Is it October already??!!!

Wow! I can't believe it!!! October?! Really?! Well I have officially been here for a little over a month now and am definitely started to feel way more at home and used to everything. I feel like I am finally starting to get into a semi-routine (as routine as you can get in unscheduled Malawi) and have a better handle on all of my responsibilities. Teaching and the feeding program are going pretty well. It has been really fun to see how my students are actually learning what I am teaching them! Crazy! We have had a few meetings with the school teachers and feeding committee since my last post and it has been great to hear the feedback they are giving. They say the program is really helping the kids to learn better and giving them an incentive to come to school. The program has also helped increase enrollment in the school from around 400 kids last year to almost 900 kids this year!!!!!!! Wow!!!! We even have over 40 kids (and the number is still climbing) that have transferred in from outside the Dzuwa School boundaries just because of our program! Please be praying for all of these kids, that they would be really seeing this meal as a gift from God and from JTW. Also pray for continued funding for the program so we can keep feeding and loving these kids!

My absolute favorite thing that has happened since my last post was helping to host a team that came to visit Dzuwa from the High Desert Church in California. They were such a HUGE BLESSING!!!!!!!! (all caps and many exclamation marks still doesn't even begin to describe that either). They were in Dzuwa with us for about 4.5 days getting to see some of the different programs JTW has a hand in. On the Saturday they were here we held a vacation bible school for the younger kids at the school. Over 300 kids showed up! We had such a great time playing, singing, drawing, and acting out a bible lesson with the kids. The HDC team really did a great job! On Sunday one of the pastors from the group preached in our local village church. It was such a blessing getting to hear preaching in my native language and to be able to understand what was going on! I kind of had an "ah ha" moment thinking that "wow this must be how tribal people must feel when the gospel is finally translated into their language!". It just hits you straight to the core of your being!!! Sunday we also got to visit with some of the microfinance women Gloria works with which was so fun. Monday they visited Kasungu and then Tuesday they headed back to Lilongwe. I had such a great time getting to know the team and fellowship with them, especially the women on the team! They spoiled me with some great American meals including spaghetti and meat sauce, some yummy boneless chicken breast, pancakes, and even SMORES!!!! Oh boy!!! They also helped catch me up on my lack of hugs as people in Malawi don't hug! For all of the HDC team reading this...THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU SOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!! God sent you guys right when I really needed some American loving and encouragement and you guys really went above and beyond adopting me into your team!!! You guys really helped me to feel like I can survive the year here!

As I am typing this I am sitting in Lilongwe on my way back from Blantyre (a city in the south of the country). Gloria, Chico, and I travelled down there for one of Gloria's best friends weddings and got a chance to stay with her family. The wedding was very interesting. Very different that an American wedding and even a village wedding. Lots of dancing, throwing of money, and waiting around. No free food or cake. If you want a slice you have to pay for it!!! Crazy! Sorry I am running out of time so can't give you more details. It was awesome getting to meet Gloria's family and stay at their house and explore the city of Blantyre. The markets there are HUGE with TONS of people! Might be able to post a picture later. Travelling there takes forever though on public transport. 13 hours!!!! oh boy! be praying for the rest of our trip today as we have maybe 4 more hours to go.

Ok one last funny story! Well funny depending on how you look at it. So one night in Dzuwa I woke up and felt something on my leg. I looked down and there was a RAT!!!! About the size of my hand on my leg!!!! I laid sooo still and was thinking to myself "ok stephanie what are your options? You could reach down and grab the rat...NO I don't want to get bitten and get rabies...so your other option is to slowly sneak out of your bed and get Elliot"...So the rat jumped down into my bed off my leg and I slowly snuck out from under my mosquito net and quickly tucked it back in to try to trap the rat and went and woke up Elliot asking him to "Come Save Me!"...we went back into my room and looked all over but the rat had escaped! Booo!!! I have no idea how it managed to get into my bed under my mosquito net! But the story ends well as we killed the rat a couple nights later...bye bye Charles (yes I named it!)...now I sleep with a cloth under my door so nothing can get in :-)

Well darn...I had just hoped to upload some pictures but the computer I am on won't let me! Boo!!! Maybe next time!!

Thank you soooooooo much for all of your prayers!!! I am really doing much better...although I still have some tough days (as is to be expected). Keep praying for perserverance, for continued adjustment, for my chichewa (I am starting to get a little better with some key phrases...especially with my teaching), for my family at home, and for continued communion with God. He really is the only thing that has been keeping me going here!! I can't imagine being in a foreign country without him!!!!

Stephan (this is what people call me here b/c apparently the IE is too hard to add to the end of my name? ha)