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!

Malawi Tried to Kill Me and Then I Fell in Love With Her (by Raychel Hosch)

My mother told me a story soon after our house had burned to the ground one Christmas Day. She returned to the pile of ash and rubble a few days after the fire to find a single flower growing up in the middle of the devastation that used to be her home. She fell to her knees and wept in that moment as she was overcome with the knowledge that God was in the midst of it all and she would survive.

I am reminded of this flower as I process all that we saw and experienced in our recent trip to Malawi to visit our missionary friends John and Samantha Jewell. I won’t dwell on the negative too much because it is no more important than the fire that had occurred on that Christmas day over 30 years ago. What is important is what happens afterwards and how God makes Himself seen to us.

When we arrived, we experienced jetlag like we had never experienced before, and we were immediately ill with what felt like the flu. We soon discovered that the rainy season had not yet begun. The pollution from 7 months of dry dust and smoke from burning trash were wreaking havoc on our lungs and allergies.  During this first week of illness I got to be a guest lecturer at the African Bible College for a group of young aspiring Malawian audiologist. I enjoyed hearing about their language and their culture, and I felt a joy in teaching for hours on end despite my raspy voice and facial mask I was forced to wear. Even in my illness God gave me a new energy and excitement about teaching.

Don got drenched in an exploding water pump as he and John worked on plumbing emergencies right before we attempted to make it out to the village to meet the preschoolers. We finally made it safely out to Snoden’s house where over 50 kids were being fed breakfast and 35 of them were staying for preschool to be taught by his wife Susan. I was able to share some Raffi songs with Susan and the kids and they mostly just gawked at my strangeness. I worked with Susan on how to present circle time and centers while Don got to work with Snoden on building plans for the new preschool and library currently under construction. Don started to see how he could be used in this ministry that he had just “allowed” me to be a part of.

At night we were told to listen for people walking outside scraping the wall and the street with their machetes. I think they are supposed to be the neighborhood watch, even though they weren’t much help in preventing John and Samantha’s chickens from being stolen. They hire a guard to walk the property at night and have one aging German Shepard to assist him and she loves her job. Thanks to our jet lag and illness we slept so deeply that we never even heard the machetes.

While we were there a new puppy arrived, donated by our church. This puppy will hopefully grow into a reliable and faithful guard dog that will be able to protect the family wherever they go. It would have been comforting to have her on our outings to the “Scary Market” and the chitenj

e market. Samantha, Andy and I were protected on one of these outings by an angel in a truckee (small bike or motorcycle cab), who warned us of 6 men on their way to do us harm as we were getting into the car at one of these markets. Thanks to him and Samantha’s quick response we escaped with only a few shattered nerves.

We never escaped the sweltering heat while we were there, but we did get to take a long, air-conditioned car ride to Zambia for a safari for 2 days. We immediately got to see antelope, Puku, Waterbucks, Bush bucks, a giraffe and every kind of unusual waterfowl and bird you can imagine. It felt like the guide was saving the best for last and sure enough towards the end of our jeep ride we came upon a pride of lions who had just feasted on a cape buffalo stuck in the thick mud of a drying up water hole. Not only were we seeing things we had only seen on television but the sounds of the cicadas, the buzzing of insects, the unusual and unfamiliar songs of the birds, and the snorting of hippos in the river created a symphony of uniquely African melodies. We dined in the evening along the river watching the hippos dig deeper into the mud to stay cool and commented on the beauty we were discovering in this place.

When we returned to Lilongwe we returned to the chaos of pedestrians, bicycles, traffic, colors, horrible smells, smoke and millions of staring eyes. I couldn’t help but feel that John and Samantha must have to be constantly vigilant for the dangers that are more covert and subtle than outright visible. It felt like you were always waiting for that lion to jump out of bush and feast on your bones. However, the lions in Lilongwe might take the form of a tiny bug or infection. 

As we sat in the airport waiting to leave Africa I wondered if I would ever return. I got to see and feel glimpses of the “warm heart of Africa” in Malawi and what the people love about their home. The birds are amazing and I’m not even a bird lover. The colorful produce and fruits in the open markets and the baskets full of beans are a sensory playground. The language is so different and seems fun to speak. The children are easily entertained and not spoiled by technology. The animals we saw on safari were magnificent. As a visiting American however, I mostly felt danger and apprehension at what breakdowns would occur during the day every time my feet hit the floor in the morning. I hear that missionaries here only last about 2 years and I can understand why now. It doesn’t look like two years would make much of an impact on this place with a mosque going up in every village and the desperation and needs of the people so evident. I know Samantha and John have a longer-term plan in mind and I pray that God will provide safety, peace, and the resources to be able to continue growing their ministry here. Maybe they will even be able to find the beauty of a single flower growing out of the ashes that will encourage them to fight a little while longer.

Raychel Hosch

Giving Tuesday

We’re waking up to Giving Tuesday, the day created to celebrate giving around the world. It probably hasn’t begun where you are as I write this, and we had big plans to greet you with lots and lots of opportunities to give to kids in need in our rural town in Africa. This was going to be a big day for us. We have a list of video requests to create for DonorSee.com in hopes that more people than usual would go there to look for creative and meaningful ways to give and feel good about changing a kid’s life. We were going to spend a good portion of the day creating and posting those videos. In fact, we were going to do that yesterday, but I got a migraine that knocked me out of commission. Then I woke up today with high hopes…and sickness again. It’s painfully clear that we will not be celebrating Giving Tuesday in the way we had hoped, but that’s no cause for despair. 

There are certainly many good charities to give to today, and we hope you will choose one. I know it’s more fun to click the button that sends a meal to a hungry kid than a paycheck to some long-time missionaries, but that’s exactly what we’re asking you to consider today, because giving to us is giving to them. We want to continue to give food and clothes and education to children, and we love being able to do it with virtually no overheard. We also know that you may tire of being asked to help, but as long as there are needy kids in our village with no other hope of having their needs met, we’ll keep asking. To date, we have not turned away any child who has come to us for food. Please consider making a tax deductible donation to https://www.paypal.me/MalawiWestworth or a donation to our personal account at paypal.me/JewellsinAfrica so we can continue to make that claim. We will keep posting photos and videos on Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, and DonorSee so you know how the money is being spent. Thank you so much for your generosity. 

Reasons to Give to Us:

1. You know us.
2. Our priority is to spread the Gospel.
3. The kids we work with have no other avenues of having their needs met.
4. We have virtually no overhead expenses. 
5. We post LOTS of photos and videos on social media so you can see where the money goes.
6. You’re welcome to come visit and be a part of the work we’re doing.
7. You can get a tax deduction.

You can see the difference just a few months of food, clothes, and education have made in Memory's life.

Health Check

A Map of Southern Africa

Ben hasn’t been feeling great lately. In fact, he’s been feeling pretty lousy for several months. His stomach hurts and he’s often too tired to even take a walk. We’re concerned enough that we flew to South Africa to have him seen by a doctor. She ran some tests and, after some time, got to the bottom of it. 

It seems Ben’s liver has been reacting poorly to the antimalarial we take each day. The doctor feels sure that taking him off the medication will improve his symptoms and save his liver from any long-term damage. In fact, while we were there and taking a break from our regimen, Ben seemed to feel better. It’s good to have such an easy fix. The problem now is obviously how to keep him from getting malaria. We have discovered a homeopathic spray that a few families we know recommend. We see it as our best option and have ordered some from a local supplier. If you happened to read our Facebook posts about Jonah’s bout with malaria, you’ll understand why this is a serious concern, and we appreciate your prayers that the spray will work.

The rest of us also had some routine blood tests while we were in South Africa. Andy would be proud to tell you that his results were perfect. He’s asked me if this means I’ll stop telling him what he should and should not eat. Um, no, I’m your mom. However, it does mean we’re thankful that all is well with him. 

John and I are different stories. We both need surgery. It’s not all bad news, though. We had both been having some problems. He has been inordinately tired, so it was actually a relief to discover that he has a thyroid problem that can be fixed with surgery. Mine is a more delicate issue to discuss, but I will tell you that once I have my surgery, I should be feeling much better than I have in a long time. 

Thank you for your support and thank you for your prayers. We look forward to feeling better and having more energy soon. In the meantime, please keep up with us on Facebook, Instagram, and DonorSee. Beautiful things are happening in the lives of our friends in the village and we love reporting what God is doing.

The kids greeting us in the village at the site of their new school.

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/ You can find our DonorSee videos at this link: DonorSee

Why DonorSee?

Lately we’ve been posting videos on social media of me in the village (John is behind the camera), raising money for kids who need food, clothes, and medical care. So why, if we have regular monthly support, do we ask for more? It’s simple, really. Our monthly support has allowed us to live and work here but not to take care of all the kids in the village. Now, when a child comes to us with a need, we make a short video and post it on DonorSee, where people from all over the world can choose to give a little toward that need. DonorSee is a crowdfunding website, which means that individuals give smalls amounts towards a goal until it’s met. For instance, if I post a video asking for $100 to feed a child, four people might give twenty dollars each, then two more could give ten dollars each to meet the goal. There’s no commitment and no minimum, so people can give what they want, when they want. Since our first post in May, donors have given almost $7,000. We have found this platform to be an actual lifesaver for many children.

Shortly after beginning the feeding program in the village, it became apparent that we didn’t have enough money to put a dent in the actual need. It’s hard to feel like you’re doing enough when there’s one more hungry child standing before you. DonorSee has provided a way for us to begin to feed more and more kids each week—and to give them clothing, medical care, and even mattresses to sleep on. Of course, we couldn’t do this work at all if it weren’t for our loyal sponsoring church and monthly supporters. We recognize the maturity and discipline it takes to faithfully give a monthly gift that goes overseas where you can’t see firsthand how it’s spent. We hope the videos we’re posting will not only raise more money to help more kids, but will also give our regular sponsors a taste of the work we’re doing here and a sense of satisfaction that their money is being well spent. 

If you’re a monthly supporter, we thank you and don’t want you to grow weary. We absolutely believe your money could not be better spent. Your generosity has put us in a position to daily minister to the needs of orphans. If you are a DonorSee supporter, we cherish your involvement. Every time a project gets funded, there is instant gratification on the part of the child you have helped and we hope we are conveying that to you sufficiently with our follow-up, thank you videos. If you are not yet a part of this mission, we ask you to consider getting involved. There are so many more children we want to help and so many jobs we need filled. We also have property that we need to develop in order to house the programs that are benefitting the village. A water well, bathrooms, a kitchen, and a schoolhouse are among our most pressing needs. We are reaching maximum capacity with the number of children we can serve and desperately need to employ more people. For now, we have five Malawians helping us with the work, but the village is full of widows who need jobs and we would like to employ them, too. Thank you for your consideration and for you prayers. We believe God has a plan to expand this ministry. Please let us know if you feel you should be a part of it.

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/ You can find our DonorSee videos at this link: DonorSee