Just a quick note to say that we are still alive. We have moved to Maryborough but have no home phone or internet. Things haven't been particularly easy but God works through everything. Will send out some more details when I have internet connection.

Rainald Feldmeier Update

I requested prayer some weeks ago for friends who were in Africa but the dad (Rainald) had been ill and they had found tumours in his testicle and the family had to return home to Australia so he could get treatment. Here is the latest email update:

I would like to thank everyone who has prayed, texted, emailed, given and phoned us. Your support and encouragement has been what gets us through especially the tough days. We arrived back on the 30th and drove Rainald straight to Royal prince Alfred Hospital. There he was admitted and the tests begun, firstly they thought he had TB and we all had to wear funny gowns and masks if we wanted to go near him. When that scare was over they concentrated on the tumour which proved to be testicular cancer in stage 3, it had travelled to his lungs, liver, abdomen and lymphatic system. He was in alot of pain and by now weighed 70 kg, 15kg less than usual. Last tuesday chemotherapy started and he is under going 5 straight days followed by a monday treatment, twice then back to the 5 days. He is receiving very high doses and no doubt will not feel too well over the next 3 months. Because we had to fly out so quickly we had to take business class seats they were very nice but came with a price. $12 500 one way for the two, these seats were also much more comfortable for Rainald and he could lie down. We couldnt get the kids out of Malawi till the 20th so they are still there and wont arrive till 22nd october. It has now been more than a month since we have been together and if you know our family and how close we are thats tough. The other downer about the kids is that we cant have them with us while Rainald receives treatment as Rainald and I will stay with my sister. She and her husband have a house in Sydney and their three adult children still live at home. There just isnt room so the kids will move back to Gympie and stay at our house that is being rented by friends and they will look after them. Hopefully this will be till christmas when we can all be together again. Rainald is not in as much pain anymore, they operated and removed the tumour. He is very weak and has lost a lot of muscle tone. His road to recovery will be long. He is in quite good spirits today it helps when you see someone doing something to make you better. During the time when we didnt know what was wrong we struggled alot. We have had some friends come down and visit this was good for our spirits. We enjoy the calls as being so far away from friends has its struggles. My sister has been great, we now realise what sisters are for and she is an enormous support and friend. Again thank you for your prayers.
Blessings jennifer And Rainald

SPRING IS IN THE AIR

WELL SPRING IS IN THE AIR AND I POPPED OUT INTO THE GARDEN TO TAKE A PHOTO OF THE LARGE RED FLOWERS (TOWARDS THE BOTTOM OF THE BLOG). I TRIED TWICE TO PUT THEIR PHOTOS AT THE TOP OF MY BLOG AND TWICE IT TOLD ME THAT IT HAD ENCOUNTERED AN ERROR REQUIRING MY SYSTEM TO SHUT DOWN SO I HAVE LEFT THEM AT THE BOTTOM. SO MY STORY WILL BE A LITTLE BACK TO FRONT.

I'M HOPING THAT THESE LITTLE BUNCHES WILL TURN INTO GRAPES. THERE IS A QUITE A FEW PLANTS ALONG THE SIDE OF THE HOUSE WHICH HAVE LOOKED DEAD ALL WINTER. IN THE LAST 2 WEEKS THEY HAVE BECOME COVERED IN GREEN LEAVES AND BUCKETLOADS OF THESE BUNCHES.

WASN'T SURE WHAT THE PLANT BELOW WAS AS IT WAS BARE OF LEAVES WHEN WE MOVED IN. KNEW IT HAD TO BE A FRUIT AS IT WAS COVERED IN NETTING. WHEN I LOOKED TODAY IT WAS COVERED IN PEACHES.
THE MANGO TREES HAVE HAD LOTS OF FLOWERS. HOPEFULLY THEY WILL SET AND THERE WILL BE HEAPS OF MANGOES.
IT IS PRETTY HOT HERE TODAY (33 DEG CELSIUS). TIGGER, FRANKIE AND BLACKIE CURLED UP IN NICHOLAS' BED FOR A DAY OF NAPPING.

TOM SPENT THE MORNING WITH ME AT THE COMPUTER. HE WASN'T IMPRESSED WITH BEING DISTURBED WHEN I WENT OUT TO TAKE THE PHOTOS.

BUT SOON SETTLED BACK DOWN TO NAPPING.

THIS IS WHAT I WENT OUTSIDE ORIGINALLY TO PHOTOGRAPH. THIS LARGE CACTUS IS IN THE BACK CORNER OF THE YARD AND I HATE IT. I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU WOULD PLANT IT.
BUT WHEN I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW THE OTHER DAY I SAW THESE LARGE RED FLOWERS GROWING IN FRONT OF THE CACTUS AND THEY LOOKED SPECTACULAR.

THEY ARE BIGGER THAN YOUR HAND.

ALSO FLOWERING IN THE GARDEN ARE THE HIBISCUS.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PLANT IS BELOW. IT DOESN'T HAVE VERY MANY BRANCHES BUT THEY ARE ALL COMPLETELY COVERED IN THESE WHITE FLOWERS.

THE POOR OLD PECAN TREES LOOK SO BARE. THERE ARE 3 IN THE YARD AND THEY DROPPED HEAPS OF PECAN NUTS AND THEN DROPPED ALL THERE LEAVES.

HOPE YOU ENJOYED A QUICK TRIP THROUGH THE GARDEN OF OUR RENTAL HOME. IT NEVER CEASES TO AMAZE ME HOW DIVERSE GOD'S CREATION IS.

Pat's Birthday Tea

BIRTHDAY CAKE! YUM!!

PATRICK'S COUSIN PETA DIDN'T WANT HER PHOTO TAKEN BUT AFTER SOME GENTLE PERSUASION WE GOT A PHOTO.

HIS OTHER COUSIN KELLY IS NOT SO SHY OF THE CAMERA AND WAS HAPPY TO HAM IT UP WITH PATRICK.



PAT'S PRESENTS FROM HIS COUSINS. THE TRUCK IS A FAMILY JOKE. THE SHIRTS WERE PRETTY APT.

KELLY WASN'T REAL SURE ABOUT THE TRUCK SHE LOOKS LIKE IT IS GOING TO BITE HER.

NICHOLAS HAD HI FIRST SUMMER SWIM. PAT BOUGHT THIS 'COOL HAT' THAT EVERYONE WHO IS COOL IS WEARING. NOT SURE HOW CLEAR IT IS IN THE PHOTO BUT IT HAS A BEADED PIECE ON TOP WITH A PLASTIC ROTOR BLADE ON IT. WE WENT TO THE SHOPPING CENTRE ON SATURDAY AND SAW 6 OTHER TEENAGERS WITH THIS HAT ON.

PAT'S BIRTHDAY WAS A BIT DIFFERENT TO LAST YEAR'S. LAST YEAR HE AWOKE IN A HOTEL IN NONG KHAI, THAILAND. WAITED FOR AGES TO CROSS THE THAILAND BORDER AND EVEN LONGER AT THE LAOS BORDER FOR VISAS. EVENTUALLY GOT INTO VIENTIANNE, LAOS. HAD ITALIAN (PIZZA) AT A FRENCH RESTAURANT IN LAOS TO CELEBRATE BECOMING A TEENAGER. SOMETHING HE WILL NEVER FORGET.

Praise The Lord!!

Prayer is so powerful and our God is so awesome. Since 2 days after the prayer request was made for little Jeremias (4 year old with the prolapsed bowel) his bowel has not prolapsed again. Praise the Lord. Please keep praying for a complete recovery.

Grand Final Day

Well it is AFL Grand Final Day (a big day in the Hutley household). David has prime TV viewing position staked out very early and watches all day. Even though the game doesn't start until 2:30pm there is heaps of pre game viewing. It is the last hoorah before he heads into mourning that the season is over and there will be no footy until next. Fortunately there is some cricket happening over the summer or he would go completely bonkers. Last year we were in Singapore when the Grand Final was on (and yes there were some words said about me booking our trip when the grand final was on). Which also means that it is nearly Patrick's birthday. We have no idea what to get him. We asked him to make a list of 10 things he would like for his birthday. Unfortunately it consisted of things that were all very expensive or that he knew we wouldn't get him, so we are back to the drawing board.


As you have probably read on our blog we have been praying recently for several people we know who are battling illness (Rainald Feldmeier - 2 tumours and benign malaria in his liver, Jeremias (4) prolapsed bowel, David's brother in law Michael who has a viral infection).


We thankfully have been pretty healthy - David pinched something in his neck several months ago which is slowly improving and Patrick has a bad case of sunburn (he refused to put on sunscreen when he went mowing with David this week because it smelled funny - hopefully he has learned a lesson).


I worked everyday this week except Monday, most of them weren't my shifts but filling in for people who were away sick. Which is good for me and my pay packet but not so good for them. Not sure what the go at work at the moment is there seems to be quite a few people resigning and the big bosses were in 3 days in a row this week.


The mowing business is going well, particularly now that there has been some rain and it is warming up. Places that they were only mowing once a month are now needing to be done once a fortnight.


We are looking at moving to Maryborough over the Christmas holidays. Property is a lot cheaper there, there is a number of churches with families attending and youth groups running, it is closer to Gympie, there is opportunity to begin mowing there, there is a good Christian School with a focus on the subjects that the boys are wanting to do, there is plenty of casual work for me (both at school and Coles/Bilo). So we are praying for direction from the Lord as to whether we should go and when exactly.

These are some lightning shots that I took the other night. We didn't get any rain but the lightning was pretty spectacular. I have twice as many shots of the black night sky as ones that actually show the lightning. But these were the best 3.

Hope you all have a great week!!!

Another Prayer

I received this from our friends in Africa a few weeks ago.

Wow, what a difficult few weeks we have just been through. Some of you already know about Rainalds illness while others it is first time news. Sorry we didn’t contact you sooner but the nature of the condition didn’t allow me to access internet hence my delay. So, you are probably wondering what happened. First of all the good news Rainald is getting better he was in a private clinic in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, for 5 days receiving treatment but is now recovering at a friends house in Lilongwe and we will keep him there till he has regained his strength and has gained weight. Secondly, what was wrong, well we aren’t sure about that but all we know is that he was in a great deal of pain from renal and abdominal cramps. This condition started as diarrhoea and cramping about 4 weeks ago which we thought was a passing bug however it didn’t totally leave even after he received antibiotics. One night while in Karonga we had even to get the doctor to give him a shot of Valium to allow him to sleep as this had become difficult for a number of days. Finally as we realised the condition was getting worse we decided to move him to Lilongwe but we also hesitated as the 8 hr trip in the car would be difficult. But our Father knew that so through a fellow Christian it was organised to fly him to the capital with myself and the children following that same day in the car. On the morning we were to leave things had got worse and it was again decided that I should travel with him and our friends would take care of the children in Karonga till we could arrange transport for them. We praised God as we saw his hand move in helping us. But the help did not stop there. We were driven to the clinic by another man, the airport is about 30km away and left in their care. While there the diagnosis was that Rainald had Giardia, treatment started and we went to stay with other missionary friends. Rainald seemed to be improving but on the second day his conditioned worsened and we were forced to admit him to hospital. Further tests and it showed he had an infection but we didn’t know which type. He had enlarged kidneys and lots of gas in his intestines which caused pain and excessive burping. A new antibiotic, antacid, glucose and electrolytes also pethidine for the pain. Again he started to improve until the 3rd day when he started to get stomach pain. We asked for more pethidine but the doctor wouldn’t give any, the reason for this was, they had run out and had to find some more. This took a few hours and by now Rainald was not good. The next day we took him for further tests at a different clinic and a scan showed that he had very large lymph nodes in his stomach and intestines one was even 6.5cm long. This worried the doctor and we were advised to travel to South Africa for further tests but both of us felt he was improving and that he only had a bacteria that was being killed slowly. One comment here is that there is limited medical help here most cases that are more complex go to south Africa, so getting sick in Malawi is not a good move.
As the days went on Rainald would feel good then not so good remember by now he has been ill for 4 weeks we knew it would take time.
Hospitals are different here to Australia. You have to supply all your own towels, washers and food. So each day I would drive to our friends and make food, have a shower then return to the hospital and sleep there. The children were driven down to us by one of the Lusubilo drivers and they were also looked after by friends. Here we were in a foreign country and the support we received humbled us. People we hardly knew were offering support, friends of friends who were doctors would drop in to give advice and help. Others were there to pay our way if we had to go South. People prayed and God moved he didn’t bring immediate healing but he comforted and strengthened us each day. One such comfort was Sister Beatrice, the director of Lusubilo; she happened to be in Lilongwe when we came down and when she heard that Rainald was not well she never left our side. For 5 days she sat beside his bed praying, talking, sleeping and comforting us. She even wanted to sleep there but we made her rest at her brother’s house. She was amazing and it would have been difficult with out her. Another provision of God was a car to travel around in as I didn’t have one when we got to Lilongwe. And now the most recent provision is a guest house for Rainald and I to stay in while he recovers. It is quiet, comfortable and just what the doctor ordered. The children are still being looked after by another family who we are eternally indebted to, they have such a ministry. They have 4 children of their own, look after another one who schools in the capital and have a young women also living with them as well as my 4. Their household is crazy but great and we always feel so welcome, these people will receive a large crown for their support. Other comforts have been all the phone calls, emails and text messages of support and prayers. We felt at all times held up in Gods hands with his wings around us.
So there you go, even though we are not sure of what Rainald had we praise God that he is recovering. We know it will be slow but it will happen. Please continue to pray as Rainald has lost a lot of weight and at present the only thing he can eat is Paw Paw all other food still upset his stomach. Also pray that he will continue to recover and be brought back to full strength. It’s funny how you think about things in such a crisis, at no time have we felt to go back to Australia for help. We feel at peace that this is where God wants us and going back is not an option as long as we can still stay here we will. People need us, God has led us and this is where we will stay until He moves us on. Rainald has only begun Gods work here and he has much to accomplish, God willing. We know satan isn’t happy about what we are doing so he will throw everything he can at us for us to leave so we continue to pray that no weapon formed against us will prosper and this will be the case as others also join with us in prayer.
So thank you all for your support, your love and most of all your prayers.
Your Sister in Christ,
Jennifer
PS I have just read this to Rainald and he feels that his real condition was not highlighted enough. He was really sick in a lot of agony; he had many, many sleepless nights walking the floor in pain. He has taken so much medicine that he feels that is now poisoning his system even though it is also helping. When the gas tries to escape he burps for hours and this really tires him and hurts. He feels weak from lack of food, and was dehydrated from not drinking. Still at this stage any food bar paw paw makes him cramp so he avoids them. Many times his spirit was so low he didn’t know if he could go on. His arms and hands hurt from all the needles and intravenous medication. Right now he is a little better as he had a good day though tired. How am I going, alright as long as I can do something and as long as I see him getting better. Not so good when he is in pain or getting weaker also it is hard to be making all the decisions especially when they could be critical. I don’t know maybe we should take him south. But that would also be hard as the trip is big and everything down there is foreign. Also would they find out what’s wrong????? He is sick of tests and only wants to get better.
I received this email today.

It is with a heavy heart that I have to share the news about Rainald. Today we were informed that he has two tumours in his left testicles. This sadly brings an end to our time in Malawi as we can not get a full diagnosis here or treatment, so we plan to fly out as soon as we can get a flight which may be not until the 6th October. He also has another complication that of benign malaria which hides in his liver and can surface when conditions are right. This apparently happened in the last few weeks hence the sever gastro intestinal problems. He has to have regular pain relief to manage each day but he is getting by. At present we are still in Lilongwe where we will keep Rainald till the flight out, Daniel will stay with him while Jessica, Dean, Emily and our friend David from Zambia drive to Karonga to pick up our personal items and say goodbye to all our Lusubilo Family. This will be a hard time as all of us are grieving having to leave here. It was only a few weeks ago that we all made the decision to stay another year, now we have to leave and it is a big shock. For us there is only one way to deal with this news and that is to bring it before God and trust he will guide us through the medical maze we are about to enter. We questioned why us? These things happen to other people but not us. Then after much pray and thought the question changed why not me? Each day in our village we see funerals and death go by; each day our neighbours or friends bury someone close to them. They morn, they grieve and then they get on with their lives. Death and illness is as common as life itself. So my thought was that if they can cope with these things daily I can also. For us life is not just about being here on earth but also about having peace with our God who created us and knows our days. The bible says that He will never allow something to happen to us that we can not handle, so therefore God must find us strong enough to weather this storm. I am not saying that Rainald will leave us but what I am saying is that we are ready for anything. I am not saying that it will be easy but I know that we will make it through. This type of condition plagues many and now it is our turn.
So I ask you all to continue to uphold us in prayer, write to us, ring us and talk to us. This will be what we need when we are having a rough day. Also concerning the children we can only get them a flight two weeks after us so they will stay with friends here till the 20th. It will be hard for them to be here while we are in Australia not being able to see their Dad or to know what is happening each day. So pray also for them, they are strong and know we have to leave but this doesn’t mean they will like it. They have made good friends and love this country as much as we do, it will be hard to leave and when it is hard to leave somewhere it is also hard to return to a place you just don't want to be. So if you see them love them and encourage them to be strong, they will need it.
So there you have it our latest news, sorry it is not about some great adventure we went on or how Rainald has made an impact in some village or how our youth bible studies are teaching young people about the Lord. Nevertheless it is what is happening in our lives so goodnight we are off to bed and we will talk again in the morning.
Love Jennifer Rainald Daniel Jessica Dean & Emily Mvula
Please keep this family in your prayers.

Prayer Request

Friends serving overseas on mission have a 4 year old son who has a prolapsed bowel. Please pray for healing and for wisdom for the medical staff and parents as they decide whether to have surgery and where to have the surgery abroad or at home.

Teacher Wanted

If you are looking for a teaching job in Laos here is a great opportunity. They need a secondary teacher and either a primary teacher or childcare worker. Class numbers are small and all students are English speaking (all children of ex pats working in Laos). If interested let me know and I will put you in touch with the people organising the school.

"Our children range from the ages of 18 months to 15 years old, which means we have classes from crèche through to year 9. School runs from 8:30 am until 1pm. There is a great need for someone to help the high school. There are four students all up in there and at the moment they have rather minimal assistance. So if there is anyone out there that J.C. is speaking to in this area but perhaps is a little apprehensive and unsure please be brave for HIS sake and read Philippians (4 v4-9). He will not forsake you and He will give you the peace that surpasses all understanding.
We also need an extra teacher in the elementary school as at the moment we have the 3 little guys in crèche coming in and out of the other classes where there mummies are teaching. So if we were able to free up one mum then she could stay with the crèche kids or if there is someone who is called to taking care of crèche aged children we would be happy to have a chat."

Week in Review

Have had 2 busy weeks at Coles. Have had extra shifts on the registers due to people being away sick. Have had a shift in the Deli (brought back some memories) and a shift in Fruit & Veg (had to search the memory back a bit further for this one) and several shifts in the Bakery (all a new learning curve). It is good to move around a bit and try different things and meet new people. Was asked today if I had any experience in the meathall. So they must of been looking for someone to fill a shift there. There seems to still be lots of colds and wogs about. Fortunately we have avoided them. Dave has been going to the physio this week to try and fix his neck. He has caught his nerve or muscle or something in between the bones in his neck. Physio is helping so that is good. Boys are both good. Pat is at a sleep over tonight. Nick has started playing Rugby League for Interschool sport and is enjoying it.

Photos as Promised

A while ago I posted about Pat's 4WD weekend and that I was going to put in some photos. So here they are. They did end up with water up to their ankles in the 4WD and have to be towed out of the water hole. All in all a great bloky weekend was had by all.

China Bible Confiscation

Received this email the other day and thought I would pass it on.

China confiscates Bibles from American Christians [Excerpts]
Chinese customs officials confiscated more than 300 Bibles on Sunday from four American Christians who arrived in a southwestern city with plans to distribute them, the group's leader said.The Bibles were taken from the group's checked luggage after they landed at the airport in the city of Kunming, said Pat Klein, head of Vision Beyond Borders. The group, based in Sheridan, Wyoming, distributes Bibles and Christian teaching materials around the world to "strengthen the persecuted church," according to its Web site.The group arrived in China on Sunday and had intended to distribute the Bibles to people in the city, Klein told the AP in a telephone interview while still at the airport."I heard that there's freedom of religion in China, so why is there a problem for us to bring Bibles?" Klein said. "We had over 300 copies and customs took all of them from us."The move comes as China hosts the Olympics in Beijing, where false media reports last year claimed Bibles would be banned from the games. The state-run China Daily reported last month that 10,000 bilingual copies of the Bible would be distributed in the Olympic Village, which houses athletes and media.(Wong, Associated Press, August 17, 2008).

Africa - Feldmeier Story

I mentioned in one of my earlier blogs about people we knew from Gympie who were in Malawi in Africa on a 1 to 2 year mission trip. The following story is from their June/July newsletter and was written by Rainald (the dad).

One Day in Prison
I have driven past the Karonga Prison many times. It is almost a funny story, for the prisoners seem to roam freely in the fields where they grow maize, rap and other vegetables. A partly broken down wall separates the road from the prison which seems more like a small farm of 2 acres with a central building and an office block at the entrance. The gate is a branch of a broken gumtree with the hinge broken off, so it just lies on the ground across the path. A solider sits under a shady tree watching the day’s events, seeming to neither worry nor care about prisoners climbing over the brick fence. He is not armed and the whole scene looks quite peaceful, "All is well".
A few days ago, driving past, a couple of "Inmates" jumped over the fence and waved my car down. Winding down the window they asked if I could bring them some soap and maybe toothpaste. Now, they did know me because Lusubilo sends food every couple of weeks as supplement for the sick ones and I had helped deliver it the previous week. You also have to know that like in hospitals, prisoners do not get fed by the Government; neither do they get hygienic products. They have to grow their own supplies, or depend on their family members to bring food and other essentials.
So, that is how I came to visit the Karonga Prison. Rudo, my Malawian co-worker and friend organised two boxes of soap, 180 bars of it and Jennie gave us a couple of packets of biscuits as we drove off. The guards led us to the office building to meet the officer in charge. He welcomed us officially and gave us a half hour rundown on their needs and how we can assist them. We told him that the prison in Karonga is not part of our work, but that we will try to help in small ways. After hearing of our gifts, we asked if we could distribute the soap ourselves and if we could minister the word of God to them at the same time. He happily agreed, commands were shouted and during the continuing conversation I could see through the partly opened door, groups of prisoners being herded into the building next to us. Finally, we were escorted to meet them. A huge steel gate bared our vision, and we had to wait several minutes to enter while some more inmates in their whitish, pyjama like outfits were pushed inside.
The officer in charge asked us to enter and two soldiers opened the gate. Stepping over a bar on the bottom of the door of the steel gate I entered, into a scene which truly rocked me. One hundred and thirty-six prisoners were sitting in a crouched position in a courtyard roughly 20x30 metres. They were all shaven and being in that crouching position made them look more miserable. One side of the courtyard had a narrow building attached to the wall. Two steel barred gates showed the opening to two rooms 15x4m each, no beds, no pillows, only grass mats on a badly worn concrete floor. That was the sleeping facility for 136 men. The brick work all around showed signs of lack of maintenance. Patches of plaster had come off everywhere and the unpainted concrete structures had been stained by years of wet-seasons and dust blown dry times. The far side of the prison courtyard revealed two toilets and two wash-bays. The toilets were just concrete walls, the size of a shower, with a hole in the lid of the underground tank, a bucket of water being the only way to clean up. Because there is neither tile nor paint, the condition of hygiene is at a very low standard. 136 men wash and clean and go to toilet at this facility day in, day out, my heart was gripped with the horrific conditions.
Thirty-one of the prisoners are HIV-Positive and nine have developed AIDS. Looking up, I saw barb wire rolls on the top of the surrounding walls, a lonely flag pole with a sluggish red and green national flag in the centre of the court room and a grass roofed bamboo-structure looking like a kitchen, for there were several pots on burning fires smoking away. A sweetish smell hung in the air, as I followed the officer to one of the corners of the courtyard where there was a simple plank of timber off cut resting on two empty oil drums as a bench. Sitting down the eyes of all the inmates and about twenty soldiers were locked on us.
After a short introduction in Tumbuka, the local language it was over to me. Standing up my heart pounded some what, I felt almost ashamed to tell them that we were here to bring them a bar of soap each. " And despite the unfavourable condition you are in" I continue, while Rudo translated " I know that God and our Lord Jesus Christ loves you and therefore allow me to bring you a portion of His word". I then read Ephesians chapter 2 – in Tumbuka – their language. The Lord had lain on my heart to do so. As a consequence I had exercised and read this portion of scripture again and again:
Pa Chifukwa Ichi Nkhati Ndapulika Na Za Chipulikano Chino Mwa Fuma Yesu Ndiposa Na Kutemwa Kwinu Ku Wose Wanthu Wa Chivita.
That’s verse 15; Eph Ch 2, I encourage you to read that chapter right now and stand in that courtyard with me! Upon finishing the reading all was quiet. Some heads were bowed, others looked straight at me. It seemed a long silence, but as Gods presence was there, a peaceful one. Finally, the officer in charge stood up and addressed the prisoners.
"This man who we call Mr. Vula has come from Australia to help the orphans of this town. He brought his entire family. He made an effort to teach in our language, even though he cannot understand what he reads in Tumbuka. From now on this prison is open to him at any time. He is free to come and free to go. God Bless him."
A slow clap- clap- clap started and ended in a staccato of many hands. We then handed out the soap to each prisoner and the biscuits which were not enough for all of them and I was left feeling terrible.
Thirty-one AIDS affected prisoners came and thanked us for the supplementary food Lusubilo is sending them and they asked if we could supply an ambulance bicycle, for often they are falling sick and sometimes it takes two days for an ambulance to respond, so usually the other prisoners have to carry them the 4km to the hospital. An ambulance bicycle is a converted bike with the back cut off and a stretcher on 2 wheels wielded to the front. I found a business man in Lilongwe who is open to this request; thank you, God and I will be writing an official request. At the other end of the court yard two prisoners stood up and started singing and dancing and praising the Lord for His goodness. In no time two thirds of the men were on their feet, the powerful voices of the African men, stomping of their feet, the swinging of shoulders and hips, clapping of hands with white teeth shining and a smile on their face left me with tears in my eyes and with emotions overflowing that a meagre bar of soap could bring forth such gratitude to our God and Lord!
Have you praised Him today!

Jessica (15) has started teaching an abstinence program to Year 12 students (2 years older than her) at a local high school. Please pray for her.

DOULOS Downunder

This is obviously not my photo it is off the website.

My night photography needs some work but here is the DOULOS. Photos taken from the wharf - one with night settings which makes it look like it is caught in a bolt of lightning and one with out night settings - taken by my son Nicholas. (Kelly - our niece, David, Patrick and me - the pose is a bit odd because I am actually holding down Patricks hands to stop him from covering his face and making silly gestures)



Inside one of the narrow hallways with many rooms off them. We saw inside one cabin. It was about the same size as a small bathroom but had 2 bunks, bookshelf, chest of drawers, toilet and shower. Very cramped. The other photo is of one of the sets of stairs. There were stairs everywhere and they are all quite steep with very narrow treads.



The funnel with GBA (the German Company who owns the boat - translated as Good Books For All) and down the outside of the boat near the galley.

We had a fantastic time at the DOULOS. If you get a chance to go when it comes to a city near you (or it's sister ship LOGOS) then do so. We went on the 45 minute tour which takes you all over the ship and gives you an overview of the history - from it's origins (built in 1914, 2 years after the Titanic) as a cargo ship carrying potatoes and onions, used in both World Wars, 1948 changed to a passenger ship carrying immigrants from Italy to Canada and Australia, mid 50's converted to luxury passenger liner and then in 70's becoming the DOULOS. She has 350 volunteer crew from 50 different nations. She travels the world stopping in different countries to bring KNOWLEDGE (largest floating bookshop in the world on board), HELP finding projects in each place that they can offer help with and HOPE with the message of Jesus Christ.
We also went to the Youth Program in the evening which was really good.
All in all a great time was had by all.

August Update

Well another month has skipped away and I'm not sure where it went. Other than work I can't really think of anything we have done but we always seem to be busy.
David's mowing is still going well. He has had to change his days and move things around a few times due to rain but because he only goes 1 or 2 days a week during the winter this is no big deal.
I have had pretty good hours at Coles the last few weeks averaging about 11 hours. Last week I did some extra shifts for a case clean out. We worked from 9pm to 6am taking all the products out of the bottom shelf of the dairy, freezer, meat, fruit and vege and deli, cleaning all the shelves while contractors cleaned out all underneath and checked all the fans and motors. It was hard work but not difficult but apparently once people do it once they don't want to do it again. I just don't think people want to work (you get time and a half after midnight and I get $20.90 an hour normally - which is a criminal amount of money when you look at it compared to what teachers, child care workers etc get).
The boys are both coasting along at school not really achieving much. Starting to look at options for Nicholas next year as he heads into high school.
Had contact last week from a family who used to be in Gympie {Rainald and Jenny and their 4 children Daniel (17), Jessica (15), Dean (12), and Emily (11)} who now live in Karonga, Malawi, Africa. Reinald is the building superviser for a group Lusubilo Orphan Care. The following is some of an email sent to me by Jessica describing life there.

Here in Karonga, English is not spoken by most people. And if they can speak English, it's the adult generation. There is enough spoken English though that we don't have to desperately learn the language. I know the basic words and greetings. The language is called Tumbuka. This situation makes it hard for Daniel and I to make friends. For Emily, her age group don't communicate by talking but playing. Dean had 2 good friends that speak great English so he is blessed. But for Daniel and me to communicate to people our age is very difficult because they don't play anymore. Anyways, another factor on top is Malawi has the largest percent of stunted growth. So the people here think I look 21 or so and I get quite a few marriage proposals. I spend most of my time in the orphanage though. Because with the young kids love is an universal language. It is a bit difficult with Mum being out teacher. We let all our frustration out on her. Which isn't good of us. We are looking at possibly getting a tutor but no decisions are made. I would say schooling would be the worst part of the life here.(sorry to say). But in myself I love it here because I am more content with myself and what I have here. I love not having the pressures of the western world. The Malawi Lake which is the 2ndlargest fresh water lake in the world. When you go there its almost like being on the ocean just fresh water. And its 1 km from our home.I also am looking at going into high school and teaching an abstinence program called 'why wait' but I am really scared and also am procrastinating on the idea.
The orphanage is an independent orphanage from a organisation but it is ran by a Nun. But the orphanage in itself isn't at all connected to the catholic church because the Nun who started it rebelled against the church to go and help in Northern Malawi. The staff are from all different Christian/religious backgrounds too.
The organisation does a lot more than just run a children's village (orphanage). Its projects involve:
• Infant Care
• Community Base Childcare Centres (Dad is manager of building)
• Community Feeding Centres
• Orphan Headed Households
• Home based Care
• Village Nutrition Centres
• Food Production
• Nyungwe Technical Tafe
• Youth Awareness ( Mum is involved in this)
• Displaced Children
• Busary Programme
They also have a irrigation system in progress. So all things are a part of the organisation and 'Lusubilo/Hope Orphan Care' is working in over 60 villages in the local community.In the orphanage itself there is 40-50 children plus a Nursery for infants. This is out of the 9000 orphans they deal with. Their aim is to get the displaced child back into homes even if they are not directly related to the child. So out of the 9000 only 50 children homes can not be found for or their nutrition state is not well.
Because English isn't spoken well, there are only 2 churches in town that speak English, the Prespatarian and the Catholic. Neither at which we feel the holy spirit moving upon. So in Karonga we don't as such have a church to go to. Though in Lilongwe the capital city we have found an amazing church which we visit every time we go there.its called 'city capital Baptist church' and it is incredible.
So hopefully that gives you more an insight into our mission here.Its all volunteer work from our behalf. Also coming here we have all come as a family decision not just Mum and Dad. We have all committed to come for a year, and after that we will again as a family reassess what we will then do, whether we stay longer or come home etc.
And I can see you have been doing great things for Him andfollowing his heart of Love. James 1:27.
Let your light shine for Christ,Love Jess.

Lusubilo Orphan Care, PO Box 42, Karonga, Malawi, Afrika.
They send out a monthly newsletter so if you would like to hear about what they are dong let me know and I will send it out to you. I'll have a hunt around for some photos of them so you can put a face to the names.

For those of you who saw my blog about our other friends overseas, they have decided to stay for another year. They also have a monthly newsletter if you want to read it. They are busy at the moment setting up the bottom floor of the new place they have moved into for the Home Schooling Coop they are helping set up for Ex Pat kids.

Your prayers for both these groups would be appreciated.

We are off to the DOULOS this afternoon. She is the oldest ocean going passenger ship in the world, built 2 years after the Titanic. It also has the world's largest floating bookstore inside. They are running several onboard programs and tours and have an international cafe with crew speaking their throughout the day. The ship has c. 300 christian volunteers from c. 50 countries. Will try and take heaps of photos and post them for you next week. They have a website and are visiting several ports around Australia. This is their last tour here as it will retire in 2010. Australian website is www.doulosdownunder.org.au not sure where it is off to after Australia but I am sure that it is on the website.

Anyway better go and get some work done. Am starting to catch up on some phone calls to people that I haven't spoken to in a while so please don't think I am ignoring you if you haven't heard from me in a while.

God Bless!!!

Monthly Update

3 posts in one day. Yeh!!! Well I finally started at Coles as a Check Out Chick. The work is pretty easy and you are fairly busy all the time. I haven't had any offensive customers yet so that is good and they pay nearly $20/hour. Had 8 hours this week, 3 last, 11 the week before and 10 the first week. It is good to have money coming in weekly to tide us over until the monthly accounts get paid. Had my second Nutrimetics party last weekend and it went very well. Have another booked in for next month and some others thinking about it. Mowing is still going well even with the winter slowing down growth and rain limiting the mowing days. We had a pretty quiet school holidays and the boys are now back at school (though neither of them wants to be there). I better go and pick them up as it is raining and not great weather for walking. Catch up again soon.

Dirty Weekend

Patrick spent the weekend with his uncle at the 4WD park. They had a great time with the blokes. Camping, barbequeing, and 4 wheel driving. There had been quite a bit of rain so there was plenty of mud to drive through. I've included some photos. There is heaps more but Patrick hasn't been able to work out how to get them off the memory chip in his new phone.

Oops couldn't find any of them so I will post them later but here is Pat in his new hooded jumper looking like a real gangster. Scary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Request

It has been on my heart a lot lately to pr@y for this family. I am posting them here and asking for others to join me. I am not listing their name or the country they are in so that it can not be searched and therefore highlight them. (look closely at the photos). They have been working in this country for almost a year now. It is almost time to decide whether to come home or extend their time there and if to extend in the same or a different direction. Please pr@y for wisdom, safety and opportunity plus the education of the children.

Vanuatu Reminiscing

Love these cloud shots taken from the plane.




Local ladies run these market stalls for the tourists and The main street of Port Vila.

Jeffrey our "bus" driver. Local market In Port Vila

Wish I had turned this one around but you get the idea - the water is beautiful.
One of my favourite photos, the whole culture is so relaxed.


Sarumbulu Church of Christ and Patrick and Nick with the Pastor's children and the ball Patrick bought for them with his own money because they were kicking around a flat busted old one.

We went fishing in this little boat that you would not have gone out in in Australia. We jumped over the side and went snorkelling over a coral reef and went out around the point into this rolling open ocean (very quickly decided that we wanted to head back). It was an amazing afternoon.

I had over 340 photos to choose from so it was hard to choose just a few to put here. Hope that you enjoy them.