News

Introduction

In March, Cyclone Freddy wreaked havoc in Malawi, causing immense destruction and loss of life. With a total death toll of over 1000 and over 1,000,000 people displaced, the impact of the disaster was heart-wrenching. The storm destroyed thousands of hectares of mature maize, leaving communities vulnerable to hunger and economic challenges. In the face of this catastrophe, SALT tried to respond with compassion, wisdom and determination. The Lord enabled us to provide emergency aid to over 1000 people from around 10 villages.

The Lord’s people responded generously . We want to update you on our ongoing relief efforts and how we plan to continue helping those affected by Cyclone Freddy.

Immediate Relief Efforts

In the immediate aftermath of Cyclone Freddy, our team visited numerous evacuation camps, like the one at Lisao. We distributed much-needed emergency aid to the affected communities. The aid included plastic sheeting for emergency shelter, 13,500 kgs of maize flour, approximately 670 kgs of beans, and 2300 soap tablets. While we were able to provide assistance to those in need, we faced challenges as most of the evacuation camps were in school buildings, which were disbanded later, forcing people back to their villages, often with no choice but to rely on already impoverished relatives.

Assisting Vulnerable Individuals

Recognizing the plight of vulnerable people, such as widows or those caring for orphans, we aim to construct 15 new houses, as we are able. Additionally, we plan to assist in repairing numerous other houses for vulnerable individuals in the affected villages. However, the serious economic difficulties in the country, including scarcity and soaring prices of cement and shortages of fuel, have posed significant challenges to our efforts. Nevertheless, we remain committed to providing safe and secure housing for those who need it most.

Preparing for the Future

To improve long-term food security for our community, we have taken the initiative to purchase a reserve of over 12 tons of maize. We will distribute this later in the year to alleviate hunger. Moreover, we are determined to enhance our ability to respond effectively to emergencies like Cyclone Freddy in the future. With some of the funds donated, we plan to invest in an irrigation system on several acres of farmland adjacent to our site. We hope this project will significantly improve our capacity to support the needs of the community during times of crisis.

Impacting Lives with the Gospel

Our aim is always to keep the Gospel “front and centre”. Through all our interventions, we have had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with those we have assisted. This has had a profound impact on the affected communities. One heartwarming message of gratitude that we received reads,

“we want to thank you for the help you have given without respect of religion… the people are very grateful because you have helped more than all the other help we received and also because of the Good News which you sowed.”

The opportunity to bring comfort and the hope of the Gospel through actions and words has been the greatest blessing during this difficult time.

Conclusion

We continue to rebuild and provide assistance in the aftermath of Cyclone Freddy. We are deeply committed to supporting the affected communities in our vicinity. We trust that our relief efforts, though challenging, have been a testament to the power of compassion, generosity, and faith. We thank all our supporters and donors who have made this possible. With your continued support, we aim to bring lasting change and resilience to the lives of those affected by the cyclone. Together, we can rebuild hope, one step at a time.

Brother Goodson asks that we pray for an additional 10 women and 4 men who have requested Baptism, bringing the total number to 17.

Starting on Wednesday, Goodson plans to start special Bible studies for these individuals to make certain they understand the message of the Gospel and the meaning of Baptism.

Pray for wisdom and discernment as Goodson speaks to each to hear their testimony of salvation.

Pray

Anna says: “Please pray for safe travels for all of our visitors who will be arriving this week!”

Note: Stephen travels on Wednesday, with remaining members of the team arriving in Malawi Saturday & Sunday. Please pray for uneventful journeys, safe arrival of luggage, and speedy adjustment to the new time zone – as much as +9 hours for some team members.

Please remember the deteriorating economic situation in the country, as a result of which, simple things like having enough fuel for airport runs cannot be taken for granted.

Pray

Anna mentions: Fuel supply continues to be an issue. Please pray the Lord will allow us to continue despite this. I’m thinking particularly of MGO.

This appeared online recently:

Pray

Please pray as we make final preparations for MGO 2023. Over the next week, the team in Malawi will be finalising details of the program of activities, and other necessary arrangements.

As mentioned previously, our team this year is much smaller and has much less experience than previous years, so please pray that the Lord will guide, direct and enable us for the task in hand. MGO has been a great blessing in the past, and we look to the Lord to make his strength perfect in our weakness.

Brother Goodson asks that we pray for three men who have requested Baptism. Each bore testimony to discovering since starting to attend the Gospel meetings at Saidi that salvation is not by good works but through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone.

While we give thanks for this, Goodson asks that we pray that he will have wisdom and discernment and that the reality of their profession will become apparent.

Here at Thondwe we are in the throes of preparing for Malawi Gospel Outreach (MGO) 2023. Ordering texts. Distributing invitations. Booking accommodation. Planning activities… The list goes on.

And in the midst of all the busyness, it’s natural to start wondering if it’s worth all the effort.

Short-term mission work gets a lot of criticism. And let’s be honest, some of that is well deserved. We’ve all heard stories about ‘those people’ who go visit missionaries to ‘help’ and ‘encourage’ them and end up leaving them more worn-out and discouraged than before. Or the enthusiastic but naïve volunteers who end up committing countless cultural taboos and damaging the reputation of the work.

So what about MGO? Is it helpful or harmful? Is it worth the effort?

Well, now that I’ve experienced it from the perspective of someone on the ground, I think I can safely and unequivocally say that it is definitely worth the effort.

The Encouragement from Short Term Missions

For one thing, it is a tremendous encouragement to the local workers.

It can get lonely down here! Of course, we have an amazing team, and we generally enjoy working together. But we miss the varied and frequent fellowship that believers experience in countries with multiple assemblies and regular Bible conferences. So, getting to spend two weeks with a group of believers, fellowshipping in the gospel, singing hymns, and talking about the Lord is a tremendous boost to us!

Not to mention the encouragement of people taking time to come and see what the Lord is doing here. It shows that the interest goes deeper than surface level, and it assures us that there are some who will be praying with a personal knowledge of what is going on.

Extra Manpower from Short Term Missions

The increase in manpower, as simple as that may sound, is also a help. With a team of believers, we are able to do different kinds of outreach than normal. Distributing several thousand texts at the market? This certainly can be done with two or three people, but it takes a lot more time and energy than when you have ten or twenty. Corralling six hundred kids for the day? Perhaps it can be done with only a few adults, but it’s certainly not advisable.

MGO makes a positive impression in the community. I was chatting with the teens in my Bible study group last night about this year’s outreach. The boys were asking about the guys who came and played football with them. Another asked about Bill, who came and helped preach the gospel. And everyone in my neighborhood remembers ‘Royce’ (Lois). Why? Because she took time to try out her Chichewa with the women and be silly with the children. It turns out you can communicate love and genuine care – two things that are often missing here – regardless of a language barrier.

I think I can speak for the visitors too – having once been one myself – and say that it’s also an encouragement for them. While reaching others with the gospel should be the thrust of our life, there is something unique about setting apart an entire week or two for that specific purpose.

It also gives them a better understanding of the work. It strengthens the connection between supporting assemblies and missionaries/workers and leads to more intelligent and informed prayer.

I could go on, but this is already way too long. I’ll end with this: Could it also be that it might be a tool the Lord uses to raise up others for the work here? That’s what happened with me, and we’re praying that might also happen with others.

Of course, no two MGOs are the same. Different people and different activities lead to varied dynamics. So, prayer is needed and appreciated that the Lord will work in and through us all to encourage and be encouraged and unitedly spread the good news about Jesus Christ.

Pray

Please pray for a day of peaceful protest and prayers planned in defence of the Biblical position on Marriage and Sexuality across Malawi on Thursday 13 July. This has been planned by various church alliances, who are also calling for church leaders to organise “intensive prayers and teaching in our Churches” between Friday 14 and Sunday 16 July. This anticipates an upcoming legal challenge to Malawi’s laws prohibiting same-sex relationships.

Urging all Malawians irrespective of faith to stand and protect the family, their Press Release states,

“As Churches we believe that sexual acts are only permissible between man and woman (Married partners). Hence we would like to make it clear that Same Sex unions are ungodly, unnatural, and culturally unacceptable and a direct perversion of Gods ordained order of family. We therefore reaffirm our position against the legalization of acts which directly threaten the existence of the family in this country.

“We are convinced that marriage is between two people of the opposite sexes- male and female. Anything contrary to this divine order is unacceptable and does not please God, our creator. Malawi cannot afford to take a rebellious path of disobedience to God at a time when we need Him most to heal our nation. Let us all unite and defend our nation from self-destruction. “

The need for such a statement would have been unimaginable in Malawi a very short time ago. This is clear evidence of unwelcome western influence driving the social agenda. As one of the poorest countries in the world, constantly in need of financial support, it is very difficult for Malawi to resist the pressure to liberalise its laws. It is also a salutary lesson that we cannot take for granted the liberty we enjoy in the Gospel.

Please pray that the planned protest will be peaceful, and that Malawi will be preserved from the “self-destruction” spoken of in the press release.

Pray

Please pray for the final preparations for MGO 2023, which is now just 4 weeks away.

We have a very much smaller overseas team than in previous years, but this will give opportunity for local believers to play a larger part.

Please specifically pray

  • for the production of the texts to be distributed
  • for travelling mercies safety and good health of the team,
  • that the Lord will use this as a an opportunity to raise up other local believers to help with this work
  • that we will be able to plan and schedule the right activities to match the size and abilities of the team,
  • and that the good seed would fall upon prepared ground.

Pray

Anna writes: Please pray that our visit to Dzaleka and Divine Touch (Street Kids’ Feeding Program) will be a blessing and encouragement to them and that the Lord will watch over us as we travel.

Note: Anna and Wati will be travelling this incoming week to monitor the progress of the Bibletime work at Dzaleka, as well as the various relief programs SALT supports there and in Lilongwe. In recent months the Government has been forcibly returning immigrants to the camp, exacerbating the overcrowding there.

During the past week we had the following reports from William (Dzaleka) and Edward (Lilongwe):


ENLIGHTEN | ENCOURAGE | EMPOWER