I would like to introduce you to Gertrude. She is a sponsored child in our Mgwayi Village Partnership Program (VPP). Gertrude's parents divorced when she was three years old and she was left to live with her mother, which is often the case when families split up in Malawi. Her mother eventually remarried but the family continued to struggle and she was later sent to Mgwayi Village to live with an aunt in hopes that she would be better cared for there. However, Gertrude continued to face problems. She had to walk about an hour to get to school each day and was left with very little time to study at home with no electricity and plenty of housework to help out with. It was then, in 2010, that she was enrolled into the Children of the Nations VPP.
She was also eventually able to become a boarding student, allowing her to spend the evenings studying along with the other students under electric lights. Just this year in June, she completed her final year of secondary school and was able to participate in ICA's second ever graduation ceremony! It is so amazing to see how the work of Children of the Nations directly impacts a child in this way. Gertrude hopes to go on to nursing school through the COTN University Sponsorship Fundafter spending this next year volunteering and giving back to COTN.
Settling into my New Role With my recent change in position, going from Assistant Liaison to the full Malawi Liaison, I've become busier with more responsibilities from the COTN International Office but am enjoying the broader perspective I am now getting of Children of the Nations. The team I work with as part of the International Office are a great group of people and I always enjoy spending time with them whether in person or through conference calls. Currently I am part of a project whereby we are coming up with statistical data points we would like to be tracking on a regular basis to show progress in accomplishing our various holistic care goals. COTN has typically shown progress through anecdotal stories about the children themselves-and these are definitely encouraging and motivating, however it is becoming necessary to also show progress through quantitative means (hard facts!). This will become very important as we wish to become effective in reaching out to foundations or granting organizations for major funds.
In the coming weeks I will be assisting Malawi as they review their strategic plan, set goals for 2015, as well as put together their 2015 annual budget. Financial oversight is also a new addition to my role and though I don't have a lot of experience in that area, I am looking forward to the challenge.
New Consultants Recently, COTN Malawi has welcomed some new long-term consultants from the United States who will be working with us for the next year. Erica Baughman, will be working with our Spiritual Care Coordinator in implementing discipleship and mentoring programs. We also, for the first time ever, have a family on campus long term. Ryan and Kelli Ingram, both education consultants, have with them their two daughters, Mattea and Camrie, who are 8 and 6 years old. Ryan will be working with our secondary school assisting with science and Kelli with our primary school assisting in reading. They are all wonderful people and are settling in well to life in Malawi. I am looking forward to having them around for the next year. We also said goodbye to Mollie Mitchell, who was an education consultant with COTN for the last 2 years. Mollie will be missed, her and Tiana were Madalo and I's first neighbors after we were married!
Baby and Other Personal Updates Madalo is now into her 32nd week of pregnancy and is definitely eager for the little guy to come! She is suffering the regular symptoms of pregnancy and of course (so I've heard!) it isn't the most comfortable thing in the world to be growing a person inside of you. Everything is progressing well though and both baby and mom are healthy, we are thankful for that and continue to pray for smooth labor and delivery.
Another announcement is that we have chosen a name! So please be praying forPaul Kondwani Macias even as he is being formed in his mother's womb! Paul is my middle name and of course the name of one of the church's greatest missionaries who also wrote most of the New Testament. Kondwani is a Chichewa name that means, "Be Happy". I see the name Paul as representing a bridge between two cultures, much as the Apostle Paul was a bridge between Jewish Christians and Greek/Roman Christians in the first century. Kondwani is in hopes that he will, like his mother, always be full of joy and have a beautiful smile on his face!
Last week, Madalo and I had a nice time relaxing at Cape Maclear, Lake Malawi with my dad who was in Malawi for a visit for five days on his way to teach in Uganda. It was great to see him and we were excited to show him how the baby's room is progressing.
If all goes well with little Paul's birth with both baby and mom doing well, as well as some bureaucratic processes getting quickly accomplished including registering Paul as a US citizen and getting him his first passport (all quite a process!), we hope to be coming to the Seattle area in December and staying through Christmas. Please be praying that all of this goes smoothly and quickly so that it can happen! We look forward to showing baby Paul off and spending a Christmas season in the US.
Fundraising Season As we come into the Fall and Holiday Season, we will begin to raise our funds to support my work in 2015. As you begin to think about your year-end giving, please take time to consider financially supporting us whether through a one-time gift or through monthly support. Obviously with a new baby, our expenses will go up considerably in this next year, we will definitely need the extra support. Thank you for taking the time to consider partnering with us! There will also be opportunities I will share to support COTN in other ways, like child sponsorship or special projects for COTN Malawi. Your partnership is appreciated, in any form!
In the coming year, as part of COTN's 20th Anniversary, we will be starting a campaign to raise all the funds necessary to complete all of the construction for all of our secondary schools in all of our countries. Ambitious, yes, possible, definitely!
We really appreciate each one of you who takes the time to read our updates and pray faithfully for us. Feel free to share this newsletter with your friends and family as well so that we can add to the network of people in the COTN family!
Please feel free and be encouraged to share this newsletter with a friend or family member who may be interested in the work of Children of the Nations!
Recently, COTN Malawi has welcomed some new long-term consultants from the United States who will be working with us for the next year. Erica Baughman, will be working with our Spiritual Care Coordinator in implementing discipleship and mentoring programs. We also, for the first time ever, have a family on campus long term. Ryan and Kelli Ingram, both education consultants, have with them their two daughters, Mattea and Camrie, who are 8 and 6 years old. Ryan will be working with our secondary school assisting with science and Kelli with our primary school assisting in reading. They are all wonderful people and are settling in well to life in Malawi. I am looking forward to having them around for the next year. We also said goodbye to Mollie Mitchell, who was an education consultant with COTN for the last 2 years. Mollie will be missed, her and Tiana were Madalo and I's first neighbors after we were married!
