Hi from Lilongwe Malawi Africa!
We enjoyed a great Sunday Service at CC Lilongwe this morning, finishing chapter 2 of the Book of Ephesians, that our salvation is by grace through faith, brought near by His blood, that Christ is our peace, that the middle wall of separation has been torn down , but as believers we all now one body in Christ, and that Christ is our cornerstone and that we all are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
A number of new visitors and a growing number of people enjoying the IBS method of teaching and learning the heart of the scripture and how it pertains to each believer and involves our daily life in Christ!
Malawi is a beautiful country and has so many wonderful people, who are eager to learn more about the Bible and their savior. Please pray for us as we move forward for the new Pastoral Training & Discipleship School and the Evangelistic Outreaches using the new DVD Projector and taking the Jesus Video in the Chichawa language to very remote villages. The new semester for the primary & secondary school begins tomorrow with over 500 students at CC Lilongwe School, so please pray for the students be well taught and they are able to pay their fees for each student attending. Poverty is so bad, it is always unsure who will be able to attend and there are so many other young people who would love to attend, but have no money to pay for their schooling.
Nora & my health is good, we are very happy serving here and we covet your prayers and support. God is laying out His Spirit upon this land and we have the honor & privilege of being a part of God's work here in Malawi. We love you all and appreciate your prayers, love, and support. Without all of you, we could accomplish very little. But with God and each of you, we can be led by the Holy Spirit to accomplish His will here in this wonderful country, and with its people, who are hungering for the Word of God and thirsting for direction for their lives.
God bless you all,
Steve & Nora
Steve & Nora
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Happy Resurrection Day
Hello again from Lilongwe Malawi Africa. It is a beautiful day here, as we sit here on the konde looking out on the beautiful garden area, meditating upon the grace & mercy of God towards all of us. Tomorrow we will celebrate with Christians all over the face of the earth, the marvelous, fantastic, unbelievable, miracle of the Resurrection of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ!!!! And HE did it all for each one of us as HE suffered the shame of crucifixion, for the joy that was set before HIM, us!! (Hebrews 12:2) We will be spending eternity attempting to thank HIM for His death & HIS resurrection, for without the resurrection, we would have no hope. The tomb is empty and HE is risen!! HE sits at the right hand of the Father praying & interceding for us right now, and everyday, that we will not grow weary in well doing and grow faint, for in due season we will reap our reward! HE is risen - Risen indeed!!
Laura Bomarito & Laurel (Lulu) Fuge just concluded a two week medical outreach to many of the villages, ministering to every kind of sickness, diseases, skin conditions, Malaria, Aids/HIV, and the list goes on! They were so welcomed by the village people, for they have no resources to go to a clinic or hospital. Both Laura & Lulu left Malawi with a totally different heart & understanding of the people & living conditions found here in a extremely poor country with a 60% unemployment rate, 90% of the population lives on less than a dollar a day, only 6% of the country enjoys the luxury of electricity, & with little hope that any of these things will ever improve! Where the daily goal of the average citizen is to stay alive one more day and the average current life span of a woman in Malawi is 37 years. Most of us have no concept of what hardship really means in day to day life & to be deprived of most basic necessities of life.
But GOD......... HE loves the people of Malawi and desires to see them come to a good understanding of who HE is, how much HE loves them & how He wants to bless them. God wants see them turn from idol worship, ancestor worship, the name it & claim it false doctrine pervading this country, & all other false doctrines & religions found here in Malawi! It has become so much clearer why God has sent Nora & I here, to train & mentor pastors & leaders and we are both blessed that HE has called two older people to come here, but HE is able to use anyone, young or older, who is willing to walk by faith, to trust HIM as HE ministers through us, and to be obedient to HIS calling, even when we do not understand! God is good all the time!!
The things needed to accomplish what God has ordained for Malawi are:
1. Prayers of the saints
2. Called & trained dedicated people ready to lay down their lives to serve others in these last days
2. Called & trained dedicated people ready to lay down their lives to serve others in these last days
3. Finances - Opportunities to invest in furthering the gospel in Malawi;
Support for village Pastors in training;
( Salvation is free, ministry can be expensive)
Support for village Pastors in training;
( Salvation is free, ministry can be expensive)
If you have any leading of the Lord that HE is calling you to serve HIM in a new and dynamic way, God can use you mightily in Malawi! If HE is not calling you to come, but possibly HE is urging you to be generous in giving, within your means, then be obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit. There is so much that can be done and the time is growing short before our Lord returns soon for HIS church.
Please pray for us and the work here in Malawi. Both Nora & I love the country & its people, but they need our help to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to so many lost souls. Does God desire your participation? Only you and God can determine that, but please be willing to ask HIM!!
Happy Resurrection Day to you all and celebrate HIM with joy, as HE is coming back for us real soon!!!!!
Monday, March 23, 2009
update #3 from malawi
Since our last posting, both Nora & I have come down with an intestinal bacteria infection, which has laid us both up since Friday March 13th. We are much better now with just fatigue and lack of energy. Our eating capacity has been very low, which does not help us to regain our strength, so we are asking all to be praying for us to recover quickly and totally.
The work of the ministry has continue despite our lack of participation. Additional Bibles have been purchased and in the process of being distributed to needy churches within the Calvary Chapel family of churches. Lack of Bibles is a critical shortage here and all help in this arena would be a great blessing. Bibles can be purchased here in Malawi from the Bible Society of Malawi at $7.75 per Bible.
We are need of Pastor Support of the Pastors attending the Pastoral Training & Discipleship School here in Lilongwe. A monthly support of $50.00 per month per Pastor will allow them to concentrate on training and pay for a lot of their monthly needs to keep their family together. Currently we have 20 Pastors who are need of this support. If you have a leading to help in this way, all donations can be directed to Calvary Chapel Monterey Bay at 3001 Monterey-Salinas Highway, Monterey, Ca. 93940. Telephone number is (831) 649-1158 and mark your contribution as Malawi Outreach.
We have a solid group of Pastors to work with and are eager to be trained and then be ready to train others, so the work of spreading the Gospel can be expanded greatly through-out Malawi. Our primary lack is funding in order to allow this to come into fruition. I realize that this smacks of solicitation, but for the Gospel sake here in Malawi, I am willing to take this risk.
Thank you for all of your prayers, love & support. We serve in Malawi at the request of our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ.
The work of the ministry has continue despite our lack of participation. Additional Bibles have been purchased and in the process of being distributed to needy churches within the Calvary Chapel family of churches. Lack of Bibles is a critical shortage here and all help in this arena would be a great blessing. Bibles can be purchased here in Malawi from the Bible Society of Malawi at $7.75 per Bible.
We are need of Pastor Support of the Pastors attending the Pastoral Training & Discipleship School here in Lilongwe. A monthly support of $50.00 per month per Pastor will allow them to concentrate on training and pay for a lot of their monthly needs to keep their family together. Currently we have 20 Pastors who are need of this support. If you have a leading to help in this way, all donations can be directed to Calvary Chapel Monterey Bay at 3001 Monterey-Salinas Highway, Monterey, Ca. 93940. Telephone number is (831) 649-1158 and mark your contribution as Malawi Outreach.
We have a solid group of Pastors to work with and are eager to be trained and then be ready to train others, so the work of spreading the Gospel can be expanded greatly through-out Malawi. Our primary lack is funding in order to allow this to come into fruition. I realize that this smacks of solicitation, but for the Gospel sake here in Malawi, I am willing to take this risk.
Thank you for all of your prayers, love & support. We serve in Malawi at the request of our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Update from Malawi
Praise His Holy Name!
Since we last posted to our blog, there has been so much happening here in Malawi. Pastor Demitri from CC Cape Town and Pastor Mike from CC Parrl South Africa arrived from South Africa on March 2nd and began a Pastor's Conferencewhich ran from March 3 - 8th here at CC Lilongwe Malawi Africa. There were 125 Pastor's & church Elders from all over Central Malawi Many of them traveling 3-4 days to be here for the conference. They were all housed in the empty school rooms with cement floors, no running water and no cooking facilities other than open fires outside. They ate together and fellowship together until all hours of the night singing praise songs unto the Lord for the blessings of being involved & included in the conference.
The people of Malawi are some of the most loving, caring, warm, and nurturing people anyone will likely find anywhere in the world. "The Warm Heart of Africa" is how Malawi is referred to throughout Africa. The people we have ministered to are very teachable and they grasp the teaching concepts very well. They are eager to learn and grow in their depth of understanding of the Word of God and how to apply it to their daily lives!
There was also some 12 local people who attended church this past Sunday who gave their lives to the Lord for the first time. God's Spirit is working and we all sense the moving of the Holy Spirit the whole week. Pastor;s Demitri & Mike left on Monday afternoon back to their respective home churches, but expressing the strong desire to return to Malawi soon with others to assist in expanding God's work here in Malawi! Thanks Demitri & Mike for a job well done and we look forward to your soon return.
On March 25th, we have two nurses from CC Monterey Bay coming to Malawi for a two week mission work using their gifts in medical training to help with the many sick & diseased men, women, & children here in Lilongwe and surrounding areas. There are so many needs here that it is hard to verbalize all of them. People are so poor and everything here is so expensive. It is a daily battle to just to keep food on the table to feed your family, much less take good care of medical needs that we all have wherever we live. Walking is the main mode of transportation, as people are out by 5:30 am to start walking to their jobs and places of employment, if they have any employment? Unemployment is 60% here in Malawi, so street vendors are everywhere selling just about anything they can get their hands on to sell!
We will be now beginning laying the structure foundation of the new Pastoral Training & Discipleship School, deciding on final issues like curriculum, days people are available to come and who we will begin with as to number of students. Exciting days ahead, but the enemy is really ticked and throwing the kitchen sink at us, so please be praying for us and the people of Malawi as we continue the march of following our Lord for the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout Malawi. Their current knowledge of the scripture is quite shallow, but they are eager to learn, and our enemy does not want us to succeed in helping them to grow.
Prayer needs:
1. Physical strength for us as the heat has drained us somewhat.
2. Wisdom in establishing the school for pastors.
3. Monetary assistance for these pastors so they can give themselves fully to the work of the Lord. ( $50.00 per month supports a Pastor, wife & family of 4 children)
4. A four wheeled vehicle to be able to visit the outlying villages where roads as we know them do not exist.
5. Pastor Tom is retiring from his full time job so he can devote full time to the ministry of the church, Grade School, Secondary School, and being a pastor to the younger pastors.
6. Continued good health for Nora & I both.
That's all for now, please keep us all in your prayers and we appreciate all of you for your love, prayers and support.
In HIM,
Steve & Nora
Since we last posted to our blog, there has been so much happening here in Malawi. Pastor Demitri from CC Cape Town and Pastor Mike from CC Parrl South Africa arrived from South Africa on March 2nd and began a Pastor's Conferencewhich ran from March 3 - 8th here at CC Lilongwe Malawi Africa. There were 125 Pastor's & church Elders from all over Central Malawi Many of them traveling 3-4 days to be here for the conference. They were all housed in the empty school rooms with cement floors, no running water and no cooking facilities other than open fires outside. They ate together and fellowship together until all hours of the night singing praise songs unto the Lord for the blessings of being involved & included in the conference.
The people of Malawi are some of the most loving, caring, warm, and nurturing people anyone will likely find anywhere in the world. "The Warm Heart of Africa" is how Malawi is referred to throughout Africa. The people we have ministered to are very teachable and they grasp the teaching concepts very well. They are eager to learn and grow in their depth of understanding of the Word of God and how to apply it to their daily lives!
There was also some 12 local people who attended church this past Sunday who gave their lives to the Lord for the first time. God's Spirit is working and we all sense the moving of the Holy Spirit the whole week. Pastor;s Demitri & Mike left on Monday afternoon back to their respective home churches, but expressing the strong desire to return to Malawi soon with others to assist in expanding God's work here in Malawi! Thanks Demitri & Mike for a job well done and we look forward to your soon return.
On March 25th, we have two nurses from CC Monterey Bay coming to Malawi for a two week mission work using their gifts in medical training to help with the many sick & diseased men, women, & children here in Lilongwe and surrounding areas. There are so many needs here that it is hard to verbalize all of them. People are so poor and everything here is so expensive. It is a daily battle to just to keep food on the table to feed your family, much less take good care of medical needs that we all have wherever we live. Walking is the main mode of transportation, as people are out by 5:30 am to start walking to their jobs and places of employment, if they have any employment? Unemployment is 60% here in Malawi, so street vendors are everywhere selling just about anything they can get their hands on to sell!
We will be now beginning laying the structure foundation of the new Pastoral Training & Discipleship School, deciding on final issues like curriculum, days people are available to come and who we will begin with as to number of students. Exciting days ahead, but the enemy is really ticked and throwing the kitchen sink at us, so please be praying for us and the people of Malawi as we continue the march of following our Lord for the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout Malawi. Their current knowledge of the scripture is quite shallow, but they are eager to learn, and our enemy does not want us to succeed in helping them to grow.
Prayer needs:
1. Physical strength for us as the heat has drained us somewhat.
2. Wisdom in establishing the school for pastors.
3. Monetary assistance for these pastors so they can give themselves fully to the work of the Lord. ( $50.00 per month supports a Pastor, wife & family of 4 children)
4. A four wheeled vehicle to be able to visit the outlying villages where roads as we know them do not exist.
5. Pastor Tom is retiring from his full time job so he can devote full time to the ministry of the church, Grade School, Secondary School, and being a pastor to the younger pastors.
6. Continued good health for Nora & I both.
That's all for now, please keep us all in your prayers and we appreciate all of you for your love, prayers and support.
In HIM,
Steve & Nora
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Praising God for HIS goodness & faithfulness
With God all things are possible in HIM! We have been able within two days to settle our housing situation and found a automobile to purchase that fits into our budget. God is good all the time and HIS Word tells us that HE is good to those that wait upon HIM. We have been in Malawi since 2-9-09 and have been looking everyday for housing & a car that we could afford. After looking at so many different ones, it became very tiresome indeed!
So, today as we attended CC Lilongwe, we were able to share our blessings with them in regard to our faithful heavenly Father and how HE always provides where HE guides. I began a series of teaching on Sunday mornings in the Book of Ephesians and on Wednesday nights will be doing a series out of Joshua as soon as the pastors Seminar is concluded on March 9th, being led by Pastor Demitri of CC Cape Town South Africa & Pastor Mike Portland of Paarl, South Africa.
There is a clear move of God here in Malawi and we as the Church of God can be a part of it in our prayers, our giving, and in our active participation in listening to what our Lord has to say to each of us individually. Nora & I are truly blessed to be here and watch the Holy Spirit work among His people, stirring them up to love and good works.
There is so much that can be done, so if you have any leadings from the Lord about coming to Malawi, for either short term or long term missions work, please contact us. You will be blessed. Please continue your prayers for us and we remain,
In HIM,
Steve & Nora
So, today as we attended CC Lilongwe, we were able to share our blessings with them in regard to our faithful heavenly Father and how HE always provides where HE guides. I began a series of teaching on Sunday mornings in the Book of Ephesians and on Wednesday nights will be doing a series out of Joshua as soon as the pastors Seminar is concluded on March 9th, being led by Pastor Demitri of CC Cape Town South Africa & Pastor Mike Portland of Paarl, South Africa.
There is a clear move of God here in Malawi and we as the Church of God can be a part of it in our prayers, our giving, and in our active participation in listening to what our Lord has to say to each of us individually. Nora & I are truly blessed to be here and watch the Holy Spirit work among His people, stirring them up to love and good works.
There is so much that can be done, so if you have any leadings from the Lord about coming to Malawi, for either short term or long term missions work, please contact us. You will be blessed. Please continue your prayers for us and we remain,
In HIM,
Steve & Nora
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Update # 2 from Malawi
12-24-09
We have been going everyday, attempting to find a house to rent and a vehicle to purchase and to date no success! Everything here is so expensive and everyone and everything moves at a much slower pace than we are accustomed to in the U.S. We have been out to visit outlining villages churches, outreaches in the village where Pastor Tom's church is located which has about 30,000 people, have had the blessing of teaching on three occasions, and just basically busy. The raining season is here and it has been raining a lot, but that has not stop what we are doing. A team from Cape Town South Africa led by Pastor Demitri will arrive on Monday and there will be a week long pastors seminar put on at CC Lilongwe. We have a team arriving March 28th from Calvary Chapel Monterey Bay, and another team from Germany in may, and a team from CC Wahiawa Hawaii in July.
Somewhere in between, I will begin the Pastoral Training & Discipleship School and Nora has assumed the leadership of the Women's Ministry and will be starting her training of the women at the same time. There is so much God is doing here and we are so blessed to be here. The people of Malawi are wonderful people, so eager to learn and very teachable.
The paryer needs we have are:
1. House to rent.
2. Car to purchase.
3. Pastor Seminar next week.
4. Getting more organized and in step with the leaders here.
5. God's annoiting on both Nora & I so we can be used by God as HE directs.
6. CC Lilongwe is in vital need of a used 4 wheeled drive vehicle to able to go out to outlining
villages.
More update later, keep us all in your prayers. Both Nora & I are well and very happy to be here.
Love,
Steve & Nora
We have been going everyday, attempting to find a house to rent and a vehicle to purchase and to date no success! Everything here is so expensive and everyone and everything moves at a much slower pace than we are accustomed to in the U.S. We have been out to visit outlining villages churches, outreaches in the village where Pastor Tom's church is located which has about 30,000 people, have had the blessing of teaching on three occasions, and just basically busy. The raining season is here and it has been raining a lot, but that has not stop what we are doing. A team from Cape Town South Africa led by Pastor Demitri will arrive on Monday and there will be a week long pastors seminar put on at CC Lilongwe. We have a team arriving March 28th from Calvary Chapel Monterey Bay, and another team from Germany in may, and a team from CC Wahiawa Hawaii in July.
Somewhere in between, I will begin the Pastoral Training & Discipleship School and Nora has assumed the leadership of the Women's Ministry and will be starting her training of the women at the same time. There is so much God is doing here and we are so blessed to be here. The people of Malawi are wonderful people, so eager to learn and very teachable.
The paryer needs we have are:
1. House to rent.
2. Car to purchase.
3. Pastor Seminar next week.
4. Getting more organized and in step with the leaders here.
5. God's annoiting on both Nora & I so we can be used by God as HE directs.
6. CC Lilongwe is in vital need of a used 4 wheeled drive vehicle to able to go out to outlining
villages.
More update later, keep us all in your prayers. Both Nora & I are well and very happy to be here.
Love,
Steve & Nora
Monday, February 16, 2009
Update from Steve & Nora
2-13-09
To all of our loved ones:
Nora & I arrived at the airport from South Africa on 2/9, greeted by Pastor Tom & members of his congregation. As we came out of customs, they broke out in songs of praise for us arriving to join them. That was followed by lots of hugs from everyone, & then we loaded a bus to drive to their church location. They sang the entire trip (30 minutes); you cannot envision the beautiful sounds they are able to make without any instrumentation. Absolutely marvelous and I know that it must have been pleasing to our Lords ears!! It sure was for Nora & I, as we made our way back into Lilongwe proper.
Their church facility is in the middle of their village, and it is able to seat over 200 people. Pastor Tom indicates it is full every Sunday & Wednesday for the services. There are several buildings on the property that house a Christian School, from K through 8 and also a High School 9-12. These buildings are very simple structures, but functional for their purposes. It is also where the Pastoral Training & Discipleship School will be located. We will be sending lots of pictures soon.
Pastor Tom is so organized as well as excited about what God seems to be preparing us all for in expanding the ministry into many parts of Malawi. Their needs are many, but they make use of what they have and do not let their lack from stopping them from sharing the gospel wherever they can get to, to do so. Pastor Tom and a group of other Pastors have planted 29 small little churches through out the surrounding areas. We will be updating what their needs are specifically, so if anyone who may be interested and able, might want to contribute towards. Lack of Bibles is a major issue. Any gifts toward any specific need can be handled through CCMB with a note attached stating what area of ministry their gift is to be directed. Please know all designated gifts are used only for that purpose and not used for general expenses. Getting to these places is very difficult and gasoline is roughly $10.00 per gallon. The necessity for a good 4 wheel drive or comparable vehicle is a real & current need to be able to travel in difficult terrain. Their roads are primarily very rough dirt roads and it is the rainy season right now, which starts in November & runs through March. Efficient/safe transportation is high on the prayer list in or out of the rainy season.
I taught this past Wednesday night at their mid-week service, followed up by Nora & I having dinner with all the fellowship. They are such a gracious people, full of the love of God! Our goal is to get to know them well as soon as possible, for in Africa, not much can be accomplished without first establishing a good relationship with the people. They are so ready to be taught in the depth of the Word, and Pastor Tom is so open to having that done in his fellowship.
The team from South Africa, led by Pastor Demitri from Cape Town, along with several other Pastors are coming to do a four day Pastor Seminar in early March. In addition, Laura Bomarito and Laurel Fuge will be arriving on March 28th and will stay for two weeks, using their medical skills within the church at CC Lilongwe as well other places. We are so blessed and excited about their upcoming trip, & they are taking their shots right now and have already purchased their airline tickets. PTL !!! We have also had some others tell us they might be coming in April and others in June.
So as one can see, God is not wasting any time getting more people involved in giving away the gifts they have been given by the Lord, to share with those who have so little. Both Nora & I are so extremely blessed that HE has allowed us to come & serve here in Malawi. After being picked up at the airport, we drove to Pastor Tom’s church facility, where we met yet additional people from the church, and both Nora & I had the opportunity to share with them through an interpreter, and to see their joy in their faces is a sight we will never forget!
We were then driven to Annie’s Lodge where we will be staying for a while until we have housing, which we hope & pray God will provide for us at a rental rate we can afford. We want a home where we can put up teams coming to minister here, so please pray that God will show us where and how! Later that evening a couple we met in 2007 while in Lilongwe invited us to their home for dinner. They are a Belgium family, Christophe & Sabine Horvath, along with three beautiful children, Jonas, Lila & Katayana. They are a most gracious and hospitable family. We were truly blessed by the whole day of events; God is truly blessing us and showing us we are just where HE wants us to be for this season.
Today (2/10) we are resting, praying and studying for tomorrow night at CC Lilongwe. We are at peace with our Lord and with each other, ready to begin in earnest this new chapter of our lives & ministry. Our entire trip over to both South Africa and now Malawi has gone without a problem. All of our bags were there when we arrived at each location, although one of them has been ruined due to hard handling, but we have not lost any of our belongings. Quite different than in our last trip here when our bag with all of our valuables was stolen in Johannesburg.
Oh, we have a wonderful story to share. When we were here in 2007, the manager of Annie’s Lodge, who is a Christian brother, attended all of our sessions we held there and was full of questions on each session. He shared with us that his heart was to be a full time minister of the gospel. So we prayed over him and asked God, if it was HIS will, to grant Joel the desires of his heart. Well, we just learned that he is now a full time minister, traveling all over Malawi as an evangelist and teacher! God is so good, praise HIS Holy name! We will be meeting with Joel in person on 2/13 to get up to date with he, his family and his ministry. His prayer for us in 2007 was that we would return to Malawi to teach his people, as he was so encouraged through our teachings. And lo and behold, here we are!
Thank you for your prayers and support, we have seen so many answers already. Continue to pray for open doors and receptive hearts as we move forward. God bless each one of you and we remain,
In HIM,
Steve & Nora Braselton
To all of our loved ones:
Nora & I arrived at the airport from South Africa on 2/9, greeted by Pastor Tom & members of his congregation. As we came out of customs, they broke out in songs of praise for us arriving to join them. That was followed by lots of hugs from everyone, & then we loaded a bus to drive to their church location. They sang the entire trip (30 minutes); you cannot envision the beautiful sounds they are able to make without any instrumentation. Absolutely marvelous and I know that it must have been pleasing to our Lords ears!! It sure was for Nora & I, as we made our way back into Lilongwe proper.
Their church facility is in the middle of their village, and it is able to seat over 200 people. Pastor Tom indicates it is full every Sunday & Wednesday for the services. There are several buildings on the property that house a Christian School, from K through 8 and also a High School 9-12. These buildings are very simple structures, but functional for their purposes. It is also where the Pastoral Training & Discipleship School will be located. We will be sending lots of pictures soon.
Pastor Tom is so organized as well as excited about what God seems to be preparing us all for in expanding the ministry into many parts of Malawi. Their needs are many, but they make use of what they have and do not let their lack from stopping them from sharing the gospel wherever they can get to, to do so. Pastor Tom and a group of other Pastors have planted 29 small little churches through out the surrounding areas. We will be updating what their needs are specifically, so if anyone who may be interested and able, might want to contribute towards. Lack of Bibles is a major issue. Any gifts toward any specific need can be handled through CCMB with a note attached stating what area of ministry their gift is to be directed. Please know all designated gifts are used only for that purpose and not used for general expenses. Getting to these places is very difficult and gasoline is roughly $10.00 per gallon. The necessity for a good 4 wheel drive or comparable vehicle is a real & current need to be able to travel in difficult terrain. Their roads are primarily very rough dirt roads and it is the rainy season right now, which starts in November & runs through March. Efficient/safe transportation is high on the prayer list in or out of the rainy season.
I taught this past Wednesday night at their mid-week service, followed up by Nora & I having dinner with all the fellowship. They are such a gracious people, full of the love of God! Our goal is to get to know them well as soon as possible, for in Africa, not much can be accomplished without first establishing a good relationship with the people. They are so ready to be taught in the depth of the Word, and Pastor Tom is so open to having that done in his fellowship.
The team from South Africa, led by Pastor Demitri from Cape Town, along with several other Pastors are coming to do a four day Pastor Seminar in early March. In addition, Laura Bomarito and Laurel Fuge will be arriving on March 28th and will stay for two weeks, using their medical skills within the church at CC Lilongwe as well other places. We are so blessed and excited about their upcoming trip, & they are taking their shots right now and have already purchased their airline tickets. PTL !!! We have also had some others tell us they might be coming in April and others in June.
So as one can see, God is not wasting any time getting more people involved in giving away the gifts they have been given by the Lord, to share with those who have so little. Both Nora & I are so extremely blessed that HE has allowed us to come & serve here in Malawi. After being picked up at the airport, we drove to Pastor Tom’s church facility, where we met yet additional people from the church, and both Nora & I had the opportunity to share with them through an interpreter, and to see their joy in their faces is a sight we will never forget!
We were then driven to Annie’s Lodge where we will be staying for a while until we have housing, which we hope & pray God will provide for us at a rental rate we can afford. We want a home where we can put up teams coming to minister here, so please pray that God will show us where and how! Later that evening a couple we met in 2007 while in Lilongwe invited us to their home for dinner. They are a Belgium family, Christophe & Sabine Horvath, along with three beautiful children, Jonas, Lila & Katayana. They are a most gracious and hospitable family. We were truly blessed by the whole day of events; God is truly blessing us and showing us we are just where HE wants us to be for this season.
Today (2/10) we are resting, praying and studying for tomorrow night at CC Lilongwe. We are at peace with our Lord and with each other, ready to begin in earnest this new chapter of our lives & ministry. Our entire trip over to both South Africa and now Malawi has gone without a problem. All of our bags were there when we arrived at each location, although one of them has been ruined due to hard handling, but we have not lost any of our belongings. Quite different than in our last trip here when our bag with all of our valuables was stolen in Johannesburg.
Oh, we have a wonderful story to share. When we were here in 2007, the manager of Annie’s Lodge, who is a Christian brother, attended all of our sessions we held there and was full of questions on each session. He shared with us that his heart was to be a full time minister of the gospel. So we prayed over him and asked God, if it was HIS will, to grant Joel the desires of his heart. Well, we just learned that he is now a full time minister, traveling all over Malawi as an evangelist and teacher! God is so good, praise HIS Holy name! We will be meeting with Joel in person on 2/13 to get up to date with he, his family and his ministry. His prayer for us in 2007 was that we would return to Malawi to teach his people, as he was so encouraged through our teachings. And lo and behold, here we are!
Thank you for your prayers and support, we have seen so many answers already. Continue to pray for open doors and receptive hearts as we move forward. God bless each one of you and we remain,
In HIM,
Steve & Nora Braselton
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