MALAWI

It’s time for a mammoth entry on Malawi. I want to share honestly about how this experience has changed me and make you aware of the issues surrounding the Malawian people who are in such desperate need, to enable you to pray more effectively.

For anyone who doesn't already know, a group of 16 students from Cardiff University Christian Union ventured out to Malawi, in south-east Africa. Never before had a CU sent out a mission team and I hope that this will inspire other CUs to do the same.

This mission trip was a truly life changing experience -it has made me rethink so many areas of my life and learn to depend on God more fully. Meeting Malawian people was so humbling and made me realise how selfish I really am. I was so caught up in my own little world that I didn't stop to think about what God is doing in the rest of the world. Philippians 1 v6 says: 'being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus' and I believe that God has been using this experience to make us more like Jesus.

Seeing a completely different culture was fascinating. Malawian people are so much more enthusiastic about everything than Brits, which was really refreshing to see. Everywhere we went, people stopped and stared at the strange white people, then waved to us as we passed by. Within the villages, the people support one another; these are loving communities that share what they have and work together to make sure everyone has enough.






























Photos above: 1. Women pumping water at Mwebe's village; 2. A Malawian village

The generosity displayed by the people we visited was astounding; they are much more generous than they can afford to be. Like the Bible story of the woman who gave her all with just a few coins, it means so much more for these people to give when they already have nothing. They welcomed us to their villages and fed all of us with their best, although this was often just cabbage and nsema (bland flour dough), with the occasional treat of goat meat.

What I consider problems in my life, like running out of money through lack of a job or not knowing what to do in the future are like tiny pins in the bottom of your shoe compared with the problems encountered by many Malawians. It was incredible to see the faith in God that some of these people have and how God has been faithful to them. We led worship at City Pentecostal Church in Blantyre and it was awe-inspiring to see Malawian christians singing praise to God. They love Jesus! Their faces showed the passion they have for the Lord, and it was a joy to see, though extremely humbling.

During our trip, we were able to visit several orphanages. Bangula orphanage is owned by a christian couple from the US who have adopted each of the orphans, now totalling over 100 (with around 20 babies). They dropped everything in the US to come to Malawi and have built the orphanage from scratch. It was extremely humbling to hear how they did this and how they depend on God day-by-day for every provision. In the 'could we get it more wrong' land of plenty otherwise known as the UK, we have no idea what real hardship is and we (myself included) have a despicable lack of dependence on our creator and provider.

We stayed at Bangula orphanage for 2 days. This was the toughest part of the trip for me due to excessive heat, dust everywhere with nowhere to wash, not-so-pleasant food and sleep deprivation from loud goats/cockerels/crickets, but it was also one of the best and most memorable. We taught the children Bible stories such as Zacchaeus and the prodigal son, explaining how they relate to the gospel, and they listened intently. The worship sessions were tremendous - never have I seen children so excited! 'Hey Lord' rapidly became the theme song of our trip, and we also learnt a song in Chichewa, entitled 'Palibe ofana ndi Yesu', which means 'there's no one, there's no one like Jesus'. Our free time at the orphanage was spent chatting with the children and playing games with them and we also split into pairs/threes to lead classes and made paper birds, which the children loved.

We also visited an orphanage run by a Malawian named Mbewe, who has a real heart for God. We taught the children and played games with them. It was a joy to see the enthusiasm of the children and I feel that God has given me a heart to continue to pray for the orphans in Malawi.

Photos above: 1. Simon finds a friend at Bangula; 2. Me with some Bangula orphans 3. Ian, Gibbons and Vickrum share the British tradition of 'photo pointing'. 4. Gillyweed learns how to spell; 5. Kids bombard the pickup

Unforeseen opportunities presented themselves in abundance -it was incredible to see God working in ways that we didn't expect. For example, when we stopped for drinks on the journey to Bangula, a huge crowd of Malawians surrounded us. The perfect opportunity presented itself to minister to these people, so we sang and played (from the pickup) and told them the gospel.

We spent a significant amount of our free time learning a typical Malawian game called Bao (pictured below) - come and play at Cosmeston Street, or play it online here.


Whilst in such a truly stunning country, we were able to fully appreciate the beauty of creation and praise God as we gazed upon the work of His hands. We saw numerous magnificent sunsets (at 5.30pm every day) and hundreds of stars, free from the usual light pollution of UK cities. We awoke at 5.15am to see the dawn over Lake Malawi -an impressive sight, lasting just a few minutes. It was a joy to see the huge variety of creatures on safari, on a river cruise and all around us, many of which we had never seen before. Malawi, though parched through lack of rain, dusty and infertile, has a beauty that is captivating.














































Photos above: 1. Berni meets her long-lost relatives (don't tell her I said that!) ; 2. The sunset on safari at Mvuu; 3. Dawn at Lake Malawi; 4. The stunning view from Fisherman's rest.

Before we left the UK, I prayed that the team would bond well together, but to be perfectly honest I didn't really have much faith in that actually happening. In my experience, there are always cliques within a group this size and almost always some sort of disagreement. However, the team gelled like I have never seen before, we loved and supported one another through every experience. Even driving around in a dusty, bumpy pickup was made a joy by the presence of these people. They have all become my best friends, people who I feel I can share anything with, and it is encouraging to know the support and prayer that is continuing now that we have returned to the UK. It was also amazing how people were so willing to take the lead, far out of their comfort zones and how we all pulled together in such unfamiliar situations.













































Photos above: 1. Team 2 at Nsanje village (Mozambique behind us); 2. Hospital visit; 3. Half of the team pile into the back of the pickup to return from Bangula; 4. Team members enjoy the sunset at Fisherman's rest.

Poverty and disease are rife in Malawi -it is among the 10 poorest countries in the world. We were able to see this close-up when we visited a hospital in Blantyre. It is run by a British christian professor, who is doing the best he can with the limited funds and equipment that the hospital has, but sadly the conditions are far from sufficient. We saw patients in awful conditions; one example that I cannot forget is that of a man who was lying on the floor in the corridor, badly malnourished, and surrounded by his own excrement. This man was a prisoner who had become ill in prison, been sent to hospital, and was attempting to remain ill for as long as possible, to avoid returning there. This says a lot about the state of Malawian prisons; we visited Chichiri prison later that day, which I will describe later. We saw the fortunate patients who can afford to pay for hospital treatment and are able to travel to the hospital. Sadly, there are many others that do not have this option, often dying of tuberculosis or AIDS without the medication that could prolong or save their lives.



























































Photos above: 1. The men's ward; 2. A prisoner lying in the corridor; 3. Patients wait for medical attention; 4. A newborn baby -based on the average life expectancy in Malawi, this child will only reach 37 years.

Visiting Chichiri prison was at first slightly unnerving. We entered a large courtyard and were taken to one corner in which we unpacked our musical instruments, ready to begin ministering to the prisoners. We were then surrounded by about 500 male prisoners, with just one guard to control them (I believe he was unarmed; I think we all started to silently pray). Then, we began to sing and play to them and the fear subsided into joy, as we observed the prisoners joining in with dancing and clapping. They also sang to us with their choir; some of the big butch prisoners sang unnaturally high!

Sam, with translation, told them the gospel and began the sinner's prayer, asking them only to repeat it if they really believed and meant what they were saying. At that point (and earlier that day), I prayed that at least one person there would be saved that day. When I saw and heard how many prisoners said the prayer (about half of them!), many falling to their knees, I was at first pleasantly surprised and then convicted of my faithless prayers. God can do more than we can ask or imagine, but at many times, I have virtually ignored that and prayed 'safe' prayers, that lack real faith and substance; I hope this experience will change my attitude to prayer.

Our team was probably the first white group to visit Chichiri prison. There are around 2000 prisoners, but only about a quarter were allowed to see us, possibly due to the inability to physically move because of malnourishment and disease. The conditions are atrocious, with approximately 2.5 prisoners per square metre in cells - something they didn't want us to see during our visit. The Malawi prison system is corrupt - the guards eat or sell the food that is designated for the prisoners, they demand bribes, and any money supplied to the prison often never reaches it. The judicial system is also tremendously unjust, lacking an 'innocent until proven guilty' policy, which results in the imprisonment of crime suspects, with no hope of bail. Many prisoners are forgotten about and left to rot in prison due to lack of family members or loss of documents. In Chichiri, several of the prisoners are christians; one man called Moses asked me to remember him in my prayers. Please pray that the prison system in Malawi would change. To learn more, click here.

Want to know how you can help?

• Pray! God answers -we've seen it through this entire trip. Do not feel that by praying, your contribution is not significant (as I sometimes do), but know that it pleases the Lord to hear and answer the cries of his children. You could also get in touch with the people out there (some have email) to encourage them and let them know that you are praying for them - just ask Sam Orr for their details.
  

• Give generously - these people who have nothing are putting us to shame in their giving. The orphanages, hospital and villages are all in desperate need -your giving could be the answer to their prayers. You can send a cheque in the post to most of the places. Let me know if you would like to give to any of the areas mentioned and I will give you details of where to send the money.
  

• Go there! If you feel that God is calling you to the mission field, even in the short term, JUST GO! Don’t use the excuses of lack of funds, time or experience –God will provide all of these.

Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement for this trip -none of this could have happened without it! If you would like to view the hundreds of additional photos from the trip, visit Bubbleshare.

Beckrum at the park

Just about to leave for a Malawi mission team training weekend, so no time to write anything, although the photos below should entertain you until I find the time to write another entry.

Call Centre Chaos

After an eventful week at the Sky Broadband call centre, Beckrum, Alison and I have decided to share some of the valuable lessons we have learnt during our 3-week tenure:

1. Expect the unexpected

After Alison's introductory speech ("Good afternoon, this is Alison calling from Sky Television..."), without warning, the woman on the end of the line erupted into a shrill and constant scream, making Alison jump and begin a frenzied search for the 'release line' button.

When I asked for Mrs Whittaker, the gruff male voice on the end of the line replied, "yes, that's me". Bemused, I continued, thinking that somehow this could be possible, and began my usual spiel about Sky Broadband. It wasn't until I'd finished this lengthy monologue that the man began to laugh and passed the phone over to his wife.

Other amusing examples include people answering the telephone by saying "hello, I don't speak any English" and others asking whether they need a computer to get broadband.

2. Never talk about someone while they may still be listening

After a long telephone conversation and final goodbye, I turned to Beckrum and couldn't resist describing the hilarity of hearing the entire life story of the guy to whom I'd just been speaking, when I'd simply asked "would you like to register your interest in Sky Broadband?". Suddenly, with a lurch in my stomach, I heard the word "hello?" in my headset and realised that the line was still connected! After apologising profusely, I once again said goodbye to the man and went to hide.

3. Always check the name of the person you are calling

At the start of each call, the details of the person we are currently calling are displayed on our screens, and we read their surname and ask for the person concerned. However, when Beckrum called a number and asked for Mrs Windsor, the lady replied "Mrs Windsor? I'm not the queen!". At that point, Beckrum realised that she had accidently read out the name of the town in which the woman lived, and her real name was actually Mrs Barber.

4. Under no circumstances, laugh just before calling someone

My manager, Tom, has a great sense of humour and he began joking around while I was waiting for a call. In hysterics, I suddenly realised my call had come through and I had to start speaking immediately. Tom also noticed and began pulling faces at me and laughing, which did not help relieve my already gigglesome state. I began to speak and realised I could only achieve a stutter, which became progressively more high pitched, until I erupted into tumultous laughter. Sian, another manager started shouting: "put her on mute! put her on mute!"

On a completely different note, Beckrum has just purchased a sophisticated piece of equipment for her bayside activities...

Gabalfa wedding season

It has reached the time of year when weddings are held virtually every week (at my church anyway), and I had the privilege of attending Dan and Sarah's wedding on Saturday. It was an amazing day: Sarah looked stunning and Dan said it was the happiest day of his life.

Gabalfa has now acquired a reputation as the church to attend to find a husband/wife. I discovered the reason for this wedding trend on Saturday:

A sweet old lady at Gabalfa (named Josie) approached me at the wedding and said "I am praying that all of the men in Gabalfa will find wives and all of the ladies will find husbands (that includes you)". At last, we have an explanation! So, if you are single and looking, why not pop down to our church on Sunday, or simply give us your details and we will pass them on to Josie, who I'm sure would be happy to add a few names to her prayer list! However, the wedding count may tail-off for a few years, since the bouquet was caught by 7-year-old Naomi-Joy (but luckily, we're not superstitious).

It is always awkward trying to find a nice wedding outfit, but this time I thought I'd done pretty well. That was until Naomi-Joy (the 7-year-old mentioned above) informed me that the colours I was wearing did not match - maybe she should take me shopping next time!

Wedding photos can probably be found on Beckrum's blog, but I couldn't resist posting a photo of what Beckrum deemed the funniest moment at the wedding (although I'm still not quite sure why).

Beckrum was attacked by a mingle:

At last: A job… and an update!

There is no excuse for the fact that my blog has endured a ‘despicable lack of posting’ (first expressed by Carol, 2006) over the past few months. Finally, I return to the world of amusing anecdotes and housemate humiliation (a.k.a. blogging).

Both Beckrum and I have now entered the somewhat daunting world of work. It may not be the most glamorous, rewarding or worthwhile job in Cardiff, but it pays. We (Beckrum, Alison and I) are working at a call centre for Sky Broadband, in which we answer calls from people who are interested and type in their details. Training was yesterday, which mostly involved a lot of waiting and a lecture and quiz on ‘what is broadband?’ (9/10 says I know more than Beckrum ;)). Today was our first day answering the phones, which unfortunately involved a lot of waiting and a distinct lack of actual calls. Resulting from my 5 hour shift, I received a total of 0.0 calls, whilst Beckrum received 2 calls in her 10 hour shift. To help speed the influx, they even offered champagne to the first person to receive a call, but unfortunately I had to leave before I saw who it was (I’m not a champagne fan anyway).