Presbyterian Mission Agency

A letter from Luta Garbat-Welch in the U.S., on interpretation Assignment from Malawi

March 2016 - The Gift of Presence

Bessia Mboma, my language helper in Malawi, comes to our house three or four times a week to help me practice Chichewa. Some days we sit together and do “look and listen”—a technique to help learn new words. Other days we go on walks around the neighborhood and talk. Walking together in the neighborhood helps me to practice putting new words into sentences, which opens up a whole new world of grammar!

In December Bessia’s grandmother died after a short bout of illness in the hospital. In Malawi when someone dies the community gathers at the home of the bereaved. In the city the men sit outside under the trees and the women gather inside, where the body will be laid for viewing. The women sit together and sing hymns, many from memory, as they wait for the body to arrive. Many women will stay with the family, singing hymns all through the night until the body is taken for burial. The day Bessia’s grandmother died I joined with other women in her community and sat inside the house, singing hymns, sharing words of comfort with the family, and hearing brief snippets about “Granny.” One song Bessia asked us to sing was 12 verses long and not particularly upbeat. About 6 verses in, the singing petered out and the women declared that it was too long and surely no one could sing the whole song. Bessia commented with a chuckle, “Granny used to sing it all the way through.”  I found a great peace at being able to be present with Bessia in her grief.

A letter from Jodi McGill in the U.S. on Interpretation Assignment from Malawi

March 2016 - Hope in the Midst of Pain

Easter is approaching and for Christians it is a time of rejoicing since it symbolizes hope through the resurrection of Christ. And for our children it also means another chance at lots of sweets and hard-boiled eggs! As we have been preparing for Easter, our thoughts and hearts continue to straddle two homes, one in Malawi and one in Decatur, Ga.  Easter is a time of gladness, and yet it starts as a time of extreme sadness and pain with the crucifixion of Jesus.  The disciples were told ahead of time that although Jesus would die, he would come back from the dead.  However, in the midst of their pain and sorrow and confusion, they couldn’t see and believe in the hope and joy that they were later going to experience.

This pattern of sadness and hope reverberates in emails and messages from friends in Malawi and through recent events here. We hear from friends in Malawi about the many difficulties people are facing. Due to the floods in the south last year and poor rains scattered throughout Malawi, the maize crop this year is once again expected to be very poor.  Although the northern part of Malawi is expected to have discrete areas with good yields, it will not be enough to compensate for the poor harvests in the south and central parts of the country. Per the country brief by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, “Although the arrival of new supplies from the 2016 harvest will assist in improving the situation in the immediate period, overall food security conditions are expected to deteriorate in 2016/17, reflecting an expected second consecutive below-average cereal harvest in 2016, and high food prices.” In fact the price of maize has already doubled, meaning that people with a very limited income already can afford to buy only half of what they usually would to feed their family.

A letter from Janet Guyer in the U.S., on Interpretation Assignment from service in English-speaking Africa, based in Malawi

December 2015 - Joy Amid Challenges

A few weeks ago we lit the Advent candle for Joy.  In some ways it seems so complex to consider joy in the midst of all that is happening in the world.  However, the bottom line is that although there are many things that bring us joy, especially in the Advent and Christmas season, our deep-down joy comes from knowing that whatever is going on, God is Immanuel…with us.

What I hope may bring you some joy at this time is that I am in the U.S. for several months and would very much like to visit with you and share with you about the life and work of our partner churches, especially as it has to do with women and children, in my region, which is Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, my home base.  It has taken so long to be able to let you know this because I was trying to schedule knee surgery.  That will not be happening this year so I am free to travel any time now.  I do apologize for the short notice. Please contact me at Janet.Guyer@pcusa.org.

A letter from Janet Guyer in the U.S., on Interpretation Assignment from service in English-speaking Africa, based in Malawi

January 2016 - Floods and Drought = Hunger

4…3…2…1…Happy New Year!  Although I do know it is a cliché, it hardly seems possible that 2016 has come around so quickly.  This year the New Year found me in Louisville, Kentucky, where I am based during my Interpretation Assignment.  From March (February is ok too) to mid-June I hope to visit churches and presbyteries to see old friends, to meet new friends, and to let you know the exciting things that God is doing in my area—Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia.  Please contact me at either Janet.Guyer@pcusa.org or by phone at 626 321 5308.

Looking around the world, though, it does seem a bit challenging to think that there is much possibility of a happy new year for many of God’s people.  I’m sure we all know about the tragedies and heartaches that we see in our papers and hear on TV each day.  Sometimes it is hard to remember that joy is not necessarily in the situations in which we find ourselves but in knowing that God is with us in the midst of those situations.  Isn’t that the message of Christmas, after all, that God, Immanuel, is with us?

A letter from Rochelle Holm serving in Malawi

Winter 2016 - Community

We recently celebrated three years in our home here in Mzuzu, and it seems time has flown.  But we also took a step back and have realized how much we still learn daily within our own community.

With all of the concern and prayer for the dire situation of food security due to the drought and floods in 2015 we wanted to share a positive message of how a small group from our partner church here in Malawi are making a real difference in their own community. We recently shared a minibus taxi with a group of eight women (and men) making their way out to the field to work in the neighborhood garden.  This community garden was news to us, and we were excited to learn more. 

Last week our family had the privilege of visiting the community garden together with our friends Mr. and Mrs. Makwakwa.  The community garden was started two years ago when the Women’s Guild of the Viyele congregation of the Church of Central Africa—Presbyterian (CCAP), Synod of Livingstonia, recognized a need to share maize (corn) flour and beans with the bereaved and those in need.  Last year 32 bags of maize were harvested! The Women’s Guild asks each member to make a small contribution at planting time, and joint work days for volunteers are scheduled periodically during planting and harvest seasons.

A letter from Rochelle and Tyler Holm serving in Malawi

January 1, 2016 - Partner With Us…

Hello from Malawi!

In 2016 we are continuing to serve in Mzuzu, Malawi (Africa), at the invitation of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP), Synod of Livingstonia, and the PC(USA), Presbyterian World Mission.  And we invite you to join in God’s call with our ministry in 2016, whether it is through prayer, a visit to Malawi, financial support, or letters of encouragement!

Tyler continues to teach theology at the University of Livingstonia, one of the synod’s institutions.  The Faculty of Theology on the Ekwendeni campus is training future pastors for the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian.  There is now both a distance learning and residential program, and the Faculty of Theology is growing.  In addition, fewer than 1 percent of the population have access to a university education, one of the lowest rates in the world. There are several vibrant churches in Malawi, but there is a great need of trained ministers.  Currently ministers must serve many congregations.  In 2003 a survey reported there was just one ordained minister for every 7,000 catechized members of the CCAP.  This denomination was formed in the late 1940s and has been supported by many mission personnel over the years.

A letter from Jodi McGill in the U.S., on Interpretation Assignment from Malawi

November 2015 - Water is Peace

Dear friends and family, 

This is a wonderful time of year to be in the U.S.A. We enjoy the change in seasons and the beautiful fall colors of the trees.  Sure, the commercialism of each fall and winter holiday, from Halloween through Kwanza, is a challenge, but the music and decorations and the special foods and traditions are fun and interesting. They also present an opportunity to focus with our children on why we celebrate Christmas, to talk about the difference between “want” and “need,” and discuss how difficult holidays can be for people for a variety of reasons.

We do find the abundance of everything here hard to see as we know that so many people in Malawi are already and will be experiencing severe hunger, and we are not physically present with them. Yet we are able to get updates from our friends and colleagues.  The effects of the famine and the efforts for famine relief are being described by our good friends Ms. Mphatso Ngulube of the Livingstonia Synod Aids Programme (LiSAP) and Mr. Mabvuto Lupwayi of the Development Department. The reports are saying that the famine has started, and that efforts through the PC(USA) are under way to help alleviate the problems.  So our prayers are with Malawi during these times, and we do want to continue to raise awareness of the problems our partners are facing this year.

A letter from Barbara Nagy serving in Malawi

November 2015 - Sustainability vs. Hand-outs

Dear friends,

As the celebration of Jesus’ birth draws near, may you have the gifts of joy and peace in your Advent and Christmas remembrances. 

We have started the rainy season a whole month early at Nkhoma, which may be an answer to prayer in the face of the severe hunger people are facing, because it means the harvest will come a month early if the rains hold.  Please pray that the rains will continue, because another year without a good harvest would be far beyond catastrophic for people here.  The system for supporting people through this year’s severe hunger crisis is coming into place, including direct food aid donations through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and others, and food has begun to be distributed.  However, we will need to continue direct food assistance throughout the next four to five months. 

As food is being distributed and in the course of our daily work, we are using every opportunity to advocate for sustainable techniques such as conservation agriculture, kitchen gardens, crop diversification, and community development to try to break the continuous cycle of famine and malnutrition.  This slow process of community development work is even more important than direct food relief, but usually it is not well supported financially since the programs are time-intensive and effects are harder to demonstrate.  Many donors seem to prefer quick fixes and pictures of movie stars holding malnourished babies instead of the time-consuming and less photogenic work of helping village people integrate into their lives systems that can help them move forward with their own development agendas.  Thank you for your continued commitment to this important ministry of addressing the root causes of poverty and working to eliminate them.

A letter from Rochelle and Tyler Holm serving in Malawi

Fall 2015 - LASSON KAMANGA

In September the University of Livingstonia started a new academic term.  One of the returning students is Lasson Kamanga.

Lasson Kamanga is starting his second year studying theology at the University of Livingstonia.  He comes from a very large family and a Christian background. His mom and dad married after both losing their first spouses. There are 6 siblings on his dad’s side and 4 on his mom’s from these earlier marriages, then an additional 4 children from their blended family—for a total of 14 siblings.

Lasson is the first in his family to study at University and to go into the ministry. Both his mom and his dad stayed in school up to the eighth grade. His elder sister has followed him now and is studying computer IT in South Africa.

Lasson’s father is a church elder, and Lasson describes himself as a youngster as “active but not very serious.” In his third year of high school he got serious about his faith and was a member and leader in school youth Christian groups. In 2010 he took his end-of-high-school exam and scored 10 points (a very good result). He was interested in going into the ministry, but his exam scores got him a full-ride scholarship to the University of Malawi Polytechnic, a government university, to study architecture. Still he wavered. His family told him, “There is no money in theology; you will die poor.” So he started the architecture program, but he could not deny his call. In 2014 he transferred over to study theology at the University of Livingstonia with the aim of being ordained as a minister.

A letter from Luta Garbat-Welch serving in Malawi

September 2015 - CHE TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES

Moni onse! (Greetings all!)

In July I had the privilege to sit with the Community Health Evangelism (CHE) Trainers volunteering with the Nkhoma Synod Public Health Department in Malawi to listen to their joys and challenges as they facilitate CHE principles in their communities. The Nkhoma Synod CHE Program was started in October 2013 through a grant from the former PC(USA) International Health Department. Nine CHE Trainers were trained, including Elida Mphedwa, who coordinates the CHE activities through the Nkhoma Synod Public Health Department.

Through training and relationship-building, each of the villages implementing CHE in Nkhoma identified hunger as the No. 1 issue facing their communities. The villages, with the support of Community Health Evangelists (CHEs) and CHE Trainers, have been working together to identify and implement solutions to address food insecurity. Some of the solutions to improving food security in their communities have been using compost, planting crops that don’t need fertilizers, creating a village silo to store the harvest, and encouraging people to start small businesses to gain an income rather than selling their harvest for income.  Some villages have started village savings and loans to be able to start small businesses. One village will be working with an agricultural extension agent on improving farm yields. While some of these solutions may seem small, the issues of growing food sustainably and effectively are huge in Malawi. There is a great need for improved agricultural knowledge in Malawi that is not dependent on fertilizers and hybrid seeds. Hybrid seeds can be planted only once and are heavily dependent on water and fertilizer, creating dependency on the farmer for increased income to purchase fertilizer and seeds each year.