Little Blessings

Josie received her first haircut! She still has some curl left!

Our daily life is becoming more of a routine. We are adjusting to regular power outages ranging from 2 – 8 hours every few days. About two weeks ago the pump for the bore hole, where we get all of the water for our house, broke. It took just over a week to repair. Conveniences make life easier but they aren’t always necessary or available here in Malawi. For a short period of time we drew water from the neighbors outdoor spicket for essential water needs until the pump was fixed. Everything will be okay, DON’T WORRY! (common phrase we hear and use daily!)

Jacob initiated dance party Friday at the preschool!

The preschools have kept us busy. Its difficult but each month we have to send children home who have not paid their monthly school fees. Fees are minimal but necessary to operate. To try to avoid having to send kids home, we send a handwritten note that reminds the parents the fees are overdue. The note includes the amount due and a deadline. Being the 2^nd month we’ve done this, a handful of children who haven’t paid fees didn’t show up to school after the deadline on the notice. We know they’ll be back, and honestly its more comfortable not having to send the child home.

From June to August, our family worked to create the alphabet to be hung on the walls of each of the classrooms. We began hanging these hand-made visuals in the classrooms and are happy to see the results. They liven up the classrooms and provide the teachers with visual aids to refer to. We’d like to add more in the coming months. A donation was made so we could purchase the paper and marker we used to create the alphabets, another donation made it possible for us to laminate our hard work! We are very excited about this as initially we planned to replace the sheets of paper as they became worn, which in an open air classroom would have been quite frequently. We are thankful we were able to laminate as now we can spend our time creating curriculum for our classrooms.

Lily's friend Tabby blowing bubbles for the kids to enjoy!

About a month ago we purchased a bicycle. It’s a good thing Jacob knows a lot about bikes because he’s had to make many adjustments and repairs! Initially the repairs were happening on a daily basis but we got a good price on a decent bike and are hopeful it will last us quite some time. Jacob has been riding the bicycle to the preschool almost daily as Tonya takes Lilyanna to school using the car. On his ride he gets many “second takes” as he’s singing and hitting jumps whenever he can. I think some Malawian’s think he’s crazy but I’ve also notice the neighborhood around the preschool has welcomed our presence and either greets us or waves at us when they see us. I too have been brave enough to bike out to the preschools. My first ride, I was a bit nervous and prayed the entire way there and home! Riding on a dirt/sand path is not easy but its doable. We’ll see if we’re able to ride once the rainy season hits us, I anticipate it won’t be possible but we’ll figure that out when the time comes. It’s about a 40 minute walk so we always have that option!

Lily enjoying class time in the preschool village!

We have a lot of work to do with the preschools, however we know we need to proceed with a humble heart and open mind. At this point we’ve focused on the administrative part of the preschool and supporting the teachers where we can. Some days this means drawing pails of water from the well, mopping outdoor toilets or playing with the children during their break. I did take over the 3yr old class one morning and wow, that was a mission experience! Patience, patience, patience! With 37 kids sitting in front of me, some with no chairs to help them sit still, it was a challenging but wonderful experience. Eventually we hope to evolve (create) a curriculum for the teachers to use. For now, we are trying to empower the teachers and let them know we are happy with what they offer.

Two weeks ago, Lilyanna’s school was on holiday. Our entire family and Esther, our nanny, went to both of the preschools. Lilyanna, Josephine and their friend Tabby sang and played with the children. They brought bubbles which Lily’s schoolmates back in IL at St. Louise de Merriliac mailed us, the children loved this! The girls also played ball and sang songs with the kids. It was a wonderful day! To end the Friday (only half day of preschool on Friday’s) we all enjoyed a dance party which Jacob initiated several weeks back. The children love to dance with us and be goofy!

Josie & her friends playing at recess! (larger preschool)

Though the preschools take up quite a bit of our time, we’ve also stayed busy helping out at Lily’s school and in the finance office of our Provincial House. The kitchen equipment has arrived from South Africa (Jacob ordered on behalf of Lily’s school) and he has been busy implementing a new food service opportunity for the campus. I’ve been working on creating a resources room using the extra materials ABC Christian Academy has that hopefully all of the teachers will utilize. Not being a teacher myself, this has created a great opportunity for me to see all the different math manipulative, and other classroom enhancements a teacher can use. It’s given me several ideas which can be used in the Comboni preschools we are overseeing.

God protected us, we were only hit in the back! 

Almost five weeks ago, Lilyanna and I were involved in a rear-end collision. As we were driving to Lily’s school and were stopped at a red robot (traffic light), a minibus smacked into the back of us. We are so thankful he hit us from behind and not the side or the front or the accident would have been much worse. Lily and I both had sore muscles but recovered quickly. The car is squished in the back. It took just short of 5 weeks and 8 trips to the police station to get a copy of the accident report. Upon picking up the report, I was disappointed to realize they did not create the formal report off the statement made the day of the accident which myself, the other driver and responding officer signed. Oh well, I guess things are done differently in Malawi. The minibus driver was at fault and thankfully there were three police officers at that intersection who witnessed the collision. It’ll be interesting to see how the insurance and repairs work here in Malawi! We are grateful God protected us that day from what could have been a terrible accident.

Reading Day at ABC, homemade fairy!

Josephine is doing wonderful! She’s a handful and full of life. She enjoys going to the market, singing, dancing and playing with the neighbor kids. Lilyanna has continued to excel in school! She’s received several rewards for her progress in the schools AR Program (accelerated reading). She is also tied with one other student for the most 100% scores on their weekly spelling tests. The school celebrates "Reading Day" where each student dresses up as a character from a book they read or like. With limited materials, Lily created fairy wings using the glitter recently sent by Bob & Ginny J! Perfect timing for their wonderful care-package! She continues to amaze us with how quickly she learns and retains information.

This past weekend we were able to spend some time with two Comboni Priests who serve in our Province but located in a seminary school about 4 hours south of us. Fr. Kyanike recently visited the United States, and met our dear friend Shaun K and her husband after a mission appeal in Iowa! Comboni’s are world-wide, what are the chances one from our community in Malawi would meet a dear friend in America! We didn’t know before he left that he’d also visit WI or we would have asked him to stop at our home parish, St. Ann. We giggled when Fr. Kyanike told us all about this town that was created in Wisconsin, “all for fun”! He was talking about WI Dells! He also showed us a picture of a lake he visited, we were so excited to realize it was Devils Lake, one of our families favorite places to hike, camp, swim and relax!

Lilyanna teaching the kids how to do a "throw-in".

God has continued to bless us with good health! We encounter such extreme poverty on a daily basis, it is humbling to witness the love and happiness so many Malawian’s have to offer, despite their daily fight to find food each day to feed their family. Our lives have changed. We talk a little about life back in the states and wonder if we’ll ever fit in again. We see God in so many people that we meet on a daily basis. We also get frustrated at times as we are still getting used to the culture and language. Though, with beginning our day with prayer and praying throughout the day for patience, understanding and an open heart, we can squash those frustrations pretty quickly!

We ask you to please keep our family in your prayers. Specifically we ask for prayers for health, patience, openness and the ability to share the love of our Lord and Savior. Also, please pray for the government of Malawi, that the recently exposed corruption will be put to an end and the leaders will serve the people with the dignity and respect they deserve.

May God continue to bless you and comfort you! Tsiku labwino! (have a nice day)

Peace and love,

Tonya, Jacob, Lilyanna & Josephine (Lillian & Josephina)

Picking Up The Pace

It has been just a month since our last update and the pace has certainly picked up. We have continued to be blessed with good health for the most part (Josie spiked a fever for a few days but recovered quickly) and are now getting used to the African heat.

Josie in her new birthday dress

Josie celebrated her 3^rd birthday on August 27^th and we celebrated it in our usual way with cake, dancing and a whole lot of neighbor children. Thank you to all who sent gifts for the girls. All of them meant the world to the girls and we all appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts. Josie now spends most mornings with Esther and has really developed a bond with her. Her speech has struggled a bit agin with the changes in our routine. Please pray that Jesus will help her to find her words easily and continue to grow into the beautiful little lady she is.

Lily performing at Friday Chapel

Lily is doing VERY well in her new school. She has made many new friends and has really excelled in her reading skills. Her teacher is a very sweet woman originally from South Africa and I believe she adores Lily as much as Lily does her.  The school itself has great staff overall, with a strong curriculum and beautiful faith woven into it all. We have been fortunate to be able to attend most her Friday chapels.  Witnessing and experiencing those have definitely assured us that the Holy Spirit has led us to this place and Almighty God has shown his mercy onto us with many blessings.

Pretty in pink

 Tonya has been busy helping at Lily’s school in a number of ways including organizing the school’s uniform closet, helping Lil’s teacher, and creating a resource room for the teachers. On days that she is not helping at the school, she has also been working with Fr. Dario at the provincial house. We have ben asked to assist the province in some administrative duties in the finance/accounting office and we are happy to help. This has been a great way to learn more about the Comboni province of Malawi and Zambia, the different Comboni communities in these two countries and the great work they are all doing for the glory of God. If that wasn’t enough, we both helped to open the two-pre schools that are run by the parish. They opened two weeks ago and have been a great learning experience of the culture in many ways.

Part of the road to the pre-school

Over the past months I have been working with Lily’s school in building and creating their new food service program. I researched and sourced the equipment out of South Africa and have been developing the menu, pricing and procedures. The equipment should arrive soon and then I will get the program up and running. Again, another gift from God that I can utilize my knowledge in food service here in Malawi! Since the opening of the pre-schools, on the days Tonya is at Lily's school or the Provincial House, I have been walking to the bigger of the two to help with enrolling the students collecting fees and making sure the teachers have some basic needs to operate the school. The walk is about 2 miles from the house through a very poor area of Lilongwe on a dirt road. It takes about 40 min. each way and has been fun except for the plooms of dust that come rolling when a car passes. It gives me time to listen to music and speak more Chichewa to people I meet along the way. I have had some pretty funny looks when the people see and hear the white guy strolling and singing down the road, something not many had seen there before.

Some of our learners at St. Agness pre-school

 We appreciate the work we have been given so far and thank God for the opportunity to share His love in all that we do. Please pray for our health, safety and patience as we continue on this wonderful journey. 

Please mail your gift to Comboni Lay Missionaries 1615 E 31st Street
 La Grange Park, IL 60526 or donate online at www.laymission-comboni.org

Denote “Kleven family – General Support” in the memo line or intention box on the website to support keeping us in mission or “Kleven family – Ministry Account” to support our ministry projects in Malawi. Gifts are deductible to the full extent allowable under IRS regulations.

Sending our love and blessing to you all! Jacob

Livin

Lilyanna welcoming our Bishop

Sorry it has been so long since our last update. Seems like time passes by rather quickly here.  The weather here has been relatively cool (60’s at night, high 70’s low 80’s by mid-day). This has been nice before the real heat kicks in. Soon it will be blazin hot and even dustier than it is now as the rains won’t come until early December. April is the last time we saw a decent rain, it’s getting extremely dusty here! All in all we have been getting along well and all of us are doing very good.

Fr Somanje, Comboni General Superior Fr Enrique Sanchez,
Kleven family

July 20, we celebrated the 40th Anniversary of Comboni Missionaries being in Malawi & Zambia. Also, Brother Patrick was ordained Comboni Deacon! The weekend was full of activities including a soccer and netball tournament. We had the honor of meeting the Comboni General Superior, Fr Enrique Sanchez who traveled to Malawi to join our 40th anniversary celebration. He welcomed us to the Comboni Family and also encouraged us to stay active with the Comboni Missionaries for years to come!


Fr Sanchez truly is a man of God who we feel so blessed to spend a little time with! Deacon Patrick's ordination Mass celebration was long (over 5 hours) though it was an incredible Mass. Lilyanna danced with the dancing girls, she did a great job! 

Tonya has been meeting with the Catholic Women’s Organization (CWO) and the Legion of Mary groups regularly. This has been a real blessing for her as it has provided her a small group to connect with and share her faith in a very real and intimate way. Tonya has also been working very hard on materials for the Comboni nursery schools. As we had said in earlier blogs, the schools have very little educational materials on the walls (2 posters) or to work with. So, Tonya and the girls have been working hard tracing and coloring alphabet letters, numbers and such to be put in and around the schools as tools for the teachers and children. Thank you Mom (Grandma Meg) for funding this effort! With her donation, we were able to purchase a ream of paper, permanent marker and tape so we could create these visual aids for the classrooms. We may have enough funds left to laminate the sheets as well! Also, this past week Tonya was asked to share a reading in Chichewa during daily Mass. Having one day to prepare (I’m finding most Malawian’s aren’t planners like I am…I pray daily for patience and acceptance!), I actually did alright! We look forward to learning Chichewa better so that we can share the Word of God more often and more confidently!

This little girl always seeks out Lily at church

Besides that Jacob has been working on our fence for the dogs, and also planting more greens and landscaping around the yard. The dogs we have been a real challenge. First we had to secure the bottom of the fence for the little one and then add to the top for the big one. I have honestly worked on the fence every day for the past two months.  They add a lot of security but the amount of work to keep them in has made us all wonder if it is worth it.  I have also been working on a project for Lily’s school. More about that in later updates.

Lily's birthday celebration playdate

Lily's first day of 3rd grade at ABC Christian
Academy (Josie photo bombing the picture!)

We have both been attending many Mpagati Msikas very regularly. Most weeks one of us attend at least two to four of these beautiful celebrations. It gives us a time to meet more of the parish community and father always voluntells us to speak a bit in Chichewa to the gathering which can be a bit intimidating but good for us to practice our Chichewa in front of a larger crowd. They will come to end at next week and we are blessed to have taken part in them.

Lily has been a very busy girl. She celebrated her 8^th birthday a few weeks ago. First we had few of her new expatriate friends over for a play date. Then on the day of her birthday we invited all of the neighbor kids over for a dance party and cake (over 20 kids came).  Also, Lilyanna had a surprise visit by our Parish Priest, Deacon Patrick and a visiting Comboni Priest to sing happy birthday and offer her some yummy birthday gifts (Lays chips, candy and juice!)

Lily's birthday celebration with our neighbor kids

The next week she attended a camp at the Lilongwe Wildlife Center where she made even more new friends and had the chance to see some of the awesome wildlife here in Malawi. Now to top it off, this week she started school at ABC Christian Academy. She has a delightful teacher and the school offers a great Christian based education. Lilyanna has adjusted well through all of the changes and we are both very proud of the little lady she is becoming.

Fort Lily built at Wildlife Camp

Next week Josie will turn three! She continues to make us laugh each and everyday with her wonderful personality and is now talking pretty much non-stop about anything and everything. I’m pretty sure she has asked Tonya and I a thousand times “when we go back to the United States, can I get my piggy bank back”? I’m not sure where she got it but it is sweet either way.  She has a great time and has connected very well with our nanny Esther. This fact is very comforting since we have now asked Esther to come Mon-Fri. because either Tonya or I will take Lily to school each morning and the other will attend daily mass at 6am and both of us will start working in the community more regularly. All of this is another big change in our daily lives and we pray for God to guiding us through it all.

Beautiful Josie, playing on her scooter

Last week we “witnessed” something that was very alarming and challenging morally as Christian. We were about to drive out of the parish property when we noticed many of our neighbors and others running towards the entrance of the property. We knew not to get to close and stayed back a ways. A few of our friends confirmed that we should stay away and we pulled the car close to the church to wait out the events. We waited 10 min. or so and then we were told that it was OK to pass. We later learned that commotion had to do with a man at the market across the road, who had a gun on him.  The people of the market challenged him as to why he had a gun and almost stoned him to death there on the spot. It was certainly one of our more frightful experiences since we have been here. We pray that the man recovers and that Our Father will forgive all.

Josie was delighted to hold a 5mo old baby!

We have learned recently that a big portion of our ministry in the near future will be to assist at the preschools in a number of different ways, primarily the director position for the preschools. We look forward to this opportunity! We pray that God’s hand will help us to lead these beautiful children to live a life according to His word.

Lily & Obrey, sweet neighbor boy

Our family is adjusting to Missionary life in Malawi though we still have our moments of homesickness and culture shock. We are thankful we are able to (so far) afford internet access and that we were gifted an amazing computer by our family before we left. Can you believe it’s been a year since we left our professional careers? Tonya misses her Park Bank colleagues as well as the work, though she knows she’s where she is supposed to be. Jacob also misses his team back at Sodexo but he’s grateful for the internet to stay in touch! The companies we worked for were good to us in many ways!

We ask for prayers for health, calmness and patience as we continue in our mission here in Malawi. Especially for health for the girls as we are not currently on anti-malaria meds and the mosquitoes are back.  May Almighty God continue to bless each and every one of you. Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

Apologies for the spacing of text and pictures on this update, we are struggling a bit using blogger! We wanted to include a lot of pictures and when we do that, the spacing gets messed up! Thanks for being patient with us as we explore and learn about the world of blogging! Peace and love, Tonya, Jacob, Lilyanna and Josephine (Kleven Comboni Lay Missionaries)

Josie, Lily and a few neighbors at our Mphakati Masika