Delicious Times
Mood:  cheeky
Now Playing: We'll try to update again but...

How many of you out there have gone to sleep listening to hippos bellow to each other?  It is an amazing sound, soothing, in a sort of African way.  We went to the MVUU wildlife sanctuary for Saturday and Sunday.  After a week of ministry it was a great way to unwind and debrief while admiring God’s creation.  We saw male impalas fighting over a woman (she was quite a specimen), an adolescent elephant chomping on a tree, baboons, monkeys, Pumbas, crocodiles, and many hippos as well as a plethora of other wildlife..

 

Enough with the fun and games (that’s what Becky told me to write).  We are excited to go into Blantyre tomorrow and meet up with Irene and her son Winston.  There we will be back in the schools for three days until we leave Africa on Thursday.  Thus far we have been awed by God’s presence and providence.  There are men and women of God who are truly inspiring.  Our hearts have been broken by the joy that remains in their spirit through such difficult circumstances.  We have wept many tears over the plight of so many children whose lives seem unfair.  Why do we have so much, and they have nothing?  Many are HIV positive, many are orphans; but our God is a big God.

 

Please pray for our continued safety,  and that we may be a blessing to the schools that we visit in Blantye.  We miss you all, and look forward to seeing you soon.  We’d love to tell you all about the wonderful work that God is doing here (and show you tons of pictures.)

 

 

Team Malawi

Blog number 4
Mood:  suave
Now Playing: Don't worry Boog, Steph is doing fine!

Well, Kristen and Steph have left the bush and are back in Zomba (city) with Becky and Gregg.  The only word we can think of to describe our experience there is AMAZING!!!! As we arrived at our first school (St. Pauls) we were so overwhelmed as hundreds of children came running out of their classrooms to greet us.  With tears in our eyes, we finally had arrived!  This was where God had called us to be, what a joyful place to be. The schools we visited had ratios of teacher to student of 1 to 120 and some more.  The villages are overwhelmed by the HIV/Virus.  Just in the last year this village lost 20 teachers to AIDS.  So, the need here is very large.   The next three days consisted of traveling with The Director of teacher training for Why Wait, and the Primary Ministry Education Advisor in to primary classrooms.  We would sit and observe the teacher teach and strategize as they taught, then we were given the opportunity to teach the same lesson using the cooperative learning strategies.  Some of these students were used to sitting on the floor for hours at a time as the teacher lectured.  So, these strategies were very new for some of them.  We put students in groups allowed children to interact, and present their ideas…It was incredible to see the faces of these children who began to be responsible for their own learning.  Kristen was amazing at her assistance during this time I don’t know what we would have done without each other!!!!  After school we held conferences with the teacher giving them strategies that will make their load lighter, and make them more effective as teacher with the numbers they face daily.  Our ideas were very welcomed and words cannot describe their response.  At the end we met with 32 teachers in a village with 38 teachers.  Our time ended with a conference for the youth, focused on Why Wait? An AIDS education program.  WOW!!!   These high school age students were waiting for us for two hours before the meeting!!!  The local priests were amazing and they are new to the parish and realize that the youth in the village need a lot of direction.  So they have began an amazing outreach to the youth.  We walked into a room of over 100 high school students!!!  Irene the Why Wait coordinator shared and showed a very graphic video on STD’s/HIV and then I was asked impromptu to share my (Steph) story.  I shared about sexual abuse and the gift that can only be given and not taken, as well as the redemption of Christ.  The Lord really lead during this.

As we left with the memory of children voices (they are incredible singers) we learned about dependence on Christ, amazing people and that circumstances in life does not have change the smile on your face.  The village of Matiya will be forever in our hearts.  We are looking forward to the teams that will meet the amazing people of Matiya. Also, as a token of our service to the community we were offered a mouse shish-kabob, hair, tail and all.  It was amazing!! We were honored to say, “ no thank you.”  We wanted to be sure our husbands would kiss us on our return.

We are heading into our Safari tomorrow and will not be able to Blog for a few days.  Pray that we don’t get eaten by a hippo or chomped by a crocodile on our boat safari down the river.   Then we head to Blantyre to visit more schools and train more teachers.  Kristen is going to be working with some Speech pathologists and Special ed. Teachers as well.

Love and miss you all,

Kristen and Steph

the third entry
Mood:  lyrical

Malawi Update June 28, 2006

 

Last night we were reunited as a team.  It turned out that Kristen and Steph’s accommodations in Matia weren’t exactly what we had hoped for.  They toughed it out for a night (along with the spiders and rats), but we all felt it would be best for them to join us back at the hotel in Zomba.  They left early this morning to get back out to Matia for today’s training sessions.  Both Steph and Kristen have been very encouraged by their experiences in the rural areas of Matia, and by the warmth and enthusiasm of the locals there.  Becky and I (Gregg) are looking forward to seeing them again this evening and debriefing on the day’s events.

 

Here in Zomba we did a training session for 15 secondary teachers.  Of the seven cluster schools in this district, five were represented.  That is great considering some of the schools are far away, and transportation is not exactly reliable.  Our session lasted for about three hours, including a 30 minute tea break (Malawi was a former British colony).  We shared several different teaching strategies that involved active participation of the students.  Although the materials here are lacking, we are hopeful that these dedicated and intelligent instructors will be able to adapt using the materials that are available.

 

Suffice it to say that it was a humbling experience to stand before these men and women, who love their students, and who work as hard as any of us.  We were called experts, but what we are is well trained.  The ideas we shared were met with open minds and creative adaptations.  Several teachers thanked us individually and offered feedback on how they will use some of our methods.  It is amazing to think that students in Malawi, a small, landlocked, African nation, will benefit because the four of us here were able to come and share training that every teacher in the U.S. receives.

 

Spiritually we are doing well.  The Lord has truly blessed us.  Our hosts Dick and Charlotte are amazing; they feed us and constantly offer support and encouragement. Dick must feel like our personal chauffer after driving us all over Zomba these past few days.  I know that my mother would feel very comfortable knowing that Charlotte is watching out for me.  We are encouraged by the faith of the Malawians we have met as well.  Robert Chikuni is the deputy head master at Mulunguzi secondary school (that roughly equates to being the principal of a top boarding school) and a strong believer in both education and the Lord.  Jimmy Gondwe is an inspiration as a teacher, Christian, and an advocate for progress in Malawi.  Irene Chaluluka was nominated as part of 1,000 women for change in Africa, for the Nobel Peace Prize.  She is a tireless worker for AIDS education.  Irene’s son Winston has been Kristen and Steph’s driver and bodyguard.  He has a servant’s heart and a gentle spirit.

 

As we are faced with the realities of Malawi, and the amazing people here, we are praying for ways to support their ministries.  We would like to encourage you to prayerfully consider how God is calling you to be involved.   We love Malawi, but miss our families and our friends at home.  Please keep us in your prayers.

 

With love from the southern hemisphere,

 

Team Malawi

the second entry

June 27, 2006

Team Malawi Update

 

Today Gregg and I (Becky) visited three different secondary schools in Zomba. The first school was a hike up a long road behind a primary school. The students were extremely friendly. I talked with a few of them who expressed their wishes and problems they noticed with schooling in Malawi. They explained that there is a shortage of teachers, which hinders their learning. They also desire to have scientific equipment, like microscopes, in order for them to be able to perform experiments in their classes. It was interesting to learn that they, like our youth, aspire to be teachers, doctors, and farmers.

 

Gregg observed a math class that was learning about algebraic functions. Their teacher is a talented and dedicated man. He does not lack enthusiasm or ability but he does lack resources. Despite that, he was able to command the attention of his class and instruct them effectively. It was interesting to see the differences in the way students behave in the classroom. Students in Malawi are not guaranteed a spot at a secondary school; rather they have to earn it by receiving good marks in primary school. Only 8% of students in primary schools will continue on for their secondary education, and only half of a percent will go to college.

 

Based on our observations today, tomorrow we will be sharing our Californian teaching methods with 16 Malawian teachers and 4 secondary directors of methodology from Zomba. Using the GLAD training learned from Capistrano Unified School District, cooperative teaching methods will be our focus. On Thursday we will demonstrate some of these strategies in Malawian classes. Then the teachers trained will be observing us and how to implement these ideas. It is our hope that they will find these tools helpful and share them with other teachers.

 

Kristen and Steph visited primary schools in Matia. They are staying in a rectory at a Catholic church in the village. While we continue to stay in a hotel, Kristen and Steph are completely immersed in the culture. We are anxious to talk with them and discover how things are going in the rural setting.

 

Thank you again for your prayers. They are being felt here, not only by the four of us, but also by the missionaries we are with. Please continue to pray for our safety in travels and that what we are sharing will be beneficial to the schools.

 

Team Malawi

June 26
Now Playing: The first update

Greetings from Malawi.  Thanks for all of your prayers, we have safely arrived.  After 35 hours on planes and in airports it was wonderful to get here.  We have now spent our first day in Malawi.  This morning we met and discussed ideas with our hosts and several Malawian teachers.  In the afternoon we drove about an hour out to a village called Matia where Kristen and Steph will be spending the next three days.  Please keep them in your prayers as they are both a little bit nervous about spending time in the bush, according to Dick, our host.  We are sad to be splitting up but as Kristen mentioned this morning, the Lord has gone before us and prepared the way.

 

Becky and I are staying in Zomba which is an urban area.  We have just discussed our next few days with the Malawian teachers who we will be working with over the rest of the week.  We have already felt validated in our purpose here by sharing briefly some of the most basic teaching methods we use with regularity.  The two teachers we were sharing with were very enthusiastic, and have requested that we strongly encourage all of the teachers to use and share  these ideas.  We are excited about observing classes tomorrow, sharing with teachers on Wednesday, and demonstrating with students on Thursday.

 

As for Malawi, it is beautiful.  The people have been warm and friendly.  However the country is facing a number of crises that we in the United States can hardly fathom.  AIDS has left about one million children without parents.  That is approximately 10% of the population.  Over 6,000 teachers die every year from the disease.  Class sizes are up to 150 students per teacher.  That should make some of us quiet when we complain about 35!  About 95% of the country is without electricity, and half of the people in Malawi live on less than a dollar a day. 

 

It is humbling that we have been called to share with these warm and loving people who are thankful for things that we take advantage of every day.  We would like to encourage all of you teachers at home to pray about your involvement in the future.  It is our goal, and the goal of Shoreline that our trip would lay the groundwork for many in the future.  We are a bit overwhelmed by the staggering needs here, but know that God is faithful.

 

Can someone please call my mom and dad at 949-493-4007 to let them know that we have arrived safely (this is Gregg writing).  And will someone also call Jason Muir (Kristen’s husband) and let him know the same.  Thanks, and please continue to pray for our safety, and that we may be faithful in honoring what God has called us to.

 

Team Malawi

The Blog for the Malawi 06 Teacher team from the shoreline church is now open for business.