Mary O’Neill & Tisu Translating! Mary made us laugh all week!

Our Participants Inspire Us Completely!

Thanks Pastor Kalima! We love our new sign!

We have a full house at 37 participants!

 

Thank you all for your prayers!

Tomorrow we conclude our four-day Leadership and Montessori Teacher Training.  We have 37 participants and our Malawian staff of seven is providing the teaching and the support.  They are amazing me! I am in awe at their beautiful hearts and leadership skills.  They are working smoothly and joyfully as a team to provide an excellent workshop and they are getting trained in presentation and leadership at the same time. Tisu and James are translating for Mary and I and they have transcribed the teaching, presentation, and leadership documents into Chichewa. I feel so happy to give out materials in Chichewa. Many of our participants, who work with the children at the community based child care centers, never finished high school and do not have strong English skills. Providing materials in Chichewa gives them real access to the concepts. Next time we will have everything- all the notes in Chichewa.

James Machila sharing his experiences and growth in leadership.  James is our director of the Africa ABC Project. Tisu & James have interpreted all week and translated leadership and educational documents into Chichewa! They rock!

Tisu explaining Montessori Wordbuilding after her Demonstration! I am so inspired by the people God has given me on this journey of faith!  Tisu shared for five minutes on her own successes and failures as a leader. The participants shouted out for her to keep sharing after her five minutes! Malawi to Malawi! Malawians leading Malawians!  It is so great!

Mary O’Neill is in rare form this week! She has made me laugh uncontrollably a number of times as she shares about her own leadership experiences and interacts with the participants. As she presents leadership and business concepts for education in the morning, I make copies for the next day’s workshop.  With my door open, I hear everything as I get things organized behind the scenes. There has been so much joy, inspiration and laughter coming from the participants.  They are having a great time and learning as much as they can as fast as they can in this short time.

We begin with prayers and seriously loud and expressive Malawian worship and you can feel the Holy Spirit fill the room! Then Abusa Kalima gives a short message. After that Mary presents leadership concepts. In the afternoon our school staff and Africa ABC project staff and myself present the Montessori educational strategies and materials. I was so worried about everything on Sunday.  I wanted everything to be perfect and then God reminded me that it was a “training center”, a place where people get trained and to just love all the participants and have fun.

Singing & Dancing & Praising God!

Mary and I have been taking every opportunity to demonstrate leadership, courage, and conviction to the participants and challenge them to rise up and lead their nation. I told them today that God has designed them for a big purpose and to begin to discover what was God’s will for their lives. I spoke with them how God puts a “holy discontent” in each person’s heart- a mission to be fulfilled.

After the workshop ended, Mary and I prayed with a young friend, Sarah. We prayed for each other and Mary O made us laugh so hard as she told God to hurry up and deliver on some things for me.  It was the greatest prayer!  I think she even surprised herself.

Thank you all for praying!

Peace, Maribeth