Not-so-new blog address

Just in case anyone is still interested, our new blog is:

www.nateandjenni.blogspot.com/

Thanks guys-

Back in the States and...

Hey everyone... if anyone is still out there reading. It's been about a year since my last post, but I figured I should say something about getting home safely. So... I got home safely.

And guess what, I'm married now! I've got a beautiful wife who I met in Africa and we're currently biding time until we go to bible college in fall of 2008. We'll have a new blog, I think, more to come on that hopefully.

Thanks for all the prayers and support throughout my time in Africa. It was a true blessing-

Nate

Adventures and Lessons

Okay, okay, I know I’m a slacker and I know I say this with every post, but I just lose track of the time around here. Sorry about the lack of info and updates. So yeah, believe it or not I’ve been pretty busy since May and I’ve got a lot to squeeze into this post… I’ve been to the top of the tallest mountain in Africa, I’ve been to the bottom of one of the most amazing waterfalls in the world, I’ve been doing a lot of teaching, and I’ve been to the beach :-)

So let’s start with June. Another IMB missionary who lives in Kenya (Julie) had her brother and some friends come over from the States in order to make an excursion up Mt Kilimanjaro, the tallest free-standing mountain (i.e. not a part of a range) in the world. I was allowed to tag along, and so I met them in Nairobi along with another missionary who lives here in Cuamba (Jenni), but who works with another organization. We spent six days, I think, on the mountain, and it was absolutely amazing. We had sun and rain and wind and snow as we passed through the different climate zones (rainforest, grassy highlands, dessert and arctic tundra). It was a pretty easy climb really; we just took several days to do it in order to adjust to the altitude (~19,300 ft at the top). The last day was a beast, though; we started at 11:30pm in order to reach the peak at sunrise. I had the worst headache of my life - they say your brain swells at high altitudes. I believe it.

This is from the base of Kilimanjaro at the place where we stayed for one night before and after our hike. The town is called Moshi.

An expertly taken shot from half-way up. It’s a bit dark on our faces, but from R to L we have me, then Julie, then Jenni, then Julie’s bro Mark, then Mark’s friend Adam. Kili is there in the background.

I just couldn’t resist. This is Jenni and I making snow angels in Africa. I'm on the right. How many people do you know who have done that? I thought so… That’s a glacier in the background.


On to July. After a couple weeks back in Cuamba, we had our annual missionary training meeting in Malawi at this really nice resort on the beach. I felt a bit sheepish being there, actually. It felt kind of too nice for me. But the meetings themselves went well and we had a great guest speaker. It was really a good time to get to know some of the other missionaries around the area and to catch up with the ones I already knew. After the meetings I went to Nampula for the annual Mozambique Baptist church convention. This was pretty painful and I’ve tried to black most of it out… It was just really tedious business stuff, but I suppose it needs to be done as well. Before and between all these meetings, I found some time to climb another mountain (the tallest in Malawi), relax at a gorgeous tea plantation, and do some water sports, as you’ll see here below.

Before our meeting on the beach, my team and I got together to climb Mt Mulanje – the tallest in Malawi (though only a mere 10,000 ft or so). We had a great time and saw some gorgeous scenery. This photo is me with two of the missionary kids (John and Daniel) of a family in Malawi.

At the beach we had the ability to go water skiing (if willing to pay for it, of course). I haven’t been skiing since I was about 14, and you can see the strain on my face if you zoom in a bit. Really I just included this photo because I think it looks funny.

And finally, really roughing it at the tea plantation. A cold night, a warm cup of tea, a good book and a toasty fire. Africa is nothing if not diverse in what it offers for creature comforts...


And August. After about a week spent here in Cuamba I went back to Malawi to pick up my little sister, Sara, and her boyfriend, Eric. They came over to visit for almost two weeks (though the time was shortened due to traumatic delays in Europe). Jenni joined us again, and from Malawi we went straight to Zambia to visit Victoria Falls. It was ABSOLUTELY amazing. Imagine a waterfall about 300 feet tall, and then try to imagine it stretching about 1.5 miles wide. We only had a short amount of time there, but we definitely made the most of it. I was blessed to be a witness as Eric proposed to Sara, so I’ll soon have another brother (Yeehaa). We all went bungi jumping and white-water rafting (where we also all nearly drowned). We saw the falls from both the Zambia and Zimbabwe sides (the river forms the border between the two countries). We almost got locked into one of the parks when the gate closed at night, and we almost ran into elephants crossing the road at night. It was really a great time.

I brought Sara and Eric back with me to Cuamba and showed them around town as well as I could in the time we had. They saw where I live and we all went out into the hills one night to stay at my guard’s house. It was a great trip, though very rushed in order to see everything we could. They had to hustle back in order to start up their autumn semester of classes, which are now going well.

Look at all this STUFF! I’ve never felt so loved in my life as when I sat there surrounded by all the things that my family and friends sent over with my sister. I couldn’t believe it… You all ROCK! Notice that I’m representing my State/school well over here (GO BLUE!).

The start of the trip from Malawi to Vic Falls. L to R, Jenni then Eric then Sara then me. We had to borrow another missionary’s car because mine is only a single-cab.

How cool is that? And this is just one section – it stretches from here in both directions. Gorgeous.

All of us for an expert portrait in front of the falls.

The day that we left we decided to go white-water rafting first. Those helmets came in very handy, as we were all completely tossed at the very first rapid. Each one of us thought we were all done for. Praise God that we all came up and were able to enjoy the rest of the day as well.

Eric being introduced to sugar cane. My bro-to-be is a bit of a goon…

Sara and Eric back in Cuamba making use of the local transportation. When in Rome…

And finally, my not-so-tiny pup heartily enjoying her new toys. She feels just as loved as I do from it all. Thanks so much from both of us.


So that’s the holiday-side of what I’ve been doing for the past few months, but I haven’t been playing the whole time – never fear… I’ve still been going out to do my teaching for about a week at the beginning of each month, along with my normal ministry throughout the month. It’s all about time management ;-) I just returned from my fifth session at one location (called Mecanhelas) and they’re really starting to make use of it to teach others and to reach out to the surrounding area. Praise God for that. I will admit, though, that it’s been tough getting back into it all now that Sara’s left. I was looking forward to her visit for a long time, and having her here made me realize how much I miss my family.

But I’m still here, and still with the job of showing and teaching God’s love. These times of travel and encouragement have given me more reasons to praise Him and to just be in awe of His creation. Please continue to help me by praying for me in the following ways:

- That I will continue my ministry in His strength and with His guidance each day.

- May God bless the teaching that I’m doing and the people who are a part of it (both the students and my assistants). May they each apply what we’re learning in the Bible to their own lives.

- May God make his presence felt in this town of Cuamba, to the point where the people will reflect on their lives and recognize that something is missing, and seek Him out, and be open to the Gospel.

Thank you all for your continued support in prayer and love. It means more than I can say-