Pastors

We have gone to the same fabric booth in the market several times in the past four weeks, and gotten material for our dining room chairs, curtains, a table cloth, and dinner napkins. Yesterday, the friendly shop owner, who before then we knew very little about, save for his name, pulled out a photo of himself, dressed quite well, standing in front of his church. He explained that he was the pastor, and asked for a generous donation.
 

Phyllis and I explained that we were just poor missionaries. "There are no poor missionaries", was his reply, and persisted all the more in hitting us up." Missionaries have nice cars; I walk to church." I looked back at the photo, "That shirt you're wearing in the picture looks very expensive; more expensive than what I can afford."
 

"Pastors have to dress well”, he replied. He then proceeded to tell us we should come to his church, as they need our donations.
 

I don't know that he was ever quite able to hear about our work with the poor women in the remote villages. We are learning that many who have either escaped village life for the city, or are perhaps second or third generation city dwellers, probably don't even see the plight of the deeply impoverished people of the rural villages. Our job is not to support city pastors; help them put additions on their churches, or buy them vehicles.
 

For decades in the US, entire congregations have uprooted themselves, and their places of worship from cities to the suburbs, to the countryside. Any ministries they may have had within their old communities soon dry up, and are forgotten.  This is not written in judgment of anyone, rather it is a reminder to ourselves of the purposes for which the Lord has called us here. It is also part of the learning of the culture, or better said, cultures of Malawi, and the similarities and differences to that of our own.
 

Our hope, and our prayer is that we meet likeminded, and pure hearted people to work with out in the remote villages, where the lack of knowledge of basic hygiene and sanitation takes a great toll on human life. The West has been spreading great amounts of money all over sub-Saharan Africa for several decades now, and conditions have been growing steadily worse.

We made the decision before we first committed to come live and work here, that the wealth we could and would provide is that of knowledge, which in turn empowers people to make wise and informed decisions which will help them escape deep poverty. By God's boundless grace, we will accomplish that which He sent us to do!