really? ok!

So last week I went to my physical therapist for my nerve problem. She said that she thinks that I am getting worse and I need to go see with an MRI what really is going on. Sounds simple! Just go get an MRI- well when you live in a third world country not so simple. I will be headed to South Africa - Johannesburg to see a Spine Specialist on Thursday. Thank you for your prayers. Continue and we will see what God will do through this.

I am reminded that God doesn't promise that everything will be perfect and life will be simple but He carries us through these kinds of journeys. I have seen Him provide in such amazing ways in ways that He does personally for me. So as I head into this journey - I will share how he has been faithful. I have some friends down there that will host me and give me a car and provide me with GPS unit. I kinda know it down there because last year with Nya being sick in the same hospital. So as I head down there I am provided for.

Bob will be staying with the girls and so please pray for the girls and him. Pray as he continues to serve here at ABC that God would provide for him here. Pray that the students continue to see God provide and as they serve here in Malawi and all over Africa that God would use them to change lives from the inside out.

Lots of love- amy louise

Update on my arm...

Hi! So the latest on my nerve problem is this. I saw the bone doctor, got xrays and was told not promising information. Pretty much I have disc in my neck that is bulgding out and is pushing on a nerve that goes all the way down to my fingers. He called it a double crush nerve impendgement ( at my neck and my wrist). So it is not good because there is not a MRI machine to look at my neck here in Malawi to see exactly. I need to go to the western world. Lovely. So my specific prayer request is that the nerve will be able to worked out through physical therapy. The blessing is that there is a physical therapist here that is from the UK that has worked with people on this nerve problem. So I would be so very happy if it as I am here in this third world country that manual traction physical therapy thingy would work. Thanks for you prayers and love - amy louise

Life... the ups and downs...

We have been plugging along. Please be praying for me. After a very large computer project I did in December, somehow I managed to pinch a nerve in my neck. It created blood clots around my nerve root and many days for the last 6 weeks I have walked around unable to use it. After a long drive into the village and all the jarring of the bumpy road - it officially gave out into servere unable to live life with an arm that doesn't work without a doctors help. For a while I just thought it was a sore muscle or the beginning of carpal tunnel. I went to a physical therapist and through her we started treatment for a nerve root impendiagemnt. Yuck. I am now on servere pain meds daily and steriods to hopefully stop the pain. On this coming Wednesday - I go to the bone doctor for him to decide what to do. If it doesn't stop, steriod shots are next....And they don't do those here. So please be praying.

Another thing that has been hard is that - i am unable to use my desktop computer. So many days I can't do much with one arm on the computer. Right now I am pain meds and really shouldn't be typing...
So please pray for me as I go through this. Thanks so much. I love how many times I have shared our prayer and GOd has carried us through. Thank you....



The good things that are happening are school is full swing and we are busy. IT is so great to have routine and see the students we daily are investing in. The senior class graduate in 4 months. We are so excited to see how God is going to use them here. Especially one girl I have been mentoring over the last 2 years, She really has a heart to do missions in the village here. We are praying together weekly where and who with! It is a big deal to do missions in your own country. Especially where all most people do is barely survive with what they have. Her name is Funa.

In the above picture is Funa on the left and Tina on the right. Funa has a heart to disciple women in the village. Please pray with us as we see what God is doing.

Will update again while I am pain meds :) love- amy louise

The power of Love in our lives...

Love goes deep. It transforms and quickly heals where open wounds were. The gift that Godgives us is that He blesses in healing us. The amazing things I see in the college students that are at ABC are lives transformed. God taking the broken hearted, the abandoned, and through the poverty and giving us Hope! Like for example... Orphans loving on Orphans... Powerful....

Here is Tina! My sweet friend who is an orphan - We went to Crisis Nursery here and She became superwoman taking on 2 babies. Loving deeply for these kids who are orphans. Don't you love her infectious smile. Her laugh is even more amazing. God has taken her broken heart and healed her deeply and given her a new family! Us! We Love that she apart of our lives. She brought us so much joy over these last 2 years - We love sharing life with her.

Here is sweet girlie Maggie. She is visiting for a month. She was a previous student of Bob's at Christian High School. We saw her this summer and told come and visit us and she did! What a treat to share life here in Africa with her fresh perspective. I love hearing the stories that she gets experience through her view.

Here is another college senior Umodzi! She really has been a joy to be around and she so enjoys coming to the orphanage with us. The Lady in the middle is the only nurse for the 22 babies at the Crisis Nursery. Understaffed is an understatement. Nya is so big now that she is able to love on these cute babies. She calls them sugarbears.

Tina Tina! We love you!

Here are 2 pairs of eyes that are so sweet. This is baby girl Sophless... She was delicious and so fun to feed and love on. Nya helped with her the entire time! So sweet to see my baby love on babies!

Here is Mphatso. She smiled and continually loved being on my lap. I love that it is simple to love. She makes it even more easier!

Here is another sweet girl I love loving on. She is our superhero at ABC. She teaches computers, PE, and is everyone's substitute. Candice and I have created a deep friendship and I so enjoy her.

Here is Maggie and Tina! Too Cute! Already good friends.

Loving people here and asking God to continually bring people who need Him to love them. Pray that we will be bigger than ourselves and go deeper and bigger and reach higher. Love- Us

When Life in Africa is Ordinary after 2 1/2 years...

It is amazing to get to the point when living in a third world culture is Normal and Ordinary. I find myself not so amazed by many things now, since it is all is normal. When I automatically talk in Chichewa- the language here in Malawi- How is that normal? When i drive into town, swerving around a group of goats and seeing people riding bikes that are about to fall into my path, how is that normal? I didn't know that I would feel this comfortable. When my children are so used to the power going out daily or the water stopping - how is that normal? When gas is scarce and I accept that it is fine and we will figure a way around needing the gas- how is that normal? Amazing the simple things that I don't even know that is not normal to my western culture that I have accepted as normal. It was so fun to see it when my parents came to visit and share life with them. I saw through their eyes what I have so gotten used to. Routine has come as today starts the second semester of school for the girls and next week all the College students come back to campus. We are looking forward to life full on the campus again. And Life to be Normal! :)

We have a vistor from San Diego staying with us for about a month. She was a former student of Bob's at Christian High School. It will be fun to share life with her. She will be helping at the academy and the going out to villages around ABC.

So the normal life begins. Lots of love- amy louise

Oh My Happy New Year...

Well- Happy New Year from ABC! So sorry that I haven't blogged forever. I have some weird issue with my arm and have been unable to use my desktop and can only type on Bob's laptop. So sadly the only chance I time to type is in the late evening and for some reason I never get 2nd winds over here in Africa. My bed calls me by 8:30pm. I wanted update for forever. We have had a quiet start to our new year. I can't believe that it is already the middle of January. We did have a minor earthquake so that shook us up a bit but nothing like Haiti. We are definelty praying for those people over there.

So here is the update on us...Over this last couple of weeks - we have been catching our breath from all the business of school. We all got sick right before school ended and then right as Christmas week started Bob had a serious sinus infection that laid him out for about 2 weeks. Vacation is good for the body and spirit. We were able to get away for a couple of days to the southern region of Malawi. There is a mountain called Mount Mulangi. They have amazing tea plantations down there that were started over a hundred years ago. We stayed at a lodge that was the owners house at one time. It was fun to rest, laugh and play together. We went with other friends from ABC Campus.

Here is the house we stayed in. It is over a hundred years old. I love that it still looks amazing for a house in Africa for a hundred years old.

Mt Mulangie

The Tea Plantation. So very lushish and really green

Here is the group before we went on the hike up to waterfalls.

Analisey is hanging with new buddies...

Isn't it amazing that beauty of Creation yells Heaven!

Here is the lower falls...

We were so blessed to have alot of fun! We are ready for school to start and ready for the students to come back! Life is full and busy and we are looking forward to rhythm of life here in Malawi! Thank you for your prayers! Love all of us!

Merry Christmas from Malawi

Seriously time has flown by and it's almost 2010. WOW! We have been privileged here at ABC Christian Academy to be involved with every year has an amazing school play at the end of this last semester. It was well done and fun to see the girls be apart of. Below we dedicated the play to a local orphanage that we all are connected to. In the white shirt is Paul Chinchen - President of ABC introducing Annie Brown who is directly involved with that orphanage.

She also brought some of the local kids from the orphanage to the play as you can see above.

Here is Nya waiting to do her part in the play. She had many songs to sing and a she did a line in the play all by her self. (yes I am proud mama) She did tell me that it did take at least a 100 hours for it to be done.

Here are the cute girls before the play began. Analise was a Angel and she really was.

Here she is waiting patiently for the program to start with her friend Taymeike. Cute Girlies!

Our annual Christmas Party at the US Ambassador's house includes getting to see Santa Clause. Nya knows that He isn't real but for Analise it still is a concept that is hard to get down. But as soon as she saw him- she said - He isn't real- He has a watch on - that is just a man dressed up! Well- her bubble was popped when she saw the watch. She has since then forgot about it. So we just let it alone. The joys of childhood.

We have had a great beginning of the holiday. We will be involved with our church this week and going to many Christmas parties. Let the festivities begin!

We just want to say Merry Christmas! From all of us!

Well...they say it will soon be over...

Well hello from No Gas Land. We have been not going anywhere for the last few weeks due to the fuel crisis. It has been pretty frustrating. Some fuel has come in spurts. It comes in and there about 100 people waiting and then a 100 more people come so it is pretty crazy. So we just continue to wait it out. It feels like being snowed in for those who have ever experienced that. So we wait and see. It has been not very fun to say the least.

We have been busy with just life. When you are doing the same things everyday. It does get not very newsworthy. We are thankful to be here right here, right now. We have some missionaries leaving due to medical needs this month. They have been in Africa for 40 years. Amazing couple. They have given 27 of those years to African Bible College. Their story is refreshing and amazing. It will be very sad to see them leave. Please continue to pray for Glenn and Fern Byerly. They began their journey in 1970 serving in the Congo. From there they heard about ABC in Liberia and moved over. They went through the war teaching until bullets caused them to leave. They went back about a year later and continued the ABC in Exile with the refugees of the war and ABC students is Guinea. From there, they moved to ABC Malawi and has an amazing impact in 100s of students lives. They story reminds me to continue to push through even though I am pushed out. They remind to see God's sovereignty in all situations. I seek Him when it is good and when it gets bad. Faith is built not on emotions and experiences but who He says He is. I am thankful to have people in our lives to point us back to the simplicity of the Cross.

Thank you for loving us through your emails, prayers and support! Thank you thank you- Love all of us!

PS I tried to add pictures but it didnt upload. We try again later!

Hello from No Gas Land....

As time continues so does the days of our little lives. We have had no diesel in this country for about 3 weeks. Once in a while we get 2 or 3 gas stations that get it. Now there is no regular gas now. The above picture was 5 days ago - before the crisis was bad Today I saw about 200 hundred cars lining up to get gas with hundreds of people waiting at a couple of gas stations... It is mostly due to corruption here. Oh joy! We would really appreciate as we continue to serve here that God would teach us patience, be slow to speak and quick to listen, and love on people even without gas!

My parents came here the last 2 weeks and it was wonderful as you can see from the previous posts. They told me as they were here - that when they went home it would feel like a dream. I appreciated all your prayers! They are home now and closing their eyes and dreaming about it now.

Thank you again for loving, praying and being apart of our lives! Love all of us! The Stauffy family

Our trip to monkey bay...

Well now we have seen the elephant in Africa. We took a boat trip on the Shire (shy-re) river that runs out of Lake Malawi and saw some elephants, many hippos, an allegator, many birds, wild boars and more. Now a trip is complete...not quite...

This is our tour guide and the boat we had to ourselves. He was very helpful in showing us the many animals along the river. It was windy and rough waves at times but fun.

We arrived at a lovely lake home that we rented from someone Amy knew. These trees called sausage trees due to the long pods on them were amazing. I am sure they have a more proper name but they are a wonder.

This is the view looking out of the front of the home across Monkey Bay. We arrived right at dark the night before in a driving rain storm almost not finding our way. The next morning we were greeted by this great rainbow and no more rain. Just lovely.

This the front of the house that we stayed at. It was soooo peaceful and sooothing to the soul.

We had several families of monkeys that were interested in some bread we had to share. Notice the great tree in the back ground that decided to hug this huge rock.

They had a small pool by the house that was a great place for Nya and Analise to play.

This is one of the stunning Baboa trees that grow all over the landscape. This is especially big one and so amazing. That is Gary and I and the grand girls at the base of it.

We got home on fumes of petro because none is to be found in all of the Malawi...at least in any of the stations we stopped at. So the adventure to find enough gas to get us to the airport tomorrow will be interesting. This lack of petro seems to be an ongoing problem and makes life that much more challenging some days. Long lines are at all the gas stations. They have been out of disel since we have been here. Bob's truck runs on petro. Politics and poor money management by the govt seems to be the problem.

We are leaving warm balmy weather to return to early winter in Spokane, WA. Yikes...I guess we are ready now that we have seen the elephants. Barb

Our visit to Dowa

We are traveling to Dowa which a town and a region. We were going to a village in the Dowa district. Bob was going to preach at a church that was established in 1894 and the building built in 1951. It is apart of a Presbyterian group. They were happy to have a professor from African Bible College come and talk to them.
Here is the beginning of the dirt roads that we traveled for about an hour each way. This was the good part of it.
It turned into an amazing amusement park ride with all the thrills and chills...actually we were really sweating it. Bob did a great job driving and the angels did a great job keeping us on the road and upright.

Some of the fellow road travelers along the way, they were slow to move over.

This lady is like so many Malawian women that carry great loads on their heads. No wonder they have such great posture!!!

This the church where Bob preached and the pastor interpreted. It was a long service of 2 1/2 hours on wooden benches. The church had many choirs and the hall echoed amazingly. It sounded like the battle of the bands in heaven. It was very unique.

Gary got to greet the congregation and then pray. The pastor adopted Gary as his "gogo" grand parent. Very cute. Gray hair has some rewards in that people want you to be their "gogos"

Here is the group that traveled to Dowa with the pastor and his wife.

Here we are dancing at the village where Mwyli and his family live and that we ate our second lunch after the pastor fed us also. Bob is kicking it up and Mwyli is flying through the air.

This is our audience and the families in this small village. Many of the young men were off playing soccer.

If you think your kitchen needs a redo look at this one where our food came out of. We are praying that we will not have a Malawi stomach tomorrow.

Think a new counter top could be needed here?

It was an amazing day and the best ever for me... We are off to Lake Malawi for a few days, so no more up dates for a little while. Barb

Our Monthly Update

Another holiday season here in Malawi. The humidity and warm weather has increased along with the frogs with their mating calls ( I love that noise). The rains have begun and we are all getting excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

What a treat we have had over this last week to have my parents here at ABC with us. We have loved seeing life in Malawi through their eyes. We love sharing our friends with them and they have been really loved by them. They have been able teach classes and bible studies here at the campus and in the village. We have been able to keep them really busy here just on the campus. They are about 600 people in and around the campus and we have connected with more than half of them. We have really appreciated them sacrificing their time and money to come and love on us and many many more people here. They are so refreshing to have here.

We have only 4 more weeks of classes until Christmas. Amazing how time flies. Our ability to give and serve has been above and beyond what we had expected this year. Bob said to my dad just the other day that it is amazing here "every single day we have an opportunity to give out and change someones circumstances" That is why we are here to help, give, serve and love on people! Teaching has been our ability to get involved with people's lives.

Praises & Prayer Requests -
• We are so thankful for the amazing financial support of our supporters- even going through this "global financial crisis" we have see God provide through our churches, friends and family. Thank you for allowing us to be used here in Malawi!

• Please be praying for us as this country is in a fuel crisis. The lines around town are horrendous becauser there is no diesel. Soon there will be no petrol (regular gas) this next week. That means no gas - no car- no food.... It has big problems attached to that.... Please be praying...

• Please continue to pray for our time with our family. They have not only blessed us but they have blessed many other here in Malawi. Please pray that they would remain healthy and when they come back to the states that they would not have too much jet lag and they would be refreshed.

• Please continue to pray as we love people here in Malawi that they would grow deeper in their walks with Christ as we are daily challenged to.
Thank you for loving us, praying for us, providing for us as we serve here in Malawi. We would not be able to do what we do without you being behind us! Thank you so very much. Love- all of the Stauffacher family (Bob, Amy, Nya and Analise)

Outreach on Friday

This is the village we went to on Friday with four ABC students, one staff, and Bob and Amy and girls. There were approximately 100 to 125 homes in this village. It was off a very bumpy dirt (red in color) road that we had to dodge donkeys and goats. It is always a "thankyou Jesus" when we get some where in one piece and the truck is still intact.

The homes are all in various states of desrepair with pigs and goats wandering into the open doors.

This is one of a few old grandmas we saw. They would come and shake our hands and smile. We saw lots of children, some young girls (early teens with babies) and a few women in their twenties with children. I asked where the men were in the village and one of the students (Lewis) said they were probably in the fields planting or in town drinking. We saw very few middle ages men or women.

Analise gathered a group around her as she drew pictures in the dirt. Some times it was a little intimidating as the children wanted to touch her and if the group grew too large.

Nya was more comfortable with the children and their interest. These children loved having their pictures taken.

Here we are handing out some gum to the children (only 1/2 a piece) and we quickly ran out.

Amy and girls taught a bible song to the children using Dalitso as a translator. Then she told the story of creation letting the girls illustrate the different animals and then the children would imitate them. Amy and girls did sooo good and they had a good response from the children.

This is Annie, a junior at ABC, teaching a bible study on I Corinthians 13 to a group of women. She asked Amy and Barb to share a little also and then she translated for us. She said 4 women responded to the bible study to wanting to invite Christ into their lives. The women listened intently and would ocassionally ask a question. While we were with the women and children, Gary, Bob and Lewis went house to house and shared the gospel. Gary said they met the chief and his wife and they were very warm to them and told them they could use a certain building in the village next time they came. This was only the second time the students had come to this village. Four people invited Christ into their lives with Gary and his group. The students thought there was a good turn out due to white people coming into the village.

Gary dancing with some of the children.

We stayed about 1 1/2 hours at the village. It was a real eye opener to us to come into the sphere of these Malawians. What a challenge every day living is for them.