Missions Newsletter - Spring 2022
Spring Rains in Malawi
by Temwa Wright
“The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.” (Deuteronomy 28:12)
Ah, Spring! A time of rebirth, renewal, and rejuvenation. Everywhere around us, we see signs of new life – baby birds tweeting, new foliage growing, and people coming out of hiding. Yes, it’s a wonderful time for many of us, including people in rural Malawi, 8,000 miles away, who will be just coming out of the hungry season (November through March) and entering the harvest season (April through July).
For many of us in the U.S., the idea of a hungry season might be difficult to comprehend. But for our missions partner, Pamoza International, it is a reality of working in rural Malawi. Pamoza’s missions work not only includes sharing the Gospel by establishing Bible study groups, distributing Bibles in the local language of Tumbuka, and facilitating prayer meetings, marriage counseling, and household evangelism; it also addresses the physical needs of people, of which food security is of utmost importance.
In order to meet the needs of families in a holistic way, Pamoza initiated a program called CHIEF – an acronym for Character, Health, Income, Education, and Food security. The CHIEF program addresses sustainable transformation across those five key areas by introducing families to the Gospel and working individually with them so they grow in their knowledge of Christ while also addressing their tangible physical needs including access to food, health care, education, and income generation opportunities. The program involves targeting the most vulnerable families by assigning a Christian Outreach and Community Development Facilitator who walks alongside each family to address their needs across the five areas. Each facilitator works with roughly 50-60 families and meets with them regularly to share the Gospel, disciple them, and connect them with resources available through Pamoza’s ministry. There are currently 230 families being served in the program.
During the lean period, many families begin to run out of food from the previous harvest while they wait for the next harvest. From November until March, Pamoza’s work with the CHIEF families focuses on providing agricultural training, fertilizer, and improved seed so they could grow enough food for a whole year.
This approach at the family level has significantly improved food security. However, the most critical ingredient to a successful harvest for families in rural Malawi is RAIN – sufficient and well distributed rain across the growing season, from December through May. When threatened with a dry spell during December 2021 - January 2022, Pamoza frontline field staff asked us to pray for rain. We were delighted to find out that rains did indeed come, and in fact there wasn’t too much which would have flooded the crops, and there wasn’t too little. Now as Spring arrives, we are praying that rains will continue until April, which will ensure a bountiful harvest in May and June.
Pamoza international is a Christian non-profit organization founded by SLPC member Mike Mtika. SLPC has been involved with Pamoza's work in rural Malawi for many years and in multiple ways, including sending a team in 2013, financially supporting the construction of a bridge in Zowe (where Pamoza is headquartered), helping to start a sewing program for women, distributing Bibles, and supporting other Christian outreach efforts. In addition, several SLPC members serve on Pamoza's board and volunteer on various committees. Pamoza means "together" in Tumbuka a language spoken in northern Malawi. Pamoza's approach is to work together with the people they serve so they can attain a high quality of life spiritually and physically. You can learn more about Pamoza at www.pamoza.org.
Please continue to lift up our brothers and sisters in Malawi in prayer, and consider joining us on a Missions Trip to Malawi in 2023 to see and do God’s work there.
