Long post from Monday

Monday August 30th 2010




Hello All!



I am writing this post while sitting on the floor of my room in Dzuwa and will save it to my flash drive to put up when I get a chance. Hopefully I will post it tomorrow (Tuesday) as I will be going to Kasungu for a meeting with another JTW staffer about the children’s feeding program. I am a little nervous about that meeting, as I am not sure what responsibilities I will be given. Today will be my 4th full day here in Malawi. I feel like I have been here much longer. Actually sometimes it feels as if I never left. Things are going pretty well. It has been so great getting to pick up where things left off with Gloria and Elliot (my hosts) and Gift and Esna (the family who just moved to Dzuwa who I stayed with last time). Tacondwe and Tawina, Gift and Esna’s kids, have finally remembered me after looking at some of the pictures I sent to them last year. It is so fun b/c wherever I go Tacondwe is always calling “Stephie, Stephie” and then talking away in Chichewa b/c he wants to talk to me or take me to play but so far I have no idea what he is saying most of the time. Hopefully that will change soon. I have had a blast playing with the kids here. Who would have thought?! Haha (that is a joke for all who don’t know me super well…I LOVE playing with kids!)



Oooo ok funny story (p.s. this is going to be a really random post b/c I am just typing when I remember something its not necessarily in order)…on the day I arrived after getting everything I needed in the market we stopped to put diesel gas in the truck before we left. However the first gas station we stopped at was out of diesel! As was the next one and the next one!!! So we drove around for about an hour stopping at 7 different gas stations all of which were out of diesel!!! Crazy! I was beginning to think we were going to have to sleep in Lilongwe for the night. Finally the 8th gas station had diesel BUT its power was out so you couldn’t pump it!!! Ha! And their generator was out of battery so they couldn’t even turn that on. Finally a man took the battery out of his car to put in the generator so that everyone there could pump gas. By that time basically the entire city was there trying to get gas as it was the only one that had diesel so there was a huge line to wait in but by 6:30pm we were gassed up and ready to leave for Dzuwa (some 2.5 hours later than we were ready).



I have also already had the chance to attend a Malawian wedding reception! This past Saturday afternoon I walked with Gloria and her niece down the road through the village to the wedding reception. It was a very interesting experience. When I first arrived Gloria went off to find someone and told me to wait in a certain spot. While I was waiting the entire village, who was at the reception, just stood there staring at me and the little kids surrounded me in a circle!!! Definitely the hardest thing I have experienced so far. Although I knew from my last trip that everyone always stares at the Azungus (white faced people) I was not prepared to be left alone to have an entire village stare at me and me not be able to do anything about it. I just wanted to be able to talk to them to tell them “listen I am exactly the same as you! I have hair, eyes, a nose, a mouth, and a beating heart just like you! My skin is just a different color!” but of course I am not fluent in Chichewa yet so I couldn’t. I tried to go around and greet some of them to show them I am human but it didn’t really break the ice much. It took all of my strength not to burst into tears!!  The rest of the wedding was pretty fun, lots of dancing and singing. It was interesting to compare different traditions. For example the groom wore sunglasses the entire time, and both the bride and groom did not smile the entire time!!! I couldn’t believe it! I think they were not supposed to smile to show that this was a serious commitment they were making. I don’t know. Gloria said that this isn’t the way it is in all villages just in Dzuwa.



Church. Church on Sunday was also very fun. I couldn’t understand any of it but it was cool to see the people of Dzuwa worshipping our God in such a different way and language. Very sweet! Hopefully before next Sunday I will be able to learn some of their prayers and songs in Chichewa!



I have been working hard to learn Chichewa and have made some progress. Not a ton of progress but some. I have to keep reminding myself that it is only my 4th day here. I think I sometimes have really unrealistic expectations for myself about how I should be picking up the language much faster. Both at the wedding and at church one of the things that struck me the most while I was sitting there listening to only Chichewa being spoken for 3+ hours was…how in the world do people who move into remote villages to learn the language to write it down for the people (like Wycliff) do it???!!!! How do they ever manage to learn the language without anyone there to be a go-between??? I am so puzzled!! I am praying that God really helps me to pick it up fast.



Some things that I have learned so far…

Nyumba- house

Mkhukhu- chicken

Ndi kutenga madzi- I am going to get water

Impela- ball

Ndi kuona- I see …

And some other phrases…stay tuned for more 



Last night for dinner I got to make grilled chicken!!!! Which was such a great treat that reminded me of home.  I explained how we always grill everything at home (shout out to dad and uncle van!). I am still trying to adjust to the time here and get acclimated to everything. Hopefully when I find out more about my job I will be able to get into more of a routine.



One thing I am really excited about is that on Sunday nights our JTW team meets for devotions together and on Wednesday nights we have bible study. Devotions last night was great! Gift lead it and we looked at 2 Cor 9:1-7 and how it relates to our name Joy to the World and what it looks like to take joy to the world. We also sang lots of songs and I even got to lead a couple of the ones I learned last time. We also went over some of the business stuff. It was really cool to get my first glimpse into the inside workings of our ministry.



Ok I think that is it for now…sorry it is so scattered!







Happy Birthday MOM!!! 



Tsalani bwino

Steph



p.s. They have solar panels here to power their electronics some of the time!!! So I am charging my computer right now from solar panels!!! Yay!!!!



Some things I have learned about Malawian culture…

-they like to throw their playing cards down when playing a card

-they like to walk very slow



Prayer Requests

-That I would continue to adjust to the time and general life here

-That my meeting on Tuesday would go well and that I would have a better understanding of my role here and that it wouldn’t be overwhelming.

-For family and friends at home

-That I would pick up Chichewa fast and would be patient with myself.

I MADE IT!!!

Well I made it!! I didn't manage to get a post out before I left the country
 b/c things got too hectic. But I left at 3:25pm on Tuesday from Pittsburgh and I arrived today Thursday at 12:30pm! Long flights but overall good. Just posting a quick hi to say I made it (as did all my luggage! yay) before heading out to the market to buy some necessities before heading to Dzuwa. So all is well and I am excited to be here. Please be praying for my acclimation.

Tsalini Bwino!

Steph

Packing Packing Packing

10 Days until Departure!!!

Well I am about 95% packed! I have been working so hard these past 2 weeks to get everything organized and packed while my sister was gone and I could take over the entire room (see picture below!). All I have left to do now is to throw in a couple last minute things and pack my carry on bag! Wow! I have also finished up all 15 of my lessons for my Perspectives class! I finished my last one today and it feels great to be done! I am excited to keep processing what I am learning during the classroom part which starts tomorrow night and ends on Saturday.

The fact that I am leaving in about a week is definitely starting to become more real! I continue to get more and more excited about what God has in store for me in Malawi...anticipating meeting up with all of the staff, thinking about the various projects I might be working on, and dreaming about the relationships I am going to build with the people and kids of the village. I am also starting to get a little nervous and sad about leaving home and my family for so long. I am really praying that God will help smooth out this transition and make things semi-easy. Also that He will continue to remind me that I am not alone in this journey and that He will be right there with me through the whole thing!

I will try to post one more time before I leave so stay tuned...


Prayer Requests:
-That all last minute details would go smoothly and I would get everything in place that I need to before I leave
-For my Perspectives class this week- that I would absorb lots of what the speakers have to say and would continue to digest what I am learning
-For my anxiousness/nervousness- that God would calm my heart and reassure me of His presence
-For good quality time with the family


Thanks again for all of your prayers and support throughout this process!!!

Tsalani Bwino!
Steph

Me taking over the room laying all my stuff out (in neat organized piles of course!)

The pile of clothes I fit into one large space bag! These things are great!

Amazed that I fit all of that in one bag that compacted so well!

The Count Down Begins!

23 Days until Departure!

Well it is August 1st and I am back in Pittsburgh heading into the home stretch before I depart for Malawi Aug. 24th. I just returned from the New Wilmington Mission Conference where I was a high school counselor. The week was great and I really enjoyed getting to know and work with my girls! Highlights included: listening to some great speakers talk about missions and how God is moving in the world, hearing about Summer Service 2010 Egypt, playing volleyball, running with my cousin, getting to talk to lots of people about Joy to the World Ministries and my trip, spending time with missionaries who served in Malawi in previous years and who were able to give me some great advice and encouragement, doing a dance with my girls in the HS talent show, and getting to catch up with some of my Summer Service 2008 Malawi teammates! Sooooo Fun!!!! :-) Although I am a little sad conference is over I am very ready to begin preparations!

These next 3 weeks are going to be crazy busy and fly by so fast! Within these next 2 weeks I hope to get everything packed and to finish up all of my homework for my Perspectives class. Right now I have nothing set out or ready to pack I only have the beginning of a packing list. In terms of my Perspectives class I am on lesson 5 out of 15. I hope to have all 15 lessons done before the class starts Aug. 15th. Yikes! The class (Perspectives on the World Christian Movement...check it out if you haven't heard of it! www.perspectives.org) lasts through the 21st so I will only have a few days after before I leave.

Support Update:
Well as you may have noticed it is August 1st! The day that I had hoped to have all of my support in by! So whats the latest?!  As of July 21st I was at 28%. I am not gonna lie this made me a bit nervous considering I was leaving for NWMC for 1 week...the last week in fact before my Aug. 1st deadline! So I was basically out of contact for the entire week unable to have any control over the situation at all! Not able to be proactive contacting anyone or checking on the status of my support. Very nerve-racking!  I was talking to one of my friends on the phone before I left and she said to me "Yeah I know that will be very scary but what if God just takes care of it all for you and you come back to 100% support". I chuckled and admitted that yeah that would be pretty sweet but didn't really think twice about it because it seemed impossible. I fought those thoughts (that it was impossible for God to raise all of that support) all week! On numerous occasions during conversations about my trip people would ask me where I was at in my support raising and when I would tell them 28% and that I want to have it all in by the end of the week some would just laugh and say "well I guess that isn't happening". Part of me agreed with them thinking that yes it was not going to happen but I fought really hard not to believe that lie and not to limit God! I kept praying that God would do the impossible and show me how powerful He really is!  By July 25th I had jumped to 43%.  I was amazed! I couldn't believe that God had provided that much just in a few days! Well the week continued as expected with me not being able to check on anything. I arrived home yesterday afternoon. Today I sat down to try to figure the situation out and was completely surprised. I had received some notifications from various people about contributions AND...(*drum roll please*)...I am at 100% of my initial $8,000 goal!!!! WHAT?!?!!!! GOD THAT IS TOTALLY RIDICULOUS!!!! Now I still have to wait for a few of them to actually officially go through but still! WOW!!! God did it!!!!! Are you kidding me?!!! I am speechless!!!

It has been so crazy to see how God has been answering my prayers recently, especially within this last week at NWMC and through my Malawi stuff. I don't know why I am so surprised everytime He does answer my prayers because He promises that He will ("If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" Matthew 21:22) but anyway I am continuing to learn and grow so much through this process! Oh Boy!

Now all of that being said since the time I sent out my initial estimate of $8,000 a few additional expenses have popped up (like additional money for housing rent) so if you have just sent a donation or still want to help support my trip any additional money received will help cover these extra expenses. Also I have been notified by JTW of their need for a specific type of ink cartridge for the printers in their internet cafe in Kasungu. I will be trying to round up a bunch of cartridges that people would be willing to donate to take over with me. If this sounds like something that you would like to help with shoot me an email and I will give you more specifics (stephanie.smith1168@gmail.com).

Thanks again to all of you for helping to make this trip possible both financially and through prayer!!! I am so so soooooo grateful for your support!!!

Tsalani Bwino
Steph

Prayer Requests:
-Packing: that I would be efficient and creative in packing and that I wouldn't forget anything
-Perspectives: that God would help me move faster through the lessons while still absorbing all of the information and that I would complete all of the lessons before Aug. 15th
-For my Dad and sisters who will be in Malawi Aug. 2-14 on a mission trip with my church working with Ministry of Hope the other ministry I worked with while on summer service (how cool!)
-That I wouldn't be anxious or stressed trying to get everything done but that I would be able to enjoy my work and really be present at home this last month

August 24th 2010!!!

Well I have my plane ticket!!! :-)

I officially leave August 24th! I leave Pittsburgh at 3:25pm and arrive in Lilongwe Malawi at 12:20pm August 26th! (Pittsburgh --> Chicago --> London --> Johannesbug, South Africa --> Lilongwe, Malawi) Haha :-) So 2 days worth of travel. But I LOVE to travel so I am pretty excited :-) I especially love hanging out in airports so can't wait to spend time in the Chicago, London, and Johannesburg airports!  (yes I am weird)

Support Update:  Since my last post I have jumped from 19% to 28%! Yay! I am hoping to be at full 100% support by August 1st. Please continue to pray with me that God would continue to provide in huge ways!!! Thank you soooooo much to everyone who has supported me so far!!

Prayer Requests:
-God's provision in providing support
-That I would continue to strive to relinquish control of the situation knowing that God is in control
-That God would continue to prepare my heart for what He has in store for me this next year
-That God would be working in the hearts of the people in Dzuwa

Thats all for now :-)

Tsalani Bwino
(stay well in Chichewa)

p.s. if you send me your email address I will add you to my mass email list for when I post something new!  stephanie.smith1168@gmail.com

Gone in the Blink of an Eye!

Wow! I cannot believe that it is already the middle of July!!! Summer here in Pittsburgh is just flying by...I have been busy here enjoying lots of family time, attending weddings & graduations, babysitting & dog sitting, traveling around working volleyball camps in PA and SC, working to complete my homework for the week-long intensive class I am taking in August at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and of course organizing details for my Malawi departure! Talk about being busy! But I am for the most part enjoying every minute of it! :-)

Malawi details are continuing to fall into place slowly but surely...

I went to the Allegheny County Health Department last week and updated all of my vaccinations. I only ended up having to get three new ones: typhoid, HepA #2, and H1N1. Yay! So minus rounding up my Malaria medicine I am all set! I have also been working on raising my support for the trip and have been completely surprised at how God is working. Going into this process I pretty much thought I knew what I was getting myself into but boy I had NO IDEA! I have been exposed to many different individuals working to raise their support, especially within these past 4 years, and have heard many different stories of how much people learn through the support raising process so I really thought I had at least a general idea of what the process was going to be like. I knew it was not going to be easy but I fully didn't understand what a step out in faith it was really going to be!!! The whole process is moving very slow and not like I expected it. On the other hand though, God has been surprising me left and right with where He has been providing money! God has introduced me to many new people through random interactions who have taken an interest in my trip and have jumped at the opportunity to support me. I am in awe!

Just in this past week alone I have learned so much about myself and more about God's character, how faithful He is, and how He really delights in providing for His people. Going into this past week I was only at about 4% of my total support. I have to book my plane ticket by July 15th and need 29% (~$2323) to do that. There is a huge difference (it feels like to me) between 4 and 30%! This big gap made me feel so anxious since it was already the beginning of July. I felt very discouraged and realized that I really wasn't trusting that God was big enough to provide all of the money I need in time. Oh wow crazy realization! After that I spent a lot of time praying about it and asked God to really prove me wrong in providing for me! The very next morning I had a meeting with a possible supporter that I was very nervous about but it went really well! That very morning I felt like God was already answering my prayer! Later on that night though after checking my email from JTW I calculated that I was no longer at 4% but was now at 11%!!!!! Wow talk about proving me wrong! Everything I experienced at the beginning of last week was one big step in me continuing to handover control of this process to God. I am still continuing to pray though that God would help me release my doubts and anxiousness to Him. Please pray this with me as well!

As of tonight there are only 2 days left before I have to book my plane ticket and I am now at 19%! Only 10% more to go!!! So please also continue to pray with me that I would make this deadline.  


Thanks for hanging in there on a long post!


Grace & Peace
Steph

How to Support Me

If you are reading this blog and have not received my support letter I attached all of the information below. Just click on the pictures for bigger images. Thanks again for considering supporting me!

My Support Letter

Where to send the check or paypal

Prayer Reminder