Missions - Fall 2023

MALAWI MISSIONS TRIP 2023

HIGHLIGHTS From the Team

Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations – teaching them everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Springton Lake Church has supported Pamoza International since its inception in 2011 to advance the Kingdom of God in rural Malawi, Africa. Pamoza (which means “together” in Tumbuka) was founded by our own Mike Mtika as a Christian non-profit organization with the mission of doing wholistic Christian community development in Euthini, a rural area in northern Malawi where he and Annie, his wife, are from. Over the years, SLPC’s support has included funding Pamoza’s Christian Outreach and Discipleship program; providing accounting & corporate guidance; SLPC members being on Pamoza’s Board of Directors; organizing and participating in fundraising activities; involving schools in the U.S. to support education activities in the areas Pamoza serves; financing the tailoring training program; collecting contributions for numerous projects and emergency needs in the communities Pamoza serves; and sending teams of people from SLPC in 2013 and 2023 as well as individuals in 2015 and 2018.

This past summer, SLPC sent 14 members to Malawi for the purpose of: 1) learning more about the work of Pamoza in the frontline; 2) training and serving alongside Pamoza staff; and 3) identifying opportunities for SLPC-Pamoza Partnership. The team and activities were organized around five subteams:

• Healthcare (Wayne & Alice Ho, Kim Marie Falk): brought medicines & equipment; learned how the Zowe clinic currently operates; and investigated opportunities for advancing the clinic’s services.

• Technology (Chris Falk, Ian & Kaden O’Connor): designed, purchased and helped install a solar system at the Tailoring Skills Center; purchased sewing machines; investigated other technology needs and opportunities in the community.

• Marketing (Dana Swieson, Jared Falk, Daniel Ho): trained staff in videography & film-making; collected footage for Pamoza; and documented the trip activities.

• Education & Skills Development (Cora Pennock and Annie Mtika): observed tailoring, adult literacy, and primary school activities and offered advice on what could be done better; and interacted with Girls Rise participants and high school students to learn about their challenges.

• Programs Development (Don Kirkwood, Doug Pennock, Mike Mtika): interacted with Pamoza’s frontline management to learn how Pamoza is undertaking its work with the objective of identifying fundraising and local income generation opportunities.

Getting to know people in Malawi was probably the most important thing the team did while in Malawi. In the 10 years between SLPC’s two mission trips, Pamoza has grown from two to 26 field staff (all Malawi nationals with 23 coming from within the communities Pamoza serves). Hence, building relationships with the Pamoza staff was the essential next step to expanding SLPC’s support. And hearing the stories from some of Pamoza’s program participants firsthand was both valuable and eye-opening.

Here are personal highlights from some team members:

from Doug Pennock:

Many people ask me what stood out from the trip to Malawi, and I think that the most remarkable thing was the Pamoza staff. Their love of the people, their love of Christ, their desire to uplift the community, and the sacrifices they are willing to make to help the community in which they work. The staff themselves are a joyful community, working “pamoza” to bring the love and healing of Christ to communities that have so little. They give up time with their families and live on less money than they could make elsewhere to achieve that goal.

The tour of Pamoza’s Farming Institute, and how they are using ALL of the products and by-products of the various segments – cattle, chickens, fish, corn, casava, bananas -- to support the others. They use manure and corn shells to make compost for the plants, corn to feed the animals, and the like. We had the privilege of eating eggs and fish from the Institute. An unexpected highlight of the tour was seeing a large monitor lizard (3-4 feet long) dart from among the crop field into the fish pond as our group approached.

from Daniel Ho:

Being able to teach the Pamoza facilitators while also learning about their lives and culture was an experience I’ll never forget. One of my favorite memories was teaching one of the facilitators, Phunyuka, how to do video magic (such as making a cup fill with juice “magically”) when we had some spare time. He enjoyed it so much that he still sends me new video creations every once and a while! Watch Phunyuka’s OJ trick video here.

Playing with the kids from Zowe every evening was another major highlight. Each day, Jared and I would either teach the kids a new game (red light green light, races, etc.) or learn from them, such as this one time when they taught me a game that was a mix of cricket, soccer, and sharks and minnows (and shoe throwing). I remember they were enamored with my hair and Jared’s feet, as they were so different from the types of hair and color of feet they’ve seen their whole lives.

from Kim Marie Falk:

Alice and I got to chat with Austin, Pamoza’s HR and Admin Associate, one day while we were waiting for vaccines to be delivered at the "Under 5" clinic (he was our driver for that excursion). Austin shared that he had a Good News Bible but really desired a good “Study Bible”. It broke my heart that I couldn't go to a local bookstore and purchase one for him. The next day, my devotional Bible reading had a passage about giving gifts and the Lord reminded me of the African Study Bible that I had been given in the fall of 2022 to use in preparation for the trip. I carried it to Malawi, all 3.5 pounds of it! That morning the Lord told me that Bible was Austin's, so I wrote his name in the front dedication. I cannot describe the awe and joy on his face when I handed it to him. Since returning home, many days as I have "studied" my Bible, I think of Austin and pray he is growing deeper in his knowledge and love of our shared Lord!

from Annie Mtika:

Small things matter in the eyes of God. Cora taught one of the tailoring participants how to use a needle threader. This reduced her frustration and the time that it takes to thread the sewing machine needle. Seeing the relief in the woman’s eyes was impressive.

from Alice Ho:

A highlight from my time in Zowe was the afternoon we hiked up Kayowozi Mountain after attending Sunday worship service. The destination and views were certainly worth the steep climb, but the real treasure was the time talking with our guides – Nganiwe, Dorcas, Ernest, and his friend.  Dorcas shared with me her future dreams and her role as the eldest in the home to sacrifice her own education so she can earn an income and provide for her younger siblings. Two different cultures living in different continents – yet the theme of family and sacrifice was so familiar and mimics familiar themes of the centrality of family that my parents sacrificially worked to preserve. Hearing her testimony of knowing Christ, and how she presses into her discipleship through studying the Word in community. We summited the mountain and beheld the beauty of the land that God looks down upon – no longer separated by culture or spoken language or experience, but individuals in need of the mercy of God. I will treasure that sabbath day.

from Dana Swieson:

In Malawi, attending secondary school is a privilege limited to a few. That’s because first, one has to do well on the nationwide entrance exam in 8th grade. Then he or she needs enough money to pay for tuition and school fees because even public school isn’t free. For one of our Marketing Team projects, we interviewed 10th grader Mary Chimaliro, a Pamoza scholarship recipient, to document her daily life. Her family cannot afford to send her to a boarding school, so Mary wakes up at 5:00 am to do an hour of chores before starting the two-hour walk to school. She gets home from school around 4:30 pm, does a couple more hours of chores and eats dinner and then studies until bedtime. At age 14, she is academically ahead of other kids her age. She excels in school because she is intelligent and industrious. She has a joyful spirit and countenance. But most of all, she has a maturity well beyond 14 years. She wants to become a nurse and when I asked her why she wants to do well in school, she said “so I can make money to care for my parents!” I am so grateful to have been able to meet and get to know Mary.

To learn more about Mary and life in Malawi, watch this video produced by the Marketing Team.

from Wayne Ho:

The real highlight of our trip to Malawi became clear to me only after we left the Zowe community. Traveling the bumpy roads away from the people and projects and friends we made at Pamoza, we started seeing more of Malawi life outside of Zowe. Towns like Mzuzu were busier with what seemed like more commerce, more electricity, more amenities - a little more like the West. It made me realize that many of the Pamoza staff had chosen to leave family and “better” opportunities in order to go to a poor, isolated community (even by Malawi standards). Why? I think it was what we had tasted and seen for ourselves - the richness of community, shared mission, real kingdom-building even on a limited scale, that these wonderful people had committed themselves to. It was the highlight for me to see that in a place so unexpected. And reminded me of the Lord’s Prayer being answered – God’s name being hallowed, His kingdom coming and His will being done here in Zowe, as it is in heaven.

from Mike Mtika:

Driving in Malawi is an adventure. Driving the Mission team members (all who are used to driving on good paved American roads) on roads with many potholes and people walking on the edges, on motorcycles, and on bicycles all determined to squeeze through any space they can find on the road, demands balancing people’s comfort and safety while ensuring that you get to the next destination while there is still daylight because driving through potholes at night is pretty dangerous. I have taken visitors to Malawi since 2003. They all graciously suffer the ordeal of bumps on the road and vehicle breakdowns. God has always protected us in ways we cannot imagine.

Please join us on Sunday, October 8, 2023, for the Malawi Coffee Café after the worship service, where the Malawi team will host displays throughout Fellowship Hall to share what they saw and learned on the trip.  And be on the lookout over the coming year for opportunities to get involved with new SLPC-Pamoza Partnership initiatives!