| Iris Conference in Lilongwe – We recently hosted the first central region conference in two years. Our ministry team from Bangula, including our commissioners, Bible school teachers, choir and southern region overseers, set off from Bangula at 5AM to begin the eight hour journey to Lilongwe. We were joined by two of our Iris International Directors, Surprise Sithole, and Rolland Baker who flew in for the conference. We were also encouraged by a team of missionaries and nationals from Dondo, Mozambique who drove 16 hours in order to assist us. | |
| On our arrival we encountered excited men, women and children who were so happy to be sought after and given attention. They came to Lilongwe on trucks from the surrounding villages in the bush where they live very humbly and, right now, without much food. They didn’t bring much with them for they have very little. They were just content to be in a place where they could learn more about Jesus. They didn’t care that they had to sleep together in families outside on mats on the dirt. All they wanted was to see Jesus. They were hungry for the one who gave up His life so that they may live. Nothing else seemed to matter. This was their special time, and special they knew they were. |
Lilongwe conference |
| Our churches in this region have really struggled in the past with poor leadership. But now with new leaders in place, our churches are experiencing growth. Our newly appointed committee of pastors here proved themselves to be faithful workers. They demonstrated love and unity toward one another and their first concern was clearly their people. The people danced, worshipped, and listened to teaching under the intense sunshine as blasts of dust and sand carried by the wind beat at them on the ground. When given opportunity for prayer ministry, they unreservedly came forward humbling themselves before their Lord. The Lord loved on them by the power of the Holy Spirit. All they wanted was a touch from Him, and they got it. Some were moved to tears, others joy. Young and old, they knelt before the Lord, crying out with tears pouring down their checks and faces either turned toward heaven or planted down in the dirt. | |
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One day during the ministry time I kept close to a 10 year old boy who was clearly being ministered to by the Holy Spirit. He was on bended knees with his face to the ground, shaking, and sometimes crying. I kept on praying for him. Afterwards, with an interpreter, I asked him to explain what was happening as he knelt on the ground. He said that he wasn’t sure, but he was thankful to God because now he felt much freer and lighter. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus invites all who are weary and burdened to come to Him. Life is very difficult here in this land, even for 10 year old boys. And so, they rejoiced in Jesus whose yoke leads to living freely and lighter. |
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Children are filling our homes! – Timothy was hungry for a home and a family to love him. We arrived at Timothy’s broken down home in a Bangula village to pick him up – he had already been briefed by his oldest brother that he was going to have a new family. I thought that a boy would be a little apprehensive of such a change. My prediction proved false – Instead, upon our arrival, seven year old Timothy quickly embraced us with hugs and a huge smile. He was so willing and ready to come and begin a new life in one of our recently completed children’s homes at the Iris mission base. Timothy’s parents died of sickness on the same day earlier this year. For months now, Timothy has been living alone with his two older brothers. There are no relatives here to take them in – no neighbours able to help. Timothy’s oldest brother (aged 19 yrs) has tried very hard with little bits of piece work to earn money for food. They have also been selling off items from their home, little by little, in desperation for food. The second born, aged 17, has a place at secondary school but had to drop out when no money was available to pay for school fees. The older boys are too old to come to us but we will not leave them alone. We have already provided them food and will be sponsoring the younger one through secondary school. It was a joyous occasion bringing Timothy home. He slept on a new mattress, with sheets on a bed covered with a mosquito net. He ate well and was loved by his new house parents Nsitu and Fanny. Everything was new for him – even the instructions on how to use the toilet and shower. The first night was so exciting for that he woke up at midnight ready to begin his day. So, he got showered (again) and put on his school uniform. It took some convincing by house dad Nsitu, to get Timothy back into bed for several more hours. He eventually fell back asleep, very clean, and safe in his new home. Hungry students: This is a time of great excitement for our pastors. Some have returned for their 3rd year of training. They love coming back to school – I’m sure partly it is because we provide them with three meals a day as well as soap, toothpaste and a blanket. |
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But, I know that more than that, they arrive looking forward to meeting their Lord and Savior once again in a new way as they grow deeper in faith and understanding of the Scriptures. They really are hungry to be more like Jesus. We’ve invited our senior leaders from throughout the country to receive the first of the 3rd year courses. We want to pour into them and let God love more life into them so they can help us train the others. Since Joanna and I are the only educators here, it makes for a heavy term of teaching. But, we too are hungry for God to continue his work, changing these men from the inside out. |
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Hungry for food – Today, millions of people in Malawi do not have enough food to eat and the situation is only going to get worse. There is simply not enough food to go around. We are now feeding 3,000 of the most desperate – the widows, elderly, crippled and blind. They come to us on the 15th of each month for food distribution. Hundreds repeatedly come between distribution dates, hungry, with no where else to go. |
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| We give them what we have and they are satisfied for the time being. Yesterday we gave away 20 tons of maize. These days we are currently buying up as much maize as we can get our hands on. That’s not always an easy task – our suppliers are traveling great distances to farmers deep into Mozambique. Then, one 50kg bag of maize at a time, they carry them back to Malawi. It’s a long and strenuous process which contributes in part to the high cost of maize. The market price is now three times more than it usually is at harvest time. Many simply don’t have money and can not buy. Therefore, they harvest lily bulbs that grow in the river – the crocodile infested river. The bulbs are then dried, milled and cooked like porridge. It doesn’t taste very good but it fills their stomachs. |
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Malawi has experienced the worst harvest in 10 years and there are reports suggesting that 4.2 million Malawians need assistance now. We believe it! We see the signs of disaster all around us. The next harvest is still eight months away. We are seeing more and more children with swollen stomachs. People are getting thinner. Everyday, people come to us who don’t know where else to turn. We are frequently hearing from pastors who are walking great distances from their bush villages to describe the desperation of people back home. It is very difficult being surrounded by such great suffering. Even so, we keep moving forward with our faith in Jesus who can multiply food, fill and satisfy every life. In the midst of suffering we continue to declare Jesus’ words when he said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” So, please join us in prayer for the hungry in Malawi, “Oh Lord, give us today our daily bread.”
Blessings,
Mo
