We have reluctantly decided to cancel the Bible Teaching conference planned for May. The relief effort following Cyclone Freddy is going to demand so much of our time and resources that it will be impractical to proceed. Besides, many of those we were expecting to attend have been affected by Freddy too, and simply won’t have the means to travel.
As we have already bought air tickets for the speakers (David Williamson, Jim McMaster and me), we have decided that we will instead use the time for relief and Gospel work among the cyclone victims we have begun to help. Please pray that this will prove to be a good decision.
We are disappointed that we’ve had to make this decision. This is the 5th consecutive year our annual teaching program has been interrupted – twice due to a Presidential election, twice due to Covid, and now this dreadful disaster.
The temporary camp at Lisao is home to 433 displaced survivors of the devastating mudslides and floods that swept so many to their death.
The partially decomposed body of one sister in the Lord was buried where she was found, some 15 Km from her home.
The camp has been mostly cut off and has received only one supply of food in the past 10 days – enough to last a 2 or 3 days at most.
Harold made a difficult, exploratory journey on motorcycle today to assess the needs there. The people are hungry and afraid of a possibility of an outbreak of malaria, living as they are in open school classrooms with no mosquito nets.
We have an early meeting tomorrow with the local village chiefs in our area to discuss how we can help there, and then Harold and I are going to try to get through with supplies in the afternoon if the road is passable. Please pray that it will stay dry overnight and that my ageing Land Cruiser (which has given so much trouble of late) will rise to the challenge.
Above all, pray that the Lord will overrule in these dreadful circumstances to bring glory to his Name, and blessing to the lost.
Many of my friends in the U.S. have either personally experienced or know those who have experienced extreme weather events. In some areas of the country, we have it down to a system.
The rain has eased enough for Anna and Goodson to begin to assess the damage in the surrounding community following Cyclone Freddy.
Anna writes: ” We walked. 😉 Not even trying to drive today.
“Some pictures are following. The damage is extensive. Many, many houses have fallen. It’s a bit overwhelming.
“And, yet, what we are facing here is nothing compared to other parts of the country – where entire villages were swept away by mud slides.
“Please pray for wisdom to know how to help when the need is so overwhelming.”
Many, many houses have fallen. It’s a bit overwhelming.
Anna
A selection of the damaged houses in our community
In Blantyre, the situation is particularly bad in some of the very overcrowded townships. Blantyre is surrounded by mountains, and many of the townships are built on lower foothills, making them susceptible to mudslides. Homes are typically built with mud-brick, often with only mud for mortar, and building standards in the townships are not enforced. A recipe for disaster.
In the immediate aftermath of this disaster the needs are:
Plastic sheeting for emergency shelter
Blankets
Food
In the longer term there will a lot of reconstruction to do.
We have begun a process of talking to the local village chiefs to see who the most needy and vulnerable are.
Here is a selection of heart-breaking news pieces from reliable sources:
As heavy rain continues to fall, the situation continues to develop. It’s still too early to say what the scale of the disaster is – but it is a disaster! The death toll from Cyclone Freddy Malawi has already exceeded 100, and some people have been in touch to ask what they can do as part of the relief effort.
CNN reported today that Cyclone Freddy is breaking records for the duration and strength of tropical storms in the southern hemisphere. Al Jazeera says police in Malawi have reported 11 deaths around the city of Blantyre. [Edit: The death toll has now exceeded 60 – 18:00 GMT – 13 March 2023)
Malawi has one of the worst records in the world when it comes to child marriages. According to the UNPFA, almost half of women in Malawi are married before they’re 18, with an alarming number married very much earlier than that. Child marriages often have devastating consequences for the girls involved. Not only are they often subjected to sexual violence, risky pregnancies and HIV, but many drop out of school early, dooming them to a life of poverty and dependance.
That’s 3 litres of music there. And you have NO IDEA how sweet it sounds!
Over four years ago, Goodson and I were travelling home from Lilongwe (Lee-long-way) when the engine in my Isuzu pick-up packed in.
It wasn’t a good situation. We were a couple of hundred Kms from home, on a section of road which skirts along the edge of Mozambique. It’s an area notorious for armed bandits who take advantage of the open border. And there was only a hour or two of daylight remaining.
The car had overheated several times recently, so I put in a distress call to the mechanic who’d been working on it.
He disowned me.
Distress call
I’m still amazed at times that you can get internet coverage in the middle of Central Africa. Then, I was just grateful. I repeated my distress call on a local Facebook group, and within a few minutes was in touch with another mechanic in Blantyre who had a recovery truck. Or at least, he knew a guy with a recovery truck. He’d get on the road immediately. And a couple of hours later he did.
It’s a beautiful part of the country, but I wasn’t much enjoying the scenery as the evening shadows lengthened. A small crowd of interested onlookers gathered. Some were drunk. Or had been smoking dope. Or both. Some offered kuteteza – to protect us (for a fee, implied). Hmm. Friend or Foe? I don’t know.
It was very late when the recovery truck arrived. The Isuzu was winched aboard, we paid our protection money, and were on our way.
When travelling to/from Lilongwe, we used to joke, why not take the short way? I can tell you, it was a long way in a recovery truck, but I didn’t complain. And, boy was I glad when we rattled into the yard of the workshop – even if it was the wee, small hours.
Where the car remains until today.
The fateful day / night
Mechanical Woes
The story is a familiar one in Malawi. Relievable parts are hard to find. Reliable, skilled people are scarce as hens’ teeth. Trust me. I know. I’ve dealt with more than my fair share of turkeys!
My mechanic – we’ll call him Mike – has had his problems. His problems became my nightmare. Unanswered calls. Unfulfilled promises. Over and over again he assured me the car would be ready “next week”. Over and over again, it wasn’t.
So, to say I was sceptical when he told me it was running, would be an understatement. I’ve lost count of how many different things he claimed he tried. But he invited me to come for a spin – and wow – it spun! When I arrived at his place, the car was sitting out front with the engine running – music to my ears!
Mike has lost weight and is looking well.He’s off the booze, eating healthy and working out. After a “nasty separation, he’s dating a nice Christian, is slowly getting back to church,and has lots of good people in his life.” As he thanked me for my patience, and apologised for letting me down, I reminded Mike that going to church won’t take him to heaven, and that it’s the Lord he needs in his life. “Yeah, yeah” he said , “we need a good talk.”
Pray for Mike. A few of you know his real name. Better still, the Lord knows everything about him. Pray that the Lord will really work in his heart and that he will repent and trust the Saviour.
And pray too that he won’t let me down with the remaining repairs on the car. CV joints, ball joints and bushes he can find in Malawi. Some other stuff, I’ll bring from the UK. Maybe if the Lord tarries we’ll have the old girl back in service again soon. After all, she’s spent 20% of her working life in Mike’s workshop!
Cyclone Freddy’s position & predicted path on 7 March
Tropical Cyclone Freddy has already caused serious disruption and some loss of life as it passed over Madagascar and Mozambique.
After heading back to the Indian Ocean, Freddy has again begun to track towards the coast on a path which would take it to Malawi by this coming weekend.
Many families are still affected by last year’s Cyclone Ana. Please pray that the many tens (hundreds?) of thousands of people very vulnerable to serious weather-problems will be spared further hardship. Pray too that these difficulties may be used by the Lord to create increased opportunities for the Gospel.
