Malawi Tried to Kill Me and Then I Fell in Love With Her (by Raychel Hosch)

My mother told me a story soon after our house had burned to the ground one Christmas Day. She returned to the pile of ash and rubble a few days after the fire to find a single flower growing up in the middle of the devastation that used to be her home. She fell to her knees and wept in that moment as she was overcome with the knowledge that God was in the midst of it all and she would survive.

I am reminded of this flower as I process all that we saw and experienced in our recent trip to Malawi to visit our missionary friends John and Samantha Jewell. I won’t dwell on the negative too much because it is no more important than the fire that had occurred on that Christmas day over 30 years ago. What is important is what happens afterwards and how God makes Himself seen to us.

When we arrived, we experienced jetlag like we had never experienced before, and we were immediately ill with what felt like the flu. We soon discovered that the rainy season had not yet begun. The pollution from 7 months of dry dust and smoke from burning trash were wreaking havoc on our lungs and allergies.  During this first week of illness I got to be a guest lecturer at the African Bible College for a group of young aspiring Malawian audiologist. I enjoyed hearing about their language and their culture, and I felt a joy in teaching for hours on end despite my raspy voice and facial mask I was forced to wear. Even in my illness God gave me a new energy and excitement about teaching.

Don got drenched in an exploding water pump as he and John worked on plumbing emergencies right before we attempted to make it out to the village to meet the preschoolers. We finally made it safely out to Snoden’s house where over 50 kids were being fed breakfast and 35 of them were staying for preschool to be taught by his wife Susan. I was able to share some Raffi songs with Susan and the kids and they mostly just gawked at my strangeness. I worked with Susan on how to present circle time and centers while Don got to work with Snoden on building plans for the new preschool and library currently under construction. Don started to see how he could be used in this ministry that he had just “allowed” me to be a part of.

At night we were told to listen for people walking outside scraping the wall and the street with their machetes. I think they are supposed to be the neighborhood watch, even though they weren’t much help in preventing John and Samantha’s chickens from being stolen. They hire a guard to walk the property at night and have one aging German Shepard to assist him and she loves her job. Thanks to our jet lag and illness we slept so deeply that we never even heard the machetes.

While we were there a new puppy arrived, donated by our church. This puppy will hopefully grow into a reliable and faithful guard dog that will be able to protect the family wherever they go. It would have been comforting to have her on our outings to the “Scary Market” and the chitenj

e market. Samantha, Andy and I were protected on one of these outings by an angel in a truckee (small bike or motorcycle cab), who warned us of 6 men on their way to do us harm as we were getting into the car at one of these markets. Thanks to him and Samantha’s quick response we escaped with only a few shattered nerves.

We never escaped the sweltering heat while we were there, but we did get to take a long, air-conditioned car ride to Zambia for a safari for 2 days. We immediately got to see antelope, Puku, Waterbucks, Bush bucks, a giraffe and every kind of unusual waterfowl and bird you can imagine. It felt like the guide was saving the best for last and sure enough towards the end of our jeep ride we came upon a pride of lions who had just feasted on a cape buffalo stuck in the thick mud of a drying up water hole. Not only were we seeing things we had only seen on television but the sounds of the cicadas, the buzzing of insects, the unusual and unfamiliar songs of the birds, and the snorting of hippos in the river created a symphony of uniquely African melodies. We dined in the evening along the river watching the hippos dig deeper into the mud to stay cool and commented on the beauty we were discovering in this place.

When we returned to Lilongwe we returned to the chaos of pedestrians, bicycles, traffic, colors, horrible smells, smoke and millions of staring eyes. I couldn’t help but feel that John and Samantha must have to be constantly vigilant for the dangers that are more covert and subtle than outright visible. It felt like you were always waiting for that lion to jump out of bush and feast on your bones. However, the lions in Lilongwe might take the form of a tiny bug or infection. 

As we sat in the airport waiting to leave Africa I wondered if I would ever return. I got to see and feel glimpses of the “warm heart of Africa” in Malawi and what the people love about their home. The birds are amazing and I’m not even a bird lover. The colorful produce and fruits in the open markets and the baskets full of beans are a sensory playground. The language is so different and seems fun to speak. The children are easily entertained and not spoiled by technology. The animals we saw on safari were magnificent. As a visiting American however, I mostly felt danger and apprehension at what breakdowns would occur during the day every time my feet hit the floor in the morning. I hear that missionaries here only last about 2 years and I can understand why now. It doesn’t look like two years would make much of an impact on this place with a mosque going up in every village and the desperation and needs of the people so evident. I know Samantha and John have a longer-term plan in mind and I pray that God will provide safety, peace, and the resources to be able to continue growing their ministry here. Maybe they will even be able to find the beauty of a single flower growing out of the ashes that will encourage them to fight a little while longer.

Raychel Hosch

Giving Tuesday

We’re waking up to Giving Tuesday, the day created to celebrate giving around the world. It probably hasn’t begun where you are as I write this, and we had big plans to greet you with lots and lots of opportunities to give to kids in need in our rural town in Africa. This was going to be a big day for us. We have a list of video requests to create for DonorSee.com in hopes that more people than usual would go there to look for creative and meaningful ways to give and feel good about changing a kid’s life. We were going to spend a good portion of the day creating and posting those videos. In fact, we were going to do that yesterday, but I got a migraine that knocked me out of commission. Then I woke up today with high hopes…and sickness again. It’s painfully clear that we will not be celebrating Giving Tuesday in the way we had hoped, but that’s no cause for despair. 

There are certainly many good charities to give to today, and we hope you will choose one. I know it’s more fun to click the button that sends a meal to a hungry kid than a paycheck to some long-time missionaries, but that’s exactly what we’re asking you to consider today, because giving to us is giving to them. We want to continue to give food and clothes and education to children, and we love being able to do it with virtually no overheard. We also know that you may tire of being asked to help, but as long as there are needy kids in our village with no other hope of having their needs met, we’ll keep asking. To date, we have not turned away any child who has come to us for food. Please consider making a tax deductible donation to https://www.paypal.me/MalawiWestworth or a donation to our personal account at paypal.me/JewellsinAfrica so we can continue to make that claim. We will keep posting photos and videos on Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, and DonorSee so you know how the money is being spent. Thank you so much for your generosity. 

Reasons to Give to Us:

1. You know us.
2. Our priority is to spread the Gospel.
3. The kids we work with have no other avenues of having their needs met.
4. We have virtually no overhead expenses. 
5. We post LOTS of photos and videos on social media so you can see where the money goes.
6. You’re welcome to come visit and be a part of the work we’re doing.
7. You can get a tax deduction.

You can see the difference just a few months of food, clothes, and education have made in Memory's life.

Health Check

A Map of Southern Africa

Ben hasn’t been feeling great lately. In fact, he’s been feeling pretty lousy for several months. His stomach hurts and he’s often too tired to even take a walk. We’re concerned enough that we flew to South Africa to have him seen by a doctor. She ran some tests and, after some time, got to the bottom of it. 

It seems Ben’s liver has been reacting poorly to the antimalarial we take each day. The doctor feels sure that taking him off the medication will improve his symptoms and save his liver from any long-term damage. In fact, while we were there and taking a break from our regimen, Ben seemed to feel better. It’s good to have such an easy fix. The problem now is obviously how to keep him from getting malaria. We have discovered a homeopathic spray that a few families we know recommend. We see it as our best option and have ordered some from a local supplier. If you happened to read our Facebook posts about Jonah’s bout with malaria, you’ll understand why this is a serious concern, and we appreciate your prayers that the spray will work.

The rest of us also had some routine blood tests while we were in South Africa. Andy would be proud to tell you that his results were perfect. He’s asked me if this means I’ll stop telling him what he should and should not eat. Um, no, I’m your mom. However, it does mean we’re thankful that all is well with him. 

John and I are different stories. We both need surgery. It’s not all bad news, though. We had both been having some problems. He has been inordinately tired, so it was actually a relief to discover that he has a thyroid problem that can be fixed with surgery. Mine is a more delicate issue to discuss, but I will tell you that once I have my surgery, I should be feeling much better than I have in a long time. 

Thank you for your support and thank you for your prayers. We look forward to feeling better and having more energy soon. In the meantime, please keep up with us on Facebook, Instagram, and DonorSee. Beautiful things are happening in the lives of our friends in the village and we love reporting what God is doing.

The kids greeting us in the village at the site of their new school.

Please send financial gifts to Westworth Church of Christ, 5728 White Settlement Road, Fort Worth, Texas 76114, c/o Malawi Mission Work, or you can give with a click at http://www.westworthcoc.org/malawi-mission/ You can find our DonorSee videos at this link: DonorSee

Why DonorSee?

Lately we’ve been posting videos on social media of me in the village (John is behind the camera), raising money for kids who need food, clothes, and medical care. So why, if we have regular monthly support, do we ask for more? It’s simple, really. Our monthly support has allowed us to live and work here but not to take care of all the kids in the village. Now, when a child comes to us with a need, we make a short video and post it on DonorSee, where people from all over the world can choose to give a little toward that need. DonorSee is a crowdfunding website, which means that individuals give smalls amounts towards a goal until it’s met. For instance, if I post a video asking for $100 to feed a child, four people might give twenty dollars each, then two more could give ten dollars each to meet the goal. There’s no commitment and no minimum, so people can give what they want, when they want. Since our first post in May, donors have given almost $7,000. We have found this platform to be an actual lifesaver for many children.

Shortly after beginning the feeding program in the village, it became apparent that we didn’t have enough money to put a dent in the actual need. It’s hard to feel like you’re doing enough when there’s one more hungry child standing before you. DonorSee has provided a way for us to begin to feed more and more kids each week—and to give them clothing, medical care, and even mattresses to sleep on. Of course, we couldn’t do this work at all if it weren’t for our loyal sponsoring church and monthly supporters. We recognize the maturity and discipline it takes to faithfully give a monthly gift that goes overseas where you can’t see firsthand how it’s spent. We hope the videos we’re posting will not only raise more money to help more kids, but will also give our regular sponsors a taste of the work we’re doing here and a sense of satisfaction that their money is being well spent. 

If you’re a monthly supporter, we thank you and don’t want you to grow weary. We absolutely believe your money could not be better spent. Your generosity has put us in a position to daily minister to the needs of orphans. If you are a DonorSee supporter, we cherish your involvement. Every time a project gets funded, there is instant gratification on the part of the child you have helped and we hope we are conveying that to you sufficiently with our follow-up, thank you videos. If you are not yet a part of this mission, we ask you to consider getting involved. There are so many more children we want to help and so many jobs we need filled. We also have property that we need to develop in order to house the programs that are benefitting the village. A water well, bathrooms, a kitchen, and a schoolhouse are among our most pressing needs. We are reaching maximum capacity with the number of children we can serve and desperately need to employ more people. For now, we have five Malawians helping us with the work, but the village is full of widows who need jobs and we would like to employ them, too. Thank you for your consideration and for you prayers. We believe God has a plan to expand this ministry. Please let us know if you feel you should be a part of it.

Please send financial gifts to Westworth Church of Christ, 5728 White Settlement Road, Fort Worth, Texas 76114, c/o Malawi Mission Work, or you can give with a click at http://www.westworthcoc.org/malawi-mission/ You can find our DonorSee videos at this link: DonorSee

Parent-Teacher Conference

Last week was our first Parent-Teacher conference at the preschool. It probably wasn’t like any school meeting you’ve ever been to. First of all, some of these kids don’t even have parents. Only about half of the class had a representative at the meeting. Others only have a mom and she was working, which is why she put junior in school in the first place. Depending on where you live, you may be thinking this is actually just like your last school conference. But I’m guessing it didn’t take place just feet away from a gaping fifteen-foot hole in the ground. When we showed up that morning, we discovered they'd been working on replacing the current outhouse because it's filling up. That's how they do it; when one fills up, they dig another. I’m pretty sure we learned as much as the parents did at this unorthodox meeting. 

Because the hole was behind the group of adults we were facing, we were able to get through the forty-five minute meeting without panicking that one of the toddlers would fall in. Every time one of them headed toward the current outhouse (unfortunately called a “long drop" around here) we could monitor just how close he was to the pit. Ironically, we were talking mostly about child safety and hygiene. We encouraged them to bathe their children daily and to clean and cover wounds. Knowing that they probably don’t have soap or bandages, we left some with the preschool teachers to share with those in need. We assured the adults that the welfare of these children is our priority and that this would be the first of many meetings to help educate them on the subject. Then, not wanting to stir up unnecessary squabbling, we pulled the foreman on the bathroom project aside and insisted that he cover it immediately or build a wall around it with sandbags.

Among other topics we discussed was the phenomenon of all the children in the class being sick at the same time. This isn't completely inevitable, we explained. We gave them soap to wash the dishes the children use at school for breakfast and set policy that they should keep their children home when showing certain signs of illness. One of the moms contentiously asked if we planned on taking care of her children when she's not allowed bring them to school. We had to remind her that we are not a daycare. Another mother asked if we are going to provide hospital fees when her children are sick, and another made a demand for free school uniforms. Unfortunately, it seems we are experiencing the negative effects of handouts and entitlements from past organizations and missions, so we did our best to respectfully but firmly reiterate what we will and will not do. We shared our hope that the education of their children will eventually eradicate the need for handouts altogether. We urged them to be patient with the process, assuring them that they will get much more out of learning to do for themselves than they will from taking charity. We even encouraged them to get involved and help out. Their applause told us we had made a connection.  

In Malawi, any child without both parents is considered an orphan. By that standard, all but three kids in our preschool are orphans. We have to respect the government mandate that all such children stay within their own villages to be raised by their own relatives, which is why we go into the village to educate them. We don’t presume to indoctrinate the adults who are taking care of them into more Western ways of thinking, but we do strive to make an alliance with them over the well being of the children and the hope that the next generation with be equipped to lead the villages out of poverty and into wellness and prosperity. We hope to teach them, not only the three Rs, but also the fact that with God as our father, no one is truly an orphan. We are all a part of the same family. Regular meetings with everyone involved seems to be one way to begin the dialogue. 

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Please send financial gifts to Westworth Church of Christ, 5728 White Settlement Road, Fort Worth, Texas 76114, c/o Malawi Mission Work, or you can give with a click at http://www.westworthcoc.org/malawi-mission/ Thank you, and God bless.

Life and Death in the Village

During one of our first visits to the village, a little boy listening to the Bible study began coughing. He continued to hack and wheeze until it became apparent he was in trouble. As a fellow asthma sufferer, I could tell he was having an attack, so I got my rescue inhaler out of the car and started to show him how to use it. One of the adults said I shouldn’t give it to him without permission from his parents, but his parents are Muslim and didn’t come to the studies. Just about the time John and I had decided we may have to ask for forgiveness instead of permission, someone showed up with his mother. She said she knew he had asthma but couldn’t afford the medicine. Within minutes after using the inhaler he was breathing freely, and I gave it to her in case it happened again. She thanked us, and though we didn’t see much more of her, her son Hassam kept coming to the Bible studies. We just got word a couple of weeks ago that Hassam died. We're not sure why. Nobody is. They say “it just happens in the village.”

Hassam (in the red vest)

Jessie came to us several months ago. She had terribly swollen glands all over her body that have been there for years. She had been to the local clinic but they said nothing could be done. We helped her to get an HIV test and cancer screening. Both were negative. With the help of a local doctor, we also got her some pain medicine that seemed to help quite a bit. The next step was another blood test to check for other diseases. Jessie said she was too tired and didn’t want to go back to the doctor. We pleaded with her and warned her that what she had was not normal and could be life threatening. She declined. We were concerned about her children and who would raise them if something happened to her. The baby on her back, she said, was a twin. Her sister died of dehydration. It was a tragic situation but there wasn’t much more we could do if she didn’t want help. Jessie died while we were in the States on furlough. Nobody will ever know for sure what was wrong with her. They say “things like that just happen here.”

Jessie and Baby Priscilla

Last week our friend Susan told us that her mother, who lives in a village three hours from here, was sick. She had diarrhea for several days and was now vomiting, unable to keep any fluids in her body. She went to the local clinic and was given the equivalent of Tylenol. We weren’t looking forward to hearing about another death that “sometimes just happens” so John went to our local pharmacy and explained her symptoms. He bought a medicine to kill parasites and a powdered hydration mix. We sent it by minibus to reach her the next day. After the first day, she slept for hours and woke to feel much better. She is doing well and is very thankful. So are we.

Much has been written about the white savior complex in Africa. We don’t presume to be here to save anyone’s life. We don’t think we have that power. We’re not even medically trained. We do know some wonderful medical professionals here who save lives every day. We’ve requested their help, sending photos and questions on countless occasions. If the country were full of these selfless people, surely there would be a higher life expectancy. As it stands there is only one doctor to every 40,000 people and the life expectancy is about sixty. We believe our main role is to teach and disciple so that the upcoming generation will know God and His world better. If physical lives are saved along the way, we attribute that to a divine plan, not our own devices. Likewise, when people die in ways we consider unnecessary, we just pray more diligently for the kids we’re teaching to grow up well and become answers to their own problems. 

We are so thankful for your role in this ministry that makes education for the children of a seemingly forgotten African village possible. We hope to be in your shoes one day, hearing from these kids about the first world schools and medical facilities they’ve created. We look forward to seeing them live longer, healthier lives, making better use of the rich resources God has blessed this country with.

Rebuilding

View of the Church Shelter From the Bedroom That Was Crushed 

Eight days ago Snoden and Susan’s house collapsed from the heavy rains that characterize the rainy season in Sub-Saharan Africa. Their nine-year-old daughter was inside alone when the structure began to crumble. Thankfully, they got her out before the roof fell in on her bedroom, and their four-year-old son is fine. They recently finished construction on a small shelter adjacent to their house to serve as the temporary preschool. They immediately moved into that to get out of the rain. They were able to salvage a few pieces of furniture from the rubble and crowded it all into the tiny, unfinished building. Though they were safe and dry overnight, the house they had purchased from their landlord just two days before had fallen to the ground, and they were devastated.

The House Before it Was Completely Knocked Down

Snoden asked us to come as soon as the rains permitted our vehicle to navigate the treacherous obstacle course the road to the village had become. Steep and slippery ruts are being etched deeper and deeper into the roadway by the rushing water from an especially heavy rainy season. He assured us that his family had everything they absolutely needed. Susan was cancelling preschool indefinitely to buy them some time to get back on their feet. Besides, he said the church he had invested in over the past year would surely come to help. 

Susan, Doreen, and Snoden Loading our Truck with Bricks

We got to the village the second day. A corner of the house had broken off like so much gingerbread. Half the house was still standing, but we were glad to hear Snoden say they would demolish it before rebuilding. It was apparent from the complex network of long cracks that the construction would not withstand more rain and would be unsafe to live in. They’ve been saving to buy it for many months. Because it would take many more months to save enough to rebuild, we’re helping them get the process started. The sooner they get back into their own house, the sooner we can use the preschool building for the children of the village. We all want that. In the meantime, they are still cooking daily and feeding the orphans. 

Children of the Village Doing the Work

Most of the church never showed up to help—except to ask for a paid job on the demolition site. He did employ a few of them. And, when Snoden went to find skilled masons to reconstruct the walls, they quoted him an inflated rate. He says it’s because they know he’s friends with white people and expect more money. He continued the search until he found an honest man with an honest price. The foundation has been completely removed (It was a concrete frame filled with sand.) and the yard is full of bricks that have been painstakingly carried—sometimes one by one—to begin rebuilding. Very few adults came to help, but the children of the village were there right away, carrying bricks without even being asked. Besides the physical structure of his house, Snoden feels we need to rebuild the metaphorical structure of the church that meets in his backyard. He's understandably disappointed that they haven’t been there to help and have even tried to make a dime off his suffering. We feel this is a necessary discussion and plan to have it after the family is living in their own house again. Please pray for favorable conditions and diligent workers to rebuild what has been damaged.

Pile of Bricks in Front of the Demolished House

Please send financial gifts to Westworth Church of Christ, 5728 White Settlement Road, Fort Worth, Texas 76114, c/o Malawi Mission Work, or you can give with a click at http://www.westworthcoc.org/malawi-mission/ Thank you, and God bless.

Launch Malawi

Happy to Be in Preschool Class

Just before we left for furlough in October, two of the ladies in the village said they were starting a preschool and needed our help. That didn’t really fit in with our travel preparations. Even though they were drawing from the pool of kids we’re already feeding every day and it would benefit the little ones greatly, the timing seemed wrong. Sure it was something John and I had talked and prayed about, but we certainly didn’t expect a couple of the villagers to take the initiative and get something going without our choreography. We hadn’t even shared the idea with them! In the end we were impressed and encouraged them to do whatever they felt they needed to while we were gone, assuring them we would return with the training and resources they asked for.

Education at every level is a critical need in Malawi. We had decided after our first year in the country that the aim for this mission should have something to do with teaching. We weren’t exactly sure where to start, but it seems these ladies have nudged us in a specific direction. They made it clear that they’re responding to what they’ve learned in our weekly Bible studies and that they want to serve their village in the best way they know how. They feel that teaching the kids, whom the church is already cooking for each day, is the next logical step. How could they know that we’d recently come to the same conclusion? The Spirit is obviously weaving a tapestry among us all, and we're witnessing the opening of the village school. 

When we returned from our trip, the ladies were eager to share their progress with us. Now I want to share it with you. Here’s a photo of the building Snoden constructed next to his house to serve as a temporary preschool while we were gone. 

The bricks are held together by sand only.
We are working this week to get a layer of concrete over the walls.

One of the founders of the preschool happens to be Snoden’s wife, Susan. She said they needed a place out of the rain to cook for the children and to keep them dry during class time so, with the help of their relatives, they cut bricks from the clay in their yard and put them together with sand. There are two rooms inside--one for the younger children and one for the older. There are two small closet-like rooms that serve as cooking and water storage spaces. There's also a nice, new outhouse behind the building.

Susan’s teaching partner is Doreen. Doreen’s baby had a terrible hernia when we met her. After we helped get him the medical procedure he needed, she has been a loyal supporter of everything we do in the village. She walks over two miles each morning to get to Snoden and Susan’s house to teach preschool—for free. Doreen doesn’t speak any English but has been learning songs and rhymes in English to teach the kids. In essence, she’s learning along with them so that they will get a good education in the country’s national language—something that doesn’t usually happen in a village environment. Most village schools are conducted in Chichewa, leaving the kids to learn English on their own. High school and college is taught in English, and all business is conducted in English, so you can imagine the importance of children learning it well. Thanks to Susan and Doreen, they are well on their way.

Susan, Teaching Numbers and Colors to the Older Kids

Doreen, Singing an English Song with the Younger Kids

Thanks to some generous donors, we brought back lots of great materials for the teachers and the kids. We're researching prices for consumable supplies and plan to raise support for each child to have what he needs for the best preschool experience possible. We also want to start paying the teachers a fair salary for all their hard work. According to our sources, the average primary school teacher's salary in Malawi is well under $100 per month, which is a ridiculous bargain for the jobs that are going to launch Malawi into a self-sustaining future. 

Waiting for a Ride

        Our truck has been in the shop for most of the days we’ve been back home. We drove to the village the first Sunday, but it sounded like the bottom was going to fall out on the way back, so we took the truck in for repair. The mechanic said it needed new CV joints but that it might take him some time to find them at a reasonable price. His first quote from a supplier was almost $750 each. Instead of visiting and supporting the work going on in the village that week, we got some time at home with each other, which was not half bad after three months of almost non-stop travel. 

This old truck has been put to the test and has served us well.

        We finally got our truck back, click free and with new shocks. The following Sunday we went to the village again, but the brakes were screaming at us along the way, so back to the mechanic we went. He fixed it lickety-split, and we’re back in business. The truck is running better than it has in a while and we’re no worse for the wear, so we’ll give it another go this week and try to make some headway on the plans for the school. We spend a lot of time around here waiting for things. The wait over these past two weeks just happened to be for a ride to the village. 

Some Helpful Hands Trying to Get the Truck Started--A Familiar Sight This Year

        Following is a link to a video of the road during the rainy season, showing you why it’s important to have a four-wheel drive vehicle with good shocks and brakes. (If you've driven the roads in Africa, this won't impress you, but the rest of you might like to see what our drive to work is like.)

Click Here to See a Ride Into the Village

Please send financial gifts to Westworth Church of Christ, 5728 White Settlement Road, Fort Worth, Texas 76114, c/o Malawi Mission Work, or you can give with a click at http://www.westworthcoc.org/malawi-mission/ Thank you, and God bless.

Furlough—It’s not Just for Prisoners any More

       When I was a kid, I visited my dad in prison on a regular basis. Once he was temporarily released to come to my brother’s funeral, so I learned the meaning of the word furlough before most of my peers saw it on a spelling test. I grew up and out of that kind of living and became a Christian, determined to raise my kids differently. You can imagine my surprise then when, during mission training, John and I were told that furloughs would be a part of our work. I wasn’t really sure what that meant and, unless you’re familiar with the prison scene or have done much long-term mission work, you may not know either. 

We just took a three-month furlough, so it seems right that I would tell you what that means. Let me start by saying what it’s not—a vacation. While we had some times of refreshing and were happy to visit friends and family, we only took a few days of vacation. The rest of it was work. We were blessed by so many hospitable and benevolent people that we had a comfortable place to stay, a nice car to drive, good food to eat, and money to spend wherever we went. I would be remiss to not mention by name some of the people who lavished us with ridiculous amounts of generosity—and probably a little crazy to do so. (What if I forget someone?) Let’s go with remiss and leave it at that. You know who you are and we are eternally grateful for your love and attention and donations. We truly are. You made our work over these past three months a pleasure.

For the most part, our furlough consisted of travel and visits. We got up early and met with families and churches for breakfast, lunch, or dinner—and sometimes all three in one day. We reported on what God has been doing with us in Malawi over this past year. We thanked some people who have been supporting us and asked for more support from others. We had annual medical checkups and some necessary medical procedures, and we did a lot of shopping for basic items we cannot get where we live. We had our phones and computer repaired, bought clothes for the next year, and ran an inordinate amount of errands to take care of so many small details that it would bore you to mention them all. Imagine having to gather everything you would need for the next year, barring food (although I did pack some spices and nonperishables). That’s kind of what we did.

Overall, we took three months off this work to do another kind of work—reporting, fundraising, and preparation. We count it a success in that we did raise some money to get started on building a school house on the property we purchased in October. While we were on furlough, we also researched and bought curriculum for preschool and kindergarten children and hope to have classes up and running by the fall. We received lots and lots of donated books and plan to stock a library for the village as soon as they arrive. It’s all very exciting and we’re happy to be back home and back at work. 

We’ve been here for about a week now and are just catching up on sleep. Travel time between Lilongwe and Dallas is about thirty-six hours. Suffice it to say the trip is difficult and then it takes time to adjust to the fact that you’re trading days for nights. Thanks to some trustworthy friends on this end, we came home to nothing more than general maintenance on our house and cars after being gone for three months. One of our biggest adjustment challenges is the fact that Jonah stayed behind with John’s family in Colorado to finish high school. This past year has surely been a great experience for him, but unfortunately, he has no good options for high school here. We miss him but feel this is best for now. 

Thank you for your support and prayers and for the many ways you’ve been involved in this work. We look forward to the creative things God is going to do to show Himself this year in the mission and in our relationships with you.   

Please send financial gifts to Westworth Church of Christ, 5728 White Settlement Road, Fort Worth, Texas 76114, c/o Malawi Mission Work, or you can give with a click at http://www.westworthcoc.org/malawi-mission/ Thank you, and God bless.