3 weeks to go...

I've been having a good few days since my post last week. The weekend at Njewa was a lot of fun and much needed. It was really good to catch up with the other interns and see what God has been doing in their lives. We got to just relax the whole weekend. We even had pizza and ice cream Friday. Oh man--it was heaven. Sunday morning we went to Flood Church. 4 of the interns at Njewa go to Flood in San Diego. Flood did a church plant in Malawi and so we got to go. Us Chiwengo interns were so happy. Church in Chiwengo consists of sitting there for 3 or 4 hours not being able to understand anything. We always bring books to read ha. We sang songs we knew in English and we could understand the sermon! I have been missing church, but I didn't realize how much I missed it until Sunday. As a Christian, you really need that nourishment and fellowship. Church was much needed.

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was getting to talk to my parents, my sister, and Amy Scott. I got to talk to them on Saturday, and it made my day. I was actually really nervous an hour or so before I was going to talk to them. I mean, I haven't talked to them in a month. It was so good to hear their voices, and I definitely cried all 3 times I was on the phone. Talking to home made some of the girls homesick and I was nervous it would make this next month harder, but it did just the opposite. I was so encouraged by the conversations no matter how short they were. It really gave me the push I needed to get through the last 4 weeks or so. The whole weekend really recharged me and I was pumped to be back in Chiwengo Sunday night.

I've mentioned before that this is the hardest thing I've ever done and that it's really teaching me to rely on God. I think that's probably the biggest thing I'm going to get out of this internship. I'm learning a lot about perseverance and getting through each day with the help of God's strength. As of right now, my heart isn't really in Chiwengo. I don't mean that in a bad way and I don't mean that I hate it. It's just that it's not something that truly moves me and makes me come alive--like working in children's homes and stuff. Some interns are at home here and God is telling them this is what I want you to do. And it's not like that for me so that makes it a little harder for me. I mean, I love these kids and I love COTN, but Chiwengo is simply not me. HOwever, throw me in a village of kids during outreach and I love it. Even this heart issue is teaching me to rely on God, so I can't complain really. I was talking to Keltner (one of the leaders) about maybe coming back next year and staying at Njewa. We'll see...that's a summer away...

I feel like John 15:5 has been a theme for me--the whole vine and branches and remaining in Him thing. That's something I've been really trying to do and praying about.

So usually we don't go into town until Saturday, but we're here today. This weekend is really busy so they gave us today off. The sports tournament is this weekend. And the Njewa interns are coming Saturday for the weekend! I am excited about that. We're going to show them what we do and they're excited to help us out. Sunday we have 2 teams coming--Hawaii and Colorado? So next week should be crazy. We're also celebrating Christmas in July on Sat..complete with secret santa. I have McKenna...shh..

So...witchcraft is a big thing in Malawi, and we are experiencing that firsthand at Chiwengo. There are 2 witches that have been talking to some of our kids. There is such a fight for their souls and these kids are so impressionable. Witchcraft is a scary thing and I am concerned for the kids here. Even though many in Malawi are "Christian," witchcraft is still present. We have been really praying for these kids lately in regards to this and I ask that you would do the same. It's such a dangerous thing to be playing with.

I have about 2--2 1/2 weeks left and Chiwengo and I'm trying to make the most of them. I've been learning that something even as small as holding a hand or smiling makes a difference. One of the national interns told us that whenever an azungu held her hand as a child, she wouldn't wash her hands for days. Makes you think about what you're doing...and every hand you hold.
I am continually blown away by the support and prayers. My mom told me that there is a prison in Jax praying for us--so cool. God is so good. Keep it up, friends. I'll see you soon.

but i press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me -philippians 3:12

living on a prayer.

Its the halfway point. 4 weeks since Ive left and 4 til I return. We busted out that Bon Jovi song earlier today when we realized that, and McKenna was like hey we really are living on a prayer. And as corny as that sounds, we are. God has challenged me in so many ways so far and has forced me to rely on Him in ways that i have never had to before. Each day is a challenge—with water and cooking or being far from home or just so many of the random things that come up. I constantly have to rely on Him to get me through it all. There are some days when I have no idea how I am going to make it through the next one, but I know that with God I can..I just have to remain in Him, pray, and take it one day at a time.

Right now I am sitting in Njewa at our midway retreat. All the Chiwengo girls are so excited to be here. It is like a vacation for us—running water, showers, no cooking. It is amazing. I flipped out when I could wash my hands under a faucet ha. It has been cool to see the other interns as well. We just got here, so we have not spent that much time with them yet, but I am excited to talk to them and exhange stories. I missed these guys—one girl screamed and ran to tell the others when we pulled in ha. Feels like old friends.

This week has probably been the best week so far. Everything is clicking. On Wednesday, Anna, Morgan, and I went to a hut that belonged to a man named Maxwell. COTN had established a relationship with this man years ago and so us three have started to go every Wednesday. We had to mud the floors in his house to smooth them and make them stronger—so much fun. Yesterday we went to Gideon village for outreach. I was standing around while the people were breaking into groups for the message, and one of them uncles came up to me and asked if I had my Bible. I told him I did and he pointed to a group of about 20-30 older girls and told me to preach to them. I had about a minute to collect my thoughts and figure something out. Crazy. And I had to use an interpreter. But God helped me through it! I have been getting closer to the kids, and I enjoy just hanging out with them—even though it is really exhausting. We do not have that much time to ourselves so that is tough as well and forces me to rely on God a lot more.

One of my favorite things to do is to just go on a walk around Chiwengo. Its been hot lately—every other week was cold. This week has been nice so Ive gone on a lot of walks and just talked to God. It is still so unreal that I am standing on African soil.

One thing that I will not miss in the States is the constant staring. People are always staring at us because we are azungus—white people. One of the funniest things that happened to me was when McKenna and I were walking out of a house after morning chores. There were two little kids just sitting right outside. They saw us and ran away screaming and crying. So unreal and hilarious—apparently blonde hair really scares them though..like ghosts ha.

Even though it is a month away, I know the return home is going to be really hard so please pray for that. It is going to be hard to leave the kids. I am excited to go home and share my stories, but it is going to be tough. I will definitely experience culture shock. In addition to that, having to go back to school is going to be really hard. Thanks for all the support so far—and the letters that I get everyday! The other interns all say that I have the best friends. So thanks for your love and prayers and support. They help keep me going. Keep it up for this next month!

Love,
Kristen

whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did -1 john 2:6

one.

It's hard to believe it's been 3 weeks. I feel like I've been here forever and I'm not even halfway done yet. Still have 5 weeks to go, but I know these next weeks will go by fast. I have less than a month until we head back for debriefing. Crazy.

We've gotten into our routine here at Chiwengo, but this week was a bit different. "Daddy Chris"--Chris Clark, the president/founder of COTN, came to visit yesterday and today. This whole week there have been rehearsals for singing/dancing welcome program every night in place of devotions at the house. We also have been cleaning like crazy--everything had to be perfect. It's just been really cool to see firsthand the heart behind COTN. We had a meeting with Chris Clark this morning and it made me love COTN even more. It's not enough to just rescue children and raise them. They must be transformed and in turn, transform the nations. That's what COTN is about and I love it. We've been hearing more of their stories lately. Most of these children are double orphans and it is said that COTN has a gift for finding the worst of the worst and taking them in. And that just makes me want to love on these kids even more. It's so fun to just see their eyes light up when you smile at them.

In addition to Daddy Chris coming, the children started their midterm exams this week. These are huge. We've been tutoring the kids a lot lately. It's been encouraging because they will actually seek us out for extra help. I have standard 6 (6 grade) and I'm making them memorize their multiplication tables. It's sad how far behind they are, but progress is being made. I was doing flash cards with one of my kids, Benson, while waiting for the rest to show up. I would pause for a bit and he would say "Auntie, go." It made me smile to see that he wanted to learn more and encouraged me to keep it up.

So our independence day was Saturday and Malawi's was monday. Pretty cool.

God's been teaching me a lot. He's really been forcing me to rely on Him for everything. We ran out of drinking water this week so we had to use purification tablets in the regular water. I was nervous, but just little things like that are teaching me to trust Him and know that He's got this. And He's got all these children. And He's got everybody. He's showing me how much we need to step up and care for the widows and orphans in their distress. We have to stand up for the broken, the oppressed. We have to fight injustice. We belong to the richest nation in the world and we could easily solve the worlds problems, but we need to step up. The church in America isn't doing too weel at being the Church. God requires us to act. It's part of His plan to redeem the world for us to care for those less fortunate than ourselves. The Church must step up to the plate. There's too much at stake not to. A lot of the times I'll pray for God to give me a passion. And we all do that--like show me what you want me to do. But I've learned that God just wants us to act. So that's what I'll do. I'm just going to act. I can't sit down while so many in the world are suffering. When 50,000 a day die from poverty related causes. When 1 billion live on less than $1 a day. When children are caring for their parents dying of AIDS. So I'm going to act. And I'm going to act with all my heart this next month.

2 things really stuck with me from this past week:
1. 2 of our kids went to a funeral for their uncle. He was beaten to death in a village.
2. I was playing outside with some of our kids when I noticed 3 kids who weren't ours just standing there. They had tattered clothes and swollen bellies and looked sad. I started playing with them, and they just lit up. And I loved it. I just wanted to show them that someone cared and acknowledged them. That's what it takes. That's what we need to do--to show people that we do care for them. That someone acknowledges them and wants to make them smile. And that's what I want to do for the rest of my life. We are called to act. It's not optional. Big or small. Just act. We can only change the world one person at a time. And I want to be that one person for someone. And God has called me here this summer to be that one person.

the spirit of the sovereign lord is on me, because the lord has annointed me to preach good news to the poor. he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners -isaiah 61:1

His terms.

Hello all! I'm in an internet cafe in the city of Kasungu right now. The internet is so slow...but hey, atleast it's technology! To get here we had to take a bike taxi--there is a padded seat on the back of a bike that you sit in. It's about a 25 minute ride down here. Scary at first but a lot of fun!

Wow. 2 weeks. I still can’t believe I’m here. I’d love to say that since I’ve gotten to Africa, everything has been amazing, but that would be a lie. God has stretched me so much already and this is definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Now onto the details…

After arriving in Malawi on Sunday, June 21st, we went over to Njewa. It’s COTN’s mission center in Lilongwe. We spent the first 3 days at Njewa getting to know each other and more about COTN and Malawi. I love all the interns and those first couple of days were so much fun. We went to Chitipi on Sunday after we arrived. Chitipi is a children’s home and farm by Njewa. The kids there welcomed us with song and dance and we got a tour. It was our first introduction to COTN, and it was a really good one at that. One day we went into the market in Lilongwe for a scavenger hunt. We had to find and buy items on a list that are used in a Malawian meal. We also went to another village to help with the feeding program and see the widows ministry.

As I mentioned in previous posts, I am interning at Chiwengo Village. I am interning with 5 other girls (Katie, Anna, Tammy, McKenna, and Sarah). Katie and Tammy are juniors at Georgie. McKenna and Anna go to South Carolina, and Sarah goes to We left for Chiwengo Wednesday afternoon (June 24). It was bittersweet. I was sad to leave all the other interns, but excited to get this shindig underway. So the 6 of us girls and our 2 intern leaders packed up and drove the 2 hours to Chiwengo. Let’s just say that when we arrived, we were completely overwhelmed. You see, Chiwengo is a bit intense. Most of the times we do not have running water. We have to go to a borehole, a pump, that’s about a football field distance away from the house. We take buckets of water to fill and then we have to carry them back. Pumping the water gets tiring, but carrying it back is the worst part. We feel really weak a lot of the times because little kids can carry more than we can (and even do it on their heads). When we actually get running water (which is a rarity and usually in the middle of the night…that means we have to wake up), we all rush to the bathroom tubs to fill up the buckets. We love when the water comes because that means less trips to the borehole! Since we don’t have running water, we take bucket baths. First, you have to boil water to heat it up and kill germs. Then you put it in a bucket with cooler water to dilute it. After that, you sponge bathe it up. Since bathing is such an ordeal, we only do it once every 2, 3, or 4 days, but you have to wash your feet everyday or you’ll get parasites. In addition to the pain of taking a bath, flushing the toilet isn’t easy as well. If you want to flush, you have to fill the tank with water. We have to cook all our meals and hand wash all our dishes. We have teams of 3 people that rotate on cooking—so you end up cooking 4 times a week. At the end of the summer, I will be an expert on cooking Malawi style but I will still stink with cooking back home. The power goes out usually everyday around 6 for 2 or so hours –it’s something the government does. If the power goes out while we are cooking dinner, we have to go outside and cook it over the fire. So let’s just say that nothing at Chiwengo is easy and that it’s one heck of a party. All of this completely overwhelmed all of us upon arrival, and I ended up breaking down and crying as soon as we arrived. As soon as I started, we formed a circle and just prayed it up. It was actually really cool. The other girls are amazing; we all get along really well and I’m lucky that I was placed with such a great team. In addition to the interns from the States, there are 6 national interns (5 girls, 1 boy). They are Malawians who intern with COTN for the summer.

I’m still settling in and trying to figure Chiwengo out. The past two weeks have been the hardest weeks of my life. There was a lot of questioning God as to why I am here and why He placed me where I did. I had to continually rely on Him and trust in His good intentions.

Each morning we wake up around 5:30 to go to the children’s homes to wake the kids up at 6. We do morning devotions with them and other random chores the Aunties or Uncles want us to do. Monday through Wednesday we tutor kids in the afternoon. I tutor standard 6, and it’s crazy how far behind kids here are. I’m teaching them their multiplication tables—that’s something I did in 3rd grade. Thursday and Friday we walk to local villages and do outreach to kids. We sing, play games, and give a message. This is my favorite. This is where you get to see the real Malawi. The kids just are so loving and so needing of love. In addition to tutoring and outreach, we also just hang out with the kids and play with them. At night we go into their homes and do devotions. We’re usually in bed by 9 or 10 and ready to start the next day.

I have learned that Malawian faith is not very deep. These kids know so much about the Bible, but they don’t have that strong of a personal relationship. That’s how it is with most people. They can literally say that God saved them, but that’s the extent of it.

Well I think that’s it for now. I wish I could write everything that I’ve learned, but I think that will have to do. God is stretching me and breaking me. He is teaching me to rely on Him and to serve Him on His terms and not mine…and that is a very tough thing to learn. And Chiwengo is definitely His terms.

Oh also check out the COTN malawi blog. It has more regular updates from the team.

Well Happy 4th. Have a hot dog for me.

religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world-james 1:27