We LOVE the Kids and Staff of MCM !!!!

These pictures tell the story of our first day at Malawi Children's Mission :)

Havilah, Emilio, Ben, Elise and Richard enjoing an African rain storm shower when we got back to the Lodge :D

Malawi Messages #1

Miles says:
This trip has been nothing short of what I expected. In fact, it has been even more than I expected. It has been the privilege checkup I desperately needed. Meeting the kids today brought a smile to my face instantly. I can't wait to love on these kids during the rest of the week. The hospital visit was a major shock but it was amazing bringing smiles and joy to the faces of the kids and their guardians from what seemed like small gifts and a simple song. I can't wait to experience the rest of this trip!

Kelcey says:
At the beginning of the trip I was a little anxious about being away from home for so long but Malawi seems like it could become a second home. Everyone is so welcoming and I'm really enjoying getting to know everyone on the team. The bonds we have formed make it seem like we've been here for 2 weeks even though we've only been here for a few days. Mom & Dad, I've found some children that we need to adopt. There's a little girl named Alena who is 9 and loves wearing my sunglasses, a little girl named Mavis who has only spoken 3 words to me so far (but I couldn't hear her because she's so quiet), and a little boy named Bonface who just looks at you with his big brown eyes and holds on to your hand. I could go on but I need stories to tell when I get back.

CBSD (Miss Doyle) says:
Hello! This trip is amazing so far, and all you parents out there should be so proud of your children. As they fall in love with the children of Malawi, we TKA teachers fall a little more in love with them. Thank you for all your prayers, and I send all my love to my friends and family, and belly rubs to Scrappers. :)

Auntie Karen says:

I love your children!!!  I am so proud of them.  They have experienced both great hardship staring at them in the hospital, and utter joy as they met and played with the children of MCM.  Their love for these kids was contagious, and they are an absolute joy to us leaders.  Thank you for the privilege of entrusting them to us.

Photos from Sunday

Worship and Wards

Problems uploading photos tonight :(  We will try again in the morning :)

What a wonderful day it has been!  Everyone was up on time for a great breakfast which was followed by a 40 minute quiet time.  It was so encouraging seeing the students sitting around outside with their bibles and journals and having "space" in their day to be quiet - something that rarely happens at home.

We visited Blantyre Baptist Church where we were warmly welcomed and experienced a wonderful service celebrating Jesus in worship and hearing a Palm Sunday message.  There was a very heavy rain shower during the service where the pastor was competing with the rain during his preaching.

Church was followed by a relaxing lunch at the food mall (lots of fries and milkshakes consumed) and then we headed off to the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, the largest hospital in Southern Malawi.  While we were waiting and preparing to go in, we were singing and a man in a wheelchair sent a message asking if we would pray for him as he had been in the hospital for almost a year with a fractured leg which had become infected.   He had heard us singing outside and was drawn towards us.  It was such a God moment being able to pray for him, and he broke down admitting that this was the first time in almost a year that he had gone outside of his ward.  After we all prayed for Sam Banda, we visited three pediatric wards which were full to overflowing, where we had the wonderful opportunity of singing to, praying for, and giving gifts (beanie babies, vaseline and soap) to the children and their care-givers.  No one can be fully prepared for these visits as one faces the raw poverty and bleakness of many in the hospital who will often not receive the care that we take for granted back home due to lack of resources and funding.

Our students were an amazing testimony of God's love and grace - I was so very proud of them, but for some of them this experience was extremely hard as we heard in our debriefing session tonight. Today's experience has clearly left a profound impact as our students witnessed first hand the extent of the poverty and suffering in this country; and yet the joy and gratitude of these dear people in being prayed for and receiving a small gift.

We are so excited about going out to Malawi Children's Mission (MCM) tomorrow and meeting our kids that we will be ministering over the next ten days.

Love to you all from Malawi.
~Auntie Karen

PS: Tomorrow we will give the students an opportunity to write messages to you on the blog :)

Muli Bwanji from Malawi

"Muli Bwanji?" means "How are you?" in Chichewa. The response is "Ndiri Bwino" which means "We are fine", and we truly ARE FINE and have arrived safely in Malawi - THE WARM HEART OF AFRICA :)

After a hearty breakfast buffet at the hotel we boarded our Malawian Airlines flight at Johannesburg airport.  As we decended we looked out over the green countryside and scattered villages before landing at Chileka Airport outside Blantyre (the city is named after David Livingstone's birth town in Scotland - he was a famous and courageous explorer and Christian Missionary).

After clearing immigration we were met by our hosts, Ken and Avisha Mpemba and their awesome boys - Isaac and Ezra - and after loading all our luggage (yes, it ALL arrived - Praise God) onto the trailer of the bus, and the above Team photo, we headed towards Blantyre. On the bus journey we took in the sights of roadside life in one of the 10 poorest countries in the World.  It was a HOT afternoon and we were grateful for the breeze through the open windows as the bus got underway.

After a warm welcome at Annie's Lodge we settled into our assigned rooms, enjoyed a delicious outside BBQ dinner (it had cooled to a pleasant temperature), and had our first in-country Team meeting.  We started with a debriefing of our arrival and then went on to worship, sharing about this morning's devotion on God's calling to be part of His Family, prayer in small groups, and distribution of beanie babies, soap and vaseline in preparation for our Hospital visit tomorrow afternoon.

We are excited about our first full day in Malawi tomorrow, starting with breakfast around 7:30am local time, followed by devotions, before we leave for the English morning service at Blantyre Baptist Church and our first visit to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in the afternoon.

Please keep praying for our Team as we learn, grow and share our spiritual journey together as the family of God over our time here!

Zikomo (thank you) for your love and support, and Tionana (goodbye) for now ...

~Uncle Kevin

Africa !!

We are finally in Africa!!!  Thank you for your prayers.  Our flights went smoothly and were uneventful.  Our students watched many movies, slept, and were star travelers!

We had a long layover in London at Heathrow, but we entertained other travelers who enjoyed watching the antics of our students playing Catch Phrase and Heads Up (Charades).  I have loved watching the way the team has bonded and their joy is contagious.

On arrival in Johannesburg we took the shuttle to our hotel to find that none of our rooms were ready. Some students went and took a nap at the pool while the rest lay around in the lobby playing more games.  They were so gracious, didn't complain, and they have taken this long haul in their stride.

They all slept for the afternoon and arrived promptly for a delicious buffet dinner.  They have eaten well!  All of them were asked to be in bed by nine to get as much sleep as they could before we meet for breakfast and then head off to the airport once again for our last 2 hour leg to Blantyre.

I hope some of these smiles have touched your hearts.  Your students are such a blessing to me and I consider it such a privilege to have this time to get to know them better.

Blessings from Africa,
Auntie Karen