in family and time management. I struggle with it (almost) everyday …

This challenge will be similar to yours at first: homeschooling, prepping meals, planning activities, having a budget, church, homeschool coop… 

It all depends where you live but what a lot of moms have observed is that it takes more time and energy to complete  daily tasks in another culture, especially when we have irregular electrical power and sporadic water supply.

And then comes a time when I have my grocery list ready and arrive at the store and half the ingredients that I'm used to finding are not available (the downside of a landlocked third world african country)… and then I'm finally home getting the food ready and POOOOF, the power is OUT! and we can be without it for a few hours (but we never know)...

and then there are those days when I’m overpowered by the dirty laundry and all i can put in the load is ready and then the water is shut off.. thats when my lady friend/cleaner comes in..I am thankful for her; she comes twice a week now to my house to help me with washing and cleaning! 

No water will mean: being ready -in advance -when we think of it- with water buckets and bucket showers… 

I have to confess that the hardest days are when we have no water and no power at the same time -which will happen from time to time! but out of the two I can live without power but I CAN DEFINITELY NOT live without water. 

The fruits of these challenges: 

I have learned to bring everything to God. And we see God’s powerful and loving hand on a regular basis. We have learned to be flexible early on and to adapt. For the Isolation, I have learn to come out of my comfort zone. I was teaching an English class for the ladies after sunday service. Being involved with the worship team has been so fun too!

For our family, God has given us many friends from all over the world, missionaries or expats that have become dear to us. 

As a family, we try to go on church visitations at least twice a month.  

Now we have been back in America for about a month and half and it is a whirlwind. The time goes by so fast. Convention was amazing: the messages were stirring and carried weight for our souls, the fellowship was short but amazing, and the time for our kids was above and beyond what we could of asked. What touches us is the way that the church family gives to us continuously, we feel so honored. It may be little things, like families taking our kids out for play dates, or little cards of encouragement. We often feel humbled to be part of such a great family. Jesus didn’t choose a restaurant to cater the 5000+ people to feed. He used a small boy with 5 loaves and 2 fish. God uses so many different members from the Body of Christ many times with limited finances to bless people around the world. 

The rest of the summer will be split between visiting family and supporters around the east coast. It will be a lot of driving with small children coupled with a lot of fellowship. We are thankful for your prayers and support. We return to Malawi in a few short weeks. 

Please pray as we continue raising up our newly ordained pastors and plans for a future church plant in the northern city of Mzuzu.