A letter from Paul and Darlene Heller in Malawi
July 2011
Dear Friend in Christ,
Paul and Darlene Heller with children from the Mzuzu Crisis Nursery.
Illusions cling to our consciousness like Saran wrap. They are ubiquitous but translucent.
Shedding these illusions can be as uneasy as unwrapping a bandage to examine a wound.
For starts, many people, even within the Church, are under the illusion that international mission should be abandoned. They see it as an unnecessary relic of colonialism. There is no better way to dispel this illusion than to go on a short-term mission trip.
Nevertheless, even after five previous visits to Malawi, many of our illusions about local religion, politics, and culture remained undisturbed. Illusions about western aid, including our own contributions, remained intact.
It is only after living here that we have become dis-illusioned. Difficult as that process has been, we are grateful. Grateful for this opportunity to know and be known at a level that has shattered many of our illusions. Mostly we are disillusioned with big promises, grandiose projects, naive solutions, and quick fixes.
Now we try to think realistically, stay focused, expect roadblocks at every turn, and take the long view. Long-term mission involvement is critically important for lasting change.
As a Church we must be willing to become disillusioned about ourselves and our mission partners. We struggle to do our best and God does the rest.
When souls are saved from hopelessness, when lives are changed for the better, it is always a miracle of God’s Grace.
Grace & Peace,
Paul & Darlene Heller
Mission Co-Workers
Ministry of Hope
Mzuzu Crisis Nursery
Malawi, Africa
“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)
NOTE: Thank you for supporting us in our three-year term as PC(USA) mission co-workers, which officially ends on July 7. We pray that you will choose to continue your faithful support for World Mission by redirecting your donations to other missionaries. Find a mission co-worker by name or by country.
There is always something new at our blog, Suffer the Little Children. We enjoy reading your comments. Thanks.
Paul and Darlene Heller
P.O. Box 395
Mzuzu, MALAWI
Phone: 011 265 088 428 1134
The 2011 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, pp. 67 and 69
