It's not nice to lie.

Well friends, I am happy to report that it has been a lovely week here in Malawi. The weather is starting to get warmer which is fun. It's still cool in the mornings and evenings, which is nice, but probably won't last long.
We started our week as we usually  do. I really love the church that Allison and I have been going to. It feels normal... a bit like home, but not... I don't know it's nice. Allison started singing with the praise band and we've signed up to work the nursery and such it's going to be fun.
Monday was just a normal day. My class room was a bit chattier than normal, but they're in kindergarten so everyday is an adventure. Tuesday we were all a bit more on edge  I think. There were demonstrations planned for Wednesday so we were not even sure if we were going to have school, and the atmosphere was just a bit more tense than usual. This really just resulting in the kids being extra talkative and it taking about 3 times as long to do things as it should have. But we made it... and at some point during the day one of my kids said to the person sitting next to him, quite out of the blue...  "you have a nice face, I wish I had your face." I am certain that this was and is only funny to me, but I laughed for quite some time.
Wednesday we did not end up having school, but it things were quiet. So basically we sat around in our pj's all day, ate far too many cookies, watched Gilmore Girls, and did some lesson planning. We really appreciate everyone who  is praying for Malawi, please continue to do so.
Thursday we were back at school... most of us spent 93% of the day thinking it was Monday only to be completely thrown off to realize it was actually Thursday. However, that is always a pleasant surprise.  Friday... oh how I so enjoy Friday. The day did start off rather rough... I am still not sure why, but I am blaming it on the fact that my alarm scared me half to death this morning and it just took me a long time to recover from it... I do think that today was one of the best days I have had with my class. They were well quiet and behaved and just a lot of fun.
... So story time... there are several dogs here on campus supposedly most of them belong to people, but a few of them belong to no one... anyway we all know that I am not much for dogs or cats... or squirrels... or really any animal for that matter, but I have grown to love Tara... she is a gigantic dog that runs around campus. She really is HUGE, but she is just sweet and wonderful.... so she lives with the single guys on campus. She is supposed to stay tied up or fenced up or something along those lines during the day so she doesn't come to school... well she's huge she jumps the fence, pretty much everyday I guess. I dunno, but today she happened to be running around campus, and Mr. Owen was getting ready to take her home so she was on our end of the school. My kids were eating snack so I was standing in the doorway to keep her from coming in and joining us in our snacking. Once they were gone several of my kids asked "what was THAT!?!" and so I told them that it was Tara the dog... "NO! What was the big thing with Mr. Owen?" That was a dog... "Miss Weimer, you know it's not nice to lie...?" It really was a dog... "NO, that is a horse or something!"
 They're hysterical. That's just all there is to it. I didn't even know what to say. They were still not convinced that Tara is a dog but whatever.

In other news...
TODAY I GOT  A PACKAGE!!!!! There simply are not words to describe how exciting this is. Allison got one too, simply doubling the excitement and making it that much more difficult to describe.
Please continue to pray for us here, for a health and safety, for our sanity, and for our spiritual lives.

Something Original...kinda

As promised, after my last two posts I am sitting down to write you all something. This week as been a particularly crazy one. After last weeks 4 day weekend I was feeling much better and headed back to school on Monday. However after 4 days off Monday was simply a LOOONG day. But I made it no worries. Tuesday was another day at school, followed by ballet class, and back to school night. My ballet classes are going well the girls and I are still getting to know each other, but we're getting there. Back to school night is a night for the parents. They come in and meet the teachers, see the classroom, and hear about what we have planned for the year. Easy enough, but it makes for a quite a long day. Wednesday was just another day as well, which I am quite happy with, I finally feel like we're forming a good routine here. For some reason Thursday was just a blah kind of day. The kind of day where you're sleepy and cranky all day but you still have things to do so you have to pretend you're not, making the day even worse... yeah it was one of those. Ahhh! Friday! Praise the Lord for Friday! We woke up early and went to school. My class was particularly rowdy and hyper Friday. But we figured it out and made it through the day. Friday is nap day at my house and so when I came home from school I went to my room and watched a movie and took a less than glorious nap.... there is construction happening literally (and I mean this in the purest sense of the word) in our back yard. So yesterday our entire house was shaking, and we were all just waiting for the walls to cave in. That makes for a fun afternoon. Friday was also pot luck which is just good times. And today we don't plan on doing anything we slept in, and we're all sitting around in our pj's doing nothing. It's wonderful!
Next week should look fairly similar (I hope) with out all the craziness. There are demonstrations planned for this Wednesday so that may add a little excitement to our week, but we'll see.
We're getting this figured out. I love it here everyday we meet new people or learn new things and it's just fun. We've starting putting up decorations on our walls and we got new  curtains for the living room and kitchen! This is very exciting. Our house is finally starting to feel like home, which is very much a necessity here. Thank you all for reading, and sending encouraging thoughts. It means a lot. Your prayers as well, please pray this week especially for peace in Malawi.

Until next time...

Everyone should read this

I promise that soon I will right something lovely an original for you, but this week (aside from what you've already read) has been much the same as any other week.  I have been sick, but I'm 85% better now and by the end of this week I'll be 100% !! I still have a lot to learn but things are definitely getting easier! But I do want you all to read another post from Allison that puts into words pretty much everything I am feeling here. AND let me just add that I am so incredibly blessed to have her here. This journey, while difficult, would have been significantly more so if I were having to do it on my own. God knows what he is doing and I am so grateful!!! Okay okay the next blog I'll write on my own... probably.... but for now lets allow Allison to (pretend to) make good use of the English degree by writing you all back home. Click here and she'll do a much better job of using written words than I could ever dream of.  Okay I'll leave you with this for now.... "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5.16-18 Okay you can click here just in case you missed it the first time! 

I have tried no less than 10 times to write something here today... Each time I have been completely lost for words.... Rather than try I will direct you to the thoughts of  two great individuals who share the thoughts and concerns of my heart today. I hope that you will read them and be touched by what they have to say....
Allison

Jill

One Month later...

...and we're still alive! Some things are getting easier, but some things are getting harder.  The entire journey has been simply incredible. The past week ran pretty similarly to the first. We woke up VERRRY early and went to school. School is one of the things that is getting easier, some things just happen. I finally know all of my kids names and only confuse them in moments of chaos. (This is something I was worried would never happen) My class and I are starting to get to know each other better and to find a routine that works for us all.
 I also started teaching ballet this week. I think this may be one of the hardest things I do here. My class is 3rd-5th grade (not my favorite age group) and there are about 20 of them. Hopefully we will be able to get into the swing of things just as quickly. But they come in around 3 after having been out of school for most of the afternoon and trying or regain their attention for an hour proved quite challenging. Some of them do not really want to be there, which is hard, some are only there because their friends are there, and some really do want to be there. So, we'll have to see how that all plays out...
 So, week two was quite a long one. By the time Friday rolled around I just wanted to sleep and sleep and sleep. Fortunately, Friday afternoons are pretty mellow. I just sat around the house watching movies and preparing mentally for the excitement of staff potluck.
   Potluck is something we haven't talk about before so I'll let you all in on that for a moment.  It is actually quite fun (but a bit stressful after a long week at school). All of the staff gets together every Friday night to share a meal and fellowship with one another. Each week one house is in charge of what to bring to potluck, they make a list of things that are needed and pass it around for everyone to sign up. Potluck is always held at the Chinchin's house. They have a room built on the back where we all come together to eat and chat and hang out. Like I said its a very neat thing and fun tradition, but very tiring.
Today (Saturday) Allison and I got to experience a bit of a more realistic Malawi... Thus far we have either been on campus or only gone grocery shopping which, despite the fact that it takes 3 times as long, is pretty similar to shopping in the states. But today we went to the chitenji/chitenge (not sure how to spell that) market with Sharlie who is AMAZING!. Chitenji is just fabric... but it is beautiful! The market is very exciting all of the woman are set up in two long rows at tables with tons of Chitenji out for you to look at. Allison and I being who we are had a hard time deciding and came out of the market with tons of fabric. The woman are wonderful though. They would look at the Chitenji we had already purchased and pick ones they thought we would like. I loved everything about it. The entire experience is just tons of fun.
 After that we went to... the post office... but really it was the parking lot where tons of people are set up with things they have made... earrings, wood carvings, stone carvings, anything you could ever imagine made out of bottle caps, pictures... tons of stuff. Here the men are a bit more, okay a lot more aggressive and try to sell you everything! It was hilarious! One of the men told Ogles his name was Chicken Leg... We left there with a few things and probably paid entirely too much for them, but that's okay we'll get the hang of it. The experience alone was worth it. We left saying we could probably have tons of fun just hanging out with those guys and helping them "sell" stuff to other people.
 Last we went to a little shop that seemed very normal... well after we went through what appeared to be a bit of a sketchy  parking lot/court yard. We went to a little mall type place and into a shop that had tons of fun things bags, wood carvings, wall hangings, pens, key chains... lots of fun stuff. But it was just a normal place.  A little feel of home.
All in all it was a very stress free day of shopping and a good time to just get off campus.
After shopping we spent the rest of the day reorganizing and cleaning our house... it's been quite a busy day.
So yeah we're getting used to life here. I love it here. There have been a few days when I thought I wouldn't make it, but I've been determined not to let stress and anxiety get the better of me. I really do love it here, this has been such a great experience already and I am so excited to see what else is in store. I have learned so much in the last month and have been stretched more than ever. Fortunately, I have a magnificent Savior who provides. And, I know I   add this all the time but it is just true... I feel the prayers of everyone. There are simply some days I am convinced I would have gotten on a plane home if it were not for the prayers and support of everyone at home. So thank you, thank you so much for faithfully lifting us up it means more than I can express with words. Please continue to pray that we would have an impact in the lives of our students and in turn their families, that we would continue to live and work in peace with those around us, that the country of Malawi will remain peaceful, that we would continue to adjust to life here and all that entails, that we would stay healthy physically and spiritually, and that we will not be overcome with anxiety or worry.
And so until next time I will leave you with these wonderful Lyrics by Kristian Stanfill...
SPRING OF LIFE
In this life we will find 
We will be yearning
In this life we will find
The world won’t satisfy
In this life we will find
That we will be empty
Without you

Jesus you’re the well
That won’t run dry
Jesus you’re the drink
That satisfies
Living water spring of life
Jesus you’re the well
That won’t run dry

In this life we will find
We will be searching
In this life we will find
The world won’t satisfy
In this life we will find
That we will be hopeless
Without you

We will thirst no more thirst no more
When we drink from you drink from you
We will search no more search no more
When we drink from you drink from you

Also don't for get to read Allison's blog you can get to it here