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How can there be hunger when there was a surplus of maize in Malawi? Greed. Jealousy. Those who have lots want more, and hoard maize so that they can get an even more ridiculous price for it in the months to come. How many more people will die before hearts are softened? As the price has increased, people have been forced to buy maize one basin at a time, for as much as 500 Malawi Kwacha ($4.60 Cnd). Several times in the last week, there has been no maize available at all in Bangula. It is hard to tell where this will lead. Many people are not eating every day.
Last week Mo went to visit a grandma who had given us a sack of sweet potatoes for the children. She had laid out in the sun sweet potato, lily bulbs, some green leaves she had picked in the bush, a mixture she would then pound to make a flour, and mix with water to make nsima. It’s not pretty, but at least it has some nutrients. Others are cooking up mangoes to try and make something more filling. Mango season will soon come to an end. |
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One of the negative effects of hunger is that it leads many to steal. Some grandmas are harvesting their sweet potatoes early so that they are not stolen out of the field. There is also in an increase in violence in the villages. There have been several fights at the government maize distribution centre in town. Desperation is driving.
Today, the rain came. It has been skirting us for some weeks now, and today the clouds were black and heavy. I raced back to the base with a truck load of maize flour I had collected from the mill. I didn’t want the flour to get wet, so I was glad to beat the clouds. Girls’ Club was in full swing, and they were not even perturbed by the rain when it came. One of our leaders asked what the girls were thankful for, hoping to elicit ‘Christmas’. But no, they were definitely more thankful for rain! |
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Those who have seed to plant will be planting tomorrow, trusting that there will be consistent rain to establish the crop. Those without seed daren’t think about the coming season. They are already living precariously, eating what they can find.
Our Iris children are not as sensitive to the needs around us as you might expect them to be. It is as if the years of worrying about food are behind them, and not to be dredged up again. So far, we have been able to buy maize, and we trust that God will continue to provide for the children and our pastors, as well as the thousands in the broader community who rely on us for support. |
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| This year, our gift bags for orphans will be going to our own list of orphans in the community. Their gifts will be more practical this year, as hunger is such an issue. Each child will receive 1kg of rice and a bag of sugar along with the usual exercise books, pencils, pen, sweets, soap, and toy. We had a stark reminder last week, as Mo visited with another grandmother. He asked how her two orphaned grandchildren were doing. Both children had died…there simply was not enough to go around. | |
| My prayer is that physical hunger would heighten spiritual hunger, and a real heart cry would rise up from the people of this land. Though most people will accept that God is real, and even pray loud and long, many people continue to rely on themselves for their ‘daily bread’. Isn’t that what we all do? We say that Jesus is the bread of life, but we seek our own ways and means in the meanwhile. I am certain that he is looking for a depth of faith that rises out of knowing our need. ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ This kind of faith would be an example of extreme good arising out of seemingly brutal circumstances. Pray with us. |
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On our site, our routines continue, and God is blessing the children and pastors. We have been grateful to have a few visiting teachers over the last few months, to fill in the gaps. Three of our teachers are now at College, and we got very short notice. Sue has carried an extra load with the coming and going of teachers. In January we will have Pre-school through to Standard 6, and we are in need of 3 teachers. Just now, the kids are very keen on math sheets, each one wanting to demonstrate what he has learned. Of course teachers and students will enjoy the coming holiday. |
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Bible school graduation took place last week. It was a joy to send out pastors back to their villages all over Malawi, and know that they take with them all that they have learned and experienced. Pray for seeds to be planted, and watered. God will bring forth the fruit in the lives of our pastors, their families, and then their villages.
Boys’ and Girls’ clubs have changed a little bit, as the numbers became too great. We further divided the village groups, so that we have three different groups, and one week a month off. It is working well. With smaller groups, we have a chance to get to know the kids, and talk with them. The downside is that we only see each group once a month. Our desire is that these kids would have an increased hunger for God, and for his purposes in their lives. |
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On the off week, a couple of weeks ago, I spontaneously invited some of the older boys to come for an evening designed for them. These boys have a special place in my heart as they are the first ones we met when we arrived. They are now 16 – 19 years old, and they are all struggling. With nothing to do, there is great temptation to drink and sleep around. I had about 25 turn up. It was good to play games with them, eat dinner together, look at National Geographic magazines, and then listen to Chanela give his testimony. Chanela is a Malawian who works as our administrator. His testimony really spoke to the boys’ trials. Many of them stayed on to enjoy a video we were showing the pastors. What God could do with these boys, were they to fully submit themselves to his plan for their lives!! |
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