Farewell Beloved Malawi!

After a wonderful and blessed two week stay in Malawi, we ended the time with a joyous and festive Farewell Dinner Celebration put on by our friends in the Blantyre Partnership Steering Committee.  It is wonderful of the support of the Blantyre Synod for the partnership, as General Secretary Abusa Alex Maulana and his wife Alice attended the event and spoke of the blessings of the partnership. The night was a great occasion of good food, atmosphere and a time to fellowship with our new friends and brothers and sisters in Christ, especially our host families. They even had a live band. There was some singing and dancing and the night ended on a high note with speeches and gift exchanges. It was a celebration of our new tripartite partnership with South Sudan and the praised to God for all He has done. Our friends in Malawi expressed an eagerness to come to America in 2014 and to help in any way they can with the issues we have in bringing others to Christ for the sake of God's kingdom. It was acknowledged that all three of our countries have issues that the partnership can pray for and work to resolve. This is partnership!

Everyone had a wonderful time with their second host church and families (sister church) and have wonderful stories to tell. God has surely blessed our time here and we have heard wonderful reports from the places we visited for manual work and evangelism. Our friends in Malawi will now have a job to do to follow up and continue to nurture, teach and encourage new members of God's family in discipleship.

We have had a wonderful time, but that time has come to an end and I think everyone is eager to get back home to their families. We will be leaving for the Chileka airport soon. We are scheduled to arrive in Pittsburgh tomorrow (Sunday), at 2:13 pm, on United flight 5764. We look forward to seeing you then! Please pray for our safe travel.

God is Good!
Carl Suppo

The Harvest is Plentiful but the Workers are Few

Greetings from Malawi, the Warm Heart of Africa! I know I said I would write, but this is the first opportunity I had with internet connection since we arrived. Please be assured that all your loved ones are doing great and having a wonderful time as they are being stretched and used for service in the name of Jesus Christ.

After our first hosting family and first worship experience, we have spent most of the first week in the Mangochi district of Malawi. We had some wonderful opportunities to do some manual work and work along side our brothers and sisters in Christ. The work wasn't all that hard or long, but all really enjoyed interacting with the church community and singing Chichewa praise songs as we worked. At one place we had a lot of children, so the team really enjoyed interacting with them and yes teaching them the chicken dance song.

In addition to the manual work, we went to four evangelism rallies at different churches in an area that is heavily influenced by the Muslim religion. Our brother Moses from South Sudan was one of the preachers along with Chimwewe (Happy) a Malawian preacher. Both have background in the Muslim religion and were were helpful to reach out to the community there in terms they understand. God's word was preached with love, enthusiasm and passion. The rest of us also offered encouragement and prayer. One of the evangelism rallies was in a village and the audience was children. I couldn't believe the sincerity and the willingness of these children to cry out to Jesus and accept him as Lord and Savior for the first time in their life.  As a crowd of children sought personal prayer our team responded faithfully and prayed over these children.

We enjoyed a nice stay on lake Malawi and also were blessed to take a boat ride on the lake out to Birds Island to see Eagles.  On Saturday, the team was dispersed and picked up by their sister church host families for a 3 day stay and worship at their sister church. Alex and Sarah, who don't have sister churches went to Limbe CCAP and Chigumula CCAP. I was blessed to spend time at Kawiya CCAP and Mackogolo CCAP. As I write this, they should all be arriving back at Grace Bandawe, were I will be headed soon.  This week we will head to Majete Game Reserve, Mulanji Mountain and St. Andrews CCAP. Our trip is winding down. We leave on Saturday at 1:00pm (Malawi time). We have had a great time, but will be glad to get back home to our loved ones.

Ambuye ndi Wabwino! (The Lord is Good)

Carl Suppo

The Warm Heart of Africa

After 3 flights and two days of travel, we have finally arrived safely in Malawi, the Warm Heart of Africa! We recieved a most hospitable welcome with singing, dancing and praies to God. If you have been to Malawi before, then you know what I am talking about. It was great to see the reaction and the overwhelming joy from the nine people on our trip that are new to Malawi. Shortly after we arrived the delagation from South Sudan arrived and we met up with them at Grace Bandawe. Then we had formal greetings, speeches and refreshment. In a few minutes we will have orientation, followed by dinner and then much needed rest.

It was great to meet the South Sudan delegation of Moses and Cherly (that is the name that they have given us to call them). Unfortunately, the third member the pastor was unable to make the trip as he came down with a sudden illness. But the remaining two prevailed.  In the group from Pittsburgh and South Sudan, we do not have even one pastor, but we trust that God will be working in us and we are anxious to see where he will take us. It was wonderful at the formal greeting as brothers and sisters from Malawi, South Sudan and Pittsburgh shared brief speeches that we are indeed brothers and sisters in Christ. Aside from our cultural differences and different life experiences we are united in Christ.

Tomorrow everyone will be picked up very early to worship at their first church congregation and stay with their first host family. We will be preaching, teaching or sharing messages of the partnership and the love we have as fellow followers in Jesus. Tomorrow afternoon we will all meet together again at Mpemba CCAP for a covenant signing with Carnegie and a historic covenant signing with the tripartite partnership between Pittsburgh Presbytery, Bnlantyre Synod and South Sudan, that was begun in February with pastors Ken White, Dave Carver and Jeff Tindel. Celebrate with us! All Glory to God!

The picture above was from dinner last night at our stay in South Africa. We have a lot in store for us and axious to see it unfold. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Mulungu Akudalitseni (God Bless you) and Zikomo (Thank you)!

God is Good all the Time,

Carl Suppo

First of Many Malawian Meals

On this past Sunday the group of eleven missionaries that are heading to Malawi on July 18 met for bible study, fellowship and to experience many of the foods and customs around the dinner table from our dear friends in Malawi. The meal was hosted by some members of the Malawi Partnership committee of Pittsburgh Presbytery. And yes, if you are wondering, we even had Nsima (a staple in Malawi made of corn flour). Thank you Jennifer, Kay, Judith, Peta and pastor Dave!

It was a great night for the group to get to know each other a little better and to learn more about what to expect in Malawi, and to be sensitive, curious and appreciative of  the Malawi culture. Besides Peta and myself, no one in this group has ever been to Malawi yet before. So it is exciting and a privilege to bring this diverse group to Malawi for their first experience. I am so impressed with this group that God has called for this trip.  They are of different ages and come from different parts of the city and have different experiences, but the one thing they have in common is their strong faith and willingness to be servants to God and ambassadors of Christ. I can't wait to see how God works in them and through them. To learn more about our trip details and to meet the missionaries of Journey 2013, go to Journey 2013 on the Malawi Partnership website and click on the different sub-menu options. The theme of this year's trip is a hands-on project, evangelism and encouragement of rural churches.

And as if a trip to Malawi with a group of eager first-timers is not exciting enough, we have even more to be joyful about.  Back in January, Rev. Dave Carver, moderator of the Malawi Partnership went to South Sudan, along with Rev. Ken White and Rev. Jeff Tindall and a group of Malwian representatives to consider pursuing a tripartite partnership between the South Sudanese Presbyterian Evangelical Church, the Synod of Blantyre Church of Central Africa Presbyterian and the Presbytery of Pittsburgh (PC USA). Is has been evident that our God of abundance is blessing all parties with this amazing opportunity. And so, as a continuation of this new tripartite relationship we will find ourselves in a historic first of a partnership trip to Malawi along with three members from the South Sudan church. What God has in store, only he knows. But I am anxious to see.  For more information about the trip to South Sudan, go to Sudan Journey 2013 on the Malawi Partnership website.

God is good, all the time! All the time, God is good!
Carl Suppo