Last One

***This last blog post was written just a couple of days before my departure from Malawi. I was unable to post it due to the lack of an Internet connection. I am home now, but I wanted to post it anyways. Hopefully this short, last post makes clear my gratefulness to God for allowing me this opportunity and my gratitude to all of you for the much needed support I have received!***

          

          I feel like I have some how cheated the system. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world -that James 1:27 exists and that God has chosen to prepare my heart for such a special task.

          I still can’t believe that I was given the opportunity to return to Malawi this year. God has been so awesome. God IS so awesome. He has really shown up in a big way during our time here. I could have never guessed, ahead of time, some of the miracles He has done, and I certainly would have never guessed some of the lessons I would learn during my stay. We have seen people saved; we have witnessed birth and new life; we have experienced the grief that comes with death, and we have seen growth – all in just a matter of months.

          I can’t believe I am just a day away from getting on a plane that is headed for the U.S. Time feels very weird. It is slow and fast all at the same time… if that makes any sense. There is nothing left but good-byes and packing! I am excited to see my family, and grateful for the chance to be home for the holidays. However, I also know that the moment I leave this special place - my heart will begin missing it and aching for my friends and family in Malawi, Africa all over again.

          I am extremely blessed. Don’t think for one second that I don’t realize this fact. I am beyond grateful for those of you who have supported this ministry or myself in any way over the past months. I am forever grateful for every phone call, for each encouraging message or email, and for every single prayer. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!”

Until next time!

-Alyssa-

       

Cindy Is Back!

          On Thursday morning Stacy, Jailos, and I drove to Lilongwe to pick Cindy House up from the airport! Cindy is the director in Malawi for Esther’s House. I never thought that we would all be in Malawi together. She had to return to the states for a short time, but has come back for another year in this special place. We are so very excited that our time is overlapping with her return. Stacy and I both spent time in Malawi with Cindy last year, and the three of us have already had such a great time being together.

          I am so thankful for Cindy. I am so thankful for her heart to serve the Lord, and her heart to serve Malawi. I can say one thing for sure… this ministry wouldn’t be the same without her! The positive impact she has made on our staff here, and our ministry at Esther’s House has been evident in so many ways. This is apparent through the pictures below of her reunion with everyone at E.H. I love reunions.

   The Lord has taught me so much through Cindy’s obedience in answering God’s direct call on her life. I hope that I am always able to sense the Lord’s voice and direction like she does. You need to get to know her... a little difficult since she lives in Africa BUT at least follow her blog posts, HERE.

Dentist & Doughnuts

          This past Thursday we took our residential children to the dentist! It was quite the experience. It is located in town, in the Ntcheu District Hospital... not one of my favorite places in the world. But, the kids were beyond excited to get to ride in the car and come into town. However, Stacy and I decided to leave the destination a surprise (or we were to chicken to tell them... one of the two). They were surprised alright! Although we had a few nervous bodies, we didn't have one tear! They are pretty stinking brave. The dentist was very nice and good with the children too. At the end of their check-ups, the dentist's assistant gave the kids a lesson on how to properly clean their teeth. And of course, after we were finished, we brought them back to our house and filled them with Koolaid and cookies- so that they wouldn't hate us! After all, six of them have to return tomorrow for more work :/ We are working to schedule a time for the dentist to come out to EH so that our community kids can get checked as well.

 Looks like a beautiful smile to me!

 Poor Asau was pretty nervous!  

 Even our little Praise got a check-up. 

          In other news, we have had a challenging week as we didn't have water for over a week. We have been experiencing lots of blackouts/ power outages - many leaving us without power for 24 hours at a time. And we were also without Internet last week. These things are definitely convienences, but they certainly help our progress here. This past week has made me thankful all over again for my home! Convenient, as Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Having CONSISTANT water, electricity, and services like Internet is a huge blessing. Despite these challenges, we have managed to stay busy. It is often humorous to us how varied our tasks are each week. People ask me what a typical day looks like in my life here, but the truth is... there isn't one. There is not even a typical week. Last week, for example, we took a trip to Blantyre (to run errands and renew our visas), we did some painting, worked with the kids on their english, treated the entire E.H. campus for Scabies, took the kids to the dentist, bought fertilizer, and much more. We have seen God move in amazing ways during our time here. I am so grateful to have a part in this ministry. This place and these people are so special to me!

          On Saturday we held our third "Reward Day." I think it was a big hit! We played with water balloons, ate homemade doughnuts, and watched "Finding Nemo" to end the day. We were sad towards the end, realizing this would be our last Rewards Day to plan! The kids thanked us and told us how much they have loved our special days with them. We have seen great results in the attendance of our kids since we began this program. Last month we had 17 perfect attenders. This month we had THIRTY-FIVE kids with perfect attendance! We are so excited. 

This week we are traveling to Lilongwe to pick Cindy up! We are so excited that her time is overlapping with ours! However, I can't believe that we are only two weeks away from heading home! The time always goes so fast. Thanks so much for all of you who keep Esther's House in your prayers. We are so grateful for all of the support we receive on a daily basis!