So this one time when I was in Malawi...

Hello everyone!!! How's America? Well, Africa is nice.. thanks for asking :)

Haha but really.. I hope you are all doing well! Miss you! Let me catch you up a bit on my week...

The kids just finished their second trimester of school so they have a few weeks off until they go back to finish out their year. In this break time we now have the opportunity to tutor at Chitipi (one of COTN's children homes) in order to catch some kids up so they can pass the exams and move forward. Chitipi is just up the road and houses  around 30 sponsored children who have been pulled out of their village. It's awesome to see God's transformation in their lives in comparison to the village kids that we spend most of our time loving on throughout the week. So I am now part of the teaching team which goes on Monday and Wednesday mornings. Me and another intern work with 5 kids in standard 5 (5th grade) with the ages ranging from 10-14. They are pretty far behind according to standards in the States, but we are doing our best to help them with what we can. We have a small time of devotions in the beginning, then move into math, then have a play break, then work on English and reading. Monday was a struggle for me because we went not knowing what kids we were going to be working with or what we would be teaching them. The kids were really shy and unmotivated and it was difficult considering the differing skill levels. I've only done one-on-one tutoring in the past, so this was definitley going to be a challenge. One of the girls, Modesto, didn't smile the whole time and wouldn't even say goodbye to me. I felt really discouraged because I didn't know how to relate to her and I could see that she was being teased because she's really far behind and wasn't understanding. I felt like the whole day was a failure and had no idea how I was going to relate to these kids, since I had never struggled with school before (let alone the other issues they have faced growing up). I was getting nervous about going back on Wednesday so I prayed continuously for God to give me His strength, energy, patience, and creativity and to use me to reach these kids and be excited about learning. Wednesday came and compared to Monday it was night and day. I came up with a tons of simple math games we could do to get them motivated, they were all smiling and laughing and retaining the information that I was getting so frustrated with on Monday. The same girl from Monday gave me a big hug when we left and I can't wait to go back tomorrow :) God is good! Mom and Dad I don't know how you guys do it day in and day out... teaching is HARD!!! I love you both!!

On Thursday at the widows' ministry one of my friends Wezzie gave me her hat as a gift!! All the women made matching green crocheted hats that they wear as a uniform and she let me where hers on Tuesday. They are so silly, but I love it! At first I thought she was just letting me wear it again, but then she said, "No my friend... it's a gift.. for YOU!!! You can take a piece of me home and share with your friends and family." That room is always filled with so much love. So now I'm trying to learn how to make one from my friend Christina, but all we do is laugh because I can't understand her directions and so far I've only done 3 stitches on my own... it's so hard!

On Friday we had our weekly game day in Mgwayi (the village behind us) and a couple of the national interns started organizing a dance contest with the kids. We created a beat and then cheered for the best dancers. It was the funniest thing ever! Then all the kids pulled some of us "azungus" up there to show our moves and battle against the remaining kids. Of course I was one of them because I never turn down a good dance party! Haha. All the kids were cheering for us and then surrounded us with a big group hug at the end.

Last night (Saturday) was such a relaxing evening and made me feel like I was home. The power went out at dinner (which is pretty much an everyday occurence) so all of us girls hung out at the duplex (the staff house which is really cozy). We lit some candles and played the guitar and chatted while we waited for the power to come back on. When it did we popped some popcorn over the stove and baked cookies. We then got a projector and watched the Holiday on one of the walls while we cozied up on the big cozy couches. It was a great girls night and I haven't felt that cozy in a long time! It made me miss home even though I'm not ready to go back yet...

Thanks for reading about my weekly highlights! I am continuing to pray for you all back home :) Please continue to pray for me as I am beginning to see the end of my time here. I want God to continue to show me the people that He wants me to deepen relationships with, as well as the people who just need to know who He is. Please pray for patience and flexibility, since many things don't go the way I envision them to. Mostly, I just want to be fully present and open to His will for me here. I love you all! Talk to you again soon :)

Love,

Karin