More on our Malawi, Africa Mission Trip - June 2008

Some friends reminded us this week that we have not finished posting our blog about our Malawi Mission Trip that was now several months ago. In fact, we posted the "fun" parts of the trip, and so some people began wondering if we actually just took a really great vacation! For all the jet lag we endured, I promise you not every bit of London was fun! This trip was packed with so many stories and experiences as well as amazing pictures that it has just taken some time to get it all blogged out. It is important enough to us to share how God blessed us during this trip and how often he gave us the privilege to share His Gospel. Some whom we shared with were already Christians and we were able to encourage them, but some were hearing the Gospel for the very first time.

Anyway, once we finished our traveling and the game drive experience, which was incredible, we then proceeded to do what God had given us opportunity to do: present the Gospel in the village. The drive every day was a little over an hour if you count the 2 stops at road blocks each time. Sometimes people get a bit fearful when you mention there were armed guards at these gates, but it wasn't really a serious thing (unless you are taking pictures of them, Barbie!!!!).

So, along the way to the village we would stop and pick up our translators (see the photo below). These are mostly college-age interpreters we had all week with us. Then we would go to the village and meet Abusa (Pastor) Blackson to disperse into the village to walk and simply meet people and present the Gospel. Some houses would simply have 3 or 4 people, while some areas would gather as many as 50 to hear the "azungu" (white person) talk. The response to the simple message of Jesus was astounding.



Mat & Janet Lawrence - IMB Missionaries we worked with there
The first couple times we went to the village we went in pairs along with an interpreter. Daniel and Barbie were together the first day. One of the first families we shared with is in the picture below. When Daniel and I approached them, the man was laying down on the mat. He wasn't feeling well that day. So, we were directly speaking to his mother (the woman in the picture). Near the end of our sharing, he sits up and desires to accept Christ. After he did he said that he felt better. You never know who's listening.

Brad, Barbie, Pastor Blackson, and Brad's translator had the opportunity to share to a copule men making a mat in the middle of the woods.

Below are pictures of numerous other ministry opportunities God gave us:

The choir from Abusa (Pastor) Blackson's church randomly formed one day and started singing for us.

A group Brad and I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with

Every day while groups went out evangelizing through the villages two team members stayed behind to teach bible stories to the children.

More Pictures of things we saw while walking through the villages.

Games & Toys

Ask Brad. He tried to learn how to play it.

A boy made this out of leaves and a stick

Emily and Rebecca taught them how to play baseball. They used a piece of sugar cane as the bat and a balled up piece of paper out of one of our notebooks for the ball.

The game is to see how fast you can roll the bike rim using your hand or a stick.

It's just amazing to me what the kids could make using what they had on hand and their imagination.
Food
(View at your own risk :-)

This was one of the meals we had at the safari. Actually the food overall at the safari was very good. Although, as you can see, they don't take the eyes out of the fish. Our driver says, "Oh, that's the best part." Couldn't do it. I'm (Barbie) not one for picking out all the little bones in the fish either, but I tried it. The fish was good, but couldn't get past the bones. We all had to cover up the fish's eye with something so we could finish our meal.


The three days we were in the villages our lunch was a typical African village meal. We ate with Pastor Blackson and the translators. Sheema (the white stuff) is kinda like grits, but more of like a hardened mashed potatoes consistency. Everything else on the plate is the garnish for the Sheema.


Barbie helping to cook the Sheema. The smoke was so abundant it was hard to breathe. My eyes wouldn't stop watering.
Eating Sugar Cane. Mmmm, so sweet.
Where they stored the corn

Good thing we weren't walking

Making Cornmeal in order to make Sheema

Babies
Barbie was taught how to wrap a baby on her back. Very neat experience! "Barbie stand up straight." It's a great way to travel. Sure wish Emma and Andrew would have done this. Actually I tried to get Andrew to do it when I got back home. Wasn't happening. These babies are taught how to do this from day one. They learn to stay still and lay on their mothers backs without anyone holding them until their mother wraps them up.

Brad was also given the opportunity to give a testimony and introduce the team at 2 different schools of about 100 children each. Again, students and teachers listened, and many indicated they were ready to accept Jesus as Savior for the first time. The important part of this process for us was connecting these new believers with the church in the village and Abusa Blackson. The follow-up and discipleship is left entirely in their hands with assistance from Mat and Janet Lawrence (the IMB missionaries in Lilongwe), but it is a crucial element that many other mission groups miss.

Pastor Blackson was translating for Brad

Children raising their hands to accept Christ!

Brad is presenting the head master and teachers of the school with a gift of one soccer ball. The school doesn't even have one soccer ball. I can just imagine the reaction in the US if someone donated only one soccer ball as a gift.



A typical classroom


Girls playing net ball

A well near the school

One night, four of us (Daniel, Emily, Barbie, and Brad) stayed after dinner in order to show the "Jesus" film in Chewa (their language). Well, you should have seen the crowd form for this event (you can see the photo below, but it doesn't really tell the whole story!). Most of these people had never seen a video or anything like what we were showing, and it was fun for us to see British actors with Chewa language coming out of their mouths. We were treated to an amazing African sunset while we were waiting to start, and it was also entertaining to see Barbie, Emily, and Mat teach the people the "Chicken Dance" and do the conga line!

Toward the end of the movie, we paused it in order for Brad to present the Gospel with the translation assistance of Abusa Blackson. We were blessed again to see many indicate they wanted to receive Christ as Savior. There is really no way to determine how many people actually accepted Christ while we were in Malawi, but we know it to be well over 100.

Where's Barbie? Can you find her :-)

This little boy was deaf and possibly mute as well. Barbie had the opportunity to speak to him in sign language some.

Setting up the screen



Brad presenting the Gospel near the end of the "Jesus Film". Ooooo, it was a cold night.

Barbie was given the unique opportunity to meet a midwife in the village, and you know she wasn't going to pass that up! Barbie and Rebecca met the midwife and spent a considerable amount of time with her. The midwife mentioned that Barbie could have helped her with a delivery the day before if she had known they were coming which, of course, made Barbie sad she had to miss out on that. She asked how much longer we'd be in town, but we were unfortunately leaving the next day. Thankfully she had been to training and had gloves and such to help protect her from the AIDS virus. Each mother coming to deliver in her home were expected to bring a blanket for the baby, a blade to cut the cord, and

While waiting for the midwife to come back from tending the field, Rebecca and I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with numerous ladies in the village while we shucked corn. Some of them remembered me dancing the night before at the "Jesus Film" presentation in their village.



After working so hard and traveling really, really bad roads for the week, we packed up our stuff and headed toward the Lilongwe Airport to say our good-byes. Along the roadside we were treated to see vendors selling "6-pack on a stick" which is a local delicacy. Actually, it's 6 mice fried and skewered, and Brad really felt it a shame that we had a flight to catch so we would not be able to enjoy more of the local cuisine. Barbie was grateful!

Emily had started feeling sick in the middle of the night before we left and was still not feeling well at the airport. Emily started to feel really ill and vomited several times. This became a very tense situation as the officials in Africa are very hesitant to allow anyone to leave who is ill. At one point, Brad thought to himself that he and Emily would be staying behind for a few days in order for her to recover, but she recovered enough to pass through security and the airline people and get on the plane. We all walked around her and Barbie nonchalantly held the plastic bag.

We were very glad to see our families and friends waiting to receive us at the Greensboro Airport after a few delays and too many hands of Spades to count. It was an amazing opportunity, and God truly blessed our efforts. We would like to thank again those who prayerfully and financially supported our efforts, and we could not have gone at all if Barbie's parents (Papo and Mamo) had not volunteered to watch Emma and Andrew for the time we were gone. Thank you to everyone!!

Home Sweet Home!