Mission Moments: Malawi
Tears of gratitude and fear
By Gary Fallesen, founding president, Climbing For Christ
The church at Msema dances for joy during food distribution on April 15. (Photos by Duncan Nyozani)
When Pastor Duncan Nyozani told his church at Kambona that last Sunday’s distribution of maize was “the last food aid support from Climbing For Christ some started shedding tears.” For six months, additional funding was provided to help feed our brothers and sisters in Searchlight Ministries as they awaited the current harvest.
“All church members at both churches (Kambona and Msema) are very thankful for the support you have been giving for food aid, mosquito nets, and chemicals to treat the crops,” Duncan said. “They were able to survive because of your support.”
God provided nearly $24,000 through Climbing For Christ, C4C Canada, and ministry partner Hope Lutheran Church in Rochester, NY.
Translation by Pastor Duncan: “They are singing a simple chorus that says, ‘I am clinging to Jesus; I will not turn back. Though despised I will not backslide.’”
But Malawi is Malawi. It is one of the most difficult countries in the world in which to survive, and while famine has been declared in Nigeria, Somalia and South Sudan, and food shortages are affecting Ethiopia and Kenya, the plight of the poor in Malawi goes mostly unnoticed.
Flooding in January 2015 was followed by nearly two years of drought, which has been common in many parts of Africa, particularly the east, leaving the people hurting and wanting. Finally, crops started growing this season – only to be attacked by stalk borers. God provided funding through Climbing For Christ to spray crops, which helped many farmers.
“Here at Kambona the situation is at least good because we got rains and crops have done well,” Duncan said. “People are busy harvesting maize crops. We had a challenge here of army worms destroying our crops, but we managed to treat the crops.
“Though the crops harvested here at Kambona will not feed the people throughout the year, it will help to feed them for a good number of months.
“Another problem faced is that of thieves who are stealing crops from other peoples’ farmlands. So people are busy harvesting so earlier to avoid those thieves.”
The thieves are likely coming from neighboring villages that were not as fortunate to receive the proper amount of rain. Msema, where Duncan’s original church is located, was one of the areas where “all crops were dried up and there is no harvest there, leaving the people in another desperate situation. They will suffer the whole year from this time to next harvest time (April 2018). This will be a very tough time for villagers (in Msema, Kalinde, Namba and Singano). They need your prayers. It is our prayer that God may do another miraculous way to feed them for 12 months.
“At this time we, as a church, are also praying to have an income-generating activity to raise money to feed our church members at Msema.”
Pray for Searchlight Ministries and this opportunity to bring change to its community, and for ways that Climbing For Christ can walk alongside Pastor Duncan and his churches. We also lift the upcoming Mission: Malawi (June 23-July 2) in which C4C will introduce Hope Lutheran Church and Searchlight Ministries to one another.
The church at Kambona carries home food to eat.
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