by admin | May 2, 2023 | Empowerment
Who do you see when you look into the mirror each morning? Is your reflection the same person that others will meet during your day?
In April, thanks to the Presbytery of Western North Carolina, Y-Malawi staff were able to coordinate and participate in Man in the Mirror training. Y-Malawi has long been pursuing empowerment of women, but we have not had a targeted development for men. This new initiative is aimed at helping men engage in meaningful relationships that change lives and build the kingdom of God. The trainings are designed to help men reflect honesty, while pursuing God wholeheartedly.
This initial training included specific participants who will serve as “Trainers” to take the program out into local village churches. They will train others who will also become trainers so that the learnings can quickly be multiplied. We are very excited about this new development. The men of Malawi, especially those in the village need hope and love too. Our prayer is that this new initiative will blend with other Y-Malawi programs to build stronger families and communities.
- Families for Life, for families
- Change Me, for women
- Girls of Distinction, for girls
- Transformation Tree, for churches
- Man in the Mirror, for men
God is not just changing women, men or churches, He is changing entire communities. We pray and we believe that Man in the Mirror will play a significant role as we continue working to open hearts for change.
by admin | Sep 7, 2022 | Empowerment
Once she followed Islam, now she has a relationship with Jesus. She was not only given a chance to go to school, but the good news of the gospel. Now Mayamiko is sharing with others. Her sponsor has impacted not only Mayamiko’s life, but the lives of everyone Mayamiko knows.
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by admin | Nov 24, 2021 | Empowerment
When Ed and Sue came to small group that night, they had no idea what they were in for. It was just a typical gathering of about 10. Then God showed up. Hundreds of lives were about to be changed forever.
At this gathering there was a presentation about what God is doing in Malawi through Y-Malawi. There were photos and stories of how God is moving in the lives of those who follow Islam. How churches are being developed to reach out to their communities, and how women and girls are being empowered to change their future.
That night Ed couldn’t sleep. He just kept thinking about what he had seen and heard. The next morning, he told Sue, “We just have to do something.” Together they decided to help fund a new roof for a clinic being built for children under 5 years old. Several village churches had come together to build the clinic for their community, but they could not afford tin for the roofing. Without a tin roof, and with the rains approaching, the mud made bricks could collapse as they get soaked with water. Ed and Sue couldn’t let that happen. They gave some money to purchase the tin needed to protect the new clinic.
When the villagers in Malawi heard about what Ed and Sue were doing, they couldn’t believe it. Then the day came when the tin sheets arrived. A day of celebration! The village Chief said, “I am so happy as a chief to have received these iron sheets, by faith together with the church in our area we saw the need and we mobilized the community to do something for the under-five children which includes pregnant women as they would walk long distance to the clinic so we come up with this structure. And today that some people, that we don’t even know, that we never expected come and assist us, we thank God!” That day they sang, they prayed, they worshiped God for what He had provided them through Ed and Sue. After seeing the photos of the gift delivered Ed said, “It warms our hearts to see the happiness on their faces and to know that the clinic will be safe from the coming rains. We are blessed to be able to help.”
Just a small group gathering? Not when God shows up. That one small group has now impacted the lives of literally hundreds of children and expectant mothers. People Ed and Sue will likely never see or know this side of heaven. Nothing is impossible with God. It does not matter how small the group or how small the gift. What matters is that we do what Ed and Sue did. That we listen to His voice and answer the call.
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by admin | Dec 17, 2020 | Empowerment
“Seeing is believing.” The 17th century pastor Thomas Fuller was the first to use that phrase. Most people don’t know that what he really said was, “Seeing is believing, but feeling is truth.”
I have just returned from three weeks Malawi. From first-hand experience I can tell you that what God is doing there left me not only believing God is on the move in this world, but feeling His truth is more powerful than ever.
Incredible things are happening in Malawi. What God is accomplishing goes way beyond the prayers and dreams we had when this all began just a few short years ago. It would take pages to share everything God is doing. Let me share just three areas of praise.
- Love is winning. There is new hope in the air. People are beginning to believe that they can accomplish more. They are learning that they were created for more than poverty, dependence, and despair. Women are attending Bible Studies and Change Me programs in large numbers. They are learning to read and write. They are engaging in Village Savings and Loans groups learning about handling money. They are establishing Mother Groups counseling and loving young girls out of early marriages and away from abuses. Youth groups are studying the Bible too, but their activities don’t stop there. They are working together raising fish and growing acres of rice. Their goal is not just to earn money for their clubs, but to provide for those who are hungry. To help girls stay in school by paying their school fees. To buy tools for others to start businesses, and to provide books for younger students who need tutoring after school. They are demonstrating love to their community.
- Economic empowerment is exploding. New programs to provide training and capital to start new businesses may have started as a smoldering ember, but it is now burning flame! Veronica, a single mother planted an entire rice field on her own. Today she is selling rice to Y-Malawi to feed the hungry in her community at a fair price. Chimwemwe, too old to work the fields anymore, now has a small store providing goods for her neighbors and friends. Others have planted fields of watermelon, pineapple and tomatoes that are producing profits and feeding the hungry. Just this month 29 more graduated from vocational training and starting businesses in tailoring, carpentry and jewelry. People are literally starting new businesses every day! Like the smell of a fragrant rose, the air is filled with the scent new success.
- God is reaching out to those who do not know Him. Chiefs are making decisions to follow Jesus. They are building Bible Study Centers. They are asking for Bibles for their people. Areas that were previously closed to the gospel are now open. People who had no knowledge of Jesus before are now pleading to hear the good news. Churches are reaching out to their communities in unique and bold ways, and people are responding. In one area previously self-designated as a “no go zone” and known for witchcraft and wickedness, nearly 1,000 have now made decisions to follow Jesus.
One Senior Chief who recently became a Christian said, “I was born here, I know what this place was like. It is hard to believe this is really happening. The entire feeling of this place is changing from the inside out.”
Surely Fuller had it right. Seeing really is believing, and you really can feel truth. God is clearly on the move in Malawi. You can see it and you can feel it.
2020 is almost at an end. It has been a year like none of us can remember. Yet, it has been a year of great accomplishment too. Words cannot express how grateful we are for your prayers, encouragement, and giving. Please know that God is using you in a mighty way to literally change the world. We pray God may bless you in return and are wishing you a prosperous and faith filled 2021.
Larry Hall, Executive Director
by admin | Oct 4, 2020 | Empowerment
They call it Abuja. Since the early 1960’s it has had a reputation for trouble. A community known for fighting and every evil thing you can think of. A man might enter another mans house and abuse his wife without any recourse. There are stories of people being taken to the lake at night never to return. Witchcraft, black magic, and demonic activities all were accepted as common place.
Abjua had essentially cut itself off from the outside world. They were moving backwards, becoming a community of ignorance. Other areas nearby had clinics, schools, churches, and community development projects. Many of these brought by Christian ministries coming from other parts of the world. Yet the 22 Chiefs of Abuja were having none of it. Instead they claimed their community a “no go zone.” As a result, the evil grew and the nearly 6,000 people living in Abjua sank into poverty and despair.
Then two years ago, a breakthrough. Y-Malawi and its partners brought something new. The Chiefs and people of Abuja saw what was happening in nearby communities. They saw people rising up out of poverty to stand on their own two feet. They saw young people receiving education and training for a better future. They saw communities developing themselves from within. The Chiefs of Abjua and almost 6,000 people who live there decided enough was enough. They decided they wanted a different life too.
The Chiefs of Abjua took a bold step. They approached Y-Malawi to explain their desire for help. One Chief said, “We have been known for nothing other than every evil work. Nothing good could be expected other than all sorts of violence and fornication. We are embarrassed. Please take us as children that need guidance to sharpen their future.”
Love had won over hate and evil. Now Bible studies are being started. Thousands are attending worship services long into the night. Literacy programs are taking place. People are receiving training in how to farm and garden with new methods. People are learning new skills. Preschools schools are being started for young children. There is new hope. The people say you can feel something new in the air. It is a feeling of love.
Isn’t that how it is supposed to work? Jesus told us to love one another. He told us to love everyone, even our enemies. He taught us to do this not just with words, but with actions. The Bible tells us His followers will be defined by their love.
Love is a powerful force. It can overcome things nothing else can. It can change the world. It is changing Abjua.
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