We were finally able to visit the orphanage on Friday afternoon! Some of the older girls were still in Secondary school, so we’ll have to go again to meet them, but we got to meet most of the younger children. They have a lovely compound, with a fairly nice yard in the front and back. They have a nursery school as well where some other younger children also attend. We met one of the 5 mothers who help to take care of the children throughout the day. The mothers each have their own homes and families, so they take turns in the orphanage.
This orphanage was started in 1998 by an American woman. When it first began, there were many people who responded with a desire to help and who seemed willing to be on the board; Pastor Nihaka being one of them. Unfortunately, Pastor Nihaka told us that many of them started asking for money for their services and so they left when they would not get paid. Now, the board consists of only 3 members: Pastor Nihaka and a Muslim man and woman. As I mentioned before, we met the chairman last week, but I don’t remember his name. Kayla and I are going to try to visit the children at least twice a week to help them with school work and just love on them and spend time with them while we are here. We are both very excited to be able to use our skills and experience on a more personal and 1-on-1 basis.
Saturday was a beautiful day! Our GCI congregation in Mombezi (about a 1½ hour drive from Blantyre) completed the construction of their church building and they had a commissioning service for their Prayer House. The Regional Missions Director/Coordinator (not sure if this is his exact title) for Southern Africa, Kalengule Kaoma, was able to attend. He lives in Zambia and had just returned from visiting Kenya (he’s a pretty busy man), but was able to come to Malawi Friday evening and left Sunday morning. We were able to meet Mr. Kaoma during our visit last summer, so it was nice to see him again and spend the day with him.
We were told to be ready by 8:00am because the program was to start at 9:00am. Kayla and I have figured out, though, that we usually have an extra 30 minutes, sometimes an hour, after the time they tell us to be ready before we actually leave. It was fun, though, to watch as everyone gathered at the church to wait for their transport to Mombezi. We were able to practice singing with one of the women’s choir and we were able to greet some of the members from the Naminjale congregation that we had met during our trip last year.
The ride to Mombezi was an interesting one. The church is in one of the villages in Mombezi, so it is definitely in a more rural part of Malawi. I have never been off-roading back in the States, but I imagine it would’ve been very similar to most of the drive we experienced Saturday. After about 30 minutes of driving, we turned off the paved road onto a dirt road. A dirt road with lots of potholes (and I thought Pittsburgh had potholes!) and bumps along the way. It was another hour before we arrived at the church. One thing that made all the bumps & potholes bearable was having a skilled driver and sitting next to Mr. Nkosi, one of our members from Lilongwe (Malawi’s capital), who talked the whole time and asked Kayla & I a lot of questions. He was very excited to find out what skills and experiences Kayla and I possessed that could be shared with as many people here as possible. We talked about visiting Lilongwe, creating a Christmas program for the children at church (and maybe at the school), working with the youth leaders for the camp in December and a few other things. It was nice to know that there are others who are just as excited as Kayla and I to have us here. Though we felt like we were maybe being roped into more than we could do, even in 5 months here, we enjoyed brainstorming with Mr. Nkosi and talking about the possibilities of what we can do during our time here.
Once we arrived at the church, we got a sneak peek at the inside of the building and it was very nice. For the service on Saturday, they had tents set up outside (not the American rent-a-tents, but wooden poles holding up large pieces of fabric & blankets) for everyone to sit – If I heard correctly, we had about 200 people in attendance. We had a program outline of when people would speak and choirs would sing, but I don’t know that we always followed it exactly because there were a few times when Kayla & I weren’t sure what was going on. But it was still a wonderful experience. I was especially pleased when a gentleman got up to speak and he talked about the need to fight together in this spiritual battle. He was not only talking about the congregation working together, but also about how important it is to work together with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter their denomination. Invited, and a few in attendance, to this commissioning service were members from the following churches: CCAP (Church of Central Africa Presbyterian), Baptist, Roman Catholic, Seventh Day Adventist, Church of Christ, multiple Pentecostal Churches and Anglican Church. Each group was asked to stand and were recognized. I absolutely loved the fact that they invited other denominations. It made me think of churches back home and whether they would think to invite other denominations to an opening of a new church building or not. They also went on to honor various Chiefs from the surrounding villages. Kayla & I aren’t sure exactly what roles the Chiefs still play in the government of Malawi, but we know they are in charge and the head of the villages in the rural parts of Malawi. There were 7 Chiefs (3 of them women) who were there and had consented that we are ready for the battle and one ‘Group Village Headman’ who was Chief of the Chiefs; he got up and spoke to the congregation. He said that he was very excited to have this church open and welcomed them warmly. He went on to explain that the church should be the foundation of success in life and that we should be encouraging to our fellow Christians and examples to those around us.
Pastor Nihaka was next to speak and gave a brief history of the congregation and how they came to be in Mombezi – all of this was in Chichewa, but Kayla & I didn’t mind since he had already shared with us some of the history before. The next part of the service was the cutting of the tape at the front of the building and letting everyone enter. Once inside the church, Mr. Kaoma gave a commissioning blessing from the pulpit with the other pastors by his side. We then headed back outside and enjoyed some songs by various congregations choirs and/or bands.
Pastor Kunje, from Lilongwe, then spoke and introduced Mr. Kaoma for the main message. It was a powerful and encouraging one! J His main text was in Luke 2:22-35, where Jesus was taken to the Temple to be dedicated for holy use. He spoke of this service today as dedicating this building for holy use. He said that the building is nothing without God the people He has called to proceed with His mission. Mr. Kaoma went on to say that this church is a symbol of (1) the power, glory and honor of God, (2) the presence of Christ’s disciples (Matt. 28:19-20, the Great Commission) and (3) God’s love (John 13:34-35). He challenged the congregation to not look at this church as a building, but as the presence of God and our mission to carry out. When we enter its walls, we must let go of our fears, anger with one another and sickness and come together and treat one another with love, just as Christ has loved us. It was a beautiful message and I was very glad to share in this celebration.
After the service, everyone gathered around the building, and some inside, to share a meal together. This got a little awkward because Kayla & I were given seats with the other Pastors and Mr. Kaoma. We would have much rather sat with some of our friends from the Blantyre congregation, but we recognized that we are their guests and they wanted to honor us as they were with all of their guests. We did get a chance to go over and greet the Chiefs. Pastor William Mankhomwa, from Zomba, helped us with some Chichewa phrases to say to them.
Unfortunately, once the meal was over, there wasn’t a lot of time for fellowshipping with everyone and we left pretty quickly. The ride home didn’t seem as bumpy, but it was definitely more dusty because we drove right behind another vehicle – I got dust in my eyes more than just a few times.
One thing we saw during the service that we never expected or would probably encounter in the US was cows. That’s right, I said cows. Since we were sitting outside, there were a good many people walking or riding bicycles along the road and at one point, there was a small herd of cattle being led down the road as well. It was great. J
I don’t know that I was adequately able to express the powerful emotions throughout the day. I am continually humbled by the opportunities that God has given to me, not just here, but throughout my life. So many things that I once thought unrelated are coming together in the work that I am doing here in Malawi and what I am preparing to do upon my return (I’ll be in the Pastoral Internship program with GCI). God is doing mighty things with His children all over the world; now if we could all join together and truly worship Him as one! As I listened to the Choirs sing in Chichewa, it made me think of the story of Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1-9). Man was working together, with one language, to build himself up and honor each other rather than God; so God confused their tongues and made them speak in different languages so they would stop and were dispersed over the face of the earth. Though God chose then to confuse men’s speech, I felt on Saturday as if He was drawing us back together. As we chose to follow and honor God, no matter our tongue or understanding of another’s tongue, the praise given to God is evident and can be shared. I don’t know what all the words in the Chichewa hymns mean, but I know to Whom they give honor and glory, so I gratefully worship alongside them, offering my attempt at Chichewa and sharing in their love of God.
Prayers for the week:
- Due to funding needs for the camp, we will not be having a retreat in Blantyre this coming weekend. I was sad to know that the retreat was cancelled, but I am very excited for the camp.
- The fee that they have set for camp is 45 US dollars, which may not seem like much to us for a week of camp, but it is very expensive for them. They will also have to pay for their transportation to the camp site. Please pray that funds become available to those who are in need. There are youth planning to attend from various districts in Malawi, Zambia and possibly Zimbabwe.
- Kayla & I have been asked to help with swimming and ballroom & swing dancing. I’m sure that we will be helping in other areas as well. We do not have a lot of materials here, but I know that as we put our heads together with the other leaders, we will be able to come up with some great things for the campers.
- Please pray for the Young Adult leaders who are planning the camp. This is the first time that it is being led by the young adults and not older leaders within the church. I know that they are as excited as we are and want it to be a wonderful experience for the campers. They have not had camp for quite a few years & they want this to be the beginning of many camps to come.
- As I shared with you last week, Mr. Maniya, the teacher for Standard 6, has been ill with malaria for the past few weeks. He was in the hospital for a few days last week, but he was discharged on Saturday. Please prayer for his quick and full recovery and for his family during this stressful time.
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