Rebuilding

View of the Church Shelter From the Bedroom That Was Crushed 

Eight days ago Snoden and Susan’s house collapsed from the heavy rains that characterize the rainy season in Sub-Saharan Africa. Their nine-year-old daughter was inside alone when the structure began to crumble. Thankfully, they got her out before the roof fell in on her bedroom, and their four-year-old son is fine. They recently finished construction on a small shelter adjacent to their house to serve as the temporary preschool. They immediately moved into that to get out of the rain. They were able to salvage a few pieces of furniture from the rubble and crowded it all into the tiny, unfinished building. Though they were safe and dry overnight, the house they had purchased from their landlord just two days before had fallen to the ground, and they were devastated.

The House Before it Was Completely Knocked Down

Snoden asked us to come as soon as the rains permitted our vehicle to navigate the treacherous obstacle course the road to the village had become. Steep and slippery ruts are being etched deeper and deeper into the roadway by the rushing water from an especially heavy rainy season. He assured us that his family had everything they absolutely needed. Susan was cancelling preschool indefinitely to buy them some time to get back on their feet. Besides, he said the church he had invested in over the past year would surely come to help. 

Susan, Doreen, and Snoden Loading our Truck with Bricks

We got to the village the second day. A corner of the house had broken off like so much gingerbread. Half the house was still standing, but we were glad to hear Snoden say they would demolish it before rebuilding. It was apparent from the complex network of long cracks that the construction would not withstand more rain and would be unsafe to live in. They’ve been saving to buy it for many months. Because it would take many more months to save enough to rebuild, we’re helping them get the process started. The sooner they get back into their own house, the sooner we can use the preschool building for the children of the village. We all want that. In the meantime, they are still cooking daily and feeding the orphans. 

Children of the Village Doing the Work

Most of the church never showed up to help—except to ask for a paid job on the demolition site. He did employ a few of them. And, when Snoden went to find skilled masons to reconstruct the walls, they quoted him an inflated rate. He says it’s because they know he’s friends with white people and expect more money. He continued the search until he found an honest man with an honest price. The foundation has been completely removed (It was a concrete frame filled with sand.) and the yard is full of bricks that have been painstakingly carried—sometimes one by one—to begin rebuilding. Very few adults came to help, but the children of the village were there right away, carrying bricks without even being asked. Besides the physical structure of his house, Snoden feels we need to rebuild the metaphorical structure of the church that meets in his backyard. He's understandably disappointed that they haven’t been there to help and have even tried to make a dime off his suffering. We feel this is a necessary discussion and plan to have it after the family is living in their own house again. Please pray for favorable conditions and diligent workers to rebuild what has been damaged.

Pile of Bricks in Front of the Demolished House

Please send financial gifts to Westworth Church of Christ, 5728 White Settlement Road, Fort Worth, Texas 76114, c/o Malawi Mission Work, or you can give with a click at http://www.westworthcoc.org/malawi-mission/ Thank you, and God bless.

Launch Malawi

Happy to Be in Preschool Class

Just before we left for furlough in October, two of the ladies in the village said they were starting a preschool and needed our help. That didn’t really fit in with our travel preparations. Even though they were drawing from the pool of kids we’re already feeding every day and it would benefit the little ones greatly, the timing seemed wrong. Sure it was something John and I had talked and prayed about, but we certainly didn’t expect a couple of the villagers to take the initiative and get something going without our choreography. We hadn’t even shared the idea with them! In the end we were impressed and encouraged them to do whatever they felt they needed to while we were gone, assuring them we would return with the training and resources they asked for.

Education at every level is a critical need in Malawi. We had decided after our first year in the country that the aim for this mission should have something to do with teaching. We weren’t exactly sure where to start, but it seems these ladies have nudged us in a specific direction. They made it clear that they’re responding to what they’ve learned in our weekly Bible studies and that they want to serve their village in the best way they know how. They feel that teaching the kids, whom the church is already cooking for each day, is the next logical step. How could they know that we’d recently come to the same conclusion? The Spirit is obviously weaving a tapestry among us all, and we're witnessing the opening of the village school. 

When we returned from our trip, the ladies were eager to share their progress with us. Now I want to share it with you. Here’s a photo of the building Snoden constructed next to his house to serve as a temporary preschool while we were gone. 

The bricks are held together by sand only.
We are working this week to get a layer of concrete over the walls.

One of the founders of the preschool happens to be Snoden’s wife, Susan. She said they needed a place out of the rain to cook for the children and to keep them dry during class time so, with the help of their relatives, they cut bricks from the clay in their yard and put them together with sand. There are two rooms inside--one for the younger children and one for the older. There are two small closet-like rooms that serve as cooking and water storage spaces. There's also a nice, new outhouse behind the building.

Susan’s teaching partner is Doreen. Doreen’s baby had a terrible hernia when we met her. After we helped get him the medical procedure he needed, she has been a loyal supporter of everything we do in the village. She walks over two miles each morning to get to Snoden and Susan’s house to teach preschool—for free. Doreen doesn’t speak any English but has been learning songs and rhymes in English to teach the kids. In essence, she’s learning along with them so that they will get a good education in the country’s national language—something that doesn’t usually happen in a village environment. Most village schools are conducted in Chichewa, leaving the kids to learn English on their own. High school and college is taught in English, and all business is conducted in English, so you can imagine the importance of children learning it well. Thanks to Susan and Doreen, they are well on their way.

Susan, Teaching Numbers and Colors to the Older Kids

Doreen, Singing an English Song with the Younger Kids

Thanks to some generous donors, we brought back lots of great materials for the teachers and the kids. We're researching prices for consumable supplies and plan to raise support for each child to have what he needs for the best preschool experience possible. We also want to start paying the teachers a fair salary for all their hard work. According to our sources, the average primary school teacher's salary in Malawi is well under $100 per month, which is a ridiculous bargain for the jobs that are going to launch Malawi into a self-sustaining future.