Malawi

It's 7:30 AM (Africa Time) and we are in Blantyre, Malawi at the Ginder's. It was great to relax with a warm shower, good bed, and some American food:) (It was the best carrot cake I've ever had! And this morning--bacon and eggs!!) Today we spend the morning with some Malawi Church leaders...then it is on to Mangochi to visit the Miller's. The next few days should be a little more relaxed. Malawi is a beautiful country. Some mountains and tea plantations (see picture at left) and the higher elevation makes the air very pleasant. Thanks for your prayers and interest. You can also learn more about the trip by checking out John's blog as well.

Youngson

One of the great joys of this trip has been the opportunity to meet Youngson. He is our interpreter and doing a fantastic job. His fluency in five languages really helps! Youngson is a missionary from the Malawi BIC helping to plant churches in Moz. He lives with his wife and daughter (pictured at left) in Beira, but travels a lot in the region. In July he will spend 6 weeks in the Pemba area helping to plant churches. You can see that he is highly respected by the youth and does a lot of discipleship teaching with them. People like Youngson are the way God extends his kingdom in Africa. They have plans to develop the church center in Beria to where it will include a clinic and a school. (I am really hopeful that my church can find a way to connect in the future and help with these plans.) If Africa is to stop the AIDS epidemic, it will take an army of Youngson's who teach the youth about the freedom found in Christ.

Galuja

We had an amazing experience on Tuesday in Guluja--about 3 hours from Beira. A very rural church--many of the children had never seen a white person. Received a welcome fit for kings--they served us goat and chicken! A few weeks ago during a storm a tree fell on their church. They hope to rebuild--but have very limited resources. We took an offering and raised about 10 percent of the cost for the tin roof. Included in the offering were pledges for one tin of nuts and one tin of maize. (Makes you reconsider how you define generosity!) They were very happy. The picture is of the regional pastor giving the money to the local church leaders.

TIA (This Is Africa)

Hi everyone. We are doing well. It's been a very busy schedule. The rest of the trip should be a little less demanding. Hopefully I'll have a little more time and internet access which will let me post more (including some pictures).

The luggage has not arrived. They say it will be sent back to the U.S.--but TIA. But I have more in my carry-on luggage than many of the people at the Galuja BIC have in their possession. I really have nothing to complain about!

Wednesday was a long day! 15 hours to go 600 miles (That's the same time it took to fly 8000 miles to JBurg!). We arrived at the Zambezi River ferry crossing at 11:45 only to discover that it is closed from 12 until 2! We were told that "the engines are tired and need a break!" But hey--TIA!

Today was a great day in Milange with a group of pastors. Then we drove to Blantyre, Malawi. Beautiful drive--mountains and tea farms! Malawi is much more developed than Mozambique.

That's all for now--thanks for your prayers. It's been a great trip so far!

Pemba

We made it to Pemba! Switched planes in Jberg within an hour. Our luggage didn't make it but it should arrive on Sunday. Weather is hot and humid, but Pemba is a beautiful town on the Indian Ocean. We were treated like kings with a very hospitable welcome. Tomorrow is the preaching through interpreter deal. Can't write more as we are on limited time at an Internet cafe. But thanks for your prayers. So far jet lag is not problem. Pray for the church here in Pemba.

When we have more time at a faster connection I'll try and post some pictures. Thanks for your prayers.

Change of Plans

We're still going to Africa but we'll be arriving 18 hours later than planned. Today we arrived at the Dulles airport and breezed through security. About 20 minutes before we were to begin boarding the plane we were told that the flight had been cancelled due to a mechanical problem. The captain did not feel comfortable flying the plane in it's current condition. Later, Greg Funk asked an airline employee about the problem and was told that it was a fuel leak. Better to arrive late than to never arrive! So for now we are in a hotel near the airport and will leave on Friday morning at 11 AM on another flight. This may change our Africa schedule and make it impossible to get to Pemba, Mozambique. If so, we'll just fly from Jburg to Beira, Mozambique and start the trip from there.

Thanks for all who are praying for us. I'll keep you updated when I get a chance after we arrive in Africa.

Here is John Brubaker, Corby and Jen Brubaker--patiently watching the luggage while we wait for a hotel voucher

Let the Packing Begin

Now it's really starting to hit--I'm leaving in two days! Today I finished my sermon for Mozambique. (I learned today that there will be two interpreters--one for Portuguese and one for an African language.) Undoubtedly there will be some last minute changes, but for the most part the human side of that task is done and all that's left is pray for God's Spirit to transcend the cultural and language barriers.

Tomorrow will be spent wrapping up a few details in the office and then packing. I was considering getting an Ipod for some of our long travel days. However I decided that I'd rather just take in as much of Africa as I possibly can--so the Ipod will wait.

I want to say "thanks" to all those who have been supporting me and my family in so many ways. I'll do my best to update this blog regularly so that you can "travel along." Beginning Friday, April 20 after 4 PM you'll be able to daily access our schedule for the next day by going to John Brubaker's blog. Until Africa, God bless you with a great day.

The Countdown

It's starting to seem real now that I've only got one week left until leaving for Africa. Today I learned that one of my assignments will be to speak twice in Mozambique for 60-90 minutes on the topic of salvation. Speaking through an interpreter will be a new experience for me. Even though I've given nearly 500 sermons in my life, this one has me a little nervous. But, I'll just pray and try to relax and see what God can do in spite of my human limitations.

I'm including here a map from Google Earth that will help you get a sense of where I'll be traveling. We begin in northern Mozambique (Pemba) and are there for a couple days. Then we fly to south-central Mozambique (Beira) for two days. From there we go overland up through Milange, then into Malawi up at least as far north as Lilongwe. The last leg of the trip goes west into Zambia through Lusaka and ends at Macha.

African Culture--What Little I've Been Told

It seems strange to write about African Culture when I've never experienced it. Nevertheless, I can share what I have been told. To begin with, I was told that anytime I speak in a seminar or church setting I need to wear a tie and preferably a coat. A veteran missionary said, "The coat and tie do not have to match, but you need to have one." Apparently this goes back to the British culture that was imported to Africa during the Colonial era. (British judges to this day still wear those fancy wigs.) My plan is to take an old sportcoat that I have not worn in years and then give it to one of the leaders in Africa before I return home. This veteran missionary also said that the handshake is very important--no "cold fish handshakes" allowed!

As for the food I'll be eating. Rice, rice, and more rice--along with some beans, corn, and maybe a little chicken. In some places I'm told that BBQ rat is a delicacy. That's one food choice I would rather not encounter!

They tell me that the weather should be pleasant. Mozambique will be hot as it is a low elevation right on the Indian Ocean. But Malawi and Zambia are on a high plateau which creates a dry, pleasant climate.

It's hard to believe I'll be in Africa in three weeks. My son asked me today if I'll go to Africa again:) I told him I don't know--for now I'm just excited about this trip and anxious to see how God uses it to touch and shape my heart.