September 6, 2005
Blessings from visitors
In the course of my fifteen years as a mission co-worker with
the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), serving first in Congo and now
in Malawi, I have received many visitors from the United States.
It is always a pleasure to have visitors come. For one thing,
it is something new and different, and life anywhere can become
quite routine and boring. This past summer we have received several
groups of visitors at Mulanje Mission Hospital, and these have
been a blessing to me.
One of our visiting groups included a pastor and two young people
from his church. The two young people were recent college graduates
who had volunteered to teach at mission schools in Malawi for
three months. One of the young people stayed at our mission and
taught in the local community day secondary school, which is a
short walk from Mulanje Mission Hospital where I work as an obstetrician/gynecologist.
He taught mathematics and computer science alongside the regular
teachers at the school. He got to know the students and the learning
environment of Malawian schools. He became friends with young
teachers close to his age and shared life experiences. I think
it was an enriching experience for all involved.
The pastor himself was only able to stay for about a week in
Malawi. I never will forget the blessing I felt during the brief
morning worship gathering we had at the hospital when he spoke
to us. Every morning at 7:30 a.m. hospital staff and patients
gather in a courtyard for morning prayers, which are in Chichewa,
the local language, and last about 20 to 25 minutes. Often, I
do not understand much of the preaching because I am not completely
fluent in Chichewa. On this particular morning, the pastor spoke
in English, so I could understand every word. The sun was shining
and it was a beautiful morning. Guardians of patients had already
washed some clothes, which were draped on the bushes in the yard
to dry. The pastor brought greetings from brothers and sisters
in Christ in the United States, and then he told us of God’s
love for all of us. He said, “God’s love for us is
as warm and as close as the sunshine we feel on our faces this
morning.” We heard the words from Philippians 4: “Rejoice
in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness
be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything,
but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving
present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends
all understanding, will guard your heart and your minds in Christ
Jesus.”
On another occasion this summer I received friends I knew already
who have been married to each other for 35 years. This was their
first visit to Africa and to Malawi. I asked them if they would
be willing to lead our Sunday morning worship service in English.
They agreed and decided that they would both speak. When the wife
spoke to the congregation, she said that she had come with her
husband to Malawi and that they had been a married couple for
35 years. This brought clapping and shouts of congratulations
from our group. Many of us in the church that day knew that many
marriages in Malawi only last a few years and then break up because
of various problems. Many in the church have lost their spouses
to HIV/AIDS.
When it was time for the husband to get up and speak, everyone
was listening attentively. This gentleman explained that he was
not a trained preacher, but he wanted to speak as a Christian
and as a husband, and especially to the men in the congregation.
He said that husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves
the church. Husbands are responsible for taking care of the health
and well-being of their wives and families, and should never do
anything to compromise the health of their wives, but lovingly
help them keep healthy so the family can be healthy. After this
statement there was a silence in the church, and it seemed to
me that a powerful message had been passed.
One of the great problems of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan
Africa is the transmission of the virus within marriages and stable
relationships. A married woman is more at risk of being infected
with the virus that a single woman in sub-Saharan Africa. Fifty-six
percent of the people infected with the HIV virus are adult women.
I was very grateful that this visiting Christian gentleman had
the courage to stand up and give his personal witness to what
he felt the Bible says about Christian marriage. I hope and pray
the message will be remembered and honored in our community.
Blessings come in many forms to mission co-workers in the field.
Sometimes the blessing may be visitors from afar who bring the
gift of themselves and their Christian experience and witness
which they are willing to share.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Sue Makin
Obstetrician/Gynecologist
Mulanje Mission Hospital
The 2005 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
337 |
