by admin | Jun 15, 2020 | BLOG
James and Judith love their children. Christable is 10 and Vanessa is 5. Yet, somehow over time, life seemed to have gone wrong. They seemed to have drifted apart. The family wasn’t attending church anymore. James spent less time at home, more time at the local bar. They weren’t talking, and when they did talk it seemed it was only to argue. No one in the family was happy.
As things continued to deteriorate at home, one of the churches in their area announced the launch of a new Sunday School program. The church is part of the Church Network with Y-Malawi partner World Relief. When the children heard about the Sunday School, and that some of their friends were going, they asked Mom if they could go also. While Mom didn’t want to attend herself, but she saw no harm in it. She agreed they could go with some neighbor children.
Christable and Vanessa loved Sunday School from the very first day. They just couldn’t wait to go and be with the other children, singing, learning Bible verses, and hearing stories from the Word of God. After Sunday School they would come home and tell their parents about what they had learned. They would share the verses, the songs, and the stories. They even demanded that the family start praying before meals.
One evening James came home drunk. As he sat in the dirt listening to his children sharing about Sunday School, he couldn’t help but notice the joy they seemed to have in being a part of what was happening at church. The joy he saw in the faces of his children spoke to his unhappy heart. He had to find out what this was all about. He told Judith that the next Sunday, he was going to go to church with the children.
James did go. So did Judith. It changed their lives. Now this restored family never misses a Sunday. They are not only Sunday School members, but they are happy again. The fighting is gone, the drinking is gone, the anger is gone. It has been replaced with love and respect. It has been replaced with praying and sharing together. God used these two children to teach James and Judith about the love of God. Now, with a new passion, they are sharing with everyone they know how God used Christable and Vanessa to open their eyes to joy.
by admin | Jun 6, 2020 | BLOG
Every educator and every parent knows the challenge of ensuring students are learning during quarantine. It’s no less challenging in Malawi, perhaps even more so. All schools were closed by the government earlier this year. The challenge is made more difficult in Malawi because there is little or no access to the internet.
So, what to do? Children still need to learn so that they don’t fall behind. Y-Malawi Partner, Fishers, Trainers and Senders (FTS), has the responsibility to train teachers in 16 schools. They came up with a creative plan.
Since the government is restricting the size of gatherings, including schools, FTS is bringing teachers together in small groups. In these small groups, teachers are receiving new teaching aids and instructions on how to teach children during these trying times. Teachers are being taught how to schedule small groups of students in each village. Then like a “Circuit Preacher,” teachers are traveling from village to village taking the classroom to directly to the students.
Meeting under trees, or wherever possible, they are assembling groups of 5 – 10 students at a time. The teachers are rotating between villages so that all students see a teacher on a regular basis. In this way, they can continue to learn. They can be encouraged through song, they can hear the Word of God in memory verses, and they can know that they are not alone in the world.
It’s just one more way that Y-Malawi Partners are demonstrating love and bringing change to the villages, and people of Malawi.
by admin | May 26, 2020 | BLOG
What’s the most treasured gift you have ever received? A ring? A family heirloom? Perhaps it wasn’t something of great monetary value, but something that meant a great deal to you personally? Whatever your answer, it’s likely that few of us would name a Bible as our most treasured gift. Unless, you live in the village, in Malawi.
It may seem strange to those living in the USA, where we have so much, but not everyone in the world has access to a Bible. In the village, it is rare to have a Bible in your home. Even many pastors do not own a Bible. It’s not that they are not available, it is that they are an expense that most simply cannot afford. A Bible costs about $10, the equivalent of half a month’s wages for most villagers!
Thanks to some generous friends, Y-Malawi was recently able to distribute over 200 Bibles. They were given to Pastors, Chiefs, Bible Study Group Members, and Youth Clubs. One Chiefs Bible Study Center is pictured here receiving their Bibles. They are wearing masks because of COVID-19.
Prior to owning a Bible, this group relied on the Y-Malawi Field Officer to share with them from the Bible each visit. They were praying that somehow God would provide 3 Bibles so that the group could share them. When they heard that each would be receiving their own Bible, they could not believe it. They broke out in a song of praise to God. One woman said, “I never dreamed that I would have the word of God in my home. Now I can read for myself what God has to say to me, and I can read to my husband and children from God’s own book.”
Sometimes those of us living with much can take simple things for granted. How would our lives be different, how would this world be different, if all of us treasured the Bible as much as those who understand it as one of God’s most treasured gifts.
by admin | May 11, 2020 | BLOG
When COVID-19 hit the world, the virus didn’t skip Malawi. In response, Y-Malawi Partners have been distributing hand washing stations in villages, markets, community centers, churches, and Mosques. Hand washing is critical to helping avoid sickness, but it is even more powerful when people take additional steps to protect themselves as well.
To that end the, as the crisis began the Y-Malawi Vocational Training Center (VTC) shifted their focus from school uniforms and other clothing items, to making masks. The masks have become part of the sensitization training when each hand washing station is installed. People are learning what COVID – 19 is and how to avoid it. Masks are being distributed to those who need them free of charge.
Almost 3,000 have been made so far. Now local hospitals and other government agencies are requesting that the VTC make even more as their need for masks grows with the crisis. Making masks is just one more way that Y-Malawi has become an integral part of the community of Nkhotakota. The community knows Y-Malawi and its Partners care. They recognize the love of Jesus in every effort.
Times may be challenging and difficult, but they also represent opportunities. Opportunities for those who love Jesus to put love into action.
by admin | May 11, 2020 | BLOG
Dalitso and Isah got married when Isah was just 19. She knew Dalitso’s background, but she thought him to be a good man. She didn’t expect a fairy tale ending, but she thought he would provide for her, take care of her and make her life better. It didn’t take long for her to realize; things were not going to be exactly as she thought.
Like many men in Malawi, Dalitso was raised to believe that a woman’s job is to bear children and take care of the home. To him, this meant Isah was responsible for cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, fetching water, working the garden, taking care of their children and any other related tasks. For Dalitso, it would be beneath a man to help with any of these chores. He considered them women’s work.
It did not take but a few years and Isah became exhausted. Their marriage was suffering, the children were suffering. Isah began to hold despise Dalitso and his attitude. In response Dalitso began to spend more and more time away from the home. He slept there but nothing more, coming home late in the evening and leaving again in the morning. Everyone was unhappy. Dalitso even considered the possibility of a second wife.
When some friends invited Dalitso and Isah to a Families for Life training hosted by World Relief, Dalitso didn’t want to go. Against, his better judgement, and only because his friends were so insistent, he went. In the training Dalitso and Isah learned about what marriage is all about. They learned what makes a happy marriage. They learned about love and about Jesus. Most importantly they learned what it means to love and give yourself to others. That training changed everything. It changed their marriage.
Now Dalitso is helping Isah around the house. They are doing everything together, planning, working, even budgeting. This once sad and unhappy household is bursting with new excitement, happiness and joy. Isah could not be happier, her life has changed. Of her new husband and marriage she said, “Now I know that marriage without friendship is like the sky without the sun.”
by admin | May 2, 2020 | BLOG
It was just a normal day. Field Officer Kennedy Chabwera was driving in his van headed out to visit some of the women and girls being empowered by Y-Malawi. As he passed by a certain village, he must have been spotted by someone. On his return trip a crowd of people, 12 or 15 men blocked the road waving for him to stop.
Pulling over Kennedy rolled down the window. The men were frantic, “Uncle Ken, we are in trouble, but we know you will be the one to help us. Please we have a patient who needs to visit the clinic. We wanted to call you, but we did not have your phone number. Now God has sent you here to help.”
Just then some others were bringing a young girl obviously expecting and having labor pains toward the vehicle. Now understanding Kennedy opened the sliding door. The girl was hoisted inside with two older women joining her. Kennedy slammed the door shut, jumped back into the drivers seat and off they went. The people had asked Kennedy to take the girl to a local clinic, but Kennedy could see the girl was already having trouble. A bit further distance, he decided to take her to the hospital in town instead.
Either it took too long, or the baby just came too fast. Traveling over the dirt, dust and ruts of that typical Malawi road, the baby was born less than 30 minutes in route. There was little Kennedy could do but pray and drive as fast as possible. The women in the back knew what to do, but the girl was afraid. She was crying and saying that she was going to die. Once at the hospital the baby was pronounced as doing fine. She was even sent home with the mother’s sister the next day. The doctors are confident that the mother will soon recover also.
A few days later Kennedy returned to the village to check on the baby. He said, “When I arrived everyone treated me like a film star or a hero.” They gave him the baby to hold for the first time. They also gave him the honor of naming the baby. She is now called VanNessa. It means coming from the van.
The life of a Christian is never dull, every day is an opportunity to serve God and love people.
