Home Life

Sometimes I have whole heaps of things to write about, but most often words just do not come.  I think it's because life is pretty routine.  I get up, spend a little quiet time on my own, then I wake up Shirley (except she's usually already awake).  The two of us eat breakfast, I do the dishes and clean the bedroom.  Then Shirley and I spend a little time together until she goes down for her nap.  I (sometimes) work out, take a shower, eat lunch, read a little, email a little, call anyone I need to...then I wake her up again (except she's usually already awake.)  I feed Shirley her lunch and let her run around while I clean something.  Pretty soon Kwacha is home (it's so nice that he gets home around 2).  He plays with Shirley while I start dinner.  We eat, sometimes go on a hike, sometimes read, sometimes go grocery shopping (since we have the one car).  Then we come home, feed Shirley her dinner, give her a bath, put her to bed and then spend time together talking or watching I Love Lucy.  It may get routine, but I generally love it.
When I feel some complaining in my heart coming on, mostly over dishes, I try to remind myself that I am married to a fantastic husband and I have a sweet little daughter.  That's why there are dishes in the sink.  Doing dishes is now a reminder of the blessings God has given me.  Blessings I don't deserve.
Still there are times I get anxious or impatient or worried about things, mostly future things, sometimes present things.  The worst part about being anxious is...being anxious.  And yet, God tells us we don't have to be!  I mean, isn't that amazing?  We can bring anything and everything to Him and He will take care of it.  I can't remember exactly how it goes but one of my favorite quotes from Elisabeth Elliot is something like, "Restlessness and impatience affect nothing but our joy and peace."  I love that.  It's just something I have been thinking about a lot lately.
This post is starting to feel random so I think I'll just end on some random things about life:

-I started attending Every Woman's Grace about a month ago.  It's been such a blessing.  I love the Bible studies we receive each week.  The questions are deep and applicable and they really help reveal sin that I need to repent of while reminding me of the character of God.  I love the fellowship with other moms and older, wise women.  I am so thankful that my friend, Michelle, is able to drive Shirley and me.  (And her daughter Lucy is about six months older than Shirley and super sweet.  The first week they held hands in the parking lot as we were walking to the car.  ::melt::)  If you are reading this and you aren't able to go, I would suggest printing the lessons off the Grace Church website.  Especially if you don't know what to study at the moment.

-Kwacha's sister, Jellita, is coming to visit a week from tomorrow!  She's never been to the US and she will be staying for two weeks.  We have all kinds of fun things planned but mostly I am excited to see Shirley interact with her Auntie.  She LOVED her when we visited Malawi.  I am also looking forward to extended time with her so I can get to know her better.  :)  Please pray for her flight!  It is a long way to travel solo!

-And if anyone is wondering about Shirley, she's her usual cheerful, spunky self.  She can make lots of animal noises now.  She also says, All done, Oh Boy! and Hi and Buh-bye.  She blows kisses and has started to say No! after I say no.  (We're working on that one.)  She's a little independent one but still very friendly and she fills our hearts with joy.

With daddy at the zoo.

New Year

New Year's Resolutions.  I'm finally talking about them in February.  Have you been asked if you made any yet?  I think I've been asked two or three times and I had to admit that I hadn't made any.  It seems like people are either passionately for them or aggressively against them.  I wouldn't say that I fit either of the extremes but I would tend toward the latter.  I'm not against making new year's resolutions by any means.  It's good to sit back and evaluate where you are at and where you'd like to be.

It's been discussed before but the main reason I typically don't make them is because after January I tend to forget about them.  The hype ends in February and you get back into the normal, daily routine of life.  

I found some statistics about new year's resolutions on the ole internet.  

45% of American's usually make them.

8% of American's are successful in achieving them.  

But, "People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don't explicitly make resolutions."

(All of my info was found from www.statisticbrain.com).

Why do we make resolutions at all?

Hopefully, for a believer, the ultimate purpose is to grow in godliness and glorify God.

So, I finally came up with one.  Just one.  I think one single resolution will help me actually attain it and put things in focus.  And it's a resolution that will help make all other pursuits possible and bring about real change and that is to be faithful in prayer.

I read a really helpful devotional by Elizabeth Elliot this morning about prayer.  I'll copy some of it here:

"'If you, bad as you are, know how to give your children what is good for them, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask Him?' (Matt. 7:11, NEB).  Are you often tempted as I am to doubt the effectiveness of prayer?  But Jesus prayed.  He told us to pray.  We can be sure that the answer will come, and it will be good...Prayer is a weapon.  Paul speaks of the 'weapons we wield' in 2 Cor. 10:4-5.  They are 'not merely human, but divinely potent to demolish strongholds' (NEB)...The Destroyer himself, [urges] me to quit using the weapon he fears so intensely."  

From Keep A Quiet Heart

Prayer is effective.  God is faithful to answer.  He tells us to pray.  And Satan fears it.  

I finished out the last few months of 2014 spending much more time in the Word but by the time my hour or so was up every morning before I needed to get Shirley out of bed, I hadn't spend more than about a minute or two praying to God.  This morning I decided to get out my journal and write down things to pray for using the old A.C.T.S. method (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) and then I spend some time praying through those things. What a difference it makes spending time talking to our God!

It's actually been about a week since I started this post.  Things are still going well.  (I would hope so after only a week.)  Isn't it amazing that God wants to hear from us?  And that He actually listens to us and answers our prayer??  The God of the universe!  That in itself should convict us and lead us to prayer.  Do any of you readers out there have any little things that help you to be faithful in prayer?  I'd love to hear!

10 Months

Shirley is in the double digits!  This is the first month where I've truly thought, time is flying. I can't believe she's already 10 months old.

In an outfit from her namesake, also known as Tilly.  :)  My little French girl.

This month was exciting because our friends, the Hodzi's, visited from Zimbabwe!  For those of you who don't know, Dany lived with us for 6 months my senior year of high school.  After 6 months she went back home to Germany and than she returned to go to the Master's college where she met her husband, Thomas.  Thomas is from Zimbabwe and they moved back there when he finished seminary to be involved with full time ministry.  (I basically copied her life.  ;) 

This is the best shot I got of Joel.  It was so fun to hear him rattling off in German.  I hadn't seen him since he was about Shirley's age and I had never met Aleithia.  (I know I'm spelling that wrong!)

The two girls with sweet Dany.

Don't you think they could be sisters??

Aleithia's so beautiful!

And the big accomplishment this month?  Standing with no hands!

Book Review

My friend, Jennifer, wrote a book.  

Everyday Poetry: Looking on the Bright Side of Life

When I think of Jen, two words come immediately to mind; friend and funny.

Jen deeply values friendships and she is a faithful friend herself.  She regularly hosts get togethers, whether it involves coffee at a local coffee shop or dinner and a movie at her house.  She cares for others and this is seen in her thoughtfulness.  
Jen is also really funny.  She makes me laugh in a way that few others do.  She uses her wit and sarcasm to form a creative sense of humor.  

Why am I going on about these two character traits of hers?  Because they shine forth in her book.  

In "My Forever Friend and Sister" she demonstrates how great friendships can be made within one's own family.  A Record of Rights reveals how friends can show us our own sin in a helpful way.  An Entirely Lovely Afternoon and Twilight reflect her enjoyment in spending time with those close to her.  

Jen's sense of humor is shown in poems like To My Headache, The Subtle Dangers of Whipped Cream and in one of my favorites, The Fugitive - a poem about a weird dream come to reality, a cheeseburger dropping by for a visit!  

Her creativity with words is seen in Harry the Canary, Questions Over Brunch and Unexpected Endings.  

While Jen excels with the unexpected and "experimentations on traditional form", you will still find the occasional traditional poem with beautiful word imagery in Unexpected Bougainvillea and Dictionary.

I have to admit, my favorite poems are always short and sweet and Jen has a number of these in her book.  I'll share a few with you:

Short Summer Haiku

Coffee in the shade.

Nice afternoon naps.

Fun parties at night.

The Inevitable Mr. M.

'Tis grand

to hold your hand

as we walk through life

as husband and wife.

and one last one,

Little Poem

At the end of the day,

I open the window and lie in bed.

Freedom flows through the curtains,

and cradles my head.

I actually meant to write this review awhile ago, but things worked out perfectly as it happens to be Jen's birthday today!  So, happy birthday my sweet friend!  Thank you for sharing a bit of yourself with us in your delightful book.  

You can order one yourself from Amazon, right here.  And seriously, you should get a copy yourself, if for no other reason than to read about that runaway cheeseburger!

Eight Months

Shirley turned eight months right after we got home from Malawi.  A lot of things happened this month.  Shirley flew in a plane across the ocean, she started pulling herself up on furniture, and two of her teeth grew in.  (I'd let you see, but I didn't want to have to add another crying picture.)

She still has to don a headband to avoid the "he's so cute" comments. 

Shirley has definitely started to reveal that she has a...ahem...will of her own.  It is clear that she understands the word, "no."  If she starts to touch something she knows she's not supposed to touch and I say "No, Shirley," she'll stop and look at me and grunt, making it clear that she's not happy about it.  Oh dear.  It starts already.

Yep.  Mischievousness right there.

As you can see, she's still growing like a weed!  

As always we love our little Shirley girl!

Lilongwe

The majority of our time in Malawi was spent in Lilongwe where we plan on living when we move.  We stayed with Kwacha's sisters, Jellita (Jellie) and Evelyn, along with all the girl cousins.  (Shirley had the time of her life!)  Evelyn was up north working for the first part of our trip but we stopped and saw her on our way to Mzuzu and then we enjoyed more time with her at home later on.

Shirley meeting Auntie Evelyn for the first time

Hanging out on Auntie Jellie's back

We kept pretty busy in Lilongwe.  We spent a lot of time with family and we went to two different weddings!  Kwacha's friend, Kondi, did his first wedding while we were there and his whole church was invited so we went along.  It was pretty fancy, held in Area 10 where all the diplomats live.  It took place in a beautiful garden.  

Our plans are to be involved with Kondi's church plant when we move.  Kondi and Patricia Nyanda were able to come to California for the Truth Matters conference last October and we spent a lot of time with them, so I am thankful that I already have a friendship with Patricia.  They have two sweet kids, Warren and Karen.  There is also another couple, Newton and Vanessa Chilungulo, (they were sent out from Living Hope Church in South Africa to work with the church plant), who arrived in Malawi two weeks before we came.  Newton and Vanessa were both born in Malawi and they have a sweet little girl, Aya.  We were able to spend a lot of time with them as well and I already feel like I have known Vanessa for a long time.  She was so easy to talk to.  

Sunday morning at the church plant

The Chilungulo's, Nyanda's and Simwaka's

My Malawian friendies!

Karen and Shirley :)

We also spent some time with all the missionaries in Malawi sent out from Grace Community.  We had dinner one night with the Ayre's and the Floreen's and we had dessert another night at the Biedebach's.  CAPA, Central African Preaching Academy was recently launched in Lilongwe.  This is something they have been planning for a long time, so it's exciting to see it begin.  The plans are also for Kwacha to teach there when we move, alongside Jim Ayres.  

I am so sad that somehow I didn't get a picture with all the Ayre's and Floreen's.  :(  But here's one pic of Shirley and Naomi Floreen at least.  They are two months apart.

The Biedebach's.  Anita served one of Kwacha's favorite desserts, Mulva (sp?) pudding!

Since our trip was longer this time, we also had some days where we could just hang out at home.  This was so nice.  We went shopping a few times.  Malawi has some really nice grocery stores.  And Shirley loved spending time with her Aunties and cousins.  

Hanging out on Jellie's porch (My necklace and earrings were a gift from my nieces :)

Shirley enjoyed "skating" on the polished floors

Chipiku, one of the more popular grocery stores

Chigo and Shirl

This just may be my favorite pic from the trip.  It was actually on our drive home from Mzuzu.

When we visited Malawi the first time, I fell in love with the chitenjes.  They are useful in many ways; carrying babies on your back, keeping your clothes clean from the dust or while cooking, keeping your hair out of the way, etc.  I really wanted to get some last time but I never found a place where they were selling them.  This time Patricia helped me out and we got a whole bunch!

Mom and I sporting the chitenjes.  

I'll be back with more!  ;)  

Shirley at Seven Months

So I think this may be a record for me.  This might be the fastest I've ever gotten Shirley's monthly pictures up.  But we're leaving for Malawi in less than two weeks, so a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do.  

This girl is just so much fun!  I always hoped that my kids would have personality, but I always feared that they wouldn't in the end.  Well, Shirley did not disappoint.  

Shirl girl had some pretty big milestones this month.  She went from army crawling to full on crawling and she is starting to pull herself up on furniture, mostly on her knees but sometimes on her tiptoes as well.  She is quite the explorer and she is getting into everything!  But I think I said that last time.  

She also loves to talk.  Her favorite thing to say is "da da."  Every time I tell her to say "mama" she says, "da da da."  Whatever, Kwacha, she doesn't know that it means Daddy yet!

She also loves to squeal and laugh.  She loves when her daddy comes home and they get to play on the couch.  She loves walks with friends.  She still doesn't cry much unless she's really hungry or tired.

Of course we still have moments like in the picture below.  ;)  She's not a perfect angel, but we just adore her.

Seriously, could I love this kid any more than I do?

A lot of people seem surprised that she's crawling already.  I don't know what it is.  I think she has her daddy's natural strength and we do give her a lot of floor time.  Mostly because she likes it and I never wanted her to be a kid that cries as soon as you set her down.  I just never want to sound like I'm bragging.  Our kids all reach milestones at different times but in two years, they're all going to pretty much be at the same spot.  

The Bible says that "children are a blessing from the Lord."  That's all kids.  I don't find the Bible making any exceptions or caveats in that regard.  Whether your kid is happy or cranky, cries a lot or smiles a lot, he or she is a blessing.  Isn't God just so good?!

On Becoming a Wife (Lessons I've Learned from my Husband)

You can hope and dream and pray and think (a little song is coming to mind) but I just don't think you can prepare enough for marriage.  There is something about being in the actual trenches that teaches you what you really need to know.  It reminds me of my days in the teaching credential program.  We learned lots of techniques and theories and they were all great and helpful.  But I had no idea what teaching was really like until I was up in front of that classroom with live children who all had real hearts and minds and...well...ants in their pants!  (You know what I mean.)

What I could not have anticipated was how much my husband would help me become a wife.  I'm not trying to diminish anything from my mom or other faithful women in my life.  Of course I learned much from their counsel and wisdom and still do.  But what can I say?  I married well, and I couldn't have imagined all that was in store for me just by marrying Kwacha.  

So over the next few weeks I'm going to cover a different skill or trait or whatever you want to call it that has started to improve in my life because of Kwacha.  Ultimately because of God since He works in Kwacha and in me and He gave Kwacha to me.  

The topics I will cover:

(Some are obviously more vital than others and the list below is in no particular order.)

1. Cleaning
2. Time Management
3. Discipline (Working Out and Eating Healthy)
4. Appearance
5. Getting Enough Sleep
6. Raising a Child
7. Cooking
8. Scheduling
9. Forgiveness
10. Love

So stay tuned.  If I have time during Shirley's next nap, I may post one today.  
Just a little p.s.  I am in no way trying to say that I am a great example in these areas or that I have learned all there is to know.  I mean, this should be obvious without me having to state it.  I just want to be helpful in the very few small things I have learned in my short time of being a wife.  

Thanks for reading! 

Shirley at 4 Months

Well, here's the bimonthly blog post with Shirley's update.  :)  She is at the age where she can hold her number nicely now.  At least for a few seconds!  So every month, whenever I take pictures of Shirley, most of them turn out except the ones with her dog.  I figured out that he's throwing off the white balance!  Anyway, thankfully a few managed to turn out.

Shirley loves her daddy!  They have a lot of fun together going on "roller coasters" and making funny faces and sounds.  

Every day Shirley and I read some books together.  I brought out a few of my favorites recently.  They are a little old for her.  She much prefers baby Einstein books, but she'll listen to these for a couple minutes at least. 

I love my little snuggle bug.  This doesn't happen too often.  Only when she's really tired, but I try to soak in those moments!

I love giving her kisses.  Sometimes it makes her laugh.  She's making a lot more cooing sounds, but not so much of the "ba, ya, da, ma" sounds yet.  Hopefully soon.

This month, Shirley learned how to roll over from her back to her stomach.  I guess the more common thing is for babies to roll from their stomach to their back first but she doesn't do much of that.  It's made it much easier at nighttime though.  She immediately rolls to her stomach and sleeps that way the whole night.  No more swaddling for this girlie!

She definitely loves to grab things now...

...and stick them in her mouth!

Oh Shirley.

We love you!