Every wonder what it is like to live in a rural community in Malawi? We have so very many things we take for granted everyday…

Winter has arrived in Malawi! This brings on a new set of challenges for our beneficiaries and their families. Imagine not having a sweater to wear to help keep you warm? Imagine not being able to sleep at night because the house is just too cold…

How is the childcare centre currently operating? We have found a creative way to appease government regulations while still providing sustenance, education and Biblical meditations for our children…

Black Mamba Snake by Natasha Oomen

One night, the guards saw a black mamba snake. Armed with sticks, they followed at a distance, where they watched it disappear into a hole. The next morning, when the snake could very well be gone already, they grabbed handfuls of leaves and made a pile in front of the hole, trying to smoke it out. The first attempt did not work, so they tried an old tire instead.

Coronavirus. COVID-19. We all have heard these words a lot in the past few weeks. How is it affecting Timotheos, our beneficiaries and our projects?

On Thursday we visited the Nursery Feeding Program in the village of Phanga. We saw 95 children being taught under a tree, as they have not been set up with a schoolblock structure. The church building, which they were using during the week had collapsed as it only had a grass roof. They were working on constructing a new church building but were not able to complete it before the rainy season. Without a roof on the structure, the walls all collapsed again. Please remember this community in prayer and financial support.

We are very thankful that Gerrit has received his Temporary Employment Permit.

Today we have come to an end of a long road with immigration Malawi. The road started back in August, when I gathered documents in Canada in regards to the application of the Temporary Employment Permit. By the end of October, we tried to set up an online account with the immigration department, as this was a new thing, and it was said to speed up the process. But all our efforts of a few weeks failed, as the website would not let us set up an account, and no one at immigration could help us. So at the end of November members of our team in Malawi went to immigration to apply. Every day they went and would again be told that they need one more paper and then it would be ok.

It is March already. Back in Canada, things are warming up; the winter seems to come to an end. Here the thought of spring does not cross our mind. We are used to the warm weather, and find it hard to believe it is the beginning of March. This week we were telling the watchman that it was warm, and he thought that was amusing. He comes from Nsanje district, which is usually very hot. He thought it was very cold, although it was 27 degrees and no breeze.

As we have been in Malawi for three Sundays now, we have visited a different Child Care Centre every Sunday. The first one was Mbulumbudzi, the second was Namitambo and this past Lord’s Day it was Mulinga. All of these centers are sponsored by Timotheos Netherlands. We will tell you a little bit about that experience.