Women's Week at the Seminary

This past week I had the privilege of teaching a session for some of the wives of the students that attend the Baptist Seminary (this is where Joseph will start teaching in February!). Following the conclusion of every term at the seminary, there is a week long women's session offered for the students' wives. Their 5 days of classes include Bible, a craft time, and an assortment of other "fun" things for the women to learn and keep busy with all week. I was approached by Martha, who is the principal's wife, and asked if I would lead a session on nursing. I said yes, and then wondered, what in the world will I teaching about nursing? Not knowing exactly what would interest the women and how best to prepare (due to lack of books...I definitely did not lug my heavy nursing school textbooks to Africa!) I went with what I know best: pregnancy and labor and delivery.

I decided to break down pregnancy into the 3 trimesters and talk about what is expected/normal during those times and when a pregnant women should seek medical attention. Well the whole "3" trimester thing didn't quite translate and neither did talking about the specific weeks in pregnancy, so I scratched those and months of pregnancy and that was better understood. I was surprised by some of the questions the women had, and I was encouraged by how many questions they did ask. To be honest, some of those women have probably delivered more babies than I have (side note: I never had to deliver a baby by myself at work. I was always lucky enough to have a doctor present!) So that being said, I enjoyed their input on the subject matter. My favorite question of the afternoon was, "When do you have to stop being with your husband?" To which my response was that it is fine to have intercourse with your husband up until delivery if you are having a healthy and non-complicated pregnancy. This response created quite a bit of laughter because I quickly learned that most of these women's cultures dictated that their husbands must not sleep with them after 7-8 months of pregnancy. It was interesting having all the women in the room go around and say what town in Malawi they were from and what the normal practice was in their area. Needless to say, I was a little surprised by the question at first but it was fun just rolling with it!

The next week long session for the wives will be held in March, and I have been assured by Martha that the women will have a lot more questions, so I will have to come back! I look forward to going back and getting to know the women a little more. I was a little limited this time due to the language barrier, but I tried my best to speak Chewa and that's all I can do for now! I am encouraged by how much Chewa I can hear and understand, but it is still a struggle speaking.

Here I am teaching, and Martha is translating for me. 

Women's Gathering

Today I had the privilege of attending a women's prayer gathering in a village church outside of Lilongwe. I attended with another M here and it was such a great experience. When we pulled up to the gathering spot it was a little structure that had no roof or walls but the Father was present! The women in the Baptist churches here in Lilongwe will gather on Thursdays to have their prayer meetings. After me and the other M were greeted and thanked for coming the ladies began singing and reciting scripture. (Side note, never until coming to Malawi have I had someone kneel in front of me while greeting me. Talk about a huge sign of respect. Although I do not feel as if it is deserved on my part, I am blessed to take part in a normal cultural practice here.)

When the women and children were finished singing, my friend gave a Bible study over the passage Luke 13:10-17. After about 5 weeks of language study, I was so excited to hear and understand Chewa, albeit a small amount. It was still very encouraging to follow some of the study and the responses from the women in the gathering.

During the gathering we took a moment to pray for the sick in the group, I had the privilege to lift up a couple of children who were not feeling well. Yes, I did pray in English but the beauty of the Father is he understood what I said even if most of the women in attendance didn't!

Before leaving the village we went to a woman's home who couldn't make it to the prayer meeting because she had just got home from the hospital. She was very sick with abdominal pain and we were told that the doctors believed that she probably had "cancer of the womb". It was hard seeing her in so much pain and knowing that she will most likely not be able to get any treatment for her illness. We lifted her up to the Father knowing that He is the great physician and He can comfort her best in this time of need.

Today was a great day! I was so encouraged and inspired by the ladies that I met and their love for the Father. I was also so thankful to see some Malawian culture up close and personal out in the village with the people.

Our House!

Since we had not posted pictures of our house up until this point, we thought that now would be a perfect time to do so. This is because the month of December is the International Mission Board's promotion of the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. 100% of all the money collected through the offering ends up in the hands of missionaries like us all around the world.

Your giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering enables us to study language full time, have a vehicle, and help train the next generation of Malawian pastors through seminary education. Because you give, we also get to live in a beautiful home for at least the next three years of our term. It has been a wonderful blessing!

We have been able to add a few personal touches to the house. Here are a few of the Christmas decorations that we put up today!

We want to say a big THANK YOU for your gifts toward the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering! If you attend a Southern Baptist church, you can give through your local church this month. If you do not and would like to give, you can click here to make a donation online. Thank you so much for supporting us, both with your prayers and with your giving!