HEY GUYS! I first want to say that I miss and LOVE you all
very, very much. I’m thinking about and praying for you all EXTRA lately, as
Thanksgiving is just a few days away!
A LOT has happened since my team and I arrived in Malawi a little over
two weeks ago. We spent our first two days of ministry in Mpunga and Ntiya
villages encouraging and praying for MANY men, women, children, and families at
their homes. These resilient people have many needs (that I hope all of you
will pray for too). They are hungry for the Word of God, more than food! They
don’t ask us for money or food, the only thing we have openly been asked for
are BIBLES! That was a slap to the face that woke me up- the word of God is the
MOST valuable treasure! Bibles were the most sought after need, but they also
need prayer for food (there was a drought this year and so many crops failed),
clothes for the children (they can’t go to school without them), construction
and repair on their homes and churches (the rainy season has just begun and their
roofs & walls are leaking), and prayer for protection and healing for
mental and physical illness (such as malaria, cholera, and schizophrenia). We
also visited Pastor Megada’s orphanage where they have 15 orphans, and they
only have enough funding to provide the children one meal per day. THAT IS NOT
ENOUGH! Especially since the main
food provided here is encima, a flour based gruel. These are the most urgent
needs to keep in prayer. Although these people have many needs, they are still
persevering and are spiritual dynamites! The believers trust in God’s provision
and sovereignty, and truly have the JOY of the Lord! It is amazing to witness!
And you should hear them sing worship to God… the MOST beautiful sound! The
rest of the first week of ministry we traveled to villages and visited the
churches that Pastor Medson and Willy P. had planted recently. We were welcomed
as pastors (hehe), greeted with singing and dancing, and were allowed to give
them a sermon of encouragement and/or word from God. There are no words to
describe how AMAZING this experience was, and the source of A LOT of spiritual
growth for us all!
The second week of ministry we headed to Chikwawa (about 5
hours southwest of Zomba) to visit the hidden away villages in the bush of
Malawi! Pastor Medson and Willy P have 4 churches there that they planted. We
stayed three days and two nights there (camping… sort of… I accidentally forgot
my tent poles in Zomba… ask me about it sometime 🙂 with Willy P’s mother and
hometown village community. WOW, eye opening experience! Amazing worship,
preaching sermons, praying for needs, sleeping beneath the stars, dust storms,
GIGANTIC bugs, dehydration (very limited water), truck breakdowns, FOOD
(mangos, goat, encima), squatty potties, diarrhea, HOT SUN (107 degrees), new
relationships, lots of growth, dancing, SOCCER….ect…ect…ect… AMAZING! I wish I
had a better word to describe it, but the only word I can come up with to
describe this experience is AMAZING! Difficult at times, but AMAZING! I have
never felt more alive than I do living here in the villages of Africa! Again,
the biggest desire here was for BIBLES!! These people absolutely blow my mind!
Back at home base in Zomba I have two little kids who have stolen my heart.
Their names are Dan and Yacinta. They remind me A LOT of my two favorite girls
in the WHOLE WORLD- Peyton and McKenna!!!
Well I am out of time now and I have so much more I could
write, but the most important thing to leave you with is that I LOVE YOU
GUYS!!! And HAPPY THANKSGIVING (just in case I don’t get internet again). XOXOXOX
PS. Please pray for safety over all of P squad, we need it!
Thanks and LOVE!
