“Made for you by Echoes of Grace”

 

As we count down the remaining weeks in Malawi, we find ourselves asking more and more “What will happen to this when we leave?” It has always been our goal to try and avoid dependency, so that things can carry on as we bow out.

Two ways to sit

The Gospel presentation “Two Ways to Live” is one of my favourites, especially because of the great iPhone app that they distribute to help lazy people like me. So I was very pleased to hear that SIM Malawi has worked with others to translate this Gospel presentation into Chichewa, partly using the services of our Chichewa teacher.

However, it also gave us an interesting insight into the challenges of interpreting meaning when crossing cultural and language boundaries! 

Short and simple

I couldn’t help but obey two of the playground rules when I saw these signs at Mandala House (the posh hangout of ‘azungu’ in Blantyre). First I smiled and then I laughed.

How wonderful that someone has set out such a simple and positive set of rules to help the children enjoy themselves in the playground.

I don’t know about you but I have this terrible habit of getting carried away and making things way too complicated. I hate to think how many more signs I might have added to the tree.

Abundant Gospel sowing in Transylvania

Pastors Daniel and Danny Ispas with family and visitors

21-24 June 2013

In June Ruth and I had the privilege of returning to Carand in Western Transylvania in Romania. This time we were joined by our daughter and a young woman from our parent church who has a heart for this lovely country and its people.

Last August I traveled to the global headquarters of One Mission Society (OMS) where I had an eye opening, and life challenging, introduction to their approach to church planting and multiplication. One of the biggest personal impacts came from being trained by an amazing group of humble, faithful, obedient disciples who had decades of real hard-won experience evangelizing and church planting around the world. The other big impact was the wonderful opportunity to meet with so many committed church planters from around the world, including the father/son pastor team of Daniel and Danny Ispas.