A (first) time to sing

Clare Truter joined Mission Direct’s first African Experience trip to the remote mountainous Mangochi region of Malawi. Little did she know she would witness the region’s first ever church service.

Picture the scene: a dry, dusty landscape, a remote village set high up in the mountains. There is no phone signal, no electricity and limited running water. English speakers are few and far between. Dusty but beautiful children are playing with handmade toys, looking suspiciously at our white faces.

This was the scene to confront me a couple of months ago when I joined the first African Experience team to the Mangochi Mountain region of Malawi in August. Based in Mdala village, we were assisting a small team of South African missionaries to begin work on a primary school. Little did I realise that God had also paved the way for us to attend a very special church service.

Islam is the dominant religion in this mountainous region and Christians are few in number. To convert to Christianity here is not just a leap of faith - it is potentially a danger to your life and Christians are openly persecuted. There are many mosques in the area but no churches. Despite this, we received word that a meeting was to be held one Sunday morning in a neighbouring village. We were invited to meet and to encourage the believers.

When we arrived in the village we were greeted by a small gathering of children, fascinated by and wary of the unfamiliar white faces. As we entered into one family’s compound, we were joined by three believers. It was the first time that these three men had met together and it was clearly momentous occasion for them.

Separated into groups of men and women, we listened whilst our translator encouraged the believers with several Bible passages. We were then able to share some worship songs with the gathering as our contribution to the service. Witnessing such an intimate gathering was a real privilege and brought the description of the first church in Acts 2:44-47 alive:

“…Continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” God is at working in Mdala and the surrounding area; no matter how sparse or remotely scattered his people are, he is patiently waiting for an opportunity to reveal Himself. I was blessed with an opportunity to witness a real ‘first’ among God’s people in Malawi and it was a magical event. What will you have the privilege to see on your Mission Direct trip?

For more information about our 2011 trip to Malawi click here.