Life's Celebrations: Birthdays and more!

Cinnamon roles for breakfast, our birthday tradition

September is always a welcomed month as it reminds me that fall (our favorite season) is coming and brings with it the fall colors and life’s celebrations of birthdays and anniversaries. Now in Malawi, there is no sign of pumpkin spice, in fact we are witnessing the approach of “summer”. The afternoon temperatures are getting hotter, everything is getting dry and we begin to hope for rain. 

Last week, we had the gift of celebrating Emma Morgan’s 7th birthday! She is a delight to our family, always has a smile or hug to share, she is an attentive big sister to Bradley, and she is Wesley’s faithful playmate. Since we’ve arrived in Nkhoma, Wesley wakes her up at sunrise (6am), they eat Weetabix together, play with Bradley and then head outside, climbing trees, swinging on swings, picking lemons, chasing monkeys, weaving grass, making slow motion videos of the soccer ball in sand. Her birthday started with our tradition of cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Then on to include a little birthday shopping; we made our first visit to “Chisomo,” a workshop very close to our house that employs people with disabilities. They are taught to sew, weave and paint and much to our enjoyment, host a little shop. Emma picked out a new sling bag to take hiking and store treasures in. The day concluded with a birthday dinner with new friends.

The workers making bags, dresses, and other items at Chisomo

We marvel that because she celebrated her first two birthdays while we lived in Zambia, our girl has now celebrated birthdays in three different countries! This birthday included a visit from our friend Gift, a young man whose family we met and befriended while living in Zambia. Gift has been a part of the other building projects and we are planning on him having a role on this Nkhoma building project too. He will be a welcomed addition to the team. Although Mark has visited with Gift over the years, this was the first time the kids and I had seen him since leaving Zambia. I will never cease to be amazed and blessed when the Lord crosses my path with friends, I never thought I would be able to see again.

Amidst the work of settling into our new life, stopping to celebrate Emma’s birthday was a delight. We continue to count our blessings as Mark and I celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary this week!  (“Counting My Blessings” by Seph Schlueter is currently a repeat on our playlist right now)

Thank you (Zicomo), for supporting us on this adventure! Your prayers and encouragement mean the world to us! We have so much more to share, please stay tuned and keep in touch!

A sunset view from the house with the kids playing around, a view of the hospital grounds with Nkhoma mountain in the back ground

Please pray with us for:

-        good health; Mark and Barbara are suffering from an ongoing cough

-        to establish a good home-schooling routine

-        our upcoming trip to Nairobi in October to see Greeley and Clara during midterm break

-        Continued delays on the project due to complications with the utility company