Home to California

Well, we all made it home safely from Malawi. What an incredible experience. Every day I think of something else that happened that made it so special. God was definately at work thruout our trip, keeping us safe.

After we left COTN in Lilongwe, we journeyed on to see Maribeth at Acts III in Blantyre. It was so great to see where she has lived for the last year. She has done such incredible things with the Malawi Montessori School and the leadership training that she has done with teachers. Her heart is so huge, and her passion is so contagious. We stayed with her at the ActsIII facility, right on the edge of the village in Ndrande. I was most amazed by the amount of human noise that echoed out of that village. We spent a lot of time with Maribeth touring orphanages and seeing what she has been doing. I was impressed by the number of contacts that she has and the impact that she is making on the village there. We got to paint ABC murals on several walls in the orphanages. It was truly a blessing for us to be able to do that and so see how a little paint makes such a difference. The teachers at the schools (all volunteers) were so happy to be able to grab a paint brush and help.

I was so blessed to travel with such an incredible team. We had a lot of fun getting to know each other. It was so great for me to see everyone stretch out of their comfort zones to serve God and his children in whatever way they needed.

Thanks to all who were praying for us. I felt safe and protected, covered in your prayers.

God Bless!

Mark's Thoughts : Part 7 plus visuals

I thought it would be a good idea to see why we went to Africa in the first place. The children there are so happy and they are always eager to have their picture taken. Here are just some of the precious faces we were blessed to hang out with. God is doing some amazing things with these kids. They truly are the future of not only Malawi, but whatever worldly plan God has for them. The impact they have made on all our hearts is indescribable. God is good!

Mark's Thoughts: Part 6

I survived!!!! I made it through two intensive weeks with five women. They actually were not that intensive. I had a great time with my team of ladies. The Lord's hand covered us the whole trip. Thank you Jesus!!!! Now that we are home and have time to reflect on our trip I know I will have more to say about our incredible experiences. It was an awesome trip. Our time in Malawi was packed with so many activities that it will take time tell them all. Thank you for all your prayers and support. We definitely felt them thousands of miles away. Praise God!
More thoughts to come...

Final nite in Lilongwe

We have finished our time at COTN. This is our last night here. We had a great time in Chiwengo Village. We were able to put new screens on three of the houses, they were so excited to be able to sleep with their windows open. We also donated three laptops to them and provided basic lessons. They were so excited to have the ability to use a computer. It was wonderful to be able to bless them with those items. We went to the village to say farewell to the widows.
Tomorrow we are off to visit Maribeth at Acts III in Blantyre. It will be great to see what is going on in that ministry, and to connect with her.
More later!!

Bless you!