The Grove Red Blog

Home, Sweet, Home

2009-09-17T21:05:00.000-07:00

We all arrived home safe and sound on Monday night about 5:30 pm. We spent the last 40 plus hours traveling from Lilongwe, Malawi to Nairobi, Kenya to London, England and on to home. It was a very long couple of days. We were able to sneak in a few hours in London and made it to Westminster Abbey, House of Parliament, and Buckingham Palace. We knocked on the Queen's door but apparently she had just stepped out to pick up some things at Target or something.

It was sad to leave Malawi but we are all glad to be back home in Arizona with our loved ones and with our church family.

Thank you for your financial and prayerful support. Be assured that you were represented well in Africa and that The Grove is continuing to make Jesus famous throughout the world.

We would ask in the days and weeks ahead that you prayerfully consider where God would have you serve. Begin planning for 2010. Get your passport. Arrange your support and finances. If you haven't been, a trip to Africa will change your life.

Last Night in Malawi

2009-09-13T21:41:00.000-07:00

Sunday September 13^th

I’ll back up a day and tell you about Saturday. We left ABC campus at 6:30am and started our 4 hour bus ride to Hippo Lodge. We met our guide, Jimmy and he took us on a 45 minute boat ride down the Shire River to Mvuu camp. Along the way we saw elephants on the shore with their babies, herds of hippos in the water and came uncomfortably close to a large nile crocodile.

When we arrived at Mvuu (mmmm-voooo) camp we had lunch and were taken to our rooms. Jennifer and I stayed in a chalet that was 15 feet from the waters edge. It was fantastic. All this time we could hear the hippos calling to each other. The best way I can describe it is that they sound just like Jabba the Hut in Star Wars.

After lunch we went on a jeep tour and got up close and personal with many animals. We saw wart hogs, water buck, mongoose, ring-tailed janet, impala, velvet monkeys, golden baboons (nasty mean critters) , kudo, and tons of birds. Our favorite part was when Jimmy was able to get a lone teenage elephant worked up enough that it postured and threatened to charge the jeep. Just to let you know this vehicle is open and it has four rows of tiered seats. Like a movie theater. He was no more that 6-8 feet away from us and was about 15 feet tall. Jimmy had a small cap gun in his hand to protect us….are you kidding me!! Anyways we are obviously fine but what an incredible experience. We were in the bush till well after dark and used a spotlight to find more animals. We went back to camp and had dinner.

After dinner an attendant insisted on walking us all back to our chalets. This was for our safety.

I laid in bed and listened to the night sounds and it made me appreciate how wonderful and gracious God is for giving us all these amazing animals and beautiful sights.

Today we started our day with a discussion about how this mission has affected our lives and our personal walk with God. This was very emotional for our team members as we all had different stories to share.

After breakfast we went on a boat tour and saw several herds of elephants. We got up close and personal with hippos and crocodiles. After the boat tour we were able to go on a jeep tour of the rhino sanctuary and actually did see a young male black rhino, which is very rare even for Africa.

We then headed home on our long 5 hour bus ride back to the ABC campus.

The Chinchen family had us all over for waffle night. This a family tradition and it was nice to see everyone. It was comforting coming back to campus as they have made this wonderful place feel like a home away from home. We said our goodbyes and went back to our rooms to pack.

Please keep us in your prayers for travel mercies as we start our long journey home. Please pray for the people of Malawi and all of those at ABC who work so hard to empower the people of this country.

God bless

Kim Franken

Safari Silence

2009-09-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow our plan is to leave ABC at about 6:30 am and we are heading to Mvuu Camp, which is a safari about 41/2 hours south of here. We don't expect to have any wireless internet so we will not have a blog for you. We are only spending one night there and we will return on Sunday afternoon.

So I will send a blog on Sunday night explaining everything we saw and did over the next two days. I believe we are taking a boat ride and maybe a jeep ride to see the African animals. It should be an adventure.

After the last couple of days we all are looking forward to some fun. Going to the village is a different kind of fun and it is sooooo exhusting, that I think this kind of fun is well needed. Going to the villages is draining; with the mix of being in the sun all day, and the mixed emotions of sadness and joy that is so intense, it just just takes everything out of you. But I don't think any of us would change a thing.

I will "talk" to you in a couple of days and hopefully send some safari pictures.

Thanks,

Jennifer

Let me introduce you to Esther

2009-09-11T12:40:00.000-07:00

Esther is praying for you.

You probably don’t know Esther so let me introduce you. She is a young lady like many in our church with a one year old child. She goes to work everyday at a job that is not very glamorous.

Esther works at the Children of the Nations feeding station in Mtsiliza. We walked in this afternoon and the room was filled with kids. It was hot. I don’t want to say it smelled bad because that would be too kind. There was an awful stench. Esther was busy teaching Bible verses to the children -- ages about 2 to 14 -- who were sitting with empty bowls all over a room about a third of the size of our sanctuary.

We were introduced to the children who applauded and repeated our names. We each spoke briefly and passed out some treats.

We then were introduced to about 8 elderly widows in another part of the complex. They sang and danced upon our arrival and did the same as they escorted us out. This is no small task. Some of these were very old women. One appeared to have been living with an unset broken foot for many years.

Back to Esther.

We were in Esther’s office. Don’t think of it as your office might look like. It was a desk and old plastic chair and the walls were stacked with bags of maize.

We prayed with Esther. When we were done, Esther told us that she prays for us often. Imagine that! Someone with everything they could need in this world being prayed for by someone in a village full of people with AIDS, hunger, and plenty of room for improvement. It was really an emotional moment to think of Esther, 10,000 miles away, praying for me.

We hope you’re all having a good day and enjoy a good weekend with your families. We want you to know that Esther is praying for you.

Post courtesy of Mark Ruff

Thursday Sept. 10 - THERE IS A BAT IN MY BAG

2009-09-10T23:25:00.000-07:00

This blog courtesy of Steve Hoesel

I love starting the day with chapel. Every day at ABC, you begin the day in the word of God from 0730 to 0805. Today, Paul Gunther blessed us with a message about the choices we make in life. He reminded us that our perspective is not God’s. How are we choosing to live? Is it for ourselves or for God? God is real, and we should strive to be imitators of God.

After breakfast, we headed over to Chipampha village’s Primary school. As we approached, the children started chanting “ah..zungoo…. ah..zungoo…” LOUDLY!!! Azungoo means white people or person. There was approximately 600 children clapping and yelling for us and when we started to get out of the bus, the crowd went crazy. It was a real “rock star” moment! We made our way to the school Superintendent and teachers, we gave them 3 soccer balls and I brought neck ties for the men. Paul asked if we could give them a soccer ball to play with and a huge soccer game ensued. The kids naturally chose sides and on either side there was dancing, singing and laughing. I knowingly asked the Super, “this is good…yes?” He said “Oh yes! The kids are enjoying this so much!” It’s amazing what a simple act of love can do.

After the soccer game, we said our farewells so the kids could get back into their classes. We went to Milika’s village which is up the road and we were received warmly. Our relationship with the chief in this village is growing. We’ve established trust and faithfulness. She asked us if we would have a meal in her house as her guests. Okay, first of all, that doesn’t happen…in the chief’s house…during the first week we met. So, we prepared some of the meal together, played with the kids with Jenn and Kim blowing bubbles for them. During this time, one of the little girls had a flesh wound. I had a first aid kit with some dressings for her. Kim played nurse and did a good job of patching her up. Then I looked in another pocket, and saw two beedy eyes staring at me. THERE IS A BAT IN MY BAG! One of the older boys looked in, saw the bat, reached in and grabbed it like a hamster and tossed it up in the air! The bat flew away and didn’t stay for lunch. Too bad for him because we had a very real, very good, hut cooked meal. The chief showed us ultimate respect. She prepared a fresh chicken, which is only served for honored guests. She fetched water from a well in another village, (her well isn’t working), and treated the water with tablets. We had fresh greens, nsima and okra. Truthfully, the okra was like the green slime that lines a watering trough. Nonetheless, we were extremely grateful for her hospitality, and ate all she had to offer.

Leaving the village, we brought the chief with us to a widows home who we were unable to visit the previous day. It was a couple of miles away, and while driving there, we spotted the Guliwonkulu. And they spotted us and gestured to us to “stop, come here“. 8 men in witch doctor masks and garb, with machete’s and spears came running at us. Our ABC students that were with us said all they would do is ask for money. Didn’t matter, we weren’t stopping and kept going to the widows home. At the widows home, we met Ms. Katsono. Her husband died in 2002, and all her children are dead. Recently, she had given up on life and stopped eating. The Guliwonkulu believe their ancestors’ spirits will give them everything they’ll need. Well, they didn’t provide food when Ms. Katsono wasn’t eating. Chief Malika heard about it, walked the couple of miles and brought her food. Ms. Katsono was so grateful, she vowed to go wherever Chief Malika went. Now Ms. Katsono attends church in Malika village. Darkness cannot prevail where there is light.

From there, Paul dropped Kim, Jennifer, and myself off at COTN (Children of the Nations) so we could see our sponsor children. It was a fantastic reunion with new dresses, shoes, coloring books and pencils, along with Dumb-Dumb lollypops. We walked to the homes and met the families and took pictures of them. Jennifer brought a picture printer so we print up the picture back at our lodge, and give them their very own family photo. It’s something we’ve been doing at Malika village and received very well. It was wonderful to see our friends at COTN and we also laid some ground work for our future visit in June 2010.

At 6pm, we all went to Palmer’s, brother Paul’s house for the famous Paul Gunther Thai dinner. Outstanding as usual. Paul’s wife Laura only had to go to every store in Lilongwe to find all the ingredients!

Prayerfully our stomachs will be okay and we wont be forced to figure out which “soured” our systems. The local African fare, or Paul’s Thai. Good night, and make it a great day! Steve.

Why go to Africa on a Mission?

2009-09-10T17:41:00.000-07:00

Jennifer Job holding what is assumed to be a special needs child.
Jennifer held this little one for a long time with nobody around.
It was incredibly moving and special.

This picture is worth at least 1,000 reasons.

Mosquito Nets, School and Village Visits

2009-09-09T13:42:00.001-07:00

Today's post courtesy of Corey Stamen

The day started in Chapel followed by a great breakfast prepared by our chef Paul (not Gunther). Visiting the village was our first priority but we couldn't just load up and head out without a drive downtown to pick up more mosquito nets and some gifts (food items) for the village widows.

We purchased 20 nets a few days after we arrived but the village chief said they still needed an additional 68. We went back to the People's Kwikmart, a small grocery/convenience store, to get more nets. We bought every one they had unfortunately it was not enough. We still needed 20 more which meant another stop but as it turned out Kim spotted some on the shelf at the grocery store where they purchased the widow's food items. We were lucky enough to get the rest there.

One final stop a short distance away at a not so friendly looking market to pick up a large bag of Maize and we were finally on our way.

We really wanted to see the school where the children attended so we headed there first. We were greeted by over 800 curious but smiling children ranging in ages from 5 to 16 years old. A tour of the campus revealed 8 classrooms (only one had desks) and 7 teachers for all those kids! We took lots of pictures, asked lots of questions, and donated paper and pencils.

From there one car headed to the village to drop of the remaining mosquito nets and the other headed back to campus to drop off Charles our translator.

We had a traditional nsima (pronounced nn-see-mah) lunch with the ABC students - we ate it without any silverware! You know the old cliché "when in Rome..."

After washing our hands we piled into two vehicles along with our 4 ABC translators to head back to the village.

Once there Paul went with the village chief to tour the village boundaries and do a video interview. The rest of the team split up to meet and visit all of the widows. It took nearly 30 minutes to walk to her hut. She was so happy to recieve her gifts.

Finally before leaving we sang songs with the children and handed out suckers which they loved. Wow! What a day. The things we saw and experienced today will no doubt last a lifetime. These people are incredible and have so much to share. Their smiles are unforgettable, we can't wait to share our pictures with you.

Good night and God bless.

Tuesday September 8 - In the Villiages

2009-09-08T14:15:00.000-07:00

Today's post courtesy of Mark Ruff

Tuesday was a fantastic day! We were able to spend time in the villages of Chipampha and Malika which surround the church at Chiuza. The village that we thought we were going to was Chiuza but we found out that Chiuza is actually the name of the church and the villages are named after the chiefs.

I think all of us were struck by the friendliness and openness of the people. We saw things in person that most people will never have the benefit of seeing.

The villages are about 8 miles away from African Bible College near Lilongwe.

God’s timing on this trip, as always, has been impeccable. About a month before our trip, the Christians in one of these villages changed chiefs because of what they felt was persecution by the Gulywonkulu -- or witch doctors. Our arrival was a sign of answered prayers on their part.

The chief, Amfumu Malika, said she’d been a Christian for many years but the Jesus had only become real to her in recent years.
It is late now. The ladies, Kim Franken and Jennifer Job, are out visiting a birthing clinic right now at 8 pm. The men came back to their dorm room to find a bat in their room. Your pastor, Paul Gunther, acted like a little girl but he’s all better now that the bat has been removed.

God is doing great things in Malawi and with the team you are supporting. We are tired and dirty but each night we are extremely excited for the next day.

Please continue to remember us in your prayers. We love you and be assured that The Grove has a presence in Malawi.

Monday - September 7th, 2009

2009-09-07T14:12:00.000-07:00

Today's post courtesy of Jennifer Job

We all went to chapel today on campus with the students at African Bible College. Paul Guenther spoke at the service and handed out copies of his book “Cheap Black Bracelet” to all of the seniors and Live Love bracelets to all of the students.

We were able to go into India town (downtown) today and purchase 20 mosquito nets. It was a very busy downtown full of street vendors, little shops with baggers that were mostly disabled. It resembled a typical border town like Nogales.

We have been staying on campus at ABC in their new housing that was built for guest. They have been wonderful accommodations and they even have a cook that has been providing us with some great meals. We were able to help them with a couple projects they had around campus.

We spent most of the evening further brainstorming about our visit to the village tomorrow. Paul and Steve were able to meet with Charles, a former student at ABC, who will go with us tomorrow to make the formal introductions between us and the village. We have put together our good will gifts for the chiefs and elders of the village. We have learned today that we are not required to bring two white chickens, rather they could gift us the two white chickens. Again, good photo opportunity may arise.

Fields burning to drive the mice out where they could be caught.

Corey sitting with some African children

Arrival... At Last!

2009-09-06T15:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we all were very tired from the flights and went right to sleep after dinner. Here is what we have done so far...

We were greeted by Paul Chinchen and Michelle Clark (sister of Chris Clark from COTN). We got our first taste of the poverty in Africa for instance we noticed fires in the fields and Paul told us that it is the children that set them to smoke out the mice then they use a stick to kill them as they ran from the flames. Then we know his story was truthful when we saw people selling mice on a stick on the corners. By the way, you can buy about 10 mice on a stick for around $1.00 USD. (157 Kwatchas - Malawian money)

After unloading our stuff at ABC we were able to drive to the village of Mgwayi. We saw the people of village using the well that the Grove put in last year. It was so exciting to actually see it and know that it was being used. It is a good to know that because of the Grove's support this village has clean safe water. We were able to interact with some of the children. They loved having their pictures taken with the digital cameras and then showing them their picture. They asked us our name and were proud to tell us their name. They were full of big smiles and loved the dum-dum suckers that we passed out. We we saw women carrying firewood for the night on their head and babyies in slings on their back. It was a great first experience for this group and has really got us excited about going to Chiuza. After dinner at ABC we all headed for bed. It had been 31 hours of airplanes and airports and most of us were on about 3 hours sleep.

Sunday Sept 6th -

We all went to church at the chapel on campus, then we headed out for some exploring and shopping in the town of Dedza about 1 1/2 hour away.

Some of us are really feeling the effects of the widespread poverty of Malawi. We brainstormed about how our week was going to play out and what our ultimate mission for this trip and many more trips will entail. Before we all go into the village, we need to get permission from the chief. Which we heard was now a woman. Hopefully we can accomplish this in the morning and all go out there soon. One of the missionaries suggested to establish good will we come with two white chickens. If I get a picture of Paul bringing them to the chief I will definily upload it for everyone's viewing pleasure. But Paul seems hesitate to take this advise. (We are all pushing for it).

Hopefully I can get to a computer tomorrow and be able to send some pictures too.

Jennifer Job

Day 1: Travel to Africa

2009-09-05T09:55:00.000-07:00

Throughout the Malawi 09 trip we will get updates from the team on the ground. Come back frequently to see what is going on and what you can pray for!

Friday, September 4
We are currently in Kenya right now and will be leaving here in about an hour. Flights so far have been smooth.

First there was a 10 hour flight from Phx to London. We had a 7 hour lay over in London but because we had 11 boxes along with our luggage and had to transport them all between 2 terminals we were unable to leave and see the city. We have a long lay over on our way back home so we will try to go into the city on our way home due to not having to bring the boxes back with us. The boxes were full of books, team uniforms, and requests made by the African Bible College. Some of us have brought along items to distribute to the children in the villages such as dum-dum suckers, rubber braclets, shoes, and hats.

Then we had about an 8 hour flight from London to Keyna. With a 4 hour lay over here.

Everyone is excited to get to Malawi and looking forward to get down to the tasks ahead of us. This group has great dynamics with a good mix of working together to get things done along with a great sense of humor. We are looking forward to seeing what God has planned for us in this project.

I will send you another e-mail when we get to Malawi.

Jennifer

Meet the Team

2009-09-05T09:05:00.000-07:00

Why would someone go halfway around the world to spend time with people in Africa? Why would they take time off work, spend so much time on an airplane, enter into the lives of poverty and suffering?

I asked some of the people on the 2009 Malawi team to tell me about their journey to decide to go to Malawi. Here is what they told me. In their own words (mostly).

Mark Ruff
My wife, Carmen, and I have been attending The Grove for over a year now. On one of the first Sundays we attended, Palmer had people come up and put their name on a board if they committed to going to a foreign country in the years ahead. I sat on my hands because I knew it was the right thing but was afraid of leaving the comfort of my home.

A year later, I am leaving to be 9000 miles from home.

As I prepare to go, what God has been teaching me this year is that my life is supposed to be uncomfortable and uncommon.

Jennifer Job
I went to the Africa meeting several months ago thinking it was for Malawi ’10, when I heard in that meeting what they were doing in ’09 it intrigued me to be able to go over with a small group and lay the foundation for years to come with trips to Malawi.

I have always had the desire to go on a mission trip since I was in junior high. I wanted to go to Haiti to help build a church and my Mom would not let me go because she said I would be to afraid of spiders and conditions over there. Apparently, I give off the impression that I am high maintenance. My Mom had the same reaction when I told her that I was going to Africa, but now I am old enough to make my own decisions.

Honestly, the feeling God has put in my heart to do what I can to help has always been there and the possibility to actually act on those long held and deep feelings is unexplainable.

Kim Franken
I really prayed about going to africa again this year. Last year I went with my husband Daryl and son Derek. We left our 4 years old, Spencer, home with friends. The thought of going this year and leaving my family behind was difficult. I prayed that god would let me know if He wanted me to go. I was so undecided. I think I drove my husband crazy because one minute I wanted to go and the next I didn't. I woke one morning and my head was filled with all of the things that I wanted to help accomplish in Chiuza. I knew that God wanted me to go.

God is teaching me to let go and trust in him. I am using this time to help our oldest son become more independent. He is a senior in high school and needs to learn to do laundry and cook, you know, bachelor survivor skills. My husband Daryl does not cook but he can order some mean take-out and I have faith that my friends will not let him or the kids starve.

John Vice
I think I am moved by the stories that everyone has talked about. I feel God has called me to help where ever help is needed. I also think that this will really mature my walk. I am looking forward to the stories and the bonding with not only the group I am going with, but with the people that we are going to meet.

I think God has taught me to rely on Him for everything. Before this trip I valued a lot of material values and was very worried about my everyday life. When we give it to God and pray, we don't have to worry about what makes us look or sound good, as well as worry about the craziness we clam our lives to be.

I think personally that the power of prayer can move mountains. I also feel like the fact that my wife is content with me being gone will be a big help. I think other support would be to just make sure that everyone is aware of the impact we make as Christians is world changing.

Corey Stamen

I feel God is teaching me how important it is to pray. Prayer has never been a big enough part of my walk and now that I am in a position to really NEED God to provide, I am praying more than ever. My funding is not what I would like it to be, especially with less than 2 weeks till we depart. I must be diligent and persistent with my petitions. My family cannot afford to fund most of this trip. I need to have faith and know that God will see this through, somehow, someway.

I really want to yield to God's guidance. I want to eagerly and without fear or reservation do His will. God has done so very much in my life and want's to do great things in other people's as well. I want to be able to share that and show them how great and powerful God really is.

Who's on the 2009 Malawi Team

2009-09-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

On September 3, a team of people from The Grove will be getting on an airplane to travel to Malawi for almost 2 weeks - Until September 14. In an effort to make them more accessible here's a list of who is going:

Corey Stamen
Jennifer Job
John Vice
Kim Frankin
Michael Shuck
Paul Gunther
Rex Perkins
Steve Hoesel

If you can remember, take time to pray for each of these people (by name) while they travel. It will go a long way to making their trip a success!

Introducing - Malawi 2009

2009-08-24T21:19:00.001-07:00

It's time to fire up The Grove Red Blog - 2009 Edition!

Yes, you might not have know, but we are getting ready to send over another team in September. It's not a big team with a grand strategy. It's a smallish team of people willing to see what God has in store for The Grove in Africa. They are traveling to Malawi in September to scout out the opportunities and the needs and bring a report back to us. This will help us plan as we go forward for the big push to send as many as possible to Malawi in 2010.

The team will leave Phoenix on September 3 but not get into Lilongwe Malawi until September 5 ("Are we there yet?"). After 9 days on the ground in Africa, they will leave on the 16th and get back to Phoenix on the 17. A tidy little 2 week trip.

During the time they are in Africa, we will stay in contact with them using the world wide web. As often as possible - up to several times per day - we'll post information here about what God is doing with the team over in Africa. So bookmark this page and come back often so you will know how to pray for them and can celebrate with them what God is doing.

Before they leave we'll post a little bit of their story (and even a picture or two) so you can firmly fix in mind who is representing you on the other side of the world. Get prayed up. The work is about to begin!

Tuesday/Wednesday

2008-06-11T21:49:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday the team drove back from the game preserve in Zambia. This was essentially a rewind of the drive out. 6 hours is a long drive in African driving conditions. And this assumes that there are no mechanical problems with the bus.

On Wednesday the plan is to visit Frederic's Orphanage. I don't have a lot of details on what the plans are at this orphanage. But as with all orphanages in Africa, this is a real issue with the impact of aids. It is truly at a scale so much more massive than what we experience here in the states.

On a different note, Palmer has had a real experience. He had the opportunity to slide down the emergency evacuation slide on his way back to the United States. Mostly because one of the engines caught on fire. Fortunately the plane hadn't taken off yet, so he got away with a real scare only. Please pray for him. Now that he missed one leg of his flight, it will be a real challenge to make up the connections. Pray that he makes it back by Sunday!

Zambia - African Safari

2008-06-09T21:44:00.000-07:00

Sunday began a great journey for the Malawi team. They boarded a bus and began the journey from Lilongwe to the neighboring country of Zambia to visit a game preserve. If you've ever thought about going on an African Safari, that's what the team is going to do.

The bus ride is about 6 hours long. And while the bus isn't an open backed truck, it still leaves a lot to be desired for conveniences - as we would expect them here. It is not uncommon for the bus to break down en route - and either perform true "roadside repairs" or have to wait for replacement parts to be brought in from ... wherever they can.

In Zambia the team will be staying at a wildlife game preserve near a river. Rivers mean water, and water means 2 things: Hippos and bugs. Of all the animals in the savanna, the hippo is most to be feared. Weighing in at over a ton, an angry bull hippo is a fearsome force of nature. At night the team will need to stay indoors and not venture out lest they fall astray of a wandering bull. And bugs. Of all shapes, but only one size... LARGE. Bugs of every configuration you could imagine and then more. The team will come to find new appreciation for the mosquito nets.

On Monday they will drive out into the savanna and take the safari. Africa is full of wildlife. And the safari sees it up close and personal. Lions lying beside the roadway. Giraffes eating nearby trees. Elephants wandering around nearby. The team will certainly come back with great photos and stories.

Below is a series of photos from last years team to give you an idea of what it will be like.

| View | Upload your own

Tuesday the team will board the same bus and begin the drive back to Malawi. They plan to reach the ABC campus in time for dinner - At Mrs. Chinchen's house.

Friday and Saturday - Chawango Village

2008-06-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

Friday after chapel, the Childrens ministry team set off on a grand adventure. They traveled about an hour outside of Lilongwe (the capitol city) to a village named Chawengo. The most notable feature of this village is that Children of the Nations (COTN) runs an orphanage for children whose parents have died due to the tremendous rates of AIDS in Africa.

The team will get an extended opportunity to interact with the kids and see what life is like at the orphanage. Far from being a sad place, the orphanage is a place of tremendous joy and hope. These kids are rescued out of lives of nothing, given a place to live, stability, an education and essentially a future. Not to mention, they are exposed to the Gospel of Jesus at the orphanage.

The team will spend the night in Chawango and wrap up on Saturday morning. This is a unique opportunity to interact with the people in the village and develop relationships with the kids. Several of the Grove members have sponsored kids from Chawango village.

Following is a slide show of pictures from Chawango. You can see the happiness on he faces of the kids as they greet the team. At the end of the deck you can see the team walking through the African plains, and a sunset over the savanah.

| View | Upload your own

Mgawi Villiage - Thursday

2008-06-06T20:09:00.000-07:00

On Thursday the team went to Mgawi village. Last year a team visited there and saw the amount of work and energy expended bringing water to the village. It had to be carried from far away in jugs. Coming back Paul Gunther led a drive to raise money to build them a well.

Below is a slide show of pictures from the village. You can see that the kids thronged the camera every where the team went.

| View | Upload your own

In addition to checking out the well, the team also distributed mosquito nets to the villagers. Going forward, we know that lives will be saved in the village because of this.

Thursday evening the team will get to attend the African Bible College Senior Banquet at the Capitol Hotel. This is a big deal for the Seniors at ABC and it is wonderful that the team gets to be a part of it.

Keep remembering the team in prayer. This is a fun time but also exhausting. Everything is different, and this can wear on them over time.

Mtzilisa Village

2008-06-03T21:25:00.000-07:00

Tuesday and Wednesday this week the team will be spending time in Mtzilisa village. This village is practically across the street from the African Bible College campus. To give you a feel for what it is like in Mtzilisa village take a look at the slide show below - taken on last year's trip to the Africa.

| View | Upload your own

The people in the village love it when teams come to visit.

Eating in Malawi

2008-06-03T19:43:00.000-07:00

Eating African food is sometimes fun, and sometimes a challenge. There's always the question... "Do I want to know what it is?" Tonight the Malawi team ate in the homes of the faculty of the African Bible College. This would be the same food that the staff eats on a regular basis.

Following is a sampling of the kinds of dishes that they might get to eat:

Fried Crickets
N'sima (starchy, pasty staple made from corn - mashed potatoes meets polenta)
Stewed pumkin greens
Chicken stew
Chambo fish (the whole thing, head, eyes and all)

For dessert, they will probably have either a soda or Malawian ice cream.

Note: While these are traditional Malawian foods, the represent a nice meal by Malawian standards. Be sure to ask the team about it when they get back.

One of the other interesting aspects of this evening is that the meal is in the home of the staff, along with their families. It presents a great opportunity to get a feel for how the Malawian people really live.

Keep praying. Much ministry remains.

June 3 Update

2008-06-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

We have hit some technical glitches with the live updates from Malawi. But rest assured that we are working on it as diligently as possible. Meanwhile here is the information we have for what is going on today.

Just as every day this week, the day begins with chapel at the ABC campus. As long as the students are here, this will be the start for every day.

Today the team is going out to the village of Mtzilisa with Children of the Nations. Lunch will be a sack lunch - sandwiches and other food that can be carried in with the team. Activities will center around loving on the people in the village and probably distributing mosquito nets.

Some of the people on the team are sponsoring children (orphans) through Children of the Nations. I know it will be a very big deal for them to see "their child" face to face.

Tonight, dinner will be back at the ABC campus. Rather than dining room fare, they will be splitting up and going to the homes of the staff to have dinner.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Monday June 2

2008-06-02T07:22:00.000-07:00

Today opens up with Chapel on the African Bible College campus. Our team will be getting to participate with the Students throughout the week (until after Graduation).

For the most part, today is an orientation day. The team will be getting tours of the ABC campus from Palmer and Kevin Kalonga, then into Lilongwe (the capitol city) for a tour and the purchase of Mosquito nets. Pray for the team to do well in negotiations and make the money they took with go a very long way.

Lunch is a local experience at a restaurant called "Ali Babas".

Dinner in the evening will be amongst the students, getting to share in the excitement of the trip as well as the impending graduation ceremonies.

I haven't gotten any updates directly from Maddie... pray that any technology bugs will be worked out.

Sunday's Agenda

2008-06-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

Today the team expects to arrive in Malawi. They will spend the night on the ABC campus. One thing all is looking forward to is eating Waffles. Mrs. Chinchen is famous for her waffles.

It is graduation season at the African Bible College. So this evening the team will attend a Baccalaureate service for the graduating seniors.

Day one in Africa is underway. Jetlag adjustment is happening. Excitement is building.

Faith in Action; God in Motion.

Daily Update - May 30

2008-05-31T16:22:00.000-07:00

Maddie Shively has set up some technology to be able to send in daily posts and updates from the trip. If you are interested, you can see the updates directly at www.twitter.com/GroveRED
Or you can come here to the GroveRedBlog to see them posted as well.

the first of the malaria pills have been taken and the excitment for the trip is increasing. in just a few hours we'll be on our way! 06:12 PM May 29, 2008

Today is the day! We leave in a few hours for the airport. Everyone's energy levels are way up! 09:07 AM May 30, 2008

And we're off! We're going to board our first plane out of the five flights we're venturing on to! 02:56 PM May 30, 2008

Arrived in LA about an hour ago. card games and cell phones occupy our time as we prepare to board our flight to london' about 20 hours ago

Malawi Team Prayer Requests

2008-05-30T15:49:00.000-07:00

The Malawi team is off to Africa today. Before leaving, I got a list of prayer requests from Steve Hosel, the team leader. He asked on behalf of the team that everyone at The Grove would remember these requests during their daily prayers. Feel free to print this list out and put in on your refrigerator or your bathroom mirror. Any place that will keep these requests fresh in your mind.

Please Pray...

For safe travels
That our supplies make it with us
That everyone will completely give themselves to the Lord while on this mission so He can use us the way He wants to
Also, prayers that I (Steve) will gain wisdom as the representative and team leader of this awesome group of people as we travel throughout Malawi

We are thankful for our supporters which allowed us ALL to go; no one left behind! Also for our Grove family who will be helping us fight malaria through there generosity of over $3000 for mosquito nets! WOW!!!

Welcome to The Grove's RED blog

2008-05-29T13:45:00.000-07:00

This blog is dedicated to the Grove's efforts in Africa under the RED program.

On May 30, 2008, a team is leaving Arizona to go to Malawi East Africa. They will be staying at the campus of the African Bible College and working in many of the surrounding villages. This blog will be posting regular updates of what the team there is doing and seeing. The goal is to have a daily update, so please come back and check in regularly.

The Grove