Ministry on the Mountain

There are many grand and beautiful estates in our neighborhood, and most have tiny two room houses nearby. As we drive through the neighborhood, we see women washing their clothes, pounding them on rocks in their back yards. We see women walking to the bottom of the mountain to collect water from the river and from the top of the mountain to gather bundles of firewood.

I have thought many times that this neighborhood was built at a time when powerful and "important" people lived in those grand houses in the midst of the tiny homes of the people who served them -the servant class.

We learned a few days ago that when the house we are renting was built, Harry, our groundskeeper, was brought here from a distant village in far northern Malawi. to serve the owner and his family. Harry was just a young man.

After retirement the owner, a retired general, moved to Dubai, but Harry remained with the property. He had faithfully served the owner for 19 years.

Even so, when we first rented this house, we were told, "If the 'garden boy' doesn't please you, just send him away." Harry was called our "garden boy." That is a sad commentary on the value that is placed on the lowest strata in Malawian society, the servant class.

We have asked Miriam, Harry's wife, to invite our neighbors on the mountain to come to our house next Sunday for lessons on how to prevent and treat cholera, water purification and storage, and other ways they can make their families healthier.

We see this as an opportunity meet the women in our neighborhood and to share the love of Jesus. Pray for our success.