Another family

The Sherbinos, Leya’s new family, told friends of theirs about our nursery.  This couple is also from Blantyre as it is difficult to adopt from the orphanages down there. They were on holiday at Nkhata Bay which is just an hour away and came to see us while the Sherbinos were still here.  Jemma, the hopeful mother, picked up Samson and was ready to keep him.  Samson is almost 4 months and has no real family except a very old grandma.  We still need to contact his family to ensure that they will allow the adoption.  If they will, then we will asses this family to see if they meet our criteria for foster parenting first and then at a later date we would follow through with the adoption. 

We are very happy that another baby may be getting a home but as with Leya my nannies aren’t too thrilled.  We have had Samson since he was 2 weeks old and he only weighed 4.5 lbs.  Since Leya left we only have 6 children and if Samson goes that leaves us with 5.  Not only are they sad about his possible leaving but they are also concerned about their jobs.  I continue to reassure them that their jobs are secure and that we will get more babies in the future once more people know about us. 

We know that there are babies out there that need our help so please pray with us that the Lord leads these families to us.

 

          Lisa

Payback Time... (or God's Plan)

Yesterday was payback time for our work here.  We completed most of the work to allow Leya, the youngest girl in the nursery to be adopted by a family in Blantyre.  They came up the day after Christmas and yesterday we visited the Social Welfare office.  Leya’s aunt, who was walked 15 km to town with her after her mother died at birth, a grandmother and an uncle came to meet and visit with her new family.  They signed the release of custody to allow her adoption to proceed.  We then made a trip to the lawyer’s office to commence legal paperwork.  He was off for the week, so we turned around and left.  At the next intersection, we had to wait for traffic and the lawyer turned in on our street while we were waiting.  We followed him back to the office and he agreed to do the paperwork to file the adoption that day (even though he was on holiday).  Funny how things seem to work out when someone above is orchestrating them!

 

This is why we came- to allow a little child who had no hope to be given a new life that can be used to the glory of God.  Today we should find out when the court date is and in a couple of weeks, Leya will be officially a part of her new home.

 

Andy

 

Employee Christmas Party

Yesterday afternoon we had a Christmas party for our employees, which currently number 14. They were somewhat uneasy about attending, since it is not normal here for employers to give a party for the employees. Everyone except the watchmen showed up on time, which is quite an occasion in Africa. We gave our thanks for the work that each does in helping our ministry and tried to encourage them to eat some of the snacks we had prepared. All was quite reserved (think graveyard) and quiet. I figured this had been a bad idea. We then got the gift bags that we had made for each one, containing sugar, rice, tea, cookies and a calendar showing some of the children that we care for. Well, that broke the ice and the singing and celebrating started in earnest. I don’t think they were as loud as the party that happened across the valley with live music and drinking, but things became quite festive. They were all very grateful for the gifts and the year end bonus in pay that each received. Thanks were given to us several times, which was quite humbling since what we had done was not that expensive or elaborate by our standards.

The watchmen finally showed up just after the rest had headed home and had to settle for a Fanta Orange soda and a bag of cheese puffs. One of the watchmen was still sleeping and showed up late and the other was repairing the roof on his house, which had leaked during the daily downpour of rain. They were still happy.

Andy

Best Christmas Ever

Tonight, my son Matthew said, “this was the best Christmas ever.”  I asked him why and he said, “Because we actually appreciate the gifts that we get.”  Sarah then added, “Because they are rare.”  We had a very wonderful day even if we were many miles from home.  The gifts that were given were few but had meaning and there was no complaining.  We did receive a box from my sister this week that had “traditional” gifts which the kids all enjoyed.  She sent Andy a big bag of “real” coffee and I got a container of vanilla coffee mix.  Oh, the simple pleasures.  She also included a can of olives, can of pumpkin, candy canes and holiday M&M’s. Thank you Debby and Jay for making our Christmas special.

 

Our dinner was a traditional one too.  A friend brought us a ham from Lilongwe last week and you can always find potatoes and sweet potatoes at the market so those were a part of the meal.  I splurged and bought a small jar of pickles so we could have pickles and olives just like home.  To top it all off I made a cheesecake just like my mom makes and it was wonderful.  The cream cheese you get here (when you can find it) it quite a bit runnier than that in the states but again this is Malawi and we loved it. 

 

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have:

for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Heb 13:5

Christmas Preparations in Malawi

It is difficult to think that in just a few days it will be Christmas. When you think of Christmas many things usually come to mind. Hopefully the most important is to remember that Jesus, God in flesh, came to earth as a baby, born in the humblest of settings, a manager so that he could live and die for our sins. There are so many other things that make Christmas well Christmas. Our family thinks of Christmas time as snow, warming up by the fireplace, family, decorations, singing Christmas carols in English, thinking of ways to give to the needy, making the foods our mothers made and … I think you get the picture. This year in Malawi, we have none of those things except each other and Jesus. Instead, we have to examine what Christmas really means to us. Sadly, I am having a difficult time as I don’t believe that I ever really celebrated Christmas with my mind truly on Jesus. I was too busy decorating, rushing to the stores and being kept busy with a multitude of things. We say, “He is the Reason for the Season” and many other wonderful things but how many of us really live it and believe it. What would Christmas mean to you if you had none of the familiar things that make Christmas for you? I am not meaning to condemn as I believe that I have failed that test myself. I don’t believe that there is anything wrong with all the things we do at Christmas as long as we don’t forget the true meaning of it.
Since I still believe that family time and memories are important we starting searching for ways that we could celebrate Christmas in a simpler way. It is difficult to find basic craft supplies here so it was a challenge. I had brought a lot of construction paper so out came the scissors and stapler to make paper chains and snow flakes. We scrounged around for cardboard and cut out stars and I even found some gold spray paint in town so we sprayed them gold. We were planning to just hang them around the house but one afternoon we drove by a shop that sold fake Christmas trees. The kids all begged for us to buy one so we have a pathetic little tree, but it is beautiful to us. The store even had lights so we bought a string of those too.
When my nannies saw our tree they were so delighted and said that they cut down fir limbs and wrap them together with string for a tree. The next day they brought a “Malawian” tree and I bought lights for it too. You should have seen the delight in their eyes and all commented on how beautiful it was. When they saw the ornaments that we had made they were awestruck. I told them if they wanted to come the next day we would have an ornament making party and they could make some for the nursery tree and take a few home. I had 5 ladies making ornaments in the garage and I finally had to tell them to stop as their paper chains were getting longer and longer. Each lady took home a paper chain and a few ornaments and we had a few left for our tree in the nursery. It sounds so simple to us but these ladies would never spend money on supplies for ornaments as all their money goes to feed their families. One lady asked how much the lights cost (1000 k or $7.00) and when I told her another lady said, “What a waste.” Remember that one string of lights would take 1/6th of her monthly salary. Just living and getting enough to eat is a struggle for these people.


And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Sickness Update 2

In our last blog I mentioned that we had taken Alina to the doctor for a malaria test which came back negative. The doctor also checked her lungs for pneumonia and wasn’t able to find anything wrong but over the weekend she continued to have a fever. On Tuesday I took her to the clinic and she was seen by a US doctor that just arrived in Mzuzu last week. She checked her lungs and immediately diagnosed pneumonia. We were shocked but thankful that we found the solution to her lingering illness. She is doing much better now and we all got a good night’s rest last night

BTW, we never got to go away for the weekend but instead went to the lake for the day on Monday. We had a wonderful time as the weather was beautiful, the kids got to swim in the pool at the hotel, and we had a very good lunch at the hotel. The beach and pool were deserted so we were able to relax without the local children staring at us. We came home refreshed and a little sunburned.

We don’t understand why we have been going through these trials but we know that we serve a loving God who ONLY wants what is best for us. The following verses were some of a collection of verses sent to us by a friend and they were a blessing and an encouragement to us (thanks Josh). I hope they will be to you too.



“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” Romans 5:3-11

"For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly." Psalms 84:11

"The LORD is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works." Psalm 145:17



Lisa

Sickness Update

First I would like to thank all those who prayed for us as I believe that made the difference these past few days. We are still very tired but trusting that the Lord loves us and cares for us.

“They who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”


Matthew is feeling just fine now after taking the malaria drugs. Sarah is also feeling much better and we forcing her to lay low for the next few days to ensure she doesn’t have a relapse.
I never mentioned much about Kris as we assumed he just had a cold and also Alina. They both were running fevers and had coughs but Kris continued to have chills and fever so today we took both in for a malaria test. Kris does have malaria but Alina does not. He is already feeling better after just one dose of the medicine and for that we are thankful. Alina continues to have a fever so please pray for her.

We have made reservations to go to a lodge by Lake Malawi on Sunday evening until Tuesday. We are hoping that everyone is well enough to go as we just want to take a short break. Please pray that God’s will is done as we want to get away but the Lord may have other ideas. If we can’t get away please pray that our hearts will be thankful that we serve a God who knows best.

Lisa

New Baby

In all of our troubles with illness the last few weeks I forgot to mention that another baby was brought to us last week. His name is Mphatso and he is 6 weeks old. He is the son of a mentally ill woman who was unable to care for him and it was a hardship for her family to buy formula and care for him. All our nannies were very excited as he is now in the room that Jacob was in so it helps their sense of loss. Since we already have an Mphatso the nannies decided that we should call him Gift which is the English meaning of his name.

Lisa

Sickness and The Trying of Your Faith

I believe that the most difficult time here is when your children become sick and you envision the need for them to visit a doctor or hospital. I have thought of taking a picture of the hospital and posting it but I still don’t believe that you would see it with the same eyes as we do. I have watched the doctors assistants take blood without wearing gloves and even get the blood on their own hands without a thought. They have taken blood from one of my babies and then had my nanny hold the hand with blood still on it and this was while they were using the blood for an HIV test. I had to tell my nanny to make sure and not let the hand touch her. The next time I take one to the doctor I will bring gloves just in case.
All this said we have had nothing but illnesses the last few weeks. About 3 weeks ago Bridget came down with chickenpox but thankfully no other babies have gotten it but we are still waiting. Matthew and Sarah have never had chickenpox and about a week later Matthew came down with what appeared to be a mild case of it. He wasn’t so lucky though as about a week later he was hit full force and his body was covered with bumps. With each new outbreak he would get a fever and on it went for several days. Last week Sarah complained of a sore throat which we quickly started treating as it can go from bad to worse with her very easily. On Saturday Kris complained of feeling poorly and then proceeded to walk into a wall and about pass out. All of this was going on while I was still going twice daily to the hospital for Samson. I must confess that I am about undone.
The good news is that Samson was released from the hospital today and is fine. The bad news is that Sarah’s tonsillitis is not getting better so I have to take her to the clinic tomorrow to see the Taiwanese doctor. This morning Matthew complained of a headache, chills and had a fever. We took him to a Malawian doctor who tested him for malaria and it came back positive. Thankfully she has the best malaria medicine available so he is taking that now. All of my fears are being materialized and I desperately need to feel the Lord is still over all this as I am definitely struggling. Please continue to pray for our family’s health and that our faith can grow in the midst of all this sickness.
Lisa

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
James 1:2-4

Just a Comment on Comments

Seems we may have offended some of you who have left comments and not gotten a response back from us.  Sorry if you felt we didn’t like the comment or didn’t want take the time to address it.  We appreciate those that have taken the time to comment and encourage us.  One of the comments mentioned family members that work with orphans here in Malawi and we have since visited that family and enjoyed sharing ideas and experiences with them.

There are a couple of reasons why we haven’t commented on comments.  First is that we set up the blog to be mostly a means by which we could keep friends and family updated on what we are doing in Malawi without having to email everyone separately.  The second reason is that nothing in Africa works efficiently, including the internet.  For you, going to our blog reading it, and typing up a comment may take 2-3 minutes.  It takes us that long just to go to the blog and see if there are any comments.  Then it takes another 2 minutes to load the comments page.  While it’s certainly not impossible to reply to comments, it isn’t quick and we do have other things to do during the day.  Then there’s the phenomenon that a response to one comment generates another and so on, creating more comments to address.  Our intent is not to enter into endless debates on the merits of herbal remedies for sickness or Madonna’s adoption, since most of the time these have no real purpose.  In short, we will now make an effort to acknowledge comments and show our appreciation for them, but if you are looking for a forum to open a debate and convince others that your view is the right one, you’ve come to the wrong place.

 

 …keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings.  1 Timothy 6:20

 

Andy

 

Baby in the Hospital

Yesterday I took Samson (3 months) to the clinic at Central Hospital as he had a fever and diarrhea.  I have learned that these babies are so fragile and have such a wide variety of possible problems that it is best not to wait. The hospital I took him to is funded primarily by the Taiwanese government and has a few good Taiwanese doctors working there including a pediatric doctor.  I took Samson’s diaper so they could see what his stool looked like and they immediately recommended that he be admitted for at least 3 days.  They diagnosed him as having salmonella.  He said that the cause is probably the water which doesn’t make sense because we boil the water before making formula or at least my nannies are supposed to. 

Thankfully I had just hired a woman to work as a fill in and if we ever needed a nanny to be with a baby in the hospital.  She was the one who had gone with me to the hospital and agreed to stay with Samson for the three days.  Before I go on let me fill you in on how a hospital goes.  If you go to the hospital you must have someone with you take care of you such as feed you, bathe you, etc.  The nurses don’t do anything but administer medicine and it is up to your family to see that all your other needs are met.  I had to take a sheet, blanket, food for the nanny, formula, electric kettle to boil water, a thermos to hold the boiled water, diapers, wipes, clothes and blankets for the baby.  Every day I will have to take food and tea for the nanny and diapers and clothes for Samson.  The Lord was so merciful though and Samson was put in a private room with just one other person.  Normally he would have been put in the general ward which has a lot of beds in one big room.  In addition to the sick people in the room all their caretakers are with them too.  Not a good place to stay well in my opinion.  So I was thrilled when the nurse took us to the private room.  The bed even had its own sheet and blanket. 

After returning home all the other nannies wanted to share in caring for Samson so we will have someone there for dayshift and another one for nightshift.  I will be doing a lot of driving back and forth the next few days.  Please pray for Samson to get well and pray for endurance for me (Lisa) as sometimes caring for my family and the nursery seems overwhelming.

 

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.  Galations 6:9