Jesus Loves Malawi Update

October, 2017
Dear Friends,

Thank you for praying! Our trip to Canada went very well. It was fantastic to see so many of you. And we
hope to see everyone that we missed next time around. God answered yours prayers for that trip in a
wonderful way, both for a place to stay and a vehicle. And overall, things went very smoothly. There were a
few problems that had to be ironed out like the fact that Chris needed photo I.D. to get his first Adult
Passport. But he had none because we've been away. He rose to the challenge, however. After finally
sorting out that a driver's license was the shortest route to our goal, Dad went out and bought the Ontario
Driver's Handbook and, because we were on a tight timeline, told Chris that he had the evening and the
morning (on the way to the test) to study. He passed with a 90% - with only a few hours to study. Oh, and
btw, he got his passport, too! It's funny, though, the things you notice when you grow up in Africa. Chris
commented that nowhere in the 200 page book did they tell him which side of the road to drive on!

We were also very encouraged and blessed that Christopher and Jonathan asked to be baptized while we
were home. Just the fact that they wanted to be baptized means so much to us. But when your
grandparents live on two different continents, and the house you live in is on a third, where is home? Both
boys said that Maple Grove feels like the closest thing they have to a home in Canada. So when Pastor
Alan Adams offered to conduct a baptism during Family Camp there, they saw it as a perfect opportunity to
take this important step in their walk of faith. A significant added blessing was that so many of their close
relatives were there to share the occasion. It's beautiful when we get to see God so lovingly at work in the
details, pulling things together that we could not.

After arriving back in Malawi, the Bible study for pastors that Dean leads started up again, and he was also
asked to begin leading another that was started in our absence. Our colleagues had shown the Jesus film in
the village, and began a Bible study for all those interested. So we've been discussing our way through the
book of Luke, and finding much to talk about. Here's just one illustration why these studies are so valuable.
One day with the pastors, Dean had occasion to show them a map of Ancient Israel from his Study Bible.
They were very interested, and said they had never seen anything like that (the map). And it helped them
understand the story better. We take so much for granted things like maps in a Bible and other things we
consider common knowledge that our friends may not have access to. Many pastors I encounter have never
been to Bible school. Those who have may have missed much because
the instruction was likely in English, which is their second language, and
the specialized words can be very difficult to understand.

The pastor's Bible study also gave us connections to a new area and
opened up an opportunity to do a Foundations for Farming training in a
new village. The lead pastor in our group took Dean to meet his Chief,
who later gave permission for Foundations for Farming to be brought to
their village. Please pray for this new group of farmers they are small
in number, and new methods tend to be viewed with suspicion by
others. This is a great opportunity, however, to demonstrate to their
neighbours that there is a much better way to grow their food.

Our experimental farm is going well. It is very difficult to grow things Preparing ropes to mark
out planting stations
during this very hot and dry season. Nevertheless, things are very fruitful. We've been able to harvest fresh
mulberries, strawberries, raspberries and papayas every day! And in the pens there's a lot going on, as well....

We have some confused chickens! But all in a good way. Let us explain. Three of our recent additions are
Guinea fowl, and they've grown up enough to start laying eggs. Hoping that they would start to sit on their
eggs, we left some in the nest. But an impatient chicken went broody, and started sitting on them first!
Next we had a female duck go broody and start sitting on the chicken eggs (which aren't fertile, as there is no
rooster). So we swapped those out for duck eggs. Amazingly, another hen has gone broody, and we've given
her more duck eggs to sit on. It seems like broodiness is contagious. We've actually wondered if our hens
are going through a mid-life crisis, as this breed is known for laying eggs, but not for being great mothers.
We're excited, though, and hoping that we'll soon have some baby ducks and Guinea fowl!

The rabbits have been busy as well! They usually live in the chicken house in
suspended cages. But when army ants invaded the coop, we had to evacuate
them! Bunnies went in the house, and birds of different feathers went in the
yard. After the crisis was over (army ants are always on the move, and they
moved on), the bucks went back down to the coop. But Momma Bunny
decided that the house was a good place to build her nest, so she got to stay.
And Elianna and Sarah have really loved having baby bunnies in the house.

Our first two hives of bees have yielded their first batches of honey (one at
home, and one in the village). And while we were in Canada another hive
moved into the home we'd prepared for them. All these things (animals,
gardens, bees) are invaluable experiences which will help us to pass along
village-appropriate farming practices to Malawians.
Bunnies!
Prayer requests: Rainy season starts in Nov. or Dec. Please pray for good
rains, as Malawians depend on whatever they are able to grow to have enough to eat.
Farmers in the new village, trying our new (old) methods. Pray that they will do it at a high standard,
and that success will bring glory to God, and catch on in their village. This can literally mean the
difference between continued struggle and poverty, or increasing blessings.
That God's Word will go deep into people's hearts to bring freedom and real change.
Finally, widespread fear has gripped an entire region of Malawi. It is fear of people using magic to do evil
things. We suspect that the fear is based more on rumour than on actual incidents. But it is powerful,
nonetheless, and of great concern to those affected. Some people who've been accused were killed by
mob action. Pray that people will, instead, be driven to pray, and place their
trust fully in God, who can overcome all evil.

Thank you, again, to each of you who support us through giving or prayer. Both
are so very much needed. We cannot do this without God's help. And we truly
appreciate your part in that!

With much love, and wishing you many blessings,

Dean and Stephanie Babcock,
Christopher, Jonathan, Sarah, and Elianna
Honey Harvest
 How to Give

If youve been thinking of sending support, thank you! And here are the ways you can do that:
(Charitable giving receipts can be issued both in Canada and the U.S.)

Online in Canada:
To Authorize Monthly Automatic Withdrawals or make a one time gift using Credit Card or PayPal:
Visit http://www.adventive.ca/ and click on Donate Now (Canadian) in the left sidebar, then follow
the prompts. [If you prefer to have drafts drawn from a chequing account, then PayPal is the way
to do it]

Your online donation will be processed and receipted by Canada Helps, and forwarded to ACCI for
our support. (Canada Helps is a registered charity which serves other charities by processing
online donations on their behalf).

If you need any help at all getting set up, Lauren at ACCI would love to guide donors through the
internet setup, which is very secure, and not terribly complex. Lauren's phone # is 613-298-1546.

To Mail a Cheque in Canada: make payable to ACCI, and include a note designating your gift for
project Malawi A1 (D. Babcock) in the memo. (Our names should not appear on the cheque).
[Post dated cheques are also acceptable for monthly gifts].

Mail to:
ACCI
89 Auriga
Nepean, ON, K2E 7Z2
(Phone: 613-298-1546)

[Designated funds given to the named project will be assigned to the project; however, ACCI reserves the right to apply
donations to other projects as it deems appropriate.]

In the U.S. donations flow through TMS Global (Train, Mobilize, Serve).
Giving can be done by phone, by mail, or online.
On all gifts please mention: Dean and Stephanie Babcock, Malawi, Acct. #3054

By Phone (U.S.): call 1-800-478-8963 with account information (either checking or credit card).

By mail (U.S.): download and print the TMS Donation Form at http://www.scribd.com/doc/
174848589/TMS-Form-for-US-Donations-pdf, specify the type of gift (check, EFT, or credit card,
one time or monthly) and mail to:
TMS Global
6234 Crooked Creek Road
Norcross, GA 30092

Online (U.S.): visit https://www.tms-global.org/give. Specify the amount, and enter either our I.D.#:
3054, or Dean and Stephanie Babcock.

Thank you for your support!!!