Saturday, March 21, 2015

March 2015 Update


March 2015 Update

Meet Chifundo
One of the things I love about Children of the Nations (COTN) is that a child receives support, whenever possible, all the way up through college or vocational skills training. This philosophy really ensures that the orphaned and vulnerable children that we work with are equipped to one day be able to take care of themselves, their families, and to be leaders in their communities and nations. Currently, Malawi has 50 students in our University-Vocational Program. For those of you who have ever paid to put a child through college, you know how daunting that can be!

Chifundo is an example of one of our students who went through vocational training and is now fully employed, runs his own electrical repair shop, and trains younger COTN children in the skills that he has learned. Chifundo's father died in 1997 and afterwards his mother really struggled to care for him and his siblings. Three years later, he was enrolled in COTN's Village Partnership Program and began receiving holistic support. Chifundo eventually went on to earn a diploma in electrical and electronics engineering from Lilongwe Technical College with the support of COTN. It's because of this support that he is now able to have a job with ESCOM, Malawi's national electricity supplier, as a meter technician. What is really encouraging is that he is taking what he has been given and is giving back to the younger COTN children!

Google Training
Children of the Nations uses Google for our mail platform as well as Google Drive, Calendar, and Hangouts for our various working collaborations on schedules, documents, conference calls, etc. Just a few of the Malawi staff have much knowledge or experience in getting full use out of these Google products so I've started holding some training sessions for them in this area. I'll also be doing some one-on-one follow-up help with some individuals who are in need of further training. It's going well so far and I am excited to see how this will help to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their work, especially when collaborating with their counterparts in the USA.
 
What are you feeding him??
We were so grateful to be able to spend the Christmas season in the US, see so many friends and family members, and were blessed by all the love everyone showered on Paul. Thanks so much! After five weeks though, it was good to get back home and into our routine. Shortly after returning, we held Paul's dedication ceremony at our church, trusting in God to help us care for and raise him, which when you think about it, is a huge task and we definitely need God's help with it!

As I get started on this newsletter, Paul is now 4 months old to the day. It's definitely true what they say about children growing faster than you can keep up! We're learning to enjoy each day and every milestone. He is so full of joy and constantly smiling-it's infectious! He is really living up to his middle-name, Kondwani, "Be Happy". Paul is trying hard at times to roll over and will probably achieve it any day now. He's gotten so big, we are constantly being asked, "What are you feeding him?!" Just mother's milk up to now! He's more than doubled his birth weight (19 1/2 lbs now!) and so pretty soon we'll start trying out some solid foods like bananas, avocados, and sweet potatoes.

Update: It's now a couple weeks since I started writing this newsletter and Paul is now 22 lbs, has rolled over a couple times and has started getting his first tastes of banana, avocado, and carrots!

For now Madalo has gone back to work part-time so that in combination with my ability to work from home a few days a week, someone is always home with Paul and our new nanny.

In other family news, Madalo has applied for a Master's of Science in Nursing program at the University of Malawi College of Nursing. We're not yet sure how it would work financially or with our schedules, etc. but we would appreciate your prayers as we will need to make some important decisions if she gets accepted.
 
As always, 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!
 
Much Love,
Jeremy, Madalo, and Paul

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Partner with us by supporting Jeremy's salary or giving towards the purchase of anew truck for COTN Malawi's Village Partnership Program!

Children of the Nations (www.cotni.org) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit and is rated as a 4-star organization for financial management by Charity Navigator. All of your donations will be accompanied by a receipt and are tax deductible in the United States. 
Jeremy and Madalo
Prayer Needs

Baby Paul as he transitions to solid food and will probably start teething soon.

Madalo as she applies for her Master's in Nursing program.

Malawi, which has now been ranked the poorest country in the world according to GDP per capita. Pray that the government institutes good policies that will help spur economic growth for the country.
 
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!
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Box 1205
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Thursday, October 30, 2014

October 2014 Update and Year-End Fundraising


October 2014 Update

Meet Michael
I would like to introduce you to Michael Banda! He is the newest child to come into full-time family care in one of COTN Malawi's Children's Homes. Michael was referred to COTN Malawi through the Malawi Government Social Welfare Office. He comes from Mchinji, a town one hour West of Lilongwe, just close to the Zambian border. Michael is just 3 months old and his mother passed not long after his birth. The whereabouts of his father are unknown. He came to COTN Malawi severely malnourished and suffering from infection, but since then has been admitted to African Bible College Community Clinic (where Madalo works) for treatment and proper nutrition support. He is gaining weight and getting healthier each day! 

Children like Michael are the reason that Malawi runs full-time family care Children's Homes in addition to our Village Partnership Program. At times there are children who simply have no other option and may even die without full-time intervention. Michael now has hope for a future because of the intervention, support, and love he will receive each day as part of a COTN Malawi Children's Home! As a new child, Michael will need sponsors. Please check out this link if you would like to become one of his sponsors.
 
A New Baby of Our Own As Well!
Well the long-awaited day finally came! Paul Kondwani made his appearance just two days after his due date on October 19th at 8:20pm, weighing in at 8 pounds 2 ounces. Madalo was in active labor for about 7 hours, though her water broke and we had gone to the hospital the night before around midnight. It was an amazing experience being there in the delivery room and seeing my son being born before my eyes. I will treasure that experience forever!

Baby Paul is now 11 days old as I write this. He is already gaining weight and developing. Madalo is recovering well and both of us are getting as much sleep as can be expected! We love our new son and pray for God's hand to be on his life as he grows. Please pray with us as we figure out this whole parenthood thing!

We are currently in the process of getting Paul's official Malawi Government birth certificate which will then allow us to register his birth at the US Embassy, making him a US citizen, and getting his first US passport. Please pray that this process goes smoothly and quickly so that we can travel with him in December to come to the US for Christmas.

Year-End Fundraising
We are coming up to the end of 2014 which means that we are in the season of raising funds to support our work in 2015. We are so grateful to everyone who has supported us either through one-time donations or through monthly support this year and pray that God blesses you for that sacrifice. For 2014, we have been able to raise $11,725 out of a needed $21,600, or 54% of our needs. The rest is made up from support from the COTN budget, which unfortunately means that it cannot go towards in-country programs.

As you can imagine, a new baby brings a whole new set of expenses! Our goal is to raise $24,000 to support us in 2015. The good news, is that through our current monthly supporters, we already have $11,700 or 48% of that covered! Which leaves us with just $12,300 to raise for the whole year!

If you are reading this, I would ask that you prayerfully or thoughtfully consider either becoming one of our monthly supporters or to give a one-time donation to help cover this $12,300 needed to support us in 2015. You may be thinking that you can only give $15 or $20 a month, what difference could that make? That translates into $180-$240 for the year and that definitely makes a difference! Anyamount helps if many people join together with us to reach this goal! Click this linkto go to our support raising page and make either a one-time or monthly donation.
 
Other Ways to Support Children of the Nations
As I said, any amount that we are unable to raise to go towards my salary has to then be made up by coming from COTN. This means that those funds are not going towards programs or projects in our countries. So, if you prefer, I would also like to share some opportunities for you to give directly towards those in-country needs.

We are always needing more sponsors for our children. If sponsoring a child with a monthly donation sounds like something you are interested in, please take a look at this link showing all of the children in Malawi who are still in need of sponsors. You can choose a child of any age from 3 months old, like Michael, all the way up to a University student needing support for her or his tuition and other college-related expenses.

In addition to sponsorship, there are also some great one-time projects we are trying to fund for Malawi in the coming year. Community Health Clubs, new vehicles, continuing construction of our secondary school-so many great ways to get involved! Take a look at this link to browse and find out more about those projects.

If you decide to sponsor a child or give towards a project, please let me know.

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!
 
Much Love,

  &   

Jeremy and Madalo Macias

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Children of the Nations (www.cotni.org) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit and is rated as a 4-star organization for financial management by Charity Navigator. All of your donations will be accompanied by a receipt and are tax deductible in the United States. 
Jeremy and Madalo
Prayer Needs

For Baby Paul in his first few months and the new mom and dad as they learn to be good parents!

For Baby Paul's US citizen registration and first passport application to go quickly and smoothly so that we can travel to the US in December.

Jeremy and Madalo as they raise funds for support in 2015.

COTN Malawi, as they have recently lost one of their University students to a road accident.

Continue to pray for COTN Sierra Leone as they work to keep their campus and communities safe from the Ebola Virus that is currently affecting West Africa.

Sunday, August 31, 2014

August 2014 Update!


August 2014 Update

Gertrude's Story
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.

Being enrolled in the Mgwayi VPP, Gertrude was now able to attend COTN's International Christian Academy (ICA) and receive a quality education. 
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 Fund after 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!
 
Much Love,

  &   

Jeremy and Madalo Macias


Children of the Nations (www.cotni.org) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit and is rated as a 4-star organization for financial management by Charity Navigator. All of your donations will be accompanied by a receipt and are tax deductible in the United States. 
Jeremy and Madalo
Prayer Needs

Madalo as she goes through the final stretch of pregnancy and baby Paul as he is born in October.

For baby Paul's US citizen registration and first passport application to go quickly and smoothly so that we can travel to the US in December.

COTN Malawi as they enter their strategic planning, budgeting, and annual goal-setting season.

COTN Sierra Leone as they work to keep their campus and communities safe from the Ebola Virus that is currently affecting West Africa.
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!

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Making History, Presidential Visit, and Some New Things


April 2014 Update

Village History Maker
Children of the Nations (COTN) Malawi began work in Chilombo Village back in 2007. In reality, it is more than one village, it is a collection of villages with a population of over 8,000 people. COTN is partnering with this community in the areas of education, clean water, health care access, sports activities, school nutrition, spiritual development, and others. One of the young people that COTN sponsors in Chilombo is named Davie.

Davie is making history in Chilombo Village. Through the COTN University Sponsorship Program, Davie has become the first person ever in his community to go on to higher education! He is studying to become a journalist at the Malawi Institute of Journalism (MIJ). Davie wants to become a sports journalist. 
Davie from Chilombo Village
When asked about the opportunity he now has he says, "I'm not taking this for granted. We, as Children of the Nations kids, we are very glad. We are very advantaged to do more things."

Davie worked hard to retake his secondary school exams in order to qualify for entrance to MIJ. He is an inspiration to me but more importantly to all of the kids in Chilombo who can now dream to one day go on to higher education and get jobs that will help support and transform their community. Davie has led the way and there are now four others from Chilombo currently enrolled in higher education! I don't think Chilombo Village will ever be the same. It's kids like Davie that give me the passion to work for COTN.

President's Visit
In March, Chris Clark, the International President and founder of COTN came to Malawi along with his wife Debbie, the co-founder and International Programs Director. Malawi was privileged to host them for three weeks and this of course becomes one of my busiest times of the year.
 Lots of meetings, training, tours, events-I'm just now catching my breath a week after their departure! All in all, the president's visit always encourages the local staff and children and helps to move along the vision and mission of COTN.

New Things
This last month has brought a couple of changes for us. The first is that our next door neighbors who also rent from our same landlord suddenly moved out. This made their house available to us and so we jumped at the chance to move in. The house is much more spacious and will allow us room to host our church small group but more importantly will allow our little family to grow from two to three! Which brings me to an announcement-we are expecting a baby this coming October! 

We would appreciate prayers as Madalo goes through her first pregnancy. We plan to do the delivery here at the African Bible College Clinic where Madalo works. They have a nice maternity ward and we get a great rate with Madalo being an employee. We feel very blessed as we move into this new season of life.

The other change is that my supervisor at COTN, Peter Drennan, who has served as the Malawi Liaison, announced that he will be taking another position at Pilgrim Africa, a non-profit that works solely in Uganda. Up to this point I have been serving as his Assistant Malawi Liaison but I have now been offered and accepted the full position as the sole Malawi Liaison. This probably doesn't seem like much of a change, but basically it means more responsibility and travel. I will continue to operate from Malawi but will now need to travel to the US once or twice a year for various meetings and training. My main added role is to keep the COTN International President directly informed on all things COTN Malawi and to advocate to our fundraising staff in the US on behalf of Malawi's needs.

Partnership 
Because of this recent position change, I will be traveling to Seattle this month and will be in the area from April 20th-May 8th. I will be attending some meetings in Silverdale, WA as well as visiting family and friends. I would love a chance to grab lunch and talk about the possibility of partnership either with individuals or churches who would like to join the mission and financially support COTN through child sponsorship, giving to capital projects, organizing service trips to Malawi through our Venture Program, or in directly supporting my salary and work expenses.

As most of you know, my work with COTN is dependent on financial support from partners like you. The changes that have taken place make the need for this support even stronger as travel costs, pregnancy and delivery costs, and of course caring for a new baby are all added blessings as well as financial responsibilities.

For 2014 we still need to raise $1,175 more in monthly support or $10,575 for the year. Please join us in praying for God to provide!

You can partner with us either with a one-time donation or through monthly support by clicking this link: Support Jeremy and Madalo.

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!
 
Much Love,

  &   

Jeremy and Madalo Macias


Children of the Nations (www.cotni.org) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit and is rated as a 4-star organization for financial management by Charity Navigator. All of your donations will be accompanied by a receipt and are tax deductible in the United States. 
Jeremy and Madalo
Prayer Needs

Jeremy as he travels to the US and both Jeremy and Madalo as this will be their longest time apart since getting married!

Madalo during her first pregnancy. Health for her and our new baby!

Financial provision for the growing Macias family in 2014.
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!
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You are receiving this e-mail because you are a family member, friend, prayer partner, or financial partner of Jeremy and Madalo Macias.

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Jeremy and Madalo
C/O Children of the Nations
Box 1205
Lilongwe .
Malawi

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Friday, April 11, 2014

Pastors, the Scum of the World?

For I think that God has exhibited us apostles [church/spiritual leaders] as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.

1 Corinthians 4:9-13 (ESV)


In 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul is writing to a church that had become proud of their spirituality, their gifts, their resources, etc. They weren't giving honor to God, the giver of all these things. In response, Paul tells them what his life and the life of the other apostles were like-basically nothing to be proud of in an earthly sense. Pretty terrible in fact, nothing that a person would willingly want unless something larger than life was driving them.

As I read this passage this morning it got me thinking about many of today's church leaders, pastors, prophets, "men of god", "apostles", and "bishops" (I'm not entirely sure what people think they mean when they give themselves these titles). Many of their lives look nothing like what Paul is describing. In fact, quite the opposite is true. I just read in a magazine about a certain pastor in the US who might sign his family up for a reality show, sort of a "Christian Kardashians" as they put it. The show will follow this pastor and his family as they live in their 7,100 square foot mansion and endure the...hardship? of life in church ministry.

I see this a lot as I live here in Africa. So-called, "men of god" and "bishops" living extravagant lifestyles, dressed in the finest clothes, driving the nicest cars. Unfortunately, the prosperity gospel has taken root here in high fashion. Another unfortunate export from the West.

Hear me out, I'm not against wealth.  I believe God blesses some people with material wealth for a reason. I guess the question is: Where is your heart? Are you, as a wealthy person, seeking out that reason and using your wealth to bless others and to serve God?

This brings to mind another famous US pastor who has been blessed with incredible wealth because of some popular books he wrote. He now gives away 90% of his income and keeps the remaining 10% (granted that 10% is probably still a LOT of money). On top of that, he paid back his church for the 25 years of salaries that he had received up to that point and now leads his church with no salary. I just add this to show a contrast to the above mentioned, "reality show" pastor.

I won't go much further into this topic. Just wanted to share the thoughts that came to me as I read this passage and pondered the lives of people called to serve in the ministry of the Gospel. I'll leave you with two questions.

1. If you are a church leader of some sort, does your life have anything in common with Paul's description? If no, why not?

2. If you are part of a church, does its leadership have anything in common with Paul's description? If not, why do you follow them?

Anyway, that's all for now! Comment your thoughts below!

Friday, December 13, 2013

Cultural Lessons from Death and Funerals

Death is much more a regular part of life in Malawi as compared to the United States. In the US, I probably went to about 1 funeral every 3-4 years. Most of those involved grandparents or great-grandparents or other elderly people. It has been pretty rare during my life in the US to attend the funeral of a young person or young man or woman. I can think of 3 that I personally was a part of over the 26 years I lived in the US before coming to Malawi.

Malawi however, is quite different. In an average year a person can easily attend a dozen funerals or more of people who range from babies all the way up to the elderly. Many factors affect this difference including poor health care systems, malnutrition in children under 5, presence of tropical diseases including Malaria, the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, poor road systems and emergency response systems leading to a higher number of traffic accidents and fatalities, and I'm sure the list goes on and on.

There is another factor, culture. Culture may or may not affect the number of deaths-that's not the point of this post, but it certainly changes the number of funerals an average person is expected to go to.

In the last week, 3 people I was somehow connected to died. The first was a man of not yet 40 years who was a part of our church small group. He had been battling a degenerative brain disorder for some years and finally lost that battle on his way to see a specialist neurosurgeon in the southern part of the country.

The next 2 both died together (along with an American woman who I didn't know) in a car accident coming back from a Young Life meeting in Zimbabwe. Both were young men in their 20s. One had been married less than 2 years, the other only 7 months. You simply cannot escape being close to death in Malawi.

As I was at the funeral for the man in our church small group, I made a few observations about funerals in Malawi that speak volumes about Malawian culture.

1. Malawi is a communal society.

We learned this as new Peace Corps Trainees when I first came to Malawi and I continually learn it as I live and work here. The difference between the US being an individualistic society and Malawi (and Africa in general) being a communal society.

In the US, generally speaking, close friends and family attend funerals. Funeral arrangements are all about what the deceased wanted or would have wanted. Immediate family tends to be the main focus. Thus, why I as an American, attended so few in the US. Very few people who are directly connected to me die in the US.

In Malawi however, EVERYONE attends a funeral. If you work with someone who is connected with someone who dies-you attend the funeral. If you go to church with someone who dies-you attend the funeral. If you live in the same neighborhood or village as someone who dies-you attend the funeral. If you are in any way, shape, or form related by marriage or blood to someone who dies-you attend the funeral. If you once attended school with someone who dies-you attend the funeral. As you can imagine, this leads to funerals being huge events in Malawi with people coming from all over to be there. It's a cultural obligation. If you don't attend, it means you don't care-not just about the deceased (who you may have never met), but about the people you do know who were connected to the deceased.

Malawi is communal, it's about everyone being present to support people in their time of loss. Very few excuses are acceptable in place of absence.

2. Malawi is a fatalistic society

In the US, your average person doesn't come into contact with death very often. It happens for sure, but not nearly as often as it happens in Malawi.

As I said before, the average Malawian probably attends a dozen or so funerals each year. They are constantly being reminded about the frailty of life. That death can happen any day at any moment.

It's difficult to find a middle-aged Malawian who has not lost at least one or two siblings already.

All of this death has to be explained somehow within the cultural psyche. Thus, Malawi is very fatalistic. By contrast, the US is mostly deterministic.

Americans believe in self-empowerment, self-determination, self-examination, self-improvement, and all the other "self" statements. Americans believe it's mostly their own choices and efforts that determine the course of their life. Malawians are different though, they tend to be more fatalistic. Most things are outside of a person's control. It's either fate, spirits, culture, authorities, or God that pretty much determines what happens in life. Thus, they are comforted in times of death knowing that it was God's time and God's will for it to happen, what could be done?

As an American living in Malawi, I struggle with this. As a Christian, yes I do believe in God's control over our lives, but as an American I also believe in the responsibility to take action as well. So when a child dies of a preventable disease like Tetanus, it's hard for me to simply say, "It was God's time, what could be done?" Well my answer to that of course is, "They could have had a tetanus vaccine, that's what!"

I'm still learning to balance fatalism with determinism.

3. Malawi is not detail-oriented, it is people-oriented

This was illustrated to me at the funeral during the carrying of the casket.

In the US, at a funeral you have people who are appointed to be the official pallbearers. Usually about 6 or 8 men, dressed in suits, each assigned a specific place and handle on the casket. I imagine they probably even rehearse beforehand though I've never been one so I don't know. It would be strange for someone else to come up and try to help carry the casket during the funeral.

In Malawi, this is totally different. A large group of men, way more than can actually fit around it, all go to pick up and carry casket. There is no rhyme or reason to how they carry it or where they are placed along the casket, they all just go at it at once. Often, a person will get pushed off the front and then they will walk to the back and start again. Finally the casket makes it to where it is supposed to be-and really, that's the goal. It's more important for each man to have his part in carrying the casket than for it to be an orderly, planned out exercise. Each man can feel he had a hand in helping.

I see this same concept happen during meetings or the like. I'll be sitting in a room with a group of Malawians and there will be a couple empty seats but let's say none of the empty seats are close to the door. Well when a new person walks in, about 2 or 3 people will spontaneously get up and rearrange themselves (maybe even sitting on the floor!) just to make sure the person who walks in can immediately sit in the closest seat to them. Makes no logical sense, the new person could have easily just walked across the room to one of the open seats, but this doesn't matter. What matters is that the person who comes in feels important and is given a nice seat right away. It's about the people, not the details.

4. Malawi has deep rooted gender-related customs

You see this a lot more when you are in the rural areas, visiting more traditional villages. Men and women have very separate roles in the home, in the community, in the church, etc. When you are in the city, you see it less, especially among more educated, wealthy Malawians. But when funerals happen, no matter where they happen, it all comes back.

During the evening before the burial, women sit inside the house on mats on the floor crying, wailing, and singing. Men on the other hand, are outside on chairs, stools, or logs chatting in groups, sometimes around a fire. The next day, during the service and burial, men and women are separated. Women on the ground and men on chairs (if there are any). In can be a bit strange for an American. In the US, a husband and wife would normally sit together at a funeral and be able to comfort one another. In Malawi however, you must maintain the gender separation and find comfort in being around other men or other women. I think no matter how gender-neutral Malawi may become in the future, I have a feeling funerals will always maintain this distinction.

5. Christ still makes the difference

Cultures all over the world conduct funerals in different ways. Regardless though, there is still a difference within that culture when the people who are mourning are believers in Christ. There is a hope present that is not there in other cases. We don't always have answers to the specific questions surrounding certain people's deaths: Why so young? Why such a violent death? What will his widow do now? As believers in Christ though, whether in the US, Malawi, or somewhere else, we always have the ultimate answer to what happens next...Hope.

I Thessalonians 4:13-14

13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.


What are the different funeral traditions from your cultural or national background? Share in the comments!




Monday, November 18, 2013

Many Thanks as 2013 Draws to a Close...

Serving in Malawi Header
2013 Coming to a Close
I want to start off by saying a special thanks to all those who have partnered with Madalo and I in 2013. Your financial support and prayers have provided for our needs and strengthened our faith. We could not be here serving through Children of the Nations (COTN) without your partnership. THANK YOU!

So much has happened throughout 2013 and though I don’t get as many e-mail updates out as I would like, I hope the updates I’ve sent have been helpful in keeping you updated on our work here in Malawi. Here are a couple highlights from this year:
 
COTN Malawi’s Financial Self-Sustainability
COTN Malawi has done a tremendous job this last year in bettering their ability to generate funds in-country. They are increasing rental income by hosting various local church groups and organizations for conferences
New Children's Homeand meetings at their facility. This has really helped to complement the funding coming from COTN International. The extra funding has allowed COTN Malawi to construct, completely on their own, a beautiful, brand new Children’s Home! Previously, some of the full-time residential children were staying in a rented home, but now they have one of their own.
 
The COTN Secondary School also opened up their enrollment to private, fee-paying students from outside COTN. The extra income from these fees has made it possible for COTN Malawi to purchase their own 30 passenger coaster to use for the school and other transportation needs! It’s amazing to see an organization in Africa take on so much local financial responsibility. Now that’s partnership!
 
Two Clean Water Wells in Chilombo
Another great accomplishment this year is that COTN USA was able to raise funds for drilling two new clean water wells and the rehabilitation of a broken well in one of our Village Partnership Program areas, Chilombo. We currently support about 360 orphaned or vulnerable children in the Chilombo area.
 
2nd Chilombo Well in use!
Before this year, the residents of Chilombohad only one functioning clean water well that for many included walking a round-trip distance of up to 2 miles. For most families, this was just too much, and water was instead drawn from shallow wells closer to their homes that were not covered and protected from contamination. With these new wells strategically placed, that distance has been dramatically reduced and water-borne diseases in the community will decrease. Water committees within the communities were also set up to manage the wells and collect small fees from the residents for well and pump maintenance.
 
Plans for 2014
As we move into 2014, COTN Malawi has a lot of great plans that I am excited to be a part of. In the same Chilombo area, a third and final well is planned as well as the construction of a Children’s Center to be used for nursery school, feeding programs, after school tutoring, and other community meetings.

We are currently in the process of hiring a Spiritual Development Coordinator in Malawi who will be responsible for planning and coordinating spiritual development activities for all of the children. I look forward to working closely with this new hire as youth spiritual development is a personal passion of mine.

Increasing agriculture output is also a big priority for 2014. We currently operate two farms and have started a piggery project at one which will increase in 2014 allowing a lot of good animal protein to be available for the 
One of the new piglets at the farm!
children’s nutrition needs. We are in the process of purchasing a machine that will allow us to turn sunflower seeds into cooking oil which will then be used for the children as well as to sell, increasing Malawi’s financial self-sustainability even more! Through my connection with the US Peace Corps, I was able to get an agriculture volunteer placed at one of our farms. She will be there well into 2015 and will help with increasing income generating activities for the farm.
 
The COTN Secondary School continues to improve, our girls’ dormitory is almost complete and in 2014 we will move on to constructing additional classroom space as well as an administrative/library building. The teaching staff is complete and includes great teachers for all subjects.

I recently had the opportunity to start a leadership training class for the secondary school student leaders. There are fifteen of them, called School Prefects, and I will be meeting with them on a weekly basis when school is in session to cover various scriptural based leadership principles. I’m very excited for where this group will go over the next year!

These and so many other great new projects will be happening over 2014, but what is important to remember is that they are all geared towards helping Children of the Nations achieve the vision of “Raising Children Who Transform Nations.” I am very fortunate to be part of such great work!
 
One Example of a Changed Life
Alefa
To help you see the actual impact that all this work has on the children themselves, I’d like to introduce you to one girl, Alefa, who has just entered the program this year so you can see the impact COTN has on a child’s life-even in just one year! You can read her story byclicking here.
 

Partnership
As most of you know, my work with COTN is 100% dependent on financial support from people like you. Again, thank you to everyone who has been donating financial support on a monthly basis. I pray God blesses you for your effort and allows you to continue in 2014. Also, thank you to everyone who gave a one-time donation-it added up and made a difference!

In reality, we do need to add to our partners and increase our support base. My salary goal for 2014 remains at $1,800/month. We are also trying to raise additional travel funds for a trip back to Seattle for vacation as well as some work and meetings at the COTN International Office for later in 2014. This brings our total goal for the year to $27,000 or $2,250/month. Please join us in praying for God to provide!

I ask that if you are reading this, you prayerfully consider whether God is asking you to become a financial partner in my work with Children of the Nations. If you belong to a church who loves to support overseas missions, please consider bringing this need to your pastor. If you are a pastor of a church, please consider “adopting” us as missionaries supported by your church. If you belong to any community groups or clubs that like to support charitable work, please consider presenting this need to them. Any amount is helpful: our current partners individually give anywhere from $20-$500/month and all of it adds up to make a difference!

You can partner with us either with a one-time donation or through monthly support by clicking this link: Support Jeremy and Madalo.

If you prefer to donate by check, you can send it with "MACIAS" on the memo line to:

Children of the Nations
P.O. Box 3970
Silverdale, WA 98383

We really appreciate you taking the time to read this update and consider partnering with us. Finances aside, we are always so grateful to all of you who pray for us and keep in touch regularly. In addition to all the great things that happened this year, we also experienced some tough circumstances as well and we know it was God and your prayers that gave us strength and perseverance. Thank you and may God bless you in this upcoming holiday season and in the New Year!
 
Much Love,

  &   

Jeremy and Madalo Macias


Children of the Nations (www.cotni.org) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit and is rated as a 4-star organization for financial management by Charity Navigator. All of your donations will be accompanied by a receipt and are tax deductible in the United States. 
Jeremy and Madalo
Prayer Requests

COTN Malawi as they recruit a Spiritual Development Coordinator and an Education Coordinator.

Jeremy and Madalo as we raise our 2014 budget.

Praise God for his provision in 2013!

Click here to financially partner with Jeremy and Madalo!
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