Made it to London!

Hey, everyone!

Just wanted to let you know we made it to London! The flight over was uneventful and we even had a little bit of a tailwind, so we got in early. That was a good thing since we wanted to get out of the airport for a while.





We got on the London Express to Paddington Station, then hopped on the Tube (Circle Line) and got off at the Tower Hill stop.









From there, we walked to the Tower of London, toured around that (saw the crown jewels, etc.),







saw the Tower Bridge,









got some fish-n-chips for lunch,





and made it back to the airport with plenty of time to spare.








We are now waiting for our flight to Nairobi, Kenya. We have a 2-hour layover there and then we'll fly down to Lilongwe (after a quick stop in Lusaka, Zambia). We will surely be glad to reach Lilongwe and not be on a plane or in an airport for the next 10 days! It was really nice to break up the trip by getting out and about in London though. That allowed us to get our blood flowing, rather than sit in the airport for 10 hours--that could be expensive! ;o)

Okay, well there's the first update. Will update more as soon as we have another chance.

Love, Pam

Today's the Day!

Well, I can't believe that departure day is upon us but here it is! My bags are finally packed after making some difficult decisions about what I could and couldn't take. Unfortunately, I have 15 pounds of material left over that I am hoping the rest of the team can fit into their suitcases. We shall see...

I am very excited about going back to Malawi! Just a few of the things I am most excited about are:

1. Seeing Violet, who is the child that Chuck and I sponsor. She will be eight years old in July and I am excited to see how much she has grown during the last year.
2. Seeing how the Widow's Program has progressed. The first year, there were 20 women in the program and, last year, there were over 40. I can't wait to see how many women are in the program this year and earning an income from items they create themselves. They are who all the material, yarn and sewing supplies are for, so I am sincerely hoping we can get everything over to them. It is life-changing for them.
3. Seeing Maribeth! When we get to Blantyre, you may all be able to hear us shouting with joy at seeing our sweet sister! It's been almost a year that she has been in Blantyre doing great things. I can't wait to see her, see the classrooms, help paint walls, put up chalkboards and just fellowship with this dear girl (see http://www.acts3.org/blog/montessori.php for more info on what she is doing there).

Our schedule for the next two weeks will be something like the following:

* Depart from San Francisco April 24
* Arrive in London the morning of April 25 (10 hour layover)
* Arrive in Kenya the morning of April 26
* Arrive in Lilongwe, Malawi the afternoon of April 26
* Drive down to Blantyre, Malawi on May 2
* "Cultural Excursion" at a nearby park May 6-7
* Depart from Blantyre the morning of May 9
* Arrive back in San Francisco the afternoon of May 10

As you can see, it takes a long time to get to Malawi! That's why we go for two weeks... :o)

I will be updating my blog as often as we get a chance, which will likely be when we have layovers in airports. Thank you for all your support and prayers!

Lots of love,

~ Pam

What a Weekend!

It was an incredible weekend. We had the big World Vision Caregiver Kit Build at Lakeside, our Malawi team was commissioned on Saturday, we had sign-ups to sponsor kids through World Vision all weekend, my Sweetie came home from the Philippines, and I was still trying to check things off my list of things to do before I left for Africa. There was a lot to do but it went great! The kit build went smoothly and we built 750 caregiver kits Saturday morning - what a blessing!! Our team was prayed over Saturday evening, so we now all feel fortified before going out into the "battlefield." Marilee Pierce-Dunker from World Vision told some amazing stories all weekend and over 150 new children are being sponsored through Lakeside! WOW! And my Sweetie and I got to have some nice dinners together and catch up a little bit. I know this week is going to fly by, so I am grateful for every minute with him before I leave. I do still have quite a few things on my to-do list but, God-willing, I'll get them all done before I go.

I just love being involved in projects like what we did with World Vision. We are called to care for widows and orphans over and over in Scripture and my heart just fills to the brim when I get to do some little thing to help them. I see pictures of those cute little kiddo faces, or the women who work so hard and have so little, and my heart swells. I wish I could help every one of them but I do what I can. My little bit of time or monthly sponsorship for some kids changes LIVES and that's what it's about. Thank you so much for helping me to help many by helping me go to Africa. That's a tongue-twister! But it's true - I couldn't go on this trip without the support of my friends and family here at home, so thank you. Together, we will help many.

Much love,
~ Pam