Mission Moments: Malawi

Welcome home

By Gary Fallesen, founding president, Climbing For Christ
Photos and reporting by Damson Samson, East Africa Kingdom worker, Climbing For Christ

Ajesse Maisi’s new house. She has a new sleeping mat leaning against the house. Most widows sleep on the floor – or ground – and we have helped provide scores of mats and blankets for those in need.

Ajesse Maisi instructed Climbing For Christ Kingdom worker Damson Samson that he needed to tell us, “There will be no bed bugs now in this home.”

Ajesse was one of the first seven (of 14) widows to receive a new house in the aftermath of the devastating Tropical Storm Ana in late January. Not only had the bugs been removed from her residence in Malawi, she also is able to experience “freedom from rain.”

“The joy can be expressed in all the pictures,” Damson said as he messaged photos of the widows being blessed by God. “Never had (Ajesse) expected this to happen to her, but now she thanks God and all the members who contributed for the house. She prayed that they may continue to support (C4C) so others can have this chance.”

Estelle Isesi in front of her new house, receives a gift of bedding from Kingdom worker Damson Samson’s wife Selena.

Estelle Isesi was the poster widow for an appeal we made to help the widows in the days after Tropical Storm Ana blew through and flooded low-lying areas in southern Malawi. We told about her severely damaged house in Msema village in E-Newsletter 440 (“Shocked to see these things happening to our widows”; see “Serving the oppressed”). Seven donors responded and God provided more than $15,600 USD through their willingness to support another house-building project.

Climbing For Christ helped build more than 40 homes in 2016 and 2017 for some of the hundreds of widows being ministered to by Damson and his Praise Foundation. Estelle received one of those houses. Then she woke up the morning after Tropical Storm Ana to find a missing wall.

In early March, she opened the door to her new home – courtesy of C4C. Here are others who also welcomed a new house:

“This is Abena James (above) from Chabe village,” Damson said. “She is 99 years old. She has been wondering about this dream (of a new house); if it will come to pass. She was always in shock, not understanding, asking what to say. She was not able to say anything.

“Later she thanked you a lot for the new home she was really amazed to see.”

Jeany Gwilani from Namata expects to have seven orphaned grandchildren staying with her in this new house (above). She had to send them to other relatives in Mozambique because she had nowhere for them to live – before this house was built.

Ajesse Vareya (above, holding bedding with a sleeping mat against the house) told Damson, “God has done the impossible for me.” She danced for joy but could not completely express how happy and thankful she was to receive a new house.

“This is Estelle Mukango of Makhanamba,” Damson said. “She has two grandchildren who are orphans and another three who will stay with her – a family of six (in this new house). She thanked God for the grace given. Never had she thought that this kind hand would come to pass; only God knew. She thanked Climbing For Christ for such a provision, otherwise she could not be able to make it her own.”

Beatrice Makolija sitting outside her new home with a new blanket and food. She also received a sleeping mat.

“This is the widow Beatrice Makolija from Migowi,” Damson said. “She has been ill for years now and can’t walk.”

When Damson was told we had funding to build homes, he said, “I rushed to get her one not knowing more of her story. She explained that she had been living in a poor house which belonged to her late daughter. Life has never been easy for her. She is 90 years old.

“She thanked God for the new home and said she never had planned to get this home. Only God has blessed her at this time. The joy was all over her.”