COH Community > Pastors Visit America
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Pastors Arrive in Lexington KY
It was a long trip. They didn't have any idea how big the world is!
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Greeted by Friends
Friends who have made the long journey to Malawi were very happy to greet the pastors at the airport and welcome them to America.
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First Stop
The first stay was spent in a whirlwind of shopping for American clothes. They tried some new foods and we locked the keys in the car! A good first day!
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Visiting Supporters
Gilbert and Jeri Roller were the first Circle of Hope Supporters. Their generosity from the very beginning has helped place COH on a firm foundation. Thank you, Gilbert and Jeri!
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A Gathering of Friends
The pastors visit coincided with Circle of Hope's Fifth Birthday. We had a birthday bash at Missy Beckley's house in Kentucky to welcome our pastors.
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Happy 5th Birthday, COH!
On October 5th, Circle of Hope turned five!
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Second Stop --- TEXAS!
We didn't let the pastors sit around for long. After just one day in Kentucky, we left for Texas to visit friends. Vickie and Elroy Wisian, Drew and Tonya Kirkpatrick and Brian and Debbie Brownlow hosted us for the 2 weeks we were there.
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African American Friends
The conversations flew around the table with lots of joy as we met with some new African American friends in Lubbock.
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A Comfy Bed
The pastors enjoyed the comforts of soft beds, delicious food, and running water during their stay.
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The Combine
Steve Busby taught the men how to work the combine. One of the highlights of their trip was harvesting bushels and bushels of corn.
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Yes, I want a tractor!
Pastor Phiri is convinced that a tractor is the best thing there could possibly be. In just 10 minutes he plowed the equivalent of the fields that we plant at the Grace Center. In Malawi, it takes the farmers 6 months to prepare the same amount of land for the planting season.
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Alfalfa
Learning about new crops and plants was an interesting part of their visit.
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Cotton Gin
We visited a cotton gin in Springlake, TX.
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Trio
Our trio sang a number of places, this stage in Post was our debut!
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Preaching
Pastor Phiri preached in Post, TX while Pastor Andrew translated.
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New Friends
One of our most amazing experiences was attending a fundraiser in Post, TX. This Mexican family prepared wonderful authentic Mexican food. They invited Pastor Phiri to preach to the little group. He spoke Chichewa, Pastor Andrew interpreted into English and Fernando translated into Spanish. We had such a great time praying with this family!
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Dr. Ben's Family
Another highlight from the trip was visiting with Dr. Ben's family. Their daughter, Cass, gave Pastor Phiri his new nickname: Pastor P.P.
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Cowboys
The pastors love their new cowboy hats and boots. They got comments from people all the way back to Malawi!
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Cowboy Phiri
Cowboy Phiri loved the horses and enjoyed riding around the stable yard.
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Pastor Andrew
Pastor Andrew was a little leery of his horse. He didn't stay up there long.
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Sweetwater, Texas
Friends came from far and near to visit with the pastors while we were in Sweetwater.
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Earth, Texas
The pastors were pretty sure they were not really on earth anymore, but this sign reassured them they still had their feet on the ground!
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The Biggest Surprise
The thing that kept the pastors commenting their whole trip were the roads...how big they are, how many lanes, the off ramps and on ramps. It was all so different for them.
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Favorite Food
After trying many different foods, they finally settled on Hamburgers as their favorite. With Sushi as the LEAST favorite.
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Destiny Community Church, Lexington KY
Pastor Phiri giving his testimony at Destiny Community Church. Pastor Dawn Cole visited Malawi last summer.
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Dinosaurs
The pastors learned about dinosaurs at the Creation Museum in Cinncinati, OH. Pastor Phiri says he doesn't believe they were real!
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Chatting with Noah
They really enjoyed the animated displays at the Creation Museum.
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Susanna Roller's Wedding
Pastor Phiri tied the knot for Susanna Roller and Jonathan Snyder at their November 5th wedding.
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Education
Phiri says the greatest thing he learned while here was the importance of education. We visited several schools including this school in Marion IN.
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School Lunch
A visit to school just isn't complete without a taste of cafeteria lunch. We were not impressed!
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Bowling
Members from past Indiana Wesleyan World Impact teams took their friends bowling in Marion. A very new experience for both pastors.
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The Scores
As you can see from the scores, Ngwangwa was a natural. Phiri...not so much!
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The Bowling Gang
After so many opportunities to try new things in Malawi, the team was eager to show the pastors something new from our culture!
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SNOW???
We had hoped to see snow, but the closest we got was watching these You Tube videos with Frank on the couch!
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Dairy Farming
We visited as many different kinds of farms and farm activities as you can possible imagine and some you would probably never think of.
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Watseka -- It's closed!
Imagine our joy when this sign popped up on the highway. This word in Chechewa means, "It's closed." The town was very much open and we enjoyed another hamburger there!