In 1 Corinthians 3:6-9, Paul discusses the harmony in which he and another evangelist, Apollos, work. Though the church in Corinth is dividing themselves based on who follows who, Paul clears that up explaining that they are “co-workers in God’s service.” Paul identifies himself as the planter of the seeds while he characterizes Apollos as the one who waters them. Yet despite these categories, Paul gives all the glory to God, saying He’s the one who actually makes things grow. Similarly, Y-Malawi and all who support this ministry work in tandem with one another, planting and watering seeds, but at the end of the day, it’s God who makes things happen. That is why, in Ecclesiastes 11:5-6, we are encouraged to continuously plant seeds.
Y-Malawi’s Economic Empowerment Program provides a way for anybody to plant seeds by giving many Malawians the opportunity to make a living and support themselves. One such instance is found in Bezita’s story. Bezita, a young mother, was struggling to make ends meet. She had no consistent source of income, leaving her constantly lacking essential living materials. At the beginning of 2024, she was given capital to start a business by her sponsor who began supporting her through the Y-Malawi sponsorship program. Not only does this program give sponsors a way to aid and support people who are unable to do so for themselves, it’s also a channel through which sponsors can plant the seeds for people to become self-sustaining.
The business that Bezita started had been going well until her baby became ill and she could no longer devote as much time to running it. Seeing this issue, Y-Malawi stepped in to assist with the business as well as the baby, giving Bezita the time and space she needed to reassess her source of income. She decided to modify her business, which had been selling cloth (chitenje), to then sell rice–an endeavor that was better suited for her lifestyle as a mother of young children. Currently, her goal is to use her profits to buy more land so that she can grow her own rice, expanding her business.
Despite the bumps along the way, the growth seen in Bezita’s testimony is found in the testimonies of many others who are a part of the Economic Empowerment Program. Her story is a testament to how much a little can go a long way. The seed planted by her sponsor when they gave her capital was watered and taken care of consistently, resulting in a completely transformed life. She said “I can now support myself and my family. This is a thing I could not do in the past.” What seeds are you planting?