Missions in Motion: Malawi Update

Submitted by Anne Neilson

A group of 17 people from 4 different churches met in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, on July 17th, to serve and to learn. (Eight folks came from Westside Christian Fellowship of Los Angeles, 5 folks came from Central Presbyterian Church, 2 folks came from Grace Fellowship and 2 folks came from a church in the D.C. area.) We learned far more than we served.

This was Sandy Boucher's third trip to Malawi. She had a different vantage point as she has watched Partners in Hope move from bricks and mortar to one of the most effective, sustainable HIV treatment centers in Africa. God has moved these visionaries to create a treatment center that not only treats the physical but heals the spiritual. As described by the administrator, they have moved from preventing physical death to living and dying "whole." Our presence was an emotional boost to the staff at Partners in Hope. We participated in 4 different work projects which the staff had long dreamed of happening.

The Malawian leaders wanted to update the worship music they use in their daily staff worship time. The team Pastor John served with helped identify about 40 Chichewa and English songs that were well known, theologically sound and useful in the contemporary environment. The songbook was then printed for use. In addition, this team got to interact with song and drama teams that presented AIDS awareness messages to public school students all over the city of Lilongwe. The worship team got a chance to then go to a public school site to see one of the teams in action, as they presented the sexual abstinence message to school students in a local rural area. Lots of drums and lots of dancing-John's team loved it!

Tiffany Triplett worked with the team to develop a soccer camp for children. They took 22 boys between the ages of 12 and 17 from a village very close to Partners in Hope to play soccer on a field that had been built at the clinic. The team started the day off by picking the boys up after they were finished with school, (it's winter time in Malawi) and bringing them to Partners in Hope. There everyone ate lunch and went outside to play soccer until 4:oo pm. On the last day, they had a championship game where the boys' parents and the village chief came to watch. The team also had an opportunity to visit the village and give the boys' families gifts.

Debbie Schmidt was part of a team working on a nutrition project which centered on a little boy named Peter. Peter is HIV positive and lives with his 70-year-old grandmother because both his parents have died of AIDS. Her team met with Peter and his grandmother as they went through the training about nutrition at Partners in Hope. Then they went to their house in the village and spent 2 days digging and planting a garden. They built a straw fence around the garden to keep out chickens and goats. It was a pleasure to work under the leadership of their Malawian team leader, Isaac, and side by side with other Malawians from the hospital. Debbie will always remember the spontaneous time of singing and dancing with the team, with Peter's sisters, and with other children and adults from the village on the final day!

Sandy Boucher and Anne Nielsen traveled to a site called Paradiso as part of a team to help with renovations of their community building and to deliver food to some needy families. The team was greeted and sent off every day with singing and dancing, a joyous experience. The people who lived around Paradiso were gracious to let us do a little work and then they took over with the painting and cleaning up. It was great to see their ownership of the building. People meet in the building to support each other if they have AIDS, they come there to be tested, and there is a teen program that encourages testing and abstinence. In addition, the staff at Paradiso try to help grandparents who are caring for their grandchildren and those who are very ill (thus our trip to deliver food).

We also connected with Children's Ministry's sponsored child, FZ at a Children of the Nations site. She is in great health, loves school and is doing very good work. We were very glad to be together. FZ is very grateful for our sponsorship.

We visited with a team from World Vision in Salima and learned of the work they are doing. They go into churches and seek permission to enlist the help of 10 people to assist others in the community with health needs (often AIDS), education, agriculture, refugee assistance and/or trade. Those 10 people form the nucleus of the church's outreach to the most critical needs of the community. They receive support and training from World Vision staff in their area.

Our last visit was at the Infant Crisis Nursery which that day had over 20 infants. We got to hold as many or as few as we wanted. The Nursery is looking for adoptive parents so they will have room to accept other infants who need their loving care.

Thank you for the support of your prayers and finances. We ask that you continue to keep us in prayer as we pray for God's instructions regarding the vision He has for the future.

Missions In Motion: Atlanta 2007

Submitted by Rhonda Herman

In my trip to Atlanta, I went outside of my comfort zone and learned a lot when I was helping out at a free day camp for kids. I let six girls braid my whole head. I learned that what I've got at home, such as my family, clothes, and shelter, are much more than most people could ask for. We saw Martin Luther King, Jr.'s home, the Coca-Cola factory, a unicorn and many loving people in need. ~McKenna

In Atlanta I learned a lot about meeting new people and being able to work with or help them achieve a goal. Every one had to work together to paint the house. It took a lot of work but it was a lot of fun. I also will always remember all of the kids at the camp who like playing with my hair, even if they put disgusting stuff in my hair. ~Brynna

The Atlanta missions trip has helped me grow stronger in my faith towards the Lord. This experience has also changed my view towards others both rich and poor. I was also taught that there are always people in the world wherever you are that treat you like family. When we gathered for the final worship of each day I really felt God in that room with everyone from Ohio, Florida, and Baltimore. I felt that God was teaching me through the workers from every group. When I started I thought that I would just hang out with the people from Central, but in the first hour of meeting everyone I was hanging out with people from Ohio, and Florida also. I felt that the people I met had been a part of my family my whole life. Once we got to the first worksite I realized that not everything is like Towson. On this trip I had that experience; I experienced no air conditioning, not a real bed, no extra electronics. When we were helping with a children's day camp we had to teach them self control and respect. This trip will stay with me for my whole life. ~Katherine

The missions in Atlanta were great. "Imagine a world without poverty;" that thought summed up the trip. It helped us do the missions that needed to be done. ~Peter