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 Follow along on Facebook! 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.  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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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 Like our page and follow along on Facebook! 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.

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.

Many Thanks as 2013 Draws to a Close...

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 and 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.   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  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 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.  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! Please feel free and be encouraged to share this newsletter with a friend who may be interested! Thanks!

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Graduates, Interns, a Visit From Dad, and 1-Year of Marriage!

Sept 2013 Graduation Four years ago, Children of the Nations (COTN) decided that in order to properly educate the children in their program, they would need to start their own secondary school. It began with a handful of students learning in a dormitory-converted-into-a-classroom. The teachers were COTN staff members and anyone else who could volunteer their time. Now, four years later, that original class has  become International Christian Academy’s firstgraduating class! The school campus is being built one building at a time and a staff of professional, full-time teachers is working hard to provide the children with quality secondary education. There is still a long way to go, but it was great to be here to be a part of this important milestone for COTN Malawi. Sadly, one of these graduates, Isaac Zgambo, recently passed away. It's not known what exactly he died of which makes it harder on the other children and the COTN staff members. He was a great guy with a heart to serve and was one of the best players in the COTN Football Club. He had a bright future. In times like these we don't always have answers, but simply are here to support each other and share the love of God. A big project that I have worked on this year is helping the school to develop a 5-year business plan as they are now opening up enrollment to private, fee-paying students from Lilongwe. This extra income will help to subsidize the cost of educating the children in our program as well as meets a need for families inLilongwe to have a good private school to send their children to. Interns Every year the Children of the Nations U.S. office recruits interns to come and serve in the COTN countries. They do everything from leading mentorship groups and Bible studies to setting up soccer tournaments and school tutoring but most importantly, they create lasting relationships with the children in our program. For the last two summers I have had the privilege of working with the interns who come to Malawi. I facilitate their cultural orientation session and village-life immersion, their introduction to Chichewa language lesson, work closely with the intern leaders to help them navigate the Malawi national office, and the best part-I get to take  them to Lake Malawi for a debrief retreat at the end of their internship. It’s one of the favorite parts of my job during the summer months (though it’s actually cold  season here in Malawi!). If you know of any college-aged students who would be interested in serving orphaned or vulnerable children with COTN in Africa or the Caribbean next summer, let me know or have them visit the Intern Programpage on our website! Dad’s Visit Another blessing this year was my dad’s second visit to Malawi! He had a great opportunity to teach a class on leadership at Uganda Christian University and he was able to stop by Malawi for a few days beforehand. In typical African fashion we  experienced a car breakdown and were stranded on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere for three hours while trying to get to my old Peace Corps village! But as we say here in Malawi: Zimachitika! (Things always happen!) Either way, it was great to have my dad here and spend time with him! Anniversary As I write this, Madalo and I are just six days away from our one-year wedding anniversary! It’s amazing how quickly this first year has gone by. We are so blessed to be together, living where we are living and serving in the way God has called us. We are so thankful to all of our friends and family who continue to support us through love, prayer, and finances; we could not do it without you! We thank God that he has called us and our partners to serve Him in this way. Prayer Requests The recent Secondary School Graduates as they wait for their government exam results and plan what will be next for their lives. Jeremy and Madalo as we finalize and start raising our 2014 budget. Malawi as the country enters presidential campaign season. Elections are in May 2014. Click here to financially partner with Jeremy and Madalo!

May 2013

May 2013 New Home For the last year and three months, I’ve been living on the Children of the Nations campus on one side of a duplex. After we got married, Madalo moved in and we spent our first eight months of married life there. It was great to have a free place to stay while receiving my small Peace Corps stipend as well as during the first months of marriage, but it never really seemed like “ours” because it was fully furnished with mostly donated items that weren’t exactly our taste. We were also sharing a campus with the COTN secondary school which could sometimes be a little loud…teenagers! Well, on May 5 we made the move to our own place! It’s about a five minute drive from COTN and just a little over a mile away from the African Bible College Community Clinic where Madalo works so she is able to walk often with no problem. We love our new little place and will be working over the next few months to furnish and decorate it to our taste and get the garden looking nice! We have a guest bedroom with a comfy double bed so if you ever find yourself in Malawi, stop on by! We already had our first house guests, some friends from my first two years in Peace Corps, Terence and Alyssa. They’re back in Malawi doing some research in Southern Malawi for the next two months. It was great to see and catch up with them! Career Coaching Two young ladies who have been raised in the COTN Children’s Homes program reached the point where they were ready to graduate from our program this last month. Both have completed post-secondary school programs, one in community development and the other in tourism. We held a graduation ceremony for them as well as a farewell party in one of the Children’s Homes. It’s so great to see the fruit of years of investment. These ladies came into the program as young girls who were in desperate situations and here they are today, ready to get out there and find their first real jobs!  Madalo and I sat down with one of these young  ladies, Yamikani, and coached her on her  resume, job hunting, interviewing skills, and  starting her own little side business to keep  herself going while job hunting. We hope and  pray that the coaching will pay off and Yamikani  will do well as she moves on from being in  COTN’s full-time care. Men’s Breakfast Something that I have been involved with over the last several months is helping to start a men’s ministry at my church, Capital City Baptist Church. I and a few other men, including the senior pastor, have been meeting every other week to pray, discuss, and plan what a men’s ministry for our church should look like. It all culminated to a kick-off event that took place this month in the form of a men’s breakfast. We reserved a room at a local lodge and ordered a great breakfast for the men to enjoy. Around fifty men from the church showed up and we enjoyed the food, chatting together, hearing from the pastor, and I had the opportunity to lead them in some songs for worship-I even did a couple songs in Chichewa, a local Malawian language! Overall it was a great morning and all the men are excited to get a structured ministry in place. We had group discussions to brainstorm ideas for how the ministry should take shape and signed up six more men to be a part of the organizing committee to plan the way forward. I really believe ministries like this are important in encouraging men to become responsible leaders in their churches, families, communities, and workplaces. Prayer Requests Yamikani and Dorica as they job search and begin to get out on their own. COTN Malawi as they build a new Children's Home with local finances. This will allow them to be on their own property rather than paying rent under a landlord. Jeremy and Madalo as we save up for a car. Jeremy and Madalo raising the last $500 needed in monthly support. Click here to partner with Jeremy and Madalo! Please feel free and be encouraged to share this blogpost with a friend who may be interested! Thanks! Share Tweet Forward to Friend Copyright © 2013 Jeremy and Madalo, All rights reserved.

March 2013 Newsletter

Well as most of you know, we spent 3 weeks in February back in the U.S.! Madalo and I had a great time catching up with family and friends, celebrating our new marriage, holding lots of new babies, going to San Diego and Disneyland, celebrating my 30^th birthday (my first one back in the U.S. in 3 years!), and trying to do a little fundraising in the midst of it all. It was quite the whirlwind and we were thoroughly exhausted by the time we finally made it back home to Malawi. We needed a vacation after our vacation!

Everyone here in Malawi says we had a great time and were treated well by everyone back in the U.S. How do they know? Because of all the weight we gained! Culturally, here in Malawi, gaining weight while away is a sign that you were well taken care of. Wouldn't it be nice if we thought that way in the U.S. too?? I've already dropped ten pounds since coming back!

Although we were tired, I quickly had to get ready for the COTN International President and founder, Chris Clark to visit Malawi along with his wife and co-founder, Debbie. The first few days of their visit they were accompanied by an international board member and his wife, Bruce and Julie Donaho. So far their visit has been great and they have shared a lot of vision, encouragement, and training with the staff here in Malawi as well as learned some things from the Malawi staff. Being the founders, and because in the early days they would spend months at a time in Malawi, the children, especially the older ones, call them “Dad Chris” and “Mom Debbie”. It's a unique organization where the president is also thought of as "Dad" by many of the children!

I feel like I am working with COTN at a key time in its history. Behind are many years of a small, family-style ministry and ahead it is developing into a full-fledged international non-profit while still trying to maintain its sense of family and community. It is definitely a great experience to be part of an organization as it grows in this way!

One of the many new babies we met,
our new nephew, Oliver!

Madalo has gotten back into the swing of her work at African Bible College (ABC) Community Clinic. She really enjoys being a nurse; treating and caring for people as God heals their bodies and spirits. She is such a light to her patients and fellow staff members, always bringing a smile and encouraging words to those around her. I’ve heard more than once from some of the “higher ups” at ABC that she is one of their best nurses!

Much Love,

Jeremy and Madalo

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