Ndirande

On Sunday morning, we said our goodbyes to Doug and Barb and Aagtje.  They left for church and would be traveling back to Mangochi.   It has been such an awesome (and short!) time with them.  Our first week here has gone so quickly!

Earl and Lois picked us up from the guest house.  Earl also serves at EBCOM as a teacher, like Jonathan.  There were several students in the van that morning that joined us.  Esther and Mercy traveled just a short way in to town with us.  We took them to the bus stop.  Gift and his wife, Hilda, and their two children, Happiness and Yankho, also joined us to go to church.

During my time here, I wanted to experience a wide spectrum of churches.  We chose to visit the Ndirande BIC church on Sunday morning.  This could be considered in the “slums,” definitely a more poverty-stricken area.  We were welcomed by Pastor Kimoto and walked a short way into the residential village area to the church.  We spent some time visiting with the Pastor and his wife, Jesse.  Pastor Kimoto is the General Secretary of the BIC church in Malawi. 

Area around Ndirande

Entering the Ndirande BIC Church

Pastor Kimoto at Ndirande BIC Church

Earl giving the message

Area in Nirande

Homes in Ndirande

We enjoyed much music and singing, and Earl shared the message.  Something I really love to experience in other cultures is their music and singing.  It’s just beautiful!  Most times I cannot understand it, but I can definitely sense the presence of God.

After leaving Ndirande, we traveled a short distance to Maone, the BIC church headquarters.  They have been in the process of building the headquarters since 2009 and as you can see in the photos, it is still in process.  

Maone BIC Church Headquarters

Under construction

During our travel back to EBCOM, I had a nice conversation with Gift.  He speaks English very well.  He shared his story and his journey in coming to know Christ.  He asked me for my testimony as well.  It was a great time of sharing together.  I actually had the privilege of getting his testimony on tape later in the day.  This is something I hope to be able to share with our churches in the US.

Bridget, Gift and me

The remainder of the day on Sunday was spent visiting with the Hesses, also doing some videotaping with them as well.  I’m so excited to have the opportunity to capture some moments with our global workers, actually in the area they are serving.  I plan to take these messages back to our churches in the US as well.

During our dinner with the Hesses, we got to experience our first power outage here in Malawi.  So, we finished our dinner by candlelight.  What a great night of conversation, hearing their journey, and many stories of their years of experience in serving globally. 

On Monday, we will be spending the day with Earl and Lois.  It’s hard to believe that will be our last day in Malawi.

Bridget is feeling much better.  Continue to pray for our health and travel safety.  We have quite a bit of travel ahead of us again.