This month, we have been working with Timothy Harvest Ministries in Nkhotakota, Malawi. I think the best words to summarize our ministry here are “be flexible.” Ministry looks different from day to day, and our team has learned to go into each day prepared for just about anything.
So far, we have led children’s ministry and discipleship programs, preached and led worship in local churches, visited a kindergarten class and a pig farm, done door-to-door evangelism, and visited the homes of families who have received water filters from Timothy Harvest Ministries.
During the times that we have done door-to-door evangelism, I have been blown away by how welcoming the people of Malawi are. At almost every home that we have approached, we have been greeted with the warmest hospitality. As we walked up to houses, women would roll out reed mats for us to sit on in the shade, and families would gather and listen intently as we shared. Everywhere we went, a giggling entourage of children followed, then sat and listened as we spoke before guiding us to the next house.
The people here are hungry for the word of God. Many of the people we met had never heard of Jesus, or if they have heard of him, they know nothing about him.
On our first day of door-to-door, we met a woman named Mary who had never heard of Mary, the mother of Jesus. It was so beautiful how one of my teammates got to share with her about the birth of Christ as Mary held her baby in her arms.
At the next home, we met a Muslim man and woman, and I marveled at God’s goodness as they accepted Christ under the shade of a beautiful tree, right next to the village mosque, surrounded by our entourage of children.
As the woman told her story, it was evident that God had been pursuing her for a long time. She said that she had wanted to leave Islam for years and that she did not even know anything about her own faith. As she pointed at the mosque, she explained that only one man even owned a Qur’an, and even though she had been attending the mosque for years, she knew nothing about Islam. She thanked us for teaching her about Christ, and she and the man asked us when we could come back to teach them more.
It became clear how much these two hungered for knowledge of God, but neither of them owned a Bible. Without a Bible, they could have easily been left in a similar situation that they were in to begin with–following a faith that they knew very little about without the resources to learn more.
Our translator, Tapiwa, recognized this true hunger that this man and woman shared and graciously gave them his own personal Chichewa Bible. I rejoiced that these two would have a way to deepen their relationship with Christ once we left, and I pray that that Bible would be a tool in further transforming their lives.
However, as we moved from house to house, family after family expressed their need for Bibles as well, and I found myself wishing that they could read my English Bible so I could bless even one more family. I met so many men and women who thirsted for the word of God, but I did not have anything that I could leave with them when I departed.
Chichewa Bibles are expensive in Malawi, so Timothy Harvest Ministries does not have the resources to buy large quantities of Bibles in their native language. Bibles at a nearby church sell for 4500 kwacha (close to 10 US dollars), which is much more than most families in the village can afford.
However, as we have gone into the field, we have seen a great need for Bibles in the community. As a team, we all felt like there had to be something we could do to help meet this need.
This is where you can come in.
Our squad has the opportunity to host four online fundraising campaigns throughout the race, and our team has been approved to raise funds to purchase Bibles for Timothy Harvest Ministries!
Our goal is to raise $575 to purchase as many Chichewa Bibles as we can for THM so that they can distribute them to new believers in the community.
You can help us meet this goal by donating here >> give.adventures.org/campaign.asp?campaignID=1048&preview=true
Just one Bible has the potential to transform an entire family’s life, and even an entire village. I have seen firsthand how powerful the word of God is in the hands of new believers, so please pray, donate, and share!
