We have a package waiting for us at the post office.  Well… we think it’s for us!
Monthly Archives: September 2014
A Biblical View of Money
For the last 5 years, Matt has taught the youth group at our church.  But this year, Matt and Brian switched it up so Brian took the youth, and Matt took over the adult Tuesday evening Bible study.  We host it in our home and eat dinner together beforehand, so it’s a full family, full house ministry for us.  We have an average of about 12 adults attending, and about 3 kids who watch a What’s in the Bible? video in the next room.  Matt is teaching on a biblical view of money, so we’ve had some great times looking at the Bible together and discussing what God wants us to do with our money and possessions. This is an enormous topic that we face and must struggle with every day in (any part of) Africa.  Pray for this group when you think of us – we want to be certain that we are obeying what God calls us to in every area of our lives, including how we handle our money and possessions.
Vacation and a Boat
When we were in America this summer, we kept saying to ourselves – let’s do as much as we can now, and we’ll rest when we get back to Malawi. Â It took us over a month of settling back in to life in Malawi to finally take a few days away to rest. Â But it was so nice to get away!
Getting anywhere in Malawi takes a while.  And even though it would take us only about 2 hours to get to Lake Malawi if we drove straight there, we packed a lunch to eat along the way and took our time.
Fortunately, there are some nice places to picnic along the way!
Abigail has turned into quite the explorer!
So after lunch, she and Matt went to watch the cows and goats drink from the marsh.
Once we got to our destination – an anglers’ club that’s nice enough to let us stay in their chalets periodically – we had lots of time for sitting and chatting about the different shapes of popcorn…
For reading Stuart Little together…
For playing, and learning, and standing, and clapping…
For dancing!…
And of course for taking pictures! Â This is what Rachel saw…
And this is what Matt saw!
Then, we decided to buy a boat.
Yes, a boat. Â A wooden dugout canoe to be exact. Â We’ve seen these turned into tall bookshelves before, so thought that if we could find a boat that was no longer usable to a fisherman but still in good enough condition to make a nice bookshelf, we’d buy it. Â So early (4:30am) Friday morning, Matt left with a guy from the village to drive down the coast about an hour or so. They got to the village about dawn and Matt was able to take pictures of the fishermen coming in from a night’s work. Â You’ll have to watch Matt’s photos in the next couple weeks to see some of those pictures. Â But then the village men took him to see a boat.
There she is – our very own boat! Â Hmmm, a little waterlogged, eh?
So waterlogged that it took 9 guys to lift the boat onto the roof rack of our car!
But they did get it on.
And through the sand and herds of cattle.
And Matt brought it back to show the rest of us.  It’s 11 feet long, and by the time we cut off one end and fit it with some shelves, it’ll sit very nicely in the corner of our living room.
Driving Home
Then it was time to go home, back through the marshes and hills and beautiful scenery of central Malawi.
Through the town of Salima and countless villages.
With a stop at a produce stand along the side of the road.
Just a few vegetables, and we’re on our way home. Â A great little time to relax and rest!
Oh, and, (ahem) if you’re in the area, we could use a few strong guys to help us get the boat OFF our car now… =) please?
Christian Liquor Shop?
Ok, it really says “Chrisvan Liquor Shop,” but I’ll bet it caught your attention too. Â =)
What is Justice?
I was in town on Thursday and witnessed something I’ve heard of but never seen before: mob justice. Apparently two guys were scamming people by stuffing stacks of bills with cardboard rather than actual bills. When they were discovered, a small crowd chased them down and a group of about 20 guys were taking turns punching and hitting them with metal bars. Â As the 2 men tried to run away, they were tripped and the beating continued.
I kept my distance, which wasn’t all that far away because I was paying for my groceries in a little shop across the street.  The crowd eventually moved down the street, following the men as they tried to get away.
I watched along with everyone else. Â And I thought. Â A lot. Â I’ve thought about it for 3 days now. The American part of me has strong feelings about what justice should look like, and it doesn’t look like 2 thieves being beaten on the street. But the American in me is reliant on a strong, honest police force and a right to a speedy trial by jury. “There are no police close by. They will do nothing,” said the lady in the shop. And I’ve heard of people sitting in overcrowded prisons here for years as they wait for their trial. As for juries, they are not used here. Loyalties are too easily bought, and the level of education – both general education as well as education about laws and justice – is too low to make juries a viable option.
So is mob justice the answer? It is immediate, and it is an extremely effective deterrent. It is also filled with anger and the passion of the moment. In an ideal world, it is not the answer. In my small, American brain, mob justice is categorically rejected. But I live in Africa, in Malawi, and more often than I’m comfortable with, mob justice has become the people’s answer to a broken system, to a broken world. I don’t like it. Â I’m not comfortable with it – I’m not even comfortable with thinking about it! Â But it is a part of this world I live in.
Thankfully, I won’t always live in this world. I know the Judge, and I know that He will bring justice to all.
Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous – you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God! —Psalm 7:9
Dirty
Our water has been off almost every afternoon and evening this week. Â A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Â Well, here you go:
We’d heard that the water main north of us had fallen off its pillars, so that explains a few things. Matt went out early a couple mornings ago just to see.
I keep hoping that the water will be on at the end of the day so that I can clean up 2 very dirty little girls who live in this house. (Ok, let’s be honest, Mom wants a shower too!) But we’ve gotten good at the sponge bath routine before bedtime.
No, there are no shadows on their faces. The smudges and streaks are dirt. And just look at that grubby hand! That’s just how it goes when we’re playing on tile floors and outdoors during the dry/dusty season
Dirty and oh-so-happy! at the end of the day. Â =)
Furlough Family Times
While we were in the States this summer, we were able to spend time with extended family on both sides – Floreen and Smith.  It’s a tradition now to do a nice family photo whenever we’re all together.  Oh the joys and benefits of being married to a photographer!  =)
Here are this year’s family photos. Â I’ve linked to larger versions if you want to see them. Â Matt edited out all the funnies though, like the fact that in the Smith photo Abi was rubbing Brian’s head…
Floreen Family, May 2014
Back row: Micah, Brent, Titus, Bekah, and Silas Hisayasu, Lorraine and Eric Floreen
Front Row: Mikayla, Ben, Leilani, and Cathy Floreen, Rachel, Naomi, Matt, and Abigail Floreen
Smith Family, July 2014
Back row: Erin Aiken, Kirk and Mary Beth Smith, Rachel and Matt Floreen
Middle row: Shiloh Aiken, Abigail and Naomi Floreen
Front row: Brian and Beckett Aiken
And then there’s just us, August 2014
Our church asked for an updated picture of us to put in the church’s missionary calendar, so we did a quick shoot and came up with a pretty decent shot. Â We only had to photoshop one girl for this one, which, based on the fact that we had to combine 4 pictures to come up with our current prayer card photo, was pretty fantastic!
Driving is Not Boring
I’ve decided not to be afraid to share on the blog what I now think of as normal. I hear from readers that they want to see what normal life is like for me. I also hear that what I think of as normal is not normal for almost anyone else. I know this is true, but whenever I go to post on something that’s “normal,” I feel like it’s boring. Boring = bad = I’m afraid of it.
But let’s be honest, not posting on the blog is worse than risking a boring post. Â =)
So, today’s “normal” thing is driving. Â I took a little video on the way home from grocery shopping this past Thursday. Â It’s short, because driving here is a little hectic at times. Â But this is what it’s like to drive home from the grocery store, on the left side of the road, around bicycles, past pedestrians, avoiding mini-bus stops, etc, etc.
Just a little piece of normal life…