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Emails from Malawi October/November 2007 Trip
First Update:
Update from Malawi
Hello to each and everyone! Brother Ron Slocum and I departed from Atlanta
airport Wednesday the 24 and flew to Johannesburg with a short stop over at
Dakar to fuel up the plane We spent the night in Johannesburg and departed
Friday morning arriving in Blantyre Malawi around 4:30pm. We were greeted by
Bro. Bright Chitambi and his wife Annie. After renting a small car, we drove to
Mulanje where Bro. Bright had reserved a room for us. We spent most all day
Saturday trying to locate a vehicle to purchase for the work here in Malawi.
Every dealer was closed Saturday so we were unable to locate anything of
interest. Sunday, the Lord's Day was very enjoyable. We met with the Brother and
Sisters at the Natchiwale congregation. This is the home congregation where Bro.
Bright attends. There was well over a hundred in attendance. I gave the lesson
and Ron waited on the Lord's Table. Monday and Tuesday were very successful. We
accomplished in two days what we had expected to take the better part of a week.
We located a small double cab truck on Monday and purchased it on Tuesday. This
truck will be kept at Bright's home in a 40' steel contained. The truck will be
used by him for various church related needs and we will have total use of it
when we visit Malawi again. Our plans at present include driving this vehicle
with some of the brethren up to Chitipa which is locate in the upper most part
of Malawi. Also visiting the congregation in Tanzania. There is several
congregation which need our encouragement in the work of the church. We hope and
pray to be successful in this endeavor. The truck will be a wonderful blessing
to the church here in Malawi. There is so many needs for such a vehicle. Many
times there is a need to take someone to the hospital such as a boy from
Mozambique which needs to be taken to the doctor about his eyes. This truck will
be used for hauling building materials iron sheets for roofs on church
buildings, hauling materials for digging wells, also for transporting the drill
rig when we have to drill a well, hauling bibles, song books and etc. to far
places such as Mozambique. Many, many more uses in the work of the church. The
man whom we purchased the vehicle from, worked at the bank in Blantyre where we
do business.
We have
successfully rented a 3 bedroom house which Harry, Ron and I looked at the last
trip over here. It is brand new and will fit our needs fine. It has running
water, electricity and could also have a phone if desired. The rent is $ 144.00
a month. The house will be a blessing in many ways. We will have room for our
brothers to come over and discuss the Bible and spend the night if necessary. We
are planning a meeting at this house with the leaders of several congregations
to discuss the subjects of , water wells, divorce and remarriage, the Lord's
Supper, how to solve the problem of obtaining the 100% pure grape juice for
congregations who have no way of purchasing it, and last but formost the need
for elders in congregations where there is those who are qualified. It is our
desire to get these brethren to begin to pay close attention to the importance
of ordaining elders in every congregation where their are those qualified. In
Titus 1:3, Paul said that it was a commandment of God. Paul told Titus in the
5th verse to carry out this commandment. I strongly feel the importance of this
matter. Hopefully next year when those of us return to Malawi, Lord
willing, that this matter will be given top priory and there will be those who
meet the qualifications in various locations. I will include in the next update
how this meeting progresses.
Our plans in the
next couple of days is to visit several of our brethren who have requested
assistance for various congregations for bibles, song books, water wells, iron
sheets for roofs on church buildings and numerous other needs. Bro. Harry has
asked us to look into these matter of request that he has received and use our
own judgment. I have been blessed to have learned from one who has done a
wonderful job in taking care of matters such as these, Brother Harry Cobb.
Please pray for us as we make discussions on these issues.
There does not
seem to be any problem with hunger at this time. It has not been mentioned by
those whom we have talked with so far. The first rain came and the second rain
should be in a couple of weeks. Most will plant maze (corn) after the third
rain. There are those everywhere we have been working in the fields preparing to
plant. Well I have said more than enough in this update. By the first part of
next week, we will try to send out another with some pic's. Please remember us
in your prayers.
Danny and
Ron
Update from Malawi, November 7, 2007
Summer has just about arrived here in Malawi. It is beginning
to turn very hot. This past Lord’s Day Ron and I met with the brethren and
sisters down at Chickwawa. The building was filled completely with members from
4 different congregations. Before the service started there were 53 which were
baptized. Not all who were baptized were from Chickwawa congregation. Several
were from nearby congregations. The brethren there at Chickwawa constructed a
baptistery made of concrete outside the building. They were having a hard time
finding a place with enough water to baptize in. There were 569 present. The
subject I talked on was based on Heb. 10:25, not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, the importance of partaking of the Lord’s Supper and also
the other items of worship on the first day of the week. There were 40 which
came forward and made confessions. It is truly a blessing to see so many who
would come so far to hear the Word of God taught. After service ended we went
with the brethren to the garden where the drip system is being used. This
garden is very successful and is producing enough vegetables to have for
themselves and sell also. This garden is one of the first using the drip system
that was sent over from America by Bro. Harry.
There is a meeting scheduled this Friday, Nov. 9, with the leaders of
the Lord’s church from several congregations. The meeting will be
held at the new house we rented at Mulanje. Each and everyone who
will attend this meeting has expressed great joy in being able to
gather together and study the bible and discuss many of their problems.
The subjects of discussion will be elders in the church, divorce and
remarriage, the Lord ’s Supper and digging wells. This meeting
will take the better part of the day starting early in the morning. We
hope and pray that it will be a successful gathering and that much good
will come from it.
The drilling of a well in Balaka north of Blantyre must be put on hold
at this time. We were unaware that the papers on the drill rig were
expired. We proceeded to obtain the necessary papers but was
disappointed to find out that the process was long and we did not have
the time to spare on this trip. Bro. Bright will obtain and keep up to
date from here on. There is a great need for a well at Balaka. The
people who are members of the church have to carry water approximately
1 ½ miles. The women carry water in buckets on their head. This
makes my head hurt thinking about it. We investigated the possibility
of having a well hand dug. The people in that area say that it is
impossible to hand dig a well in that area because the water is down
too deep. We went to a well driller here in Blantyre and got
prices for them installing a well with their machine. The price
they gave us was over $5,000 US dollars. Those in Balaka will
have to wait till we return next trip to take care of this need.
The trip to Chitipa and Tanzania is planed for next week leaving on
Monday
and returning at the end of the week. This will
be a long journey but we are hoping that much good will come from it. The last
Sunday of our stay here will be spent at three congregations’ that were working
with the Windy, Windy Mission. Brother Bright has been very successful in
teaching them the truth on the Lord’s Supper and Divorce and Remarriage. We hope
that we can continue to encourage them in the truth. There is many things to say
but I had better close for now. I have included some pic’s in this update that
we hope you will like to see. One is a picture of a guest of the house we are
renting. They are most welcome. They eat mosquitoes. There is at least 6 that
are living on the ceiling of the front porch. Please pray for us.
Danny and
Ron
The work is going good here in Malawi. We have accomplished everything
we set out to do with the exception of the well at Balaka. This was due
to the expiring of the permit (tag) for drill rig. The people seem to
be very understanding. The only new information that I have to share
since the last update is the meeting with the brethren here at the
house we rented. The meeting was truly a great success. All of
the brethren were happy, happy of being able to come together in a
place where we can study the bible. Each and everyone expressed
their joy in being able to gather together and study the scriptures. We
met at 9:00 am and went to 4:30pm. We covered 4 topics which were
Divorce and Remarriage, Lord’s Supper and the way to solve not
having the fruit of the vine, appointing elders in the church, and
digging wells. We also handed out a booklet in which Bro. Bright
Chatambi translated from English to Chichewa language. It is explaining
the doctrine of the Jehovah’s Witness versus the word of
God. Bro. Dana Chandler did an execelent job of publishing it in
book form. Everyone who received a copy, after reading it, was well
pleased with the simplicity of explaining this false doctrine. There
were 15 of the evangelist and teachers present representing 13
different congregations. The meeting went so well that they requested
we meet again before our departure Nov. 20. Time will not permit us to
do so. Our schedule is full for the remaining time here.
We are preparing at present for the trip to Chitipa in the
North and visit several congregations. This is a very long journey requiring the
better part of two days going and two coming back. There will be two of the
brethren accompany us on this trip. We had hoped to visit a congregation in
Tanzania but have learned that the road is impassable at present and a bridge is
washed out.
We had a meeting today (Saturday Nov. 10) with a congregation in the
Thyolo District which came away from the Jim Franklin group. The study
was excellent with these brethren and they were very happy for our
visit.
The brethren here in Malawi extend their great appreciation for the
support that has been given unto them by those back home. Many, many
thanks.
I left a picture out of the last update. The picture was of the guest
living on the ceiling of the front porch. I have included it in this
e-mail along with some others.
Hopefully I will be able to send another update before we leave for the
US. If not, I will send it along with some great pictures when we
arrive home. May the Lord bless each and everyone.
Let us thank the Lord for all his blessings. We in America have so much
to be thankful for.
Danny
Brother Ron Slocum’s, Second Letter
11-16-07
We just got back from Citipa. It is almost as far north in
Malawi as you can go. It is 600 miles from our house. A two day drive up and a 2
day drive back. The last 40 miles take 3 hours on a rough dirt road. We spent
about 3 hours the first day and 7 hours the second day, teaching in a church
building that was not finished.
We were at the Yamba church of Christ. The churches in this
area are small. The second day there were brethren from 3 congregations at the
meeting. 55 brethren were in attendance. There would have been more, but a
funeral was taken place in a local congregation. All lessons had to be
interrupted twice, in the Tumbuka and the Chichewa languages. So it was slow and
took time.
Last year when Harry Cobb and Danny Abercrombie when to
Chitipa, they spoke in a Sunday school church. Since that time two brethren have
left the Sunday school church and want to work with us. One is meeting in his
house north of town and the other is meeting with the Yamba church east of town.
Because of this contact, five churches are now working with us that do not have
Sunday school and the support to one brother was cut off because they did not
agree with what he was teaching. One brother told me they were working with 8
churches and some of them are in Tanzania. They said they would take us there if
we would come and stay longer.
We did not make it to Tanzania because the brother who was
going to take us there could not come and go with us. Now that we are back home
in your rented house, we have two more meetings. Tomorrow we are going to meet
with a new Gogodo church in Limba. Sunday we are going to meet with a former one
cup church in the WendeWende area. New churches are being started all the time.
It is amazing now good the evangelist are doing and teaching the
gospel.
Lord willing, the next update will be done back at home. I
need to let every one know about the well drilling and the
irrigation.
Ron Slocum
Final Update on
trip to Malawi
The
Lord has truly blessed us on our trip to and from Malawi. On Wednesday, the day
before Thanksgiving, Bro. Ron and I returned safe and sound. I feel very
strongly that much good has resulted from our visit. There were several
meetings where we taught and the response was greatly taken and accepted. The
meeting we held at the rented house was a success beyond our expectations. The
brethren did not cease to thank us for the teaching and the fellowship we had
together at that place. The subjects were divorce and remarriage, the importance
of the Lord’s Supper, the importance of using the Fruit of The Vine and not some
artificial drink, the appointment of Elders in the church and the digging and
drilling of wells. Our study on the subject of Elders in the church showed
great interest and concern of the responsibility to ordain where there are two
or more qualified in a congregation. We were assured that between our visits
that much attention and investigation into this matter will be given. Hopefully
upon our return next year there will be those who meet these qualifications and
can be appointed. As our departure time neared, their was a faithful Brother,
Symon Edson, who requested a meeting with him before we left the country. We
were able to meet and listen to his question. It was concerning the Elders. His
question was, "could a Deacon go and pray for the sick if the Elders were not
able to do so?” Questions like this show the concern that the brethren have for
the church and its responsibility as individual congregations.
Our
trip to the Northern most part of Malawi, the town of Chitipa was a great
success. Brother Harry, Gabe Cogburn and I were there some time back and found
that approximately five congregations were working with the Sunday school
group. After our meeting with them and Bro. Harry’s teaching they left the
Sunday School group and now are very faithful workers in the Lord’s Church. We
are very happy to report that they stand strong in the One Faith and teaching of
our Lord. We were able to have two days of study with these brethren and sisters
and were assured by them of their appreciation for our teaching. The problem of
divorce and remarriage is a serious problem in Malawi. Years back they were
allowed to have 4 wives at a time. There are Villages that still to this day
hold to this belief. Our teaching on this subject and others were accepted
completely. There seems to be other congregations in nearby Tanzania that one of
the brethren spoke about. Hopefully that in the future we will be able to visit
them and teach there. The possibilities of teaching God’s Word and helping
others understand His commands are unending in this country. As time approached
for us to leave and head back south, a young man came late in the evening before
our departure the next morning. He was a Brother who had stayed with the Sunday
school brethren when we were there the last trip. He tells us that he has left
the Sunday school and is now meeting in his home with 3 other brethren who left
also. It was to far for them to travel to meet with the other congregations. It
seems that Bro. Harry’s previous teaching is still taking an effect upon many of
the brethren. Hopefully we will be able to encourage them on our next journey
to this area. We give thanks to the Lord for our safe journeys all over this
country of Malawi. Our trip to the south was without incident, safe and sound.
Our truck we purchased did excellent and it gets very good fuel mileage. Fuel is
over five dollars a gallon.
Upon
our arrival back to the place we call home in the southern part of Malawi we met
on Saturday with the Mpingwe Church of Christ close to the town of Limbe. This
is a congregation of about 36 where we purchased a piece of property for a
church building a while back. They were meeting in a very small straw building
constructed in the front yard of one of the brothers. On the property which was
purchased they constructed a small straw shelter which we met under. We had a
study with these brothers and sisters starting at 9:00am and going till a little
after 3:00pm with a 20min. break around 1:00pm. While teaching was going on, the
wind got up and blew some of the roof off. I thought the whole structure was
going to be blown away. It didn’t and all was well, thank the Lord. Our last
Sunday to worship was a visit the Nchiwa Church of Christ, a congregation close
to the Wendy-Wendy Mission. Wendy-Wendy is where there were those who dictated
and deceived many. These brethren at Nchiwa left and have successfully
established about three congregations in this area. The subject taught on was
the five items of worship. In this study it was brought out about the importance
of each item and not adding to nor taking away. In this study we covered many
issues that have been a problem in the past. We met outside the building under a
brush arbor. The building was full also and I am sure there were over 250 in
attendance. After service was over, many of the brethren expressed their
appreciation for us worshiping with them and the teaching. One of their needs
was that of a well for drinking water. Each women is having to walk close to 2
miles to get a bucket of water and bring it back caring it on their heads. We
have since made plans for the well digger to start digging a well there by the
end of the week.
The
brethren there would like to offer thanks to all that have given support for the
aid of the congregations in Malawi. I thank you so much for your trust in us to
deliver to those who are in need. We pray that the funds which were give were
used in a manner pleasing to the Lord. There is a long list of congregations
which were given funds for construction of new church buildings, repairs to
existing church buildings and other church related needs. Everywhere you go
there is a need for Bibles and song books. The Malawi Bible Society where we
purchase bibles was out of stock. They have gone up since the last time we were
there. Bibles now cost over $7.00 and with our discount are $5.87 each. We
ordered and pre-paid for 671 bibles which will come in sometime in January 2008.
We will be notified upon their arrival and they will be picked up and delivered
to members of the church in many locations. The truck which we purchased will be
used in the delivery of these bibles.
The
last trip I made to Malawi, I gave Bright Chitambi a study on the Jehovah’s
Witnesses. He rewrote it in Chichewa, the language which most speaks in Malawi.
After receiving it in the mail from Bright, I gave it to Dana Chandler and he
had it published in book form. Many thanks should be given to Dana for having
this printed in such a professional way. When we had the meeting with the
brethren at the rented house, the book was given out. We only had ten copies and
they went quick. After they looked over the book you would not believe all the
good things they had to say. The Jehovah’s Witnesses have a strong hold in
Malawi. With the aid of this book they will be able to turn to the scriptures to
show the error of this false doctrine.
In the future we
hope to be able to produce many books and articles on the false teachings of the
denominations in their area.
Well I
have went way to long in this update. There are many other things that I could
write about but I have said enough to let you know just a little of what was
accomplished. We hope and pray that there will be others who will go and be
apart of this wonderful work. Please you young teachers go and experience the
joy you find in being able to help your brothers and sisters know more about
Jesus and his teaching.
I am
including some pictures which we took. Hope you enjoy.
May the Lord bless
each and everyone. Please pray for Harry and Wayne on their journey to the
Philippians.
Yours in
Christ,
Danny