For the past two weeks, our internet connection has been very limited in a lot of ways. We do have an internet provider, but while they were updating some of their infrastructure we were forced to wait patiently and use our cellphone data (which is more expensive overall) for the time being. That means we have been taking photos, but not posting them; getting ideas for blogs, but not being able to finalize them. Today seems to be a good day and the internet ...

Sometimes it's difficult for whole families to always make their way to services. The end of the month comes around and choices have to be made financially. It seems it's the same all over the world. I'm used to hearing about people struggling to drive an hour or two to services every week. Here, where the roads aren't always navigable by any vehicle, even getting across town can be a struggle. Especially with the entire family traveling together. The minibuses d...

Getting around town: bicycles with seats on the back, minibuses, walking, jogging, tuk tuk, old car axels turned into a cart, babies strapped to the backs of mothers, cars and pickups, SUVs and semitrucks. Most people walk or run. A few of our neighbors came with us to services last Sabbath. I'm not completely sure what they thought. The little boy, Mohammad really enjoyed the chance to run and play with other children. He had difficulty sitting still during the ...

It's one thing to drive from place to place and see the countryside and street corners. It is a completely different experience to walk through the countryside and along the streets, passing people on the pathways as you greet each other. This week we walked beyond the walls of our house. If you peered over the wall that keeps intruders out, you would see fields of green maize stocks with a few groups of trees scattered around. There is a valley there with a rive...

This week was filled with many firsts. Last Sabbath (January 14th) I gave a sermon titled "Our Foundation." This was the first in a series of sermons that I have started that will be an overview of the fundamental beliefs of the United Church of God. This was the first of many sermons that will require a translator. In Malawi the official language is Chichewa, a regional language that is shared by people in some of the other surrounding countries. It has become ...