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Back in Malawi

I have been back in Malawi for two weeks now and returning has been a bitter sweet experience. Am I glad to be back? Well, the answer to that question is a definite “yes” – it is certainly good to get back to The Lighthouse – it is good to pick up the reins again and to get ‘stuck in’ to our work here. There is so much to be done here; so many challenges that we still have to overcome. At times it is a little daunting, but it is also terribly exciting. It has also been lovely to catch up with my JTW colleagues and with our customers. BUT – and it is a very big ‘but’ – the last two weeks have also been extraordinarily difficult and tragedy has touched us all in a very personal way.

Obviously in a country like Malawi, there are vast cultural differences; I have often spoken about these and about how challenging it is to be in a place where everything is different and where there is virtually no common point of reference. You constantly have to change / readjust your ideas and thinking about things to accommodate the reality of day to day life; the following is a good example of this. In Malawi, most households have either a ‘house girl’ or ‘house boy’ – someone who helps to take care of the house. In our case, we have a young woman – she has been looking after Sam during the day and has been helping us with washing, cleaning etc. In the UK of course, this kind of live in ‘help’ is quite rare – the reserve of the very wealthy. However, here it is the norm and I must admit that it has taken me a long time to reach the point where I feel comfortable with this arrangement. But the lady in question is lovely and when she came to the house, she brought her baby daughter with her. Unfortunately this little girl has just died of Malaria – she was two years old. It is so desperately sad. I visited the hospital the morning after she died and arrived just in time to see the body being taken to the mortuary; it was an absolutely harrowing sight and one that I don’t think I will ever forget. It was the first time that I have visited Kasungu hospital and I must admit that I had no idea that things were so bad. There were so few beds to be seen and many patients were simply lying on the floor – with no mattresses and hardly any bedding. I was staggered by how many young children were there – most suffering from Malaria and/or diarrhoea. The stench in the hospital was dreadful; I thought I had seen everything that Malawi has in the way of poverty, but this just completely floored me. What has astonished me is the fact that several people have told me that the hospital has improved greatly over the last few years! Goodness only knows what it was like before; I certainly find it hard to imagine.

This lady has now returned to her village and is with her family. We have done everything we can to offer her support but it is hard to know what to say to someone who has just lost their entire world. She will not be coming back to Kasungu.

Amongst other things, the sudden death of this little girl is a reminder of just how fragile life is in Malawi - disease and death are never far away; in fact they are a regular part of life for most people here.

When I was in the UK, I had the opportunity to return to the secondary school that I used to work at to speak to pupils about JTW and about our work in Kasungu and Dzuwa village. More than anything, I wanted these young people to understand what life is like in a developing country like this one and to realise just how extraordinarily lucky they are. Ultimately though, there is only so much you can accomplish with words and with pictures/photos; I sincerely wish that every person in the developed world could come to Africa to experience the reality of life here. It certainly puts everything into perspective; you realise how trivial and also how repugnant so much of life in countries like the UK actually is. Why is it that so many nations have so much, when others have virtually nothing? It’s obscene and is something that everyone has a responsibility to not only think about, but to do something about. Even in difficult economic times and recessions, we in the west never face the kind of hardships and difficulties that so many people here face each and every day. I know that it is easy to ‘sound off’ - the frustration and sense of injustice are so overwhelming at times. Of course I also know that there are no easy answers; Africa’s problems are clearly enormous. The challenges facing the country of Malawi are certainly far ranging and complex, but there are a great many good people/organizations working here to try and turn this situation around. JTW is just one such organization. I do realise how fortunate I am to be here and to have the opportunity to make even a small contribution to the work it is doing.

If you would like more detailed information about the work that JTW is doing in Malawi - and how you might be able to help us - our website address is:

www.jtwministries.org

Any help you can give would be gratefully received; it really is the case that even small amounts of money can really make a difference here.

Before I close, can I just stress how wonderful it is to receive emails from home; over the last two weeks in particular, they have been a great help to me. Thank you to everyone who keeps in touch. Your news and/or messages of "hello" really do make such a difference; I am so thankful for all the good thoughts and prayers that come this way.

God Bless

Jayne

PS - Sam is his usual wonderful self and sends you all his love. He gave me the most fantastic welcome home - lots of licks and cuddles! He made the long and difficult journey back to Malawi completely worthwhile. I will give you some more 'Sam news' next time.

What a Difference Six Weeks Make

Is it February all ready? I simply can’t believe how quickly the time is passing – I have been in Malawi for seven months now - it’s incredible. AND THE LIGHTHOUSE IS BUSY !!

Since January, things have taken off for us in a big way. So much so, that we are actually discussing the need for another member of staff here. Our customer numbers and our takings are now substantially higher and of course, this is wonderful news; if TLH is going to survive, we have to make this extra money. However, the flip side of this situation is that we are finding it difficult to offer the quality of service that is at the heart of our vision here. How we do things is very important to us and over the last few weeks, there have been times when we have been running around like crazy people. We have been delivering a conveyor belt approach to customer service – serving one person and then moving on to the next – it’s certainly not what we set out to do and yet we have had no choice. So the fine tuning of TLH continues; we have never been a regular business and making money has never been our first priority. We need the money – of course we do - but we certainly don’t want to lose the ‘personal touch’ that has become our business trademark. Perhaps the biggest casualty in all of this has been the work we do with local children. We get loads coming in to read our books and they really are a sorry sight – dirty, ragged and smelly. It is pretty heartbreaking, but it is wonderful to be able to give them the experience of enjoying books. Lately however, we have been turning these children away because we simply can’t supervise them – books have been stolen and damaged and obviously this is unacceptable. We have to find a better way of working – one that allows us to be a financially viable business, without compromising the quality of the work we do with our customers – adults and children. So we are moving forward with the determination to get a better balance here. Thus, the challenges continue and we are being kept firmly on our toes as a result!

As I said above, I am amazed at how quickly the time is passing by. In the seven months that I have been here, I have learnt so much – about Malawi and about its people. Entering another culture is a funny old business. The key difference between visiting a country as a tourist and actually living in a country long term, is that one gets to see below the surface veneer to understand how things really are. One is able to experience the culture in a far less superficial way. Malawi is universally known as ‘the warm heart of Africa’ and in many ways, I still believe this to be true. But there is certainly another side to the country and to its people and there is nothing warm about it. To put it bluntly, so many people here are ‘on the make’ and it is very, very draining to be on the receiving end of this every day. I have lost count of the number of times I have been taken advantage of; it is very upsetting – and expensive! People here have a habit of saying one thing and of doing another - it is therefore difficult to take people at face value and/or to trust them. It sometimes feels that truth and honesty are thin on the ground here and it is easy to get demoralized. Yet ultimately, it is a reminder of how badly many people here need the Christian faith and the values/morals that it embodies. People need to understand that there is a different way. That’s why the work of Joy to the World and TLH is so important.

Yet delivering charity in a country like Malawi is a complex and often difficult business. When you come to a country like Malawi and suddenly find yourself face to face with the kind of poverty that afflicts Africa, your first instinct is to give. However, what I have come to understand is that in many ways, this is actually one of the worst things that one can do. Seven months ago I would have found such a statement hard to believe – how on earth can giving to people in desperate need be a bad thing? The answer is actually quite simple – because it doesn’t help them to help themselves. Malawi has appalling poverty and the need here is all pervading – you can’t turn your head without seeing evidence of this need. People are circumstantially poor – of this there is no doubt. But the problems go far deeper than this; there is a spirit of poverty here that is hard to stomach at times. In other words, first and foremost, people see themselves as ‘poor’ and as a result, they expect to be given handouts. What they don’t want to do is work – work so that they can better themselves and their lives. If Malawi is ever going to move forward, this prevailing attitude needs to change. Joy to the World has a ‘no handouts’ policy and this is strictly adhered to. So giving money to people is a complete ‘no-no’. At first I found this extraordinarily hard, but now I know that it is the only way – it is a ‘tough love’ approach and absolutely necessary if people are going to understand their own responsibility within the situation that they find themselves in. So seven months in, I still regard Malawi as having a warm heart, but I am under no illusions that frequently, the warm heart on display is motivated by an ulterior motive. It’s sad, but true. I guess the key word in that sentence is frequently and it is important to acknowledge that I have met many wonderful, straightforward and honest people. I am currently preparing to return to the UK for a couple of weeks and I have been surprised at how sentimental I am feeling about the prospect of leaving – even for a short time. I have made many attachments here over the last seven months and I will miss these people while I am away. Being back in the UK is sure to feel weird and I am so curious about how I will respond. The thought of going into a shop like Tesco to buy food is something that is hard to imagine right now – it is just so hard to remember what it is like to have choice.

I arrive back in the UK on 6th March; in the mean time, thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers , which as always, are gratefully received. I look forward to seeing some of you soon. God Bless until I see you. Jayne xxx

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy New Year from Malawi. It’s hard to believe it is 2010. The rainy season has definitely started here now and this is wonderful news – so many people in Malawi rely on the land for their food and their lives. The rain is something else though; I thought I knew all about rain, having lived on the West coast of Scotland for nine years. However, Malawi rain is quite different – particularly in the way in which it arrives. When it rains, it tends to be torrential and we have been having the most amazing downpours; these have been accompanied by very dramatic thunder and lightening. If you are inside, this is fabulous. However, if you happen to be out and about, it is clearly not so good. In fact a number of people have been killed by lightening over the last week and it is a bit scary. The other thing to say about the rainy season is that it has taken away a lot of the dust. This would be absolutely fantastic if it weren’t for the fact that the dust has been replaced by mud – LOTS of mud! Drainage here is quite poor, so the water tends to accumulate. I am therefore still struggling to stay clean! Sam has his raincoat on now when he goes out for a walk and the Malawians think this is absolutely hilarious – a dog with a coat on! I had a very good idea what the reaction was going to be before I took him out in it for the first time and I must admit that I thought twice about putting it on him. But it gives him protection and so for this reason I think it’s important that he wears it. It causes a lot of laughter when we are out and about though.

One very positive aspect of the rainy season is the drop in temperature; I am so, so thankful for this. The heat over the last few months has been torturous at times and I have struggled with dehydration and headaches. The current situation is much more manageable and I’m told that the temperature will continue to drop over the coming few months. Wonderful! There was actually one day last week when I got caught in the rain; I was absolutely drenched by the time I got home and to my astonishment, I realised that I was actually cold. I haven’t experienced this sensation for months and it was fantastic. I hurried inside and put on a lovely fleecy dress and a big pair of thick socks. Then I snuggled up with a good book – it was just fabulous.

Talking about the weather (do we Brits ever talk about anything else?) Christmas day was wonderfully wet and dreary. I was worried that it would be a hot and sunny day; very un-Christmas in other words. However, fortunately the sun stayed away and we had a lovely grey day! I’m aware that this probably sounds very strange, but it actually made a real difference. There was something wonderfully comforting and familiar about the weather that day and in many ways, it helped relieve the homesickness that I sometimes feel here. Being in a country like Malawi is so different from the UK – in every single way; the cultural differences are just so huge. More than anything else, it is these differences that lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation. Initially, I thought that it might just be me who feels this way about being in Malawi, but I have made friends with some other Brits who are here working and it is reassuring to know that they also experience these feelings at times. Things are getting much better though. I have previously described being in Malawi as a rollercoaster ride - full of enormous (and emotional) ups and downs - full of great highs and lows. I have been here about six months now and I am glad to report that things are calming down; more and more I am adjusting to this new life -more and more, I am building relationships and more and more, the local people are beginning to accept me as a member of the Kasungu community. I am not just an asungu (white person) tourist! Being here has reminded me of just how important the sense of ‘belonging’ actually is to one’s emotional wellbeing. I first became aware of this issue when I moved to Scotland from London in 2000. Being in a place where you feel ‘different’ is a big challenge. However, these feelings eventually vanished and I know that the same will happen here – it might take a little longer, but I know that I have turned an important corner.

This talk of ‘belonging’ brings me to the subject of Chichewa – the national language of Malawi. I am trying to learn this, but oh boy I am finding it hard. I have no natural ability when it comes to the learning of foreign languages and so this is proving to be very difficult. However, I am slowly progressing; I try to learn three new things/words a day. Learning Chichewa is so important; being able to speak it makes a big difference to how people respond to you here and even the most feeble attempts (my attempts in other words!) are really appreciated.

Changing the subject swiftly, the President of Joy to the World Ministries (Fletcher Matandika) is in Malawi at the moment and this is a great blessing to all of us here. Fletcher lives in Canada and our normal means of communication is by email; having the opportunity to sit down to discuss things face to face makes such a difference – it’s fair to say that there is a lot to discuss! At the moment, The Lighthouse is not a financially viable business and although our Christian library is working wonderfully well, our computers are not bringing in enough money to cover our monthly overheads. This is mainly due to the fact that there are simply not enough people in Kasungu who know how to use a computer; a fact that has taken us all by surprise. Our goal for 2010 is to bring The Lighthouse to the position where it can stand on its own two feet financially.

So these are my two challenges for 2010. A personal challenge – to learn Chichewa and a professional challenge – to get The Lighthouse making enough money to cover its bills. Easy-peesey lemon squeezey!

Sam and I wish you all well with your own challenges this year; we thank you for all your support, prayers and good wishes. Have a fantastic, happy and healthy 2010. God Bless.

Here Comes the Rain - Hopefully!

The rainy season has begun here, but it certainly isn’t what I expected it to be. I had been told that the rainy season in Malawi begins at the end of November and lasts until the middle of March. Very definite, very neat and straightforward; when I heard this, I absolutely approved of this approach. As a librarian I like things to be organised and this seemed to me to be a wonderful way to organise the weather. No more uncertainty about what to wear each day – no more getting caught out by an unexpected downpour – no more sweating under a thick jumper when the sun suddenly decides to come out – fantastic! And things certainly ‘kicked off’ according to plan; on one day during the last week of November, we heard the distant rumbling of thunder and watched as dark and threatening looking clouds gathered overhead. Both steadily increased throughout the day and then suddenly at about 3pm the heavens opened and down came the rain. It was torrential; after weeks and weeks of relentless heat and dust, the rain and mud were here – or so we thought! Yet this proved not to be the case. After three days of solid rain, it stopped; it only began again a few days ago. Even now though, it is hot and dry – the rain remains in short supply in Kasungu. This has enormous implications for people of course. The majority of Malawians rely on their land to grow maize; they work solidly throughout the rainy season to grow enough food to sustain them throughout the entire year. An absence of rain puts this entire process at risk; it can mean starvation for people. It is a very worrying time at the moment.

UPDATE – As I sit and write this blog, it has started to rain – it is pouring down – it is a wonderful sight! I sincerely hope it lasts.

In my last blog, I promised to give you an update on how Sam is getting on. He is doing fine although he has a tendency to eat anything that he sees on the ground; there is certainly plenty for him to choose from here - frogs, cockroaches, large worms, spiders, snakes, lizards etc – believe me when I say that we really do live with nature here! The problem of course is that these things reek havoc with his tummy; on more than one occasion he has been very unwell as a result of eating something that he shouldn’t have. It has got to the point where I have to put a muzzle on him when he goes out into the garden to prevent him from picking things up. He hates it, but there really isn’t any choice. Unfortunately these creatures invariably make their way into the house as well and it is virtually impossible to keep Sam away from them totally. Overall though, Sam is having a grand old time – I just wish I could bring him to work as I miss him terribly throughout the day. Coming home to his wagging tail and ‘kisses’ is wonderful though. He’s a super friend and I would be lost without him; at the end of a long day working at The Lighthouse, I receive the most fantastic welcome home.

Talking of The Lighthouse – it continues to grow, although we are still not making enough money to be financially viable. Our library is very well used and is doing great things, but this is not the side of the business that brings in the money – it is our computers that generate revenue. Unfortunately, there are not enough people in Kasungu who know how to use a computer; the number is far, far lower than was originally anticipated. This represents our biggest challenge at the moment and we have spent a long time considering how we can tackle this – we have drawn up plans; these will be launched in the New Year. It is amazing to think that 2010 is just around the corner. The time has gone so quickly and I am really looking forward to Christmas. I am discovering that Christmas in Malawi is very different affair from Christmas in the UK. In the UK we start seeing festive stock appearing in the shops from about October onwards and we are bombarded with messages to ‘buy, buy, buy’. I think even Christians would acknowledge that at times it is easy to get distracted from the real reason for the season! Yet here in Kasungu, there is a wonderful absence of this depressing commercialism – in fact if one were simply looking at the shops, it would be easy to forget that Christmas is upon us. It really is refreshing. Yet there is a flip side to this. As I reported in my last blog, here in Malawi, approximately 80% of people attend Church each Sunday; relative to the UK, that is a staggering figure. I had assumed that as a result, Christmas would be a very spiritual occasion. However, this is not proving to be the case. Sadly, only a small number of the people who attend church are practicing Christians; for many Malawians, God and Jesus are only relevant to a) the Church building and b) Sundays. Here in Kasungu, virtually all the shops will be open on Christmas Day. There is little or no recognition that this is a special day – there is little or no desire to celebrate the most important birth in our history. In many ways this is very upsetting, yet it is a timely reminder to me of why The Lighthouse is so important in Kasungu. Apparently, the reason that most Malawians go to church each Sunday is because they want prayers to be said over them when they die. What they fail to understand is that these prayers will be completely meaningless to them if they are not genuine Christians – i.e. if they do not have a living, day to day relationship with God. In many ways of course, this is entirely the same as our own situation in the UK. I must admit that I have always found the business of Christian funeral services quite strange - strange when they are conducted for people who were clearly not Christians when they were alive. There doesn't seem to be any point to me - why not just have a service of thanksgiving for that person's life? I don't know. What I do know though is that the community of Kasungu desperately needs to know God and Jesus – not simply on a Sunday when they are sitting in Church – but EVERY day. This is the task that we have been set.

As you can see, we have a lot of work to do in 2010 – am I daunted by the prospect? If I’m honest, the answer to that question is “yes”. But I am also hugely excited by it as well. Through The Lighthouse and our Christian library we are uniquely placed to reach out, to help and to support people on their Christian journeys. Libraries are actually very new to Malawi; in fact there is nowhere in Malawi where one can go to train as a Librarian – the qualification/post just doesn’t appear to exist at the moment. As a result, I may well be the only Librarian in the country at the moment!

Sam and I thank you for all your support, prayers and good wishes; we would also like to wish you all a happy and peaceful Christmas and New Year. We look forward to writing to you and for you next year.

NEXT TIME - I promise to tell you all about my Chichewa lessons - I would tell you about them now but they're not going terribly well - I think I will feel much more positive about the whole business when 2010 arrives - you know, New Year, new start etc, etc! Oh I hope so!

Trying Times

Apologies – I know it has been a long time since my last blog entry – things continue to be challenging here. I have been ill over the last few weeks; like a lot of things in Malawi, being ill can be a complicated business! In fact a recent trip to Lilongwe to see a doctor turned into a major exercise – a colleague of mine had driven to Kasungu to collect me and to take me to a clinic; unfortunately on his arrival, we discovered that that all the petrol stations were out of diesel. We found out that one particular station in town did actually have diesel, but only because its pump was broken and nobody could get access to it! The station was in a state of chaos – a technician had been sent for, but staff had no idea when he would actually arrive. In the mean time, vehicles descended upon the station to wait and dozens of customers (with jerry cans), crowded around the pump, jostling for position. In the scorching temperatures, tempers became increasingly frayed. The situation desperately needed the organisational skills of a strong manager, but unfortunately, she seemed unable to take control of things. The whole thing was grim – but then human nature is grim at times. Anyway, to cut a long story short, the technician finally arrived, the pump was fixed and we eventually got our diesel. I made it to the clinic, but it had taken hours and by the time I finally saw a doctor I was in a pretty sorry state.

It certainly wasn’t good, but experiences such as this one do make us stronger; something positive always emerges from them. I had been diagnosed with Malaria by a local clinic and treated accordingly. Malaria is potentially fatal and when a foreigner contracts it, there is always cause for concern. My condition had actually improved over a few days, but I then suffered an unexpected relapse – hence the trip to Lilongwe. In fact it turned out that I didn’t have Malaria at all; I had an intestinal infection - probably as a result of drinking bad water. This infection gave me all the symptoms of Malaria – in a funny sort of way, I experienced Malaria without actually having it! I now really understand how bad it is though and this in turn is a good thing. It makes me better equipped to help others; it’s absolutely true that you can’t really understand a person's problem unless you have experienced that same problem yourself. Plus this particular situation has made me realise (if I had any lingering doubts before), just how straightforward life in the UK actually is and just how easy it is to take certain things for granted. It’s the old cliché I guess – that we don’t really understand the value of something until it’s no longer there for us.

For me, the business of shopping is a particularly good example of this. In the UK you can walk into the nearest shop and find shelves and shelves packed with goods. There is variety – there is choice. Things are clean and tidy. There are strict processes and procedures in place to ensure that food is safe. There is money in the tills and staff can give you your correct change. If you have a problem with your purchase, you can return it and get a refund – you are protected by consumer laws. Not so in a developing country like Malawi. I actually laugh when I remember how I used to criticise the Tesco supermarket chain; what would I give to see a Tesco store now? The answer is “a lot!” Invariably, it is the basic, things (or lack of them) that tend to cause the greatest frustrations here; simple things that we never really think about in the UK, represent considerable challenges. As I have written before, electricity and water supplies in Malawi are horribly unreliable and unpredictable - they fail constantly; this makes essential things like cooking and washing very difficult at times. When I get home each day, all I want to do is to sit down to read; more often than not, that reading takes by candlelight because the electricity has failed – AGAIN! Before I came here, the idea of reading by candlelight seemed like a romantic proposition! I can assure you that it isn’t – what it is, is a pain in the neck – literally! Visits to places such as the bank or the Post Office also tend to be complicated; service is slow and it’s often hard to understand the reasons for the ways in which they work. Travelling is also is a major challenge here; public transport is chaotic and uncomfortable and the driving skills of many of the drivers have to be seen to be believed. Night travel on public transport is not only chaotic and uncomfortable, it is seriously scary as well – reserved for those who have no choice or for those who want to experience what it means to have a death wish! I remember reading my Malawi Guide Book before I came here. The section dealing with travel had the following advice for visitors who were planning to journey at night – the advice was as follows - “don’t do it!” I now know how sound that advice is. As you’ve seen from above, even travelling by car has its problems; as I write this, the town of Kasungu is now without both diesel and petrol – the only supply at the moment is to be found on the black market.

Now that I’ve got that all off my chest - thank you so much for baring with me - let me stress the positive; I am now fully recovered and back at work. It has taken time to fully regain my strength though and for a while I was very weak; I was craving certain things and was unable to get them – Tesco, all is forgiven!

Talking of shops and as I’ve said before, here in Malawi, there is always a plus to cancel out the negative things that happen. In Kasungu, there is a noticeable lack of commercialism and this really is wonderfully refreshing. It is strange to be at the end of November and to have virtually no evidence in the shops that Christmas is fast approaching – no cards, no tinsel, no trees etc. In fact the only sign of Christmas is a solitary plastic Santa outside one of the shops here; he looks very lonely! In Malawi, approximately 80% of the population goes to church – I think we met the other 20% at the petrol station – and I am really looking forward to experiencing Christmas here. I hope that it will be an overwhelmingly spiritual time.

On the subject of the spiritual, I received an email from someone who accused me of using my blog site to bully and to threaten people into becoming Christians with my talk of death, judgement and separation from God. They were referring of course to my previous entry and it did make me stop and think. I was reminded of a passage in the Bible which speaks of talking to people about one’s Christian faith with gentleness (see 1 Peter 3:16). Gentleness is a wonderful thing, but I am struggling to reconcile it with the subjects of salvation and of facing God’s judgement; they just don’t seem to leave much room for it. After all, if we’re not saved, we’re lost and I’m not sure how the reality of that message can be conveyed gently. What I have come to know is that the stakes are very high – in fact, I can’t see how they can get any higher. For many people, death is a very frightening prospect; they find it frightening because it represents something so final. Yet Christians know that this is not the case - there is eternal life awaiting them beyond the grave – eternal life that was won for us by the death of Jesus on the cross. It was Jesus who spoke of two eternal worlds – Heaven and Hell. He taught us that Heaven is the true home of all God’s people - a place of perfect love and happiness – of lasting peace and complete satisfaction. Hell by comparison, is where God has withdrawn His presence and His love – it is a place of darkness and torment. Yet God does not send anyone to Hell, rather people go there by their own choice; by ignoring and/or rejecting Jesus as their one true saviour. This knowledge is of the utmost importance – in fact it is fair to say that it is life saving knowledge; sharing it with others is the responsibility of every Christian. This said, there is a wonderful expression ‘softly, softly, catchee monkey’ and I do take the point that the gentle approach has much to offer; for this reason (if you are a non-Christians reading this), I gently urge you to get a bible and to take the time to have a read. It really is extraordinary and wonderful.

As always, we thank you for your support, news, good wishes and prayers. God Bless

NEXT TIME - Lighthouse update, Malawi libraries, Chichewa lessons and mud!

It All Starts With God!

EMAIL REMINDER – Please do not email through this site. Please send your emails to powers.jayne@yahoo.co.uk Thank you.

Yesterday was the 16th October and I have been in Malawi exactly three months. I took the opportunity to read through my previous blog entries because I wanted to remind myself of all the things that I have told you about. As you know, the purpose of the blog is to keep you updated with all of our news and to hopefully paint an accurate picture of what life in Malawi is like. I really want to share this amazing experience with you and I hope that the site is fulfilling its aims. However, in looking back at my previous entries, I have been struck by something, namely, that so much of our ‘news’ seems to read like a great big pat on the back! It has left me feeling very uncomfortable because as a Christian, I know that daily living is about banishing the ‘self’ life (self obsession, self interest, self centeredness, self righteousness, self pity etc. etc) in favour of living for God. In other words, as Christians, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves, but about Jesus Christ. There is a gaping hole in my blog entries to date and it is important to rectify this; it is important to situate all of our news into its proper (Christian) context. So I’d like to take a step back and to start shovelling; I need to fill in the hole!

So firstly – why are we even here in Malawi? Well quite simply because I have been called to be here – called by God. I received a God given opportunity to come here to work with the Christian charity ‘Joy to the World Ministries’ and to begin a new ministry here, in the town of Kasungu – The Lighthouse. If you are reading this and are a Christian, you will have no difficulty in understanding such a statement about being ‘called’. We know that God leads his people; He calls them to do His work. If you are a non Christian however, you may find this truth very difficult to grasp. I guess then, that this particular blog entry is primarily for you. When I say that I feel blessed to be here, I truly mean it – I have been blessed by God and know that our ministry is equally blessed. Yet the last three months have been a rollercoaster ride (as I’ve previously described) – a combination of great highs and great lows - successes and failures. There have been many, many challenges, difficulties and setbacks along the way and this fact begs the following question: “If God has called me to be here in Malawi, why have things been so tough at times?” It is a pertinent question and one that strikes at the heart of a key Christian conundrum, namely, why do Christians suffer – why doesn’t God give us charmed, carefree, trouble free lives? Quite simply because suffering is good for us; it makes us stronger.

"We rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; character, hope." Romans 5:3-5

Suffering also equips us to help others; when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement, we are in a position where we can pass on to them the same help that we have received for God. This is something that should be at the heart of every Christian’s life. So far from being something to avoid then, suffering is actually to be cherished because if we use it properly, it helps us to grow spiritually. And of course, God never leaves us to suffer alone - He is with us always. Sometimes when the going gets tough it is easy to forget this, which is why we need discipline in our pain. We need to commit ourselves fully to God and if we do so, He will always give us the strength to endure. Christians have their struggles and their failures just like everyone else – we get knocked down just like everyone else, but crucially, we know that these things have a purpose – we know that God is there, training us to become stronger, wiser and more compassionate. We know that in God we have a Father who gives us everything we need; our theology determines our psychology, which is why we are not defeated. Rather, we have the inner strength to get back up again and to keep going.

And we have kept going. The Lighthouse is open – we are doing business and we are slowly and steadily building our customer base and our reputation in Kasungu. Each day brings new wonders as we reach out to our customers and serve them in so many different ways. Yet we know that in our daily dealings, we depend on the Lord for his help; we know that we cannot achieve anything without it. I work with a remarkable group of people – Christians who have felt God’s call to come and work for Joy to the World Ministries. JTW was formed in 2006 and over the last three years these people have achieved a staggering amount for other people; each one of them has their own special talents and gifts and together they make a formidable team. I know how fortunate I am to be working as a member of this team; it is a team that embodies honesty, integrity, selflessness, humility, commitment and great, great humour. I like to think that I have added my own qualities, talents and gifts to the mix; in doing so, I sincerely hope that I have made the team richer. I think I have. Yet for all this talk of ‘qualities’, ‘talents’ and ‘gifts’, we all know who we have to thank. When I look at The Lighthouse I am aware that we have achieved nothing; any success that we have is as a direct result of God’s grace to us. What we know absolutely is that He is using us to reach out to others to further His Kingdom. At The Lighthouse and in our daily lives, we are striving to be His ambassadors. We are His servants. God works though us to do His work. Living a Christ centred life isn’t always easy and yet it brings with it the most wonderful sense of purpose. It also prepares us for eternity.

“The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever”
1 John 2:17

Life is not all there is. It is not the end; our bodies are merely a temporary residence – our real home awaits us in Heaven. But not everyone will receive their keys! Our relationship to God on earth will ultimately determine our relationship to him in eternity. If you are a non Christian reading this, I would like to ask you a question - "Where would you like to spend your eternity?" You need to make a choice because death is heading your way! It may not arrive today, tomorrow or even next week – it may be years away – but it’s coming. As Rick Warren says in his thought provoking book ‘The Purpose Driven Life’, only a fool would go through life unprepared for what we all know will eventually happen. On that day, all of us will be required to stand before Christ to be judged; make no mistake, at that moment, our lives will be laid bare before us. The deeds of this life are the destiny of the next. If you suddenly found yourself standing face to face with Jesus – RIGHT NOW – what would he say to you? Would he say “well done”? At this point, you may be thinking that you are safe, but even if you are sticking to the Ten Commandments religiously each day, you will not be saved. You won’t. Being a good person simply isn’t enough; you need to be a Christian. Living a Christian style life is a great thing to do and the world would certainly be a better place if more people did it. However, on its own it doesn't offer people a meaningful relationship with God; only being a Christian does that. Only by putting your trust in Jesus Christ - by welcoming him into your life and by making a commitment to serving him, will you be reconciled to God. You will also start to experience an entirely new kind of living; things that you previously thought were important (earthly things), will suddenly seem trivial and petty – your whole value system will change and your priorities will be rearranged. You will know that your sins have been forgiven by the blood that was shed for you on the cross by Christ. It’s amazing and I would challenge you to stop and think about such a possibility and then to act. If you fail to do so – if you reject his love, forgiveness and salvation - you will spend eternity apart from Him – forever. But for those who live in Christ, there is the sure knowledge that death will be a gateway to Heaven and you will be home at last.

Does this all sound a bit extreme? A bit scary? A bit 'full on'? A bit melodramatic? Or maybe you think I've spent too much time in the Malawi sun and have gone a bit loopy! I promise you that I haven't and that all I've just said is the truth. It would therefore be wonderful if you could take the next step - to get a Bible and spend some time exploring these issues a bit futher. The following are key Christian beliefs:

1. We all need a Saviour. Read Romans 3:23 and Exekiel 18:20

2. We can’t save ourselves. Read 1 Timothy 2:5 and John 14:16

3. God wants to save the world. Read John 3:16-17

4. God sent his son Jesus to save us. Christ suffered on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven. All who believe in Him will be saved. Read Galatians 4:4-5 and 1 Peter 3:18

5. The Bible is our blueprint for successful living; it teaches us how to grow in the Christian life. Read John 10:10 and Peter 3:18

6. Each of us has the power to decide our eternal destiny. Read Luke 13: 1-5 and Matthew 10: 32-33

Once you have done this, seek out someone who can take you further on your exploration of the Christian faith - a Christian friend, a local Minister, a Christian website (and of course you are welcome to email me) - let them help you to reach a decision about this man called Jesus. Do you believe him to be the son of God or do you simply see him as a blasphemous lunatic? Some people take the easy option and don't think about it too greatly. Unfortunately, this approach is a bit of a luxury because the clock is ticking for all of us. Eventually we all have to make up ours minds about God and that decision will determine where we spend eternity.

There is a wonderful quote by CS Lewis that I would love to share with you;

"Christianity is a statement which, if false, is of no importance and if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important"

And that’s it; here we are in Malawi and it isn’t always easy; in fact it is very hard at times. Yet in the last three months I have learnt so much about myself and also so much more about God and His purpose for me. I know that this is where He wants us to be right now and that’s good enough for me.

As always, we thank you for your support, news, good wishes and prayers. It makes such a difference. God Bless

Jayne