Third Year Reflections: Part 1 Less is New

I (Becky) haven’t written as much on the blog as in our first year here in Malawi.  Now that we’re starting into our 3^rd year here, I’m trying to process why I don’t write as much.  I really enjoy writing, so as I figure out why I haven’t been writing, I’ll write about those things!  Come, process with me…

Just as I'm about to go to bed, the water comes
back...so I fill containers for 30-60 min. instead
Still thankful for water!

First, not as much is new to us anymore, so less stands out to me to write about in everyday living. Driving manual transmission is second nature to me now and getting diesel instead of unleaded at the filling station (not gas station!)…having plenty of water on hand for outages, listening for the water in the pipes in the night hours and staying up that extra hour or so till midnight to fill every bucket and container available – it’s a chore, but I’m thankful for running water in the house at any hour and will harvest it when it comes!  

 Bathing with very little water (or just not bathing much!) becomes part of the variety in life rather than an Olympic undertaking... grabbing a torch (flashlight) when the lights go out and swiftly moving dinner over to the backup gas camp stove seems like a minor move rather than frantic feat.   That’s not to say some of these things don’t get to me sometimes, they do, but they are smaller hurdles than in our first year.   Day to day life is still often a problem solving activity.

One of the food stores we shop at regularly: Chipiku.

Although much of life is more familiar now, some new things have popped up recently.  For example, a local supermarket just opened an addition which nearly doubled the size of the store.  The vast array of available fruits, veggies, cheeses, yogurt flavors and other dairy items, plus a fresh bakery is quite exciting, not to mention the clean, stylish presentation in a low pressure shopping experience!  As I walked in with the kids for our first glimpse of this new attraction, I met an acquaintance who was almost giddy to go in.  “It’s the small things here, isn’t it?” she remarked.  It’s true, small things like these are actually kind of momentous, depending on the day and your stress coping level at the time.  Even if you don’t buy anything, knowing that you could if you wanted to can help.


So, less lifestyle altering things are new to us, but there always seem to be new relationships.  The expat community is always revolving with some doctors and teachers coming for a year or two, short term missionaries for 6-18 months and people visiting any of the above.  Although we are 5 weeks into the new semester, learning names of new students at EBCoM is still a common activity.  And just when I think nothing much new has happened lately, a new cultural nuance will strike me back into feeling like a beginner again.  It keeps me on my toes, and often my knees.

Flatbread, Hummus and Hebrew

Did you take a foreign language in school?  Do you remember having “culture days” or straight up “food days” in class?  They were always a favorite of mine – I was never that great at learning the language, but I could certainly learn a new recipe!  Well, Hebrew class is no different here at EBCoM.  We recently had our flatbread and hummus day in Jonathan’s Hebrew class.  Food day is always a hit!

Rolling out the flat bread.

Serving up hummus!

 Flatbread and hummus are traditional and staple foods in Israel and the Middle East.  When Jonathan studied Hebrew, his professor shared flatbread, hummus, and olive oil with the class, and so it just feels right for him to do the same with his students.  Chickpeas are not always readily available here, so I was very thankful to find them again in time to whip up some tasty hummus, get the flatbread rolled out, cooked and delivered!  It’s fun how much more relaxed the students are when we are sharing food, than when they are having class!

This year's Intro to Hebrew class

The kids enjoy sitting in "school" chairs and eating along
side the students on food/culture days.

The kids and I pop over to Jonathan’s Hebrew class partway through the class period (after the quiz of the day is done) to serve the food and get to know his students a little.  As usual, the class requested frequent food days!  They say they want to sample different flavors of hummus…and that we should come before the quiz.  Sounds good in theory, anyway!  But if you have any favorite hummus recipes and variations, feel free to send them our way!

A Mock WHAT?!?!

Need a good fundraising idea?  How about a mock wedding?  Really…just get some couple that’s already married and pretend to have the wedding all over again – just the reception part – where people give you money.  Totally normal, right?  Well, our friends who run a sports ministry here said that’s the first thing that came to mind for their Malawian co-workers when the topic of fund-raising came up!  And so that is just what they did!  When in Malawi, do as the Malawians!

Note the "bride and groom" up front.  There was even cake at the end!
They also "auctioned" off smaller cakes throughout the event.

Now, a Malawian wedding reception has some different aspects to it than the typical American version.  Instead of calmly slipping an envelope with a card and check for the newly-wed couple into a decorated box on your way into a fine dinner and dance, you stock up on lots (I mean LOTS) of small bills before attending.  Then, as the master of ceremonies announces, you go forward to participate with your gift(s).  It might go something like this:

1. MC calls up a group of people – gentlemen, ladies, people with 20’s, people with 50’s, people with 100’s (remember 100 kwacha is roughly a U.S. quarter), etc. 
2. Loud dance music in the background 
3. The bride and groom hold large shallow baskets at the front and the current group of people begin dancing (not filing, mind you!) to the front and begin throwing (far from discreetly) their bills into the baskets one at a time…to make it last longer (to show more support?)…generally keeping their movements with the beat of the upbeat music playing, of course.  It doesn’t matter if your money makes it into the basket or bounces out, it’s all good.  And if you happen to run out of money, just take some out of the basket and keep on throwing it!
4. Go back to your seat.
5. Repeat for a few hours. (I’m not kidding!)

This woman just took her whole wallet up and one by one, with the music,
put her bills in the basket (notice the bills on the ground - see #3 above).

We were so excited to attend this mock wedding, not only to support our friend’s ministry, but to have this cultural experience.  Another interesting note is that a similar style of giving happens in the Malawian church.  It’s called “Paper Sunday”.  It is well publicized and guests may be invited.  The Paper Sunday happens once a month to raise money to pay that church’s pastor.  Not all churches do it the same way, but it may be held in the afternoon, or sometimes during the morning service.

I just had to participate, but didn't want to be the only white person up there,
so I gave my friend some bills to put in too so we could go up together!

Raised to Life!

We find some interesting places to hide Easter eggs around here!
In a low hanging branch of a papaya tree....

...cradled in a huge leaf...

 Well, it’s been a while since we posted here, jumping all the way from Christmas to Easter!  Sorry about that!  Although Easter (Resurrection) Sunday has (looooong) passed by, we are still in the season of Easter (for a few more days!), celebrating the life, forgiveness and love of our Savior, Jesus Christ!  We still wanted to share with you  some of our Holy Week happenings this year and to encourage you to remain joyful as you continue celebrating Christ’s resurrection the whole year through!

...stuck in another papaya tree.

Maundy Thursday

From Thursday through Sunday, we had an egg hunt that would reveal a message to remember for each day.  In each plastic egg was a magnetic letter that matched up with outlined letters on a piece of paper.  Since our kids don’t read yet, matching letters was more age-appropriate.  Once the letters were matched up, a parent read the message and explained its significance.  Maundy Thursday’s message was:

LOVE ONE ANOTHER

After Jesus had washed his disciples feet as a symbol and gesture of service and love, he explained his actions to them and challenged them to carry on in the same way.  John 13:34-35 says “A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  

On Maundy Thursday, we remember this new command (maundy means “command” or “mandate”).

Last year, I was feeling the loss of not having a Maundy Thursday footwashing and communion service to attend as we had for years at our home church of Grantham BIC.  However, we began our own family tradition of having a simple meal at home, washing each other’s feet and telling the story of Jesus’ last supper before his crucifixion.  This year we continued that tradition and added a few things here and there as I’m sure we will continue to do as the children grow and we discover more depth and dynamics to Christ’s journey to the cross each year. 

This year we told the story using peg people and simple props and washed each other’s feet.  It was exciting to see how the kids remembered doing this last year and were eager to participate again this year.  We try to make parallels to present day examples of service that we can do – even things that maybe no one is really interested in doing, but do out of love for Christ and others.

We also added unleavened bread to the menu.  Both kids enjoyed helping in the kitchen and were proud to have contributed to our meal together.

Unleavened bread used in the Passover feast to remember
God's provision for the Israelites as they escaped captivity.

Since unleavened bread was new to our table this year, I attempted to understand it’s significance a bit (see, a new layer each year….not too intimidating and gives a freshness to each year!) and ran across this website .  That gave me a plethora of information!  My Hebrew-teaching husband was proud to see me on such a website.

Good Friday

Our message on this day was “Died for Us.”   On Good Friday, we remember how Jesus was arrested, punished and humiliated to the point of death on a cross.  He again showed His love for every person He created by dying for us.

John 3:16-17: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

  
Just a cultural bit - our church here in Malawi had its first Good Friday service this year.  I’m used to attending a Good Friday service in the nighttime where candles are extinguished throughout the service to make a completely dark sanctuary as the Christ candle is carried out to signify the death and burial of Jesus.  I cherish memories of such meaningful Tenebrae services, but also knew this year would be different.  For various reasons, people mostly try to get home before dark and stay home.  Safety, relying on minibuses or walking for transportation, lack of electricity (or reliable electricity or flashlights) all factor into the reasons of not going out much at night.  So, in order to make a service more open to anyone who wanted to come, our church service was in the afternoon.  Even the kids had a program during the service to learn about Good Friday on their own level.  You’ll see what they made on our Easter table below (see Sunday!)

Holy Saturday

Today’s message was “Paid the Price.”  This is the day we remember Christ being dead in the grave.  He was punished so that we would not need to experience the consequences of all our wrongdoing (sins).  He took the blame and paid the price for us.  Although Saturday is often filled with preparations for Resurrection day – egg dyeing, baking yummy treats, etc. – it is actually quite a somber day, when you reflect on it.  

Resurrection (Easter) Sunday!

“He is Risen!” is how we greet each other on Resurrection Day, to which our children respond “He is Risen, Indeed!”  We started this tradition at home (after learning it in church many years before) when Micah was just 2 years old to set apart this day as a special one.  The excitement we feel is centered on Christ being raised back to life as He overcame death and sin and darkness!  No longer do we need to live in uncertainty, fear or shame – He has won the battle over Satan and calls us to be forgiven and live out the love He showed us!

We decorate our table to show light and life!

The children’s craft from Good Friday of the three crosses on the hill and the tomb was part of our centerpiece this year.  The tomb is now opened and EMPTY!  Christ is risen!  And we can be, too, if we believe in Him in faith!

We also made Resurrection Rolls this year – what a fun way to teach the resurrection story to kids and enjoy a season-specific food!

He is risen!

He is risen, indeed!

Hallelujah!

Merry Christmas and Happy 2014!

Well, Advent is over, the new year has come, the 12 Days of Christmas have passed, the celebration of the 3 kings (or wise men, aka Ephiphany) coming to visit the young child Jesus is here and we have yet to wish you a merry Christmas! 

Thanks to some friends, we had a "Malawian" Christmas tree this year! 
It was twice as tall, but we had to cut it down and used the greens for
the final Advent wreath and decorating around the house - very fun!

So, Merry Christmas!  We have thought of you often through this season of preparing for the celebration of Christ’s birth.  We’ve thought of the snow many of you enjoyed (or despised), the gatherings held at our home churches, the decorations you shared with us through pictures on Facebook or via email or postal mail.  We’ve enjoyed receiving your Christmas cards and newsletters (always beginning with my Aunt Angie and Uncle Dave – never to be beat!).  And we treasured the time we got to Skype with both Jonathan’s and my families as well!

Christmas was different this year.  We’ve been here a year and a half and are getting into the rhythm of the tropical climate, etc.  The Jesse Tree was something new in our household this year, centering our thoughts throughout the season on God’s love and promises throughout the history of the world, culminating on Christmas day with the arrival of Jesus on earth. 

Jesse Tree Ornaments

Our First Jesse Tree

This brief daily devotional walked us through the symbols of the Jesse Tree for this year.  The kids loved being able to hold the ornaments while we read and taking turns hanging them on our tree!  I enjoyed making them and may add some finishing touches to them as the years go on, but for the first year, they were quite sufficient!

Stump of Jesse, world, apple & snake, Noah's ark, Abram's tent & camel

TOP: Isaac's cradle, Jacob's ladder, Abraham's sacrifice (ram) [should
be switched with ladder], 10 commandments, Rahab's red rope
BOTTOM: Grain gleaned by Ruth, Samuel's horn of anointing oil,
Elijah's altar to God, Queen Esther's scepter, Hand of the
prophets (used instead of rose)

 

TOP: Wolf and Lamb, Jonah's big fish, Daniel and the lion's den,
Bethlehem, Zechariah & Elizabeth
BOTTOM: John the Baptist (instead of baptismal shell),
Mary's heart for God, Joseph's tools,
Sandals for Joseph & Mary's journey to Bethlehem,
Star of Bethlehem

We (especially I) have become more involved in our church home here in Blantyre (Blantyre Community Church) while Jonathan remains available to preach at BIC churches when called upon.  In addition to being on the Sunday school teacher rotation, one way I’ve begun to participate in church life is through assisting with planning worship.  Since I am so passionate about Advent, I offered some ideas this year.  As many of you know, when you offer ideas, you’re likely to do them...although it took a lot of energy, I really enjoyed offering myself in these ways!

Advent Wreath & Children’s Talks

Advent wreath on Christmas Day

Lighting the central Christ candle on Christmas morning!

Scripture Through Symbols 

With each Bible reading of the Christmas story throughout the
Christmas Day service, a child brought up a symbol to represent
that part of the story:
1: Hand of the prophets pointing to Jesus' coming
2: Luke 1:26-33 Angel visiting Mary
3: Luke 2:1-7  Jesus' birth
4: Luke 2:8-16  Angels visiting shepherds who visited Jesus
5:  John 1:10-18  Jesus among us today! (pictures of people at BCC)

Symbols of Advent (a mobile)

Having just moved to a new meeting space, we thought it'd
be neat to utilize the 3 flights of stairs up to the sanctuary!
A new ring with symbols and words for that week of Advent was
added each week - not pictured is the final Christmas ring.
(granted, much more interesting in person)

A close-up of the first week of Advent's ring:
Symbols: Stump of Jesse, Angel visiting Mary, First candle
on the Advent wreath, Hand of the prophets
Words: God's Plan, Hope, Promised One, Expectation

It is a joy for me to help people understand the Biblical story, not only through the written Scriptures, but also through visual representations and songs.  Children are especially known for catching ideas through visuals, but they can be very powerful in the midst of the fast-paced demands of adult life, too.  So, even when things are done in the name of the kids, adults can glean a lot as well! 

Some may call it too “high-church” or too reminiscent of a certain tradition, but honestly, I just find it downright useful in understanding the reason why we celebrate Christmas.  It pulls me back to the center of Christ, God’s love given to us, how the whole story of history is knit together by our heavenly Father and how much He sought to save us – and still does!

Continue living God's story!