Anna requests prayer for the Lord to give clear direction for the development of the work in schools and with the Nthawi Ya Baibulo (Bibletime) curriculum, as we anticipate a new phase in the next few months.
Note: Translation & editing of the 3-year Bible Time curriculum is at an advanced stage. We are hoping that the first booklets will be printed and shipped to Malawi in the next few month. Anna and the team are anticipating a lot of preparatory work once the next school term begins in September.
Anna says: “I am thankful for a safe and incredibly encouraging trip to attend the BES Conference in Northern Ireland.”
Give thanks for journeying mercies and for the encouragement received.
Note: BES provide the Postal Bible School curriculum which we are already using in the Dzaleka Refugee Camp (Swahili language), and which is in process of translation into Chichewa for use in the rest of Malawi. Anna was able to attend their recent conference and meet key people involved in similar ministries around the globe.
Brother Goodson asks us to pray for the planned Baptism next Lord’s Day (23 June) at Saidi when it is expected that a further 9 believers will obey the Lord. We give thanks for this further evidence of fruit following the preaching of the Gospel.
Also continue to pray for blessing upon the conference week which took place in early May
Harold explains why he’s so enthusiastic about MGO – it has opened so many doors
Recorded October 2023
Transcript
2023 MGO was just like any other MGO – special in such a way that MGO’s are always different but this time we think of the MGO that was with the few people that participated and we were just thinking of how I was going to try and do what we have been doing in the past with the the few of us
But like Gideon we were able to see that the Lord is not very much interested in the numbers but the commitment and the trust that we have in him
He is able to do [the same that] he can do with many people with a few people
And so 2023 MGO was such a great encouragement to to me because we saw the Lord did a lot through a few people who were committed to do the job
I was encouraged with the order we have seen especially when it came to the kids the Children’s Day there was good order and it was such an encouragement to see lots of children sitting under the Word of God and listening attentively
I think the Lord gave much help and so I was really encouraged to see that many children
MGO is a vehicle which has opened so many doors when it comes to service to the Lord we just pray that the Lord will continue to not just open these doors but we take time to fully utilize those doors
There are school programs that have been opened because of MGO
There are hospital visits and time of gospel in the hospitals that was opened because of MGO also prisons such an important place to be to preach the gospel to prisoners
The Lord through MGO has been able to open so many doors
And we pray that the Lord will help us to fully take advantage of spreading the gospel strategically in these places
Goodson explains how the building works at Saidi have already been so helpful. He asks brothers and sister to pray about the future needs of the Building project
Recorded October 2023
Transcript
For all the buildings here it’s encouraged me because right now we have a printing room an office now we have our stores so you’ll see the container there and also we have the Msasa
So all these houses [are] help[ing] us
People they need to pray for us because we have so many works here we are looking for the gospel hall that we plan to start the building I’m not sure if we can start this year but we plan to start the gospel hall
So people they need to pray about this myself I cannot do anything myself so I believe in the fellowship If we can work together we can manage to do something
So everyone who have a chance to help and work of the Lord here in Malawi It is a good time to take part
And I pray for other brothers and sisters who was not here in Malawi even other countries remember Malawi sometimes when you are gathered together to pray
Anna shares progress on the Bible Time Chichewa Translation Project
Recorded October 2023
Transcript
We’re continuing with translation and revision of the Bible time curriculum and we’ve just about completed the first year. We need to do some revisions now. We’ve been testing it out with the kids here and found some activities work some don’t.
We’re also about halfway through the second year’s worth of material.
There’s still some things that need to be tweaked and adjusted but overall I see it has a lot of potential for use in teaching children the gospel.
So I think it’s a good tool that can be really useful in reaching children throughout Malawi.
Pray for continued help with the translation and revision and just wisdom and direction to know how to take this area of the work forward.
Dave & Kari share their thoughts on their visit to Malawi in March 2024.
Dave is from a farming background. He has an interest in sustainable farming and how simple techniques can be used to improve yields and thereby food security.
Transcript
Hey, everyone
Stephen had asked us if we would just put a short video together for you all to be able to, just hear our thoughts and our first impression of our visit to Malawi
I think for, for both of us when we first arrived in the country, the one of the first things we noticed was the beauty of the country, mountainous, hilly
We would call them mountains, from from where we live in Ontario. a beautiful country. it’s densely populated
That’s the one thing that we both felt. having lots of people, lots of opportunities also to be able to share the gospel. we got to go to, a couple of schools and, and share the gospel with, with the kids there
We handed out some literature there as well. then some calendars calendars. yeah
The kids are pretty excited about that. when we arrived, the container with, Christian literature, had arrived yet and I know Stephen was, disappointed because he wanted us to be able to experience that. seeing the logistics of how everything works with, handing, the literature out throughout the country and to be a part of that would have been, would have been pretty neat. it was nice to be able to first take in salt and go to the facilities and see the buildings and, and the layout of the land and the farm and, what your hoping to, to do there. and of course, with my farming background that was, neat to kind of get the wheels turning and, and see the opportunities that, are before you there with, being able to grow food for people
I think there’s, a lot of potential with, with what you’ve got there for a layout on your property and, use that for, for the Lord’s work. we we had a chance to go up to Lilongwe and to the, refugee camp
We able to take that and and tour around a wee bit just to see what it’s like
I’ve never been both of us have never been to a refugee camp before
I really enjoyed, having the opportunity to see the ladies and at their sewing machines when we first went in, and, and, they quickly brought it bags of things that they had sewn
And that was really cool
I just felt like I really made a connection there with some of those ladies, and, it was really special, a really neat opportunity
It’s neat how you can connect, so quickly, I find with, with people. when you come down to their level and, and, you take an interest in what they’re doing, the kids feeding program, that was, that was an eye opening experience for myself
I remember getting a little teary eyed, as I was handing out the food, just, to see these children, you know, literally having nothing or very little and and to be able to provide, a meal for them and to be able to share the gospel with them
So, yeah, overall, we had a really good a good trip, a good time
I’m just grateful for Stephen’s. kindness and taking us around, driving us around and we’re thankful the Lord kept us safe and provided a vehicle for us to be able to do that with, even though it did break down a couple of times
Nothing too major
We’re thankful for Stephen’s, hospitality and kindness and and, willingness to, to give us, a tour of the country part of it
Anyway, so it was it was a fun experience
Yeah. we’re going to be in prayer for you guys, Yeah
Well, I’m not sure what the future holds for us, but we would ask your prayers as well. as we were seeking for what the Lord would, would have for us, so
Harold shares about the trauma of his robbery last year.
Recorded October 2023
Note: Please remember Harold and his family in prayer. This incident followed and equally traumatic experience in March 2023. Harold and family feared for their lives as their home was caught in the gap between two major mudslides during Cyclone Freddy.
In March 2024, Harold had a further upset when he was mugged in Lilongwe
Transcript
My name is Harold Makawa from Njuli and working with SALT.
What happened recently with my family was so horrible. Armed robbers came. That was on the 18th of September. Monday night around 11:00 the robbers came fully armed with guns and they banged our doors but they were not able to break the doors so they resolved to break the wall.
In the meantime we tried to call for help but help didn’t come until they came to where we were.
They were really looking for money and we didn’t have any money in the house.
We are so grateful that they left after 2.5 hours or so.
Just to say briefly about the Lord’s preservation and providence. The Lord knew what was coming. We didn’t know what was coming.
I had some literature I wanted to take to our depots in Mulanje and Chikwawa so I was just keeping them in the house.
When the thieves came the robbers came. They pulled all the boxes and all of the the the bags and they were just opening and Bibles and tracts everywhere. And so we see that in that in itself the Lord was able to speak to them about who we were.
And so yeah the Lord preserved our lives because we’ve heard cases where people have been attacked by robbers and they have been so much hurt or cut by panga knives [machetes].
But we are so grateful to the Lord that they didn’t beat us. They didn’t even hit us but all they did was just to demand the money from us.
So we saw that the Lord so much preserved us.
Talking about myself and my family when it comes to people praying for us we We we are so traumatized still because of what happened. It’s not easy to live with the mind that you are the target of thieves in an area. And so we just think of what is before us in terms of the Lord’s work and we feel somehow discouraged but we just request that the people be praying for us that despite what has happened the Lord will help us to continue on and never be discouraged.
