Wati says, “The numbers in evacuation camps have reduced as people are being encouraged to return home. The reopening of schools has also added pressure as many camps are at schools (which are themselves overcrowded).
“We can pray for Cyclone Freddy survivors who have left camps very little support as they are looking to return home and rebuild their livelihoods.”
Please remember Stephen, who will be travelling to Malawi on Tuesday, and Jim & David who follow on Friday and Saturday respectively.
Pray they will have travelling mercies and have a safe and profitable time ministering among the people at the evacuation camps. They also plan to have a short series of Gospel Meetings at Saidi.
Although it’s barely 3 weeks since Stephen returned for his son’s wedding, he is preparing for the next trip to Malawi, next week, God willing.
Stephen will be joined by Jim McMaster and David Williamson (on his first visit to Malawi). This visit was to have been for a week of Bible teaching conferences, but that has been cancelled in view of the present crisis in Malawi. In lieu of that, they will visit some of the evacuation camps for Gospel outreach.
Please pray for them as they prepare, particularly in view of the simultaneous preparations for the Seed Sowers’ distribution in Londonderry, this weekend.
Please pray for the hundreds of thousands of Malawians who continue to experience extreme hardship as a result of the Cyclone Freddy.
According to the latest reports, around 659,000 of the 2,267,000 people affected are still living in 767 evacuation camps. Over 500 people are still missing.
Women and children are particularly vulnerable to sexual exploitation, especially as they are hungry and living in unlit, unsegregated spaces. There are real problems concerning proliferation of Malaria and Malawi’s worst Cholera outbreak, which was already well established before the cyclone.
Anna writes:
-We have the privilege through the relief work to reach some with the gospel that we never would otherwise. Please pray for their hearts to be opened.
Anna writes,
-The translator is almost finished with the next phase of BES translation!
-The Bibletime participants seem to be enjoying the booklets. The group of teens is slowly but surely growing, and I’m encouraged by some who are very consistent.
The acute crisis concerning food insecurity in Malawi is being made worse by the ongoing rains.
Many crops (such as our own – pictured) were flattened by the cyclone winds, and these are now starting to rot / germinate as the rains continue and villagers don’t have the means to store and dry them.
Please pray – it’s clear than this humanitarian crisis is set to become worse and worse.
Wati writes, “The team visited the evacuation camp at Pa Mchenga on 31/03/23. A short gospel message was shared, and some food items were given. We can pray for the families there who all listened attentively.”
The other work is ongoing, Bible studies (kids and adults) Sunday meetings.
We are doing a little more finishing work on the msasa (plastering etc)
Please pray for Anna (and her family) on the homecall of her Papa.
Bereavement is all the more difficult when family are separated, so please pray that all will know special grace during their time of loss.
Anna says, “while we are grieving the loss of him as a special person, we are all so happy he is with the Lord and very much at peace.”
Our efforts to help in the present crisis are being frustrated by continued adverse weather.
Heavy rains are continuing from time to time, resulting in further damage to already difficult roads. On Saturday, we tried to purchase 400 x 25Kg bags of maize flour, but were unable to get them to our storage facility.
Some of the evacuation camps remain very difficult to reach without serious 4×4 capability.
The road to our site at Saidi has been blocked for a couple of days by this vehicle stuck in the mud.
Please pray for an improvement in the weather so that the roads may be passable.
