Author Archives: Rachel
June Guests
Our house has been a busy place these last few weeks, with the team from The Master’s College here for 5 weeks, and the Matt’s parents here for 2 1/2 weeks. Here’s the line-up from yesterday morning:
Brian Lovejoy, Eric Floreen
JP Dennis, Kim Christensen, Raqel Cherry, Lorraine Floreen
Ryan Lovel, Bobbie Roberts, Rachel Lawson
Guest Blog Post: Brian Lovejoy
Visiting all the different compassion ministries here in Lilongwe has been more work than just dropping by to do the interview. Â Brian has been the guy to set up all the appointments and get all the directions for the TMC team over the last 4 weeks. Â Here’s a bit of what he’s experienced…
Getting directions to anywhere in Lilongwe is an adventure. Street names are virtually non-existent, so it’s a matter of finding the most obscure land markers, like random shops, signs, and objects that identify the path. One of the places we have visited involved turning left after you see the Catholic church, then after the big bump in the road turn left, go down that street and there will be a man in a red shirt outside. We saw at least 5 red shirts before the right one! Another one took us to Crossroads Hotel and then we were supposed to head to what sounded like Pacific Flood, but that didn’t make sense. We eventually looked for Pacific Hotel, but that took us to the other side of town…eventually the guy had to come pick us up somewhere. But we were newbs then.
The phone conversations are great too because certain words are hard to understand because of the accents. I thought someone’s name was Dress Dollar, but it was Grace Dora – haha! And the phone calls drop or get intermixed. I was talking with a man once and then all of a sudden I heard a lady speaking Chichewa! Or when I’m talking to someone on the cell phone and they say they want to transfer me…from a cell phone! I hear the beep and everything. Who knows! All the while, I’m trying to make sure I don’t rack up the minutes. It’s an adventure. But I think all of us on the team are experts by now.
Guest Blog Post: Raqel Cherry
Raqel is originally from South Africa, so for her coming with the TMC team to Malawi is almost coming home. She encapsulates here much of what the team has been thinking about and doing while they’re here – wrestling with suffering, considering the role of compassion ministries, and loving the church.
(Raqel Cherry) The pace is a lot slower here in Malawi, in everything from the internet connection to tasks we are trying to get done. I found it really easy to feel right at home here, and not just because the Floreen’s have been the most amazing host missionaries, but also because a lot of the culture is very similar to South Africa and there are a lot more familiar sights like rooibos tea, nutticrust biscuits and green cream soda.
Our main project here is to help Matt find out what local ministries are around and who is doing them well. Our team has been wrestling through how we can really be helping. Through team time, conversations with Matt, and a book he’s having us read, I think all of us have a new perspective on many aspects of missions work, and how we can really help without hurting here. Malawi is a new culture to us, we cannot begin to expect to understand in our short time here.
God is teaching me a lot about His sufficiency, not only for us but for those in great suffering. It is one thing to accept Christ’s love but a grave danger to forget how much we don’t deserve it. The devastating effects of a fallen world became very apparent when you walk into an HIV/AIDS clinic and see the downcast faces of those in true suffering, God’s role as comforter to the broken hearted takes on a whole new depth when you put it in this context. It is incredibly overwhelming to feel helpless in the face of others suffering and so we all feel like we need to make some temporary fix by throwing money or even our time into different ministry efforts. While this may be well and good it can sometimes just be for our own guilt relief and become more selfish than selfless as it may appear.
Something I have a deepened respect for since being here is the role of the church and the demand for us to be committed and serving. The church is Christ’s body and the home of the Gospel, which in all reality is what people need more than any life-saving drug or steady supply of food.  It’s hard to say that because even after experiencing salvation from the Gospel and reveling in its depth I still just want to give some kind of relief to anyone I can, but I’ve seen how while this can be a good thing, it isn’t the best thing.
Thank you so much for all of your prayers, we truly appreciate them so much. I pray that God is blessing you, and you are having a joyous summer (or winter in South Africa).
Guest Blog Post: Kim Christensen
Continuing with guest blog post idea, the TMC team has a few for us. First up, Kim Christensen…
10 Strange but Fun Things about Living in Malawi for 5 Weeks:
1. You sleep under a mosquito net
2. Driving on the left side of the road and only driving stick shift
3. Random power outs
4. Filtering all water
5. Making your own brown sugar and other things that you cannot find in Malawi
6. Wearing shoes in the house because there is no carpet and your feet will get very dirty
7. Driving thru a gate with barbed wire on top of the gate and on the walls in the front of the house
8. Grocery shopping that takes at least 4 hours with at least 4 different stores but it’s a lot of fun with the master, Rachel Floreen.
9. Wearing longer skirts a lot of the time but I have actually really liked it!
10. Waking up at 6am every morning and eating oatmeal every morning!
I’m loving it here in Malawi. I’m always learning new things about living here from Rachel like how to cook and run a house that honors the Lord.  I love learning about the culture and the people. God is doing some awesome things with our team which has been so encouraging and has deepen my love for our God. Our team has been an example to me by not complaining or grumbling but genuinely being flexible and adjusting to new schedules and new experiences. We love the Floreens and we love being a part of their everyday life.  We love seeing their ministry to the church and the people they interact with everyday. Everyone should come to Malawi and stay with the Floreens because Rachel is an AMAZING cook and because they are amazing people!
Kim Christensen
Guest Blog Post: Lorraine Floreen
Matt’s parents, Eric and Lorraine Floreen, are here visiting us for 2 1/2 weeks. Rachel’s busy keeping a house full of 12 going, so we jumped at the opportunity to have Lorraine guest blog for us!
(Lorraine Floreen) We’ve been here for two weeks now. Matt and Rachel have done a great job at making a peaceful and homey atmosphere even with power outages. And the meals we’ve had, well let me just say that on several occasions Eric has asked Rachel to send me the recipe.
Having lived in Jamaica, there is much that seems familiar, everything from driving on the other side of the road, to being in the minority, to bartering. We’ve gotten to experience a lot, starting with one Sunday worshiping at IBF (tea before service was a treat!), followed by a trip to Zomba plateau. We were surprised at all the villages but even more so the number of people walking along the ‘highway.’ Matt did a great job of making us feel comfortable even driving up the twisty road to the 6,000 foot plateau and up another 2,000+ feet to where we were staying. We arrived to no power, but a fire and candles and oil lights awaiting us. The very first morning Abigail and I were up while the rest of the family slept, and when we went into the backyard, a baboon passed about 6 feet from us. It was the first of many baboons we saw while there.
Matt also took us to a village in Mozambique with the team from The Master’s College. It was 15 km off the highway, but it took about 3 hours for us to drive that distance, mostly because we only had one 4 wheel drive vehicle, and clearance was a problem for the other vehicle. We took tents that we slept in, and were prepared for having no running water or electricity, but it was even more basic that we expected. Not a chair or bench to sit on, except for the mud covered brick ‘benches’ in the church. Due to a diesel shortage, we took one less vehicle, so Rachel and Abigail stayed behind. Because Rachel wasn’t there, I, as Matt’s mom, was presented with a large basket of maize flour and a live chicken as a welcoming gift. These people love the Lord Jesus and shared the little they had with us – they made maize meal for us twice a day, and even killed a goat for us to eat.
Watching Matt and Rachel minister here in Malawi, and playing with Abigail, has been a blessing far beyond what we had expected.
On Our Own
Abigail and I are having a little one-on-one time holding down the fort here in Malawi. Â We were supposed to go to Mozambique with Matt, his parents, and the TMC team, but 1) there’s a fuel shortage so our caravan was down to 2 vehicles and with fewer seats someone had to stay behind, and 2) I was sick so we were the best candidates to be left behind. Â I’m feeling better now, and Abi and I are enjoying the girl time. Â The travelers get home tomorrow – can’t wait to hear how it all went!
Youth Camp 2011
When we first moved to Malawi, Matt was hesitant to teach the youth at church because he didn’t want to get labeled as “the youth guy.”  Over the last couple years, we’ve joked about this frequently because we quickly grew to LOVE the youth groups!  Matt now teaches one group every Tuesday night, and he also jumps in occasionally to teach the older youth group on Fridays nights.  This youth camp was a combination of both groups, but mostly for the older youth.
The theme for this year’s camp was “Do You Love Me?” Â It’s the question that Jesus asked Peter in John 21:15-17, and so we looked both at that and at the book of 1 John asking ourselves “Do I really love Christ?” Â It was a great topic for the weekend, and applicable to all of us.
Another element of camp is the Q&A time both nights around the campfire.  The youth submit questions anonymously to the question box, and Matt goes through and answers all the questions in the group setting.  The questions these guys were asking are great!  Here’s a few: 1) How can I truly repent?  2) I have heard that being afraid is not trusting God. Is that true? If is is, does that make it a sin?  3) Why did Jesus have to be resurrected? Wouldn’t he have paid for our sins even if he had stayed dead?  4) When does talking about others turn into gossip or slander?  Matt is careful to direct the students to God’s Word at every point so that the answers he gives come from God’s Word and not his own opinion.  Some of the questions turned into discussions over the next days as the students considered how to apply what they had learned.
You can’t have camp without a little bit of fun! We had our own little section of Senga Bay at Lake Malawi, with rocks to jump off of and plenty of space for water games. Not to mention a great view.
Abigail came along for camp too, though she was definitely more interested in the grass, bugs, and sand than in what Dada was saying…
We loved the chance to get away to the lake for a few days with this great group of students and youth leaders! Â We’re praying that the Lord will use His Word to pierce and change their hearts, to cause them to grow in their love for Christ.
The Kopps
Matt and Brianne Kopp stopped by “on their way” to Ethiopia a couple weeks ago. Â Now, if you look at a map, you’ll realize that Malawi is not on the way to anywhere! Â This was an extra leg for them, and a special treat for us.
They had an adoption court date to be at in Ethiopia, and the little boy they’re adopting is almost exactly the same age as Abigail. Â We let them borrow our munchkin so that they could get some practice in before meeting him.
Since we had only about 24 hours with the Kopps we knew we needed to show them the best of Africa… Fortunately we were spending those 24 hours out at the lake getting ready for camp, which took us right by the Ice Cream Den!
What’s a proper visit to Lake Malawi without a trip to a crocodile farm?
We spent the night in a couple chalets on the lake shore, and the next day Matt Kopp did the opening session for our church youth camp, introducing our topic: Do You Love Me?
In those few moments over lunch or out on the lake shore early in the morning, we enjoyed great conversations with these two. Â We’re so thankful for their hearts for ministry and the so-evident love that they brought to us from Faith Bible Church in Ladera Ranch, CA. Â We’re excited to spend more time with the Kopps over the coming years, and look forward to the next time they come to Malawi!
How to Host 50 People in Your Home
We’ve already had 9 visitors, and we have about 45 more coming to stay in our home in the next few months. It sounds crazy, but this is a part of ministry that we love. Here are some of the things we’ve done to make it work in our house.
1. Get a good washer and dryer.
Thanks to the ladies of Mindset for Missions, we have a great washer/dryer set. They are high-capacity, and we’re putting them to work with mountains of laundry!
2. Buy half a cow.
Yes, we bought half a cow. Someone had given us a quarter of a cow in January 2010 and it took us a year to eat and share it all. With so many people coming, we invested in 104 kgs of beef – that’s 229 pounds. Thankfully it comes processed, so here’s a sampling of what we got: 12 minute steaks, 23 chuck steaks, 28 shins, 32 spare ribs, 78 beef sausages…  A good amount of it is already made into meals or components of meals: empanadas, spaghetti/lasagna sauce, and carne asada.  Our large deep freeze is packed!
3. Rearrange your house.
The Lord blessed us with a fabulous house for hosting anyone who comes to visit. It’s a bit big for just the three of us, but we’re putting it to work right now. We have 4 bedrooms with an optional 5th and possible 6th, and 5 bathrooms. It didn’t even feel crowded with 7 seminary guys, which is good because our next team also has 7, and they’re here for 5 weeks. So we play musical beds and match the mosquito nets to the right beds and we’re ready to go!
4. Shop like you mean it.
We don’t have a Costco here. At times we wish we did, but then we realize that we’d miss out on all the adventures of shopping in Malawi. It goes like this: “If you find the kind of light bulb that we need, buy all they have.†On occasion the same is true of butter, flour, canned tomatoes, and even Coca-cola. The grocery shopping game is interesting when it’s just the three of us at home, but add 7-25 extras and it becomes an extreme sport! We’ve been stockpiling for months to get ready for this, though we’re sure we’ll run out of something and give everyone a good Malawi experience.
5. Get help.
There’s no way we could do all the normal things in our life and host so many people on our own. We have ladies from the church coming over to help cook, families bringing desserts, and even little decorators giving a helping hand (thanks Biedebach kids!). We’re so thankful for our church here and everyone’s willingness to jump in and share the work and the fun with us!
Anyone else want to come visit? We have openings in August… =)