A letter from Luta and Jeremy Garbat-Welch serving in Malawi
September 2014 - First Steps
Dear Friends,
Our first few months in Malawi have taught us several important skills for making this our home. One such skill is "How to Find a House to Rent."
Step 1: Decide which parts of town you want to live in. Since you are new to town, are not yet comfortable with driving a new vehicle on the other side of the road, and cannot figure out which robots (a.k.a. traffic lights) to obey and which to ignore, we recommend a guide to help show you around.
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Our soon-to-be new home
Step 2: Work your social network. The best way to find a house is to know the people who know people who heard of a house for rent. Networking occurs in the now, so be sure to allow plenty of time because the network gets activated as you go to visit houses, not before. This is a problem if you are new to the country, don't speak Chichewa, can't get people to understand your English, and don't have a social network. We recommend having a helpful guide.
Step 3: If you've exhausted your network, find an agent. The agents who operate in a manner most familiar to Americans ask for exorbitant rates, so you will want to use a community agent with a wide social network. Make sure you know their expected commission. We recommend having a helpful guide.
Step 4: Now that you've found an agent, they will take you to visit several houses. Keys to houses, selling agents, and the house you want to see are not necessarily located in the same place. You will do a lot of driving back and forth across town. Expect it to take all day. We recommend having a helpful guide because the agent might forget that you don't speak Chichewa and don't know where you're going and give you directions you don't understand.
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Reverend Mhango leading us in song
By the grace of God we have indeed found a very helpful guide in Abusa (Reverend) Tembo. Abusa Tembo is the Deputy General Secretary of the General Synod of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP), our host synod. Abusa Tembo's gracious presence and gentle guidance has showed us the purpose of processes that we don't yet understand because we are experiencing life through American eyes. The process of finding a house has reminded us of just how much culture infuses all aspects of our lives. As Americans we were often frustrated by the process. While on the surface we could say our frustration was just because it didn't make sense to us; in fact, the deeper issue is that we have become like children again—we have to relearn how to do even the most basic things. This lack of independence can be very disheartening. Abusa Tembo's knowledge of unwritten cultural rules has helped us immensely to negotiate with agents, workers, and owners as we have attempted to discern which houses to pursue.
House hunting, while challenging for us, has been a great reminder of the importance of being in community with Malawians, taking the time to learn the “languaculture” (language and culture) so that we experience life as Malawians do and thus speak to the hearts of those around us. Abusa Tembo is helping us to gain those skills. And with Abusa Tembo's assistance we have indeed found a house to rent. We are eager to make it our home.
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Kabwe CHE Trainers
In addition to finding a house to call our home, we had the opportunity to travel to Zambia to meet with our church partner, the CCAP – Synod of Zambia, and to learn more about the health work of the church. During our brief visit we met with three Community Health Evangelism (CHE) programs—Kabwe, Nyimba and Petauke; visited two health clinics—Ndaiwala and Egichickeni (Luta's new favorite word); toured the Chisefu Model Farm project; and spoke with the coordinators of the shallow well program, the HIV/AIDS youth desk, and “Relief and Development.” Each program is working to meet the needs of their community and eager to be the hands and feet of Christ to the people of Zambia. Luta was particularly moved to hear that the first community project CHE Kabwe implemented was to use their increased farm yields to provide for the needs of several individuals in their community who are HIV-positive. What a testimony to their care and compassion for their community and an example of how CHE lifts up whole communities.
In the midst of the stress of finding a house, moving from guesthouse to guesthouse, and navigating a new city, it was rejuvenating to be reminded of God's call, to worship and reflect with the church leaders on the work of the church, and to learn from one another in partnership. I (Luta) was challenged and inspired by the commitment and creativity of the CCAP – Synod of Zambia and I'm eager to grow in my understanding of the strengths and needs of each community and how our partnerships can be enhanced.
Prayer matters:
- Thankful for a safe trip in Zambia and good visit. Our first border crossing was slow, but uneventful. We had a flat tire in Zambia and ended up driving in the dark much more than expected. We are so thankful for the safety we experienced throughout the trip, and for the blessing of meeting our partners.
- Pray for the CHE projects in Zambia—Kabwe, Petauke and Nyimba. They are still in the early stages of development and are facing significant challenges. In particular they are struggling with the effects of community expectations of aid versus development. Pray for wisdom, endurance and creativity for the CHE trainers.
- Continue to pray for our energy and good health as we continue to settle in, pursue training, and begin to learn Chichewa.
- In the short time that we have been in Malawi we have become aware of a number of church members who have died. Please pray for the various families and friends who are affected, as well as the CCAP since this seems to be widespread and affecting everyone.
While we were in Zambia the data plan on our phones did not work. So for the first time since arriving we really felt the distance from our family and friends. Our need for your prayers and support became very real to us! Thank you again. We hope you will continue to support us with your prayers, letters, and financial gifts.
In Christ’s Service,
Luta, Jeremy, and Jathniel
The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, Malawi, p. 143, 145
Read more about Jeremy and Luta Garbat-Welch's ministry
Contact: Jeremy Garbat-Welch
Contact: Luta Garbat-Welch
Individuals: Give online to E200515 for Jeremy and Luta Garbat-Welch's sending and support
Congregations: Give to D507577 for Jeremy and Luta Garbat-Welch'ssending and support
Churches are asked to send donations through your congregation’s normal receiving site (this is usually your presbytery).
