Divine Encounters Through Changed Plans
In the Mulanje District of Malawi, a transformer was not functioning and as a result people were without electricity. Despite this setback, a Matthew host purchased batteries to run his radio and invited friends into his home to hear the broadcast. About 20 people gathered to listen to the My Hope program. Around five minutes before the program was to begin, his son suddenly collapsed and fainted. Consequently the whole evening was cancelled and the host rushed his child to the hospital.
Early the next morning, a few of the people who had been at the Matthew’s home the night before went to visit the child. During their time there, the pastor seized the opportunity to share the Gospel and six of his friends accepted Jesus into their lives.
The Start of a Movement
A few days before the national broadcast began, a projector showing was held in Jacob Village where 342 people gathered to listen to the My Hope program. After the showing, 150 people made decisions to accept Jesus as their Lord and personal Savior and 30 people rededicated their lives to Him.
After seeing what happened that day, some of the young people made a decision to organize a youth group that will share the Gospel and assist in any way they can with the My Hope Malawi project in their area.
Leaving It All Behind
In another area of Malawi, Chileka, 29 people gave their lives to the Lord. One of the new believers, a man named Robert, had been a Nyau dancer. The Nyau brotherhood is a secret society whose dancers perform a ritual dance called the Gule Wamkulu, which literally translated means “the big dance.” Dressed in costumes and masks, the Nyau dancers represent the world of the spirits and the dead.
Upon accepting Jesus into his life, Robert left the cult. When people in the area started taunting him, Robert stood strongly and said, “I have left everything, and I asked Allan (another man who quit Nyau after meeting Jesus through the My Hope project), to go with me to burn all the Nyau clothes.”
A Change of Heart
Elsewhere, in Baluti, Malawi, a chief’s representative wanted to ban the hosting of friends by Matthews, because he claimed that as the chief’s representative, he should have been informed of the gatherings in advance. He was speaking harshly, particularly to Gresom, one of the Matthews. During the same time, there were Christians in a room interceding for the My Hope programs.
Later in the day, the chief’s representative had a change of heart and finally granted Gresom permission to go ahead with the gatherings. Gresom hosted 27 friends and out of them 11 accepted Christ as their Lord and personal Savior.
The Faithfulness of One
In the heart of Malawi, Joseph faithfully serves the Lord as a pastor. Through the use of a battery powered projector unit, Joseph is reaching out to his fellow countrymen by hosting multiple My Hope showings throughout the center of his country.
Joseph and his team hosted a projector showing in a small village called Kasinje. When nightfall came, 250 to 300 people gathered to watch the My Hope program by means of a large projector. Upon close, one of the hosts courageously stood and shared about what the Lord has done in his life. Stepping out in faith, he then asked the crowd who wanted to turn their lives over to the Lord. Around 150 Malawians raised their hands and made decisions for the Lord that night.
Martin, one of the Christians attending the broadcast, testified how his pastor challenged his church to actively participate in the My Hope Program by being a Matthew. Taking the call of his pastor seriously, Martin invited seven of his friends before the broadcast even began to share with them from the Bible.
Through their time together, three of his friends gave their lives to the Lord. The Holy Spirit continued to move in the hearts of his remaining four friends and on the night of the projector showing, three of them raised their hands and accepted God’s forgiveness.
Due to the faithfulness of one man and the Mighty God he serves, over 150 souls have stepped from the kingdom darkness into the Kingdom of light.
My Hope Malawi Blog
You can also follow the blog of Joe Mott of BGEA International Ministries, and his wife Melissa. They have been in Malawi since August assisting with the preparations leading up to this project. Here is a sneak peak of some of the stories you will find on the blog:
- A 16-year-old girl used to laugh at people who went to church. After hearing Billy Graham speak about God’s love she raised her hand to confess her sins and accept God’s forgiveness. She commented, “If I didn’t receive Christ tonight, I might not have had another opportunity. You’ll find me in church on Sunday.”
- When a man named Charles heard the invitation at the end of a broadcast, he said that he felt “that the grace of God fell upon me as I received Christ as my Lord and Savior.” After sharing that he wanted to begin reading the bible and learning more about Christ, he received his very own copy of God’s Word.
Follow the Motts’ journey and see what God is doing in Malawi. Read the blog »
