Our Journey

Yesterday we had the privilege of worshiping with the congregation at Glendale United Methodist Church. We are so thankful for their hospitality and warm welcome of our family.

When we left you last year we told you that we would be in Malawi for one year serving as Volunteers in Mission with the Malawi United Methodist Church. Just three months into our stay, Jeff and I began looking at each and whispering to one another, “do you think one year will be enough?” And by December we began telling friends and family that we would extend our commitment to Malawi for two more years.

So we came home this summer to rest, bear witness to the hand of God at work in the Malawi UMC and work, in order to support our stay for the next year. It has been an amazing summer filled with friends and family and church visits and presentations, including a group of lay people here at Glendale.

The temptation when we talk with friends and groups and churches is to talk about how this year has challenged us, changed us as a family. But I think our true responsibility and delight is to tell you about the pastors and lay people leading the church in Malawi. As they say in Malawi, living the gospel is “no joke”. Pastors follow the call to serve knowing that they will not receive their promised salaries, men and women start nursery schools without books, pencils, toys and crayons, congregations worship without buildings or hymn book or Bibles. They know the commitment they are making and they join together celebrating the abundance they find and the daily blessings of God.

And these people and their ministries, their love of God and their fervent worship are what call us back to Malawi. Going back this time is not nearly as romantic and adventuresome. We go back knowing what it means go hours or days without water or electricity. We go back knowing that our friends and neighbors and church members will get sick and not have the money or access to the health care that they need.

But we also go back knowing that God is performing miracles among the people. We go back knowing that prayer makes a difference. We go back to lively and challenging Bible Study. We go back to live and work and learn from faithful men and women who strive to live the gospel every day as best as they know how. And who will support us as we do the same.

But before we go back we are so thrilled to have the opportunity to thank you here at Glendale for your incredible generosity. The “gray house” as we’ve come to call it is peaceful, and welcoming and has been a refuge for our family during our stay. Thank you for those of you who have friended us on facebook, followed the blog, prayed for us and given money in support of projects in Malawi.

This congregation is forever tied to our mission and dear to us as a family. We will return next summer for six weeks and we look forward to telling you more about this incredible journey that God has called us on. Ambuye akudalitseni, God bless you.