Presbyterian Mission Agency

A letter from Martha Sommers in France preparing for service in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

February 2016 - Language Class

Bonjour Mes Amis,

I have just finished my language lessons at Centre de Linguistique Appliquée, and expressing my sentiments in French, C’etait magnifique! Thank you so much for your support, which made this language learning opportunity possible. How to give you a taste of this experience? Let me take you to classroom 211 last Tuesday morning. We are settling into our seats. Our tables are arranged in an open square, to facilitate communication between students. Jincheng, an economics student from China, who is very aware of fashion trends, enters, and takes a seat between Marco and myself. Marco, who is a Saint Frances de Sales priest from Chile and a philosophy professor, jokingly inquires why she is wearing jeans with so many tears in them. She laughingly tells him that this is how young people dress now, emphasizing the words for “young” and “now.” So, being the second oldest student at 53 years, I then jump in, telling Jincheng that this style was the same when I was a child. I recalled that we also used to get our new tennis shoes dirty on purpose, which frustrated my mother. Ammel, a mother of three from Algeria, adds that kids still rough up new shoes on purpose; her oldest son just did so. Like my mother, she finds this frustrating. As we chattered away in our newly acquired French, our professor, Denis Roy, takes note of our progress and our errors. As class formally begins, he asks for language clarifications. From me, he asks if I meant to use the word enfant, which means “child,” instead of “adolescent,” or jeune, which means “youth.” I agree that jeune would have been a better word choice, but add that I did start copying the styles of my older sisters when I was still a child.

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

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 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.