The Great Adventure - Round 2

Our Final Night in Blantyre

2011-07-27T11:13:00.001-07:00

I can't believe how fast our time has gone. It has been such a great week, and so much has happened.
We started our program for the street kids on Monday, it went from Mon thru Wed. When we were are church on Sunday, a couple of medical students from Scotland approached us to ask if they could help with the program. They had come to Malawi for something at the School of Medicine and when they arrived, there was nothing planned for them. They were looking for somewhere to help out. Of course we loved to have them - they were great helpers. We had around 15 kids attend the program, which was a pefect number. I was amazed at how much they wanted to learn. They were so well mannered and attentive. They absolutely loved the crafts we did (a braided bracelet, bead necklace and art), and would have sat and done that for hours. We had long praise and worship times where they had a blast playing big drums and tamborines. They loved the worship and the activities that we had. We had a great program for them, but all they really needed to hear was that they matter, and that God loves them. God was glorified!
There were so many special things that happened. We had Godknows (from STEKA house) and 3 children from his home come and help us every day. We got to hear many of their testimonies which was great, as they were all on the street at one time. There was a little 10 year old girl that came to the program, who immediately caught Godknow's eye. He was so worried about her surviving on the street, that he took her to his home so she would be safe. He left his number with the Police so that IF her parents looked for her, the Police would contact him. What a blessing for the girl to have a safe, loving home to go to.
Maribeth and Kelsey have an amazing team that they are working with here in Malawi. Those leaders were so great during this whole stay, but especially during the program that we had. We would just tell them what we wanted to have done, and they would do plays, skits, lead worship - what great leaders they are. Truly a blessing to this ministry.
After we finished with the program today, we boarded and minibus and headed to a the orphan care center that specializes in children with disabilites and two other centers supported by Maribeth and Kelsey. I have had the privelege of seeing these centers over the past several years. So much as been improved, it was so great to see. The teachers were doing such a good job with the students. Raising up young leaders to be sure!
I will be sad to leave Blantyre tomorrow, it seems like we just got here. I had such a great time with Kelsey - she is so special to me, and I am so honored to have been given the opportunity to return to Malawi. I hope that I can return another day.

God's Plan

2011-07-21T22:58:00.000-07:00

When we got up yesterday we were greeted with the news that we wouldn't be able to go into the centers or have the team over for lunch as we had planned. Things were still a little too unstable. We did some quick rearranging, no big deal. God just sent us to love on the people of Malawi. He doesn't have a schedule or plan.
We were ablt to walk to STEKA house. This is an organization that Maribeth and Kelsey have been helping financially and with prayers. It is a husband & wife (Godknows and Helen) who have opened up their home to children from the streets. The police bring them children that have been abandoned or abused. Currently they have 30+ children there. They are patient, God loving parents. These children are loved and cared for beautifully. They get little or no support from the government or any other agencies!! We got to hear their stories, pray for them, and do a little story of Joseph with coloring & braided bracelets. Those children would have done crafts all afternoon, and were so great. The afternoon was opened up by a bautiful prayer by a sweet 3 year old boy. Had me in tears from the beginning.
Today we are having the team over for lunch. We are preparing a combo American/Malawian lunch. Always a challenge to cook on one burner for 10+ people. Plus use a little charcoal cooker outside.
It is so beautiful here. I love walking down the streets - we are greeted with such warm smiles.
The weather is nice - just a little over 70. Sunny...
Thanks for your prayers!
God Bless you as you shine the light of Jesus where ever you are.

Made it!!

2011-07-20T06:43:00.000-07:00

We made it to Blantyre today around noon. Our flights over were all on time and went so great. We were more than ready to get off of the airplane, though.
We were greated at the airport in Lilongwe by Kelsey and Henry from Children of the Nations with a nice big hug and a "welcome home." It feels like home, so familiar and just such a warm feeling to see all of our friends here. We had a great stay at Henry and Jocelyn's home, they were so excited to have us there, and I was so excited to hold their 6 month old son. What a cutie!! We had a chance to visit the widows at the COTN widows program yesterday and gave them fabric and materials that were donated to us. They sang, danced and welcomed us back!! We also were able to spend time with our sponsored children. They have grown and changed so much in the last 2 years. I had written to the 14 year old guy I sponsor and told him that I would be over to see him this summer, apparently he asked every team who came from CA if they knew who Cindy was. He was so happy to see me and is doing so well in school - I am proud of how hard he is working.
Today we traveled by bus to Blantyre. There is some protesting in Malawi, so we had to take a different one than originally planned. But, we made it safely, the drive was so beautiful. I love to look out at all of the different villages and see the beautiful sights here. The house Kelsey and Maribeth live in is so serene. There is a nice breeze, and I can't wait to get outside to spend some time with Jesus here. There are no distractions, it is a truly special place to listen to my Savior.
Thanks for your continued prayers. We needed them today as we travelled!
God Bless all of you!

Ready to Roll

2011-07-16T06:12:00.000-07:00

Bags are packed, each one weighing in at 50 lbs exactly! We are taking over a total of 6 bags filled with fabric and gifts to bless the ministries that we support in Malawi. Thanks to all who donated items to help fill those bags.
I have been stopped and prayed for so many times over the last week, I feel so blessed and ready to roll!
I will try to update this blog whenever internet service is available.
Thanks & God Bless You!

Blessed, Encouraged, Excited

2011-06-02T07:31:00.000-07:00

I am so encouraged by the outpouring of support that we have been receiving. We are over half way on our fundraising goals - our list of people fasting and praying continues to grow. Both of our garages are filling up with goodies to sell at our garage sale. God is so good.
We are still accepting items to sell on June 18th at the Malawi Garage Sale in Folsom. Let me know and I will pick up items or you can deliver them to me or Pam. We also need helpers the day of the sale!
We have our travel arrangements made. That is a relief. The actual day-to-day schedule is a work in progress. We can plan what we think it should look like, but have to leave a lot of room for God to just use us where he needs. It is always an adventure!
Thanks so much for walking with me through this. Check out the links to Maribeth & Kelsey's blogs below!!
God Bless!

Moving Forward

2011-05-03T08:29:00.000-07:00

We continue to plan for our trip. The checklist is growing... tickets, medications, arrangements for our time in Lilongwe at Children of the Nations. We have a very rough draft of what that VBS program will look like. Now we need to fill in the spaces and find crafts, skits, activities to make it happen. We will be having the older children act as "shepherds." That works great for the VBS camp that Lakeside hosts. It has already been arranged that some of the extra t-shirts from our Lakeside program will be sent with us to give to the little leaders. They will be so excited!
A team of two ladies just returned from Malawi where they helped with the Easter outreach and distributing 10,000 books and crayons to the children there. It was a huge success with so many great stories of healing and hope. If you want to see more pictures of that, check out Maribeth & Kelsey's blogs (linked below).
I have started accumulating items for the garage sale that we will be having in June here in Folsom.
Please continue to pray for Pam and I as we prepare for this trip.
God Bless!

Can You Believe It?

2011-04-07T16:59:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to be planning another trip back to Malawi! I am already thinking of those beautiful children. My dear friend Pam and I are headed back to Malawi to support Kelsey who is doing a year long mission trip to Blantyre, Malawi. She has been working alongside Maribeth - who is coming home for awhile over the summer. We are going over to give her some moral encouragement, see all of the great things that God has been at work on in Blantyre, as well as help with a program for the street kids. Kind of a VBS, but not really because these kids aren't in school... you get the drift, tho! It will be very fun, and quite the challenge. Kelsey and Maribeth have been working with a church over there, and we will partner with them to put this on.
Right now we are just working on getting our flights and coming up with ideas for the program. When Lakeside Church sends teams out, we are required to have Share Partners - people to pray for us and stand beside us - so Pam and I are busy working to get our letters out. We will start our training meetings soon.

Home to California

2009-05-16T11:10:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-11T07:13:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-01T09:21:00.000-07:00

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!

Made it!

2009-04-29T00:39:00.000-07:00

It is so great to be back in Malawi. We were greeting so warmly at the airport by widows and several people that we had made connections with last year. They always make you feel like you are home again. We have spend the last two days with the widows and children. Monday we went with the widows to their homes so they could show us the life of a Malawian woman – how they cook, clean, chop wood, carry water. We all had the opportunity to learn to do these things. Even though we all know how to sweep, it is a little different to be sweeping and mopping dirt!! It provides great entertainment for them. The children are so beautiful. We were greeting all through the village with cherry smiles and waves. They love to walk with us and hold our hands.
We spent Tuesday morning with the widows, doing a little Bible teaching and making beaded bracelets with them They were so excited to have us there with them. We will be heading back on Wednesday morning to bless them with all of the fabric and yarn that was so generously donated. They are going to be so excited when we show up with 3 full suitcases of materials just for them. They use those materials to make items to sell to generate income. Thanks to all who donated items for these beautiful women.
Yesterday we had the chance to meet with the children that we have sponsored individually. It was great to have lunch with them, and just have a chance to get to know a little more about them.
We went to the Children’s Crisis Nursery on Tuesday afternoon and had such a wonderful time holding little ones. They have 14 babies there at the present time, so you can just go in and pick one up to cuddle. I was in heaven. They had little 5 day old baby twins that were so sweet…
We are off this afternoon to head up to another village up north. In this area, COTN has several houses where 8-10 children live. While there, we will put new screens on their homes. We will spend two nights up there. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us up there.
We covet your prayers!!
Will write more when I get a chance!
God Bless You!

London!

2009-04-25T09:15:00.000-07:00

We made it to London this morning. Flights were all on time, and all. We rode the tube into London and went to the Tower of London, saw the jewels and some castles - ate fish and chips, and are now back at the airport waiting for the next leg.

I am so excited to get to Malawi and meet with the people from Children of the Nations. I know that God has such incredible plans for our time here. I received a call just as we got on the plane in SFO that they were anxiously awaiting our arrival.
I think we are more excited to see them, tho.

More when we arrive, if we get internet access.

God Bless!!

Mark's Thoughts : Part 5

2009-04-24T06:58:00.000-07:00

Okay.... it is Friday morning! We leave today in a matter of hours not days anymore! WOW!!! Go figure I woke up early unable to sleep. I feel anxious to get going, but at the same time I am feeling confident and as well prepared as I can be. Bags are packed and I am enjoying my last cup of coffee at home. My goal for this morning is to get as many hugs and kisses from my family I can before we head for the airport. So far I am well reaching my goal! Praise God!!!

Pray for safe travel for team Malawi '09!!! Woohoo!!!!

2009-04-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

YEAH!!!! Team Malawi 2009!!!

Final Team Meeting

2009-04-10T06:55:00.001-07:00

It's so incredible that two weeks from today, we will be heading back to Malawi! For half of us it is the excitement of going back to a place that we are SO touched by, for the other half, there is the great anticipation of the unknown. I remember that feeling last year.
We had our final team meeting and dinner last night. Before that, we met at Mark's to pack supplies into suitcases and get them all weighed. We have such a great assortment of things to take over to Malawi with us... fabric, books, crayons, toiletries, yarn, beads! Our bags will be packed to maximum capacity!! That is so great!
Our team will be serving together at the World Vision Caregiver Kit build project here at Lakeside Church next Saturday - which is sure to be an awesome experience.
We have received our schedule from COTN so now know some of the things we will be helping with. It looks like there will be plenty of time spent with the widows and children. We will travel to another village and install screens on windows and teach computer skills to some of the older children.
I am so honored to be able to return to Malawi. Thank you to everyone who has given financially, donated items and committed to pray. People have committed to fast for our team (one is fasting today!!). Thank you, thank you, thank you!
God Bless You!

Mark's Thought's Part : 4

2009-03-28T07:54:00.000-07:00

"Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right." Proverbs 20:11.

"He called a little child and had him stand among them...unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Mathew 18:2-4.

God shows us things in so many different ways. Even at times when we are least expecting it. Yesterday God humbled me through a child and confirmed the reason I am even going on this trip. Here is my story:

I was at a children's birthday party for a friend of ours. My daughter and their daughter are both 7 years old and are like two peas in a pod. My daughter's friend had heard about my trip to Africa to help orphans her age that are less fortunate than we are. Before we left the party she had brought me an envelope which she had decorated with her name and flowers and other adorable pictures that 7 yr old girls love to draw. Inside the envelope was money for my trip from her. It was all her allowance money she had earned. She gave it up without the blink of an eye. For her it was like giving up all she had.

I was not only humbled by her selfless giving, I was encouraged to go to Africa and show those kids that people do love and care about them thousands of miles away. To see life through a child's eye makes you stop and rethink about what is important. Jesus calls us to be like a child and not let the world cloud our minds. Why can't we all show selfless love and compassion without analyzing it all to death. The answer really is quite simple.

Mark's Thoughts : Part 3

2009-03-26T17:18:00.000-07:00

The garage sale was a huge success. It was a major blessing in so many ways. The first blessing was our team working together to get the sale organized, set up, and torn down. This is a great team and I think we are going to do great things together while we are in Africa. The second blessing was God bringing all the people to the sale, which by the way was a ton. There were cars parked everywhere and people coming from every direction. Another blessing was the weather. God kept the rain away all morning and gave us just enough time to do what we needed to do. There was one part during the morning when I looked up and saw a square patch of blue sky directly over the house we were at.....seriously. The best blessing of all was being able to bless all the people who bought stuff at our sale. We sold tons and tons of stuff at ridiculously low prices. There were some people who desperately needed clothes and we were able to provide the clothes at next to nothing prices. They walked away with the biggest smiles. What blows me away is how much we still made selling everything so cheap. God definitely had His hand over that garage sale. Thank you God for all your blessings. Africa, here we come!

Praises!

2009-03-24T14:03:00.001-07:00

We had such an awesome time at the garage sale. It was a great day for our team to come together to raise funds for our trip - we raised over $1200!!! What a blessing! We had so many great items donated to sell - thanks to all who donated for this great cause. The weather held out until noon when we got a little rain. WOW! Our God is great!
Our team is such an incredible team of hard working people. Everyone has their own reasons and passions for serving - it is so cool to see it all coming together. I know from past experience that we go with the heart of serving - but come back with a renewed faith in our Lord. I can't wait to see what God will do in our lives. It is most definately a win-win situation!
I am getting so excited to go - one month away! That is so hard to believe. Things are coming along great. We had another team meeting last week. Handed out so much information to the team, they had to be a little overwhelmed. We have secured a laptop to take over to COTN to donate and to help them learn a few basic computer skills on.
Thanks for keeping us in your prayers. I pray that all of the little details will come together in the month ahead.

Mark's Thoughts : Part 2

2009-03-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

This trip is coming up in a hurry. As I plan and cross things off my list to prepare it gradually sinks in that I am going to be gone for 16 days. To some it doesn't sound very long, but for someone with a young family it feels like an eternity. It is going to be hard leaving behind my wife and three kids (third one was born 3/13/09) for two weeks, but it will be a great experience to share and talk about with my kids as they grow up. I am sure my perspectives and priorities will change after the trip. I am excited to see what God wants to teach and show me.
Only 6 weeks to go!!!

6 Weeks!

2009-03-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

Wow! I just looked at the calendar and realized that there are only 6 weeks until we are on our way. So much great stuff has been happening. Share partner letters went out from all all of our team and we are getting an amazing response in both prayer and finances. Thanks to all of you! God is good. I am in constant contact with both of the areas we are visiting. Plans are being made for an incredible time.

As of today, when we are working with COTN in Lilongwe, we will be helping with the widows program - teaching them a song, encouraging them through scripture, creating bracelets and visiting their homes. One of our team members has prepared a Bible Study lesson for the children there, and we will visit the Children's Crisis Nursery to hold and love on some little ones. Another very exciting thing will be a little side trip up to a village in Chiwengo where we will put screens on the windows to keep those pesky mosquitos out. COTN is trying to get some laptop computers donated so we can teach them some computer basics. We will visit the children living in the homes provided by COTN - there are two new little babies there that we will love to hold.

While in Blantyre, visiting Acts III/Malawi Montessori Project and Maribeth, we are planning to do our Bible lesson with the children in the village, and to paint alphabet murals on walls in the learning centers. One of our team members is hard at work preparing that. We will get to help in the garden, visit the hospital and just spend time with the people there.

I am so blessed to get to be going back to Malawi, and especially blessed to have such an awesome team!

I pray that God will work mightily in your life~

Mark's Thoughts : Part 1

2009-03-05T17:35:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to be part of this team (even if I am the only dude). I think this trip is going to be filled with so many life-changing experiences that none of us really know what to expect.

That is part of the joy of trusting in the Lord and letting Him guide us and show us part of the world through His eyes. Keeping an open mind and an open heart for this trip will allow all of us to see just a fraction of His love and grace. How awesome is that!

As our itinerary continues to fall into place as to what we are going to do and see I get even more excited. Praise God!

Garage Sale

2009-02-16T09:58:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that we are having a garage sale to raise funds for this trip on Saturday, March 21st in Folsom. Garage sales were the original way that funds were raised for ActsIII when Maribeth first was planning to go... so it is only fitting that we try to raise funds in the same way for this trip. All funds raised will be used for this trip, either to help pay for air fare, food, etc. or will go to the ministries that we will be serving. Please let any of us know if you have items you would like to donate, and we'll pick them up.
Bless you!

Moving forward

2009-02-12T07:22:00.000-08:00

We have the airline flights confirmed! It is so exciting to see this trip coming together. The team members are getting their Share Partner letters out. I just know that so many prayers will be lifted and answered because of these letters going out. Just imagine...by the end of next week - at LEAST 150 new people will have Malawi on their hearts. Many of them praying, but ALL of them aware of something happening. That's so great! God will be glorified!
There are so many little things happening that are so awesome. Debbie's husband has found someone to donate 15 soccer balls - the children won't be kicking a can or rocks around!! She has also found a friend to donate some fabric. Let me tell you - there is no limit to what they can do with material, yarn, etc. We will also take some of the fabric and yarn on to bless the women in Blantyre. Kelsey is working to try to get some plastic flutes for the music room at the Montessori school, rumor has it she is going to learn a song or two to teach them, too!! Pegi is doing research to find books to donate to the schools that have children of all colors pictured in them! The kids love to see that. It just warms my heart to see this team all working to try to find ways to bless the people of Malawi.
I pray that our team will continue to listen to God's prompting to ask - and allow others to bless this trip!

Things to look forward to...

2009-02-11T08:06:00.000-08:00

Last year, we visited Children of the Nations in Malawi. Here are some pictures of what we got to experience...

First there were the beautiful, innocent children...

We worked with the widows program there. They are knitting and sewing items to sell to support their families. I was so taken by how beautiful and loving these women were. They loved to dance and sing of their love for Jesus.

We also had the chance to go to a widow's home and help to prepare a meal with them. What an experience. Of course we didn't speak their language, but so much was communicated, just by being there with them.

I can't wait to get back to see how much the program has grown and how God has blessed their lives.

Trip Planning

2009-02-09T17:28:00.000-08:00

Okay! We are in the process of making plane reservations. We have had our first team meeting. I am so excited and feel so blessed to have such an amazing group of people going with me to Malawi. Last year was incredible, and I can only imaging what God has in store for all of us this year.
Our team is comprised of two other women who went to Malawi with me last year. They are both true friends that I love to spend time with. We have a dude coming with us this year - he has an incredible heart for Christ. He has spend so much time supporting Maribeth, one of the women we'll see on our adventure. He will be such a blessing to her. There are two other new members on the team, one a beautiful young lady with a HUGE burn to get to Africa and serve God and the people there, and the other one with just a desire to serve however she can.
It is so incredible how we are all connected in such a unique way - and I can't wait to get to know each one of them a little bit better. I do know no one will be be same when we get back.