Mozambique & Malawi Flooding Update - March 1, 2008
Report by David Morrison Bangula, Malawi
There is no one like you, O Lord, and there is no God but you. And who
is like your people Israel – the one nation on earth whose God WENT OUT to
redeem a people for himself.’ 1 Chron.17:20-21
In some ways, going out to Mozambique seems like madness. There is
certainly no shortage of things to do here in Malawi. The people are very
stubborn, returning to the same flood zone every time the water recedes.
The roads are passable, but still no treat. There are border obstacles
and fees to pay. Dare we pursue God’s heart in the same way he pursued
his children, Israel, despite their stubbornness, despite their moaning
and complaining? We keep asking the God who gives wisdom to all, to keep
us in line with his heart for the people around us.
The flood waters have receded. The Shire River in Malawi and the Zambezi
River in Mozambique are now at safe levels and currently not a threat.
Even though we are still in rainy season, the rains in southern Malawi
have stopped – we’ve been dry for over three weeks now. Better road
conditions have allowed us to carry food safely into refugee camps in
Malawi and in Mozambique.
These last few weeks have not been easy. On January 30th while attempting
to deliver food to refugees, a concrete drift on the main road in Malawi
collapsed under one of our hired maize trucks resulting in it being
overturned in the river bed. Thankfully no-one was seriously hurt and we
salvaged the food before the arrival of the raging flood waters. However,
the truck remained. Coordinating food distribution to refugee camps with
officials in Mozambique has been challenging. Some officials operate
without integrity, leaving us slugging upstream against lies and
deceptions. Then, just the other day in Malawi, we had hundreds of greedy
thugs follow us into the refugee camp and began forcing their way to the
food, overwhelming the eight armed police, and running off with bags of
food. Our team defended the food, police shot into the air, while I
forced back the looters with the Pinzgauer truck, siren blaring. We are
thankful that not one of our team members was hurt and we lost very few
bags of maize flour. It was, however, a very discouraging end to the day.
In this season, we have delivered over 120 metric tons of food to 3,640
families (approximately 18,200 people) people in 10 different refugee
camps. At every distribution we begin by preaching the Gospel and there
are always many who humbly respond and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Through observing the conditions of the people we have tried to identify
those in more desperate situations and provide extra support when able.
These conditions are especially difficult for widows who are trying their
best to care for their children and/or their children’s children on their
own.
On our travels, we have made repeated visits to certain refugee camps on
the main road and have built good relationships with them. They know us,
trust us, and appreciate every opportunity to hear more from the Bible.
It is encouraging to visit these camps, where there are established
relationships.
Our relief team has been working very hard and long hours. That team
includes our drivers, Mary - the one who tracks down the maize for us and
organizes the milling, my assistant Peter, several of our pastors, and the
commissioners of the ministry here, including myself. We have decided to
have a short break. Our team needs rest. We will resume food
distribution soon. It is uncertain how long people will remain in the
refugee camps, probably another couple of months. Some are replanting but
it will be three or four months yet before they will harvest. Houses must
be rebuilt. All are encouraging these flood victims to rebuild on higher
ground.
At home in Bangula, our family continues to grow. We now have 48
children. Yesterday we brought home a little boy who is very
malnourished. He is a character though. Yesterday, he asked Mama Jo why
I, Papa Mo, had not studied at school so that I could understand Chichewa.
He went to bed last night clean and sleeping on a mattress for the very
first time. We are so thankful to be able to bring these children home.
Last week, the grandmother of two of our children died. There was
absolutely no one to help with a funeral so we looked after it. We were
so glad the children were protected from the responsibility for the
funeral of their grandmother.
We appreciate your prayers and support in assisting us to love the poorest
of the poor who have suffered so much. Please continue helping us help
the needy.
With much love, David “Mo” & Joanna Morrison.
More pictures will be posted soon on our web site: www.morrisonafrica.com