September 4, 2007
Early in the week the team spent several very blessed days in Zomba, Malawi, meeting with Paul and Helen Jones, missionaries for Emmanuel International. The Joneses were wonderful hosts who gave them a wonderful rest night at a MVUU camp, attended a local Baptist church service, toured the Zomba plateau and drove to four projects – an irrigation project, a project to feed the chronically ill, a collective farm, and a sanitation and nutrition project.
Their return to Lilongwe, Malawi brought them to the last few days with Joseph and Jessie, and time wrapping up final meetings and final plans.
While at Annie’s Lodge the team met a Belgian family who were located in Lilongwe working with Food for the Hungry. They had bought a house and invited the team to come over to pray over and bless the house. It was a joyful time.
The management and staff at Annie’s Lodge said their goodbyes, telling the team they were blessed by their presence.
There were more meetings with Joseph and Jessie, their working committees and the widows, and then some final get-togethers and individual good-byes, as they readied themselves for their final, emotional farewell to Malawi.
The team flew together to Jo’burg. Sunday morning Steve, Nora and Joseph travelled to Capetown, South Africa, to the Calvary Chapel Pastor’s Conference. Sunday evening Lana departs for the States, arriving on Tuesday 12th . Steve and Nora arrive in the States next week.
Please pray for travel mercies for each member.
Please pray for a blessed time in Capetown for Steve and Nora and Joseph Hara.
September 2, 2007
The team met with some of the widows this past week – approximately 14 of them between the ages of 19 and 70 years old, each with one to nine orphans. They met outside, on a thatched patio, and the widows unequivocally expressed their most pressing need - food.
Many of them have nothing at all. Some may have just a portion of raw corn, many lack blankets, wood for cooking, water. They need the food and these wonderful and talented women talked wanting to establish a business where they could take care of each other and provide for their families.
It’s not surprising, really. Our God is a working god, and so He instills in us the need to work and be blessed by the fruits of our labor. He certainly sees the reward in it, and the work ethic in these Malawian widows is very great.
There will be an opportunity, in the next couple of weeks for you to contribute to the need for blankets and firewood in this community. The team will have one more visit with a larger group of widows this week. They are prayerful women who work hard and love God. Their fortitude is beyond words.
Steve taught at church last week. It is a small church – a one-room school room, dirt floors, open spaces for windows and doors, with six benches, a bamboo mat and a pulpit – all brought in. There were approximately 15 adults and 15 children. Remember, the widows and orphans may not be able to get to church if they lack resources to get there, or if they are sick or cannot bring all their children. The children that were there sat on the bamboo mat for FOUR-AND-A-HALF-HOURS during church. Impressive!
Steve taught on God’s grace and encouragement. Pastor Hara’s son, Evermore, played and another musician wrote songs which they sang. As expected the music was wonderful and apparently Steve is captured somewhere on film dancing with the children!
The teaching conference for the pastors and their wives was held on Tuesday. Steve and Nora did a wonderful job of teaching. There were 30 in attendance, hungry for the Word. At the end of the day the couples dispersed and together took communion – a truly Spirit-filled moment and a Spirit-filled conference.
The team had one day of rest during the week and drove north to Lake Malawi – a heavily Muslim region. There are mosques everywhere. On the way their car went into a ditch, but eventually someone came along and yanked them out! They went to a Mission and heard a good lecture on Malawi customs and tribal rituals. God provided a midday meal for them out of the blue when they went into a hotel looking for a restroom. The hotel had some food left after serving lunch to their guests and so the team was able to eat in the middle of the day – something they have not done on this trip. Generally it’s just morning and evening meals.
The team left for Zomba on Friday to meet with Emmanuel International, and some other contacts there. They return to Lilongwe on Tuesday.
Some follow-up prayer needs and news -
August 24, 2007
The reunion of the Ruth’s Shawl team with Pastor Hara and Jessie was wonderful, filled with much joy and amazement by everyone. Everything Joseph and Jessie do is designed to minister to the widows and orphans in their care, to meet their physical and spiritual needs. The 300 widows and orphans in their care live in abject poverty, some more bereft than others.
Jessie runs a small 3’ x 3’shop, in the center of the market. Whatever money they make is used to buy food for the widows and orphans. There are some widows who have absolutely nothing and absolutely no-one. One of the most bereft, Mavis, has just the clothes she’s wearing. She has no food or water, no bed, no-one. Yet it is Mavis who points Joseph and Jessie to the widows in most need of provision. Amazing! (The Hara’s also have a brick-making business. Jessie is an astute business woman.)
Children are everywhere in the streets. Many 7-8 year old girls are seen carrying babies on their backs. The babies, some with no clothes, have fevers, runny noses, and cloudy eyes. All the children have beautiful smiles. It’s hard to tell if they are all orphans but the team is always surrounded by 30-40 children at any one time. Steve and Nora have laid hands on at least 200 children in the past two days – blessing them, praying for them. Children stand in the wings, waiting their turn.
The team met a baby, called Ruth, who is sick – possibly with pneumonia – and a six year old boy who is deaf. The little boy was trying so hard to communicate with them. Lana is endeavoring to acquire medical help for these children.
Steve and Nora spend much time with Joseph and Jessie – teaching and encouraging them. Steve will teach on Sunday in Pastor Hara’s church.
Perhaps the most wonderful event is happening this Monday and Tuesday. Pastor Hara has invited ten pastors and their wives to a conference to be taught by Steve and Nora - truly a movement of the Holy Spirit! Steve and Nora have been working from their home base for the past couple of days – focused together in prayer and preparation for the teaching.
The Lord is providing Joseph with a variety of contacts and help in his work. A woman at a Bible College provides him with administrative help, including securing bibles for his church. The team was able to purchase 30 bibles for Pastor Hara’s church this past week. You cannot imagine the excitement they will experience to have their own bibles this Sunday! Praise God.
Lana continues to work with Joseph and Jessie assessing the needs of the community and their vision. The Haras are very talented and capable in their work and in their preparations – praying and seeking direction from the Holy Spirit at every turn and for every decision. So much do they want to reach their people for Christ, and to feed – spiritually and physically – the widows and orphans in their care.
Joseph tells us that Malawi is wide open to the gospel. The gospel can be freely taught in the schools!
NOW IS THE TIME!
Prayer needs:
August 18, 2007
THE RUTH’S SHAWL TEAM LANDED HAS LANDED!
The team – Lana Lynn and Steve & Nora Braselton - were all together in Johannesburg, South Africa, by Wednesday of this past week. By the time you read this, they will have arrived in Malawi! We have just a few snippets of information for this first update, but no photos this time around.
Steve and Nora had a bag stolen at the Johannesburg airport that contained their camcorder and all their meds. Praise the LORD though, God was good and they were able to replace ALL their meds by the end of the week! The camcorder was not returned. However, Lana has a digital camera – so we expect to have photos for you in the next update.
The team has been hosted by Pastor Chad and his family from Calvary Church in Johannesburg for the past week. Pastor Chad is formerly from Calvary Chapel Whittier, California and has been sent by the church to plant a Calvary Chapel in Johannesburg. What wonderful hosts they have been to our dear brother and sisters. We pray God’s blessings be upon them and we lift them up in prayer as they follow His calling in Johannesburg.
Our team had a busy week - taken by Pastor Chad to visit a township, an orphanage, an animal reserve, church on Sunday of course, and then flying to Malawi on Monday.
At a township in Cosmos they met with a national Baptist Pastor who is truly ministering the gospel to his people in Cosmos. As the team readied to leave, he shared with them that he and his fellowship had been praying for them the previous night after Pastor Chad had shared about Ruth’s Shawl outreach to Malawi. They were blessed to be in the presence of a committed man of God, dedicated to serve his Lord in not so beautiful conditions.
As the team finish up their time in Johannesburg with Pastor Chad and his family, they are eager to fly to Malawi. Lana is eager to see Pastor Hara again after many years. When Pastor Hara learned that Lana was returning to Malawi he wrote to say that his church had been “singing for two weeks” – a beautiful turn of phrase showing the joy of their community at the prospect of meeting up with Ruth’s Shawl and with Lana again.
We are very excited to finally be at this point where we might see God’s plans coming to fruition after years of prayer and effort. Praise God for His grace upon us and for His calling us to this ministry. Please pray for the team for strength and keen discernment as they move through the tasks God has for them over the next two weeks.