Janohah (pink), Jael (black) and Bat-man (feathers) in their new home! 

Irish got a chicken for his birthday. He called it Bat-man! 

Irish's birthday cake. 

Irish's birthday party.

Blue headed chameleon, mango tree behind 

Our new truck 

Irish's new truck 

Scott & David making a chicken house 

October 25, 2006

Arrested! Well Janohah and I spent the morning in jail.
It has been an interesting 24 hours.
It started last night with Janohah getting sick. I stayed up the night with her and when morning came I took her to the clinic for a malaria test. Praise Jesus she does not have malaria. Just the flu – please pray that it doesn’t do the rounds through the house.

On our way home from the clinic we stopped at a road block. It turned out that our vehicle “fitness” sticker had expired.
This resulted in Janohah and I having to drive the officer to the station so that we could be arrested.
Now remember Janohah had been sick all through the night. So there we sat in a 3rd world jail house waiting to be processed. Statements were given and signed and we were eventually release to return for court the next day.
The situation worsened when we were told that the car would be impounded. OK sick kid – no where near home how are we going to get home? I asked the officer if we could use the car to take my sick daughter home. He agreed (he removed the expired sticker so that we would definitely have to come back).
After dropping Janohah off I had Pastor John follow me back down to the station to give me a ride back. At the station John spoke with the officer about giving us some grace regarding the car. After a conversation with the officer and the chief all was forgiven as long as we took the car and got the sticker today. Here’s the cool part of the story – they were both Pentecostal!

I am happy to report that Janohah is feeling better this evening – not eating but better.

This afternoon I tentatively bought a Land Rover truck. It is 4-wheel-drive and will serve us well in the upcoming rainy season. Thank you very much to the generous contributor – you are storing up your riches in heaven!

We are also building a large chicken house in the back. I am hoping to be finished by tomorrow night as Irish is getting a chicken for his birthday on Friday.

Lots more to report but it is late.

In Christ
Scott

Serving Him, Serving You 

Being a missionary can be extremely mentally and physically tiring but sometimes we just get to relax. 

Lake Malawi 

Lake Malawi 

We made it to Lake Malawi 

Jodi crossing a very typical malawian foot bridge. 

African kiler bee hive in the hole in the tree 

Sign about 4km down the road from us 

Malawi - the land of the pyromaniacs 

Irish and poohbear asleep in the bug net 

Thursday, October 19, 2006
Random Thoughts:

It’s the middle of the night what are they shooting at?
Why does the Mosque “call to prayer” have to be so loud?
How many 3 legged dogs are in Malawi?
Anyone who does not believe in vaccinations specifically polio needs to come to Malawi to see what happens to an unvaccinated country.
How many people can you fit in a 12 seat mini-bus? At least 24. But could you fit more?
How many people can you get on a bicycle taxi? I’ve seen a baby, mom, child, driver and a big pot – what is the maximum load?
Why is there always something burning?
How many liters of oil does that mini-bus go through in a day?
Given the living conditions of the average Malawian, why are they so happy and so nice?
I have never witnessed this much enthusiasm in any North American Church.
When you have no material things to distract you, you quickly realize that Jesus can provide everything you really need.
In my flat of 30 eggs how many will have chickens in them? Best guess 20!!!
There are 8 police officers at the road block none of them have guns, radios or cars – do I really bother stopping? Why does everyone else?
Is the drunk driver really impaired if he drives the police officer to the station to have himself booked?
How hard should you work for $0.13/hr?
How many live chickens are hanging upside down from the handle bars of that bike? Do they have headaches?
Our neighbor is thinking of getting a hyena as a “guard-dog” – how would you get it back into the cage during the day?
How dark am I going to tan?
Do you have to count the weevils in you weight watchers points?
Hyenas whoop. They don’t laugh.
When we hear the hyenas outside the gate we know we’re safe because the thieves won’t come out.

Jodi’s $0.02
The deck that Scott has been supervising has been poured so he was home today just hanging out with us. Tomorrow we’re going to the beach.
Last weekend we went to Dedza Pottery, a Pottery shop with a small restaurant on the property. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was so peaceful. We sat outside at tables on a garden patio. We faced a small field that the kids ran around on. We plan to go back about once a month.

We’ve been trying to do a lot of special family things. Every Monday we have “treat day” when the kids can pick out a small treat like a candy bar or a pop. Every Friday we have family movie night when we play one of the DVD’s that we brought and have popcorn. And on Saturday we often plan a small day trip. Next Saturday is Irish’s birthday so we’ll be having a party instead of a trip.

I do have mixed feelings about our special days. I feel it’s important to do these things. But when you consider that a laborer would have to work for 2 days to buy a candy bar, it makes you hesitate.

We attended our house worker’s church last Sunday. It was great! Its pastor is a woman who teaches a the bible school. Her assistant pastor and children’s pastors are some very talented students there. The teaching, both by the assistant pastor for Sunday School and the pastor for church, is fantastic. The assistant pastor is also the youth pastor and he’s asked us to do a two day seminar for the youth about having a vision for their lives. I think we’ll be doing that in mid November.

On Monday I start my week long inventory job at the Bible school. I really have no idea how to inventory. I mean, if they didn’t think I was dumb before!!! Scott says “go barefoot.” Thanks for the vote of support!

Irish and I are doing much better. We were a pretty bad pair on the malaria medication. I was too sick to parent, (bad joint pain, crushing fatigue) and he was too sick to be parented (psychotic episodes). It seems to be the general consensus here that Malaria medicine is often worse than malaria. A couple of years ago someone came out on a short-term trip and lost all their peripheral vision because of the malaria medication. They never got it back. Another woman’s sister goes crazy when she takes some malaria medication and will take off her clothes and try to run into the woods!! Thankfully we can afford to go for a test whenever we get a little bit sick and if you catch it early enough you get better very quickly. Irish, Scott and I have all been for a test. All negative. Thanks for the prayers for our health!!

I don’t have too much “African” stuff to report. I’ve been staying pretty close to the house this week. We did go for Ethiopian food on Tuesday with two other missionary families. The one family is Canadian and has two little girls, one of them is Irish’s age and they had a blast playing in the dirt in the parking lot. They both came out the same shade of reddish brown. (she’s Malawian).

This is where I do my advertising pitch for buzz-off clothing. Irish was wearing his, and didn’t get a mosquito bite, even though he was playing in the dirt, in the dark, in Africa. Whenever we go out in the evening, all the kids dress in their buzz-off clothes. Scott has started wearing his to bed. They need to make a line of pj’s and skirts.

And last night we had a cookout potluck at one of the missionaries’ houses here on our compound. It’s great to get together with everyone.

Scott is still reacting very badly to mosquito bites. Most of us don’t even get a bump, but he gets horrible swelling and huge water blisters. He got a bite on his right hand ring finger and didn’t notice it until the finger was too swollen to get the ring off. He spent the evening icing it and then wrapping it in tape to get the swelling down. He got a little panicky it was very tight and very scary looking. Like an over-cooked sausage about to split. Finally after much wrapping and soaping, the ring came off. The finger is still really swollen, but at least we don’t have to amputate.

We have had quite the week for injuries and illnesses. On Tuesday Charity fell and totally scraped up her knee. Then she fell today and scraped the same knee again. We have it wrapped in gauze. Jael was playing and got a metal wire jammed into her foot. I got a really bad 10 hour flu. Maybe from the rice I ate at the Ethiopian restaurant. (I have to watch my carbs since the Doxycycline.) And Scott’s finger fiasco. Thankfully (and surprisingly) the trend has missed Irish.

Chameleon at our place - about 18" long 

Malawi Landscape. Note the kids on the side of the road. We didn't notice them until we drove by (we were taking a picture of the mountain.) They all thought we were taking pictures of them, and they all had their hands out to be PAID!! when we drove by!! 

Malawian landscape 

This is the congregation from the first Sunday church plant. This is also a good picture to pray over. Within this picture we have a new pastor(blue shirt) & his wife that will be supported by this congregation for food, a woman with chronic headaches, an HIV/AIDS couple and their children, a student trying to graduate and a woman with open sores. 

Our house lizard - "George" 

Truck delivering bread - note the bread is NOT in a bag. 

Here we are at the crusade church plant - cool tree