Tag Archives: malawi

Field Reports – December, 2025

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MPHEREMBE & CHIKWINA FIELD REPORTS 
 

Mpherembe

                               
MPHEREMBE 

Greetings in Jesus Name,
This picture above is of one of the Life Groups in Mpherembe. This Life Group is called Kabwafu E Life Group. This is one of the Life Groups that we visited on our follow-up trip last week with the coach Brave Nyoni. 

But my story today is a different one that has happened in Mpherembe just before our follow-up visit last week. A boy killed his uncle. The boy named Nobe Nguluwe is 20 years old and he killed his uncle Gift Nguluwe, 60 years old, on his way back home from drinking beer. Nobe is a very troublesome boy who also drinks beer and smokes Indian hemp (marijuana). Some years back, Nobe argued with his colleague at Matindiwizi Primary School when he was in standard seven. After the dispute he went home and took a panga (machete). He went back to the school and hacked the one he had argued with with the panga. They took him to the Mpherembe police unit but he was released after his parents pleaded with the police officers.

But this time that he has killed his uncle. The children and grandchildren of the deceased wanted to kill him too, but he was rushed to Mpherembe police unit from where he has transferred to the Mzuzu  police station to wait for a court hearing. This has happened in Mtakamani village, Matindiwizi area in Traditional Authority Chief Mpherembe. This story is a reminder that discipleship and Bible sharing is still needed in Mpherembe but also other areas.

We thank God that we now have pastor Mcstonard Zuru at Matindiwizi who has opened a Life Group there. We pray that as God will use him and the people he is training to reach out with the gospel. We are praying that the people of the village of Mtakamani Nguluwe will also be saved and discipled and that Nobe Nguluwe will be saved too. 

Chikwina

                             
CHIKWINA

This past month we also visited coach Gavana Chunda at  Chikwina who took us to different Life Groups for follow-up. One of the Life Group that we visited is Mulunguzi Life Group which is led by pastor Gregory Thindwa of the Pentecost Holiness Church. 

From left to right is Gavana Chunda the coach for Chikwina, in the middle is Kamadowa who is a leader of another Dindindi Life Group and the last one in a jacket is Gregory Thindwa of Mulunguzi Life Group.

Mulunguzi is one of the three new Life Groups that have been opened in that area. The other two are Thanura and Chipunga. We did not visit the two newly opened Life Groups in these last two places because the coach Gavana Chunda told us that they are too far. We will need to plan a special trip to visit these because it is 3 three hours driving and then we are at the point where no car, motorcycle or bicycle can go. We will have to park the car at that point and walk three and half hours climbing the mountains and then three and half hour back to where we left the car. 

Chikwina is one of the most mountainous areas and most people are farmers growing cassava and bananas, a few grow maize. Their main food is cassava. The people living there are mostly of the Tonga tribe and they speak the Tonga language. But they also know the Tumbuka language that is how we can communicate with them. Most people in Chikwina live in grass thatched houses. 

These are the women we passed by as we were going to Mulunguzi Life Group. They are carrying grass to thatch their houses as the get ready for the rainy season which is two months away.

Thanks,

Caleb

Another Matching Gift!

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Dear friends of Malawi,

Last week, we let you know of a need for New Testaments to distribute in Malawi. We also informed you of a matching gift that was given to us to double any gifts we received to a maximum of $10,000. In the meantime, we have received another gift to be used as a “matching gift”. Praise God!

I know that there are some of you out there who would like to see your donations doubled. This is the time to do that! Our goal exceeds the limit of the matching funds, but we also know that God knows what we need, and He will provide for all our needs. One of our slogans for the Malawi discipleship work is, “Doing God’s work, God’s way, will never lack God’s supply”. So far, God has never let us down. We know that it is His desire to reach the lost – even in Malawi.

The New Testaments are a great tool in reaching the lost. The Malawians love to receive free gifts (as do most of us 😉). They are promised a NT when they complete the first 4 lessons in discipleship. Lesson one is the expanded gospel presentation. It is during this lesson that many who are not yet born again come to salvation – putting their faith in Jesus Christ. They begin to appreciate the value of the New Testament and look forward to completing the 4 lessons so they can get their own. What a thrill for them to own their very own New Testament – something they would never have been able to purchase on their own.

Poverty is a very real thing in Malawi. Many do not know where their next meal is going to come from. When they accept the free gift of salvation, they are also set free from the fears that they have – fear of not having food to eat, fear of sickness, fear of the witch doctors harming them, etc. But now, best of all, the fear of death is removed since they learn about eternal life in Christ. I can’t begin to explain how blessed we are! We look forward to standing beside all those Malawian believers in heaven. Not that we are out there discipling or reaching the lost.

We are here in Canada, having zoom meetings with our Team and encouraging them in the work that they do. We are partners with them – but wait! So are you! Without the help of your finances, this work cannot be done. Together we make a Team; together we reach the lost. Just that we all have a different role to play. We are not all evangelist, or teachers, or administrators, etc., but we need to ask ourselves, can I be a giver? … A partner by donating funds to help those that are out there evangelizing and teaching?

When you send in your donation, please indicate that it is for the Malawi New Testament matching project. The best way to donate is by e-transfer (to dcioffice@shaw.ca), Canada Helps or by cheque to Dynamic Churches international, 164 Stonegate Close, Airdrie, AB T4B 2V2.

Thank you for your help in reaching the Malawian people for Christ.

-Hans and Elly Timmermans

Need for New Testaments

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Dear frinds of DCI Malawi,

In this season of Canadian and American Thanksgiving we want to come to you to ask for help providing New Testaments for the work of God in Malawi. As you can read in the reports, the Good News is organically spreading from Northern Malawi to the surrounding countries. News of DCI (Discipling Christ-followers Intentionally) reaching so many through the one-to-one discipling and leadership training is also spreading to other countries in Africa. John Singinie has become the DCI ambassador of this approach to reaching the lost and is being invited to come to other countries to promote DCI there. Next week he is travelling to Tanzania to a pastor’s conference.

In this season of Canadian and American Thanksgiving we want to come to you to ask for help providing New Testaments for the work of God in Malawi. As you can read in the reports, the Good News is organically spreading from Northern Malawi to the surrounding countries. News of DCI (Discipling Christ-followers Intentionally) reaching so many through the one-to-one discipling and leadership training is also spreading to other countries in Africa. John Singinie has become the DCI ambassador of this approach to reaching the lost and is being invited to come to other countries to promote DCI there. Next week he is travelling to Tanzania to a pastor’s conference.

But right now, we need New Testaments to continue reaching Malawians in the Central and Southern Regions of Malawi. Since the start of DCI in 2012 over 60,000 people have been discipled and given a New Testament. The North has a population of around 1,8 million. The South has a population of over 16,000,000.

Can you help us? Some friends have made $ 10,000.00 in matching funds available. We could use 10,000 New Testaments, which will cost $ 50,000.00. New Testaments need to be ordered by January 1, 2025 from the Malawi Bible Society.

Luke 12:24 always gives me pause, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Serving Him together,
Hans and Elly Timmermans (for the DCI Team).

Etransfer: dcioffice@shaw.ca (tag: for Bibles Malawi)

Canada Helps (This also works outside Canada, but you won’t get a tax receipt).

April, 2024 Update

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April, 2024

Dear friends and supporters of the DCI Team,

John Singinie sent a very interesting report of their visit to the Tilola area in the North of Malawi. He tells of the impact the Good News made on individuals as well as whole communities. The Good News displaces distrust and evil and brings love and encouragement. We have known pastor Paulendo Mwaungulu for a long time. He always attended our conferences in Mzuzu and is a real man of God. He is the coach in this area!

Here is also an opportunity to make a difference in Pemphero Chipeta’s life and the Chipeta family. He is George’s oldest son. He is planning, DV, to attend African Bible College after high school. To prepare for this Pemphero will be going to a boarding high school in Rhumpi to study the courses he needs for admittance to ABC. The cost to attend this high school is $ 500.00 per semester. Who is willing to help underwrite Pemphero’s studies? Please use the means to send money below with the tag: Pemphero.

The promises of God are a rock to lean on, a place to find peace in the midst of uncertainty. How blessed we are to know our Saviour Jesus the Messiah and to know that He will bring us safely to His home through the mayhem we see in this world.
Let me give you some investment advice: the only thing from this earth you will see in heaven are those who were saved by the Lord Jesus. Everything else stays here, to be used by others. (Read Psalm 49)

On that note, would you be willing to help the work financially? Your prayers are much appreciated, but as James writes, “Faith without works is dead….”

Shalom,

Hans and Elly.
e-transfer: dcioffice@shaw.ca

Cheque to DCI, 164 Stone Gate Close, Airdrie, AB T4B 2V2 with a note: for Malawi discipleship.

Canada Helps, click here
(Canada Helps also works outside Canada, just can’t give a local, national, tax receipt).

TILOLA/ULIWA FOLLW-UP VISIT

This past week we had a wonderful time at Tilola and Uliwa following up as we visited a number of Life Groups, both third and fourth generation. We were very encouraged how God is transforming the lives of not only people and churches but also whole communities. We are seeing great results both with the one-to-one discipling and with reproducing Life Groups. In this area many leaders are being produced and they are leading Life Groups, and some are now even leading churches. The cultural systems in these communities are being affected by the new faith which the people that live in these communities have found. We discovered that both the young and the old are talking and walking in this new faith in Jesus. Traditional evil beliefs are being forsaken. In the past people believed a lot in magic and witchcraft.

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ZGEWA
We were greatly encouraged with what God is doing in this area especially among men. We heard many testimonies of changed lives. In this area many men are involved in smoking marijuana. In just one Life Group we had three men who testified about their life as drug addicts. All of them expressed how they were violent to the families and people around the communities. One man by the name of Lazarus testified that he used to terrify his relatives and people around his community so much so that everyone knew him as the man who disturbed the peace in their community. But now he is a completely transformed man. He loves his wife and is a great witness of the Gospel around his village.
We also had the privilege to meet with Maritina Kitala who is a former prostitute who gave her life to Christ after she was witnessed to by one of the Life Group members. She began attending the Life Group meetings and in the process her life has been transformed as she trusted Christ. She is now a happy lady, and she appreciates that she is loved by all the Life Group members and feels at home around them.

As part of our new approach we also took time ourselves to witness to new people in this village and praise be to God we had more than 10 people come to Christ. We encouraged them to start attending the Life Group.

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TILOLA
We also had time to visit brethren at Tilola, people who really love God and one another. We could tell by just fellowshipping with them that they are really united. One of the Life Group leaders in this area is Leonard Nyirenda who is now a pastor leading a church. The Bible School that he has attended is the Life Group and the mentorship of the coach of this area Emmanuel Mwafurirwa. The people were excited to meet us for the very first time. They were very thankful for the free New Testament Bibles that they have been receiving through the Life Groups. These New Testaments have really played an important role in transforming their lives.

KASANGAMALA
The whole area in this report is under the leadership of pastor Paulendo Mwaungulu who is the coach for Uliwa. Paulendo Mwaungulu’s area of responsibility has more than 100 Life Groups. He has 4 coaches under him, Migrate Kasililika, Freeness Msukwa, Kapanda Mnthali and Kambabani. More than 21 different denominations attend his Life Groups. The estimated number of all Life Groups members is 1920. He took us to Kasangamala where we met with people from 3 Life Groups.

John Singinie