“Prepare for the real world in the real world.” That was a thought I had as leadership of the mission trip program passed over to my office this last year. For years students of Wisconsin Lutheran High School have been traveling all over the country and even all over the world to serve their Savior and their neighbor. Most trips have been in the United States, but every year there were also a few international trips to places in the Far East, Mexico, and elsewhere.

One of my goals was to increase the opportunity for mission trips—both the total number and the international trips. Students have always been eager to go on trips and do mission work of some kind. What better way to train them for future service in the real world though than actually going out into the world? Those kinds thoughts led to some new destinations for our students this year such as Alaska, Thailand, Columbia, and Zambia.

While thinking about a trip to Africa, we also tried to consider how we could unite the student body around the important work in Africa. That led to selecting Zambia as the destination again for our annual Our Hands for His Service project. The Student Council saw it fit to create a goal of raising over $30,000 to support the work of Zambian pastors and a local school. The mission team will then go to see first hand how the gifts will impact the ministry and to help in any way possible.

Nine students were selected to go on the trip (one missing in the picture). There are two current seniors, six juniors, and one sophomore. I will chaperone the trip along with my wife, Becky.

These students are beyond excited to go on this trip. Of course there is the excitement of travel to a new and unique destination (for Americans, at least). But they are also so excited to learn. They are eager to learn about the ministry and the needs of the people in Zambia and to learn about people very different than they. While they are eager to serve in any way, it is understood that as American teenagers we will probably get the most out of the trip by learning from the missionaries, the pastors, and the people in Zambia. We only hope we can somehow be a blessing while there.

I know I speak for the group when I say that we are all thrilled with the opportunity to go out into the world and live the words of Jesus’ great commission.

Phil Huebner
Campus Pastor
Wisconsin Lutheran High School

Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news and receive updates. Follow this link to learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts  https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa

Evangelist Gibson Chiumia faithfully served God’s people in various congregations of northern Malawi until his retirement from active ministry a decade ago. Last week I had the privilege of attending his funeral. As a new missionary in Africa, this was my first funeral and it made a striking impression on me.

The trip

I live in the capital city of Lilongwe, located in the central region of the country. Even though it is only 220 miles to the village where Evangelist Chiumia’s funeral was held, it took about seven hours to get there. We drove for five hours on the country’s main highway – a paved road in pretty decent shape, but not an express highway like the interstate system of roads in the United States. There are no suspension bridges or tunnels in Malawi, even though the country straddles Africa’s Great Rift Valley. The highway snakes through the mountain gaps and dives down through the valleys, requiring the driver to maintain constant vigilance.

After we picked up a passenger in the northern town of Mzuzu, we began the most challenging leg of our trip. It took us an hour and a half to cover the final 30 miles to the village of Mpherembe as we drove on a steep dirt road. I should say “mud road,” because it is the rainy season in Africa. In one spot we had to cross a “lake” that spanned the entire width of the road and was about 30 feet long. I give thanks to God and to the WELS for providing us missionaries with heavy duty vehicles that can handle these challenging roads. One of my passengers told me later that many Malawians drive light passenger vehicles on these roads, but they don’t look the same after a year’s use.

I share this information with you so that you have a better idea about the challenges that the pastors of the LCCA Malawi face. Most of them serve multiple parishes, which they visit once a month on a rotation. Some pastors have been provided motorcycles, many use bicycles or rely on local taxis. None of them have a personally owned vehicle. The majority of the congregations of the LCCA are located in rural areas, so it takes days of travel for pastors to attend conferences and board meetings. Keep these men in your prayers as they labor under most difficult circumstances!

The night before the funeral

We arrived at the home of Rev. Brester Msowoya, who serves the church in Mpherembe. The name of the congregation is “Wisconsin Lutheran Church.” I did not see any cheese curds or Green Bay Packers jerseys, so no doubt the missionary who founded this congregation was a native son of the Badger State. However, I did feel quite at home because our host gave us a very warm welcome.

The inhabitants of northern Malawi are from a tribe of people called Tumbuka. They speak a language that is considerably different from their countrymen in the rest of the country, and some of their customs are different too. For example, whenever you meet someone for the first time in their home, you do not directly begin talking with them. Instead you must be introduced by a third party. As we were unwinding from our long trip in Rev. Msowoya’s home, several visitors arrived at his door and the introductions began:

“Who are these visitors?”

“They are from Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Salima.”

“Are they good people?”

“Makola chomene!” (very good)

After a tasty meal of nsima (boiled maize flour) and chicken, we went to the church where (I thought) we were going to settle in for the night. After we unrolled the mattresses and laid out the sleeping bags, at 9 p.m. the Malawian pastors told me there was going to be a vigil at the home of Evangelist Chiumia. They had pity on me and let me sleep off the long drive, but they did not get to sleep until 1:00 a.m. I heard singing all night long, coming from the family and friends of the deceased. It reminded me of Paul and Silas singing hymns during the middle of the night in Acts 16:25, praising God for his mercy and love and giving comfort to one another.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hVuutLVGzA]
(https://youtu.be/0hVuutLVGzA)

At the home

After a quick breakfast of bread and tea (Malawi is a former British colony), we drove to the home where the funeral proceedings began. The ladies’ choir from the local church were marching outside in a circle and singing. With me were Rev. Stanley Daile of Lilongwe, who gave the funeral address; Rev. Msowoya, who presided over the service; Rev. Chiumia (a distant relative of the deceased) who came all the way from the seaside town of Mlowe; Rev. Patrick Mugumbo from Salima, who is also the Vice President of the LCCA; Retired Pastor Akim Daile, who served at Wisconsin Lutheran for 18 years and now resides in a nearby village; Rev. S. Phiri who serves congregations in the northern region; and Vicar Frank Mukwoya who is currently assigned to St. Michael Lutheran in Mzuzu. I represented the WELS Mission.

The men had gathered outside the house. The family had set up an area with chairs and tarps to protect them from the elements. The women were all sitting on the floor in a room inside the house. The pastors entered the room which contained the casket of Evangelist Chiumia, enthusiastically singing in Chitumbuka. After about five or six hymns and a prayer, we exited the house and the pallbearers brought the casket outside for people to pay their respects to the deceased. In addition to the pastors, there were other important guests in attendance like the village’s traditional authority (chief). Evangelist Chiumia’s grandson, who is currently studying for the ministry at the Lutheran Bible Institute in Lilongwe, was there along with 28 other grandchildren and family members who had returned to Malawi from other countries for the occasion. After everyone passed by the casket, it was loaded onto a large pickup truck and we proceeded to the church.

The funeral and graveside service

Upon arrival at the church I found standing room only. A local musician had been secured to play pre-service music on his keyboard, along with a PA System and generator. (Power outages are common in Malawi.) The text Pastor Daile chose for his funeral address was from John 14:2-3, where Jesus says: “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” The largest cathedrals and most lavish of funeral parlors cannot even begin to compare with the splendor of our Heavenly Father’s dwelling. The evidence of the power of God’s Word to conquer fear and wipe away tears was in plain sight during the entire day. I thank God for the privilege of being a witness to it.

At the conclusion of the service, we processed to the village cemetery. Many mourners rode with the casket on the back of the truck. Many more walked on foot. By my estimation about 500 people attended the graveside service. I have never seen anything like this at any of the funerals I conducted in the United States.

The family had prepared a very deep grave, about 7 or 8 feet down. Later on, one of my fellow missionaries explained that the deeper the hole is, the greater the respect they are showing the deceased. After the body was lowered into the ground, several choirs performed songs. The lead singer of the choir from Mzuzu was so enthusiastic that an elderly gentlemen began dancing alongside of her. Vicar Mukwoya delivered another sermon at the gravesite, and Pastor Mugombo presided over rite of burial.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUq24u0MTBg]
(https://youtu.be/eUq24u0MTBg)

The family members literally covered the grave with bouquets of flowers. Then they read out loud the names of all the people who had given money to the family, along with the amounts they gave. Although this might seem bizarre to a Western audience, in this culture gifts of money are an important way for people to show their respect and honor. The gifts are called “pepuketsa” (literally “sorry money”) and are meant to convey condolences to the grieving family members in a very practical manner. The gifts were of differing amounts, from a few dollars up to hundreds of dollars. Two cows were also donated and served to the hungry guests afterwards. I enjoyed eating “family style” with the other pastors – no plates or utensils, just one heaping pile of nsima and another big bowl of stew meat. The pastors put a serious dent in that nsima – they had worked up a big appetite for sure.

Even though I did not understand the language people were speaking nor the significance of all the traditions and customs, I can easily say that the Spirit of God was active in the hearts of my African brothers and sisters in Christ. Although this funeral was so very different from every other funeral I’ve ever attended, our Savior Jesus’ words give all of us comfort and peace in the face of death. He has gone to prepare a place for us, and it holds residents from every tribe, nation, language and people on earth. By God’s mercy and by trusting in Christ’s words, Evangelist Gibson Chiumia has found his place. And one day we too will find ourselves the newest residents of our Father’s house.

 

Missionary John Roebke lives in Malawi

Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news and receive updates. Follow this link to learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts  https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa

 

Imagine you go to church.  You know it is time for the Psalm, but in the bulletin you see the heading: Salimo 1. Under it, you try to solve the new puzzle of a new language.

Ngwodala munthu wosatsata uphungu wa anthu oipa,
wosatsanzira mayendedwe a anthu ochimwa,
wosakhala nawo m’gulu la anthu onyoza Mulungu,
koma wokondwerera kumvera malamulo a Chauta,
nkumasinkhasinkha za malamulowo usana ndi usiku.
Munthuyo ali ngati mtengo wobzalidŵa m’mbali mwa mtsinje wa madzi,
ngati mtengo wobereka zipatso pa nthaŵi yake,
umene masamba ake safota konse.
Zochita zake zonse zimamuyendera bwino.

As a person thirsty for knowledge, these words challenge you on many levels. Questions without easy answers swirl in your mind: How can I deal with not knowing the language I see in front of me?  I see everyone else seems to take it in easily…Do I feel intrigued by this situation?  Or frustrated by it?  Or overwhelmed by it? Or curious how to pronounce the letters which are also used for English? How in the world do people say “wobzalidŵa“ without breaking out into a sweat?  Why is there a little arrow on top of one “ŵ” but not the other?  

Also how can I spit out “nkumasinkhasinkha“?  What can such an unusual word (to me anyway) even mean?  Why does “malomulo” remind me of the word “marshmallow”?  How many words start with Mm: “munthu, mayendedwe, m’gulu, Mulungu, malomulo, malomulowo, munthuyu, mtengo, m’mbali, mwa, mtsinje, madzi, mtengo, masamba“? And then that last line all starts with Zz:  “Zochita zake zonse zimamuyendera bwino.” (Why not “zbwino” too?  Why does this all of a sudden seem all “zithery bwithery” like a great Dr. Seuss book?)

Am I just tired and ready to give up without a fight that learning these words would require me as an adult?  I must have done this to learn English but as a kid it didn’t seem so embarrassing to not know! Beyond just looking at the forms of the words on the page, maybe I should wonder about the message?  How can I learn more about what God has to say when His Word is comprised of words that baffle me?

But then you realize that the Bible has been translated into many languages including English.  The Chichewa language is spoken by millions in Malawi where you have just moved.  You see that it is from the part of the Bible called “Masalimo.”  Someone leans over to show you “Masalimo” means really does mean “Psalms.”  Now you have a key to understanding quickly because you can open up your English Bible to find the correct Bible book and verse so you can glean what the letter combinations mean. Oh…Now you can see it in English immediately.   With time and study, you can learn to connect word-to-word or phrase-to-phrase these first three verses of Psalm 1 in Chichewa.

“Blessed is the man (munthu) who does not walk (mayendewe) in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners (m’gulu la anthu onyoza Mulungu).  

But his delight is in the law (malomulo) of the LORD, and on his law (malomulowo) he meditates (nkusinkhasinkha) day and night.

He (munthuyo) is like a tree (mtengo) planted (wobzalidŵa) by (m’mbali mwa) streams (mtsinje) of water (madzi), which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf (masamba) does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers. (Zochita zake zonse zimayendera bwino)”

 

So through reading English even while hearing Chichewa you get the gist of the sounds.  Your ears hear the tongue-twisters that give you hardly any clues.   You hear the vowels as “ah,” “eh,” “ee,” “oh,” and “oo.”  No sounds connect to a word you can recognize, except for one…the last one “bwino” sounds a little like “bueno” from Spanish class.  Maybe that means “good” – you hope?!!

But only your eyes can help your mind connect these new words to images or experiences you already know.  You need to read it in English to understand what is happening in this part of the worship service.

Just as you picture the image of a beautiful tree that is deeply rooted next to streams of water and produces fruit, this moment is over!  So much to practice in order to master a new language!  

How can you worship God when you do not understand the language that is spoken or read during the service? That was my situation just over half a year ago. I was hearing the whole service in Chichewa but not really comprehending much. I am better at it now than I was then.  I use a bilingual approach to understand the messages in God’s Word.  My husband and I mark the Scripture lessons in our Chichewa Bibles ahead of time and we consult our English Bibles to prepare for Chichewa worship services.

On Sundays we attend an English service at 8:30 AM and the Chichewa service at 10:30.  Knowing the Bible and also knowing where to find the verses is the key to following the service.  Because we know the names of the books of the Bible in both language, we can understand what is happening around us. We add to our understanding one word at a time.  We need to repeat words again and again so that we don’t forget them.

A few months after we arrived in Malawi, a new group of students began their studies for the ministry at the Lutheran Bible Institute in Lilongwe, Malawi. They brought their families with them, and it became apparent to me that the wives were also adapting to a new language.  Many of Malawian students’ wives only know how to speak Chichewa or Chitumbuka (another language used in Malawi).  Some of the Zambian students’ wives puzzle over written Chichewa, since in their country the schools teach with English much more than with local languages.  Many of the wives feel overwhelmed by the English worship service.  

My hope is that all of us will be like a tree (mtengo) planted (wobzalidŵa) by (m’mbali mwa) streams (mtsinje) of water (madzi), which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf (masamba) does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers (Zochita zake zonse zimayendera bwino). A little practice will go a long way to help us appreciate God’s word in either language.

 

That’s why the student wives and I have begun meeting every Monday to study the Psalm which we all will sing in English the following Sunday.  I want to help them study with each other during the week.  They know each other well because they live on the same campus, their children play together, and they go to choir practice together. They sing enthusiastically in Chichewa, but not much in English.  So we play learning games together to connect the unknown with what is known. Every week we try to master singing the Psalm refrain from memory, without looking at the words.  But my desire for them is what I also desire, namely that we learn God’s Word in a new language using the language which we already know.  

We encourage each other in our roles as Christians and (future) called worker spouses. We learn how to use the hymnal and to recognize its distinct parts: “Liturgy,” “Psalm,” and “Hymn.” Instead of rote repetition, we use interactive ways of learning and teaching. This will help these young mothers teach their own children, and help these future pastors’ wives teach other women in their churches someday. We see that learning is important for adults. As I want to master a new language, so also they can improve how they express themselves.

Images in the Bible are reinforced in our minds here in Malawi every day. We see many beautiful trees here, but they need water to bear fruit at the appropriate time. So also we believers need to be rooted in God’s Word so that we give him thankful service at every stage in our life’s journey.  “Blessed are they who hope, who hope in the Lord!” echoes through the church, promising us blessings from God’s Word as Lutheran women here in Malawi.

 

I have seen orange papayas in July, purple Jacarandas and black mulberries in September, yellow bananas in November, and green mangos in December.  During the next few months I am looking forward to lemons, oranges, and guavas. So too, I look forward to seeing the fruits of faith that are now developing in these future pastors and their wives. Their lives will be a great blessing to both current and future believers as they continue to grow, deeply rooted in the Word of God.

Nancy Roebke lives in Lilongwe, Malawi

Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news and receive updates. Go to this link to learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts  https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa