News

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.

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Anna is spending the next few days in N.Ireland en route to USA for a family wedding.

Pray that the time away from Malawi will be restful, and especially that the time with family will be a blessing to her.

Now that MGO 2022 is over, Anna plans to take a break for a few weeks to attend her sister’s wedding in USA. She will also spend a short time in the UK enroute to & from the States.
Pray for journeying mercies as she sets off on Wednesday (DV) and that this will be a profitable and refreshing time for her. Also pray for the various aspects of the work that she will leave behind.

The activities of the Trust continued to be seriously affected by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic for a significant portion of the year. Nevertheless, we are grateful that as travel restrictions began to ease, it was possible for Stephen to visit Malawi twice to review operations there, first in May and again in August.

Stephen’s visit in May was timed to coincide with the arrival in Malawi of Anna Vallance, who has been commended to the work by her assembly in Livonia, MI, USA. It has been a pleasure to welcome her. Her dedication to the work and devotion to the Lord will undoubtedly strengthen the team, particularly as she has joined the Board of the Malawi operation.

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It was lovely to have Gail’s company in Malawi for a couple of weeks

I love Malawi. I’ll take every opportunity to visit Malawi. But I hope I never have to visit again in the circumstances that made this present trip necessary.

As regular readers know, sister Anna recently suffered a very traumatic burglary and assault at her home. The trustees agreed unanimously that Gail and I should travel to Malawi at the earliest opportunity to support her through this crisis. We also felt it appropriate to review and improve the security of our people and property in Malawi in light of what had happened.

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Please continue to pray for Anna as she continues her recovery after her break-in and assault earlier this month.

Stephen & Gail spent several days with Anna over the past couple of weeks, including two nights at Cape Maclear on Lake Malawi. They were able to discuss various short and medium-term options. We give thanks for the kindness of lovely believers who allowed us to stay at their resort completely free of charge.

Please pray:

  1. For Anna’s personal safety (and the rest of the team of course). It is particularly important that she does not have any further trauma during this period of her recovery
  2. That Anna will be able to thoroughly de-stress after the severe trauma of the robbery and assault.
  3. That she will be preserved from depression and ongoing symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  4. That she will have relief from the nausea and extreme fatigue she is experiencing. Some of which may be due to the prophylactic medication she must take.
  5. For the follow-up medical tests to be taken at the end of the month
  6. That she will be able to discern how and when to begin to return to the work she misses so much
  7. That the SALT team and Christians around Anna will know how best to give the care and support she needs.

Please pray for Stephen & Gail Harper who are nearing the end of their unscheduled 2-week trip to Malawi. The purpose of their visit was to give support to Anna following her recent trauma and to review security at the site at Saidi.

Pray:

  1. That the remainder of their time will be profitable (there are a number of activities to pack into the short time remaining.
  2. For safe an uneventful travel as they return home on Wednesday, Lord willing
  3. That the time they have spent in Malawi will prove to have been profitable.

After a night each in Blantyre and Zomba, they spent the weekend at the home of German friends in Lilongwe, where Anna has been for the past week and a half. Together with Anna, they moved on yesterday to Cape Maclear on the shores of Lake Malawi.

Cape Maclear is famous as the location of the earliest missionary settlement in Malawi, but also as a very peaceful tourist location. They are staying at a very tranquil lakeshore lodge run by a wonderful Christian couple from South Africa, who insisted that they come and stay as their house guests.

Please pray particularly that this time together will be conducive to Anna’s ongoing recovery from her recent traumatic ordeal.

I’m sharing this from Anna’s personal blog, with her express permission with the intention is that we may continue to uphold her in our prayers.

Anna hopes that giving this account in her own words will prevent unnecessary speculation and having to repeat the story over and over.

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