The weekends have been exceptionally busy this month - must be the holiday season! We have grouted most of the "Fawn" light grout in the shower, so now we just have to wipe away the dusty white grout excess and complete the dark brown grout on the floor.
Troy has lower back problems, due to an ambitious college wrestling career. On Friday the pain flared up, crippling him to the above stance for the weekend - the blue yoga ball helps him stretch out his muscles. He is having trouble sitting, getting in/out of the car, walking, etc. On Sunday, his right eyeball impacted with my wedding ring... most likely scratching his eyeball.
Not a good week in the medical department - hoping for an appointment ASAP!
Meet George Chaima, Director of New Restoration Ministries International in Southern Malawi, Africa. His evangelistic and humanitarian ministry is very similar to what we are doing in Mzuzu, Bolero and other northern Malawi areas!
We are very excited to work with George in the future, sharing connections, knowledge, resources and opportunities!
He is already teaching us how to better work with the governmental systems in place in Malawi to make a greater and more efficient impact.
Financial Priorities -
- I will maintain adequate cash reserves, sufficient to replace my income for 6+ months.
- I will remain debt free, paying upfront for all purchases.
- I will save for retirement, focusing on both pretax and after-tax accounts.
- I will teach my children sound financial principles, and help them pay for college.
- I will look for opportunities to bless others, both with my finances and my time.
Financial Principles -
- I will live on a budget.
- I will respect every dollar that I make, and the work that went in to making it.
- I will look for opportunities to save more money.
- I will look for opportunities to earn more money.
- I will value people more than possessions.
Troy is rather passionate about eating a hearty breakfast daily... and I prefer sleeping in and eating a bagel/bread with coffee at work. A great way to save time and money in the morning has been to pre-make and freeze breakfast burritos! The first time we made grilled steak burritos, but recently I used the crock pot to make flavorful shredded chicken.
Directions:
1) Fill crock pot 2/3 full with raw chicken (even frozen works)
2) Add a whole raw onion and garlic cloves, chopped up
3) Add raw pepper chopped up, considering heat preference
4) Add a couple tablespoons of taco seasoning (a packet)
5) Pour in about 2 cans of diced tomatoes, covering the raw meat
6) Turn on and let cook all day (or night)
7) Pull chicken out, shred with fork and place back into crock pot
8) Simmer shredded chicken in crock pot juices until ready to use
Easy! While the chicken was simmering, I made a big batch of white basmati rice, then stir fried it with some crock pot chicken juice, corn, black beans and egg.
We set up a breakfast burrito assembly line, heating the shell over the stove, adding rice and shredded chicken, fresh salsa and cheese for Troy. We wrapped the finished burritos in saran wrap then a gallon-size freezer bag. I wrote my name in Sharpie on the burritos without cheese, but Troy gets about 80% of the 30 burritos.
Last time we added fresh mushrooms, bell pepper and onion and that was delicious!
Some may consider visiting a third world country a “vacation,” but to me the experience is so much more than that. Living with the poor and experiencing their standard of living is an education, transforming my perception of life, people, relationships, family, survival, education, materialism, ownership, generosity, religion, God, hope, death and priorities. Suffering alongside them, even just in the everyday inconveniences, makes me appreciate the opportunities and wealth in my little bubble of the world (Portland, Oregon) and also humbles and inspires me to stand up for the voiceless, as an advocate for justice and hope.
We are in training. What are we training for? What do we practice daily and how do we spend much of our free time? I challenge myself – and you – to be intentional about the lessons you pursue. Some of my favorite books have changed my perception of poverty and the people who live in the midst of it:
• The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs
• Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
• Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
• The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz
Who I am, and what I pursue, will affect my potential impact on the ministry I commit to. My life is a representative of what I ask you to join… if someone is unreliable or irresponsible, I do not want to invest in them or their ministry because I do not trust them to make the maximum impact. Keep in mind who/what is represented when making choices – people are watching your actions and making decisions accordingly.
On a similar note, the documentary film "The End of Poverty?" is coming to Portland on December 5th at the Living Room Theaters. It will only be playing for a short time and I am very eager to see it - anyone want to join me? Below is the movie preview.
The End Of Poverty? from Philippe Diaz on Vimeo.
Last weekend we grouted around the dark tiles - band, shampoo cubby and part of the floor (to use of the mix). Photo on left shows cubby tiles having gravity issues, but nothing a strong glue can't fix!
Notice how the little yellow tiles POP with the new grout installed!
Lately I have been re-analyzing my choice of bank for the Emergency Fund. The local credit union is convenient for checking/bill purposes, but I prefer the Emergency Fund to be less accessible and receiving a more competitive interest rate.
An up-to-date spreadsheet of FDIC-insured high interest rate banks can be found at this link: http://www.consumerismcommentary.com/rates/
There is a no-minimum balance Savings Account available online for 2.25% interest! Check it out: http://www.sfgidirect.com/Default.aspx
Anyone know of a better deal that keeps the money immediately accessible without fees?
A team will be leaving for Malawi mid-November! Join us for a short meeting of ministry updates and ways that you can partner with us in meeting needs and preparing for the journey!
Click on the image below to enlarge.
Great tool for planning furniture layout:
http://roomplanner.icovia.com/findyourfurniture/resources/icovia.aspx
If you sign up for a free account, you can save your room layouts for future use.
This comic is a great example of what work has been like lately:
My culture is plagued by a time consuming, distracting and frequently obnoxious backdrop – television and the commercials that accompany! Most households are in the habit of centering their living room area around that ugly black box and many households keep the shows rolling like chain smokers. Some people keep the screen on mute with subtitles (watching something like the news,) but the worst addicts keep the volume so loud that it pollutes the atmosphere of the entire house - ALL DAY LONG!
To everything there is a season… in moderation, television can be a relaxing, informational and entertaining pastime. Sometimes watching a show or two while working on a mundane project (like finances or scrapbooking) can help the work progress. After a long stressful day or week, a show can be a great escape or therapeutic release of tension.
Television should not be the standard backdrop of social interaction, because it limits conversation and relationship. The occasional movie night/television sports event is fine, but using the excuse habitually is lazy hospitality.
After a long productive day, Troy and I enjoy relaxing during occasional show, found on Hulu and displayed via projector on our bedroom wall. We have set up little speakers around the room for surround sound, amplifying favorite shows like Global Voices, Leverage, Lost, The Fringe, etc. A couple nights ago we downloaded the new Hulu Desktop program!
Detailed wood will trim a large mirror over the sinks, basic wood will be used as baseboard in the bathroom. One coat of stain... probably going to leave it light and add the wood protection coat.
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