October 2002

Dear Friends,

Greetings, with warm regards, from Malawi.

Thank you for the time I recently shared with you in the United States from July through September this year. I received blessings overflowing. Being with you during worship, potluck dinners, youth group meetings, workshops, and at a presbytery meeting—35 speaking engagements in all—I was deeply touched and greatly encouraged by the enthusiasm and interest people expressed in becoming more closely connected with our sisters and brothers in Malawi.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude for your gracious hospitality and your generous gifts for famine relief, school fees for orphans, women’s empowerment, and theological education in Malawi through the Synod of Livingstonia, Church of Central Africa Presbyterian.

Arriving back in Malawi last week was like coming home. "Home is wherever God calls you to be." I received the same warm welcome from friends in Malawi that I received from all of you in U.S. I am twice blessed to have two places to call home. My work continues with the programs in women’s empowerment, theological education of lay leaders, and theological education by extension. Your prayers for these ministries are greatly appreciated.

The economic situation in Malawi continues to deteriorate, and food shortage is the order of the day for 3.3 million people in Malawi. Crime is on the increase in the two largest cities, Lilongwe and Blantyre, and the political climate is restive. In June of this year Parliament voted against a third term option for the presidency. However, the president and his political party are slow to hear. They continue to seek a third term through bribes, threats, and a ban on demonstrations. Throughout the country ecumenical worship services are being held to pray for the state of the nation. Please continue to remember the people of Malawi with your gifts and prayers.

My hope is that you will not forget the three challenges I presented to you during my time in the United States:

Three challenges to the people of the United States

• We, the people of the United States, have needs that we cannot meet. Perhaps the people of Malawi have the gifts to meet our needs. The people of Malawi are strong in community life, personal relationships, dependency on God, and church growth. Are these the gifts we need?
• We of the United States are focused on the nuclear family. Our definition of family must expand from nuclear family to Family of God. That means that the children of Malawi are our children, and our children in Malawi are going to bed hungry.
• We of the United States often say that we would like to help the people of Malawi in a significant way. To do so we must simplify our lifestyle, learn to live with less abundance so that the people of Malawi have enough to live.

Our God is a "God of Impossibilities," making possible the impossible. As it is written in Luke 1:37, "Nothing is impossible with God."

I look forward to staying in touch with you as I remain with you in the One Spirit. Many thanks for your faithfulness in partnership.

Grace and Peace,

Debbie

The 2002 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 39