The plan is now decided. Tomorrow morning I start teaching on the DTS course and then at 2pm we head off into the bush until Tuesday. I'd appreciate your prayers, as I don't really know what to say tomorrow morning for the DTS teaching - or what to train the pastors with when I get to the bush!
I'll be out of contact for all of that time! So I'll fill you in when I'm back!
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Friday, October 28, 2011
Delays
The trip to the villages to do pastors' training during the day and then healing meetings in the evening has been postponed. We were meant to be there today, but there is a dispute between a pastor and his bishop (these titles aren't quite what we'd use in the UK) has meant we either can't go or we need to wait until the problem is resolved. Apparently this is quite common around here.
Anyway, so today was designated a day off for the DTS students and tomorrow we'll either head out for this outreach or I'll start teaching on the DTS. Either way I feel a little nervous!
Here are a few photos in the mean time.
The YWAM base here in Blantyre
How women carry their laundry and their baby!
The school bus (these are the well off kids!)
The dusty road
Last night I was woken a number of times by the loud scurrying of the rats in the roof above my head! But no really big bugs seen yet!
- Posted using BlogPress
Anyway, so today was designated a day off for the DTS students and tomorrow we'll either head out for this outreach or I'll start teaching on the DTS. Either way I feel a little nervous!
Here are a few photos in the mean time.
The YWAM base here in Blantyre
How women carry their laundry and their baby!
The school bus (these are the well off kids!)
The dusty road
Last night I was woken a number of times by the loud scurrying of the rats in the roof above my head! But no really big bugs seen yet!
- Posted using BlogPress
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Who'd have thought Africa was so hot!?!
I have been settling in - but boy, is it hot here! I tried to get a couple hours of sleep this afternoon but it was too hot and close to do anything more than doze.
We've just had dinner (standard YWAM - Youth With A Mission - food of super-noodles) and in half-an-hour they are having their weekly community meeting. There are about 15 people associated with YWAM in this base (which is a fairly large single story villa) or living close by... some are students of staff on the DTS (Discipleship Training School), which Dan and Suzy run and I'll be teaching on next week. Others are people who are running their own ministries in the area under the umbrella of YWAM.
Anyway, I'm digressing... I've found out a bit more about the plans for my next 11 days.
Tomorrow we leave the base here in Blantyre and head to Phalombe - a town/large village about 4 hours drive away (I think). In Phalombe construction work on an orphanage was started a few years ago but never got finished. The orphans have been looked after in the community and now, with the YWAM base's help the building is going to become a school. A well has also been built.
We're going there tomorrow afternoon and will stay for the next 3 or 4 days. In the daytime Dan and I will do training for local pastors and then in the late afternoon and evening we'll go out into the villages of the pastors to hold meetings - where they'll show a film of Jesus' life in their local dialect, have a 5-minute talk and then offer prayer for healing.
For those 4 nights I'll be sleeping in a tent on top of the jeep! And apparently the toilets there are appalling, with some of the largest cockroaches ever! Something to look forward to then!
I won't be able to update the blog until I'm back... hopefully by then I'll have some great stories to tell!
Once I'm back I have 5 days of teaching the students on the DTS course. And then I get to fly home!
So I'll sign off now. It's still very, very hot, even though it's 7:30 and pitch black outside! Hopefully I'll have a good night's sleep (despite the mosquitoes that everyone keeps warning me about!)
- Posted using BlogPress
We've just had dinner (standard YWAM - Youth With A Mission - food of super-noodles) and in half-an-hour they are having their weekly community meeting. There are about 15 people associated with YWAM in this base (which is a fairly large single story villa) or living close by... some are students of staff on the DTS (Discipleship Training School), which Dan and Suzy run and I'll be teaching on next week. Others are people who are running their own ministries in the area under the umbrella of YWAM.
Anyway, I'm digressing... I've found out a bit more about the plans for my next 11 days.
Tomorrow we leave the base here in Blantyre and head to Phalombe - a town/large village about 4 hours drive away (I think). In Phalombe construction work on an orphanage was started a few years ago but never got finished. The orphans have been looked after in the community and now, with the YWAM base's help the building is going to become a school. A well has also been built.
We're going there tomorrow afternoon and will stay for the next 3 or 4 days. In the daytime Dan and I will do training for local pastors and then in the late afternoon and evening we'll go out into the villages of the pastors to hold meetings - where they'll show a film of Jesus' life in their local dialect, have a 5-minute talk and then offer prayer for healing.
For those 4 nights I'll be sleeping in a tent on top of the jeep! And apparently the toilets there are appalling, with some of the largest cockroaches ever! Something to look forward to then!
I won't be able to update the blog until I'm back... hopefully by then I'll have some great stories to tell!
Once I'm back I have 5 days of teaching the students on the DTS course. And then I get to fly home!
So I'll sign off now. It's still very, very hot, even though it's 7:30 and pitch black outside! Hopefully I'll have a good night's sleep (despite the mosquitoes that everyone keeps warning me about!)
- Posted using BlogPress
Arrived Safe & Sound
It's been a long, long journey! But after 27 hours I'm here. I didn't get any sleep on the flight so I'm feeling slightly wilted right now!
Somewhere over Africa
It's very, very hot here!
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Somewhere over Africa
It's very, very hot here!
- Posted using BlogPress
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
My Advanced Itinerary
This is the email Dan sent me about what we'll be doing over the next 11 days.
Hi Dave
It is so cool that you are going to be with us soon, we have planned an amazing outreach to Phalombe. We will be there for 3 or 4 days just after you arrive. 15 - 20 pastors will gather from across the area for training. We will be out in the evenings evangelising and praying for the sick in 3 villages of the pastors that we will be training. At the same time the team from the dts will be there doing kids' programs with the orphans that we are there to open the school for and install the water system and toilets and water tower etc.
Unfortunately I'm not going to just be observing - I will be fully involved. The pastors training and the village prayer and healing meetings will be my chance to sing for my supper! And I get nervous enough speaking at our service on a Sunday morning and praying for someone with a cold!
Hi Dave
It is so cool that you are going to be with us soon, we have planned an amazing outreach to Phalombe. We will be there for 3 or 4 days just after you arrive. 15 - 20 pastors will gather from across the area for training. We will be out in the evenings evangelising and praying for the sick in 3 villages of the pastors that we will be training. At the same time the team from the dts will be there doing kids' programs with the orphans that we are there to open the school for and install the water system and toilets and water tower etc.
Unfortunately I'm not going to just be observing - I will be fully involved. The pastors training and the village prayer and healing meetings will be my chance to sing for my supper! And I get nervous enough speaking at our service on a Sunday morning and praying for someone with a cold!
On My Way
I can't believe it! I just poured my heart and soul into a blog post... it was wise, witty, profound... and then the flipping app on my phone crashed and I lost it all!
I'm too peeved to do it again, so here's the same stuff in note form:
- I'm now on the bus - it feels like first time to stop and think about this trip after a few manically busy weeks
- Feeling nervous because I know I'm going to be put in some situations way outside my comfort zone
- However want to see with my own eyes some of the things Dan and Suzy have told me about - praying and the blind seeing, the deaf hearing and the lame walking
- Experiencing this is definitely worth pushing through my fear (perhaps even worth the spiders, snakes and bugs!?!) (Perhaps not!)
- Posted using BlogPress
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Malawi Trip
Hey all,
I leave for Malawi on Tuesday, and I'll try my best to keep everyone up to date on what's going on with my trip. I'd appreciate your prayers - I'm going to learn and experience God's kingdom!
I'll be visiting Dan & Suzy Dugmore. You can read about what they do on their website here: http://dugmores.co.uk/
See you soon!
 |
| Malawi |
I'll be visiting Dan & Suzy Dugmore. You can read about what they do on their website here: http://dugmores.co.uk/
See you soon!
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