Flood Relief Part 2

Thanks for returning to our blog and reading about day 2 of our flood relief trip to Chisawa.

       The majority of the day was spent making cement and laying brick for the church. We also went into the village to pray, build relationships, and share about Jesus. Thank you for you prayers! We were able to talk to several families about Jesus. They listened intently and where very curious. 

      Anywhere we walked we were followed by a crowd of children ( excited to see the Americans). We had a language barrier obviously since we had only been in Malawi for a week. Thankfully  Titus and I had learned how to say Bo (which means hi/ what's up?). The kids would giggle and say bo back. We taught them how to high five and fist bump. They loved that! We enjoyed meeting all the kids! I love that smiles and laughter are the same in any language. 

I had a very proud aunt moment that I have to share. My oldest nephew, shared about Jesus to a large group of children! He did a wonderful job! It was neat seeing someone so young be brave and share about his faith and Jesus' love. :)

Here are some pictures from our journey... check back next week to learn about our last day and 1/2 in Chisawa! 

The beautiful view from our campsite

 The guys continued to work on laying brick to finish the foundation of the church and began building columns. 

Sugar Cane  break - Titus' first time to try sugar cane

We walked to into the village to share about Jesus and invite people to come to the Jesus Film the next day. All of the village children were excited that we were there and followed us whereever we went. 

  Sharing my testimony with Pastor Stanley translating                                                                           ( we each took turns sharing about how Jesus changed our lives).

The fruit Pastor Stanley is holding was a gift from some of the village children. :) 

It was delicious! 

 Helping prepare for lunch

  Visiting homes and making new friends

The kids loved getting their picture taken and then of course they had to see it :)

 Posing for the camera! They could have done this all day. 

Beautiful way to end our day!

Flood Relief Part 1

Wow! We have been living in Malawi for a month! It seems like just yesterday we were boarding a plane. We are doing well and really enjoying our new home! We wanted to update you on somethings we have been doing here. 

A week after landing in Malawi, we headed to Chisawa village for a flood relief trip. This village was affected by the flood that happened in February.  We were able to begin building a new church/feeding center, share the gospel and the Jesus film to hundreds of people in the Yao language, pass out food, blankets, and sleeping mats to over 50 needy families. And worship under a tree with the local church. 80% of the people in this region are Muslim. As we walked around the village meeting families, sharing about Jesus, and inviting them to the Jesus film everyone we met was very friendly and welcoming! They listened to our testimonies and had many questions about Jesus and the Gospel. Please pray for the people of Chisawa to come to know Jesus as their Savior. We will continue to build the church and do ministry there.

 Our team consisted of the 3 missionary families at Esther's House, our Malawian team, and a small team from Cross Church in Arkansas.We did so much on this trip in just 3 days so I am going to have a 3 part series in order to share more information and pictures with you.

Day 1

Setting up camp

We draw a crowd! 

Look at all those bricks.

Food, blankets, and mats for families in need

Making cement

Working on the foundation of the church

Perfect way to end our first night - look at that view!

Before we went to bed our Malawian team gathered together and sang a song of praise to the Lord and asked him to keep us safe during the night(in Chichewa). The next morning the first thing they did was wake up and praise the Lord for keeping us all safe. I loved falling asleep and waking up to their voices- not only were their voices beautiful but it was amazing and encouraging to see their love for the Lord. It was a reminder for me to make sure that I am praising God in all things! What a great lesson to learn that first day in the village.

Thank you all for your prayers! Check back next week for part 2!