The 2017 Update

Dear Family and Friends,

It is long overdue for us to update you.  We apologize for the long delay.  As many of you know, we have left Malawi to return back to Houston.  Our hearts are heavy with the goodbyes to our loved ones there, but also eager to reconnect with loved ones in America.  Since our last post, we have had our second son James Walter Hodges, named after Great Grandfathers Elmer Walter Waterhouse who passed away days after his birth and James Smith.  Life with 2 boys has been fun.  James is easy going and generally happy.  DR is loving to his younger brother, but can’t wait to wrestle with his little foe.

 

Kelly's patient Grace mentioned in an earlier blog - she is now
walking and talking.

The decision to leave Malawi was one of the most difficult we have had to face.  Donald was given the opportunity to take up the family business as well as faced with the progressive decline of his father with Parkinson’s disease.  Kelly loved her work at the clinic, but felt drawn to be home with her impressionable young boys.  But to leave Malawi meant leaving a life of service to a country we have come to love dearly.  For Kelly, working as a Pediatrician in such a poverty stricken country was a dream come true.  She saw God’s hand restore the sick, calm the anxious, comfort the grieving, and give hope to the fainthearted.  What a great God we serve.  Donald was placed into a teaching position and quickly had a heart for his teenage students.  He developed relationships with the students that gave him the opportunity to share God’s truths and invest in their lives.  He also started the school’s Science Fair program in 2016.  This past year, it significantly improved – there were more students involved in the fair, the projects were great, and many people from the community were able to attend and see the great work the ABC students had accomplished.  

Todd Stiles, Mzati Banda (2017 ABC Graduate), Donald

Though we are leaving Malawi physically, we will still be connected in many ways.  We have committed to hosting an annual staff appreciation dinner for the ABC Clinic.   This past year we hosted the dinner and everyone had a great time.  We have also started a scholarship program for ABC Clinic employees. 

2017 Staff Appreciation Dinner

2017 Staff Appreciation Dinner

Donald is looking at how his family’s environmental company can get involved with deforestation and other environmental issues in Malawi.  Most of all, we will always be connected with the many friends that we have made in Malawi.