Chifundo and Chisomo at Ngala CCAP church

A few weeks ago my Auntie Reine came to visit us for a week. She was in South Africa at the Cape Town 2010 conference for world evangelization. A perk of her trip was that she'd also be able to visit us in Malawi after the conference. The Sunday school classes that she works with at Evergreen Baptist Church (where her husband/my Uncle Cory pastors) have been collecting offerings over the past few years to send to the kids at Bright Vision. So while she was here, her biggest desire was to head out to Bright Vision for an overnight stay. We would attend the feeding program in the morning, then hang around BVOC for the afternoon and evening. In the morning we would be attending Ngala CCAP church (Church of Central Africa- Presbyterian).

A few weeks before, we had attended Ngala with Ian Nagata (worship pastor from Evergreen), and as the visiting pastor from the USA he was asked to preach the sermon that morning. He did a great job, and seemed totally unfazed by having to stop after each phrase for the head elder to translate into Chichewa. So, for this visit it was my turn to fill the pulpit.

The church service starts at 10am-ish. The -ish means that it starts at about 10:30, or whenever the people have gathered, the visitors have arrived, and the elders actually walk into the room (a small primary school assembly hall). There is a side for women and a side for men, and the women's side is obviously more packed than the men's side. The pulpit up front is decorated with a hand-sewn piece of fabric and some funny-looking purple flower things in cups. The church elders sit up front along with the guests (us).

For this Sunday, since they knew that visitors were coming, there were two different choirs who performed during the service. The first was a choir of children, from ages 8-16 who sang one of the most beautiful songs I've heard in Malawi. When we get back to the States this Christmas, I'm going to try and upload it on here so you can listen to it. A young girl of about 10 led the song with a piercing, high-pitched (in the best way) voice that left us floored. The women's choir was also very good, and added lots of movement and modest dancing to their songs. I think that all of us would agree that the most special time of the service was the singing from these choirs. It was tough to get up and preach after these brothers and sisters had sung so richly.

So I preached on Ephesians 2:1-10, a passage that I have been going back to over and over again for the last several months. I've used it in a devotional talk with the Northstar kids on our retreat back in May, and taught through it a few weeks ago with our youth Sunday school class at church. Besides presenting it, just thinking about it a lot. If you can, grab a Bible and take a look at the passage. It's one of the best "Gospel in 10 verses" that I've found in scripture. It draws such a stark and appropriate contrast between 1) what we deserve as a result of our sinfulness, VS. 2)the undeserved love and grace that God lavishes on us through Jesus. The Lord led me to the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15 to try and express the concepts of mercy and grace portrayed in Ephesians. God witholds judgment in his mercy (Chifundo in Chichewa). But he then, also, expresses his grace (Chisomo) by making us sons and daughters who have eternal life through faith in Christ.

Please, take some time to read and reflect on this passage from Ephesians.

We hope to visit with the people of Ngala CCAP church every couple months, and maybe I'll be preaching again. It is a privilege to share fellowship with Malawian Christians in such a small, rural setting. It must have been an especially profound for my Auntie. She had just spent the last two weeks in Cape Town with over 4,000 Christians from every part of the world with some of the biggest names in evangelical Christianity attending. The last Sunday of the conference, the entire congregation took communion together, the culmination of a week of preaching, worshiping, conversation and networking that will hopefully spur on evangelization of the world for the next few decades. A week later, my Auntie Reine stepped into a crowded primary school assembly hall with about 120 villagers in rural Malawi who don't have running water or electricity in their mud-brick homes. God's kingdom extends from Cape Town to Chamadenga village and His presence is as real here as it is anywhere else.

Praise God, He is Truly Glorious.

Retreating from the normal...to the lake

So back in October, I had requested prayer for a weekend retreat that we took with the Northstar kids (grades 10-12) at our school. Last year, we organized this beginning-of-the-year retreat hiking up a local mountain and staying in a hut with no electricity, no water and having to carry all of our stuff up a hill for the weekend. I thought it was great, but the kids opted for a more luxurious and comfortable location this year: a church owned cottage right on Lake Malawi.

Thankfully as we become more experienced putting these retreats on twice a year, it becomes easier to organize all the details. I use a schedule similar to the one we had last year, use a packing list that changes very little, and find vehicles that can get us there. Becca and I plan the menu, do the shopping, and pack it all up. The biggest challenge in preparing is the actual devotion/messages that we give during the morning and evening times of worship. We had brought together an all-star cast of staff to go along: Brian Carlisle, our new principal; Katie Dinwiddie, our stalwart math teacher; Ian Nagata, visiting worship pastor from CA; Becca Hiroto, need I say more; and me (they just bring me along to drive;). We were planning our weekend topics and settled on the "I AM" statements that Jesus makes about himself in the gospel of John. We divided them amongst ourselves and went to work prepping.

It was an exciting time and I believe that the time was very meaningful for both the staff and students. We enjoyed great food together; spaghetti Friday night, hot dogs and baked beans Saturday night. We had some fun washing dishes together, especially since we got shocked every time we touched the faucet or water coming from the faucet (due to faulty wiring). We played some rousing games of Nerts, Stratego, and War. The lake provided plenty of entertainment, as well as a cool reprieve from the hot and humid midday. We went on a long walk to the sand dunes just a mile away and played freeze tag in the water for about an hour. We enjoyed very little sleep, and when we did sleep, we were in a state of passive sweating. We may have played the most passionate and lively edition of the "paper game" (Taboo, charades and one-word clues combined to form a wonderful game) ever experienced in Malawi.

But the common experiences weren't he only significant stuff happening. Each of our four group meetings were deep, thoughtful and worshipful. Ian and Nate worked together to lead us in some great worship songs. Each staff member shared about one or two of the I AM statements and challenged the kids to not only recognize the validity of these statements, but the implications of each one in their lives. Jesus is the Way, Truth, Life, Good Shepherd, Bread, Light. If this is true, what do these specific statements do to change our relationship with Him? I so appreciated the talks because they went straight to the heart of the matter; our need for a personal and vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

I must say that the retreat took a lot of energy to organize and put on, but it was all worth it. We look forward to seeing the fruit of this retreat in the months and even years to come. How grateful we are to serve God with our fellow staff at the academy.

Back in Malawi

Our new neighbors, Georgia and JJ

It's great to be back in Malawi. Though we had a great time at home in California this summer, it's good to be back at the work here that God has for us. A couple nights ago, Becca asked me "We've been back two weeks now, but doesn't it seem longer?" I had to agree. It seems like we've been back in Malawi for much longer than 17 days. I think part of the reason is that our first week and a half of work was incredibly intense. We jumped into work at school the morning after we arrived and didn't raelly stop for a break until Sunday for a brief respite. The few days before school and the first week are always quite busy, but this year seemed to be exceptional. We've now settled into a bit of normalcy, for which we are very grateful.

It's been a very good start to school with our upper school staff team. We've got a few new teachers, Jen Jackson for science, Jeff White for history, Mike Ammentorp for language arts and Joy Mwanza for French. We have returners too, Katie Dinwiddie for math, Titus Lloyd for computers, and Mwizaso Khonje for Bible. I'm teaching language arts for ninth grade again and it's a really fun group of kids. Right now we're reading Bruchko by a missionary named Bruce Olson who served and lived with the Motline Indians in South America. I tell my students that this guy was a little bit crazy for God. He endured things that make me cringe including disease, capture, and lots of lonely days/nights in the jungle. God blessed his faithfulness and perseverence, and brought many of the Motilone people to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

We have a new headmaster, Brian Carlisle. He's teaching a world history class to the high school kids as well as Bible for my Northstar group doing their work online with teachers in the USA. I've really enjoyed him thus far and appreciate his experience and wisdom. He has his Master's degree in Educational Leadership from Covenant College in Georgia. He has a deep understanding of a Christian philosophy of education and it's been nice to talk about it as well as think about how we can integrate Christ into the middle of everything we do as a school. He'll be around a few years so we look forward to his continued leadership and mission-minded approach.

We've been hanging out a lot with Jeff and Carson White, a new couple from Texas. Jeff is teaching at the academy and college, while Carson is working at the clinic as a nurse. Jeff and I have been working out together the past couple of week and we've already had three rousing games of "Settlers of Catan" in the past week. We've got them hooked. Jeff's got a pretty cool Texan accent and even wears cowboy boots to school. He's a fellow college soccer player so I definitely like him. Becca really enjoys talking with Carson, their most recent time being at a staff-student volleyball game where Nacho decided to take a wee on the gym floor! Thankfully I was wearing two shirts, the one underneath doubling as a rag. Gotta' do what you gotta' do.

It is great to be back with Nacho too. He's as loving and friendly as ever and we're glad that he stayed well over the summer. Thanks to the Trumbles taking care of him!

Reflecting on Discipleship

Last week, during our ABC Christian Academy staff orientation, our new headmaster, Mr Brian Carlisle, asked everyone to introduce themselves and tell us about a teacher who has inspired us growing up. There were lots of good examples shared around the room and when it came to me, I actually chose a campus pastor with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship from my days at USD. His name is Scott Schimmel and during my freshman year he asked me to meet with him once a week to talk about faith, keep me accountable, and encourage me in my pursuit of Christ. He met with me the next few years usually in the coffee shop at the bottom of Maher Hall. I was a groomsman in his wedding, he was in mine, and skipping a few years ahead, we recently met to play tennis and talk in Danville. The reason that I decided on Scott, was that he chose to serve me by investing time and energy and prayer into me at a pivotal time in my life. I credit much of my spiritual growth in college to these one on one times that we spent together during college, and his continued concern for me several years later. This was one of the driving forces behind my decision to study education in college and from there to head to Malawi, where Becca and I are now. I wanted to teach, not so much because I could impart the knowledge and skills associated with social studies, but because I'd have the opportunity to invest, time, energy and my abilities into the spiritual, intellectual and social growth of my students. I knew that through the relationships formed at school, I'd have the chance to invest more deeply in young men; to encourage and challenege them to be more like Christ, just like Scott did for me.

As I've been working with youth in a Christian setting (at the academy in malawi and also with the youth of Bridges Christian Fellowship in Riverside) the past five years, that desire has only grown and deepened. It excites me to see young men and women making decisions that honor God and serve the people around them. Becca and I get a big grin , and my heart beats just a little faster, excited that these young people are choosing the hard, but best way. Let me give you a couple examples:

- Jon Spencer is going to be a sophomore at Covenant College in Georgia. He is a missionary kid and a guy who I've invested in a long time. Last year as a freshman, Jon and I met regularly via skype, mostly for me to ask him questions about how he was doing, encourage him in his faith and devotions, and give him advice on any number of things. When he visited at Christmas and in May/June, we got to hang out a lot (and he was a lot stronger with his weight-lifting). Throughout the year and during those visits, I was so excited that Jon had gone to college and stayed on track. He was, and still is dating a wonderful young lady named Lauren who we were privileged to meet a few months ago. They are making good decisions together and care for each other deeply. I'm excited to see Jon studying scripture and spending time alone with God.

-Cayla Ries is also a sophomore, at the University of California in Riverside. She is a young lady who was a junior in the youth group at Bridges for that year we were home in Riverside. She was one our student leaders and has continued to grow and mature these past couple years. Becca and I were close with Cayla and her family, and I'm glad to say, we still are. Well, during our time home this summer, we only got to see her a few times because she was in Pasadena with Intervarsity's summer Urban Project. When she got back, we got to hear from her about the summer, and how has been transformational for her. The passion she shared with was enough to give me that big grin and thank God for working in her life. God is growing in Cayla a heart for the urban poor, and perhaps giving her direction for the future as well. Becca and I were so encouraged that she is continuing a passionate pursuit of loving God and serving others.

Those are just a couple of examples but the list could be much longer, to includ kids like Ronnie Dawson, Daniel Allen, and Joel Dehnert. I'm excited to that they are investing their lives in what God has directed them to, whether that is serving at a Christian summer camp, leading an Intervarsity bible study, or joining the Marines.

Last week a new missionary named Michal van Rensburg came to meet me. He was in orientation too and was encoruaged by my sharing about Scott, and his investment in my life. He has been thinking about this lately also and recently heard a pastor say that "Wherever we are, God has placed us there to invest in the people around us for God's kingdom." The question is, who are the people God wants us to pour our lives into? I think if we seek God's direction, He'll make it clear sooner than later.

2009-2010 with the ABC Lions

Each year, during the first week of practice, there are a few things that I like to stress:

1) We are a team that values hard work, technical ability, team ethic, and Christian character.

2) We will be fit, so be prepared to suffer through long runs, sprints, plyometrics and strength training.

3) We will compete against each other but when we leave the field, be quick to give and ask for forgiveness for any wrongs done to each other.

4) We need to have a purpose for our time out here beyond fun, exercise, and winning. It needs to be about character development as Christian, sharing Christ with our opponents, discipline and self-control, and mutual encouragement through our shared fellowship.

Okay, so that's more than a few. If guys don't pick up on these right away, they do later on through our training, our games, and our talks.

Spending 8-10 hours a week with the college guys playing soccer is an absolute privilege. Ever since I was 5, and slipped on my first pair of soccer cleats, I have loved the game. Pretty cool that my parents signed me up for it when they didn't even know the rules. Then they drove me to all those practices and tournaments, and came to watch all of our games at USD in college. Soccer's a big part of how God brought me here to Malawi. It's a joy to share this passion for soccer with the guys at ABC. The great thing is that it goes deeper than just soccer too. We're friends and we're brothers in Christ who will encourage and challenge each other to be more like Jesus as we play.

This past year was probably the most successful that ABC soccer has ever had. Since I've been here, just five years, I've never had such a talented team. Two years ago, we were good, but this year we just got better. Out of our 20 plus games, we lost just two. We play teams from all over; other colles, social teams, village teams, and even professional teams. Since we're not in a league, we set up friendly games for Friday or Saturday and go from there. Though our matches always start late and we never have a good ref, our guys maintain a great attitude and respond well to my very limited attempts at coaching.

Highlights from the year:

1) Going to Bunda College (who have a reputation for being very good and very obnoxious) and hammering them 5-2 on their field.

2) One of guys, Chimwemwe, broke his leg during a game back in October last year. Though is was a real bummer, it brought the team much closer together. Visits to his dorm room, prayer times for him, and helping him get around on crutches were some of our sweetest times as a team.

3) Beating the youth team of a local professional club, the Silver Strikers, 2-0.

4) Prayer times before games with our opponents.

5) At the end of the year, the guys initiated a prayer and worship time for Mondays before training. It came as a result of a few leaders on the team realizing that we needed to keep God at the center of what we do on the field. I was so excited that they brought this forward. We're looking forward to Monday devotions continuing this year.

6) Watching late night Champions league games in the student center together.

7) Pre-game meals in the cafeteria, especially on Friday because beans, rice and mustard-leaf spinach are on the menu!

Lessons learned:

1) The guys don't mind running but they hate pushups and abdominal training. There's only one guy who doesn't mind and he used to be a soldier in Malawi!

2) My guys expect me to play in the game with them. I tried to limit my playing time last yaer, but the captain and vice-captain were quick to ask me to return. I'll be honest, I don't mind one bit.

3) After these games, I realize that I am 27 years old, on my way to 30. I hurt a bit afterwards and usually the next day too.

4) I am much more a player than a coach. I don't always have the answers for our tactical deficiencies, and I can't always make the right subs at the right time. But the guys are gracious and since I played Div. 1 soccer, I guess I'm the most qualified guy around.

5) I'm so grateful for these guys, their commitment to Christ, and their willingness to include an azungu like me in their lives. I am very blessed.

Home in California

Yesterday afternoon we arrived in LAX to an enthusiastic greeting of family and friends! Our parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends were there to welcome us with warm hugs and smiles. It is so good to be here. We will be home in Ca for 6 weeks, spending 3 weeks in Riverside and 3 weeks in Northern California with my family. We look forward to spending quality time with everyone and eating lots of good food! We will be going back to Malawi August 8.

More updates to come!

Kellen and I and his parents at the airport.

Kellen and I with some of the Hiroto Cousins at the airport who welcomed us with beautiful cards, song and hugs!

I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas...

After an exciting Christmas morning with the Spencer family and their eight kids, we headed out to Bright Vision to celebrate with the orphans. We joined them in a festive meal of goat, rice and cabbage and then a game of football. It was a different Christmas than we are used to in the states, but meaningful to share it with the Malawians in this way.

On the day after Christmas, Kellen and the ABC football team had a tournament game in a nearby village. We arrived to find a hard, flat and dusty red football pitch and the village members crowded along the sidelines. It was an exciting and hard fought game, but with bad reffing, a rain storm and slippery ground, ABC lost 3-4.

My super athletic and talented husband also recently played in a golf tournament for the Junior Golf Association of Malawi and won a weekend away for the longest drive (377 yards!). We were very fortunate to be able to drive to Zomba Plateau about 4 1/2 hours away and stay in a luxury hotel for 2 nights. As you can see, we hiked around the top of the mountain and enjoyed awesome
views of God's beautiful creation.


We were welcomed back to Lilongwe today by a massive thunder storm. We enjoyed the cool weather and welcome rain for the crops. Nacho, who is usually unbothered by the storms, hid in the shelf under the table in our living room to sleep in peace!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are thankful for a cozy night with friends at our house on Thanksgiving. It wasn't the same as being home with family but it was the next best thing! :) It rained in the afternoon and made it overcast and cool just in time to eat. The power went off and on through dinner and it made it all the more unique to a Malawian Thanksgiving.

On Friday at school we had International Day which is a day that we celebrate the cultural diversity of the students and staff at ABCCA. Everyone dresses in their traditional country's dress and brings a plate of traditional food to share with the school. Families come and join in the feast and give thanks to God who has blessed us all so much. Here is a picture of Kellen and my classes! The kids look great every year!

It's Already November!

Things are busy and hot here in Malawi as we enter into the beginning of rainy season. The air is humid and sticky as we wait along with all critters and creatures for the rains to come. The powerful, thunderous rains bring cool relief as they soak the dry dusty earth and shelter us from the intense sun. Soon the Malawian landscape will flourish and come alive with an array of green foliage. It is a beautiful time of year. I enjoy the rains greatly and look forward to their coming the most of all Malawi's weather, yet I do find myself missing the smells and colors of fall in California. I bring out a pumpkin candle to light whenever I can bear the added heat and enjoy the nostalgic smell it brings.

Kellen and I find ourselves busy as ever, balancing a variety of commitments that seek our attention. Kellen is working hard as he mentors, teaches, guides and loves on the high school students in his Northstar program, as well as several 9th graders in his literature and history classes. We had the Northstar students over for dinner and a movie the other night and reflected afterwards how much we enjoy them and the opportunity to develop relationships with them. One of the students commented that they had never been to one of their teachers' houses before and I realized the blessing that it is for us to minister in a small, intimate setting like the academy.

As the Christmas season fast approaches, I find images of little ballerinas dancing through my dreams (literally!) :) Myself and two other teachers have been working hard to prepare our ballet students for their recital in the Christmas Program our school will put on. We are working with 74 girls from the ages of 4 to 12 to choreograph, teach dances and design costumes. Despite all the work it is worth every minute to see the brilliant smiles on the girls and parents faces the night of the recital.

About a month ago, on Kellen's birthday, he surprised me with a puppy! There was a family at the academy whose Maltese had puppies and Kellen took the opportunity to get one for us. (He says that he got the puppy for me, but I know he wanted him just as much!) We named him Nacho. Those of you who are Nacho Libre fans will appreciate his namesake. :) We are definitely bias, but we think he is the best and cutest dog and enjoy him very much.

It's Been a While...

It has been a while since I last wrote an update! Sorry for the delay. As we get closer to the end of the school year things have become more and more busy. In the past month Kellen and I have had the priviledge of going on the 9th grade retreat and the high school retreat. It continues to be a passion for us to love youth and encourage them in their walk with the Lord. We are thankful for that opportunity here.
About a month ago we got a call from Kellen's brother in California to tell us that Kellen's dad had a massive heart attack and was in surgery for a triple bypass. Kellen was at the 6th grade camp about 4 hours away when I got the call and was able to come back to Lilongwe the next day. Thankfully Kellen's dad was in very good shape and he went into surgery right away, avoiding permanent damage to his heart. He was out of the hospital in 3 days, already joking and making everyone laugh. We praise the Lord that he has continued to heal and recover well. It was very hard not to be there with Kellen's family and we are thankful for phone calls and Skype. Please keep Kellen's dad, Chuck, and his family in your prayers as he continues to recover.

Sunrise

I am so often in awe of God's glorious creation that surrounds us. The soft display of a brilliant sunrise whispers God's love to us. What a beautiful start to the day.

Bible Class Sub

Yeah, that was me on Friday for the high school students. So yea, I teach ninth grade World Geography and US History to some high school kids along with doing administrative stuff for the older grades. The Bible teacher for the fourteen 10-12 graders was actually gone with his family in South Africa because his daughter was very sick. Thankfully she's recovered and they're back in Malawi. Well, in his absence, Lorilee MacLean who takes care of the high school kids and myself filled in for Bible class. The class is focused on the Christian worldview. Lorilee took a day to talk about finding and following God's will. It was really good. I was taking the Friday class and we were taking a look at dualism; our world's tendency towards splitting our coprorate and individual lives into different compartments that are either secular(God's not concerned about this) or sacred(falling within God's dominion). I grew up with this idea, that God wasn't all that concerned about my behavior on the soccer field, or the material that I studied in school. My personal beliefs didn't belong in certain public categories. I knew that God wanted me to be a good person and treat people with love, but I didn't catch that God wanted absolute Lordship of every part of my life. So we read some commentary from a guy named Ken Boa on the problem of dualism and the Biblical philosophy of integrating God's Truth into every part. We split into groups, each one given a couple areas of focus. We had areas like school, entertainment, family, friends, how we dress, etc. The hope was to get into what, why, how of all these areas, discussing how we would DO these areas of our lives if Christ were standing right next to us. The kids did a good job, and I did some prodding, to help them towards questioning what they're doing now, and what God would like them to do. We had an extra long Bible class, an extra hour, but I hope that it was worth it. It's one of the mysteries of teaching, especially in a Christian school. You sometimes can't detect a change that can only happen in the heart and soul of your students. There may not be a measurable or detectable change in the heart of a child who has given more of themselves to Christ. But that's where we trust and hope and believe that God grows the smallest seeds sown. That's what I'm hoping for in all of our students; that they love God with all their hearts, all their mind, with all their soul, and all of their strength.