God's Whispers

This month I have seen God do multiple things here in Malawi. He has used me as a mouthpiece to speak his truth to the children in the feeding programs. We have covered Daniel and the lion's den and the truth that God wants us to be obedient and serve him no matter what. As we do he will love and protect us and be with us as we go through the trials in life. We have discussed the importance of loving others and being generous. I have shown these children that God loves each of them and is providing for them. They need not be afraid. As a result, I have seen children become more hungry for God's word. Their attention span has increased. Their desire to learn is increasing as well. My heart knows that I am leaving these children soon, but it is reminded that they are not leaving empty. They are full of God's truth and love. The teachers will continue to fill them up. 

I can hear God whisper to me,

“I am with them. These are my children who I care for deeply. I will not let any harm come to them.”

Another area that God has been working in over here in Malawi is the women's ministry. My team and I have been working to teach the widows and mothers and we have been sharing God's word with them and His love. We have seen women be renewed, strengthened and become more confident in their ability to teach each other the Word. They have grown hungry for God's word so we started a bible study on Thursday's at the church on the rock. We are teaching them about prayer and how they can draw closer to God daily. I know God has been working in the hearts of these people. I can see their enthusiasm to learn more. Last Thursday I heard another slight whisper, 

“I will do a work in their lives. Your job is to keep sharing my Word with my people. I will do the rescuing.” 

This gave me great confidence and peace of mind knowing that as we keep teaching and sharing the gospel and God's word with the people we will see God produce the fruit. He will transform lives and change wrong thinking and negative attitudes. It's not my responsibility to make the changes. Sometimes as missionaries we can feel the burden to make a great difference in the countries we minister to. I was reminded that we make an impact as we allow God to do the changing and we do the listening and obeying. He is clearly ready to do the transformation as we speak His truth. These women are growing in the knowledge of the Word of God and seeing more of who God is. This is important work that will continue when I leave. These women are truly a blessing to be around and they have taught me a lot about humility. I will miss them when I leave next month.

God has constantly been whispering over me throughout this time in Malawi 

“ I am with you no matter where you go.” 

He has been reminding me of His extraordinary love and that I can depend on Him and trust in Him with my life. Malawi is a country that has revealed to me a desperation for more of the gospel, for more eternal truths. The fact is the life expectancy for a Malawian is much less, sometimes only up to 45 years of age. The Malawians know time on Earth is short. They work so hard to live and survive. God has shown me that their need is not just for food and money. It is for His truth, that is eternal and life giving. It is hope for them. Being here in Malawi has shown me that God cares about every individual. He wants to give each one the opportunity to spend eternal life with Him in his Kingdom. God is working to build His kingdom and He is looking for workers. I am one of His chosen workers. What I do through Him and his strength will make a lasting impact. It could be just for one person. It could be for an entire family. It could be an impact that is seen by many. What is most important is that the impact that is made is eternal. The gospel gives eternal hope to those who believe.

I know that even as I leave Malawi I will never truly know the impact that the missionaries are making here. Only God knows. I am at peace knowing I have been obedient and am ready to do His will, whatever that may be for the remainder of the time I am here. I am not a tourist. I am not a life-changer. I am simply a humble servant of Christ ready and willing to do as He desires. We all need to remember we have been chosen and called to be like Christ, to love like him and to do His will for our lives. We are not our own. We belong to Christ.

I have many opportunities to learn from the local people and to serve them. The Malawian culture and the people here have imparted something to me that I will end with:

No one is an island. Everyone needs someone. 

I cannot do what God has asked of me without the prayers and support from all of you. You make an impact here with your prayers and never forget that prayer is a powerful weapon that God uses. The enemy is real here. It has a force here that I have seen through some of the rituals and practices here in the village. Witch craft is a dominant practice with many of the women. We need to not let our praying knees get lazy. 

Please pray that God's truth will set these women free from the shackles that have enslaved them. Please keep praying that my light shines bright in the dark places here. Pray for wisdom and strength in the following weeks as the schedule is packed with ministry and other important things. Please pray that my team and I remain obedient and do His will with our time remaining. We all want to see His will done and know that we did all that we were asked to do. Another prayer request I have for the prayer warriors among you, pray that the men of Malawi become courageous and serve God and their families with a humble heart. Many men in the village are leaving their wives and children to marry another wife or run away from responsibilities. It is a sad reality here. 

Lastly keep praying that God keeps me healthy and determined to finish what I need to do here in Malawi.  It is easy to feel defeated or feel like you aren't doing anything worthwhile. So please keep praying for God's truth to be heard and for me to be reminded that my team and I are doing what God has asked us to do and He will do the transforming work, even if we don't see the change visible. 

I have seen faithful, courageous men, women, and children here. I know God has his own army fighting for Malawi here. He has a plan and He will fulfill it.

I love all of you and miss everyone back home so much. Thanks for all your prayers and support. I wanted to send pictures but ran out of data. So once I get more I'll post some to my Facebook page. Thanks for your patience :)

Sincerely,

Chantal