Sickness...

So I have been in my bed or couch or parallel to the ground for the last 10 days. It amazing to be up now to type a blog. I really can't tell you if it is was a virus or a bacteria infection. Two doctors have two different opinions, All I know is I have been in Yuckville for way too long. But I ready for a new city. Somedays literally somedays not. I kinda have hit the 4 month mark of missionary life that is where I miss home and I am ready to end this adventure. I am ready to come back to where I know and understand. It is a wierd place to be at. You really aren't hating where you are at but you don't understand this deep craving that happens when you think of home. It is so deep you can't explain it to even your spouse. So at the end of 4 months I have learned so much and I am ready to come back to where I know. But that is not apart of the deal. You just can't stop and do what I want to do. I would miss out and what God has in store. :) Really I know we are here for at least 2 years untill we come back so I will just have to be deal with it. I am glad that God know better than me. I appreciate His Plans.
While I have been sick I appreciated the Malawian Culture so much more. Maybe it is even African, They come and visit no matter how sick you are. You could be contagious and they don't care. They have to come and say hello and pray for you. They even do dishes or do something that makes life a little easier for the sick person. THey all ask the same question, is it something you ate, or have you taken your medication. Something I appreciate they connect with you when you are at your worst. Us Americans, We wait to see if contagious and we might drop by a meal outside the door and run. We love each via phone or non contact, going to the store for you. The Malawians they come in your yucky messy house and love and touch and pray and make you feel valued. I really want to be more Malawian when people are sick, Isn't that what life is about. Loving each other and making a difference in each others lives... I am as guilty as the next American but I want to learn and be bigger. My american friends and non american non malawian friends have really been there for me too, though I must say. The love, prayers, babysitting, dinners and support that they have offered have been priceless. I will write more when I am not soooo sick. Well- that's all for now - amy louise

Analise Singing Cinderella Song to Dolly Video

The Cranky Birthday Gift Video

Children imitate life...

So the other day I came outside to see what the girls were doing and they were walking around with bowls (baskets they say) on their heads. What they were doing was imitating what they see around them I don't even remember if we ever talked about why the cute mommas carry things on their head with Nya and of course Analise is going to do it because she watches her older sister. It is amazing how they copy their surroundings without us even talking about it. So it made me think about all that she sees and the impact it has on her. If this little thing she saw made her do this what a huge impact we make in her in our actions. What a change in perspective it gave me. My words have huge impact but boy my actions carry more than I thought. I really can speak volumes without talking at all. I already knew it but then I saw it acted out and NOW I really know it. That is all for now-Amy Louise

On the mend and Bob's Birthday..

WOW Prayer works... Thank you so very much! Seriously it was a long 5 days of up chucking not fun. But a treat was that both Bob and I did not catch the bug...


Here are the girls and Bob eating lunch yesterday for the first time in 3 days...




Here is Bob's Birthday present a chameleon



Nya going back to school and wanting to walk and push the stroller...


Here is the road to school about .03 of mile to school from where we are at.

So thank you for you prayers and love what a treasure to have intercessor for friends. We love you all and will keep you all updated in our little life. Keep connecting with me in your stories too. Lots of love- Amy Louise

thank you for all your emails and prayers...

Here they are this morning watching the Wiggles for the 3rd time to pass the time...



Nya woke up this morning with a little twinkle in her eye. The first since last thursday. She said she felt better and got up to make a card for her dad since it is his birthday and ate some cereal. She lasted up for about an hour and is now laying down again but no throw up yet. Analise is doing still the same so we wait and see I am really asking God to intercede that they don't get dehydrated. But they seem to do okay so far. Thank you for praying. We have our friends that have a 2 week old named Kate who has a fever and had since Wednesday. Please pray that God will heal her and all the sickness will go from this campus and her family has been sick for the last 9 days... I will keep you all updated. thank you again for all those email I got. Such love and support! Soooo Wonderful to feel it all the way over here.
Love you- Amy Louise

Prayer please...

We have been sick. Nya has been the worst. It is a flu bug that has hit the campus hard. There are 13 people sick here on campus with the fevers, vomiting and cha cha chas. It has hit us too. Nya has been sick since Saturday morning throwing up and fever. She has not stopped throwing up. Even tonight she is still sick. Analise got it Saturday night and still is throwing up. We have a doctor who is taking very good care of us that lives 2 doors down, but even his whole family is sick. So please intercede for us that the girls will get healthy. And that the other 13 people on campus will get better. Four families out of 14 families are down with it. Thank you and I will keep you updated...
Amy Louise

Outreach at Girls High School

Thought I would give you a snipet of my outreach. This is what I do on Wednesday afternoons. I take 3 students from ABC and bring them to this secondary (high school) for girls. Mind you this is the highest class of schooling there is in this city okay. Look around on the chalkboard and about all the chairs are broken and so aer the desks. The windows are broken and this is the top of the top. Anyways I bring these students to teach a bible study to these girls that live there at this school. It is a non christian school and so they face all the same struggles as kids in american public schools. They need encouragement, love and support and that is what we get to offer them. They come from various backgrounds and come together on a common ground as christians. It is a boarding school and they speak okay english. They are able to meet in clubs and this is one of the clubs. Our club is a bible study. We sing some worship songs and study one the books of the bible. It is refreshing to be with 14 year olds that are serving Jesus with everything that they got and that is not much.

The other azungu (actually it means foriegner or what they say for white person is Pam) Pam is from Ireland and been leading the bible study for the last 5 years. She was in a bad car accident this summer and just returned from recovery this last month. I kinda took over as leader for her as she recovered. I will continue to meet with the girls next year also. So fun for me. The other girl in the pink shirt is a college student named Christina. She is so much fun and has a great laugh and voice.
Well just a snipet. Love- Amy Louise

Life always throws a curve ball...

It is just what you do with that pitch. Make a home run or strike out. I don't know baseball. I thought it would be fun to pretend. So I was so ready to give up on dolly. She was gone for 4 days. Dead probably. Someone else loving her. Probably. Never knowing where she would be. probably. We grieved ( Nya and I Mostly) Saturday was about looking for her everywhere on Campus. We had about 100 people looking. There was no way to get out but she did. By Saturday night it was pouring rain and life was pouring rain too. Sadness is an understatement. But then when we were driving home from dinner. ( I had canceled cooking anything) We came upon a man on the side of the road that had been hit by a car. We turned around and too find him alive. We stayed there until other people came. We called the ABC doctor and took him to the city hospital. So many people drove by and did not stop. When we stopped we were the first ones to stop. Then about 4 other people stopped. They were all Christians and we prayed for him. The girls were really worried about him but we prayed and it was good opportunity to show them to love others and help even when we are scared too. because it is the right thing to do love your neighbor. So by the end of the evening we were toast. I woke up the next day to find out that a good friend of ours lots their son to Malaria( a different kind of Malaria that happens when you don't take the medicine that we are taking!) Most Malawians can't afford anitmalaria medicine. He was a year and seven months. Okay Lord That is too much. First Dolly, then the man on the side of the road and then a baby. But I really felt like God was saying do you trust me even when things don't make sense. The same place I had to be when we lost Will. Do you continue to serve a God that always does not make sense. I choose too and will continue too. He is all I have to lean on. HE is my rock. So to continue on with the story of course I felt silly to pray that Dolly comes home. A friend just lost their child Who I am to want a pet. But the loss of Dolly was really connected to the Loss of our son Will because his Birthday is Tomorrow the 7th of November. So It was all connected. I really believed that God could bring Dolly home but wasn't sure if it was in His plan. In my plans yes His I had to trust Him. Well- to say the least we got a message that some 7 men had found Dolly in the fields. They thought she was a baboon but they had heard on the radio or by posters that there was a lost missionary dog from ABC. So they chased here to ABC which was about 5 miles. She ran as fast as she could. She ran and they ran. They brought to the gate and she took off and Bob was there and saw dolly and she was home. you know it was like why do I get my dog and my friend loses his child. But He says Do you still trust me. Yes but I still got my opinions :)But I will still choose to trust. So here she is home right where she belongs sleeping with her friend...

We are going to go bring dinner to our friend Patrick and wife Dorothy and visit with him and his family tonight(We are bringing rolls and a live Chicken). Please pray that God will transform this heartache to peace and that they would be more like Him through this hard time.

Love you all and thank you so much for all your prayers for Dolly and us! We felt it!
Love- Amy louise for the family

Sad loss....

So on Friday night there were some fireworks set off by some friends and it was in the front of our house. Our dog Dolly that we brought from San Diego somehow got out and ran away as fast as she could. She ran until she was lost. She has not been seen for 2 days now. The campus that we live on is supposabley secure but really not as we thought. Somehow she got out of the campus and ran away to somewhere! We have searched the entire campus and there is no sign of her. We are devastated. Nya especially. She cried herself to sleep last night. So keep her in your prayers as she adjusts to life without Dolly. I will update more later. Love- Amy louise