Report on Rooted in Jesus Mission to Blantyre, Diocese of Southern Malawi
August 15-28th 2008

Team
Rev John McGinley (Team Rector Holy Trinity with St John’s Hinckley), Else Tarbitt (member of St John’s Hinckley and on staff of YWAM Kings Lodge Base), Martin Castle (Ordinand Training at Ridley College, from Holy Trinity Leicester) Rev Cornelius Chalwe (Archdeacon from Zambia). Throughout the week we worked with Martin Mlaka the local Diocesan member of staff who was very much part of the team.

Aim
The aim of this mission trip was to follow up last year’s visit to Blantyre in which the Rooted in Jesus Course (RinJ) was introduced to clergy and catechists.

50 people attended a five day conference, most of whom had had the opportunity to attend last year.  Their engagement with the Rooted in Jesus material was excellent – their group presentations of an example lesson were enthusiastic, involved all members participating, included worship and drama, and all had learned the memory verse.  The parish plans were detailed, achievable and clearly planned in terms of who was responsible for what and how and when they were going to action it.  On the final day we commissioned 45 people, who had attended at least 3 full days, by anointing them with oil and giving them a certificate.

Answered Prayer

One of the unique aspects of the conference was that people were returning to their homes and families each night and bring their needs into the conference.  As we taught people how to pray and listen to God they began to do this and saw some wonderful answers to prayer and each morning we had testimonies about this:

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·         One woman when looking for matches to light the evening fire heard God speak to her audibly “Your husband has taken the matches to smoke cigarettes outside.  You are to go and tell your husband to take his cigarettes and beer and throw them away. “ She did this and he said “Are you dreaming?”  She said “No God has told me to tell you to do this”.  He did not argue (or hit her!) but instead went and did what she had told him to (she was totally amazed).

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·         Mirriam wanted to start a small pig farm in order to provide for her family.  She had received a micro loan to do this and identified the piglets to buy, but she didn’t know how to go and buy the fencing for the pig pen or how to transport the pigs as she had no truck and could think of no-one to ask.  She decided to pray about it.  The next day someone from further up her street knocks on her door and says that if she ever needs her to transport anything for her in his truck he will be happy to do this for her.

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·         One woman desperately wanted to keep coming to the conference but did not have enough money for the bus fare.  So she prayed for it and the next day went to the bus stop where someone greeted her and offered to pay her bus fare for her.

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·         Elizabeth had been made redundant from her job as a head teacher.  She was looking after her four orphaned grandchildren.  During the week we prayed with her for this and by the end of the conference she had been invited for interview and been given a new teaching post.

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·         Rachel in the session about asking God for more started to pray for her son – he had caused her great trouble, he had left home leaving behind his wife and children.  She continued to pray overnight for him.  The next evening he returned home, and spoke of wanting to change his life and come to church.

Healings and deliverance:

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·         Jean had some form of growth/obstruction in her throat – after prayer it was completely gone

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·         Isaac had an internal lump /growth in his side.  He was prayed for on one day (no change), experienced God speak to him in a dream, went for prayer again, yet still there, but as he got up from being prayed for he felt a ‘pinch’ in his side and the lump instantly went

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·         Anne had ulcers and had been experiencing growing pain – in the prayer session in which we encouraged people to ask God for more, she cried out to God and was immediately healed.

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·         Mirriam had many troubles with her family and become very anxious and was unable to sleep.  She felt God speak to her saying “You have suffered much, I will help you and I will give you rest”.  She received prayer.  That night she slept for the first time in weeks and felt a deep peace.

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·         Patricia had suffered from pneumonia a few weeks before the conference.  This had left her with a pain down one side of her body and unable to sleep.  She came for prayer, the team member discerned that it was an evil spirit bringing this sickness to her and after this was dealt with she said “I felt something leave me – the pain is gone.”  She slept so well that night that she didn’t wake early enough to make the fire for her husband’s bath!

·         We attended the Mother’s Union Rally in the Cathedral on Saturday morning.  There, after Cornelius preached, we invited people to come forward to receive prayer.  But instead of it just being the SOMA team ministering to people, 15 Mother’s Union members who had attended the conference prayed in teams for about 60 people who came forward for prayer. One of the Mother’s Union leaders said “I believe God is doing a new thing and that we will see things of God we never thought we would see within the Anglican church”.

 

Reports from groups already using Rooted in Jesus

Tawanda Madovi had started 3 groups, two in the Cathedral and one in an outstation of the parish.  Each of these groups had almost completed book 4 of Rooted in Jesus, and the members are now considering leading new groups. We visited all three groups and received the following encouragements:

“Rooted in Jesus has helped me know the Bible and stand firm in my faith.  I work for a muslim factory owner and the muslims in my factory try and get the Christians to convert.  Before Rooted in Jesus I didn’t know how to cope with this but now I can teach the other Christians in the factory the memory verse and help them to stand firm in their faith”

“Rooted in Jesus has helped me to develop my preaching so that I can explain the Bible better and use the Bible better when I preach”

“Before Rooted in Jesus I wasn’t interested in reading the Bible or prayer – now I read the Bible and trust God every day”

“Before Rooted in Jesus group I didn’t recognise Satan’s schemes against me.  But now I know it is real and I can overcome them through Jesus”

Catechist Duncan Chimatiro started in Chirimba Parish with 2 groups of 4 people. From these groups he multiplied into another 4 groups, and from these another 4 groups – and so he has formed 10 groups in the past year.

A Hospital Group has been started by a priest, who is using Rooted in Jesus with patients and staff each week.
 

Plans for the future

There were representatives of 9 parishes attending the conference.  On the final day each group presented plans of how to begin to introduce Rooted in Jesus in their parish.  By the time we left one parish group had already visited a hospital and started praying for the sick, one person had already started to use Book 1 within their family group, and the Holy Innocents Parish Group had spent the Friday night in prayer and planned 4 revival meetings out of which they planned to start a Rooted in Jesus group.

Revd John McGinley, September 2008.