AP

Thank you for giving time to read my journals. I realise that my rambling thoughts and reflections are not everyone’s ‘cup of tea’ but I wanted, at the least, to give you all a taste of culture and life here in Central Africa and to marvel with me at how Almighty God works powerfully in peoples’ lives across the world. I’m mindful of how “God is reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting sins against them” (2 Cor 5:19).

Today (Saturday) was an amazing experience to be with fellow Christians gathered in the furnace of a remote village of SW Mala, toward the end of the Malawian road, near the Mozambique border. I thought they might have been exaggerating about the heat, but alas: no. It felt like working in 40 degrees Celsius but I suspect it wasn’t quite that because the humidity plays tricks on how you feel. And it’s like this for most of the year. I’d judge it as unbearable, but clearly it’s not – people live here.

But I rush ahead. Cultural idiosyncrasies are interesting to me. For a long day trip I always check on the car the day before. But, Wilson, stop worrying! After picking people for the day from their various abodes, then meeting together for heartfelt prayer for travelling mercies, we set off … for fuel. This can take quite a while. I watched as Colin talked his way to the front of a significant queue of trucks waiting for diesel. Not sure how he did this. 

Then much discussion and hovering around the open engine bonnet. What now, I thought? We’re losing water from the radiator. My immediate response, considering where we’re driving today: swap cars as water leakage seems to me to be an issue worth worrying about. But then I noticed they were pouring some form of additive into the radiator. Later I noticed a half-empty box of 50 teabags in the car. The successful additive was “tea leaves”.

We drove from Blantyre plateau down to the River Shire. This is serious descent – picture the drive from Mt Buffalo Chalet to Bright. Along the valley to the community called Chikwawa and then further south to a struggling village Nchalo. With a stop at Nchalo CCAP to pick up a truckload of mvano women (yes, the correct word for the women is “truckload”), we then meandered on goat tracks into the bush where no-one could sustain life, until reaching a small village, I could hear singing beyond a clump of bushes. This is Mbwembe. We were welcomed by singing choirs, beaming elders of the church, a roofless church building and the shade of a huge Mbwembe tree. The reason for the warm welcome: (1) this prayer house has NEVER received a delegation from “Synod headquarters” before; and (2) Rev Mbawa was bringing Bibles.

Our mission today: to personally hand over 60 copies of the Scriptures as a gift for this most remote of CCAP Blantyre Synod congregations: Mbwenba prayer house of Nchalo parish. This was part of Colin’s pastoral response to the devastation of Cyclone Freddie last year which swept away people’s possessions, home and (for some) children. Colin’s heart immediately went to this congregation and asked that part of the emergency relief donation that we (the PCA) raised would be for Bible distribution.

All the usual elements of Christian worship were there: prayer, singing, Bible reading and preaching. Only this time the added element was personally handing over a Bible to each needy person. What a delight. Then the pastor urged them to form small groups whereby they’d meet regularly to read together from their new book.

We finished with speeches of thank yous and other courtesies, led firstly by a thank you from the Village Chief (an important local formality whether the chief is from their congregation, or not, or no congregation at all).

My father’s uncle gave a significant part of his life to teach the Christian faith on Likoma Island. Dad would tell me of the excitement he felt whenever as a lad he could visit his “Uncle G”(Rev George H Wilson) and listen to his tales of Nyassaland. Little did Dad know that 100 years later his own son would be carrying on the mission. I am privileged to see God at work today in the hearts of these forgotten people – whose livelihood is fragile and who battle the beating sun, annual floods and the occasional cyclone.

Language barrier is the huge problem – and I feel locked out from personal communication in that I cannot speak Chichewa yet. However, despite that obvious separation, I feel connected with these dear people because they share a genuine love of Christ Jesus. The mvano choir was singing: “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus”. How did that happen? I think we know the answer. And we thank God for the faithful pioneering work of the early missionaries, many of who gave their lives to bring the good news of Christ in the 1860s and following.

Only upon return to Blantyre did I feel exhaustion from being exposed to the heat of the Shire River Valley and preaching in it – but very grateful for the experience. 

– John Wilson