Christmas greetings 2008 from the Mission field!
The economic downturn which is being felt around the world has painted a gloomy picture for millions who only see Christmas in terms of financial profits and material possessions. However, with the increase of terrorism coupled with the financial and political crisis on every continent, the Christian Community has the opportunity once again to get the focus back to the true purpose of Christmas.
As our world jogs along hopelessly and aimlessly, we can once again let it be heard on the mountain that Jesus Christ is come. A verse from the Christmas song “It came upon the Midnight Clear,” says, “And you beneath life’s crushing load, whose forms are bending low, who toil along the climbing way with painful steps and slow, look now for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing: O rest beside the weary road, and hear the angels sing.”
As foundations that once seemed unmovable and unshakable continue to crumble around us, we are reminded that the foundation of the church, Jesus Christ, stands sure. More than any other time in human history, men, women, and children in every language and from every tribe need a sure foundation; One which will not be weakened by the political, social or economic climate change. Like the shepherds of old, our political and economic leaders need to hear the reassuring words of the angels:’ “Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord”. (Lk. 2:10-11)
To all of our Christian brethren, do not allow your lights to go out at this time of the year, but let it burn brightly. Trim your lamps my brother: some poor sailor tempest toss, trying now to make the harbor, in the darkness may be lost.
On behalf of our family, we take this opportunity to thank all of you for praying for and with us through out this year and for supporting us financially on the mission field in Malawi. We know that for many of you it was a big sacrifice, but you did it out of love and compassion for lost souls.
Therefore as we reflect on God’s love this holiday season, Calma, Keston, Kerwyn and I take this moment to express our appreciation for all your kindness and to wish you a safe, peaceful, enjoyable, prosperous and Christ filled holiday. May your New Year be filled with new achievements for the kingdom of God.
We know in 2008 God was not late; therefore in 2009, rest assured, He will be on time.
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THIRD QUARTER REPORT MALAWI MISSION
October 15, 2008
TRUST
What a difference prayer and time can make in our lives. One year ago during this period, I had a close encounter with death, but because of God’s grace and your belief in the power of prayer, I am alive today to continue God’s plans for my life in my generation. Looking back on the events of a year ago, I know that I could not make it this far without God’s intervention together with the care and prayerful support of family, friends and loved ones in the Body of Christ.
This near death experience of August 2007 has helped me to personally hold on to the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 91:1-2 which states: “He (meaning me) who dwells (not visits) in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I (personally) will say of the Lord, He Is (presently, not past, or future, but daily) my refuge and fortress; My God in Him I will trust.” The Hebrew word translated refuge (v2) is machseh which expresses the idea of a ‘shelter’, a ‘hope’, ‘a place of trust’, ‘a shelter from storm’. In Psalm 73:28, the same Hebrew word machseh is translated ”trust’; here the Psalmist is saying that he has made the Lord his trustworthy place of shelter. It is precisely because my wife and I have learned from the experience of one year ago, and have made the Lord our trustworthy place of shelter, that we can share with you this report today.
The third quarter of 2008 began for us with the second term of the Pentecostal Bible College drawing to an end during the second week of July. This term was a bit lighter than the first one since classes were only conducted for the Diploma students. The Certificate students only attend classes during the first and third terms of the school year, the reason being, the harvesting of maize is done during the second term of the school year and this harvesting is what the students depend on to take care of their families. Being the Interim Principal for the past two terms at PBC’s 2008 school year, has been a great challenge for Calma and myself, but we give God the praise for bringing us this far by His grace. July saw us welcoming Junior and Ivy Andrews back to the field after being on home assignment for the past 12 months in Newfoundland; it is good to have them back.
Our monthly fellowship for married couples hosted at our home, continues to show steady growth as we were able to average an attendance of fifteen couples per month for this quarter. Also in July we held a lovely Farewell Dinner hosted by one of our Malawian couples for a couple who had been with us for the last 3 years and was returning to the United Kingdom as their term of service had come to an end. We give God thanks for this expression shown, as it demonstrated to us the growth of the Malawians.
In August, our major event at the church was the eighth session of our annual Vacation Bible School. This year’s program was held from the 11th -16th, and our theme was
“Games Day Central, Where Heroes Are made” (Heb.12:1-2)
DVBS in 2008 attracted approximately 300 children in the city of Lilongwe. Indications are that DVBS is creating a big interest among the children and teenagers in the areas around the church and that they are all looking forward to next year’s program.
We closed this year’s program with a sports day; children, and teachers and some parents participating, God has been good.
We were also able to host in August, the General Treasurer of Pentecostal Assemblies of Newfoundland and Brother Al Paddock for dinner. We want to thank the brethren in NFL, especially Philadelphia Pentecostal Church for their support of our ministry here in Malawi.
Calma and Raji in Zambia
Calma and a group of 42 ladies from Malawi travelled to Zambia by bus to attend the Women Arise conference, the first of its kind, geared towards the women of the Southern African region; this was sponsored by Rev. Marie Miller of Canada. It was a very powerful and impacting time in the presence of the Lord. For us, the women of Malawi, it was not without its challenges. Since we were going by bus, a 13 hour journey, we were getting into Lusaka the evening before the conference began; and so special arrangements were made for housing that night. As we looked back, we thanked God that our bus was about 6 hours late in picking us up, so instead of arriving around 6:00 pm, we got into Lusaka around 1:00 am. Give God thanks you say? Yes. Also at the border between Malawi and Zambia, we discovered two of our ladies who are refugees from Rwanda, needed visas for entry and it had to be paid for in US dollars, thank God we were able to search every nook and pocket of our bags to ensure that our sisters made the journey.
That night four of us were housed one place and the other thirty-nine ladies went to the pre-arranged facilities. Because of fatigue, most of the women just found a bed and shut down for the night or so they thought. In less than two hours, an electrical fire broke out. We give God thanks because not one of our ladies was hurt and there was no loss of any kind for our women. We believe that if we had arrived on time it would not have been that easy for the women to be roused and out of the building in time. Sadly the facilities were burned to the ground. The ladies were only able to save some of the mattresses from the facilities. The conference itself was a very exciting time for the women, and as we report, we can see growth in our ladies.
In September, the Uplift International Missions team visited Malawi from September 12 to October 1st. This year’s team comprised 33 members from Barbados and 1 from United Kingdom. We had the privilege of hosting Rev. Alvin and Pastor Lena Nicholson at our home 21-26th and Rev. Wharton Nicholson for one night on 30th. It was really a joy having such friends and fellow workers in our home here in Malawi. Calma also hosted to tea an eight member team from Lewisporte, Newfoundland, who were staying with fellow missionaries Ivy and Junior Andrews. This was nice, since some of these brethren had helped us to move to our present residence in January 2005. We want to thank all the visitors to our home for encouraging us by your presence and words. It really helped us in pressing forward to accomplish God’s purpose for us in Malawi.
Apart from our couples’ fellowship, a number of other ministries at the church continue to make steady growth during this quarter. These include YAGS (youth ministry), Sunday school, the Warriors (teen ministry), the Women’s Ministry and the children’s outreach on Sunday evening. In August we celebrated six years of ministry with the children, and we continue to thank God for them as we see them grow and learn to trust God.
Our sons continue to press on in life although we are so far apart. Keston started teaching underprivileged children in Texas with Ameri-corps on September 1st and Kerwyn is in his final year of studies in Trinidad. We are all trusting the Lord to help us fulfill His purpose.
PRAISE ITEMS
Please continue to thank God with us for:
His daily protection and guidance upon our two sons.
His protection and provision to us on the mission field
Meeting our financial needs for the past three quarters of 2008
Blessing our ministry during the last quarter
His wisdom and peace as He has helped with the challenges of the last quarter.
PRAYER ITEMS
We covet your prayers in the following areas:
protection and godly wisdom for our two sons.
protection and guidance for us on the mission field.
godly wisdom during this period of transition
funds to meet our financial needs for the last quarter of 2008
blessings and continued growth of the various ministries during this last quarter of 2008
It is because of the part you have played as workers together with God, that we have been able to come this far on the field. We need you to continue with us on this journey all the way to the end of our ministry here in Malawi. Special thanks to those of you who responded financially in this quarter. Know that “God is not unjust to forget… (Heb.6:10).
As we continue together, we will be able to say like the Apostle Paul; “We have fought the good fight, we have finished the race, we have kept the faith. Now there is in store for us the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will award us on that day – and not only to us, but also to all who have longed for His appearing” (2 Tim.4:7-8). Know that you are being prayed for!
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SECOND QUARTER REPORT MALAWI MISSION
APRIL – JULY 2008
The Word of God reminds us that wherever we are, it is to do the work God has called, appointed and anointed us to do. Keeping this thought before us, the second quarter of 2008 saw us determined to finish the race set before us. We were reminded that the Apostle Paul finished his (Acts 20:18-31; 2 Tim. 4:7). In order for Paul to finish his race among the believers at Ephesus; four things stood out to us: He built-up the believers (Acts 20:18-20)He was bound in the Spirit (Acts 20:22-25)He was blameless before God (Acts 20:26-27)
He was burdened for the Church (Acts 20:28-31)
Our race for this quarter began at the Pentecostal Bible College, where we were asked to again assume the position of Interim Principal. This is a position we held previously from August 2002 – July 2005. The challenge this time is different as we are also on our way out in terms of ministry here in Malawi. We were kept busy ensuring that the College would be ready to reopen at the beginning of May after a one month break in April. It was a challenge, but we made it and our present term which ends on July 11th, is in full operation. To God be the glory!
In April, Trevor was invited to preach for one week (14-18 April) at a lunch hour service in the City Centre. God was very present with us and we give Him thanks for the ministry and the strength for the week. ¼br>
On Saturday 26th April, Calma hosted a breakfast at our home for members of her Thursday morning Ladies Bible study group and had a few specially invited ladies, altogether twenty -three women were present. It was a real challenge preparing all the dishes, including, “coconut bake, smoke herring, sweet bread, to name a few home delights, but a good time of fellowship was had by all, ending with the sharing of God’s word.
The race then took us to the Southern village of Nsanje at the beginning of May. This is a village where we do ministry annually. Our last visit was early August 2007 where Trevor had contracted Cerebral Malaria and Black Water fever. The need in the village is so great; we could not allow last year’s battles to stop us from experiencing new victories through Christ at work in 2008. This weekend saw us conducting training sessions with Pastor’s, lay men and women, during Saturday morning and afternoon, as well as special services Friday and Saturday evenings, then on Sunday morning. After resting on Sunday evening we left Nsanje early Monday morning for the nine hours drive back home in Lilongwe.
The church we have worked with for the last five years in Nsanje have started an Orphan Home in the village. They have at present ten children with a capacity for twelve. There are plans to erect another building to house another twelve orphans. We were given a piece of land in Nsanje where we hope to build a house to be rented, the plan is the rent from this house will be used to help finance the daily running of the Orphan home. The name of the home is ‘YESU NGADIDI’ (which is in the Sena language spoken in this area), meaning “Jesus is Good” Please pray for us in this project which should cost us just over $2,000. USD.
Our monthly married couple’s fellowship continues to grow with an average monthly attendance of fourteen (14) couples every fourth Sunday of the month. On the 17th May we had a One Day Marriage Seminar from 7:30 A.M to 4:30 P.M., Calma and I did the morning session on relationships. We had a really fun time, since so many things are ‘Taboo’ here in Malawi. God was indeed faithful to us.
Since the month of May is designated ‘Family Month, the following Wednesday we also did a session on ‘Raising Godly Children”. As many of our young people are getting married it is becoming more and more critical for these marriages to be build on godly teachings and not traditional practices which have no biblical foundation.
Calma’s Thursday morning Bible study group continues to be a great source of encouragement for the women who are able to attend from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. The group is made up of women from various nations (Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, UK, Congo, and Malawi) and also a few other churches apart from LPC. God is really using this time to minister to the Women of the Nations.
Our Sunday evening outreach to the children which will be six (6) years in existence in August 2008 continues to hold steady with a weekly attendance of one hundred children and young people. We have three Malawian teachers with us, plus a couple from the United Kingdom. This couple however, will be leaving Malawi at the end of July since their contract is up; so that replacement is immediately needed, please help us pray for more Malawian workers in this ministry. Another one of our teachers who got married in 2006 is now pregnant and is expecting to deliver in two -three weeks time, we need your prayers.
Our teenagers are doing well, two of them we are helping financially through Secondary school and one young man we are fully sponsoring through Technical School. We thank God because the gospel of Jesus Christ is hope to young people in Malawi today; you are a part of this.
The race is not yet finished, but you are helping to take it close to the end through your prayer and financial support in keeping us on the mission field in2008. We need your help all the way. We have not yet been able to raise all our budgeted support for 2008; so if you have not yet given towards missions for 2008, it is not too late to start. We thank God for those who continue to partner with us here in Malawi, your letters and emails are greatly appreciated!
PRAISES!
We thank the Lord for bringing us safely through the first six months of 2008-07-14
We thank the Lord for keeping and providing for our sons
We give thanks for the sustained growth in our Couples fellowship
We thank God for friends and family who continue to support us here in Malawi
We thank God for all our partners who are praying and supporting us financially on the field.
We thank God for good health as we seek to fulfill His purpose for us here in Malawi.
PRAYER ITEMS
Join us in praying for more financial support to meet our budget for 2008
Pray for the Orphan Project in Nsanje (Yesu Ngwadidi)
Pray for the protection of our sons
Pray for God’s wisdom and strength during our involvement at the Bible College
Pray for more dedicated teachers for the Sunday evening outreach
Pray for continued growth of the Calma’s Bible Study group, Divine wisdom
Pray for our physical and spiritual protection on the field
Thanks so much for taking time out to read and share in what God has done over the second quarter of 2008
FIRST QUARTER REPORT MALAWI MISSION JANUARY -MARCH 2008The year 2008 has been referred to as the year of new beginning: the Ngoni word is ‘Vipia’. After 2007, the year of completion, or the year of rest, many believe that God wants to start new things in their lives, family, ministry or city. For us on the mission field in Malawi, 2008 is another year for us to keep on building on the foundation which has already been laid. It is because of this goal that we are looking to march forward in 2008. Like the children of Israel, we at the church in Malawi, have left Egypt in order to gain new experiences, to encounter new challenges, to fight new enemies and to face new mountains. We have arrived at the Red sea and there are not ships available for us to continue the journey. Behind us, we can see the dust rising from our pursuers so we cannot return to 2007. At the sides are mountains of death and despair which leads to nowhere and to nothing. But ahead of us is the promise of His Presence and His Power! In 2007, the enemy tried to stop us with the appearing and disappearing of a snake in our bedroom and with sickness, but God whom we serve, took care of us because He is our Jehovah Rapha (Ex. 15:26) and our Jehovah Nissi (Ex.17:15.)Having spent the month of January away from the Mission field as part of Trevor’s recuperation, we returned to Malawi at the beginning of February and got right into ministry activities. Trevor started classes at the Bible College and Calma got started on Child Care plus program, since payment was due in March. One ministry we needed to revive was our monthly Couples fellowship, this ministry had become a casualty because of Trevor’ illness, our last meeting being July 2007. This fellowship meets at our home the last Sunday of every month. In February with God’s help we got things going again after the six months break, we do give God praise because by our second meeting in March we had fourteen (14) couples in attendance. Please pray for this ministry as we seek to build husband-wife and parent-child relationships in the church and community.
Our Sunday afternoon youth and children outreach continues to grow as we continue to average one hundred and fifty children and youth per week. There are four Malawian teachers along with Trevor who teaches the youths every week. Calma coordinates the program and teaches when a regular teacher is absent. In December we were able to have a Christmas party for these children through the financial help of a Sunday school class in Barbuda. We say a great big thank you!
Some of the gifts this year included, bath towels, toiletries, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shirts and skirts for our young people, Chitenje’s (wraps that the ladies use in Malawi over their clothing) and toys for the younger ones. It was a special joy seeing the faces of the young people when they saw their gifts.
Calma and I are also paying the school fees for one of our young men from this Area 25 outreach. He is now in his second year at a Technical college, he is studying electrical installation, his fees are $200.USD per year. We thank God for this opportunity in giving hope to this young man; he has one more year to finish his program. We are also assisting two teenage girls in this same outreach with their school fees and also items for their secondary education. Another of our young ladies got accepted to Nursing College and this is encouraging to the others and to us.
Easter weekend continues to be very hectic for us, as we use the opportunity to spread the Gospel of Christ in the capital city and our local community. On Good Friday we joined other churches in the city for an all day March and intercession throughout the city. The march began at 9:00 am. Using four different routes led by four worship teams, one of those being our team from LPC, these teams are on trucks. We then all arrive at the City Gardens by noon where we have a time of worship, intercession for the nation and the Word; we ended by 4:00 p.m.
On Easter Saturday as it is called here in Malawi, at LPC we celebrate the nations from 2:00pm to 5:30 pm. This year we had eight nations participating, sharing their food, national dress, music, and dance and prayer requests. After the Pastors prayed for the various nations, tables were sampled by all.
Trinidad & Tobago served this year delights including Sorrel (rosella) Ginger beer, banana punch, beef pelau, pastelles, sugar cake, red mango, sweetbread among other things, fun was had by all. This was the sixth year of our celebrating the nations at Lilongwe Pentecostal Church (LPC.)
On Easter Sunday, after our two services, we also had our sixth annual Easter Sunday afternoon Witness march through our own community from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. As we walked we distributed tracks and stopped at pre-arranged sites to preach the gospel. We give God thanks for the privilege to proclaim the Resurrection of our Lord on the streets of our community as a local church.
On Thursday 27th March between 3:30 am & 4:15 am, thieves attempted to break into our home by cutting the burglar proof bars at a bedroom window. We thank God that they did not get the chance to get into the house, however, they were able to reach into the room and take an older laptop which we use in church for worship, it was awaiting repairs, since it had begun to give some trouble. In spite of this attempt, God reminds us that He is watching over us night and day. Do not worry, but please continue to keep us in your prayers.
At this point, the end of the first quarter of 2008, we have not yet secured all the commitments for our 2008 budget, but we continue to trust in God’s unfailing promises. We are assured that as we seek first HIS kingdom and His righteousness, all the things needed to sustain us on the mission field will be added.
PRAISE ITEMS
God’s continued protection
God’s protection for Keston & Kerwyn
God’s provision for the first quarter 2008
God’s continued healing (still working on bringing up the hemoglobin level, Trevor)
The opportunity to be witnesses for God
The opportunity to be a help to others.
PRAYER ITEMS
- More Malawian teachers for our Sunday evening outreach
- Divine guidance for our couples’ fellowship
- Protection against Malaria
- Supplying of finances to meet our 2008 Budget
- Continued protection and God’s guidance for our children
As 2008 continues to unfold, don’t be discouraged if you have not yet begun to experience His abundant blessings flowing in your Christian life. Remember God always plans that your future be better than your past. He keeps His promises! Thanks for your continued support as together we seek to Finish the Task.
Trevor & Calma
In Malawi