So, that is a basically what I've been up to for the last month!  I am trying to post one picture a day to my Instagram and Facebook, so feel free to check in there (links on the right under my author profile)!  Internet has not been the most reliable and I haven't always been able to match my available time with working internet to get a blog post up.  Thank you for your prayers and well-wishes as I begin this adventure.  

What I have seen this past week has been amazing though – the amount of development and change that has happened in the last 2 years is huge – a whole new subdivision, new shopping mall, computerized and networked government procedures are a huge improvement, and a main road being widened to 4 lanes.  And yet, Malawi still holds onto the important things – the value of relationship.  The things I actually accomplished this week were all due to relationships.  Without those friendships, or the cultural importance of relationship and being there for one another, I would still be sitting and waiting in offices for weeks. 

The day has finally arrived.  My bags are all packed and checked in.  I have said goodbye to family and friends.  And I have conquered the first leg of travel.  Sitting in the Paris airport waiting for my next flight that will take me to Ethiopia, and then a final one into Malawi.  It feels so unreal... it didn't actually sink in until the plane took off last night, that I am really going back, right now!

It has been hard leaving Canada and my family this time... there is so much going on between my brothers all getting married (2 down, 1 to go + an international repeat) and a funeral for my Opa in Germany.  But God has arranged everything so very perfectly.  The past few weeks have been full of surprise gifts and assistance that covered my needs and wants and some things I had forgotten I needed!  And I am officially at 95% monthly support!  That is absolutely astounding to me.  Thank you to everyone who is supporting me through prayer, financially, and encouragement.  I love you all.

Tomorrow afternoon I land in Malawi after nearly two years of being gone.  I will spend a few days catching up with friends, re-registering my car, and packing it full of my stuff.  Then I will take the long drive south to my new home, Zomba.  Please pray that my car *after sitting for two years* will function perfectly all the way south!

I'll move into my new home, a semi-detached house rented by Liebenzell, and begin to settle in sometime next week!  And my fellow single lady missionary, Silvi, will join me and live on the other side of the duplex (coming into the city from one of the village projects) shortly thereafter.

To start, I'll shadow Michael Volz, the missionary who has been doing the team administrator role and bookkeeping.  I'll also be searching for a friend or two in the city who would be willing to partner with me to teach me Chichewa, the local language.  I am so excited to begin!!

Probably the best short-term gains (in my view), is that I am trading -30° C for +30° C!  I will finally be warm again! 

Thank you to all in my circle for sending me out and loving on me - I am so grateful to have each of you in my life.

This week my younger cousins are in town to attend the Vacation Bible School held at my home church, Woodside.  In the afternoons, I have been keeping them busy with swimming, trampoline jumping, and berry picking.  On Monday, we drove out to a strawberry farm and picked a ton to freeze.  And we chatted about everything under the sun.

One of the interesting conversations that happened was sparked by the fact that the farm was owned and operated by an Old Order Mennonite family.  Now, although I have lived in Elmira for most of my life, I haven't yet grasped all the minutiae of differences between the groups, so I may have gotten some stuff wrong.  But the boys wanted to know, why did this family dress differently, and why did they speak a different language, and a lot more whys.  We talked about wanting to stand out from our culture and be visibly different from those around us, and that this was one of the ways that Mennonites make sure others know who they believe in.  We talked about the fact that some of those choices made it more difficult for people to talk to them - and maybe that there were too many differences.  And we pondered whether we look different to the people around us who don't believe in Jesus.

While we were chatting, we picked away, and soon discovered, that due to our later season adventure, most of the strawberries were very tiny.... until we came across a few that had grown into each other and became, as we affectionately named them, Teenage Mutant Ninja Strawberries.  Yet more differences and whys to ponder on.

Now, the boys and I have gotten used to standing out due to skin colour (I usually live in Malawi, and they live in Toronto in a very multi-cultural neighbourhood).  But what we realized in our discussions, is that seeing our 'Jesus Difference' isn't immediately visible.  So I asked them about it... how do you think people will see Jesus in you?  It's not in our Batman t-shirts, or the way we style our hair.  We talked about the Bible and the lessons in it that teach us how to treat others and show them God's love, the skills God gives each of us, and how Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci (makers who were featured at VBS this week... and also names of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...) made such beautiful things to honour God.  At VBS, they have been learning about the amazing plan and purpose God has in mind for their lives.  

Well, the Liebenzell Mission Day of 2017 was a lot of fun!  Pastor Ken Davis, the leader of retreat ministries and outreach gave a wonderful sermon on Colossians 1.  The worship was led by a team of German students who are studying at the Liebenzell University in Germany, and are doing a term abroad.  We sang the yearly German hymn, written in the 1950s, "Vergiss nicht zu danken dem ewigen Herrn", or "Do not forget to thank the eternal Lord".  I've put a translation below - it is a beautiful reminder of God's love for us.

A very creative, responsive prayer was led by a Liebenzell missionary, Markus Gommel, who works with Bangladeshi immigrants in Toronto.  He wrote specific prayers for Liebenzell missionaries, staff, and projects, and had each one prayed for in a different language!  I was blessed to be prayed for by one of my missionary candidate teachers, Rita Mattmueller, who used to be based in Malawi, and prayed for me in Chichewa.

At the close of the service, the Liebenzell Canada leadership and the other Liebenzell pastors and missionaries that were present for the day, prayed for and commissioned me to serve as a long-term missionary in Malawi.  It was led by my other missionary candidate teacher, Daniel Mattmueller.  You can watch a video of the prayer below.  I am so thankful for the amazing people who serve with Liebenzell globally, and that I am being included in that number.

After a potluck luncheon, I got to share about Malawi and the work that Liebenzell does there... stay tuned in the next while to get the lowdown on the various projects Liebenzell Malawi manages, and the lives that are being changed!

Once a year, Liebenzell Canada hosts a missions service and potluck.  I will be one of the presenters at this year's event, happening on Saturday, June 17th!  It is out in Moffat (near Guelph), at the LMC headquarters, and you are all invited to join us!  The day starts at 11:30 AM, with coffee and visiting, followed by a short worship service.  Then everyone enjoys a potluck lunch together (if you come, please bring a salad or dessert).  Following lunch, there are missions presentations!  This year, the team leader from Ecuador will be the keynote speaker, and the other presentations will be from a missionary serving Bangladeshi immigrants in Toronto, and myself.  There is usually a children's program of some sort, a soccer game on the field, and sometimes some frog catching in the pond!  Check out the info by clicking here.  I'd love to see you there!

This has been a difficult year for me healthwise. So today, I want to talk about what it is like to have an 'invisible' illness.

This is not my first go-round with an invisible illness.  About five years ago, I over-stressed myself, causing adrenal fatigue and a candida overgrowth.  Strange words, I know.  What they mean is this: my adrenal glands worked too hard for too long, and ended up not able to supply me with enough adrenaline and stress-adapting hormones anymore.  I had too much candida yeast in my gut, which caused other problems.  Overall, I had a list of symptoms as long as my arm, the most frustrating of which were crazy bad brain fog, migraines, dizzy spells, fatigue, difficulty falling asleep and waking up, trouble regulating my body temperature, and a weakened immune system.  

At the time, I was a full-time (+) university student, and working forty to fifty hours a week.  For a long while, I just thought that these symptoms were normal for any millenial.  It eventually got bad enough that I went to see a doctor.  With a very restricted diet, a boatload of supplements, and lifestyle changes to reduce my daily stress, I was thankfully able to recover.

Well, you'd think I had learned my lesson, but nope.  About a year and a half ago, I spent six month running around like a chicken with my head cut off.  Seriously - I ended up doing three people's jobs and also was given additional responsibilities at work, had to move three times, and basically, was extremely dumb about keeping myself healthy.  I ended up stressing my body out to the point where I was laid out flat on my back for a week with a double lung infection, and then eventually got diagnosed with a thyroid condition that was brought on by the stress.  I will now have that thyroid condition for the rest of my life, and will have to regularly go the to doctor to ensure that my medication is at the correct level to keep me going.  Since the thyroid controls your metabolism and energy levels, many of the symptoms of my thyroid condition are the same as what I experienced five years ago.

It is surprisingly difficult for a Type A perfectionist, do-it-all, take-care-of-everything kind of person to say no to something - especially when you are in a place and situation where (a) you have the skills to help; (b) you see the needs around you are vast; (c) you are a missionary worker and feel that your time and energy should be used for God's kingdom; and (d) you are single and therefore technically have more time than people with spouses and children.  

The Liebenzell missionary candidates are in their last few weeks of being in Canada, and we finally were able to arrange a weekend visit up north.  The whole group drove up to my parents' place near Parry Sound and had a lovely few days together in nature.

It was neat to be able to arrange this, as my parents' goal is to start a retreat centre, called Kingfisher Crossing, at their place for people working in ministry - a place of rest and refreshment.  So, this was in essence, their first run at hosting a group of ministry people.

We got to spend time helping out with setting up the summer-time furniture and toys, and also assisted with doing some wiring in the addition being built so that more people can visit.  We also enjoyed hikes, canoeing, paddle-boating, playing Indiaca on the volleyball court (sort of a cross between volleyball and badminton), sunning ourselves in the warm spring weather, making s'mores over a campfire, and playing with the dogs.  My mum led some special devotions and spiritual direction exercises, and she also spoiled us silly with tons of scrumptious food.  

Liebenzell Mission Germany has an intensive missionary training program, which I have had the privilege to take part in this past year.  Most of their accepted candidates come to them after having finished a degree, often through the Liebenzell university in southern Germany.  Many missionary candidates come to Liebenzell Mission after having completed an apprenticeship in a practical trade (such as carpentry, electrical, plumbing, etc.), and then study to become an ordained minister by the Liebenzell university.  They then apply to become missionary candidates and, if accepted, are sent to Canada for nine months of additional training.

In Canada, they live together with missionary trainers in a house in Toronto.  Candidates attend English school to improve their English, as that is the international language of Liebenzell missionary teams.  They also are partnered with an immigrant church in Toronto and assist in their ministries.  Once a week, there is a full-day training at the house, led by the missionary trainers.  This usually includes: a devotion and worship time, a morning lecture, lunch together, and then an afternoon cross-cultural activity or guest speaker.  

We have covered a lot of different topics in our weekly meetings - these are just the topics from the first half of the year!  We covered understanding yourself - your personal and cultural history, understanding other cultures, ethnocentrism, cross-cultural communication, cross-cultural ministry, cross-cultural stress, cross-cultural leadership, multi-cultural teamwork, and spiritual warfare.  We have also visited with other missionaries, ministries, immigrants, authentic international restaurants, and gone on a scavenger hunt in Toronto's Chinatown.

This fall, shortly after the German candidates arrived in Canada, we went on a retreat.  We spent a few days in Red Bay (near Sauble) getting to know each other, and enjoying the fall colours and beautiful water before the snow came.  It was a lovely time together.