2004-June-Malawi

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By randy in : Foreign Missions // Jul 29 2010

This was our first real ‘team’ that we had led on a mission trip. The team consisted of five board members of Acts III and a [soon to be] college student from our church. The team was Stan Brown, our then Chairman, James & Ruth Brown – Board members (no relation to Stan), Melissa Davis, and Randy & Julie McEwen – founders and board members of Acts III.

After the three previous trips, we all felt is was necessary for more of the Board members to see for themselves what was going on there so as to better allow them to make decisions and discern the direction over there.
Our plans for this trip included:

1. An organized Pastor’s conference to firmly establish our doctrine, expectations, etc with what had now grown to 13 Churches under Acts III’s banner in Malawi. This would be held at the Grace Bandawe Conference Centre in Blantyre.
2. Julie, Melissa and Ms. Ruth would be doing a VBS craft for all of the churches’ children as well as several local orphan care facilities our staff had started or that we support.
3. Preaching
4. Street & House to house ministry in the villages
5. Visiting & meeting with all of the church leaders.
6. Tract, Bible, Food & Medicine Distribution

The trip was from June 3 – 13, 2004.

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Wednesday, June 2 – As we are finalizing the preparations for the trip, teaching and preaching times, etc., there are several things that I journaled the Lord had placed on my heart. These did not all have immediate applications, but in hindsight, they were for that season as well as foundational lessons that got overlooked. These burdens included:
1.    The Tower of Babel – Here the people are all in unity for a common purpose, their own glory and defiance of God. The Lord responds by coming down and confusing their language and scattering them abroad. Now compare this with the following:
The Day of Pentecost – Here the people are all in unity for a common purpose, to Glorify God. The Lord responds by sending His Holy Spirit to indwell and empower His children to continue His work. In both instances (a) people were working together, (b) there was a common focus, (c) there was unity and harmony, (d) their actions prompted a direct response / intervention from the Lord.  The differences were what they were focused on and how the Lord responded. When their effort was in rebellion to God and to build their own kingdom, God’s response was to send division and confusion so as to stop their work.  On the other hand, when they were walking in obedience and were unified in His purpose, the Lord sent His Spirit to indwell them and to essentially join them in their tasks and burdens.
2.    This is How we are Truly Blessed: Acts 3:26 “Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.”
3.    Being Content: When you read the story of Gomer & Hosea in the book of Hosea you quickly see our tendencies to do the same thing towards God. When we lack contentment for what the Lord has provided us, are we essentially telling the Lord that He cannot meet our needs? Does our heart’s condition tell Him that He is not capable of satisfying our requirements? The Israelites in the wilderness had the same problem for 40 years with food falling from heaven and water coming from rocks. Yet despite all of their failures, the Lord, like Hosea, still chose to redeem us and buy us back from the penalty of our sin.

Thursday, June 3
Today was departure day. We had a few snafus on the way to South Africa. It started when Stan got the security check in and didn’t know he had a pair of pick scissors packed in his carry-on bag. Once we all got through security we hurried down to the train in the Hartsfield / Atlanta Airport…it was dead. So we just praised God, and began the long walk to our terminal. By the time we reached concourse B, it had started working again.

The theme for the trip so far seems to be: (1) TRIAL (2) PERSEVERANCE (3) BLESSING.

Once we got on the plane, Melissa was seated alone, but the one across from Stan was vacant so she was able to move. These long flights are equipped with an in-flight entertainment system for each individual. For us however, only 3 of 6 actually worked. So I deduced the Lord must want me to do some Scripture reading, meditating, and witnessing. There were several opportunities to do so. I had one long conversation with a man about the book, the DaVinci Code. This man had really been deceived. After talking with him however, it was obvious that he wanted to be deceived. Based on the things he shared, he did not want to know the Truth. It was too painful for him.

The rest of the flight was spent in study and sharing. I was able to share with many others around me including two of the flight attendants while standing in the galley area.

Friday, June 4.
Today we landed in Cape Town, South Africa for our overnight here. This was my first visit here. The last couple of times the layover was in Johannesburg. It was surprising to see just how cold it was in Cape Town. I keep forgetting just how far south we are on the very tip of Africa…not far from Antarctica. Stan and I walked around the town for a bit and down to the beach. It was misty and cold with a wind that bit deep down to the bone.

After our walk, we headed back to the hotel and had a meal and devotions. Here are some of the things that caught my attention from the Scriptures. These are from the Book of Acts:

1) Acts 6:7 “And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.”

This gave me an image of a noble light being cast in the middle of a stagnant sea sending out great rippling waves to the four corners of the wind shattering the shackles of darkness that had for millennia past anchored souls to the depths of Hades, all the while giving newness of life and hope to all it touched. God’s Word will not return void (Isaiah 55:11).

God’s Word has the same Power today that it had in the beginning of creation, when the Lord’s Word spoke all things into existence. God’s Word has the same Power today it had thousands of years ago in Isaiah’s day.  God’s Word has the same Power today that it had in the time of the Book of Acts…It has the power to change lives, penetrate the hardest of hearts, and to spring forth life giving faith in all that hear It. We the saints of God much simply know His Word, how to rightly divide His Word, and to know how to apply it in love to ourselves first, and then to others.

2) Acts 7:41 “And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands…”  This was of course the use of the story found in Exodus 32. In verse 1 of Exodus 32, we find their reason for wanting an idol, “Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

The people got tired of waiting for Moses, this chosen spokesman for God, to come and tell them what was going on.  So what did they do? In their impatience, they decided they wanted to make god in their image. Not only that, but then they ‘rejoiced in the works of their own hands.’ Do we not do the same thing?

We create our own idols. We set up our own sacrificial system to them. We then rejoice in the works of our own hands. These idols could be our jobs, education, relationships, etc. Consider but one example. I have counseled so many young ladies in our ministry with so much to offer a potential husband. But instead of waiting on God to send a good man in His good timing, they leap at the first thing to come along. He has now become her idol. She will now spend years of her life sacrificing her morals, values, faith in God (if any), children, her own body, finances, her home…indeed she will sacrifice all for this idol that is not committed to her in the least. She will then rejoice in this idol she has found.  She will rejoice for a season. Then her idol will be exposed.

[[What I would soon discover is that my idol, my Tower of Babel, would be a ministry. I would sacrifice time with my family, watching my children grow up, hundreds of thousands of dollars, our family’s house, 7+ years in a foreign country, countless tears, prayers, and sleepless night…all for my idol.]]

3) It was persecution and trials that finally forced the Great Commission to be obeyed. If you read the early part of the church history you see on the Day of Pentecost 3,000 people were saved. Later you see 5,000 saved. It was not until Saul and others began hunting them down that they were scattered abroad. (Acts 8:1).  God’s plan was for us to go forth and make disciples of ALL nations. We are to GO…not stay. If we all want to stay in one place like the Tower of Babel, the Lord will have to encourage us to go out. Maybe through persecution, maybe through hard times, or worse. In Acts 7 & 8 it took the martyrdom of a man with the ‘face of an angel.’

4) In Acts Chapter 3, our name sake, I noticed that Peter and John were together. Is that symbolic? We associate Peter with Bold and maybe abrasive faith, and the Apostle John as simply the ‘Disciple whom Jesus loved.’ Is it symbolic that we need the same balance in our life? We are called to contend for the faith (Jude 3) but all things must be done in love or they are worthless (1 Cor 13). I know I need this balance…I recognize that I am way to weighted down on the ‘fighter’ and ‘abrasive’ side.  A see-saw is not much fun with 800 lbs on one side and 8 on the other.

5) The Holy Spirit – How was He received? When? Why the day of Pentecost? Were things not right because there was an office empty? Is that what the Lord showed Peter through the prayer and meditation? Is it the same within our bodies, the church today? If we are missing pieces, does it prevent the Holy Spirit from doing great things in our churches?

6) Humble Servant – Phillip preached to entire cities and regions with countless people being saved and signs and wonders following…then he was asked to go to a deserted dirt road to speak to one man…an Ethiopian Eunuch.  How many preachers today would leave mega churches and their national spotlight to go to preach to just one man? In the middle of nowhere? With no recognition…no cameras…no glory of man?

SATURDAY – JUNE 5
We all got up early, at 4:30, for the trek to the airport for our flight to Blantyre, Malawi. Everyone was blessed by our warm reception at the Blantyre airport from all of the Saints. It was a bit cramped with 20 of us in the van with all of the luggage again.  But it was still nice to see them all.

We had our first conference with the guys after we settled in and made some preparations. Afterwards we went into town to see Asif. AS we were walking up to Kips, he was coming from the other direction. He just started glowing as he saw us and ran and fell on my neck and embraced me and kissed me on the cheek. It was a blessed reunion.  During the whole walk to town, many people greeted us and remembered me from previous trips. This was something that Julie brought up during share time that blessed her. I had already been to Malawi 3 trips previous to this one in less than a year. She jokingly wondered if I had a girlfriend here. But this day she would begin to see the fruit of what the Lord had been using me for here…including with the bond the Lord had formed between Asif and I.

The rest of our group share time that night had us all go around and share prayer requests. Ms. Ruth requested to get over her fear and apprehension of the rooms, food, etc. All of us prayed for understanding our reason and purpose for being there.

For this trip, since there was 6 of us, James and Ruth Brown shared a room, and then Stan and I shared a room, while my wife shared a room with Melissa. This way nobody had to have a room alone. It was a sacrifice for my wife and I, but the Lord blessed it.

SUNDAY – JUNE 6
Our day started at 2am when we woke up to Julie screaming and banging on our door. Apparently a security guard was knocking on their window speaking Chichewa and carrying a machete…she did not however know it was a security guard. They were looking for a different room. I cut my foot open running outside barefoot. It is funny now, but terrifying then. It surely didn’t help to settle the Brown’s or my wife’s nerves.

Our day officially started at 6am when we woke up on purpose. Then had breakfast at the hotel and left at 7am for Blantyre, Limbe and then Zomba. Everyone was tired and a little hungry as they were not quite adjusted to the food or the time zone.  But we got into the spirit of the trip by passing out tracts on the minivan and out the window.

Our first service in Zomba was truly blessed. Mr. James was invited to sing, and sang he did. He sang a song about the ‘Holy Ghost.’ It got everybody in a worship frame of mind. It was amazing. No interpreter needed. The ladies and Stan all really got into the worship service, both James’ and the Malawians.

While in the midst of the worship, the Lord had me change my message. Instead I preached on the 3 necessary characteristics of a healthy church: Unity, Sharing & Love.  We closed the service by having the entire church circle up, hold hands and pray.

We private hired a minibus to take us back to Blantyre for a meal. While on the 1 ½ hour trip back to Blantyre, we witnessed to the bus driver and the conductor (his helper), both received Christ.

After we ate, we walked into Ndirande for the hilltop crusade / open air meeting. It was such a beautiful thing to see. As we were walking up the large hill to the parade ground on the top of the mountain, the people started pouring over down the hill running with mile wide smiles to greet us. Out of the six of us, most ran to greet James and Ruth. At first I was a little jealous. I had been there 4 times now, and this was there first visit. Why were they drawn to them?

Grey and Frank explained that there were two main reasons. (1) James and Ruth are African American. The Malawians said they had never been visited by any missionaries with black skin like them. They really thought that black Americans did not care about them. While they really appreciate missionaries of any skin color, it was special for them to be visited by missionaries that were more like them. (2) They are older. In Malawi the life expectancy at the time was 37 years old. So the vast majority of them had not had grandparents around. So they were more attentive to them.

It was  a great source of encouragement to them as well. The Browns had been really having a hard time adjusting over there, but the love of the people bonded their heart to theirs. The Browns received more hugs and greetings in that moment than they probably had in the past 10 years combined. You could visibly see all of the tears, pains, hunger, tiredness and cares of the Browns just dissolved by their love. It was beautiful.

The crusade meeting was blessed in so many ways. I witnessed Stan and Melissa praying with a young lady named Fannie. The Browns were passing out tracts and fellowshipping with everyone. Julie and Melissa were loving on the children. Today we became Acts III…not the ministry, but the chapter. Not only was the Gospel of Jesus shared but so was the love of Jesus.

The message the Lord gave me was on Faith, hope and love. There were maybe 400 plus people in attendance. Stan estimated over 300 of them responded to the invitation to receive Christ.

The blessings kept coming. As we walked back to the hotel, I saw Melissa and Julie walking hand in hand with Caroline. All of the people began calling the Brown’s, ‘Momma and Papa Brown.’ They had been in the country only a few days and now had 400+ people to adopt them as grandparents.

Typically, with great blessings like these, come attacks from the enemy. On the walk back, Stan lost his wallet with his cash and credit cards in it.

Nightly Team Meeting

• Julie was blessed by the children and the message in Zomba.
• Melissa was overwhelmed when everyone prayed at the same time, the worship and the dancing to the offering
• Ruth was inspired by the entire day. She loves the kids and was humbled by the greetings.
• Stan was blessed and especially touched by Mr. James singing.
• Mr. James was burdened for Grey’s wife Caroline. He sensed her neediness. He was also blessed by the sermons and the Spirit of the Lord upon the young pastors, the tract passing out and was overall encouraged.
• Randy – I was touched by all of the immediate relationships I had seen the Lord build all day, both inside and outside the team.

After we shared, we prayed. It was so blessed! There was so much humbleness and brokenness. Melissa and Julie cried a lot during their praying.

MONDAY – JUNE 7
We all slept in a little this morning so it was a good thing the van we hired was its usual 45 min late. We arranged for the van that brought us back from Zomba to take us out to the Chapola village today. It is around a 3 hour drive. 2 hours on roads and an hour in the bush. This was a terrifying ride there as our driver was going way too fast and had some unnerving driving habits. Once we arrived, they dropped us there and committed to come back at 1:30pm after our service there.

When we arrived at this brick and bamboo church we were already an hour late, but the people were sitting patiently on the hard ground just singing. It was beautiful. I wondered how long it would have taken churches in the US to clear out?!

The leaders received us with prayer. Once inside Mr. James opened us up with his singing. Ms. Ruth followed up with a word of encouragement. Afterwards, Julie led a Gospel sharing time craft with the salvation bracelets. Melissa and Ruth helped while Stand and I met with the leaders.

Once the craft was over, the elders asked me to bring a message so I spoke on Martha and Mary. The Church was blessed by all of us, and we were all blessed by the Church. It was a great time. Unfortunately, we had to cut it short as we still had an appointed time to be in Thondwe. As usual, the driver was late.

So we all decided to start walking out of the bush and meet the driver on the road when he decided to come back and get us. While walking, we met an elderly man sitting outside his hut. He had heard of our coming, but was too sick to come to the church. His wife invited us to their home to pray for him. Before praying for him, we shared the Gospel, and he accepted the Lord. Herein we see the sovereign hand of God at work. Though we were irritated with the driver’s lateness, the Lord provided a salvation that we would not have been a part of had the driver been on time.

This would be a lesson I would have to cling to dearly in my time in Malawi (and other areas of the world…including home). Our timing is not always God’s timing. Instead of us setting our plans and asking God to adhere to them, we should instead be getting on His schedule for His plans.

We walked for more than hour in the African afternoon sun determined to make the best of the time the Lord was giving us there. We were able to pray and share with a blind man in the village, pass out tracts to Muslims, pray with others, share the Gospel through the bracelets, and more. Eventually the bus did come.

Now because we were so late, we thought we had to further change the plans. We were scheduled to go to Thondwe and Mwaleja for preaching engagements. But we thought we needed to hurry and get back to Blantyre so Stan could contact his family about the lost wallet and credit cards, and the rest of the team had not yet contacted their family.  So we cancelled both of them and rescheduled.

Looking back now I can see where we should have trusted the Lord. He had just shown us how His sovereign hand worked through our delays, yet here we were rushing just an hour later. Who knows what blessings we never got to see through our rushing out back to email family and friends.

Once we left the internet café, we went to Kips for dinner. As we were rounding the street corner, we walked right into Asif. His countenance completely changed when he saw us. He ran to us and clutched me and kissed my neck with tears of joy in his eyes. He shared that he thought I had forgotten him. We shared great fellowship and 2 large pizzas. Be brought him gifts for his daughter, Rijah.

After this it was back to the hotel for group share time and bed.

TUESDAY – JUNE 8
Today was make up day. We hired another minivan to take us back towards Zomba. Our first stop was at a small village called Thondwe just on the outskirts of Zomba. From there we planned on going to Mwaleja on the way back.  Mwaleja was the first church we established on our January trip earlier this year with Pastor Kingsley.  The Thondwe church was a branch church of the Zomba plant.

So on the bus ride to Thondwe, both I and Mr. James were felling wore out and felt a little sick. Julie had brought cold/sinus medicine for me, but had not given it to me. I was sitting alone in the back of the van trying to prepare a message…BUT I WAS COMPLETELY BLANK. This had never happened to me before. Since I had started teaching / preaching 2 ½ years earlier, I had never had this happen. I could not think of a single Scripture or topic to preach on. I was in full panic mode. I was reading, praying, reading some more…but nothing was coming to me. So I began asking the others if the Lord had given them anything to speak on, all said no.

All the while I am in the back panicking, Mrs. Ruth is sharing the gospel through Grey as the interpreter with the driver and conductor. Both accepted the Lord.

So we get to Thondwe and I still cannot think of anything to preach on and my cold/sinus symptoms had gotten worse. So I ask Julie for the medicines she brought me (hoping maybe they would help me clear my head to think), and that is when she told me that she had given them to Mr. James on the van ride up.

So as the people started gathering around, I am praying hard and finally just had to resolve with the Lord that if He didn’t give me or someone something that I was just going to open my Bible and just start reading!  After a couple of songs by the village people (not the singing group, the people in the village), Mr. James sang a song. He was seated right beside me. As he finished, I still had nothing. So as I started to stand up, Mr. James put his hand on my shoulder and just looked at me. Without him saying a word, I knew the Lord had given him a message.  Before he could open his mouth, I told him, ‘preach the Word my brother.’ And that was exactly what he did.

The funny thing is that he was preaching from Ezekiel 37 – the Dry Bones. The page that I had just open the Bible to was Ezekiel 36. And that is not all.  Mr. James preached an amazing half of a sermon…then just stopped…and looked at me again. It was then that the Lord gave me the rest of the sermon from Ezekiel 36 where I had turned to.  That day more than 75 people gave their heart to the Lord in that village. It was truly an amazing move of God.

After the service was all over, and we were heading out on the way to Mwaleja to preach, and a man that had been blind for over 20 years came running to the place where we had the crusade at. When he arrived he told the pastor that he had heard the singing and instantly received his sight back. It was then he felt as if God led him to that place to find out what had just happened and how he had received his sight back.

It was then he was told about Jesus. Not only did that man receive his vision that day, but he also received Jesus as Lord and Savior that day.

I need to also share one other amazing thing that the Lord did there. While we were singing praise and worship songs there was a lady standing out in the crowd directly in front of me with massive tumors under her ear. I found myself bothered by them. Needless to say, the whole time we are singing, I

am ashamed of my being grossed out by this. So I began to pray for the Lord to show me how to see her as He sees her. Right then, Melissa practically ran across the crowd, stood right beside this Malawian lady and grabbed her hand and started singing with her. I just got choked up and had to walk away for  moment.

We practically floated the hour drive to Mwaleja. Wow, what a move of God.

MWALEJA – Pastor Kingsley had assembled his church and villagers together for us in the middle of his cornfield. As we walked the hour trek back into the bush area, we were treated to winding paths through corn fields, mountains on all sides, goats and chickens everywhere, it was beautiful. As we got closer, we could hear music that sounded like you were in the Caribbean somewhere. What a welcome.

The church musicians were playing music on all handmade instruments. The

drummer was using 3 different size metal cans cut in half and turned upside down for the drums and his cymbal was made from flattened bottle caps with holes in them with a metal rod through them all. The guitar player was using an instrument made from a square metal can for the base of the guitar and the strings were actually different size bicycle cables. It was amazing these handmade instruments made such a sweet melody before the Lord.

After the welcome and introductions, Julie, Melissa and Ms. Ruth went up front and danced with the village ladies. Many of the songs they sing in church in Malawi tell a long story. This particular one was about the dangers of gossip and the Scriptures dealing with it. It was beautiful to see these American ladies up front dancing with their Malawian sisters.

After the music Mr. James blessed us all with more songs. They absolutely loved and adored him…he is after all James Brown. We concluded with me preaching and then Julie and the ladies sharing the Gospel craft with the children while Stan and I met with the leaders for about 30 min.

The pictures and videos are incredible.  Our cups were truly running over that night during our share time.

WEDNESDAY – JUNE 9
Today we spent the day going to 4 local orphan care centers that Acts III Global Ministries supports through teaching, food and supplies. The ladies

were able to do their craft for the Gospel bracelet at each. This was probably the most heart-wrenching part of the trip for everyone. We were able to visit and encourage a lot of terminally ill children, most with aids, and many others were disabled. You really don’t know how blessed you are until you visit places like those.

When we left, we knew that the children were told about the hope they have in Christ, and that He has not forgotten nor forsaken them. He sent us there to be his arms to hug them, His hands to comfort them, His mouth to speak to them, and His heart to love them.

THURSDAY – JUNE 10
This would essentially be our last day of full time work as we prepared for the Pastors and leaders conference. Stan and I went over our bylaws for our Ministry’s NGO (Non Governmental Organization – the Malawian equivalent of a non-profit.), doctrine, etc.  Mr. James also gave a great word of exhortation to these men of God about how to properly love and honor their wives.

Julie, Melissa and Ms. Brown also took turns sharing with the ladies involved with Acts III Global Ministries in Malawi. In all, it was a great day. The only complaints were that they did not care for our choice of meal for lunch – peanut butter & jelly.

FRIDAY – JUNE 11
We spent most of the day just fellowshipping with the pastors and their families. We were also able to go to Asif’s house for fellowship. James & Ruth stayed behind, but the rest of us went to their house for a home cooked Pakistani meal. It was all blessed.

Our final night of sharing before our departure on Saturday was so full of wonder, brokenness, gratefulness, humility and a group realization of just how spoiled we are in the US by comparison.

We departed Malawi on Saturday the 12th and arrived back home on Sunday the 13th about 28 hours later.

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