Malawi’s Children Receive Bible Books from LHF January 17, 2025

Jesus’ Comfort in Calamity

When Hurricane Helene unleashed her fury on the Carolinas’ Appalachian Mountains, many Americans saw for the first time how hurricanes can wipe out entire communities.

Two years ago, a tragically similar scene played out in Malawi, a landlocked African country south of Kenya and Tanzania. In February 2023, Cyclone Freddy blew inland from the Indian Ocean, dropping six months of rainfall in six days. The rains triggered floods and mudslides, killing more than 1,200 people and destroying many subsistence farmers’ fields. Even now in 2025, Malawi’s people are suffering a food emergency as more than 650,000 people remain displaced, jobs disappear and inflation soars.

Where can they find comfort?

In the midst of such catastrophe, the mission offerings of LHF supporters are sharing the message of God’s love to the most vulnerable of Malawi’s people: the children. 3,000 copies of the Chichewa translation of A Child’s Garden of Bible Stories have been delivered to Lutheran churches there, including congregations of the Confessional Lutheran Church – Malawi Synod (CLCMS).

“The stories from this book are so meaningful, helping many youth and even adults who read the book and have their lives transformed,” said Rev. D.R. Wowa, CLCMS executive chairman. “As the country is facing great challenges in terms of food supply, the book is meeting the need of bringing comfort to the people. The children are reading and learning that what is happening to them now has happened to people in the past. This is known to them as they read the stories of Jacob’s sons going to Egypt, looking for food.

“The issue of hunger is a long and complicated story,” he reflected. “However, God says that man cannot live on bread alone, but on every Word that comes from God.”

A young Lutheran church body

The Bible books are sorely needed by pastors, parents and Sunday school teachers of the CLCMS, a young church body of 4,000 people (28 congregations served by 8 pastors). With 75 percent of their membership under the age of 28, Lutheran churches are packed with children wanting to know more about Jesus.

“These Bible stories will armor the children’s faith, particularly in light of many misleading faiths in our country, including Islam,” said Rev. Joseph Maganga, who was one of the lead translators on this project. “Once the Truth is taught and internalized at a tender age, it becomes difficult for someone to later mislead the person.”

Teaching the teachers

An additional challenge for the CLCMS is that they have few trained teachers to lead their Sunday school programs. In October 2024, LHF’s project coordinator for Africa, Rev. Dr. Dinku Bato, traveled to Malawi to teach the teachers how to use A Child’s Garden of Bible Stories to effectively share the Gospel with their young students.

Drawing on the Sunday school teachers’ strong tribal traditions, Rev. Bato spent a full day leading a seminar for about 20 Sunday school teachers. Because the churches are so impoverished, basic materials American Sunday school teachers take for granted ― paper, crayons, markers ― are unavailable to Malawian teachers.

“In Africa, storytelling is a big thing,” Rev. Bato reflected. “There is a rich tradition of fireside stories, and so I showed them how they could use those same techniques to present Bible lessons to children. These are true stories from the Bible, so find a good way to tell it! Act it out with different voices. Teach songs and how to pray.

“So what can they do with the things around them ― pieces of wood, rocks, leaves?” Rev. Bato challenged. “If you are teaching of Jesus on the cross, can you ask the youth to make their own cross and bring it next week? As I taught these techniques that were new to them, you could see the smiles on their faces when they began to understand how to use what they have to share God’s Word. It was a good day!”

“Bible stories acknowledge and declare God’s love even in times of financial distress,” Rev. Maganga said. “Exposing children and even adults to the Gospel can renew their hope in the hour of despair and lack, giving them a reason to live in hope of a better life when the Lord Jesus Christ will come again to take us to His eternal kingdom of peace.”

“On behalf of our church, I thank those who sent us these books, who want to know and hear about our church body,” said Rev. Wowa. “May God’s face shine upon them and LHF!”

Help support projects like this with a gift to LHF. Give online here.

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