Mike and Debbie Burns

**Please remember to double click on any photo to see in larger view.

A few weeks ago I prepared a blog post on our first Christmas in Malawi.  Mike will be creating a blog post on the five day St. James CCAP Youth Retreat we attended, which was a meaningful experience for both of us.  We felt an special post was needed to highlight and give thanks to the many touching and thoughtful ways in which people sent their love to us.

First of all, we wished to thank everyone who sent us caring emails, Facebook messages, e-Christmas cards and e-Christmas letters.  It meant so much to us to feel connected with our family and friends, to learn what everyone was doing over the Christmas season and to see photos of some of the activities that took place.

We were then pleased by all of the Skype conversations we had during the season.  To be away from our family and friends was difficult, but being able to see people′s faces and see them in their homes, made us almost feel like we were there.  Similarly, we received two Christmas videos which made us feel like we were there in their homes with them and we can watch again and again.  One video was from our dear friends, Nancy and Tom with their two sons, Adam and Owen and the other was from thoughtful friends, Sharon and Kari and our beloved godchildren, Erik and Gabrielle.

We thank Debbie′s Dad, Richie and Heather for their love and presents and Mike′s Mom and Stepdad for their love, presents and trip here in November.   We look forward to visits from Dad, Aunt Pat and Heather this year.

We were surprised and overwhelmed by all the mail we have received!  Those of you we cautioned not to mail us anything due to the slow mail delivery here, please accept our apology as the mail has been great this month!  Thank you very much to our family in Nova Scotia and Ontario, our friends in Montreal, the special International Ministries team that sent us beautiful cards.  We really appreciate it.

Close up photo of some of the wonderful correspondence

We wish to specifically recognize a group of you, who we don′t know, have never met and may never meet who took the time and care to send us cards, notes and letters expressing your interest, support and prayers for our work here.  Included in two of these were a Christmas bookmark and a cross-stitch.  I wish to name the Presbyterian churches (PC), church groups, Women′s Missionary Society (WMS) and Atlantic Mission Society (AMS) and their locations in Canada, but will keep the individual names private.

Esther Mission Circle, Thorburn, NS

St. James PC′s AMS, Truro, NS

First PC′s MacLellan-Fraser AMS, Stellarton, NS

Iona PC′s AMS, Dartmouth, NS (2)

First Sackville PC′s AMS, Lower Sackville, NS

Knox PC′s AMS, Boularderie (Cape Breton), NS

Bethel PC′s Sunday School, Sydney (Cape Breton), NS

Summerside PC′s Circle of Joy AMS, Summerside, PEI

Cromarty PC′s Marian Ritchie WMS, Staffer, ON

St. Columba PC′s Joy Mahood WMS, Parksville, BC

All of our touching correspondence

We wish to express our warmth and gratitude to the ongoing relationship we have with Janie and the rest of the congregation of Nassagaweya Presbyterian Church (NPC) near Guelph, Ontario.  We were moved to tears by your card, the book on the Psalms, the 20 individually written prayers cards, but most of all by your friendship.  We follow and share your NPC newsletter and are continually in our thoughts, especially in this transition time.  Thanks be to God for the spirit that brought us into one another′s lives and hearts.

We appreciate everyone′s ongoing support, prayers and correspondence.  May God′s blessings be with you.

**Please remember you may double-click on any photo to enlarge it

We had some trepidation leading up to our first Christmas season in Malawi and our second time away from Canada, our family, friends and home congregation.  We spent our first Christmas outside of Canada in 2001, when we spent 3 weeks in Germany with friends.  While we certainly missed everyone this year, we can say that we had a good Christmas being in a new country, with a new church, new traditions, new friends, new pets and a new lifestyle.  We look forward to 2012 and all that it will bring.

We had a festive start to the Christmas season with an invitation to a Christmas Open House at an Irish couple’s home.  There were some familiar components to the party—Christmas lights and decorations, singing of Christmas carols, Christmas treats, wishing Merry Christmas to one another, but there were unfamiliar parts too—no Christmas tree and definitely no snow (it was around 30 degrees Celsius that day and not much cooler that evening) and many mosquitos.  A few nights later, we got together with Canadian, Malawian and American friends at Linda and Glenn’s home (PCC) to celebrate some wedding anniversaries.  We enjoyed good food and fellowship and their home was ready for Christmas, including many lights and ornaments and a decorated artificial Baobob tree, instead of a pine or fir tree—thanks for the idea Linda!  We brought a few special Christmas ornaments with us from Canada, purchased a few here and the Hoekstra family (PCC) who lived here previously left some for us to decorate our home for Christmas.  (See photo of our fireplace mantel before our kitten, Mavuto—Chichewa for trouble—pulled down and destroyed all of the tinsel).  We also listened to our Christmas CDs to get us in the Christmas spirit.

mantle with Christmas lights and decorations

On December 23^rd we were reminded that no matter where you live, things do not always go as planned.  This was the night of St. James CCAP’s fundraising dinner and dance to raise money for musical equipment for the church.  We had been looking forward to enjoying a night of fellowship, good food and dancing.  Unfortunately, when we and a session clerk arrived at the 6:00pm start time, we were the first guests to arrive and the organizing committee was still setting up the hall.  These events cannot really get underway until the official “Guest of Honour” arrives, so as part of the leadership of the congregation, we were taken to another room to wait.  After a while, the organizing committee found out the Guest of Honour was out of the country.  Therefore, while they scrambled to find a replacement, all of the leadership who had arrived continued to wait in the other room.  Unfortunately, due to a busy day the following day, after almost 3 hours, Mike and I decided to leave before we had dinner, danced or even made it in the hall to speak with any other church members.

December 24^th was St. James CCAP’s 3:00pm Christmas Eve Lessons and Carols service.  After spending almost 15 years attending Knox Waterloo’s multiple, unique and moving Christmas Eve services, we must admit we were a little unsure how one two hour service would go.  Furthermore, St. James’ leadership cautioned us that the Christmas Eve service had not been well attended in the past and may even be less attended with Christmas Day being on a Sunday with its morning worship services.  There were a few unexpected glitches—we arrived 30 minutes early to prepare for the service with session members, but no one else started arriving until 3:00pm, only three of the eight choirs that were performing and no one from the Sunday School (who were to do a Christmas story) had arrived by 3:20pm when we started the service and Mike had to find people to do the 7 scripture readings.  As always happens when we open ourselves to the Spirit, the service came together beautifully.   Most of the choirs showed up and sang a number of choruses and some Christmas hymns new to us—including one in Chichewa that told of Joseph and Mary’s big surprise at being pregnant. Various people came forward to read scripture, we heard the Christmas story through the scriptures and the Sunday School provided a well-organized and acted Christmas story.  To bring in some familiarity, we even sang “Silent Night” in Chichewa.  The attendance was low, but the enthusiasm, participation and faithfulness was high.

Video of the “Visit of the Three Wise Men”

Video of Melodies Choir

Video of Bondage Musical Group

December 25^th, Christmas Day brought with it 2 Sunday worship services at St. James.  There were the usual 6am Chichewa and 8am English services, but the 10am Chichewa service was cancelled.  We attended the 8am English service, which was well attended.  In my memory, this was the first Christmas Day worship service I have ever attended, so it brought with it a special importance to me.  Various choirs performed and we sang a few Christmas hymns, including O Come All Ye Faithful.  The Sunday School performed their Christmas story drama very well again—the only difference being that there was a live baby Jesus, instead of the teddy bear baby Jesus that was in the Christmas Eve service!  Mike preached from the Gospel of John 1:1-18 (NIV) titled The Word Became Flesh, with a special focus on verses 14 and 16-18.  They read “¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth…¹⁶ Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known”.  Mike noted that often these words are understood theologically, however, it brings a deeper meaning if we instead see them as a testimony from someone who has actually experienced the Word made flesh in their lives.  For those who can repeat these words as their own testimony—Hallelujah—and for those who cannot, he challenged us to make this testimony our own in the coming year.

Video of Live Baby Jesus

Christmas Day activities continued very well after the worship service.  We came home and were able to have a Skype chat with my dad, sister and brother and my friend Nancy of 36 years, whose birthday also falls on Christmas Day.  Being able to see them made being apart from our loved ones a little easier.  We were also delighted to be able to go to Todd and Annika’s (PCC) home in Zomba for Christmas dinner and overnight.  It was wonderful to spend Christmas with our friends that we are serving here with.  They have two young children as well, which makes our visits with them extra special.  This was our first trip to Zomba in 6 months due to a severe fuel shortage that continues in Malawi.

Todd and Mike on Zomba Plateau

December 26^th brought a new and memorable experience for us.  After a scrumptious breakfast provided by Annika and Todd, the 6 of us hopped in their vehicle and made the steep and picturesque climb further up the Zomba plateau to meet some of their friends.  Other than our visits to their home, we have not been on the plateau and looked forward to being out in God’s creation, getting some exercise and having fellowship with some new people.  We had a beautiful hike along a clear river and were able to see a number of waterfalls.  The sounds, sights and smells really reminded us of our beloved Nova Scotia, where my paternal extended family live, where my Dad spends his summers and where we visit almost every year.  We all enjoyed a delicious potluck picnic following our hike.  We departed Zomba early in the afternoon to get back home to Blantyre to prepare for our 5 day retreat with St. James’ youth that was to begin the morning of December 27^th.

Starting our hike

One of the waterfalls

A second waterfall

Children heading back for picnic

We are very thankful to God for continuing to bless us so abundantly and in so many ways.  We give thanks to our family, friends and faith communities in Malawi, Canada and around the world and for all that this first Christmas season in Malawi has been.  Peace be with all of you for 2012.

On Tuesday, December 6, 2011, all of us involved with Tidzalerana Club for people living with disabilities had our long-anticipated annual Christmas Party.  This was also our last “Club” get-together until mid-January 2012, as the Club shuts down for a month when schools are closed for Christmas holidays.  Please look at our previous blog regarding the work of Tidzalerana Club and Shelter.

Much planning, sorting, purchasing and packing goes into getting ready for this annual event.  Donations of clothes, shoes, blankets, toys, personal hygiene products, school supplies and other items are donated from various well-wishers around the world some of which are set aside for the Christmas packages.  Some individuals and groups also donate money to purchase other items closer to the party such as cookies, snacks, bath soap, laundry soap, school notebooks and clothing that has not already been donated.  Linda Inglis (PCC) has been dedicated to receiving, storing and organizing all of items throughout the year for many years now.  A few weeks prior to the party, a group of volunteers gets together and puts a gift bag together for every member of the Club comprised of all of the above items, paying close attention to the gender, age, size and needs of each member.  This year, we put together 110 bags.  Each member also gets a 50kg bag of maize in addition to their gift bag.

110 gift bags waiting for distribution

On the day of the party, approximately 15 women, men and children connected to the Club (both members of the Club and volunteers with the Club) got together to make decorations and to decorate Holy Ghost Catholic Church Hall where we meet for the Club every Tuesday afternoon.  It was a fun and relaxing time for us all to be together, each assigned our own creative tasks.  Those of you who know me, know I am one of the least “crafty” people there is so I opted to make construction paper garland chains!  Other volunteers made paper angels and sheep, blew up balloons and hung all of our decorations.  Some people made sandwiches, purchased bananas, chips and sweet cakes and made drinks which were provided to everyone that afternoon.  We also had a bible reading and short sermon.  Then, various Club members got up and recited scripture, sang songs, acted out a drama of the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus and Father Christmas (The Rev. Mike Burns!) joined us to distribute all of the gifts with help from his assistants.  Everyone was in great spirits as they had fellowship with their friends and looked forward to the gifts which would help their families with basic needs of food and clothing as well as some special treats.

Christmas at Tidzalerana

reading scripture

christmas drama

Linda Inglis and Father Christmas

Father Christmas giving John his gift bag

I say thanks be to God for all of the people around the world who keep Tidzalerana Club, its members and its volunteers in their prayers and are so generous with their time, money and gifts.  I also give thanks for the gift of the Holy Spirit that is at work every week when we meet together, share God’s word, sing praises and offer hope and support to one another.

Matthew 25:35-36, 40.  ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

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Saturday, November 26, 2011was the closing service for St. James’ Amayi Mvano.  The Blantyre Synod CCAP’s Amayi Mvano take a break from their weekly Saturday morning services as well as many of their other duties.  This break is until mid-February and provides time for rest and regeneration and allows for Malawi’s main planting season.  The end of November is usually when “the rains” or rainy season start in Malawi, so everyone needs to work together to prepare the fields, plant seeds, add fertilizer, and other crop needs.

Laban Banda, as St. James’ Alembi (Clerk of Session) and Mike, as one of St. James’ ministers, were invited to attend this closing service.  The service proceeded through our usual service order of hymns, choirs, prayers, readings, statement of the Mvano purpose and responsibilities, announcements and offering.  Mike was asked to choose the scripture reading and preach the sermon.  The scripture reading he chose was from the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 2, verses 23 to 28.  The New International Version (NIV) is the translation most often used within the Blantyre Synod CCAP.  It reads: ²³ One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. ²⁴ The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”   ²⁵ He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? ²⁶ In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”   ²⁷ Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸ So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”  Mike made note of how appropriate the use of “man” is in this translation, as often men find it much easier to find time for rest and Sabbath.  However, he offered that often women, specifically Malawian women, have so many responsibilities that they find it difficult or impossible to be able to take time for Sabbath or care for self.  The women around us nodded and agreed with this statement.  He encouraged all of the Amayi Mvano to find the balance needed by everyone, including Jesus Himself, for work, rest and Sabbath and to recognize when each are needed.

Following the official part of the service, it was time for presentation of gifts to recognize a variety of women.  Gifts were awarded to women for a number of reasons including: 1) the Mulaga (cottage) that had the greatest attendance at Saturday Amayi Mvano worship services; 2) the Mulaga that had the greatest participation in their assigned hospital visitation dates; 3) the Mulaga that donated the most money at monthly fundraising services; 4) recognition of one Amayi Mvano, who continually demonstrates outstanding service (attendance at hospital visiting, funerals, weekly worship services, etc.), despite having a physical disability and 5) recognition of each of St. James’ Amayi Abusas (minister’s wives) for specific areas of service.  6) appreciation of Laban Banda’s support of the Amayi Mvano (he was given his gift at our home later on as he had to leave the service for a while). After the awards were given out, everyone enjoyed a time of fellowship and a light luncheon, cooked and served by the Amayi Mvano Executive.

Following the time of fellowship, all of the Amayi Mvano executive, which includes the Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, etc., all of the Amayi Abusa connected with St. James and Laban Banda were invited to our home for a braai (barbeque) with the food prepared and served by Mufken (one of our staff), Mike and me.  We found it very fitting that just as we left the church to come to our house, we were faced with “rains” and Mike needed to do the braai on the konde (veranda) to keep out of the rain.  We felt the braai was a very small way for Mike and me to thank all of them for their hard work, leadership and service at St. James this year and to let them know how much we have appreciated their openness, warmth, patience and love for us since the start.  It was a wonderful afternoon spent talking, laughing, singing, dancing and serving one another.   Since all of us had so much fun, Mike and I offered to have them to our home again in February for the opening of the Amayi Mvano.

Mvano Chair, Beatrice Giving Laban His Gift

Some Mvano Dancing

Some Singing and Dancing

Because I was ordained on January 30, 2011 just before we left for Malawi, I have never baptized anyone.  In the Presbyterian Church in Canada it is pretty rare to baptize more than one person at time and I am guessing it is unheard of in recent times to baptize 10 or more at once.  Like everything else to do with the church here in Malawi I have to think much bigger.  On November 27 I baptized and confirmed 30 young women and, if that was not enough, the following Sunday, December 4, Rev. Songola and I baptized and confirmed 134, confirmed 119, and graduated 133 from Sunday School to the Catechumen Class—a year long class which instructs them on the basics of Christian belief.

Although the Blantyre Synod baptizes babies, it is more common here to have people baptized as youth or adults when they are confirmed.  Baptisms and confirmations in the synod are strictly controlled.  A baby cannot be baptized unless both parents are full Christians (baptized, confirmed, and members in good standing) and their marriage has been blessed in the church.  Youth and adults cannot be baptized unless they have spent a year in catechumen class and have passed the oral test at the end of the year.  When a youth is finished Sunday School (approximately grade eight) they graduate into the year long catechumen class.  A “special” catechumen class is also held for adults who wish to be baptized and/or confirmed.

The baptism and confirmation on November 27 was for any young women attending Stella Maris Catholic Girls School.  I have written before about Stella Maris, but in brief: It is a private boarding school for girls which is just up the road from St James.  Because it has a very good academic reputation many Protestants send their daughters to the school.  St James maintains a prayer house at Stella Maris which holds worship every Sunday to look after the spiritual needs of these young women.  As it is a boarding school, it would be very difficult for the students to get baptized and confirmed in their home congregations because they have not attended their home congregations’ catechumen class.  Therefore St James holds a special baptism for these young women before the exam period begins and the school term ends.  After the worship service we held a separate small communion service for the women as well.

Stella Maris baptism

Stella Maris baptism 2

The baptism and confirmation held on December 4 was for the rest of St James and was held at the 10am Chichewa service (the last service) because it would take so long.  Shortly after the first hymn, opening prayer and the reading of the psalm we began the program.  The first group to come up to the front was the “Hearers” Class.  These are the youth who are graduating Sunday School and entering Catechumen Class. Each of them receive a card with the Apostle’s Creed written on it and one of their first responsibilities is to memorize it.  The Hearers Class was encouraged in their faithfulness and learning over the coming year.  We pray that all 133 of these young people will be baptized and/or confirmed next year.

this year's catechumens and next years candidates for baptism

All the people being baptized and/or confirmed were then called forward (253).  They were asked the questions confirming their faith and their belief.  After the questions the 119 people who were already baptized and only needed to be confirmed were re-seated leaving the 134 people being baptized and confirmed standing.  Because this was the Chichewa service, Rev. Songola performed this portion because the sentences in Chichewa were longer than the one used for confirmation only (less for me to remember).  All the candidates were lined up in a series of rows and two pillows were place on the chancel steps by the baptismal font.  Two people kneeled at a time on the pillows and handed their membership cards to our clerk of session Laban Banda.  Mr. Banda read out the name of the candidate and Rev. Songola repeated the name and said the appropriate words while he baptized them.  When finished the newly baptized person stood up and rejoined the end of the line and the next person in line kneeled while handing their membership card to the clerk.  While this was going on the second person kneeling was being baptized.  It was a very efficient assembly line!

group to be baptized

baptismal font

Rev Songola baptizing one of the catechumen

The congregation stood for the first and the last people baptized, but sat during the ones in between. When all 134 candidates had been baptized they were given a final address by Rev. Songola and encouraged to be active and faithful members.

Rev Songola addressing the candidates for baptism and confirmation

When the baptisms were completed the group returned to their seats and the entire process was repeated for the 119 people who had already been baptized in the past, but were now being confirmed.  The only difference for this group was the fact that it was me who was confirming them (and no water).  I had worked hard at memorizing the two confirmation sentences in Chichewa, but I did put a small piece of paper on the back of my right hand so that I could use both hands to confirm them and still read the sentences if needed: “Ndikulandirani kukhala Mkhristu wa CCAP mumpingo uno.  Chisomo cha Ambuye chikhale pa Inu. Amen.”  A paraphrase of this in English would read: “I welcome you to the CCAP and this congregation in the name of Christ.  The grace of our Lord be with you.  Amen.”

confirmation

confirmation 2

After the confirmations were completed this group was also encouraged by Rev. Songola.  This special part of the service took about 75 minutes from start to finish.

After all this the “regular” part of worship resumed until the very end of the service when we held communion so that all those who had been baptized and/or confirmed could have their first communion.  In the Blantyre Synod only those who are full members of the church and in good standing (not under discipline) can take communion.  This worship service—which started at 10am—was finished around 1:15pm.

last minute instructions and the table is ready

serving each other

taking communion for the first time

the cup of salvation

Before any of you who are from PCC begin to get discouraged by the numbers being welcomed as new members I would like to pass on a conversation I had with the clerk of session during part of this service.  He leaned over to me and said that now our challenge as a church is to keep them as active members.  The real test for us will be how many of them are actually still attending worship and participating in the life of the church next year.  That is the challenge for the church—PCC or CCAP.

Sorry for the lack of posts over the last month or so.  Debbie was in Canada for the month of September, October was a whirlwind of catching up with each other and the church year has really gotten busy.  In addition my mom and step-dad have been here for the month of November and our internet connection has been too slow to upload pictures.  Pepani (Sorry in Chichewa)!

On Sunday, November 13 Debbie and I hosted the Bible Class at our house.  The Bible Class is the name given to the youth group at St James.  It originated as a group which got together to study the Bible, but has evolved in to a full fledged youth group with approximately 150 members.  The Bible Class usually attend the 8am English service in the main church on Sundays and then at 10am they head over to the Vision Centre next door for their own worship service until about noon.  The first 40 minutes or more of their service involves a lot of singing, clapping, dancing and praying with the remainder reserved for a message or sermon and announcements.  The term youth in the Malawian church is a little broader than in Canada with the age generally being between 16 and 35, however, some stay beyond this age because they feel more at home with the Bible Class than in the main church.  This is something we are attempting to address at St James.

The Bible Class came to our home for a manse visit at the beginning of October.  Different groups and cottages within the congregation are assigned to visit the manse each month.  They lead a short worship service in the manse and then present gifts to the minister and their family as a way of supporting them and encouraging them in their work.  We all had such a good time together that Debbie and I extended an invitation for the Bible Class to come again for an afternoon of worship, fellowship, fun and food.  The youth organized the whole event and we agreed to pay for all the meat (chicken, beef, and pork) for the braai (Afrikaans for BBQ) and the charcoal to cook over.  The youth organized the remainder of the meal (potato salad and cabbage salad which they made) including the drinks.  They also provided all the labour to cook and serve.  They even showed up with their own sound system so that we would have microphones and music for the festivities.

Immediately after the English service finished around 10am the youth began to organize their transport including a large flatbed lorry that held about 60 to 70 youth!  In total we estimate that 90 to 100 youth attended the afternoon.

We began our time together by singing and praying.  There was a time of introduction when all the youth formally introduced themselves to us.  There were speeches of course and then Debbie and I were asked to sit on a couch and the youth were able to ask us any questions they desired.  The questions ranged from how we met to questions about the Bible and theology.  After this Q&A we had some musical performances by many of the talented youth and the praise dance team strutted their stuff as well.  After all these activities we broke up for fellowship and the youth began to play volleyball, football (soccer), skipping, and many began learning how to throw and catch Frisbees.  While all these activities were going on another dedicated crew was preparing our meal.

When the meal was finally ready we all entered into “swallowship” which is a favourite word and activity at St James.  They see eating together as a continuation of fellowship.

The gathering broke up around 5pm with the youth piling into a couple of cars, a minibus and the large lorry.

Amayi Mvano (Women’s Guild) are considered the “heart of the church” here in Malawi.  I have described some of their work at St. James CCAP (Church of Central Africa Presbyterian) in previous blogs.  I have been given the privilege of being welcomed into the sisterhood of the Amayi Mvano as part of my role as Amayi Abusa (Minister’s Wife) at St. James CCAP.

The purpose of this blog is to provide a brief overview of some of their roles, but also to announce the exciting event that took place at St. James CCAP on Sunday, November 27, 2011.  43 women were inducted as Amayi Mvano that morning, which called for much celebration!

As part of the regular 10:00am Chichewa worship service, there was also a special induction of the 43 new Amayi Mvano.  They had successfully completed one year of training by various experienced Amayi Mvano.  They were taught skills such as hospital visitation, special hymns and music, practices around funeral services and other special services, preaching, prayer, responsibilities to their family, community and church.  Requirements for being accepted into the training include being a full-member of the congregation and being married (in the church) or widowed.

St. James CCAP is blessed to have two distinct Amayi Mvano choirs, in addition to many other excellent choirs.  They are 1) Chimwemwe Choir, which means Joy/Happiness in Chichewa and 2) Madalitso Choir, which means Blessings in Chichewa.  A few women are members are both choirs.  Both choirs performed some choruses during this service.

Video of St. James CCAP Chimwemwe Choir

Video of St. James CCAP Madalitso Choir

All Amayi Mvano have an Amayi Mvano uniform which gets blessed in the church by a minister.  The uniform consists of a white head scarf, a white blouse with a white tie belt and a long black skirt.  We are to wear black shoes and cannot wear any jewellery or accessories other than a watch or wedding rings.  We are to wear our uniforms during Amayi Mvano services, special worship services, funeral services of church members, communion and when we preach in church or other occasions.  During the worship services, all 43 uniforms were blessed and given to the women to change into (minus their head scarves).  Then the women processed back into the sanctuary, followed by leaders of the Amayi Mvano.  The women were inducted by the minister, then the Amayi Abusas put on the women’s head scarves.

Video of the Women Processing into the sanctuary for their induction

Every Saturday morning at 8:00am, there is an Amayi Mvano worship service, which takes an average of 2 hours.  There are prayers, hymns, scripture readings, choruses, a sermon and time for discussion, announcements, collection and welcoming of any visitors.  We also recite the 23^rd Psalm and the Purpose and Responsibilities of the Amayi Mvano as a constant reminder of our roles and duties to be performed for ourselves, the church, our community, our families and one another.  The new Amayi Mvano recited them for the first time as inducted members in front of the congregation that morning.

Video of Women Reciting the Amayi Mvano Purpose and Responsibilities

This was indeed a blessed day and we give thanks to God for their hard work and their induction into the sisterhood of St. James CCAP Amayi Mvano.

Wedding season is slowly coming to an end as the rainy season approaches.  The rains usually begin mid November or December here in Malawi.

There were four weddings here at St James on Saturday morning—6am, 7am, 8am, and 9am!  My colleague, Rev. Songola officiated the first two weddings and I officiated the second two.  There are two rehearsals held on Thursday and Friday evenings, but the minister is not part of the rehearsal.  The elders responsible for weddings conduct the rehearsals and oversee the weddings on the actual day.  The minister is responsible for conducting one counselling session in addition to the pre-wedding counselling provided by the counselling committee of the congregation.   I usually meet with the couples on Thursday evening just before my Session Executive meeting.  The bride is also counselled by members of the Amayi Mvano (Women’s Guild).

The 8am wedding was a full wedding and the 9am wedding was a blessing.  This means that the couple at 8am were not married traditionally in the past.  The wedding would be their official joining and after the wedding they would live together for the first time.  A blessing, on the other hand, is the church’s way of recognizing a traditional marriage before God.  The couple I blessed at 9am has been together since 1997 and has four children.  Many of you in Canada may ask why anyone would have their marriage blessed after 14 years, but there are some compelling reasons here.  A couple who has not had their wedding blessed, even if they are members of the church, cannot receive communion, cannot be elders, and cannot have their children baptized.  Their children can be baptized and confirmed as teenagers, however, only after completing the year long catechumen class.

Both the blessing and the full marriage are almost identical and would be quite recognizable to anyone from Canada.  The only real difference between the two services is the introduction—the full wedding gets a more detailed scriptural definition of marriage—and the vows or promises—the full wedding gets the “repeat after me” vows while the couple being blessed gets asked two questions to which they answer “I do.”

getting paid

The picture above is what I was greeted with when I entered my office after the weddings and represents my payment for officiating.  The minister gets 1,000 Malawian Kwacha (the Canadian equivalent of about $6), a bible, a crate of soft drinks, and quite often a chicken and a bag of rice.

**Please double click on photos to see full image.

Tidzalerana, which is Chichewa for “We care for one another,” has been operating since the early 1980s.  For the first 20 years, it operated solely as Tidzalerana Club, but in April 2010, Tidzalerana Shelter was opened.  Now the two distinct yet connected programs are overseen by an active Board of Directors and Linda Inglis (PCC) and I (Debbie) are currently board members.

In the early 1980s a woman from Great Britain came to Malawi with some money to help people living with disabilities.  She met with Linda Inglis, who was and is appointed to Malawi through the Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC), and a few other women to discuss what they could do.  They got connected with the priest at Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Ndirande Township in Blantyre, Malawi.  They were able to secure free space in the church hall to bring people living with disabilities together to meet, talk and support one another.  This is how Tidzalerana Club got started.

“The Club” as it is fondly referred to, takes place every Tuesday from 2pm to 4pm and is still held in the church hall at Holy Ghost Catholic Church (see photo of the hall).  Our time together begins with one of the female members leading us in Chichewa praise songs, then we have time for prayer, a scripture reading and a short sermon (see photo of everyone participating in a praise song).  This is usually led by an elder from St. Michael and All Angels CCAP church.  Following this, everyone splits up into various activities.  Some women and men work at income generating activities such as sewing and knitting projects, while others sometimes work on wood-working projects.  Most children in Malawi must wear school uniforms, which are often unaffordable, especially for families who have a disabled person.  One of the men has been making school uniforms for the children with a disability.  He is also teaching others how to sew, using the hand operated sewing machine that belongs to the Club.  Many of the children with disabilities who are able to, able-bodied siblings of a child with a disability, and children of a parent with a disability take part in a craft or play soccer.  Children with disabilities are also given a chance to have some exercises to help ease pain or stretch muscles.  Various physiotherapists and other medical personnel have donated their time over the years to teach volunteers how to safely help with these exercises.  Donated toys and books are also handed out during the Club so some caregivers and children can read books together.  Every week, the caregiver and children are given sandwiches, roasted groundnuts and a cup of tea as they sit together and provide encouragement to one another.  When there are funds available, people are given money for transport to hospitals and clinics so they can receive physiotherapy and other help.  Also, through donations of money, we have been able to help them access wheelchairs, special chairs and standing frames built to assist them in daily living, bring healing from their conditions, and give them back some mobility.   Please see some photos at the Club.

Holy Ghost CCAP Church Hall

Praise Song During The Club

Caregiver and Child During Worship

Caregivers and Children Enjoying Worship

Tidzalerana Shelter opened in April 2010.  It provides a safe, caring home environment for people living with physical and/or mental disabilities, as well as a few children who have a parent with a disability.  There are 13 resident rooms as well as place on site for the manager to stay.  The residents are provided with three healthy meals per day, which are cooked by staff in a full-service kitchen.  There is a large common room in which they eat all of their meals together and participate in various social, worship, income generating and leisure activities.   There are full-time security staff, as well as assistant managers who assist with personal care, laundry, cleaning and other supports.  Residents are also required to help with duties at the shelter as well as to help one another.  The shelter is funded largely through the Dutch organization GMZ.

Disabilities that people may have include Down’s syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder, club foot, Spina Bifida, Cerebral Palsy, albinism, hearing impairment and Epilepsy.  Some people have paralysis, weakness, pain and/or bone issues due to various conditions including difficulties during childbirth, Cerebral Malaria, Meningitis, Yellow Fever and HIV/AIDS.  A number of people may have diagnosed or undiagnosed mental health conditions, including serious psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia.

Over the years, there has been tremendous volunteer support, especially for the Club.  Women, men and youth of various ages, backgrounds and Christian faiths, from both Malawi and other countries have supported these people in many ways.  Many people have also been moved to donate money to help a little with needs that come up such as food, craft supplies, transport money, food for the Club as well as special items for people’s homes such as toilets and repairs.  Every December, members of the Club are given a gift that includes a 50kg bag of maize, clothing, toys, etc. and donations help buy some of the items.

While all of the people we work with through Tidzalerana face multiple difficulties, there are also many success stories.  I will share a few with you. Please see some photos of adults and youth as well as some caregivers and their children involved with the Club and/or Shelter.

Adults and Youth at The Club

Caregiver and Child at The Club

Caregiver and Child at The Club

Caregiver and Child at the Club

Caregiver and Child at the Club

When we arrived in Malawi in February 2011, a 2 ½ year old boy with Down’s Syndrome and his mother were introduced to us.  He was unable to walk and required a lot of attention from her.  When we see him now at the Club, he is cheerful and walking well.  This is all due to the exercises and activities he has had at the Club, along with the skills and encouragement his mother was given and used at home with him.  His mother hopes to have him start nursery school soon.

I met with a mother and her 5 year old daughter in June.  She said they had been coming to the Club for 3 years.  Her daughter had been born with jaundice, which caused some problems in her brain leading to difficulty walking.  Through the Club, she got connected with Feed the Children, which built her a standing frame—paid for by the Club—and provides ongoing physiotherapy for her.  She said coming to the Club provided her with support from the other mothers which helped her remain hopeful about her daughter’s progress and the worship service provided comfort to her.  She asked if the Club could help her purchase a new standing frame as she had outgrown the other one.  I let her know to approach us again in a few months as we did not have funds at that time.  When I met with her on Tuesday, she was smiling and said her daughter was walking so well now, she did not need a standing frame and her daughter is enjoying nursery school.

The Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC) provides funding to Tidzalerana.  Your direct donations to Presbyterian World Service and Development (PWS&D) or through their Gifts of Change program, “Empower People With Disabilities” helps those living with disabilities in various parts of the world, including Tidzalerana in Malawi.  Please go to the PCC’s website for more information on PWS&D http://presbyterian.ca/pwsd/ and the Gifts of Change program http://presbyterian.ca/pwsd/donate/giftsofchange/ and to learn details on how to make a donation.  We also ask that you keep all those connected with Tidzalerana in your prayers.

For many years, our home congregation in Canada—Knox Presbyterian Church in Waterloo, Ontario—has been involved in a Prayer Shawl Ministry, led by Ellen Yessis.  Ellen explains that for centuries, shawls have represented “shelter, peace and spiritual sustenance”.  Women knit or crochet the shawls to give the people who receive them a physical reminder that prayers of hope, healing, comfort, peace, love and support have been offered up for them.  As the women are knitting or crocheting, they say prayers of well-being and healing for those that will receive them.

In the Knox Waterloo community, these prayer shawls have been given to people in a number of situations, including new parents, those experiencing financial or emotional difficulties, patients in hospital or people who are grieving the loss of a loved one.  Ellen has received feedback that the prayers shawls have been comforting and beneficial to them.  The women who knit them also realize the difference they are making through this ministry.

Prior to my trip to Canada in September, Ellen asked if we would like some prayer shawls for our work here in Malawi, which we said we definitely would.  Through Mike’s pastoral visits and my hospital visits in our home congregation in Malawi—St. James CCAP in Blantyre—there are many people who need hope, peace and healing that can be reached through this wonderful ministry.  It can also carry on the partnership between the Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC) and the Blantyre Synod Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (BSCCAP) at a more intimate and direct level.

When I worshipped at Knox Waterloo on September 18, 2011, Ellen, and some of the women who make the prayer shawls, presented me with 4 prayer shawls and 8 pneumonia vests (which will be discussed in a future blog).  I commended them for their prayerful work and assured them they would be shared with those in need here in Malawi.

Knox Waterloo Women Donating Prayer Shawls

On Monday, October 18, 2011, during my weekly hospital visit at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital with the St. James CCAP Amayi Mvano, I told them about the Prayer Shawl Ministry.  I brought one of the prayer shawls to ask if one of the patients we were visiting would benefit from it.  They were excited and interested in the purpose and background of the prayer shawls and thought it would be a cherished gift for one woman in particular who had been suffering from a difficult illness for a long time and needed hope and encouragement.  When we arrived at the woman’s bedside, her mother was providing care for her.  One of the Amayi Mvano said a prayer, then we sang a hymn together.  I gave the prayer shawl to her and described the prayer shawl ministry and where it came from in English, while another Amayi Mvano translated for me.  The woman and her mother, thanked us for our visit and for the prayer shawl and gave permission for me to take a photo of her with it.

Woman Receiving Prayer Shawl

Thanks be to God for prayer shawls, the women who knit and crochet them, the partnership between Canada and Malawi, and for the peace and healing they bring.  Amen.