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Archive for the ‘family’ Category
Our Journey: called to Malawi
Posted in culture, family, Mission, MUMC, Pictures, tagged book, Malawi, mission, our journey, UMC on October 1, 2012 | 1 Comment »
Genesis 12
Posted in family on July 26, 2011 | 3 Comments »
“The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your land, your family, and your father’s household for the land that I will show you.” Genesis 12:1
In 2009 we received an email from Rev. Daniel Mhone quoting this scripture. In response to our request to come and serve in Malawi he told us to come to the land that God had showed us. And so we went.
Last month as we prepared to leave Malawi, I returned to the 12th chapter of Genesis hoping that Abram and Sarai’s story would shed some light on what lay in store for us now. And I found that they were constantly on the move.
Once they arrived in Canaan, the Lord appeared to Abram again and said, “I give this land to your descendants.” So Abram built an altar… and then he moved on. He traveled to the mountains east of Bethel, built an altar and worshiped the Lord. And then he set out again, “making and breaking camp as he went”.
If I had read this chapter more carefully in 2009, my enthusiasm might have been a bit dampened. And I wonder if Daniel knew what he was encouraging us to do when he wrote. Because we have been worshiping and making and breaking camp ever since.
Less than two weeks ago we broke camp in Malawi with tears and were welcomed in Nashville with such love and compassion.
And now I can’t help but wonder if God sees this as another camp…
Ndapita
Posted in culture, family, Mission, tagged family, Friends, God, Goodbye, Malawi, Tears on July 12, 2011 | 6 Comments »
Well I reckon this is it. Right now, it’s 5:30AM. I’m in the sitting room warming up next to a blazing fire with my cup of Mzuzu coffee. The jeans I hope to wear to Nashville are laid out in front of the fire drying. In the distance I can hear the morning rooster roll call. It’s probably 40 degrees outside which means its damn cold inside with no heating. It’s been really cold lately and dreary — good weather to match the mood of departure.
What words do I have at this moment? None. A few moments ago, I just started crying. Tears feel like unexpressed words that have concentrated and condensed. So I cried. I cried to God for protection and safe travel home. I cried for the friends and family in whose lives we now leave a gap. They are so grateful for our presence and touched deeply by our leaving. I cried for the kids who are the best example of how to let an experience like this wash over and permeate life. I can only hope now that the seeds planted will grow and be harvested for years to come. I cried for our friends and family back home who are so excited to see us. Their love, support, and anticipation is what gives me strength to put one foot in front of another. I cried for Wilson who thinks of me as a father but in reality is more a brother. It was easy not to worry about him when he was on our payroll. I cried for my Malawian mother, Lucy Kandioni, who wailed at our departure last week. It was the kind of wailing you only hear at funerals here, and I wonder if there is a reason for that. The increased frequency of her illnesses and general weakness worry me that she may be close to her final journey home. I cried for Daniel who serves tirelessly a church institution that gives little back. I would have cherished a few final moments together yesterday and today, but it wasn’t to be. I cried for my marriage which has been tested, stretched, deepened, and strengthened by and through these past two years. If you want to get to know your spouse, live and work with them daily for two years. Not many marriages are designed for this type of dynamic but ours is. And I am very fortunate to have that gift.
Most of all, I cried for Malawi – for all the things known and unknown that I will miss; for the people who can always smile “no matter no what”; for the intensity of the light, sounds, and smells; and most of all for the people who are not poor except that we label them so.
Ndapita, Malawi.
laughter in the morning
Posted in family, Pictures on July 5, 2011 | 1 Comment »
All the lattes in the world can’t compare to the sound of Wilson whistling and laughing in the morning.
fewer and fewer blogs
Posted in family, Mission on July 3, 2011 | 3 Comments »
over the past six months I have written fewer and fewer blogs. the time and experiences have touched me in such deep places, troubling me in ways that I can only hope is the Holy Spirit stirring within me but I can’t sort out the rhyme or reason. sometimes interactions make me so angry. sometimes so sad. sometimes the joy is greater than anything I could have imagined. sometimes the experiences make me want to book a flight home immediately. sometimes I never want to leave this place. and sometimes the things that I want to write about reveal too much about confidences and relationships and emotions of those I love.
and tonite there are depths of emotion that I cannot give voice to. there are relationships that cannot be defined. there is growth and change that has been so painful and important for me and my family.
there are not enough words to describe what this call to Malawi means to me. and yet all words are inadequate.
