Dear Friends, Family and Prayer Partners,
We are joyously and safely home from Africa thanks to your prayers! Considering that we had 8 flights where multiple things could go wrong with each one, we had very few glitches-one suitcase that arrived a day late, and one delayed flight which meant we missed our connecting flight requiring an overnight stay in Amsterdam (on KLM’s dime!) and was actually a blessing in disguise. We had very little access to the internet so did not know about the three planes going down (one in Africa) while we were traveling, nor did we know about the Ebola virus. Sometimes ignorance is bliss, as we had no additional cause for worry!
By the time we started our trainings, we were rested and “in the time zone.” And except for one bout of food poisoning (which really was our fault as we know better than to eat sandwiches which are unrefrigerated for several hours), we were healthy the entire trip. It was an honor to “share Africa” together, since it was Russ’ first time and he came away with a sense of the love and privilege in meeting so many brothers and sisters there who demonstrate great love for God and one another, in spite of difficult circumstances. The music is amazingly moving and energetic. Your body just cannot stay still when singing in Africa!
Our first training was in Embu, Kenya, about a three hour drive from Nairobi. This drive was quite interesting in that we were on a paved freeway most of the way but what was unusual was that intermittently we would encounter the odd speed bump, which our driver would have to suddenly brake for, in addition to a few printed crosswalks! The training we did in Embu was for the staff of an orphan school, which is part of an organization called GraceWorks, started by Dr. Susan Njemanze (who grew up in Embu) and serves on Empower’s Orange County Advisory Board. We did a one shot combo training which drew from both the Created to Belong and Healing From Trauma curriculum, with the intent of building a partnership for full length workshops on subsequent trips. We were given a tour of the GraceWorks compound and were able to learn more about the depth of projects, which reaches out in so many practical ways to villages, which have been impacted by HIV/AIDS.
From Lilongwe (Malawi), we took a five hour bus ride (what an interesting cultural experience that was!!) south to the city of Blantyre that was once Malawi’s capital city. Malawi’s infrastructure (i.e. roads/city layout) was more western than expected so a little more friendly and familiar. We were hosted by Pastor Arnold who had convened a gathering of 30 people (pastors/lay leaders) in the rural village of Mulange, which is an hour south of Blantyre. The context of our meeting was in a primitive, simple sanctuary with no doors and windowpanes and hard benches as pews. Each day, we taught from 8 a.m. to about 4 p.m. People walked as far as 23 kilometers to be a part of this training. The content was derived from the workbook, “Created to Belong” (authored by Linda) that was well received personally by many but also it was affirmed as a viable tool for their ministry in the context of their respective churches and villages. We were housed at a Scottish Presbyterian conference grounds beneath Malawi’s tallest mountain. The first day our driver was late in picking us up after the workshop so we began to walk the two miles back on the dirt road to our lodging when 40 Malawian children who proceeded to follow us with laughter and shouts. We felt like we were leading a parade! As a result of our training, many shared how their own lives were touched by the teaching and training. It seemed that we were giving them much more than just information–we truly saw moments of transformation. The pastors and church leaders in attendance, along with the primary host Pastor Arnold, eagerly extended an invitation to return next summer for they envisioned more people from the surrounding villages and pastors of other churches who would greatly benefit from this training.
We really enjoyed being in this remote village location and were reminded again of the importance of Empower’s work. While there we shared lunch. We saw how hard the women here work. They bought the food, then chopped down a tree, so they could then chop the wood to build the fire to prepare and cook the food! They served first to us, then the men and then themselves which they ate sitting on the cement floor. When the men finished, they got up from their benches and went outside leaving a mess of spilled food on the floor. The women then gathered brush to make the broom to clean up after the men. And then they carried the water to wash the dishes.
During the after lunch portion of the training, I told the men the most important thing they could do for their children was to love and HELP their wives. Believe it or not, one of them asked, “What can we do to help our wives?!”
God’s “previousness” was prominent throughout our travel and in each of the places where the trainings occurred. Hearts of the participants were ready and eager to learn. They were of humble but courageous spirit, eager to be taught and energized to equip others to become whole in Christ. The graciousness and generosity of the people was such a contrast to observable impoverished economic conditions but God’s work was not hindered and his love not obscured. Because of Jesus we shared life together and a common worship despite the cultural and language differences.
We were blessed to have been to Malawi and Kenya even as we sought to be a blessing to our brothers and sisters in the heart of Africa. In some ways we better understand what Jesus said in John 4:37,38…For the scripture is true, “One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” We entered in the labor of those who preceded us and therefore we got to taste some of the ‘reaping’ for that which we did not labor. All that resulted we affirm was because of God going before us, preparing us and the people in all that we did He would be lifted up. We trust the fruit of our labor to the Spirit’s work and are so glad we had the privilege to participate in his work.
Thanks for your cheerleading, financial support, and your prayers. We hope you share with us the joy and satisfaction God has allowed us to experience.
Blessings in Christ,
Linda and Russ