What Now?

        It seems like an understatement to say that this has been a very bad year for a lot of people. Most of us can hardly wait for 2021 so we can put it behind us. I’ve seen t-shirts, coffee mugs, and even Christmas decorations to that end. We want it to be over. But will the calendar really make that much of a difference? When we tear off that last page on New Year’s Eve, won’t people still be wearing masks and social distancing? It seems the world has been holding its breath to get to January 1, but I doubt we’ll wake up to any substantial changes overnight. When that realization hits home to a world desperate to escape the trials of 2020 we may be forced to ask, “What now?”

Sure this year’s been miserable, but it hasn’t been the worst year of everyone’s life. Severe illness or the death of a loved one mark other years as far worse for some. On the other hand, blessings of marriage, the birth of a child, or financial gain have actually made 2020 a good year for certain people. But for Christians the answer to, “What now?” should be the same in any given scenario. Hebrews 12 declares, “Fix your eyes on Jesus.” From losing a loved one to welcoming a new baby, mourning and celebration are tempered in Christ when we look to him for our next step. Our joy and sadness find a common home in Jesus, where He wants to make use of our situation to His glory and our ultimate good. 

We simply cannot know what God is doing through the events of our lives, but we can be sure that He has a plan. For instance, Ruth could have had no idea that suffering the loss of her husband and displacement from her homeland would lead her into the lineage of the Messiah, but she was faithful nonetheless. Conversely, Solomon was given more riches and wisdom than any other man in the Bible, but after basking in the Lord’s goodness for most of his life, it eventually went to his head and he turned away from God. Until we recognize that every event, blessing or tragedy, is subject to God’s authority and intended for his sovereign purpose, we will continue to be frustrated when things don’t go our way or forget Him when they do. We will search for the next step rather than allowing God to guide our paths.

The year 2021 holds great promise, but not because it means an end to the trials of 2020. Instead, it is another opportunity to surrender our agendas to God and His plan for our lives, regardless of our circumstances. It doesn’t mean we can’t lament the direction our world is headed, and it doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the good things we have in our lives. It simply means that we ultimately accept whatever God wants to do with us because we trust that He’s involved and in control. It means that we acknowledge His plans as greater than anything we could dream up and that we’re willing to be participants in His divine blueprint. 

Try this in 2021: Every time you find yourself thinking, “What now?" go to God with that question and then listen for the answer. Whether it seems like something that might take you far away from home like Ruth or bring you earthy benefits like Solomon, go ahead and submit to the prompting. God is still writing His story and you’re in it. You could end up with an entire chapter named after you or you could be an example of what not to do, but asking God, “What now?” while you still have breath in your lungs will ensure that you’re at least in the book. Those who wait to ask that question on the day of judgment will find their names in a different book and most assuredly will not like the answer. Take heart. The God we serve not only created time and will one day culminate every year, good or bad, into one perfect moment where He will make all things new and incorruptible, but He also loves us so much that He won’t do that until every nation has had the opportunity to hear and respond to that good news. (Matt. 24:14) So when you ask, “What now?” don’t be surprised if God prompts you to share that hope with someone who needs to hear it. 

The Burden of Happiness

The United States was founded on the idea that people are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” I’ve always felt that I live in the best country in the world—especially after spending time in a few others. However, with the current political climate, I sometimes wonder how much longer I’ll feel that way. 

I know I’m not alone when I ponder the dramatic changes that have taken place in our nation since those words were penned in the Declaration of Independence over two hundred years ago. Our founding fathers were obviously seeking to establish a government that would complement biblical principles, but I wonder if they didn’t inadvertently contribute to our divergence from those same principles with one imperfectly chosen word. I love this country and don’t want to undo our foundation in the slightest way, which is precisely the reason I bring this up. Perhaps in order to maintain the intentions of our founding fathers, we should consider the possibility that “happiness” has a different meaning today than it did then.

The American dream is wrapped up in the idea that we want to achieve happiness and that, left to our own devices, we can. The colonies were desperate to slip out of King George III’s tyrannical grip, so it makes sense that happiness should be a tenet of the new government, but I don’t suppose the signers of the Declaration would have chosen that word if they could have imagined what its pursuit would look like a couple of centuries later. To them it would have meant the opportunity to make laws and use taxes to benefit their own communities, raise and educate their own children, and worship God however they chose. Can you imagine what they would have made of the very idea that, in order to pursue happiness, a child would be able to choose her own gender and a woman abort her own baby if it made her happy? Clearly not. The idea of happiness might have once been equated with a principled life, but it has somehow come to mean feeling good all the time—an impossibility, the pursuit of which has made us nothing less than crazy. Maybe the “pursuit of joy” would have been a better choice of words because, while joy is not completely synonymous with happiness, there can be no real happiness without it.

The good news is that joy is found in Christ. He never calls us to happiness, which can actually be quite a burden. New parents say about their baby, “Whatever he does, I just want him to be happy.” That’s quite a calling for the child before he’s even old enough to know what it means. What if he grows up to be a servant of God? Is happiness the standard in that job? If it is, I’m doing something wrong. I’m often sad because of the number of people who reject Jesus. 

People say God wants us to be happy, but maybe they’re confusing God’s call with the American dream. God calls us to joy. Happiness is experienced when our circumstances make us feel good, but the joy of the Lord is a permanent state of being when we have Christ living in us and can be present even in the worst of circumstances. I find great relief in the fact that, while I appreciate the freedom to pursue happiness, God does not expect it from me. Ecclesiastes 7 says, “Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart.” True joy comes when we fellowship with Christ’s suffering. It reminds us that He is in charge and that all is well, regardless of our physical circumstances. When we experience financial problems, relationship issues, or even a worldwide health crisis, we don’t also have to face the burden of feeling happiness in the midst of the struggle. 

Maybe it’s un-American to be unhappy, but it certainly isn’t ungodly. For those of us in Christ, happiness is a byproduct of joy and comes in delightful and surprising waves like sprinkles on a cake, where joy is the whole cake and happiness is the sprinkles. If we’re able to release ourselves from the burden of the pursuit of happiness, we will certainly find it in the joy of the Lord.

So Many Good Changes

So much has happened since we left Lilongwe nine months ago. We were just starting to feel at home, which is no small thing, given the fact that there isn’t much familiar about Malawi to an American. Thanks to our supporters and sponsoring church, we had imported housewares, books, tools, and even a dog into Malawi in order to be at home there. We had planned to be in it for the long haul and wanted our home to be a comfortable, secure place for our family to retreat to amidst difficult days on the mission field—and there were difficult days. Then the pandemic hit. We were in the States on furlough when it did and haven’t been back since. What was supposed to be a month long trip has turned into a full blown move back to the States. We had our dear friends in Malawi sell what they could and give the rest away. It’s been heart wrenching, to say the least. Though we’ve moved out of Africa for now, God’s work there is still going strong, and some positive changes have taken place.

In the time we’ve been gone, Malawi has elected a new president, which we think is a very good thing. We know his daughter and son-in-law, who is also his speech writer and top aid. They’re good people. I taught their son at the international school, so I feel like I can vouch for them on a level that only someone who spends time with your children can. Kids tell family secrets without words. They seem like people who might lead Malawi into a better future, but politics has a way of taking good intentions and weaving them into a web of greed and corruption, so we will continue to pray for their hearts to remain fully His. The forgotten children of the villages need more than just a ray of hope from this new government. They need a leader who will turn to God and put the country into His hands.

Somewhere between the personal issue of our change of address and the more global issue of the government lies the discussion of what has developed in the ministry this year. The feeding program that we started while we were there is now providing food for ninety children every day. That’s twenty more than when we left for furlough! Also, the property where we built the preschool now has running water. This is the first time these kids have ever had access to such a thing. We’ve been able to continue to raise money through Donor See online, and our faithful supporters have not only continued to give to the cause, but some have even increased their donations. With that money, we have been able to build two houses for widows and their children, and Snoden, our friend and Malawian partner, is overseeing the building of a wall to secure the property where the kids eat and go to school each day. It’s also were Snoden and his family live and where all of the program’s resources are stored. Because so many of the kids are HIV positive, a large part of our ministry is also to get regular medical care for them, so Snoden also transports them to and from the local clinic on his motorcycle. Through all of this, our main goal is still to share the Gospel and biblical teaching with these kids and their families. With your overwhelming support, it seems the ministry may just be getting started. 

God has sufficiently calmed our fears about the kids in Tambalale Village not getting what they need in our absence. We talk to Snoden almost daily through the miracle of technology, and he and his wife are rising to the challenge of feeding ninety children and educating forty-five. It’s not an ideal situation in that they need more help to better care for so many children, but it is stable. Also, our family is experiencing considerable personal challenges during this transition, but, like the situation in the village, we are also stable. As the dust settles and we are able to evaluate where we are in this ministry, we hope to see more positive changes that will allow us to move off of our position of stability and into a more dynamic place of growth and improvement. God started this mission by allowing us to feed a few hungry kids, and we don’t want to stop until no child is hungry and every child is being educated. It seems like an impossible task, but our God just so happens to specialize in such things. 

The Methuselah Tree

        The oldest tree in the world is in the White Mountains of California. It’s a bristlecone pine thought to be 5,000 years old, and it’s affectionately called Methuselah. It seems fitting that it has a biblical name, since trees carry such significance throughout the Bible. There are so many great lessons to be learned from trees, and you may have heard sermons or read devotionals along those lines. I’ve always been enamored with them—even since before I was a Christian—and now I’m fascinated by the many analogies that can be used to compare trees to our Christian lives. One in particular really spoke to me this week. 

We moved into a new house just days ago. I was admiring an old oak in the yard and what must be a deep and far-reaching root structure, while feeling a bit sorry for myself for having no roots at all. I’ve moved over thirty times that I can remember and was mourning the separation from friends and family, the loss of keepsakes, and the fact that I’ve never been anywhere long enough to get comfortable with a routine. Then this thought struck me: that tree’s root system has a direct relationship to the reach of its branches—and so does mine! The roots of a tree may extend three to five times as far as its longest branch. My roots in the Kingdom also grow stronger when I reach out, but in a different way. 

It may be the stagnation that allows trees to take root in the earth, but Kingdom roots require movement out of our comfort zones. They only grow stronger when we’re actively pursuing God’s will. For me that’s been moving around the world to share the Gospel. For you it might be forgiving someone, befriending a difficult neighbor, or even embracing changes in the church service in order to be more relevant to the world. Branching out is bound to look different in different people, but one thing is for sure: strong Kingdom roots are only established when Christians agree to branch out and follow God’s will. Every time I agree to go where God calls, my earthly roots become shallower, but I gain brothers and sisters in Christ and my relationship with Jesus is strengthened. Every time I branch out by doing something that I can’t do without Jesus, He causes my Kingdom roots to grow a little deeper.

The first Psalm says that those of us who are rooted in the Kingdom are like trees planted beside streams of water, implying that we’ll always have what we need to grow and mature. Interestingly, established trees in nature don’t need much water at all. (Methuselah only gets about a foot of rainfall per year.) Instead they take advantage of water when they get it, but they don’t spend their lives searching for it. Only young trees do that. As Christians, a mark of maturity is when we stop indulging in self-serving behavior and start putting others before ourselves. If comfort is my priority or I spend most of my prayer time asking for things for myself, I should probably examine my life. My roots may be suffering from stunted growth, and a sturdy root system is crucial when it comes to adversity. If you’ve ever tried to remove a mature tree from your yard, you know what I mean. It can be nearly impossible. You can chip away at an established root system all day with little to show for it in the end. Likewise, we have an enemy who daily hacks away at our Kingdom roots. If they’re strong, Satan will have his work cut out for him. If I live in the realization that I’m planted beside the stream of Living Water, then I’m free to branch out when God calls. Only then will my roots be like Methuselah’s, able to sustain drought and hardship and still thrive. 

Share the Fear

        Ah, the season of scares! It’s upon us. Whether you love Halloween or pretend it doesn’t exist, much of the world is preparing for something frightening at this time of year. If you look up the history of Halloween you’ll find that what began as an ancient religious festival to ward off evil spirits has become a secular celebration, where people actually dress up as and invite the very spirits the festival was originally supposed to get rid of! The earliest settlers of the American colonies largely rejected the holiday due to their strong Protestant beliefs, but since the early 20th century it has become a multibillion dollar festivity in the United States alone. Horror movies bring in almost one billion dollars each year, and those are on the rise. Even though I don’t like scary movies now, I’m pretty sure I saw every one ever made before the year 2000, so I get the draw. But, why do we love being scared so much that we’re willing to spend money on it?

I’m not a psychiatrist and I’m sure people have different reasons, but there is one explanation that I think applies to everyone. That is the fact that we were created to fear. Psalm 33:8 says, “Let all the earth fear the Lord.” Proverbs calls the fear of the Lord wisdom and knowledge. Luke tell us that God is to be feared because He can cast our soul into hell. That last point is exactly why I became a Christian and was baptized twenty-five years ago. You may think that’s not a valid reason to turn to Christ, but I would beg to differ. If we were created to fear God, it stands to reason that acknowledging His awesome power to destroy us is certainly a legitimate reason to give ourselves over to His will. In doing so we become His children and are no longer considered the enemies we were before our conversions. Interestingly, when I learned to fear God, I stopped wanting to be scared by Hollywood. 

Obviously, after years of being a Christian, I’ve come to understand other attributes of God that make me less fearful and more grateful. His love is what motivates me now. Much like a good relationship between a human parent and child, when we’re very young we should have a healthy fear of our parents’ authority. It keeps us safe and sets us on the right track. As we grow older and have children of our own, we learn to appreciate our parents on a different level, and our relationships become more about love and respect. We start to understand why they did what they did and how it helped to shape us into the people we are today. Unfortunately, many people didn’t have a healthy experience growing up, and we’re seeing the aftereffects of a nation where children were never brought up to fear anything. 

Maybe that unfulfilled God-given need to fear is what drives people to seek it out through entertainment. So, when I see the lengths that people will go to just for a scare, I try not to be too judgmental about how they’re going about it. I don’t want gory Halloween decorations on my lawn, and I don’t have any desire to watch the latest horror flick on the big screen, but it’s only because I have something more awesome to fear—God’s power. Instead of looking down on those who do want those things for the season, instead of a self-righteous proclamation that I’m a Christian and don’t celebrate Halloween, maybe it’s better if I recognize the boom of the Halloween industry as a healthy appetite for the very fear that God put into each of our hearts at creation. Maybe I could find an opportunity to share the Gospel by sharing the fear of the Lord. There’s truly nothing scarier than that!

Alive and Unchanging

       

        English has been spoken for over 1,400 years, and in that time it has changed so much that it can be difficult to read literature written just hundreds of years ago. If you read Dickens or Shakespeare you may feel like you’re reading a foreign language. In a way, you are! Many words now have completely different meanings than they did originally. How does that happen? Well, people use words and phrases in the vernacular that don’t follow the rules, and they eventually end up in the dictionary and grammar books. For example, chillax, whatevs, and awesomesauce are now recognized words, recorded in the dictionary. I know, I know. It doesn’t seem right, but to truly love a language is to also embrace its evolution. Besides, we’re not alone. There are currently over 7,000 spoken languages and it happens to them all, so chillax.

Unlike English, Latin is considered a dead language because nobody speaks it as a first language any more, and it’s not used for communication. As a result it has stopped changing, which makes it quite useful as an international standard for specialized studies like science, music, and law. The rules of Latin are forever seared into the pages of books, so purists don’t have to worry about the language adopting crazy new words like English does. They also won’t enjoy the charm of clever wordplay that is part of a thriving culture, but whatevs.

So, living languages change while dead languages do not. However, there is just one language that is both alive and completely unchanging. It’s the language of heaven, and it’s alive in that it speaks to people from two thousand years ago as much as it does to modern man. It’s also unchanging because it spans from eternity to eternity and encompasses every idea that has ever been or ever will be. There’s simply no need for change. It’s already the complete and perfect Word of God. We refer to Hebrew and Greek as the original languages of the Bible, but perhaps it’s more accurate to consider those the first translations by which God has given us a window into the communication of the spiritual realm. The language of heaven is something humans cannot yet fully understand, so God has given us the Bible and His Spirit to introduce us to the culture of heaven. It’s a kind of orientation packet from God to us. If we understand that He’s given us the Bible because He loves us, it might cause us to study it more, embracing the fact that our Father is helping us prepare for eternity with Him. Ignoring God’s words will only perpetually frustrate us and continue to decay our worldly cultures. Conversely, when we accept the Bible as truth and absorb its concepts, it’s the only language that actually changes us. For those of us who believe that and have put our faith in Jesus, that’s awesomesauce!

Choosing Frames

        If you come to my house, you’ll see photographs on display. I love pictures and everything they represent—friends and family, places, or just beautiful things to look at. One of my favorite hobbies is collecting frames and then matching them to photos. I don’t think there’s necessarily just one right choice for each image, but there certainly are some wrong ones that can completely ruin a picture. Imagine a beautiful photograph of someone’s champion dog in a frame that says “Sisters” or a sparkly pink box surrounding a close up of rugged Uncle Ted, and you’ll get the idea. The frame should highlight the image and not draw attention to itself. Images of good things in well-chosen frames make life fuller and more interesting. 

I also have a cache of pictures that are not on display. We all do. The memories of those things we don’t want to look at are hidden away in a place only we can see. In my case, my brother’s death, my father’s imprisonment, and my mom’s Alzheimers are three images that used to haunt me. They were all surrounded by the frames of sadness, bitterness, and regret. I asked Jesus to help me deal with these depressing thoughts and, to my delight, he offered me new frames. Unlike the simple frames in my house, these are so beautiful and ornate that they draw attention to themselves and away from the ugliness they contain. They’re perfect!

Now I can look at those private images and actually appreciate them. The picture of my father is framed in the understanding that betrayal was the starting point that eventually led me to find God, my brother’s death in the hope that we’ll see each other again, and my mother’s terminal illness in thankfulness that she accepted Christ and was baptized just months before she was diagnosed. God’s love is a frame so breathtaking and intricate that any picture it surrounds becomes a work of art lovely to behold. I’m still working on reframing some undesirable images in that hidden place, but slowly and surely, and with God’s help, they are being displayed one by one on the wall of my heart as beautiful things to behold. 

Malawi Update 2020

Dear Faithful Supporters,

We are pleased to announce that Malawi now has a new president. Lazarus Chakwera is his name. He served for over twenty years as the president of the Assemblies of God Foundation and has a proven track record for crusading against corruptive governmental practices and advocating for the abused and the hungry in Africa’s poorest nation. Samantha and I know President Chawera’s  daughter and son-in-law  personally and Sam had the opportunity to actually teach his grand children at the International School during our first year in Lilongwe. We are so thankful for this answer to our prayers and we’re confident that very soon, many will feel some of the positive changes that his leadership is sure to bring.

We all know that change takes time, however. In the interim, our family, with your continued support, is committed to advocating and feeding dozens of children that we have adopted into our hearts. Our commitment is specifically to seventy children who reside in Tambalale Village about 15 miles outside of the main city of Lilongwe.  However, since the pandemic began earlier this year, we have seen the need for basic necessities, including food, grow rapidly. Very often hungry children outside of the program come to us in search for help. Because of the increase in demand for food, Snoden (our assistant director) regularly has to hire day laborers to help with prep and distribution. Our goal is that no child would be turned away who comes to us hungry or in need of medical attention. 

This month we are taking steps to reduce our overhead costs and sell off some of the organization's inventory deemed unnecessary during this crisis.  Our aim is to identify any excess spending and channel all of our resources to alleviating hunger.  As always, we want to thank you for faithfully giving to this great ministry. We are so grateful that God gave us the time in Malawi to get an infrastructure in place to serve as a beacon of hope to so many marginalized families. We want you to know that your donation goes directly to helping the poorest of the poor in Malawi. Thank you so much for your love, prayers and continued partnership in this great ministry.

Love,

John 

Isaiah 58:7

We Need Your Support Now More Than Ever

 The World Health Organization released a briefing this morning projecting Africa’s worst case scenario to be over three million deaths due to Covid-19 and over a billion infections. These numbers would undoubtedly overrun Africa’s medical infrastructure. In the last twenty-four hours, cases have increased forty-three percent. Worse yet, they are anticipating over 300 million that will be plunged into “deep poverty,” which means millions will starve to death. The prophet Isaiah reminded me this morning that my job is not limited to just working with the orphans and widows in Malawi, but also to PLEAD THEIR CAUSE. The Malawi Mission needs your support now more than ever.

As the impact of the virus grows in Malawi, we have adjusted our operations to meet demands. I have been in continual contact with Snoden and our team in the village to transition our feeding program of seventy kids into a one of a kind food bank that will benefit hundreds of hungry families. We’re using our administrative buildings to prepare and distribute over two acres of maize the ministry grew last season. However, there are extra costs for peanuts, sugar and soy. We also anticipate needing to employ more workers because of increased demand. There are no governmental programs to help desperate people in Malawi. No welfare and no unemployment. 

With your support we will be able to:

Continue feeding the children that we have adopted into our program.

Continue helping widows in the midst of their distress.

Expand our operations to help more hungry people and be the first of its kind food bank in Lilongwe.

Give hope to the hopeless and destitute.

I am pleading with you to join us in helping the helpless. This kingdom effort would not happen without your generous donations. We know that these are challenging times for all of us. May God bless our collective efforts to not grow weary in our benevolence toward the least in His kingdom.

Yours in Christ,

John and Samantha 

Wellspring/Great Expectations Malawi

Please make a contribution today so that these critical needs can be met. Please consider making a tax deductible donation to https://www.paypal.me/MalawiWestworth or a donation to our personal account at paypal.me/JewellsinAfrica. Thank you!

April 2020 Great Expectations Malawi Mission Update

Today marks the 22nd day of quarantine for the Jewell family. Two days before our flight was to return to Malawi, South Africa (our point of entry to the continent) closed its borders, forcing us to pitch our tent here in Golden, CO with my sister’s family. Fortunately, Western Union has remained open in Malawi, who, at the time of writing, has around 18 reported cases with 3 reported deaths. I was able to wire necessary monies to Snoden to continue feeding the kids and keep the 4 member staff employed. Malawian government has closed all schools but continues to allow groups of 100 to assemble, allowing our kids to continue to  benefit from the feeding program. Stay at home orders for Malawians are in effect which means joblessness will increase leading to more starvation. There is no stimulus package coming and no unemployment program to fall back on. I’ve instructed Snoden to harvest the 2 acres of maize this week and hire a few extra personnel to process the food. As long as funds continue to come in, Great Expectations Malawi will serve as a food bank for local residents. 

Implementing social distancing practices is very challenging since most Malawians believe this to be a virus that only affects Chinese people. Snoden and Susan are busy each day enforcing hand washing practices and doing their best to educate their neighbors to the truth. In the meantime, our family will wait and pray. We are still paying for personal living expenses in Malawi and maintaining constant contact with the expat community there on the ground. Several are evacuating the country, mostly those with medical conditions of some sort or those mandated by their employers. Our hope is that the borders will open within the next several weeks. Until then, we rely on your continued support and mercy toward our family and the families affected in Africa. We will update you as more information comes in. 

- John

Temporarily Displaced

Video that Snoden sent us of the kids enjoying bananas that have ripened on our trees and showing off their sanitation skills as they throw away the peels into a trash box.

We planned to be in the States for exactly one month. It’s a far distance and a lot of planning for just thirty days, but we came to celebrate Jonah’s high school graduation and to host a fund-raiser in Texas, so it was worth the rigor. Besides, we hadn’t been home in over a year. 

Jonah’s celebration went well. It was a joyful reunion for our family and we all sensed that God had worked in mighty ways through the separation. The fundraiser was also a great time of fellowship. Unfortunately, we didn’t raise enough to replace our dilapidated work truck or to build a wall around the school in the village—two priorities for the mission. We decided, however, not to let that overshadow the blessing that comes when so many people pull together towards a common goal. Thanks to those of you who worked hard to make the evening a wonderful experience. 

Somewhere along the course of our trip, that pesky virus became a global pandemic. Our quick jaunt to the States has become a long-term stay, as South Africa has banned entry from the United States. We are essentially displaced, but staying with family for now, which we realize makes us better off than many. We are thankful to have plenty of food and basic necessities to stay home and ride this out.

In the midst of this chaos, there are seventy children in Malawi who depend on us for their daily needs. We left enough grain to feed them for the time we would be away—and a little extra in case of an emergency—and we have chickens that supply them with eggs. Snoden, our Malawian liaison, recently sent word that someone is stealing our eggs. Then a couple of days later he told us some men jumped out of the tall maize and grabbed two of our preschoolers in an attempt to kidnap them. Thankfully, there was a parent close by who was able to save the kids. You can imagine our dismay. It’s terribly painful to know of the atrocities going on and not be able to do anything about it. 

I want encourage everyone reading this to not lose heart. We are determined to stay positive through this worldwide ordeal. Malawi just declared a state of emergency and closed its schools. We need to do our best to take care of the children in our preschool and feeding program from this long distance. You can’t do anything about the coronavirus, but you can do something to help the kids in Malawi. Don’t let the craziness of our current situation turn your heart from God. We need Him now more than ever, and there’s no better way to get His attention than to take care of the people who cannot take care of themselves. Let’s work together to keep feeding those kids and let God do His job. 

Please consider making a tax deductible donation to https://www.paypal.me/MalawiWestworth or a donation to our personal account at paypal.me/JewellsinAfrica. Thank you!