Please pray that we will have wisdom and clear guidance as we weigh up whether the conference should go ahead.
We have been looking forward to this conference with great anticipation. Goodson & his team have been working tirelessly to get the dormitory ready. The brothers have been sending invitations across the country. The speakers have travel booked & paid for and have been preparing their messages.
However, sadly the crisis in the Middle East has exacerbated the near-permanent local fuel problem. Malawi is now the second most expensive country in the world for petrol & diesel – when it is available. (Pump prices are now ~US$3.85 / litre – black market prices are nearly double that. And the fuel is often contaminated.)
Each year we heavily subsidise the travel of those who attend the conference. However transport costs have rocketed, making it prohibitively expensive for people to travel. More seriously, there is a very real and increasing possibility that there will simply be no fuel and the country will come to a complete standstill.
The Government of Malawi has stated that they have acquired a loan of $120m to acquire fuel. That will only provide very temporary relief, if it actually materialises.
We are keeping the situation under close review, but will likely have to take a decision to cancel if the situation does not markedly improve in the next few days.
A project to produce all of the recent conference messages on video & mp3 audio is now complete. Please pray that the Lord will multiply the usefulness of these messages in this way as we distribute them to those who were unable to attend the conferences.
As Anna asks us to give thanks for “A very profitable and smooth conference” she also requests prayer “for the next few weeks, which will be pretty busy with training sessions. Pray for stamina, wisdom and guidance. Pray for the teachers to have hearts that are willing to learn. And, most of all, pray for the Nthawi ya Baibulo (Bibletime) books to be used to bring many to Christ.”
Note: There is great and growing interest in NYB across the country, but we are anxious that the resources be used wisely and carefully. Consequently, each prospective NYB group leader has to undergo training prior to receiving the materials. Read more here.
Although it was a great success on many levels, we felt our recent Conference did not reach its full potential. This was due to our inability to provide sleeping accommodation on-site for more than a handful of those attending.
We had to squeeze most of the 100 or so who came into a rest-house we had block-booked for the purpose. The standard wasn’t great, and they had to walk 2Km each way for meals and the meetings. Renting the rest-house was a further expense for us (in addition to the help given with travelling expenses). It was also a considerable inconvenience for those attending the conference.
Furthermore, we couldn’t use the evenings together as the brothers had to return to their lodgings before dark (around 6pm). Equally important, we could not invite their wives which is a severe long-term limitation to the development of the work.
Increased Priority
The Msasa is great for children’s work and various other activities, but not really suitable for this purpose. Nor is it particulary suitable for the assembly which has been planted since it was built. Accordingly, although we had been considering building a more suitable meeting place, the need for dormitory accommodation is now clearly the priority.
Therefore, as the Lord provides, over the next year, we would like to build 2 simple, 40 bed hostels. This will give us the capacity to accommodate about 80% of the people who attended this year’s conference. If we are able, we would like to double that capacity the following year. This is still less than half the number we would like to invite but will be pushing the Msasa to the limit of its capacity.
Modifications to the Msasa
In the meantime, we will still need to make some modifications to the Msasa. Presently it is completely open and gets cold and windy in the winter months. The openings have been covered with mpasa – grass bedding mats – to give some shade, and reduce the wind. However, recently it has also become noisy with the proliferation of motorcycle taxis on the adjacent road . When the Lord makes it possible for us to build a larger meeting place, then we will consider adding further dormitory accommodation.
Please pray for this important project. It will involve considerable outlay and a step of faith for us. Nevertheless, we see it as a real long-term investment in the work. If you would like to support this initiative financially, please feel free to contact us for further information.
Here’s a small selection of some of the singing from our 2025 Conference – there were a lot of joyful moments but sadly the recording doesn’t really do it justice.
Does network troubleshooting constitute “real missionary work”?
As always, it’s been a joy to be back in Malawi. Today is the midpoint of a short trip which has already proved to be extremely valuable. I often feel frustrated that so much of my time seems to taken up with admin and planning, and not the “real missionary work” of preaching and teaching. Then I remember that Paul wrote, “there are varieties of service, but the same Lord” (1 Corinthians 12:5) and how he often commended the tireless efforts of many who evidently laboured behind the scenes, whom he was happy to call “co-workers”.
Although my last visit was very much about the “real missionary work”, this visit has been more about necessary “behind the scenes” activity. We’ve spent a lot of time reviewing the conference in May, and how to add value to something which was evidently of great profit to many. We have also spent much time thinking about the much-anticipated launch of Nthawi Ya Baibulo (Bible Time), which gets closer with each passing week. There is already a lot of interest in NYB, and we want to make sure that we manage the roll-out carefully.
In addition to this, SALT has recently taken overall responsibility for the Emmaus work in Malawi. Although a phenomenally valuable teaching and discipleship resource, Emmaus has failed to reach its potential in Malawi due to the absence of a national coordinator for the past 7 or 8 years. Please pray for Anna who has accepted this responsibility on behalf of SALT, on top of her already-busy schedule.
Yesterday, we met with Gibson, our main literature translator. I’ve worked on and off with Gibson for many years, but he and Anna have done a fantastic job over these past 2-3 years, cooperating on the NYB translation. With less than one month’s work remaining (by his estimate) we are looking forward to letting him loose on some other important translation projects.
To be honest, although I do often feel frustrated that I’m unable to do as much of the real missionary work that I love, I am humbled, and sometimes rebuked when I think of all that the Lord has privileged me to be involved with here. The work has grown beyond recognition, and maintaining that necessarily involves a lot of tedious and “unrewarding” effort, which the Lord graciously blesses.
Mark has recently volunteered his experience
I’ve been very happy to be accompanied by Bro Mark Beach, who has recently volunteered his extensive experience in missionary literature work. Mark has been involved for many years in various aspects of Christian work, most recently leading Everday Publications Inc, highly regarded in assembly missionary circles for their helpful resources in “Everyday English”. He also brings his experience in accounting and bookkeeping, which has already lifted a great burden off my shoulders. I believe that with his help and your prayers, the work will go forward from strength to strength.
I shouldn’t forget that there was some “real missionary work” on Wednesday, when we had a visit at one of the prisons, around an hour’s drive from base. What a thrill as around 350 inmates sat attentively listening to the Word of God. Pray that the gifts of a hygiene pack left with each will be a blessing. Each pack contains a leaflet with a simple Gospel message. And, of course, I’m looking forward to being with the assembly at Saidi tomorrow, when doubtless I’ll have opportunity to share the Word of God with them.
Reflections from the team and feedback from all who took part in the recent Bible conference point to it being a time of great blessing from the Lord. Perhaps one reason that this year’s Bible conference was particularly encouraging was the way it aligned with SALT’s vision. It was incredibly fulfilling to have time together to enlighten, encourage and empower local believers to fulfill their part in the great commission.
Responses on one of the conference feedback forms
Enlightened
The conference was enlightening to those who took part as it helped to bring greater insight into God’s Word and various issues of day-to-day, ministry and church life.
“I’ve learned how we can deal with some problems that happen at church,” saysbrother Kenneth from Thyolo. “…The lessons have been helpful to my spiritual life, family, but also my ministry because now I’ll be able to understand the book of 1 Corinthians with more understanding and it’s my desire to learn more deeply the book of 2 Corinthians and other books of the Bible.”
“To me, every lesson was helpful to my calling. My spiritual eyes have been opened to understand the Corinthian church/ the problem in the church today” – brother Liston, Lilongwe
“I’ve learned the evil of worshipping idols.” – brother Amos, Machinga
Encouraged
Brother Mark teaches during the conference
The conference allowed fellow workers to meet and be encouraged in faith, while learning from the faith of Paul and the experience of the church at Corinth:
“Bringing us together has allowed us to know each other and learn from one another.” – McOwen Thawani from Zomba
“I’ll be leaving more courageous, like Paul”. – Peter Mpumira, Zomba
It was also a chance to be reminded of and more deeply rooted in foundational truths:
“Truly we don’t need to build another foundation because the foundation is Christ.” – Wonderson Kapinda, Zomba
“Thank you for coming, next time do the same. We benefitted a lot …You just reminded us of what brother Goodson [said] a couple of months ago about salvation. Thank you.” – Robert Sawali, Zomba
Empowered
Some shared that they were empowered with greater knowledge for sharing the good news.
“The lessons have given me power especially regarding how I can reach people with the good news.” – Miles Namakhwa, Mulanje
Anna presents the Nthawi Ya Baibulo resources
During one of the recesses, Anna also introduced distributors to the Nthawi Ya Baibulo (Bible Time) resources for children’s ministry.
“Yes, we are thankful for the ministry of Southern Africa Literature Trust for the lessons they have provided to ministers from different churches. These lessons have helped us to know more about our role. The conference has also helped us regarding children’s ministry because we lacked resources we could use. Thank you for this. – Precious Namukhonde, Thyolo
Costly, but free
The privilege of sitting under God’s Word free of charge for a week with believers from all over the country (and the world) make brother Green’s words especially poignant:
“These are expensive teachings, if there was a price, we wouldn’t have been able to pay.” – Brother George Green, Zomba
We thank the Lord for His hand of blessing and for the prayers, support and effort of His people which made this time of enlightenment, encouragement and empowerment possible.
We praise God for a very profitable Bible Conference. Over 50 of our literature distribution volunteers came for a week of teaching – some from as far as Mozambique. Many more would have come, but we were constrained by lack of accommodation, and the need to help almost all with their travel expenses.
Many of the brothers who attended commented how they had been so greatly helped by the teaching from 1 Corinthians. Many had never had the opportunity to listen to consecutive Bible teaching before.
Please pray for lasting benefit in the lives of those who came.
