Drinking Water

Aug9 by Rachel

Remember summer days of drinking straight out of the garden hose? Well, we don't do that here in Malawi! We have a great water filter for our drinking water and for years we only filtered. However, about 9 months ago the city stopped treating the water for a period of time and we started researching the boil and filter option.

Ugh. Boil water every day? Not me, not in my house. I don't want to pay more for gas to boil 20 liters of water every day, and I REALLY don't want to heat up my house every day with 2 huge pots of boiling water! This is Africa, in the tropics, we're already hot enough! I'll just clean those filters again, and we should be fine!

But then I learned the difference between how to get bacteria out of your water and how to get viruses out of your water. Our Katadyn Gravidyn filters remove something like 99.95% of all chemicals and bacteria from the water. But viruses are so small they just go straight through the filters. Boiling kills viruses. Done. End of discussion. I became a firm believer in boiling AND filtering water that day! I'm not even going to get into the details of the sewer pipe that leaked into the water main of the neighborhood just north of us… Boil and Filter is my new mantra!

So we fill up our two 10L pots with tap water almost every evening and bring them to a boil (which takes about exactly 67 minutes). We crack the lids and let them cool overnight, and in the morning we pour the cooled, virus-free water into the top part of our two filters. Over the next couple hours, the water works its way through the filters and stores in the bottom of the unit for easy access. Is it a process? Yes. Do we have fewer tummy bugs now? Actually, yes. Do I carry the water on my head. Um, yes… a 10L pot of water is too heavy to carry in front of me without spilling, so I lift it up on top of my head to carry it across the kitchen. Sorry, no selfies of that – I'm not that coordinated!

And that's how we get drinking water here in Lilongwe! We drink it, cook with it, and wash fruits and veggies in it. I'm thankful for the modern technology of such great filters, and for the ancient technology of fire that now rounds out our water treatment process. I do think that all that work makes the water taste just a little bit sweeter!

Grocery Day

Mar10 by Rachel

Grocery shopping day, and Naomi is ready! One can always use an extra pair of shoes with a day as busy as we had!

I woke up having forgotten that I had 13 meters of fabric spread around our living room. Priscilla had washed and hung it to dry yesterday, but even with using the full clothesline it was still a little damp by the end of the day from being folded on itself at several points. So it spent the night getting out the last dampness in our living room. It was a strange site to wake up to though! I folded it up and set it by the door – it was going with us today…

Breakfast was a family favorite – oatmeal. With a new not-favorite – chewable dewormer. Think bitter pepto bismol. Thankfully we only had to take these at breakfast and dinner today and we’re done. The girls didn’t balk at all, after a brief discussion of what worms are and why we don’t want them.

School first before grocery shopping! Abi loves school and is especially good at memorizing, so we recently added catechism with corresponding verses. It’s been great, and especially fun because we have songs to go with every catechism and verse! Dana Dirksen put together the songs into 6 albums, and is in the process of producing the same albums in several different languages -Â including Chichewa!!!Â The first album in Chichewa is already finished, so once we’ve mastered English, we’ll work on the same catechism and verses in Chichewa!

Once school was finished, it was time to get ready to go out. This is how I usually dress when we go out. Malawians dress up to go to town, so I put on makeup, and try to dress nicely. It’s hard work to do the shopping here, and I have 2 little kids in tow, and it’s hot; so my go-to item of clothing is a maxi skirt. It’s modest, stretchy, and not suffocating. Add a top that dresses it up a little and we’re good to go.

Most Malawians don’t use car seats, but we always have. I pray we never get in a bad car accident here, but if we do, I want every chance possible that these sweet girls will be safe!

First stop was at the new mall close to our home. BusinessÂ in Malawi is almost entirely transacted in cash; however, our cell phone company is starting to change that for us! We can put money in our “mpamba” account and then through our phones pay our electric bill, water bill, cell phone bill, and even wire money to someone else’s phone/account. After years of carrying wads and wads of cash, and adding more stops to our grocery shopping day so that we could pay all our utilities in person, this new services is SO NICE. They have nice chairs in the waiting area too. =)

On to see the Swan Man. For those of you who have followed our blog for a while, no, I still don’t know his name. But he’s still a good tailor, and I took a picture just to show you why he’s called the swan man.

We’ve been to see the tailor frequently of late, so much so that he keeps pretty and sparkly scraps to give to my girls now! =) Last week we dropped off a suit of Matt’s to be altered, then a few days later half of the cushions that go on our wicker furniture so they could be recovered. We couldn’t drop them all off, because we still had a couple people who would need to sit on those chairs, like the ladies who come for counseling. But we dropped all the rest of the cushions off today (and there’s the 13 meters of fabric sitting on top of the cushions), and should be able to pick up the first batch on Saturday. We’re cushionless for 3 days, but it’s ok.

From the tailors we made two quick stops: an electronics store to buy a new watch battery for Matt, and a sewing supply store to get some more elastic. We didn’t quite have enough to finish the second set of bedsheetsÂ the other day, but we do now. And some pretty shiny red trim for some skirts, and …

And then we drove to the far north end of town to a shop called Carniwors that specializes in meat. By this time we were getting a little tired and very hot, so the Abi and Naomi got granadilla and pineapple “spicy juice” (carbonated). And I let them ride in the cart while I planned out the menus for the team of 8 that is coming to stay with us in just over a week.

Oh yes, my FBC friends who are coming next week. Yes I did. Think pork – you’ll love it. When else will you get to eat it? And for $1.25/pound, it’s a great deal!

Finally, with a large ice chest full of meat, we made our way home. We had gotten all the miscellaneous errands accomplished, with only the actual grocery store yet to do. But that would have to wait. Peanut butter sandwiches and a nap were necessary first!

The girls lay down and both slept for 1 1/2 – 2 hours. I headed into my room and turned on the window box fan and the mister outside the bedroom window to enjoy a little evaporative cooling.Â I have the greatestÂ husband and he makes some pretty fantastic things! Ahhhh!Â

And I found a little friend on the window sill. Little, as in, only about 1 inch long. We’ve seen several of these little praying mantises in the yard lately, and thanks to my inquisitive 5 year old, we’ve looked them up and know that they are actually babies. Various kinds of adultÂ praying mantises can be 1-4 inches long, but you know it’s a baby if it doesn’t have wings yet – like this one.

After nap time, we were back to grocery shopping, at an actual grocery store this time! Abi is my list checker, and does a great job of keeping me on track. Today she commented “Mom, why are you buying things that are not on the list? You should just buy what is on the list.” Hmm, good point. Thanks. But I’m pretty sure you want toilet paper, even if I forgot to put it on the list. =)

The reason she knows it’s not on the list is because I keep my shopping lists in order of how we walk up and down the aisles in this store and she tracks with the list to know where we’re at in our shopping. I know, it’s nerdy, but it saves so much time running back and forth, especially when shopping with little ones. Even nerdier: I have a series of 4 shopping lists that I cycle through each month. Today was the Week 1 list, when I buy all our meat, milk, cheese, and frozen vegetables for the month. Next week will include a month’s worth of dog food, the following week all the tea supplies for our staff for the month… It just works out better to divide that stuff up and plan to buy in bulk when I can. And because I have a large chest freezer at home, I can.

Check out is always a little harried. I had 2 “trollies” of groceries today, so I had to put all the groceriesÂ on the checkout counter – but not any faster than the cashier could scan them because it’s not a very big counter! I also kind of keep an eye on whoever is packing my groceries into bags or boxes on the end, as it’s not uncommon for the tomatoes to end up on the bottom, and the dish soap to be bagged with the yogurt and they both leak. Paying for it all takes a bit of time too, as I have to count out the money, then the cashier has to count it all out too. Because it’s all cash. And the largest kwacha bill we have is currently worth only $1.38. So, just imagine paying for all your groceries (and those of a visiting team of 8) with $1 bills. It takes a little time and attention. Not to mention I have 2 little girls who need a little attention too. Thankfully, there’s a TV hanging at that end of the store that always plays the National Geographic channel. It’s always interesting, and evidently a bonding experience too!

We got home just before 5pm. Whew. Mission accomplished. The girls colored while I put all the groceries away and made smoothies for dinner. Like that cup Naomi has? I think most people just throw those cups and lids away after they use them, but I held on to it after a trip to Jamba Juice when we were in California in 2014. Still going strong!

The girls did great today. They were both super helpful, very cooperative, and didn’t complain! I’m not used to taking both of them with me, as Matt has set aside a couple hours on Thursday afternoons to spend some undivided time with one or the other of the girls each week. We trade off every second week, and it’s know as Abi and Dad Day, or Naomi and Dad Day. But this week, Abi declared that it was Abi and Naomi and Mom Day. I love it. It was still special as compared to all the other days we have been together this week, and still worthy of a special title!

Normal Life: Electricity

Jan19 by Rachel

“Power’s off!” is a phrase commonly heard in our house. In fact, it’s one of the first sentences our girls have learned. It’s usually accompanied by one or the other of the girls trying all the light switches in the house, and opening the fridge to see if the fridge light turns on.

So the title to this post is not exactly accurate. Electricity is only sometimes a part of normal life. But the way we do electricity here is so different from how we have ever done it in the States, that I thought it would be interesting to showÂ what “normal” looks like for us.

Here’s our meter box.

All fancy, high-tech, and digital isn’t it?! Well, to remind you we live in Africa, there are usually 2-3 lizards living in this box too. I open it and jump back to see what will come out! Only lizards so far. But anyway, you can see the keypad on the meter. Our electricity is pre-paid, so in order to “top-up” our electricity, I buy units of electricity from the power provider (Electricity Supply Company Of Malawi – ESCOM), and on the receipt, I’m given a code that I must input in my meter in order for the units to be applied to our account. So I check the meter every week or two to see if we have units, and buy and input more units as we need them.

Now. Having units does not equate to having electricity. If the power is on and we have units, then we can have electricity. But these days, we never know how many hours a day we’ll have power available to us. It could be on all day, or it could be off from 4am to 4pm. Usually it’s off 4-8 hours a day (alternating mornings or evenings), and on overnight. But you never know!

Enter the generator.

With 6.5 KVA available and a battery backup for the starter ignition, this machine is our friend! We’re not the type to turn the generator on every time the power goes off, but if it has been off for 7-8 hours, this generator saves the day by recooling and refreezing my fridge and freezer. Especially if the girls have been checking to see if the power is back yet. (Ahem, yes, we are trying to break that habit…) It’s also helpful when weÂ need to have sign-up sheets printed for church and the power has been off for hours, or if weÂ need to turn in an online assignment for Matt’s grad program by a specific time and the power is, once again, off. I will admit to occasionally asking Matt to turn the generator on for bath time too, because, well, it’s ok, but sometimes I need to see in order to scrub all the African red dirt off those girls!

Can I just point out for a moment how wonderful my husband is? The metal housing held above the generator not only covers the generator to make the side of our house look nicer, it also greatly reduces the noise. And Matt designed it. He’s wonderful! He also designed this little switchover:

If the green light is on, we have power from ESCOM. If it’s off, we can flip the switch and start the generator. Brilliant!

And if all else fails, we can buy a 6-pack of candles for about 85 cents. We actually like candle light, so it’s sometimes our power of choice! Not that it will run our internet router, but it sure is pretty!

However you get your electricity to readÂ our blog, thanks for following along!

Martha

Jul21 by Rachel

A lot happens at our houseÂ during the week. We’re often teaching Bible studies, having families over for meals, homeschooling, hosting guests, counseling, meeting people who just dropped by, and fixing something or the other. Sometimes people wonder how IÂ find time to stay on top ofÂ those things AND keep our house clean.

Here’s theÂ secret: I don’t keep the house clean!

Martha does.

Meet Martha. She’s our housekeeper, and she’s wonderful! Every morning Monday through Saturday, she comes in and washes all our dishes, mops our floors, cleans our bathrooms, and helps with laundry. Her familyÂ lives in an apartment in our backyard, and has since before we moved here.

MarthaÂ has helped us learnÂ how to live in and interact with our local community. She helps us decide if we should go to the Neighborhood Watch meeting, how much to contribute to the neighborhood ladies’ funeral fund, what to do about the localÂ crazy woman whoÂ thinks she lives at ourÂ house,Â and tipping us off that our neighbor’s daughter is getting married this weekend (so we can be ready for a night of loud music!). You could say she isÂ the “point guard” at our house. We don’t even know everything that comes through her, because she managesÂ so muchÂ without even bothering us.

Best of all, MarthaÂ is our friend. We laugh together as she washes dishes and I make lunch. We share recipes and thoughts about parenting. We can ask one another cultural questions and talk about difficult issues without fear of it damaging our relationship. She is indispensable, not only for a clean house, but also for helping us be part ofÂ Malawi. Martha is one of the reasons we love to call this place home.

Wilfred and Martha Chunga, Chancy (12), Rejoice (4), and Timothy (2 months). Christmas 2014

The Hanging Bridge

Oct21 by Matt

Evidently, this is the most interesting photo I’ve ever taken:

To date, I have postedÂ 241 Malawi photos to Flickr.Â The photo aboveÂ just received the highest “interestingness” ranking of all of them. Since otherÂ peopleÂ seem to enjoy it so much, I’ve decided to share this photoÂ here too, along with moreÂ about this very interesting bridge in a remote part of Northern Malawi.

Before the Kandewe Hanging Bridge was built, people risked their lives to cross this river by canoe. An enterprising man from the village devised this bridge. Since then, everyone from businessmen to schoolchildren will cross on this bridge. Crossing it made my heart race, but it’s definitely better than braving the rapids in a dugout canoe!

The bridge was first built in 1904, soÂ obviously none of the original materials remain. One story says that a hippo tried to cross this bridge once, and broke through!

The bridge crosses the South Rukuru River, one of many rivers running down from the magnificent Nyika Plateau in the background.

LEFT: High water on the South Rukuru River. As you can see on Google Maps, there are some rocks visible in this part of the riverÂ during the dry season.

RIGHT:Â This guy was amused by my fascination with the bridge. “Did you know I can run across?” And so he could!Â He only put his hand down once.

The bridge uses clumps of trees as support pylons on both ends. As you see, during this rainy season, the river extends to the very end of the bridge.

The bridge is constructed from bamboo running the length, to provide strength, and roots running the width, to provide flexibility.

Be careful where you step.Â There were a lot of holes as big as my foot!

Some well-meaning donor provided two steel cables and some cement pillars to reinforce the bridge. It seemed to me that they weren’t doing much anymore.

Sometimes, the old ways are best.Â These men are maintainingÂ the bridge with cord made from bark.

It’s not just for Indiana Jones. People of all ages cross this bridge every day.

The South Rukuru River was in flood stage as we went. It had recently washed away a concrete bridge about 50 km downstream, but the old bamboo bridge flexed and remained (there’s a sermon illustration in there somewhereâ€¦)

I watched this guy with a bike approaching, and asked if I could take his photo. To him, having someone take his picture was unusual, butÂ crossing a bamboo bridge with a bike over his shoulder was totally normal.

I learned a few tricks from watching him. The hardest part seemed to be the steep descent at the beginning.

There are no handrails on the bridge. Most people employ the “lean over and grab the side” technique. This is what I used. 🙂

These kids enjoyedÂ running and playing on the bridge. I didn’t try this technique for crossing. 🙂

The water was so high, I used a pole to get my camera out past the trees. The kids were fascinated to see my antics!

Want to see more? EveryÂ week, I try to pickÂ fiveÂ Malawi photos from my archives and post them toÂ Flickr. You can viewÂ 240 slightly less interesting photos here. 🙂

Staying in Touch

Oct1 by Rachel

Missionaries aren’t the only ones who make sacrifices when they move to the missions field. Parents of missionaries make enormous sacrifices! Their kids and grandkids move very far away, often to difficult or dangerous places. They spend a fortune to send small care packages (that may not even make it), and save money for years to go see where their kids live and who they live with, and what they do and how they do it. And they just hope their grandkids will like them – or at the very least recognize them!

Enter Skype, the best invention ever for grandparents of missionary kids! Abi can show off her new ballet skills, Naomi can show off her adorable wave and her daredevil climbing skills. Matt can demonstrate the new screens he installed in his office so that his parents understand what he’s talking about, and Rachel’s parents can show us their kitchen remodel in progress. We can share a bit of real life together, every Saturday morning with the Smiths and Sunday afternoon with the Floreens.

Both sets of parents love the Lord, and because of that joyfully let us be missionaries and go (taking their grandkids!) 10,000 miles away. We know that despite their willingness this is a sacrifice for them, so we cherish every chance we have to SkypeÂ with them. It sure beats waiting for the mailboat to arrive every six months!

This is Not a Cooking Blog, But…

Dec7 by Rachel

I have a new obsession – drying mangoes.

My friend Mirjam taught me that you can dry sliced mangoes on a piece of cotton fabric, draped over a clothes drying rack and covered with mosquito netting, in the sun for 1-2 days… and you have wonderful dried mangoes.

And since it’s mango season here in the southern hemisphere and you can get local mangoes for about 3 cents apiece, my “dehydrator” has been in use all week. Â We’ve done quite a few mangoes, but also some apples and peaches.

My sticky assistant likes dried fruit, but especially favors the apples. Â She never turns down dried mango though, and now we’re looking forward to having mango all year long!

Furlough How-To, Part 2

Jun14 by Rachel

Weâ€™re going to try a few different things for our furlough this July – October.Â Hereâ€™s the rest of the list of things weâ€™ve learned, some by experience, and some from wise, seasoned missionaries.Â The first three items were in our previous post, and the last four are here:

4) Intentional family time is important. Â Even if it’s just leaning back and relaxing over breakfast. Â =) Â We have a little family vacation planned while weâ€™re in the States, and weâ€™ll try to establish a daily routine over the months and to stay organized.Â Abi is pretty flexible, but she will have so many new things to process that sheâ€™ll need some things to be regular and consistent.Â Her parents would probably benefit from this too…

5) We have set aside 4 weeks with family: 2 weeks with the Floreens and 2 weeks with the Smiths.Â Weâ€™re not planning anything else for these weeks, except for speaking at our parentsâ€™ churches.Â Everything else weâ€™ve left for our parents to plan, and we will be 100% there to enjoy time with our families.Â Weâ€™ve tried this and a couple other alternatives for spending time with our families, and this 2 week deal is the way to go.Â Even if the parents are close geographically, it doesnâ€™t work to try to catch a meal here and there, to stay with them the first or last days of our visit (because weâ€™re either zombies or frantically insane!), or to blindly hope that a weekend will open up to spend with them.Â It needs to be specific, intentional, and long enough that we can relax and enjoy the time together.Â Itâ€™s the only time weâ€™ll spend with them for the next 2 years, and all three generations agree that itâ€™s worth the investment.

6) Because our furlough is only 4 months, we need to focus more time on fewer geographical locations.Â Weâ€™ll be primarily in 3 locations: southern California, north-western Washington, and eastern Kansas.Â The majority of our time will be in southern California, and then weâ€™ll be in eastern Kansas at the end of September, and north-western Washington the beginning of October.Â Weâ€™re still working on some of the specifics, so more details will come as we have solid plans – and airline tickets.Â But if you live in one of these locations, or within driving distance, we want to see you!Â Hopefully weâ€™ll have some people to host and coordinate a few get togethers (hint, hint, want to host one?), and then weâ€™ll let everyone know when and where.

7) We think it’s important toÂ enjoy furlough.Â There is a downside to furlough, and thatâ€™s being away from our home in Malawi and all the things that are happening in the life of our church and the lives of our friends. However, furlough should be, as all of life should be, a time for us to glorify the Lord and enjoy His goodness and His good works.Â We have so many things to be thankful for in America! Â Family, friends, cranberries, fuel at every gas station, continuous water and electricityâ€¦Â In order to enjoy Godâ€™s goodness to us during our time in America, we need to be disciplined to get proper rest as well as consistent times in the Word and in prayer.Â It will be tempting to get caught up in the busy-ness of life in America, and because weâ€™re not used to that temptation, it can sideline our walk with the Lord and our joy.Â That would be a shame, and a wasted furlough.

Thatâ€™s what weâ€™ve learned about furlough so far, and weâ€™re sure to learn a few more things in the next 5 months.Â Weâ€™d appreciate your prayers during this time, and weâ€™re already looking forward to seeing many of youâ€¦ soon!

Furlough How-To, Part 1

Jun9 by Rachel

Four weeks from todayâ€¦ weâ€™ll be in America!Â Itâ€™s time for furlough!

Weâ€™ve realized in the last few years that furlough, raising support, and just in general being in America can be very busy and at times overwhelming, so weâ€™re going to try a few different things this year.Â Weâ€™ve come up with a list of things weâ€™ve learned, some by experience, and some from wise, seasoned missionaries.Â The first three items are here, and our next post will cover the last four items.

1) We like one-on-one time with everyone we know, but groups are better.Â There are a LOT of people that we would like to see – thatâ€™s you! we want to see you! – and we have only 4 months in America.Â In both 2010 and 2011, we tried to set up meals with individuals and families every chance we got.Â Every night of the week, and sometimes lunches and breakfasts too.Â It drained us!Â We had a great time with people, at least the first 20 people, but then we were wiped out and couldnâ€™t keep track of who weâ€™d seen and what stories weâ€™d told.Â But then, at the end of our brief trip to America in 2011, a group from one of the Bible studies at our church hosted an evening for us to invite everyone we knew and share with lots of people at once.Â It was fantastic!Â We got to show slides, we had time to chat with groups of people, and we got to enjoy the kindness of this Bible study in helping us in a very practical way.Â Weâ€™re going to try to focus our catch-up time with most people in this type of a setting.Â Want to host a group?Â Let us know – weâ€™d love to find a few coordinators!

2) Every missionary jokes about gaining weight in America, so as much as we can, weâ€™re going to say no to desserts.Â If we end up eating a meal with you, donâ€™t be offended if we turn down dessert.Â Now, Matt could do with putting on a little weight, but Rachelâ€™s determined not to gain 20 pounds in America!Â Enough said.Â =)

3) Weâ€™re going to be better at asking for help.Â Missionaries have an independent streak, which can trick us into thinking that we can do everything all on our own.Â Thatâ€™s not good for anyone, especially for the church.Â As the body of Christ, we need to work together, and a proud, independent streak is not conducive to unity or the joy of working together.Â So, there are a few things we need, and we humbly put this little list out there for any interested parties:

People to host groups like we mentioned above – either at their home or at their church.
A car to drive while weâ€™re in Kansas.
A car to drive while weâ€™re in Washington state.
Support – we need to raise over $900/mo while weâ€™re in the States.
Costco chaperones. =)
Someone to watch Abi while we go on a few dates (Yay! America has places to go on dates!)

Any interest?Â Click on the linked words above to email us!

The last 4 things weâ€™ve learned about furlough are coming up in the next blog post!

An Infrequent Flyer’s Guide to Using Frequent Flyer Miles – Part 2

Sep1 by Rachel

Earning and Keeping Miles

We’ve learned a few tricks about using airline miles, and decided to type them out for all our friends.Â I hope they’ll be helpful for some of you, and maybe other readers will be able to suggest some tips we’ve missed (let us know in the comments).Â Part one, written a few transcontinental flights ago, is here:Â Part 1: Flyer Miles: What to Expect

Pick Miles with a Long Shelf Life

I’m assuming most of our readers are, like us, folks who fly the occasional really, really long trip.Â If so, the most important feature in a frequent flyer program is most likely the life expectancy of the miles.Â Many miles will expire 1.5 to 3 years after you earn them.

Earning Miles Intentionally: Determine Your Top 2 or 3 Airlines

This can take an hour or so, but I definitely recommend it.Â I wish I’d done it years earlier.

First, make a list of all the airlines you already have miles with.Â For chronic mile-wasters like me, that means digging through your desk drawer, email archives, or passport holder and finding cards, welcome emails, and notes torn out of SkyMall.Â If you can find your membership number, write that down too.
Second, add any other airlines that would be a logical addition to your list.Â Applying for work in Alaska?Â Add Alaska Airlines.Â Also factor in the airlines which have a hub in your city.Â (If you aspire to be an over-the-top mile collector, the folks at FlyerTalk have a forum for you.)
Then for the hard part.Â Answer each of the following questions for each airline on your list.Â I recommend typing it.

Expiration: How long before miles expire?Â (On a good plan, the miles never expire)
Activity: How often do you need to fly to keep all your miles active?Â (Even if your miles don’t expire, your account can be cancelled if it’s inactive for a period of time)
Partners: What airlines can you fly and still earn miles with them?Â (Write down the ones you might fly someday.)
Login:Â What is your username, password, etc. for the airline’s website?
Balance: What’s your current mileage balance?

Pick your top 2-3 airlines.Â Once you see the above info side-by-side, it should be pretty clear which program will give your miles the longest shelf life.Â My #1 airline choice is KLM, because they partner with airlines I fly often (Kenya, Continental, Delta), and their miles last 20 months as long as I fly once every 20 months.
Keep this list handy.Â I have mine saved on my computer so I can refer to it whenever I book a plane ticket online.Â Just because I have a Continental OnePass card doesn’t mean I should use it for my Continental flight.Â This list shows me that I should put those miles on KLM instead.Â I keep a 3×5 card with all my flyer mile numbers on it in the back of my passport.

Keeping Miles

Never refuse miles.Â Even if you don’t think you’ll ever fly Aeroflot again, get the miles.Â If they’re not a partner with any of the programs you already have (refer to the list you made above to check), sign up for theirs.Â It’s easiest to do it on their website before you fly.
To keep track of all my miles, I love AwardWallet.com.Â It can check all my balances in one view, and shows me when they expire.Â If I see that one of them is going to expire this year, I’ll schedule a reminder for myself to revisit it the month before they do.
And when you see that your Lufthansa miles are expiring this month, you don’t have to fly to Frankfurt quite yet. You can often get an extension on your miles buy spending a few of them.Â We’ll cover redeeming miles in part three.

Africa Stories

Matt & Rachel Floreen's ministry in Malawi

Category Archives: How To