The Stockers' Stories

Our New Home

Posted by Dean

Jan 262012

Many people have asked about our new home out on the farm. Are we living in a hut? Do we have a grass roof? I’m sorry to disappoint, but our new house is reasonably similar to our old house in the city. Three bedrooms, indoor plumbing, electricity (at least most of the time, almost every day). But the environs are quite different. Here are some comparisons in photos:

This road (complete with painted lines and a cement gutter!) goes to our house in Lilongwe. It is called Mthuntama Road.

This road goes to the farm where we are moving. It also happens to be a river when it's raining--this week some guys are working on digging ditches to divert water from it. It doesn't have a name.

This locked gate separates our yard in Lilongwe from the street.

Jolie is very happy to have an "American-style" house on the farm, where there are no walls and no gate to separate us from our neighbors. I'm happy not to have to shut off the car, get out, open the gate, start the car, drive through, shut off the car, and close the gate every time I come home.

Our old house in Lilongwe

The best features of our new home: (1) the verandah that runs the full length of the house (on the other side), and looks out toward Lake Malawi, (2) some of the walls are made of the same local stone that you can see here making up the sidewalk, and (3) It has a name, "Pathanthwe," which means "on the rock." Pathanthwe is a great name, reminiscent of Jesus' parable about the wise and foolish builders, while at the same time describing where the house is built. Our house in Lilongwe, by the way, is called 3/228. How boring is that?

One thing we will miss is having this spot to throw a baseball or a frisbee or to play croquet. We'll have to find another place to do that on the farm.

This is the view from the top of the rock where our house on the farm is built. It's already a favorite picnic spot for Jolie, and could be the eventual location of a gazebo.

Twisted

Posted by Dean

Jan 072012

I received a text message on one of my bus journeys from Lilongwe to Salima—the brother of a friend of ours had just died in Lilongwe. I immediately knew that I should return to Lilongwe to pay respects to the family, but I had a lot of work to do in Salima. Going back to Lilongwe would mean more time spent away from my family, more money spent on transport, and most of a day wasted in a couple of crowded buses. In the end, I got off of one bus at the Salima bus depot and got on the next bus back to Lilongwe. And yes, it felt to my American heart like a waste, going back to attend the preparations for the funeral of a man who I had never met. But I also knew that for a Malawian there would be no question that this was the right course of action.

At this point, one might be tempted to admire me for my cultural sensitivity and self-sacrifice. But that admiration would be ill-placed, because of the way I myself was admiring my cultural sensitivity and self-sacrifice, thinking how impressed people would be at the funeral if they discovered that I had spent all morning traveling to Salima only to turn around and come back to sit with them and mourn for this man I didn’t even know. It’s sickening to think how twisted my heart is sometimes.

And now I’m questioning whether I’m telling you about this just out of vain conceit, hoping you’ll see how culturally sensitive and self-sacrificing I am, while at the same time I have the humility and maturity to allow myself to be vulnerable. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (Philippians 2:3-4, NIV)

I need a heart that follows Jesus, not just feet that follow Him!

The Stocker Star: Our 2011 Family Christmas Letter

Posted by Dean

Dec 302011

View, save, or print the PDF version of this prayer letter here.

We pray you had a wonderful Christmas season: enjoying family, remembering the birth of Jesus, and looking forward to His return. In Malawi, the celebration of Christmas is similar in some ways to the USA: the stores are crowded the week before Christmas, Christmas lights shine at stores and traffic circles, and you might get a chance to see some reindeer (above). There are no Christmas Eve services (something we miss, so much so that we had our own this year) and the Christmas Day service includes a Christmas play in which Herod’s soldiers in Bethlehem play a large and boisterous role (quite shocking to us last year). This is a time when we miss family and friends (and SNOW!), but it is also a time of remembering the saving and transforming power of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray he continues to transform us into what He desires and that we can play a part in His transformation of Malawi.

Surprises

Penny: A woman came to the clinic for cervical cancer screening, but when we did the screening we found that she didn’t have a cervix, or a uterus. She was visibly surprised at the news we gave her. She said that she had given birth by Caesarean five years ago and hadn’t had a period since. She knew that something must be wrong. Either the doctors didn’t tell her that they had given her a hysterectomy or else she didn’t understand it when they did. Since that day we’ve had at least two other women with this same story.

Dean: The main obstacles to development constantly surprise me. For example, the Head of Kindle’s Education Department would like to start a small business. I asked if he was considering a maize mill, used to grind the staple food here, and a popular choice for income generation. He was visibly shocked at the suggestion, and said if he did that then everyone would think he wanted to murder them. It is commonly believed that a maize-mill business can not succeed without human sacrifice.

Not SO Big!

Tazelaar & Jolie are under the impression that they’re getting big, mostly just because now their clothes are too small and Taz can look his mom directly in the eye. But as you can see in this picture, they aren’t all that big. In fact, you can hardly see them at the base of this baobab tree near our new home.

Arts & Entertainment

The ABC Christian Academy Christmas Pageant focused on the kingship of Jesus. A particularly graceful 4th-grade ballerina is on the right.

Never enough email in your inbox? Want to impress your friends & co-workers by showing off emails sent to you from the African bush? Sign up below to start receiving Kindle Orphan Outreach’s monthly newsletter “Kindle Aflame” or the Stockers’ monthly prayer letter “The Stockers’ Stories.” Act now to receive 75% off of the regular subscription price of $0!

To view past issues of “Kindle Aflame” or to learn more about Kindle, go to www.kindleorphanoutreach.com.

To view past issues of “The Stockers’ Stories” or to learn more about the Stockers’ life & ministry in Africa, go to http://stocker.with.sim.org.

Weather

The rains are just starting, but have been very light in Malawi’s central region so far this year. Please pray that they start in earnest soon—this is extremely important for our agricultural society!

Classifieds

For Rent

A nice 4-bedroom house in the capital city, which is being passed up by a family who feels that God is calling them to go live on a farm in the middle of the bush.

Seeking Employment

One night guard, one day guard/gardener, and one housekeeper. All trustworthy and hard-working, but their former employer is leaving the city. It is considered rude and selfish to be an American living in Malawi without domestic workers—if you can afford to employ someone (for less than $100 per month) then you should share the wealth. And supporting workers is a better way to be generous than handing out money to people on the street.

A Bad Day at the Diesel Pump

Posted by Penny

Nov 252011

“Hello, my name is Penny (Hi, Penny). I am a sinner saved by grace.”

It sounds like I am introducing myself at a “SA” meeting (“Sinners Anonymous:” this does not really exist, but isn’t the Church supposed to take this role?). God has been teaching me about the importance of our thoughts; He used a book entitled, The Battlefield of the Mind (by Joyce Meyer) to show me ways in which I have not been taking all my thoughts captive (II Cor 10:4-5). After finishing the book and taking notes, I felt prepared to apply the Scriptures she discussed in my life. I had my first big test soon after finishing the book, and, boy, did I fail (a.k.a. sin).

The day started out ok. Well, sure our vehicle for transporting kids to school read below 1/4 tank, we had emptied all of our jerrycans (zigubu in Chichewa, gas cans in American English), and we had already waited in line a few days and received no diesel, but “hope springs eternal” and we believed we should try again. Dean started waiting at about 4:00am, then had to change to a different station that actually was going to get diesel that day (he called the depot when it opened). At 8:30am, after getting the kids off to school, I relieved him. I had brought my Bible, some Chichewa books, our new Kindle (thanks to Dean’s parents), paper for correspondence, and bottles of filtered water from our home; I was “ready for anything” in my mind.

I had a nice quiet time, praying and reading my Bible in the morning while the car was in the shade. Read some books, wrote some thank you notes, and felt peaceful. Even took a walk to the front of the line maybe 20 cars ahead, and spoke with the drivers there. They had made a road block out of rocks to prevent others from coming in and it looked like the station might maintain an orderly line. My hopes were buoyed and I was thanking God that maybe this was the day.

About noon, the tanker finished “off-loading” the diesel and the line started moving. I moved about 4 car lengths in that first 20 minutes and was so excited. Then…it slowed. After 4 hours in the full sun, I had moved maybe 100 meters!!!! Not even close to the driveway of the station. It turns out, as in previous lines around the city, that the attendants were filling the zigubu, instead of the vehicles, because they were getting bribes. Nothing was being done to stop this practice, even with police near the area.

Then, I saw the Partners in Hope ambulance enter the queue near the pump (ambulances get priority). The driver asked if I had a can to be filled. We had our worker stand in line previously with our small jerrycans, because most of the time attendants will fill these before the vehicles. However, when I tried to find our worker, he was not around. I called him, and he had left on a minibus to try to get diesel in CityCentre, about 6 km away from the ambulance that could get me diesel!

I drove over to his “location” to get the jerrycans, but could not find him. I called and, since talking/listening on the phone in Chichewa is very difficult, I could not understand him. Finally, after trying to find him for 15-20 minutes, my stress level was increasing by leaps and bounds. It was hot, I had been in the broiling car in the sun for over 5 hours now and I could not do anything!!! At this point I should have remembered to talk to my Heavenly Father about my stress and about trusting in Him for the fuel we needed.

But instead, I called Dean.That same day he had left for Salima on his own crazy journey consisting of a dampa, bus, and walking (see his story on the blog). But Dean could not do anything, except to sympathize. Finally, I got so angry with my worker, with Dean, but really with the whole situation that I threw my phone on the ground. Childish, I know; sinful, exactly; but it felt good at the time. That is the problem with sin, our minds can justify it in so many ways and it may seem good at the time, but it only destroys us, our relationship to God, and our relationships with others.

Penny's broken Blackberry phone

I am paying for this sin. My phone still works, but it has this black spot on the top right corner of the screen that is spreading across the screen (apt picture of sin, right?) I have apologized for getting angry to my worker and asked forgiveness from God, but I still have the consequences of my sin; this broken phone. It is a good reminder to me of the need to take all thoughts captive, ESPECIALLY when I am stressed, angry, frightened… It is not just for the times when things are going well, but for ALL times!

Like alcoholics, I have a condition that is life-long and I must be on guard day-to-day. It was Paul who wrote we need to put on the whole armor of God so we can stand firm against the powers that come against us, including our fleshly desires. Every morning I need to pray to put on this armor of truth, salvation, righteousness found only in Jesus, the Gospel of peace (shalom: right standing with God and others), faith, and the Word of God.

I am a sinner, but I praise God I am saved by grace and I can find forgiveness through Jesus.

Praises for VIA

Posted by Penny

Nov 232011

Last week, after having many weeks of administrative work for the VIA program, I was feeling discouraged about my role. It seemed like it was difficult to get many women to come to the VIA clinic and there were many barriers to integrating this program into the HIV clinic as part of their standard care. But then God brought me two women to remind me of the need for this program.

Last week, “Patience,” a 30-year-old woman, came to show me her health book. In April, we had referred her to the Central Hospital due to a lesion suspicious of cancer. She had gone to the hospital twice, but had been turned away because there were too many women needing care and they only had time to see the women who had come from far away. She returned to us in October. We checked again, but came to the same conclusion: a lesion suspicious for cancer. This time, I took her to the hospital and made the appointment with the gynecologist. As I looked in her book last week, I saw the pathology report showed a lesion with an early cancer, one that can be treated; she will be receiving a hysterectomy soon. I was so thankful we caught it early. We prayed right there; praising God for allowing us to find this lesion and praying for her upcoming surgery.

The next day, Chisomo, a 51-year-old woman, noticed me in passing and started chatting with me about her results. We had referred her to the Central Hospital for a large lesion we could not treat with cryotherapy. It turns out the lesion contained an early cancer and she also was scheduled for a hysterectomy to remove this cancer. She was so happy we found this at an early stage. I again had the opportunity to pray with her. What a joy!

As of the end of October, we have provided initial screening for 297 women at the VIA clinic (cervical cancer prevention through Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid) at Partners in Hope (PIH). Of these women, 23 have needed cryotherapy and 40 have been referred to the Central Hospital because of large lesions or lesions suspicious of cancer. So about 20% of the woman we see in the HIV clinic require further treatment. We praise God for this program because with VIA we can detect these lesions early so the women can be treated rather than die an excruciately painful death due to cervical cancer;most Malawian women diagnosed with cervical cancer have been diagnosed at such a late stage that palliative care is the only treatment option available and pain medicine is in short supply.

Please pray for the large referral hospital. There is one gynecologist who is available to take biopsies and to provide treatment for the women we refer. She is very busy and many times women wait a long time to receive this care. Please pray that the system can grow to meet the needs of the women.

At PIH, we are now at the start of an operational research project looking at integrating VIA into an HIV clinic. Please pray for us to reach as many women as possible and to provide the best care possible. We want to show God’s love to these women by providing screening to prevent cervical cancer, the number one cancer in Malawi.

Moving again

Posted by Dean

Nov 222011

We learned last week that our rental agreement will not be renewed in January. So we either need to find short-term housing until we move to Salima (where Dean is working at Kindle) in June, or we need to move to Salima in January!

Please pray:

For wisdom in decisions about housing, and for good relationships with our new neighbors there.
For our children to thrive through yet another transition. God has provided miraculously this past year and we know He will continue to do so. We pray they learn about God’s faithfulness through these transitions.

Grace

Posted by Penny

Nov 212011

Penny and Grace

Grace Mvula embodies the Proverbs 31 woman. In addition to caring for her husband and three beautiful children, she is studying to become a pastor/counselor. I met this wonderful woman at church and God put her on my mind when we were discussing ways to care for patients at Partners in Hope. She has graciously agreed to come each Wednesday afternoon to talk and pray with patients. I also have the privilege of praying with her in preparation for these times. Since Sept 1^st, she has comforted many, has led some to know Jesus, and has encouraged patients, staff, and myself. I praise God for this woman! Pray with me for her as she ministers in Chichewa to the patients and their guardians. This is an exciting first step in increasing the spiritual care for our patients. Pray for guidance in how to touch our patients with the love of Jesus as we care for their physical needs.

All in a Day’s Work

Posted by Dean

Nov 172011

These 11-year-old twin girls are with their mother, preparing the family field for planting. They have two older brothers and an older sister, all of whom are off at boarding school, so they have to do most of the work in the field, after going to school in the morning. They started learning to hoe when they were nine. As you can see, they’re pretty good at it now.

They make ridges through the whole field, and when the rains come they will plant maize in the ridges.

Hate Your Job?

Posted by Dean

Nov 082011

How would you like to have this job? Several women near Kindle spend hours each day in an abandoned quarry. They dig stones out of the sides of the quarry, toss them to a flat place that they have set up as their own, and proceed to use a hammer to crush them into gravel. This woman is almost finished crushing the larger rocks on the right to the size of the pile in front of her. Assuming she can find a buyer, she will sell that pile of rocks for about $3.

Adventures in Travel

Posted by Dean

Nov 062011

I’ve had to start changing the way I get back and forth to Kindle each week, partly because of the fuel crisis and partly just because of the expense. A 130-mile round trip to Kindle in a car eats up a full day’s salary, even if we have fuel!

Dean riding on a "dampa" bicycle taxi

This week was quite an adventure in travel, especially considering I was only trying to go 60 miles each way. I left home shortly after 10 AM on Tuesday, walking to a major intersection with a heavy backpack. From there, I caught a dampa (bicycle taxi) to the bus depot–that got me plenty of laughs and pointing fingers along the way! I was happy to find a bus that was already full, because that meant it would be leaving soon. Unfortunately, the owner of the bus didn’t feel that it was quite full yet. We finally left at noon, after people on the bus had been yelling for half an hour that the bus is full, you can’t take any more people. The seats were full, the aisle was completely packed, and I was sitting behind the seat that was stacked to the ceiling with suitcases, boxes, bags, buckets. I was thinking that it would make a nice picture, but I would have needed one of those IMAX cameras to get the effect: Solid people on three sides, with a narrow view to the window on the right, an armpit three inches in front of my nose, and above my head a precarious stack of things held in place by thin strips of rubber and string peeled from worn-out tires.

A man cleaning a fuel filter with his mouth. Tasty.

But the adventurous part really started when the bus tried to move. It did fairly well on a downward slope, but sputtered & coughed on level ground and shuddered along at walking speed on every uphill stretch. The driver said the problem was probably contaminated fuel that he had bought on the black market, since fuel is so hard to come by in filling stations. We made it perhaps five miles before they stopped the bus for repairs. I’ve never before seen anyone cleaning a fuel filter by sucking diesel through it as if it were a drinking straw, shaking it, then blowing it back out. After an hour of repairs, we were off again, with the engine running no better than before.

About halfway through the journey, we stopped again, this time at a “real” mechanic shop along the side of the road. The mechanics there worked on it for an hour or more, but again didn’t succeed in making any improvements. I was actually worried that we would never get out of that shop. To get there, we had pulled off of the tar and backed onto a slight downhill slope, and when it was time to leave, the driver couldn’t get the bus to move forward. It would roll backwards every time he tried to get it moving, even though most of the people were not on the bus. We ended up rolling backwards, away from the road, a hundred feet or more before we found a spot that was level enough to get a start moving forwards! After we got back to the tar and everyone hopped back on, the rest of the trip was uneventful, if slow. After another bicycle taxi ride and a bit more walking, I finally arrived at Kindle shortly before 5PM. That would be an average of just under 10 miles per hour.