August 2006

Notes from the Road

Hello from Ted—home alone in Lusaka. Just now as I write, Sue is flying over the Atlantic. We lived on separate continents while she underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff, but now that she’s better there will be voices again here. Plus visitors and CDs playing. We know who’s the extrovert in the house!

Inside the church at Mwaladzi, Mozambique

For most of the last month I was out on the road visiting projects in Malawi and Mozambique. “Road” here means anything from two-lane tar to bone-jarring dirt track or worse. “Project” can mean anything from new church construction to a school, to a hospital, to an agricultural lab. My way was long and challenging, but every mile was blessed. Let us focus in on just one day: the 14th of August.

Mwafika Mwaladzi Ccep. “You have arrived at Mwaladzi Presbyterian Church.” Scrawled in charcoal over dry mud plaster beside a cutout entrance, beneath a grass roof, three simple words proclaimed the people’s pride and joy. I had reached the center of their world.

To be honest, it felt like I had reached the end of the world—a village so remote women must walk two hours each direction just to collect water this time of year. But by coming on your behalf I was the cause of celebration. Singing … dancing … garlands of flowers.

The people of Mwaladzi want a borehole desperately—a deep water well with manual pump, similar to what we provide in other communities. That won’t be any picnic. To qualify, first they have to work on improving their road. They need to clear away trees, fill in gullies, dislodge some rocks, and maybe straighten a curve or two. Otherwise, no drilling rig can possibly make it in. What a shame to come so far and not succeed! But how will they organize, saddled with poverty and given the great distance between huts? Who can motivate? Who will provide leadership? Answer: the little congregation.

Those same church elders who lead worship on Sundays can take charge all throughout the week. The same women who brought me fresh chickens and sugar cane can supply men working on the road. The eager young children who greeted my arrival by running on ahead of the vehicle can haul loose brush, or pack down dirt. In the church they find hope, and they find strength.

Once the road is finished, it will take money to bring equipment. The average cost for drilling a well? About $8,000. That includes labor, material and transport. If the water table is high, the cost might be less. Friends in America can make contributions through The Outreach Foundation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

After the well is built yet another task emerges: ongoing preventive maintenance. Someone has to see that the shaft stays clean, the handle gets oiled, and that access is controlled. Again, the Mwaladzi congregation will do the job. This band of believers does much more than care for its own. People around the district know that here, on this mountain, they can look to the church for abundant life. They can worship and pray and hear the good news of Jesus. They can learn about malaria, HIV, and sanitation. People come here to be trained in first aid and midwifery. They see the church as their link to the wider world, as well as to heaven.

Though I stayed less than two hours with the intent of encouraging people, in the end it was they who encouraged me.

Other News from the Wrights

We thank God for opportunities during June and July to visit loved ones, talk with groups, and give our slide show. If we didn’t make it to your place, don’t feel bad; we haven’t retired. In fact, you can book us for Fall 2007 by contacting Mission Connections right now.

While Ted was in the bush, Sue was hardly being a cabbage (local for “couch potato”) back in the States. She preached on two occasions and attended the meeting in Colorado of the Malawi Mission Network.

Upcoming, we have trips to Livingstone (early September), Malawi (October), and Madagascar (November). Hence, within our first year we will have visited every partner in our region at least once, and some more often.

Our daughter has moved from New York State to Iowa City, teaching at a community college and planning an arts festival. Our son starts seminary in Princeton very soon. Their paths are different, but we delight in hearing from both. We appreciate their circles of friends, whose support makes it easier for us to serve so far away. We also appreciate our siblings, who carefully look after our three surviving parents.

If you wish to receive our email newsletters that come about twice a month, send us a message, and we’ll add you to the list: Email Sue and Ted Wright.

It’s getting late, so I’ll close for now.

Philippians 4:13

God bless,

Rev. Ted Wright 

The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 341