Dear Friends,
When I arrived in Malawi earlier this week, I was met by a Malawian driver who drove me four hours to the town where our team lives. He has worked for us for five years, so I thought I would do a little "appreciative inquiry."
"You know us inside and out," I said. "What is it that we do really well?"
Without hesitation, he smiled and said, "You teach the Word of God. You teach it clearly in a way everyone can understand. Not in the national language or in a foreign language. You teach the Word of God in our (tribal) language."
I went on to ask, "So what? Why is that important? What difference does it make?"
He laughed and said, "There is a chief in one of our villages. One of the most important jobs of a chief is to solve disputes at the village level. He keeps a book for government inspection of all the disputes, the parties involved and the resolution. He is afraid that he is in trouble, because he now has nothing to write. He says people are not fighting, but forgiving each other. They are helping each other, since they know Jesus and are trying to live like Him. Now, however, he is afraid he will look lazy, and the government inspector won't believe him."
Several years ago, the theme for International Ministries was "Change Our World". It is happening! Transformed lives are bringing glory to God all over the earth, even in remote Malawian villages.
Please remember in this season that it is your World Mission Offering that supports the work of our partners who are bringing glory to God in their special parts of the earth.
Blessings,
Walt White
ABC-IM Global Consultant
MPT Website: www.waltworldwide.org
When I arrived in Malawi earlier this week, I was met by a Malawian driver who drove me four hours to the town where our team lives. He has worked for us for five years, so I thought I would do a little "appreciative inquiry."
"You know us inside and out," I said. "What is it that we do really well?"
Without hesitation, he smiled and said, "You teach the Word of God. You teach it clearly in a way everyone can understand. Not in the national language or in a foreign language. You teach the Word of God in our (tribal) language."
I went on to ask, "So what? Why is that important? What difference does it make?"
He laughed and said, "There is a chief in one of our villages. One of the most important jobs of a chief is to solve disputes at the village level. He keeps a book for government inspection of all the disputes, the parties involved and the resolution. He is afraid that he is in trouble, because he now has nothing to write. He says people are not fighting, but forgiving each other. They are helping each other, since they know Jesus and are trying to live like Him. Now, however, he is afraid he will look lazy, and the government inspector won't believe him."
Several years ago, the theme for International Ministries was "Change Our World". It is happening! Transformed lives are bringing glory to God all over the earth, even in remote Malawian villages.
Please remember in this season that it is your World Mission Offering that supports the work of our partners who are bringing glory to God in their special parts of the earth.
Blessings,
Walt White
ABC-IM Global Consultant
MPT Website: www.waltworldwide.org