Dear Friends and Family,

Love you guys! Miss you! The countdown has begun (8 weeks), but Jesus says, “Finish Strong!” so Mary O’Neill and I are conducting one more Leadership and Montessori Teacher Training workshop for leaders in education and the orphan care system in late May-early June. We are either crazy or committed or a little of both! I miss you all. I am looking forward to coming home, but also grieving leaving a country that has become my second home.

I am so looking forward to seeing my Lakeside friends coming to Blantyre May 2nd! Yahoo! I can’t wait to see their beautiful faces! Pam, Cindy, Debbie, Kelsey, Peggy, and Mark, thank you! I am praying for you all. For your protection, provision, and that God will reveal His unique purpose for your journey of faith. If you are reading this right now, please say a prayer for the Lakeside team.

The internet is too slow to upload pictures today. I really want to show you all our 3 classroom school! It so rocks! The teachers are going strong. Last week we studied birds and they did a beautiful job teaching and differentiating the curriculum for three levels of learning! When I return I am going to raise funds for Tisu Mwanza and Gladys Mnunkha Banda’s Montessori credentials. They are eager to complete the formal coursework.

Thank you to the Antioch Montessori Charter for the awesome letters!!! They loved your drawings and the Malawian flags. We are writing you back and sending more pictures. Our children are so amazed at seeing your faces and hearing about your lives in America. They are eagerly responding to all your excellent questions too! Boy, you all are great letter writers! You better thank your teachers for their awesome teaching today! I told the kids that you were sending books and they are so grateful and excited!!! Thank you Kathy Astrata! You are the best ever!

Thank you Eileen (and the Girl Scouts!) and all you Montessorians (And Tee and Mom)for helping with the Montessori materials that are going into the Team’s luggage next week. Now that we are three classrooms we are really in need of some more math materials. Kim Yeager, you would have been so proud of me today. I gave the fraction lesson to one of the classes with the Yeager precision and joy. I thought, “I have turned into Kim Yeager.” Yahoo! And Kim, we love the bird cultural materials you made! I watched with a heart filled with joy today while one of our four year olds, Veronica, completed the three-part matching.

Blessings to everyone, especially one of my prayer warriors, whose heart is forever for the mission- Annie Holt!

Love, Maribeth
John 15:8 Bear Fruit!