When I reflect on my trip to Malawi, I remember the strongly devoted group of teachers; a team of men and woman that love God, their community and the sixty children that God has entrusted to them. It has been nearly a month since Life Church, Blantyre, Malawi launched the new Life Child Moyo Pre-school facilities in a community in the city of Blantyre.
This has primarily happened through a crèche, which has been built with the aim of teaching basic developmental skills to children
in the immediate community. School takes place each day of the week from 7:30am until shortly after lunch.
When we drove around the corner, I saw the building that the team worked hard to construct. They did this with the hope that it would be a safe place in the community for children to learn vital skills, in order to prepare them for pre-primary school and beyond.
Many of these children come from disadvantaged home situations, but this does not
seem to prevent them from learning nor their teachers from teaching them. As I sat with them, listening to them repeating the alphabet and counting from 1 to 10, being guided by their enthusiastic teacher, I noticed their torn clothes. What drew me into their world was not how they looked or what they wore, but rather their beautiful spirits and determination to learn, as young as they are. I saw how their teachers looked at them, with hope and confidence that these were the future Malawian Leaders that would make a difference in their community and country. Their lack of resources would not deter the team, determined to see the transformation ofeach child, one life at a time. In the same breath, I left being very aware that I too could be a part of the solution.
The significance of the many months of sponsoring a child became real to me and it was motivating to see that the small amount that I had sown so far had already been used in a great way to touch the lives of children in Africa. Despite the physical distance, I could be a part of their growth, as well as being involved with equipping the team with skills and resources, helping them teach more effectively. As we drove away from Life Child Moyo Pre-school, I left knowing that God has a plan for the children of Malawi and that I would make every effort to be a part of this plan, for God’s glory and for the future of these children.
Ps Tammy Hopkins – Life Church Cape Town
