The Flood Malawi team is back home! (minus 2 team members who are staying to research a future intern exchange program)
Check out this phone update from Adam Klekowski on the last days of the trip. Awesome to hear how the ministry in Malawi has grown in the past 5 years!
Phone interview on Flood’s Tumblr: click here
Photos on Flood’s Tumblr: click here
Yesterday our team lead the last day of the leadership conference. Leaders of Flood Malawi gathered together to listen to pastor Adam and Shawn deliver messages geared toward encouraging and empowering the leaders to reach the city of Ll. Flood Malawi leaders were also given the opportunity to choose different seminars lead by the Flood San Diego team. After the seminars, we enjoyed a Malawi Barbeque and slept soundly.
Today, Sunday, we enjoyed our last church service. Adam delivered a message titled “What Happens When We Die Together,” exploring the connection between our Christian hope and the significance of our work here together—the Gospel is a cause worth dying together for. During the service the Church prayed for our team and a safe return. We celebrated communion together and, after the service, as the church’s custom, we drank soda.
Tonight, we will join Flood Malawi as they welcome incoming freshmen to ABC (African Bible College). At the heart of Flood Malawi is the desire to reach the young to impact the future of the country. After we debrief, our teams will part ways, with two of our team remaining to continue research into a future intern-exchange program between Flood Malawi and San Diego.
The spirits of our team remain high. We are all both happy, and, as Adam puts it, disturbed—disturbed in the sense that we cannot help but be moved by what God is doing in Malawi and the challenge this presents to us as followers of Jesus.
Last Sunday was my first experience preaching from the pulpit. Nervousness was an understatement, but I was also very excited to share my experiences about being a woman and using my gifts, strengths, and passions in ministry. In the morning, we were picked up from COTN, where we are staying, and headed off to Flood Malawi. We met at Tom and Jo’s house. Tom is currently on Staff with Flood Malawi, as the Associate Pastor. He and his wife are from the UK and first came to Malawi in 2008 with an agriculture project. After attending Flood Malawi they felt God’s calling to join Flood Malawi and have been a tremendous asset to the team here at Flood.
We started our production meeting with the entire Flood Staff, our team from Flood SD, and others who are a part of the prayer team. The house was full of people and prayer. I was so encouraged for their time of prayer. Each week they have all of the leaders, worship leader, the preacher (me), and the Children’s pastor stand in the middle as everyone prays. Here I was standing with everyone in prayer for me, for the message, and for God’s presence to be known. Later we prayed for the logistics of the day, and then we prayed for the elders from Kudoko Village who came to visit.
This particular Sunday at Flood Malawi was a special day. Not only was I preaching, but the Women’s Choir from Kudoko Village came. All of the women were dressed to the “nines”. Each had a matching chitenje “tatingi” (wrap skirt), white blouse, and hat. Although there were about a dozen women when these women sang their voices were LOUD, full of praises to God. Every time I have come to Malawi when I hear sining in the village I am always full of tears. I cannot describe the beautiful sound of singing and worship that occurs here in Malawi. It is something that I miss when I go back to the States.
….and then after worship, it was my turn. Oh man the butterflies, but I got up there and started off. What I am most thankful for is that my voice did not quiver! I calmed myself down and started out. I shared about how God did not make a mistake as the Holy Spirit distributed the gifts to both men and women. I challenged the congregation to look at their life, potential obstacles that get in the way of people knowing that they have been gifted. I shared my experience of how God has used scripture and people in my life to help me know my gifts and how to use my gifts. I shared about my difficulty with what I call the “Pill of Limitation”. Which is having limits in our life, limits in our gifts, and relying on others, specifically the Body of Christ, Romans 12: 3-8, to be whole, a reflection of Christ. Later, I challenged Flood Malawi, and specifically women to go out and DO IT! To use their gifts, find their passions, and align their gifts/passions with the needs of their community. It really all felt like a blur and as I ended I thought “did I just do that?”, “did I just preach a sermon on a Sunday morning?” I have no idea how people have reacted to my sermon. And as I have learned by talking to others and looking at the verse 1 Corinthians 4:2, “but the Message came through anyways”–I came to Malawi following the God’s calling and that alone is what matters.
I am thankful to be back here in Malawi. This country which is so far away feels like a second home. I am thankful for the people and the relationships in which God has granted me to have here. Today I feel blessed.
Our team is finally all together settled into Malawi, myself and BKR arriving from Uganda, while Adam, Kelly, Cameron, and Jesse arriving after their safari adventure in South Africa.
Today we had the opportunity to visit Kudoku village, which is about a 40 minute drive from the COTN village we are staying at in Lilongwe. We all got dressed up in anticipation of the meeting we were to have with the village chiefs and village elders. As we turned down the dirt road toward the village we were confronted with a cloud a dust, a common occurrence during the dry season of Malawi that we arrived during. Emerging from the dirt we were told that we were just about there, and that the building we were driving towards was one that Flood had helped construct through the donation of concrete and roofing materials. A steady stream of kids were now following us as we made our final approach to the building, knowing that a car full of “Mazungus”, or white people, usually means a couple soccer balls (which it did). Emerging from the car to be greeted by a bunch of happy kids with big smiles is a sure way to fill your soul.
After we arrived a couple of Flood Malawi members gathered all the kids and started a makeshift soccer camp, as myself and the rest of the team was ushered inside. We learned that the building Flood helped construct was now a church, as well as a classroom, and the village meeting hall. We sat in a circle and formally introduced ourselves to everyone and got acquainted with the different chiefs and village representatives. I glanced down and noticed my black dress shoes were already covered in a nice red dirt… ahhh its good to be in Africa.
Next on the agenda was a tour of part of the village. We started our walk around and were shown all the fields they usually grow crops, but because it is winter here, are now barren. We were told stories of how much of a blessing it was when, a couple of years ago, Flood donated seeds and fertilizer during a famine, and how the crops they yielded from that not only provided food during a much needed time, but were also some of their most abundant crops ever. We walked through peoples homes and were shown the building in which they sleep, cook, and relieve themselves; all of which were humbling experiences. We made it to our destination when we reached a water pump, that we learned was the well that Flood had dug for Kudoku. As we arrived, we saw some women using it to draw water, and listened to how much of an impact this well has had not only on Kudoku village, but on the entire community also. Most of us decided to take a drive from the ‘Flood water’ after learning it drills into a water table that is quite pure and naturally filtered.
We were then taken to a couple homes that had cooked the goat and chickens we had brought with us. The tables were littered with all sorts of delicious looking food, so foreign to us, yet so enticing. We gathered around, said a prayer, and dug in. There are no personal plates provided here, and no silverware either. Everyone uses their hands, and just grabs from whichever dish looks appealing at that moment. Most every bite is accompanied by the staple food, n’sima, which is basically boiled cornflower. It is sticky, relatively flavourless, very filling, and I rather enjoyed it. The strangest thing on the table were the goat intestines, which despite being rather chewy, were cooked in some sort of sauce that made them edible…. or at least edible enough to try a tiny piece.
We were then taken back to the meeting building in order to tackle the agenda we came here with. Many of you know about human rights initiative we are hoping to take to Malawi in the Summer of 2011, and we were able to have some honest dialogue about what that might look like in Kudoku village. It was very encouraging to hear what the chiefs had to say and that they love having us there. We also got to talk about the internship exchange program me and Andrew will be researching for the two weeks after the rest of the team leaves on Monday. A vision we have for that would involved village immersion, which would mean having some people stay in this village for a few nights during the internship to get a feel of what Malawian village life is like. We had some good ideas about that, got great and encouraging feedback, and actually scheduled two nights that Andrew and I would be spending the night here in about a week to try it out… so wish us luck for that.
Adam had everyone’s attention for the final topic of the day, which was the presentation of mosquito nets. This was a surprisingly emotional time for everyone there, as Adam explained where these nets had come from. Flood member, and local artist, Andrew Salituri had gone to Malawi a couple of years ago, and met the members of Kudoku village. Upon returning home he dedicated each piece of art to these people and their stories. Every piece he has sold since then, was sold with the promise of using the money to buy mosquito nets for Malawi. Through his sacrifice he raised enough money to provide not only mosquito nets to the entire village, but to many other people as well. And now we were given the privilege of presenting them to the village, to take part in the kind of journey that impacts and transforms people. At the end of Adams presentation all the elders and chiefs erupted in applause knowing of the change this will make to their village.
Driving away from Kudoku was a blur, the team was tired and full. In our stomachs and in our spirits. It was great to have heard so much about this place at Flood and now to be able to experience it for ourselves.
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers as we trek onward.
-Kyle
Hey Family,
I’m heading back to Malawi tomorrow to begin the work on some amazing initiatives coming our way in 2011. I just posted on my personal blog, so feel free to read a brief message. You’ll also see a link to our trip itinerary so you can keep us in your prayers.
http://klekowski.blogspot.com/
Love you all!
Pastor Adam Klekowski
(Team Members: Kelly Perry, Cameron Perry, Jesse Sykes, Andrew Ruiz and Kyle Healy)
I just received this email from George Phiri, one of the staff members of Flood Malawi. Several years ago, one of the founding members of their church passed away. At the time of his passing, we received a one-time offering to support the widow and her two children. Below is an email of thanks that they wanted me to share with you all.
- Adam
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Congratulations once again. I just saw the pics of your baby on internet-so cute.
A week ago I went to attend a ceremony of the unvailing of the tombstone of late Jimmy Mtitima at his village where he was burried three years ago. I was representing Flood.
Im writing to convey words of thanks that were echoed by both the Mtitima family and the chief of the village to Flood Church in CA for supporting the Mtitima for the past years. The family explained to the gathering how Flood has been supporting the family for the past years. I just thought of comminicating this to you.
Hope you are doing fine together with your kid and wife. Please say hallow to Mr. and Mrs Klekowski.
Godbless
George
I had to stay home with my son who is getting over a cold, which means, I didn’t get to complete the shared experience of ending the fast in person as “one another”. Thankfully, God gave me a special time with Hunter as we made breakfast together. Here are some learnings:
With thanks,
Scott Wildey
Praise God for his character building as He works in and through this team of ready willing and able individuals! I want to remind you that when God starts something He is faithful to complete it! It really is something to experience that God is still in the miracle business today and I am sure that He is proving that to each of you on this mission! ”Hand picked” by Him to make this team and to bring not only health and hygene to these children but His Spirit and the knowledge of Him is truely an honor. Know that back here in the States you are being thought of and prayed for daily. May God draw you closer to Himself , Keep you safe in the palm of His hand and return you with a deeper understanding of who His is. Continually astonished by His might myself, I will continue to pray for you, this mission and for your safe return home. So proud of all of you – God bless
The following was an email encouragement I just received from a participant from a leadership conference we hosted in Malawi in 2005!!
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Hie Adam,
God be praised for the connection that I have now to the Flood family.
In 2005, I attended the Leadership summit at ABC in Lilongwe, Malawi. Since then the inspiration I got from that training is still alive. The dreams and goals set in that meeting are the driving force in my life. Though not in touch with other participants, but today, it happened that I dived into Flood www. It is great to read developments taking place.
I got your email from flood www and i thought it wise to drop a few words.
Through the website, I have known that there is Flood Malawi. I will make sure that I am connected to this group led by Pastor Kampondeni.
God bless you as you continue with good works of the Lord.
Martin
Malawi
Monday, 22 June 2009
We have completed the Charisma conference!
The Flood Malawi conference, themed around evangelism, concluded on Saturday afternoon. The attendees had some time to reflect on what they had heard throughout the week, and then spent time in small groups discussing what had the greatest impact on them. I had the opportunity to facilitate a discussion group with 5 young women, and it was the part of the conference I enjoyed the most. From the conversations that emerged, it was clear that God was able to teach each person something unique. Bertha, a young woman who works for a civil rights organizztion here in Lilongwe said that she was leaving the conference with much more excitement about the gospel and evangelism. Bertha had made plans with her work supervisor for later that afternoon to chat and share a meal – she was hoping to take advantage of this opportunity to share with her coworker who Jesus is, and how he has impacted her life.
This was the tangible application for everyone who attended the conference – each person was challenged to think of one friend, family member, or acquaintance who did not have a personal relationship withJesus Christ, and initate a conversation with them, sharing the gospel. On Sunday, we attended the Flood Malawi worship gathering, and there was a portion of the service set aside for members of the church to share stories of how these conversations went. It was amazing to hear that not only had people followed through with the challenge, but at least one person made a decision to accept Christ as an immediate result of the conversation initiated by a friend. It takes a lot of boldness to proclaim the gospel anywhere, and it was inspiring to see those who attended the conference inviting Jesus to work within the relationships they have with friends and family.
Some of you might also be excited to hear that the team of 4 from Flood who will be serving as interns with COTN Malawi arrived safely yesterday! A COTN staff member who we ran into at the Flood worship gathering invited us to Njewa, COTN headquarters, for a ‘brai,’ or barbecue, they were having to welcome all the interns arriving from the U.S. and African Bible College hear in Lilongwe. It was fun to see Alicia, Angela, Carson, and Chris groggy from their 2 days of travel. I especially enjoyed being there at Njewa and seeing many familiar faces from my own internship with COTN 2 years ago – from COTN administrative staff, to Malawian college students, to the cooks and drivers who will serve the 100+ interns and venture team members throughout the summer – there were at least a dozen familiar faces, and I was glad for the opportunity to catch up with old friends, even if for just a few minutes.
It’s funny – it was three years ago that I first came to Malawi, almost on a whim. Now, on my third trip to Lilongwe, I find myself crossing paths with the people I’ve met and did not expect to see again. It has been amazing to watch God build for me this network of relationships with genuine, trustworthy, relatable people, at both COTN and Flood Malawi. It makes this big world feel strangely small – and yet again it reveals God to be much bigger and more loving and more powerful than I daily believe Him to be.
In a few hours we leave for Lira, Uganda, where we will meet up with the other teams from Flood who will help us put on a leadership conference in partnership with COTN. Internet access will be much more limited than it has been here, but we will try to update as we can!
Much love to you all,
Mawi & the team
Impact Classifieds Prayer