Asiya

Asiya  

Asiya has always been so happy to see us, always smiling and reaching to me for a hug, but this day was different. As I was taking attendance in Kainga women's class this morning, Asiya approached me, eyes and head  lowered, looking down to the side. There was no smile so I knew something was terribly wrong. 

Then I noticed the pain in her eyes as she slowly pulled her hand from under a ragged cloth. One of her fingers was swollen double its normal size and the fingertip was an angry pink and red mottled white and oozing infection. I asked if I could pray for her. She immediately dropped to her knees.  I joined her there, asking God to bring healing and for Him to reveal His love to her. 

Before I continued my lesson, I promised her that after our work was finished in the villages, we would come by to take her to a private hospital near Machinga. We learned that her mother also has an infection on her hand, but she was not willing to go with us and would not accept medical treatment. Prayer and medical treatment was the best offer we had, so although we wanted to help her, we let the decision rest with her mother.  

About an hour and a half later we pulled into a yard near Asiya's house and learned that she was at home resting. Her neighbor, Chrissy,  and I went to get her and walked her to the truck. Chrissy asked if she could accompany her.  We told her to jump in, and we were on our way.

Especially this time of year, during the rainy season, the roads are a series of deep ruts and deep, mud-filled potholes interspersed with craggy rocks. So, as the truck jolted and swayed, Asiya lifted her wounded hand in the air to minimize the impact to her throbbing finger. 

We would have under no circumstances taken her to a public clinic or hospital, and the doctor George and I see at a private clinic here  in Zomba is not in his office on weekends. So, we were happy that Samuel knew of a private clinic, one sponsored by the Anglican Church, which he could recommend. It was some distance away, near Machinga, but we were committed to the best care we could get for Asiya because she was running a fever and it was obvious that her infection was very serious. 

When we arrived, the hospital campus was dark and looked deserted, so we sent Samuel ahead of us to find admissions. He came back in a few minutes and led us to the women's ward. One ward lined with beds was labeled Chronic Infections. At least a dozen women were there, but there was no one, however, at the front desk. So we waited. 

Eventually, a nurse came and leafed through Asiya's medical book.  She had not seen a doctor since 2008. The nurse told us to sit down and wait because the doctor had been paged and was with another patient at the time. 

Asiya was walked to a room with an examination table, and soon, an intern came by with a pain killer and gave her a shot in the hip. This took some of the edge off the pain,  enough for her to close her eyes and rest a bit.

Then, we sat and waited. We walked the campus and waited. Eventually, a robust looking young Malawian dressed in tan cargo shorts, sandals, and a red Emirates soccer team shirt, entered, greeted us briefly in passing, then went directly to Asiya's examination room. He lifted his hands and grabbed the bar that held the curtain, and leaned toward the bed to ask her a few questions. Who could this be? It was the doctor. He came with a small entourage of attendants and interns.  I followed them in to be with her during the procedure. 

The doctor must have skipped hand washing class in medical school,  because he swiped on a pair of latex gloves and proceeded to examine Asiya's finger. 

First, he wet swabbed her entire hand with mercurochrome and gave her a shot in that finger. She winced a little when the doctor began to poke and prod at it a bit, so he gave her another shot in her finger.

 Without so much as a small interval, he slid a bowl under her hand, took a lance from a small paper package, lanced her finger, and began to squeeze. He extracted some of the poison, but evidently not enough. He made a bigger incision, then again squeezed. As her brow tightened and the pain overwhelmed her, the brimming pools beneath her eyelids overflowed and poured down her face. 

Although she did not make so much as a small whimper,  she was obviously in deep pain, so I quickly crossed the room and took her other hand in mine and held her. She leaned in, placing her head on my shoulder. By this time, tears were  flowing down my cheeks as well. Within minutes, the surgery was over, and the doctor was tying on a strip of gauze bandage.  The doctor unrolled another strip of gauze, wrapped it around her neck and wrist to create a sort of sling to help immobilize her hand. 

We were asked to wait again at the nurse's station for the accountant to arrive so we could pay the hospital bill. Within 20 minutes or so, he arrived, looked over the doctor's notes in Asiya's medical book and asked us to follow him to his office. There he banged out a few numbers on a calculator. Totaling the charges, including medications, doctor's consultation, surgery, and prescriptions for both Asiya and her mother, the bill came to a grand total of 4700 kwacha, which is $11.24 US. 

With receipt in hand,  we were directed to the dispensary in an adjacent building. He assured us that the pharmacist would be coming, then snap, click, he locked his door and left. From the accountants office we could see that the dispensary door was gated and padlocked, so we asked Samuel ( thank God for Samuel) to go to the nurses station again and ask her to send for the pharmacist. In a short while, he returned with the news that the pharmacist was at home and was gone for the day. That answer was not acceptable  because the sun was already low in the sky, and we knew that there was no possibility of getting the needed medications that evening in Zomba. We also knew we were not willing to take her home without the pain medication and the antibiotic. We asked again, and the nurse said she would call the pharmacist back to work. Chrissy and I sat with Asiya, weary from lack of sleep and food as well as all the trauma she had been through in the past hours, sat on a wooden bench outside the dispensary and waited. And waited. Half an hour later, George went to check the status and learned that the pharmacist had arrived and was on his way.  We know that "on his way" is a relative term, but within five minutes we had what we came for and were on our way back to the village.  

We only stopped long enough to purchase food for us all. John ran with 1000 kwacha and came back with a bag of yeast rolls and bags of salted peanuts for us all. We were hoping to get our friends back to Kainga to get Asiya settled in and us back to the paved road before dark. We knew that might be a challenge because we only had about 45 minutes before  the sun was completely down when it began to rain. At a dip in the road where rainwater streamed across, the truck's back tires began to slide toward a flooded ditch and some young girls standing nearby. George, being the skilled driver he is, was able to right it and to avoid what would have been a disaster.  

With about 20 minutes of daylight to spare, we pulled into Kainga. What a sight!  Many of the women and children lined road at the entrance to the village, smiling and waving. They were so happy and sincerely expressed their grateful hearts. 

Asiya and her village know we love them and care about their needs. I once told them that the love I feel for them is so much bigger than me. In fact, the love is so big that it floods me and must overflow, so I am certain that it must be God's love. 

That morning, I had been praying that God would use us to show His love.  Well, on this wonderful day devoted to serving the lowest, this is the way He chose to do it. 

A Visit to Kainga Women's Literacy Class

Tuesday January 21

We visited Kainga today to observe their women's literacy class. When we arrived, a few women were seated on the ground in a shady spot under the sprawling branches of a tree. The teacher had not yet arrived. 

The women told me they were preparing food and directed me to a nearby kitchen, three walls of mud brick and a straw roof.  I sat on a low bench by an older woman seated on a small rock and leaning down with her face nearly touching the jumble of twigs underneath her blackened clay cooking pot. Smoke from the damp wood billowed around her head as she puffed a few breaths toward a little flame. POOF!  The smoke stirred then wafted through small gaps in the straw roof. Soon the little twigs crackled as the fire leapt to life, encircling her pot,  blackened from countless uses over open flames. 

I watched as the woman dipped her fingers in a pot of water, then reached into a large tub just by it. With her fingers she scooped a small handful of the batter and patted it flat with her palms.The shallow well of cooking oil sizzled and popped as she dropped in each little round cake. With the eye of an expert, she turned and adjusted each. When she saw one that was crisp and golden brown, with a fork she gingerly lifted it from the boiling oil and placed it into an enamel bowl.  I asked what the cakes were made of, and I was told maize flour, sugar, yeast, and water. 

I was happy when I was invited to help. I had been watching for several minutes, and it looked easy.  So, I was ready to begin with confidence. By now several children were squatting near us inside the little kitchen, and a little cluster of five or so women were standing  just at the entrance, peering in to take in the action. 

I dipped my fingers in the pot of water, just as I had seen my teacher do. Then, I reached into the batter and pulled up about a half cup portion of the dough and began to shape it. Looking good! I could tell the women behind me approved my first efforts. I leaned forward on my stool to drop the patty into the oil sizzling in the bottom of the pot, careful to not get my fingers too close to the boiling oil and not so far away that I would cause the oil to splatter. 

That proved to be harder than it looked. So, my strategy was to lower my hands very near the oil and let the patty sort of roll off. In the seconds It took for me to think this through, the woman had already flipped and turned a few patties and formed another one. I knew I had better get cracking and do some productive work! I lowered my hands toward the pot and carefully let the dough fall, but what landed looked more like the state of Tennessee than a patty. The woman gave a little chuckle as she lifted a few golden brown ones into the bowl. 

As I formed a few more, little by little, my technique improved, and my friends seemed pleased with my efforts. After about eight were made and still quite hot, they were broken into small chunks and distributed to all. Now that I had learned a recipe from them, they asked if I would teach them one of my recipes. 

George and I  have now been working in that village ,for one year. We have always felt welcome, but a shift is definitely taking place in this village, one we have prayed and believed God for.  

Now, when I go visit,  it is not just as their teacher, but as their friend.  I realized that the women are now welcoming us, not just into their village, but into their lives. It is both a great responsibility and a great joy that God would call us to give His love to these precious people. 

We are believing that God is opening hearts and preparing them to receive God's ultimate gift of love, His Son. Today, as we were preparing to leave the village, a woman came to me with her eyes moist with tears and said, "Thank you for the way you love us."  

Salani Church of Christ

Sunday January 19, 2014

At the invitation of one of the deacons, we visited the Salani Church of Christ for the first time on Sunday. We drive by there from time to time, then several months ago, we saw that the tin roof had torn apart. Some of it had collapsed into the building, and some of it was lying in a twisted heap along the side. A huge rain and wind storm had blown through the community the night before, destroying some thatched roofs as well. 

As we walked around the lot surveying the damage, God began to put it in George's heart to help with the repair as an outreach to the community for the sake of the Gospel. 

Eventually, as we were working in a nearby village, a deacon from that church approached George, asking if we could possibly help. This was the contact we had been waiting for. 

The roof became a cooperative effort: the men of the church would provide the labor, and we would provide the beams, nails, and sheet metal. 

Weeks passed, then a few days ago, George received a request to come and address the congregation. So, this Sunday, George and I were warmly greeted with handshakes and singing as we entered and were seated with our interpreters on a cement bench behind the pulpit.  

The music was a combination of praise songs and hymns complimented by the rich African rhythms of a multi sized variety of goatskin covered drums and a well worn wood-framed tambourine.  After the music, the pastor turned to us smiling and announced, "We would like our visitors to know that our church loves to celebrate." 

 When George was invited to the pulpit, he read from Ephesians 4:1-7, where Paul instructs the church to care for one another and to encourage one another.  George told them how happy we were to see the fine work of repair that was done on their church, and that they now have a strong sturdy building to worship God in. "But, he said, " You as believers spend most of your time outside of this building. Many people have never experienced God's love and peace. When you leave this building, you ARE the church in this community. You can take His love and peace into your homes, into the markets, and into your fields. When two believers are working in the field together, you can give praise to God, have fellowship with one another, care for one another's needs, and pray for one another." The message was very well received. 

People were invited to the front of the sanctuary for prayer. One of the people who came forward was a Muslim woman. She said she has been  having family problems and that she was at the end of all she knows to do. Then she said, " I want Jesus Christ." George had the honor of praying with her to give her life and all her concerns to Jesus. It was beautiful.

The pastor then prepared the elements for distribution: two small plastic dishes for the bread and two small plastic cups for the juice.  Everyone would share a common cup. The bread was torn pieces of fried flatbread, and I am not certain what type of juice. But, at that sacred time as we were examining our hearts,  none of those details mattered. This was our first communion in Malawi.

My words are not adequate to describe the simple beauty of that service.  

Basket Cookers Save Fuel

It is hard to believe that Pahuwa, a very poor village, is so deforested that the women  have to BUY their firewood. On Saturday, we were there to teach the women how to make and use a basket cooker. They were amazed that they can save an incredible 80% on their firewood consumption when a basket cooker is used in conjunction with their new fuel efficient cookstoves. The cookstove alone saves 2/3 of the fuel typically used, and using the basket cooker saves another 40%. This results in the consumption of only 20% of the firewood a typical household would use. 

These cookers are made from a sturdy basket and dry banana leaves for insulation, and for a lid, a "pillow" made from a burlap bag, also stuffed with banana leaves. All of these are readily available local materials. 

First, for demonstration, we fired up the changu changu moto cookstove and put on a pot of rice to boil for only 10 minutes. Then we pulled the pot off the stove and put it in the insulated basket cooker.

While I taught the lesson, the pot of rice continued to cook, and after 20 minutes in the cooker, the rice was hot and ready to serve. That is exactly what we did. Everyone got a serving of rice.

Next, I shared  some very practical uses for this cooker. I said, "Suppose you get up early to go the fields. Before you go, you can prepare your meal on your cookstove for just a short time, then put it in the basket cooker to finish cooking. Your meal will stay hot for hours, and when you return from the field, your meal will be cooked and ready to serve.  You can also prepare a meal in the morning, put it in a basket cooker. You can go about doing your other chores, then when your children come home from school hungry, their food will be hot and ready to eat. "  The women all thought this was a great idea and wanted to try it.

At the conclusion of the lesson, I told the women that I was very happy to share these ideas with them because it is always our desire to bless them in practical ways that will save them time, labor, and money. 

Dignity Life Skills Graduation in Kainga and Pahuwa

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Saturday was graduation day for the adolescent girls in the villages of Kainga and Pahuwa to celebrate their completion of the  Dignity Life Skills Course. In this 10 week course, they learned skills that will help prepare them for a good future. 

Over the course they learned that a healthy future -mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically -will not happen accidentally.  To have the positive future she wants,  each girl must develop her character to give herself resilience in times of adversity. "Everyone, even the most  successful person you know, goes through difficult times and faces adversity,  just like a tree in a strong wind," I said, "but a well developed character helps one to stay strong and  to bounce back  when the winds of trouble come. When adversity comes, those with strong character  and hope in God may be tossed by the wind,  but they won't break. They will remain standing strong. " I told them to seek out the council of good role models in their community, people whose lives are worthy of respect and who care about their future.  

Developing a strong character starts with knowing they were made in the image of God and that their lives are not accidental, random or meaningless, but they were made by God with a purpose. It also starts with embracing as their own what God said about them in Jeremiah 29:11 , "I know the plans I have for you, says The Lord, plans to bless you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future full of hope."

The girls learned that strength of character is not something they were born with, but a good strong character can be developed. They performed many skits and role plays designed to give them opportunities to experience what it feels like to  resist peer pressure, to  display self respect, assertiveness,  confidence, and a commitment to abstinence. 

Part of the course was designed to help the girls understand the risks of the AIDS virus and to avoid high risk behaviors that can lead to contracting the disease.  There are Life Skills courses taught in public schools here, but they gives the girls very little information other than,  "Be sure to use a condom." 

Our Dignity Life Skills course gave the girls much information, facts and myths, about AIDS, how it is spread and how it destroys one's immune system, but beyond that, it pointed them to to the fact that the best strategies for the prevention for AIDS is abstinence until marriage, being sure one's potential marriage partner has been tested for the virus, and then both partners being committed to a  faithful,  monogamous marriage relationship.  They learned that when a girl is abstinent until marriage, she is showing self-respect, resistance to peer pressure,  good decision making skills, and that she has plans for a healthy future. 

I cannot tell you how proud I was of all of these girls on graduation day.

Cookstove Surveys in Pahuwa

We visited the village of Pahuwa on Tuesday morning. Over a period of several months now, we have been encouraging the women to make their 30 bricks and collect mud for the time we will teach them how to build their own fuel efficient, two burner cookstoves. Well, the time has finally come to survey homes and to start building!  As we walked the trails throughout the community surveying each household, we learned that some women are completely ready, some are nearly ready, and a few haven't started.  It's ok. Some ideas take time to take root. 

As we walked about the village, we asked them to show us their materials and  to show us their kitchens. Many women did not have a kitchen, with kitchen being defined as a place outside the house with shelter from the rains.

Then we came to the home of one of my hygiene and sanitation students, an elderly, frail woman we affectionately call Grandma.  She told us that she is unable to made bricks for her stove. She can barely manage to collect enough wood each day to prepare meals. George has already talked to the men in the village about giving special assistance to widows and the elderly. George will enlist them to build her a lean-to porch to shelter her new stove.

These stoves save fuel and burn cleaner,  but it isn't just about the environment. We care about deforestation and lung disease, but our primary focus is much more than that.  It is about the  people Jesus came to die for.   We want  to be expressions of the love of Jesus with each one.

Grandma will soon get her cookstove, but while she is enjoying it, we want her to know that the gift was motivated by God's big love for her. 

AIDS Invaders VS the Immune System

AIDS is  a present reality in Malawi, and 42% of new AIDs infections are young people, 15-24. I learned that primary students, beginning in standard 4, are taught about AIDS. The primary lesson is about the proper use of condoms to protect from AIDS and unwanted pregnancy. This leaves children unaware of the threat and poorly prepared to protect themselves against AIDS and other STDs. 

On Saturday, in Kainga and Pahuwa,  one of the activities we did with the adolescent girls was a discussion about the virus, sorting statements as True or False. This was my opportunity to clear up a lot of misinformation. 

Then I used pictures to show the adolescent girls a simplified version of how the immune system works and how AIDS causes the immune system to break down. 

I told them that antigens -germs, viruses, bacteria - are like an invading army that is constantly trying to get into your body to make you sick. Your immune system is your defense, like an army that sends out soldiers to protect your body from disease. Some of these are T8 Killer Cells whose job it is to destroy them, and the B-Cell Antibody Factory's job is to make "keys" to lock the antigens up, rendering them harmless. 

But when the invader, AIDS,  enters the body, it goes straight to the Captain of your immune system, attacks, and destroys it. As a consequence, the immune system's soldiers are not called to respond to the presence of the invaders. The Killer Cells do not respond, and the Antibody Factory stops making keys. The AIDS virus then becomes the Captain of what used to be the body's immune system.  

As a result, when other antigens, bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc. enter the body, these invaders are welcomed. The body, with no defense from the invading army pouring into the body, becomes weak.

The sad part is that once the AIDS  virus has invaded a person's body, they have no way of kicking it out, and over time, their body becomes weaker and sicker, eventually causing death. 

They learned that they can make choices now that will defend them from ever getting AIDS. The clearest way to prevent AIDS through sexual contact?  Abstain until marriage, choose a mate that has made the same choice and has been tested HIV/AIDS negative, then both partners staying faithful in marriage. 

Although AIDS is primarily spread through sexual contact, it can also be passed from mother to child and through sharing of needles and piercing instruments and in a few medical settings, including blood transfusions.. 

Then I told them the good news: that this is not their destiny. God has designed for them a better life.  Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans that I have for you, says The Lord, plans to do you good and not harm you,plans to give you a future full of hope."  I encouraged them to  keep themselves focused on the goals they have for their lives and to trust God with their future.

Finding that Pearl of Great Price

This has been an exciting week. Let me share with you a few highlights:

George taught the children The Pearl of Great Price. His teachings have been explaining the life and ministry of Jesus. As he was praying together at the end of class, He said, "We place our trust in God." A child in the class responded in Chichewa, "...and His Son The Lord Jesus Christ." They have been listening and learning! Very exciting to see how God is working in the children's lives.

 In my Dignity classes at Pahuwa we have been using skits to teach the importance of staying focused on a good future. The theme scripture for the series is Jeremiah 29:11, "I know the plans I have for you, says The Lord, plans to give you a future and a hope." I told them that is what God wants for them as they put their trust in Him.

Near the end of class two young girls shared their experiences they had during the week. One girl said she was riding her bicycle home from the maize mill when an older man approached her and said, "Get off your bike." She stopped, and he made some comments about her developing body, indicating he wanted to have a relationship with her. She told him she was not interested in him and would not have a relationship with him.

 The man said, "You are not being respectful. You should honor me because I am your elder." She responded, "No. You are dishonoring me. I will not have a relationship with you." Then she rode off on her bicycle.

 Another young girl, about 12 years old, told of her experience. She said she was walking down a trail in her village when two young men approached her, again commenting on her developing body. They were pressuring her for sex, but she told them that she would not do that. Then they began to mock her saying, "When you are grown, you will not be a good wife. You will have 3 husbands and you will not please any of them." She responded, "No, I will have 10! I don't care. I will not have relationship with you." Then she ran away.

 The 12 year old girl told me, "You know, when this was happening to me, I was thinking about our classes and the skits we had done, and I knew what to do." The message is sinking in, and God will use it to change these girls' lives. I can't tell you how very proud I am of these girls. I am thankful that God is raising up good role models among them.

We are excited that in 12 days, our first intern comes, a bright and knowledgable young lady named Carley.  We pray that in her two months with us, God will use her to strengthen our ministry and bless the people we serve. We want our vision, purpose, and work to help her grow spiritually as well.

We are getting ready for our next Farming God's Way workshops this week. We will be teaching field preparation and building compost piles. These classes are helping to strengthen George's work with the men. May God use it all.

 My assistant, Hellen, a former primary teacher, is now working full time with us. What a blessing she is! She took a cut in pay to come work with us full time. She prayed and fasted for several days while making this decision. May God bless and increase her for her commitment to God's call to this ministry.

The women's Bible study here on the the mountain is going very well. The women are now asking for Bibles of their own so they can read at home. God put it in the heart of a friend in Florida to send funds for us to buy 110 new Chichewa Bibles! Next Sunday, we will begin distribution.

This past Sunday, I used the EvangeCube to teach the women God's plan of salvation. When I told them that Jesus is reaching out to us and we have to make a choice, heaven and hell. I said "Jesus is giving you a choice. To choose Him means heaven and eternal life. To reject all He has done for you means eternal punishment in hell. He is reaching to you. What would you say to Him?" They responded, "I choose heaven!" I gave them a moment to bow their heads and think about their decision.

Then, I led them in a prayer to trust Jesus with all their lives and their future. Their simple faith and trust in Jesus for salvation is so beautiful.

 Little by little we are getting this big old house ready for teams. We spend a lot of time out in the field, but the house is coming together nicely. This week we set up five bedrooms! Pray that we will find a reliable person to help us with cooking and cleaning from time to time now, but especially when we are accommodating large missions teams.
We are so thankful for our friends' prayers and encouragement. It means a lot to us. God is anwering our prayers in powerful ways.

A Bridge to the Future

Yesterday over 60 adolescent girls in Kainga and Pahuwa learned about life skills that will help them build a bridge to a good future.  The girls learned that a future they will be proud of will not accidentally happen.  It takes planning and developing themselves.


These skills include finding good role models, abstinence until marriage, setting goals, critical thinking skills, and resistance to peer pressure.


They performed skits that underscore their need to develop these skills.


As a warmup for the lesson I asked the girls to tell about something in their homes that they count as "prized possession."  It is interesting that most of the girls did not name things. They said things like, "I value my father paying my school fees so I can get an education," or "I am happy my mother encourages me."


One girl said, "I have a certificate that shows I have passed to standard 8 in school." Another said, "I am thankful that I have plans for my future."

Foundations for Farming in Pahuwa

Our friends Johannes and his assistant, Isaac, from Foundations for Farming taught composting in the village of Pahuwa yesterday.  

19 men and 49 women attended. They learned that what is most important is to first of all offer ourselves to God and then honor him in all we do, including how we farm.

They also learned that in nature God has already given them what they need to be successful farmers. 

Johannes encouraged them to think about their field as a bank account. If you only take out and never give back, your account will become empty. 

As they were watching the video, the room was buzzing with Oohs and Aaahs when they were shown lush green fields of tall maize and video testimonials from Malawian farmers.

The people were asked to start gathering their materials, and in a week or so, we will return and give hands on instruction in compost making.