Jesus Loves Malawi Christmas Newsletter December, 2011

God must be with you said the Village Head Man (Chief) to me several weeks ago. It was Sunday afternoon, and the pastor, the chief, a couple of lay leaders, and myself had just finished our delicious meal of Nsima (cooked corn flour) and chicken. (Typically we begin our meal by rinsing our hands over a bowl with water poured from a cup, no soap, eat with our hands, often sitting on the floor, and finish by rinsing our hands again). The chief continued, God must be with you or you could not do what you do. (That is very true, I thought. I could not preach or teach, or even arrive safely without Gods help.) But then came the punchline You have eaten with us. There are many who could not do what you do. So I know that God must be with you. Wow! I never would have guessed he would say that! But many times our actions speak louder than words. I received no compliment for my fine sermon, but the simple act of sharing a meal in humble circumstances stood out. I thanked him, and thought to myself, Isn't that what missionaries do? But, apparently, in the chiefs experience, there are some who cant. It was a good reminder that we must meet people where they are if we are going to touch their lives. We call it incarnational ministry. Were far from being perfect examples, but Jesus modeled it for us. Emmanuel God with us that is why Jesus came. Jesus became like us so that we could see God - God with skin on - Incarnation - the enfleshment of God. Jesus became like us so that we could understand God, and respond to His love. Some say that Jesus became like us so that God could also experience being human. And Hebrews says that Jesus was perfected as our Savior by experiencing suffering. Wow!!! Jesus travelled further, crossed more boundaries, and experienced more culture shock than any missionary in all of history! The crown prince of Heaven and co-creator of the Universe became a helpless baby, spent his formative years as a refugee, grew up in occupied territory, earned a living through manual labor, humbly served rebellious subjects who would ultimately reject him, suffered unjustly, and even took our sins upon His holiness and carried them to the cross. Jesus modeled perfectly meeting people where they are at. As we celebrate the birth of Christ, we encourage you to be a missionary wherever you are by trying to live like Jesus, and meet people where they live, even if you have to cross some thresholds youd rather not cross. Jesus will be pleased, and youll be granted the honor of touching someones life. Since our last newsletter we enjoyed some needed vacation time in Mozambique. We had a wonderful time with our children, relaxing and exploring Gods beautiful creation. Highlights were seeing Humpback Whales up close, and swimming with wild dolphins. And we never knew starfish came in so many vivid colors! But enjoying sunsets over the bay with a cup of coffee and the local imitation of donuts became a nightly treat we will long remember. God also blessed us with some new missionary friends who have children close in age to our children. They dont have very many English speaking friends here, and they miss that. But weve been continually amazed at how God has taken care of our children. Weve also continued doing lay leader training, sharing the Jesus Film, and encouraging our pastors. In one region all the pastors agreed to support each other whenever we bring the Jesus Film to a church there. Some of them cycle for hours in the hot sun just to get there. And they are a great help to each other as they all share the work of preaching, counseling, and

prayer, as we often have many people respond to the invitation to pray, either for salvation, or for other needs such as healing or family problems, etc. We are hoping, however, to involve more lay leaders in this work as a way of both training and empowering them to minister to others around them. God intends for all of his people to be ministering in some way to others. The fuel crisis continues here in Malawi, and is worse than ever before. The frustrating thing about it for most people, including ourselves, is that the hunt for fuel consumes so much time that we find it hard to go about our business. Dean has resorted to hiring a Malawian friend (who needs employment) to sit in fuel lines with the truck (sometimes for days on end. He once slept in our truck for 3 consecutive nights). Even then, just finding out which station will have fuel next (so we can be near the front of the line) is a major undertaking. If we dont get in line early, the pumps will likely be shut off before we get there. We are told the fuel is finished, but the remaining fuel in the underground tanks is then sold illegally after hours to those willing to pay a premium. It is all very frustrating, but were getting used to it, and God provides in various ways. So we thank Him for his faithfulness and continue to trust. As we write this we are very thankful that Steffis parents have come for a visit. They operate and minister at a Christian retreat center in Holland, and a good friend and supporter of their ministry bought them tickets so they could come and see their children & grandchildren in Africa. We are really enjoying their visit, and the time will be much too short. Please continue to pray for the country of Malawi. Not only is it one of the poorest countries in the world, but the economy has recently been hit hard from several directions, resulting in the fuel crisis and steep inflation. Political turmoil has been both a cause and a result of the economic crisis, and many Malawians have said to us, things are not good in this country. Please pray that Malawis leaders and people will have wisdom and be led by the Holy Spirit, and that Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Pray also for us, for safety, health, wisdom, spiritual maturity and effective ministry, as well as successful learning of Chichewa, and enough diesel fuel to carry on with life and ministry. Dean will be teaching on "How to Study the Bible" using the book of James at the Jan/Feb. module at Great Commission Bible School. Please pray both for students and teachers, remembering that these are our future pastors. Pray that God will work in both their hearts and minds, that they might learn all His lessons well. We want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas filled with Christ and all of His blessings. And may His Presence, Providence, and Blessings carry you through the next year. Most of all, may you become all that He wants you to be. Thank you so much to each of you for your support, whether through encouragement, prayer, or finances. We couldnt do what we do if God were not with us. And you, as the Body of Christ, play an important role through your prayers and support. May God bless you all! With love and appreciation,

Dean and Stephanie Babcock, Christopher, Jonathan, and Sarah