Dave's March news

Dear Family and Friends,

This morning as I woke there was a chill in the air which hints of the changing seasons- from Summer into Winter (The only two seasons Malawi really has;)) and this also means that the rainy season is coming to an end when as yet Malawi has not received very much hoped for rain this year.

The political climate is also looking uncertain and for some this also brings a disconcerting ‘chill’.

But we have seen heart-warming evidence that God is still here, in Malawi, and He is very much alive and working! As testimony to this fact I have some stories to share of some of the things we have witnessed this month among youths in Malawi;

On a visit to Blantyre at the beginning of the month I visited a missionary family there who are committed to church planting and discipleship in that area and have seen God work among University Students in raising up godly young Malawian’s who have acquired a hunger for solid meat of the word and are ably discerning between this and the insipid dilution of modern-day religion where there is much ‘form’ but very little substance to their godliness.(2Tim.3:5) These young men are pastored by a godly young Malawian man who I met also- who turned down an offer to study overseas so that he could be among his people and serve them, a man of calibre.

My second encounter took me into the rural villages where our ministry is situated and my brother conducted lengthy meetings with youths of that village on how to share the love and message of God amongst their friends and neighbours through sport. (i.e. Soccer, netball etc.) The youths ranging from below 10 to just under their twenties lapped it up with great enthusiasm and showed a sincere desire to spread God’s love. They also seemed honoured by the attention(training) they received as it was conducted along-side a Leadership Training event held at their church combining leaders from churches far away. In the closing service the children sang a song which their Youth Leader taught them which was basically a story- by-song on the state of the modern world and what to watch out for and how to live their lives. This touched my heart as I remembered how God instructed and taught His people in much the same way in the Old Testament times- through story-song.(Deut.32:1-43) And I am so privileged to observe a culture which in so many ways is similar to Jesus’ culture, when He was on earth.

Another story which I want to share is also a song, sung by a group of teeny kiddies to a group of us youth workers while we were visiting an orphanage near Salima. It was a farewell tribute to our presence among them. They stood in a group in front of us on the field where we had been playing games with them; other children lined the sides of the group making a passage way for us to view their performance through. The song, filled with dancing and actions, was passionately sung with a very basic message; something along the lines of, “come and worship Jesus or else you worship Satan”. As far as I can tell, they made the song up all by themselves (ages ranged from around 4/ 5 years to early teens).

 From Matthew 21:15-16(extracts)

“...and the children were shouting in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” (and Jesus) said (to the chief priests and scribes) do you hear what the children are saying?” And Jesus said to them,”Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself...” More news to follow, Dave.