The paucity of posts over the 3 weeks we were in Malawi probably speaks for itself. We were busy!
As time permits, I’d like to catch up with the accounts of what we were up to, but in the meantime here is a rather eclectic assortment of memories from the trip. They’ll certainly mean a lot more to the team than to the rest of you, but I hope you’ll enjoy them nevertheless.
12 years ago today we left Northern Ireland as a very green missionary couple and young son for the beautiful land of Malawi.
Of course, there have been some problems, but I can truly days these years of service for the Lord have been the greatest of our lives.
I’m so thankful for a loving and supportive wife and equally understanding son, without which it would have all been impossible.
We are very glad to be celebrating this day with a great bunch of volunteer workers here in Malawi.
Praise the Lord for His goodness!
Today was our first day with the full team of workers in place. We are grateful for such a willing group, each of whom had really thrown themselves into the work without reserve.
We have been working today in Zomba, first in the town centre by the bus depot, where we have held open air meetings for three years now.
It was very encouraging to meet some of the truck drivers who wait there for a hire who remembered us from each of the former years. One told me her still has the texts from those visits.
From there we made our way to Mpondabwino FOR another open air meeting and text distribution. The uptake was typically overwhelming and we quickly exhausted the remainder of the 2000 or so literature packs we had brought with us.
After lunch, and a restock, we returned to Mpunga, Zomba, where we distributed around another 800 or so packs.
A conservative estimate of the number of people who have heard the gospel today would be not less than 3500. Pray for blessing on God’s Word.
As we were had to meet the final two team members (Ruth and Deborah) at Chileka airport (Blantyre) on Monday afternoon, we spent the morning in Blantyre with open air meetings at the main market in the city, and later at Ndirande township, “the Soweto of Malawi”.
As always, the reception was extremely encouraging, with almost no refusals and many people lining up to receive the Word of God.
At Ndirande we were positioned about 10 feet from a Leaflet stands of the so-called Jehovah’s Witnesses, and as we preached it was wonderful to be able to emphasize the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the one called Immanuel, God with us.
We had an 8 o’clock start Sunday morning for the 30 minute drive to Nsanama for the meeting there.
Two funerals in the village meant that the meeting had to be kept quite short but we enjoyed the young people reciting their memory verses and singing a couple of the choruses they have learned.
I hoped to upload the video of the children singing but the file was too large for this internet connection. Maybe later.
It was a good opportunity to preach on Romans 6:23, “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord” and we trust that some who attend the funerals in the village will consider the solemn reality of death, physical and spiritual, as the result of sin.
After the meeting we made the hour or so drive to Blantyre for lunch and then to the airport to meet the two latest arrivals, Ramona and Victoria.
Darkness falls very rapidly here – only 15 or so degrees south of the equator, dusk lasts maybe 20 or 30 minutes and then the light is gone! Only darkness remains.
These nights, the constant beat of the village drums seem to welcome us home, yet solemnly reminds us that this land is enveloped in another kind of darkness – just as pervasive, but altogether more serious.
The drums are inseparably linked to dark and often physically dangerous practices which are traditionally performed at this time of year – rites of passage to bring the young men and women to majority and full participation in the affairs of the village. They remind us of the importance of spreading the only message which can deliver from darkness and spiritual bondage into glorious light and liberty.
Two more team members travel today – Euan and Sarah should be enroute as I write. Ramona and Victoria should arrive on Sunday, and Ruth and Deborah on Monday, Lord willing. Then the work begins in earnest. Please pray for them as they travel, and for us all as we distribute the Word of God.
“So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.” http://ref.ly/Ac19.20
Just catching up on my reading on the bus – this verse is a real encouragement to all who engage in the spread off the Gospel.
The past months have produced many responses to the distribution of literature in Malawi, and doubtless many more have been touched by the Word but not responded to us. As we embark upon another intensive period of literature distribution, we can have no doubt that the Lord’s Word will not return unto Him void.
Pray on!
Got a message about 30 mins before leaving home to say flight cancelled!
Been assured it’s just a technical glitch :-\
We’ll see when we get to Dublin.
We begin our Gospel outreach trip to Malawi tomorrow, God willing. Gail and I will set off from Dublin in the evening and the rest of the team will assemble in Malawi over the course of the next few days. We should all be in place by this day next week.
We will very much value your prayers for safety, and particularly for the Lord’s blessing upon the word that we will be distributing. We will be fewer in number this year, however we have prepared around 15000 Seed Sower texts and we hope to distribute all or most of these, along with the most recent edition of Exploring God’s Word magazine.
Please also pray for help in the presentation of the Word of God at various open air meetings which will take place as well as planned meetings in several village locations, and for a planned whole-day Children’s outreach, when we expect a large number of children to attend..
If you’re interested in following the progress of the trip, we plan to post regular updates at www.goodnewsmalawi.com/mgo2015
Yours in our Lord Jesus Christ.
“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses:
But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.”
http://ref.ly/r/kjv1900/Ps20.7
It’s just two weeks now until the outreach team starts their respective journeys to Malawi.
I enjoyed the encouragement of this Psalm this morning, remembering again the strength that is in the Name of the Lord our God, but felt something of the challenge of it too as I wondered if the Lord granted me according to mine own heart, fulfilled all my counsel (v4), and fulfilled all my petitions (v5) would that honor Him, or just glorify me?
Maybe that’s why so few of my prayers are answered!