I am writing this just a few days since Linda and I returned from spending 3 weeks with Julian and Caroline through the month of November. So this introduction is also a first-hand report of current progress with the work. I deliberately use the word ‘progress’, because one of the benefits of having travelled out to be with them every couple of years since 2006, is how marked the differences are over a time frame lapse of two years. For example, when we visited in October/November 2011, they had just moved onto the farm a week earlier and the land was pretty bare and almost tree-less.

But I get ahead of myself, as I’m sure the first question everyone wants to know the answer to is: ‘How is Caroline really doing after her accident’? So, without minimising what she has been through, I’m pleased to say that we were pleasantly surprised to see how well she looked when they greeted us at Lilongwe Airport. It was obvious in them both that the time they had spent through October with Tom and Nicky, celebrating Caroline’s 60th, had been a real time of R&R in every sense of the words. As Julian mentioned in the last newsletter, the prayer cover of everyone had also played a huge part – and continues to do so.

Back to our visit! What a joy it was to meet up with John and Betha and the children again (wow, how they have grown – the children that is!). I don’t know how they fit all 8 orphans into their home – plus their own children. But they are like one big happy family and those children who have been with them for several years (Lunia, Brenda, Paul, Gift, Femos and Matthews) are delightful, well balanced kids!

When we left Cameron and Victoria 2 years ago, they were still living in Tete, an hour’s rough drive away. Now here they were greeting us, having settled in a nice new home, with their family extended by the addition of 4 orphans – Chisanso, Steve, Kosimos and Elisa.

And there’s more! Two years ago, a new church member from the village brought Linda and me a gift of some potatoes she had grown. They were delicious! This was Rachel - and now here she was too, living in a new house with her 12 year old daughter, Charity, and caring for two well settled orphans – 2-year-old Myamiko and 5-year-old Chimwemwe (his neck problems now less troublesome than when he was first rescued) – what a lovely lady she is.

While Linda spent every day catching up and sharing with Caroline, Julian and I enjoyed a two day teaching conference with the church leaders from the Dedza area, using the church building at Mphalale – another leap forward. On our last visit, I had accompanied Julian to the first open-air meeting in that village where we met the chief, who seemed a little suspicious of our motives, but later donated the church building that we were now holding our leaders’ conference in! The following weekend, we spent 3 days at Makosana village (over 3 hours drive from the farm and one of the very earliest church plants) for the Lilongwe area leaders’ conference.

Meeting up with Biliat and his team of leaders again was another very special time. The work in that area seems so well established, but they want to do more. Part of their vision is to see their own leadership capabilities built up and strengthened. A real opportunity exists for any gifted leaders from the UK to come and help them realise this ambition. Please pray for this.

As others have before, we brought stuff that had been donated for the orphans – John had said a key need this time was for shoes – so there was real excitement when it came to allocating the shoes and clothes to the different children. John and Cameron were brilliant. We all gathered in Cameron’s house, the children sitting in groups, waiting patiently.

We were also able to arrange a visit to the local school, just half a mile away from the Village of Light, Chiphazi Full Primary School. Victoria teaches there and three of the orphans also attend. Back in October, after I had taken an assembly at a school near Lincoln and shared a bit about Malawi, the children wanted me to try to make a link with school-kids out there and they produced a beautiful introductory folder. The head teacher is already grateful for the proximity of the Village of Light to his school and when we explained the reason for our visit to him and presented the folder from the Lincoln school, you would have thought we were offering the Crown Jewels! He told us a little about his school – 940 ‘learners’ with an age range 5 to 17 years, 8 classes, 3 of which have over 150 learners in each!

The 10 teachers and 4 assistants sharing the load certainly have their hands full – especially as they are limited to 1 textbook between 4 learners and very few exercise books! The head invited us back later in the week to talk to the whole school. They assembled, sat on the grass on the field behind the school with a row of chairs at the front for guests and staff. A representative ‘learner’ from each class came to the front and recited a passage of Scripture and a small group then entertained us with a song. The head interpreted as I shared the reason for our visit (to huge applause!) and then brought them a lesson from Scripture (story of Zacchaeus). After visiting all the classes, the head presented us with a letter and a gift (examples of their classwork) for the school back home in Lincoln. Hopefully both schools will benefit from the link.

Brian