TAKING IT TO THE STREETS. We have been invited to take the School of Ministry into remote villages to train village Pastors in the Inductive Bible Study Method. These Pastors have little or no Biblical training and are anxious to be taught how to study and teach the Word of God. Each village has been visited by us and interviews were conducted with all of the church leaders.
We clarified to them that we are here in Malawi to teach, train & disciple those who are willing to be faithful men, who earnestly desire to learn and then pass on what they have learned to others. It is so much less expensive for us to go to them, than to bring all of them to our home site here in Lilongwe. We will be setting up key villages which are centrally located for the maximum number of Pastors to get to easily. Although these key villages will be fairly easy for the Pastors to get to, it will not be so easy for us.
The villages are two to three hours away from where we live, and getting to them requires a reliable 4X4 vehicle. In order to get to these villages, we need to travel some distance on a paved one-lane highway and then turn off onto a series of dirt roads which have basically been destroyed in the past rainy season. This is very rough terrain and it's practically impossible to travel over without a 4X4 vehicle.
Consequently, we are praying about the purchase of a reliable 4x4 vehicle and are looking at a Toyota or Nissan 4X4. Both of these makes are reliable and are easy to get serviced here as well as obtain parts for, when necessary.
We have sold the Pajero (Praise the Lord!) and we will be selling the Toyota Fun Cargo (our interim 2wd vehicle for getting around town). These funds, coupled with a gift of $1,000 from a dear saint, should amount to approximately $10,000 which is earmarked for the purchase of this new (used) vehicle. Depending upon the year & condition of the vehicle, we are estimating the cost will be in the $14,000 to $17,000 range.
We know that the Lord will use this vehicle in helping us to further the preaching of the Gospel here in Malawi. Not only will I be teaching the Pastors the Inductive Bible Study Method, but two Malawian men who will accompany us will do the translating for me as well as minister to the children in these villages. They will be teaching the village children Bible lessons, utilizing the Jesus Video movie along with a complete puppet ministry, which was recently donated. Nora will be teaching the wives of these pastors as well.
Thank you for joining us as we pray about these exciting new opportunities to serve the Lord in Malawi and also for the additional funds which are needed to purchase a reliable 4x4 vehicle so that we can effectively do so.
We so appreciate the prayers of the saints! As the Scripture reveals, "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16b NKJ)
In Him,
Steve & Nora Braselton
CC School of Ministry - www.theroadtomalawi.blogspot.com
and
Ruth's Shawl Ministry - www.ruthsshawl.org
Lilongwe Malawi Africa
Steve & Nora
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Pray For Malawi
Dear Friends,
Malawi is in the throes of a very difficult scene of protests, riots, burning of cars houses, & businesses, people have been killed & many others hurt badly. Please pray that those who are using violence to stop immediately & that the Gov't leadership will listen & negotiate with the opposition so that peace may be returned to "The Warm Heart of Africa!"
Pray - Pray - Pray!!!!!!!!!
Malawi is in the throes of a very difficult scene of protests, riots, burning of cars houses, & businesses, people have been killed & many others hurt badly. Please pray that those who are using violence to stop immediately & that the Gov't leadership will listen & negotiate with the opposition so that peace may be returned to "The Warm Heart of Africa!"
Pray - Pray - Pray!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Surprise Visit
As most missionaries well know, being away from home & our family is the hardest part of serving our Lord, being far away from all that we are familiar & comfortable with in life. But our Lord is so sweet to give us some of those "God moments", only He can orchestrate. This week we were blessed to have a surprise visit from a long time friend, Trace Thurlby,whom we have not seen or visited with in seven years since he & his family moved from Monterey. Trace came to Malawi to do some work with the Non-Profit organization, Global Orphan Project,who he is he is now associated with on a full time basis. This ministry ministers to orphans worldwide.(www.theglobalorphanproject.org)
Here are some photo's we took when he arrived at the Kamazu International Airport in Lilongwe Malawi. Along with Trace, the other couple is Peter & Emma from Salima,about a two hour drive from Lilongwe, located on Lake Malawi. They run the orphanage here in Malawi. We so enjoyed getting to spend some time with Trace as well as with Peter & Emma, & who knows what God has in mind putting us together in such a beautiful manner.
Thank you Lord for those precious times of surprises, that allow us to see your hand in bringing people together in such a beautiful way!
Here are some photo's we took when he arrived at the Kamazu International Airport in Lilongwe Malawi. Along with Trace, the other couple is Peter & Emma from Salima,about a two hour drive from Lilongwe, located on Lake Malawi. They run the orphanage here in Malawi. We so enjoyed getting to spend some time with Trace as well as with Peter & Emma, & who knows what God has in mind putting us together in such a beautiful manner.
Thank you Lord for those precious times of surprises, that allow us to see your hand in bringing people together in such a beautiful way!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Mphonde Water Mission Project Launching
These photos were taken at the Mphonde Village, about 1 hour out of Lilongwe. The occasion was the launching of the Water Missions International water purification system for the seven villages in this area. Clean potable water will be provided to about 1000 people, who up to this point, either obtained water from the one bore hole manual pump or the creek near by for all the residents of these villages.
With the cooperation of Water Missions (WMI), World Relief, & Calvary Chapel School of Ministry, along with the local Chiefs, church leaders, & citizens of these villages, working together to bring a sense of mutual cooperation, have seen the work of the Holy Spirit to bring this project to bear.
The photos shown are at the Mphonde Village where the meeting was held in the local Catholic Church Building. Typical scenes of village children, current bore hole pump, as well as participants in the launching who included:
Sandress Msiska - Country Director for World Relief Malawi
Nixon Simyiza - Water Missions International in Malawi
Timothy Kailedzi - Children's Director for Ruth's Shawl Ministry as translator
Steedson Chisale - World Relief Community Development in Mphonde
Steve Braselton - Calvary Chapel School of Ministry in Malawi
The people shown inside the church facility were church & community leaders who have worked to bring this project into fruition.
With the cooperation of Water Missions (WMI), World Relief, & Calvary Chapel School of Ministry, along with the local Chiefs, church leaders, & citizens of these villages, working together to bring a sense of mutual cooperation, have seen the work of the Holy Spirit to bring this project to bear.
The photos shown are at the Mphonde Village where the meeting was held in the local Catholic Church Building. Typical scenes of village children, current bore hole pump, as well as participants in the launching who included:
Sandress Msiska - Country Director for World Relief Malawi
Nixon Simyiza - Water Missions International in Malawi
Timothy Kailedzi - Children's Director for Ruth's Shawl Ministry as translator
Steedson Chisale - World Relief Community Development in Mphonde
Steve Braselton - Calvary Chapel School of Ministry in Malawi
The people shown inside the church facility were church & community leaders who have worked to bring this project into fruition.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Malawi Outreach Update Report
A lot of activity has been happening since our last update. We have had a team from Tent Makers Ministry, led by Bill & Susan Weibel who minister in South Africa along with three young adults from the USA, & they were here for eight days of ministry. We ministered to the Ruth’s Shawl widows & orphans in Area 44, along with outreaches to Nsambeta Primary School that has 4880 students; to two separate college campuses; teaching & training of our team that minster to the Bible Clubs in the schools. We also took one day to take a field trip to a village named Dedza, where the famous Malawian Pottery factory/showroom are located, then on to Mua Mission, where we were able to get a guided tour on the history of the three major tribes in Malawi; then we drove on to Lake Malawi, the eighth largest fresh water lake in the world, where the team were able to relax on the beach, swim, sunbathe, and have an enjoyable lunch.
We were later contacted by Neal Pirolo of Emmaus Road Ministry, to see if we would be interested in participating in a week long Pastors Conference in the north of Malawi. Since we had never met the organizing Pastor before, we drove up to his center in Kande, Malawi, a five hour trip to get there. The organizing Pastor gave us a history of their ministry, along with the Pastors who will be attending. We discussed the subject matter he felt was needed by this group of Pastors. We had a quick lunch and drove back in five hours to Lilongwe.
We have also have begun a weekly Bible Study here in our residence with the staff of Water Missions International (WMI) each Monday morning. WMI is a Christian based firm out of South Carolina, who are in Malawi to provide clean potable water to remote villages that do not have good clean water to drink or wash in their respective villages. They target villages of 1-5 thousand people to provide potable water source for drinking, bathing, cooking, & etc. But first, as a prerequisite, they want to present the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Living Water, before they donate the physical water system to the villages. That is where we come in, so we conduct the spiritual aspect to each village with the full cooperation of the local churches.
We have also become very involved with a local church named Flood Church and we are very blessed to be a part of the fellowship of believers. We hold a weekly Growth Group (Home Fellowship) in our home and attend a weekly Prayer Meeting that is held each week to pray for the church & the community of Lilongwe. We have also begun a Pre-Marital Counseling for a couple in the church fellowship. Flood church is pastored by a young Malawian named, Sean Kampondeni, and he is a wonderful teacher of the whole counsel of God. He received his training from the Flood Church out of San Diego, Ca. where he received his ordination. The church is a vibrant group of people that is made up of about 65% Malawians & 35% of azundgu’s (White People). The worship is a mixture of Malawian & English contemporary Christian music. The church has a strong vision & commitment to reach the young adults in Lilongwe. They do outreaches where these young adults hang out, with music, testimonies, and sharing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We love being a part of this wonderful fellowship, and as I shared earlier, Pastor Sean is an excellent teacher of the Word of God.
This past Wednesday, I was asked to teach at the African Bible College at their Devotion Service, attended by all the students & faculty staff. This was a very exciting opportunity & the response from both the students & faculty was so very encouraging.
We have been also working with several hospital & medical clinics in Lilongwe & in very remote villages that are Missionary run facilities, which have so many needs. Things like medications of all types, surgical supplies & equipment are in such short supply! Any contributions or suggestions where to go to inquire about these types of donations would be greatly appreciated & are so vitally needed.
Another area is in the Primary School where we minister each Friday, there is a “Special Needs” class that is so woefully needful of any & all supplies as well as teaching materials. This class has 12 severely handicapped children, being taught by a wonderful woman teacher who is teaching these students with hardly any help or adequate materials or assistance. Any assistance would mean so much to these young children & their Christian teacher.
Please forgive this somewhat long report, but we had so much to tell all of you about and believe me, I have left a lot out of this report. We love & appreciate each one of you who pray for the ministry here in Malawi, for your financial assistance for the ministry, and for your love you continue to shower upon us. We have stated many times before, but we desire to always remember, we could not do what God has called us to minister without each of you. So we say, Zikomo Kwambiri, to one & all. We truly do recognize that it is a team effort, us here in Malawi and all of you wherever you are located in this world we temporarily occupy. This world is not our home, and Jesus Christ is coming back for us real soon, we may not know the day & time of His return, but until that glorious day, let’s be about His agenda together, at home, & all over this earth!
We were later contacted by Neal Pirolo of Emmaus Road Ministry, to see if we would be interested in participating in a week long Pastors Conference in the north of Malawi. Since we had never met the organizing Pastor before, we drove up to his center in Kande, Malawi, a five hour trip to get there. The organizing Pastor gave us a history of their ministry, along with the Pastors who will be attending. We discussed the subject matter he felt was needed by this group of Pastors. We had a quick lunch and drove back in five hours to Lilongwe.
We have also have begun a weekly Bible Study here in our residence with the staff of Water Missions International (WMI) each Monday morning. WMI is a Christian based firm out of South Carolina, who are in Malawi to provide clean potable water to remote villages that do not have good clean water to drink or wash in their respective villages. They target villages of 1-5 thousand people to provide potable water source for drinking, bathing, cooking, & etc. But first, as a prerequisite, they want to present the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Living Water, before they donate the physical water system to the villages. That is where we come in, so we conduct the spiritual aspect to each village with the full cooperation of the local churches.
We have also become very involved with a local church named Flood Church and we are very blessed to be a part of the fellowship of believers. We hold a weekly Growth Group (Home Fellowship) in our home and attend a weekly Prayer Meeting that is held each week to pray for the church & the community of Lilongwe. We have also begun a Pre-Marital Counseling for a couple in the church fellowship. Flood church is pastored by a young Malawian named, Sean Kampondeni, and he is a wonderful teacher of the whole counsel of God. He received his training from the Flood Church out of San Diego, Ca. where he received his ordination. The church is a vibrant group of people that is made up of about 65% Malawians & 35% of azundgu’s (White People). The worship is a mixture of Malawian & English contemporary Christian music. The church has a strong vision & commitment to reach the young adults in Lilongwe. They do outreaches where these young adults hang out, with music, testimonies, and sharing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We love being a part of this wonderful fellowship, and as I shared earlier, Pastor Sean is an excellent teacher of the Word of God.
This past Wednesday, I was asked to teach at the African Bible College at their Devotion Service, attended by all the students & faculty staff. This was a very exciting opportunity & the response from both the students & faculty was so very encouraging.
We have been also working with several hospital & medical clinics in Lilongwe & in very remote villages that are Missionary run facilities, which have so many needs. Things like medications of all types, surgical supplies & equipment are in such short supply! Any contributions or suggestions where to go to inquire about these types of donations would be greatly appreciated & are so vitally needed.
Another area is in the Primary School where we minister each Friday, there is a “Special Needs” class that is so woefully needful of any & all supplies as well as teaching materials. This class has 12 severely handicapped children, being taught by a wonderful woman teacher who is teaching these students with hardly any help or adequate materials or assistance. Any assistance would mean so much to these young children & their Christian teacher.
Please forgive this somewhat long report, but we had so much to tell all of you about and believe me, I have left a lot out of this report. We love & appreciate each one of you who pray for the ministry here in Malawi, for your financial assistance for the ministry, and for your love you continue to shower upon us. We have stated many times before, but we desire to always remember, we could not do what God has called us to minister without each of you. So we say, Zikomo Kwambiri, to one & all. We truly do recognize that it is a team effort, us here in Malawi and all of you wherever you are located in this world we temporarily occupy. This world is not our home, and Jesus Christ is coming back for us real soon, we may not know the day & time of His return, but until that glorious day, let’s be about His agenda together, at home, & all over this earth!
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