Angel had a follow up appointment with her surgeon last week. She said it was a positive meeting and the surgeon said she was surprised to see that the bone seems to have started growing back!
Angel’s had a couple of physiotherapy sessions over the past weeks which were quite challenging, but thanks be to God for the prayers and the positive feedback from her doctor.
Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend a conference hosted by Bible Educational Services (BES) in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. It was tremendously encouraging and energizing to connect with people from all over the world who are involved in similar ministries.
Perhaps one of the most impactful things was meeting the woman who started it all! To think that it started with one woman posting lessons to one student and now today the curriculum is being used in over 80 countries and in 45 languages! Wendy Gray and her husband, Bert, and another older couple who have been involved in children’s work for decades, Stephen and Jean Gillham were both an inspiration and a challenge to me. Results are not often seen immediately in children’s work, but these couples reminded me that preserving and trusting the Lord to bless will result in fruit for His glory!
Results are not often seen immediately in children’s work, but these couples reminded me that preserving and trusting the Lord to bless will result in fruit for His glory!
I was also encouraged by the testimony of several of the delegates who were saved as children. One was taught the word of God while he was a child at a Sunday school. Though not from a Christian background, what he had learned as a child stuck with him and was used to bring him to salvation as a young adult. Another woman, also not from a Christian background, came to know about the Lord through children’s work, eventually accepting Christ at a Bible camp. These testimonies were a reminder of the importance of sharing the gospel with children and have bolstered my faith as I pray for God’s word to do a work in the hearts of the children we have come to know and love here in Malawi. Let us pray that this will indeed be the case!
Another takeaway was the importance of working with others. This is not a work that can be done single-handedly! Sessions on cooperation with coworkers got me thinking about how we can partner well with others to reach as many children as possible. It is something that needs much prayer and consideration. We want the work to be sustainable, i.e. not dependent on us. Please pray that the Lord will give clear direction from the start as to how we can best partner with others in a way that encourages this.
…more than ever we need to be in prayer for the Lord’s direction and blessing.
Overall, I was inspired and revitalized by spending a week in the presence of so many men and women who are giving their lives for the sake of sharing the gospel with children. What a privilege we have to tell the next generation about our God and Savior! What a responsibility! As we anticipate the launch of Bibletime in Malawi and look forward to training and distributing to others – more than ever we need to be in prayer for the Lord’s direction and blessing. It is, after all, His work, and He knows best how it should be done. Please pray with us that we will have a clear sense of His purposes for us and this resource in the coming months, so it can be used to reach thousands – perhaps millions – of children in this country who desperately need a Savior.
We have just received notice that the new Toyota Land Cruiser we ordered several months ago is due to be shipped from Gibraltar on 22 June.
Please pray for its safe transit by sea to Durban and then by road to Malawi. It is expected in-country by early August. This will be a huge benefit to the work!
Please also pray particularly that we will be able to obtain duty-free clearance of the vehicle on arrival. There will be surtax & excise to pay on arrival, but duty, if charged, could amount to twice the purchase price! Please pray!
The extremely poor rainy season has resulted in the borehole at Saidi running dry. This affects the operations on-site, as well as the many villagers who have become accustomed to using the free water we supply.
It will be at least 5 months before rain is expected and there is any prospect of the water table starting to rise again.
Please pray as we explore options for an alternative water supply.
Anna requests prayer for the Lord to give clear direction for the development of the work in schools and with the Nthawi Ya Baibulo (Bibletime) curriculum, as we anticipate a new phase in the next few months.
Note: Translation & editing of the 3-year Bible Time curriculum is at an advanced stage. We are hoping that the first booklets will be printed and shipped to Malawi in the next few month. Anna and the team are anticipating a lot of preparatory work once the next school term begins in September.
Anna says: “I am thankful for a safe and incredibly encouraging trip to attend the BES Conference in Northern Ireland.”
Give thanks for journeying mercies and for the encouragement received.
Note: BES provide the Postal Bible School curriculum which we are already using in the Dzaleka Refugee Camp (Swahili language), and which is in process of translation into Chichewa for use in the rest of Malawi. Anna was able to attend their recent conference and meet key people involved in similar ministries around the globe.
Brother Goodson asks us to pray for the planned Baptism next Lord’s Day (23 June) at Saidi when it is expected that a further 9 believers will obey the Lord. We give thanks for this further evidence of fruit following the preaching of the Gospel.
Also continue to pray for blessing upon the conference week which took place in early May
Brother Mtambo explains how he’s been blessed by the Bible Conference. He also wishes that the ministry could spread, even to his home in Mozambique.
Saulous Chilima, Vice President of Malawi has died in a plane crash in the northern part of the country.
As well as praying for his family at this difficult time of personal loss, also pray for political stability. Relations between the President and Vice-President have been strained, and any speculation about the cause of the accident could be destabilising.
Remember the families of the other victims of the crash.
Here’s what Harold had to say about why schools ministry matters to him:
Why do school visits matter?
Schools matter a lot to me for two reasons…
First, this is the time when you meet students who are starting to mature. They don’t have much knowledge about salvation or the Bible. But they have open hearts to receive the gospel.
The second thing is that many of these students do not have the background of the gospel in their homes. And so, when you preach to the students, it’s like you’re giving them the gospel for the first time. And you can see how the gospel is accepted in schools and appreciated by the students… people who are coming from different backgrounds… they all have the opportunity to hear the gospel.
When did you start visiting schools?
Immediately after I got saved, in 1998, I felt that God wanted me to concentrate on going to schools and preaching the gospel. So, when I completed my secondary school in 1999, I started visiting schools and preaching the gospel. It has been like that partly, I think, because I was saved when I was at secondary school.
What’s your favourite thing about school visits?
My favourite thing about school visits is that it’s a place of open doors for the gospel… Sometimes when you go to the markets, others may want to sit down and listen, but others may not. But it’s different when you go to a school, everybody sits down and they listen.
Any favourite memories?
I’ve got so many memories about school visits, but one of the prominent things that comes to mind is the team in 2022 when we were visiting schools around Thondwe and Zomba. I have very good memories about how the gospel was dramatized and how everybody was able to contribute… it was presented in such a simple yet beautiful and lovely way.
Is there any feedback you’ve received?
I have received feedback from many students… in various schools. Good feedback like “I am from a Muslim background, but I would like to learn more about the Bible. Would you please help me and we develop some kind of relationship and we talk about the Lord?” And this has been so encouraging. Sometimes they just drop a message in my phone and say, “I come from a Muslim background. I received the gospel when you came to preach at our school. I’m not allowed to go to church, but I’m so happy that you came. I was able to hear what the gospel means”. Also… in towns and various places, some people have stopped me and said… “You came to our school at such and such a time… you were preaching to us with the white people that came.” So it’s just fantastic to see how the students in schools remember things – sometimes you even forget… and they’re able to remind you of some of the verses that were used.
“I come from a Muslim background. I received the gospel when you came to preach at our school. I’m not allowed to go to church, but I’m so happy that you came. I was able to hear what the gospel means”
What can people be praying for?
Schools are one of the best places to spread the gospel. And the Lord has actually opened such opportunities here in Malawi that whenever you go to schools, you are able to preach not just to the students, but also to the teachers. And one of the things that folks can be praying for is that in the course of time the Lord will be able to raise people, the teachers, that would be able to help in the Bible clubs in schools with sound gospel and that the Lord will continue to keep the door open… because there are some places, some countries where you cannot preach in schools… And that while the door is still open, that the Lord will also raise people so that the open door can be utilized. In my understanding, when I visit the schools, I always feel inadequate because I very much feel that with such open doors they’re just a few people who are taking advantage to preach to the students. So, it’s like open doors that are never fully utilized because the labourers are few.
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