Mission Moments: Malawi

Learning to hear God and obey

Story by Gary Fallesen, president of Climbing For Christ
with reporting and photos by Damson Samson, missionary to East Africa

Feeling emboldened by what they have learned the past two years through Climbing For Christ training, the guides and porters in the Mulanje Massif Chapter spoke about their new-found willingness and desires to share the Gospel.

John Moleni.

John Moleni told about speaking the Word to a group of five Brazilians while climbing Mulanje Massif in southern Malawi. Another time on the mountain, he shared with two climbers from Switzerland.

Wells Mishoni, who was our original Mulanje guide when Climbing For Christ first visited in 2010, and Samson Khalani talked about standing to discuss the Word in church where they used to be reluctant to say anything.

A Bible-bearing Wells Mishoni.

“We had a great meeting Tuesday and Wednesday (Feb. 13 and 14) in Phalombe,” Wells reported.

Damson Samson, our Malawi-based kingdom worker to Africa, organized the first of at least four training sessions this year with a group of 29 Mulanje Massif Chapter members. Our work with the Mulanje Massif Chapter began in February 2016 with orientation in advance of Mission: Malawi 2016 the following month. The training was based on what we have been doing with Kilimanjaro Chapter members in neighboring Tanzania. The goal: to disciple members and equip them to evangelize co-workers on those mountains and trekkers who visit from around the world.

In addition to multiple training meetings, Bible studies have been started and Climbing For Christ helped members with a piggery to serve their physical needs in severely impoverished Malawi.

Damson used this training to teach from the Book of Jonah.

“The first day we were looking at why we are self-centered and even refuse to do what God has instructed,” Damson said, referring to Jonah running from the LORD (Jonah 1:1-3). “We also looked at being a preacher (of the Word) and you need to have the love of God in you and only that will help you go wherever you have been instructed to go.

“The trip to Nineveh needed a man who could love those people and feel their pains.

“We need to have the love of God so we can do as instructed. We need to be ready to go to everyone where Heaven has instructed us. Failing to accept the call always has results (see Jonah 1:4-17).”

Damson spoke about hearing the voice of God and obeying Him. He then guided them to Jonah chapter 2 and the need for a repentant heart. “This helps God take away His anger and help us come onto the (right) path,” Damson said.

On the second day of training, Damson covered chapters 3 and 4, “where we saw a great victory with a man who was not trusting. I emphasized that most of our time we are afraid of what we have given to us. This is only because we do not understand.”

Jonah finally obeyed God and went to Ninevah to deliver the LORD’s message of destruction (Jonah 3:1-4). “The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow” (Jonah 3:5).

God showed the people of Ninevah mercy, which angered Jonah. He did not understand the ways of the LORD or recognize the love God has for people (Jonah 4).

Mulanje Massif Chapter members at our February training. Meetings are scheduled in May, August (during Mission: Malawi 2018, when our team will teach on the mountain), and December.

Damson said “many appreciated the training and told (him) that now they can see the future with their lives. Many confessed to being out of God’s will and hiding from Him.”

These men are finding their way from the proverbial belly of the great fish. God is training them up to serve Him in their families, in their villages, in their churches, and on Mulanje Massif. We are honored to be used by the LORD to encourage so many walks.