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2 Little Bugs Graphic Floreen Newsletter Update
July 2010

Matt and Rachel in Santa Cruz Harbor
 

Our Address in the US:

852 Sun Grove Drive

Camarillo CA 93010

 

Our Cell Numbers Until Sept 15:

Matt: 805-298-2812

Rachel: 805-298-3237

 

Our Address in Malawi:

PO Box 1028

Lilongwe, Malawi
 

www.AfricaStories.com

info@africastories.com


Please direct all 

financial support to: 

Grace Ministries Int’l
Grace Community Church
13248 Roscoe Blvd.

Sun Valley, CA 91352  

(818) 909-5700

 

www.gracechurch.org

gmi@gracechurch.org


Our Neighborhood in Malawi Our neighborhood in Malawi

 

Santa Barbara California

 

 



Santa Barbara, California

 

Culture Shock

Yes, we’ve had it.  Here are a few glimpses of what we’ve experienced in returning to a fast-paced, “first world” culture:

- People drive so fast here!  Merging onto the freeway can be very intimidating!

- It’s odd to pay for things with a little plastic card rather than carrying around pockets and purses full of devalued cash.

- Cherries taste so good when you haven’t had them for over a year!

- It’s difficult to juggle important tasks with urgent tasks here.  In Malawi there are very few things that are ever considered “urgent.”

- This country is so rich in theological resources.  We daydream about ways to take these blessings back with us.

 

Prayer Requests

- Pray for International Bible Fellowship Church, that they would continue to grow in their love for the Lord and His Word.

- Pray for the safe and healthy delivery of Baby Floreen.

- Pray that our time connecting with friends, family, and churches here in the States would be a time of mutual encouragement as we praise the Lord for the work that He is doing.  

- Finally, please continue to pray that we would be growing every day in our love for Christ-- that everything we do would flow out of this love! 

Tree by Liwonde National Park

Enjoying Our Time in the States!

We have so enjoyed the opportunity to connect with many of you over these last few weeks!  Following is a schedule of where we’ll be staying. If you’re in southern or central California, drop us an email and we’ll do our best to see you!  
 

Matt and Rachel with Brent and Bekah

July 1 - 15
     Felton, CA

July 16 - Aug 14
     Santa Clarita, CA

Aug 15 - 22
     GMI Conference

Aug 23 - Sept 15
     Santa Clarita, CA

Sept 15 - 17
     Flying to Malawi

 

We’ll be sharing about Malawi several more times as well.  Please feel free to join us at any of these times:

 

July 18    Faith Bible Church in Ladera Ranch

July 23    101 Bible Study in Encino

July 25    Jr High at Grace Community in Sun Valley

August 8  Jr/Sr High at Placerita Baptist in Newhall

 

Missing Home

Matt with Bright

While we are enjoying our time in the States, it’s just not home for us any more.  We’re missing Malawi, especially the friends at church.  We’re eagerly looking forward to heading home to Malawi on September 15th!

 

Rachel at 32 WeeksBaby Floreen

She’s still growing!  At almost 34 weeks, we’re nearing the end of pregnancy and looking forward to meeting our little girl soon! We’ve nick-named her “Squirmy” recently, and the Dr says everything looks great.  Just waiting now!

 

 

What is a Furlough Anyway?

“Furlough” a funny word, rarely used outside of missionary and military circles, and carrying many different ideas.  Here’s what we mean when we say “furlough”.

 

1. A time to be recharged.  Anyone in spiritual leadership knows how important teaching, encouragement, and accountability is.  We’re grateful for our friends, family, and mentors here in the US who have gone out of their way to care for us.  We couldn’t do it without you.


Lunch at the Gillesses 2. A time to report back.  So many of you have been praying for us, supporting us financially, and following along with our ministry in Malawi.  But we’ve seen God do much more than we can cram into these newsletters!  We’re trying hard to meet with you personally to tell stories, answer questions, and just say thanks.  If we haven’t caught you yet, see our schedule above and email us about when works for you!


3. A time to stock up.  We compiled a long list of things that we can’t buy in Malawi, like Benedryl, baby clothes, velcro, rechargeable batteries, and packing tape.  They’re little things that make life easier, and give us more time for the things that are really important.  (Now the biggest question is how to fit it all in our luggage...)


4. A time to rest.  This sounds insignificant, but we’re learning the importance of acknowledging our finiteness and taking time to rest.  This is especially important for Rachel and the baby, and many new fathers are advising Matt to catch up on sleep while he can.  :)

 

Obviously, this furlough has an extra goal: it’s a time to have a baby!  We’ve been overwhelmed with the kindness of people giving gifts and advice about having a baby.

 

We’re just about halfway through this furlough, and we look forward to catching up with many more of you in the remaining weeks.

 

Thanks!

Thanks for being part of our team, for your prayers and encouragement!  We are so blessed to serve in Malawi, and cherish your prayers all the more in these coming weeks as we head home to Malawi to continue to work in the church that God has established and is continuing to build!  

- Matt and Rachel