April 2017 Sarah Masson Update
The last 6 months in Malawi have been really great. I was invited to share at the Bible school with a group of women from all over the country. We had such a great time sharing experiences of God’s love. By Holy Spirit’s leading, we prayed prayers of forgiveness, prayers of thankfulness, and prayers of rejoicing for what the Lord has done for each one of us in our lives. Joanna Morrison and I shared together of the miraculous nature of God’s creation. How God made so many of his tiniest creations so detailed that only conclusion one can come to is that He cares that much more about us, the human’s He has created. Incredible! Many women had very eye opening experiences as I shared about the Father’s love for them, and we prayed about our own earthly fathers. Even if we didn’t have great childhoods with them, God our Father in heaven surpasses that love. We started to see how God has unfailing love for us no matter what the circumstances of our lives. If we step forward with only faith backing us up, God will always be there. Jesus always makes a bridge for us over the deep dark valleys and into the loving arms of the Father.
Our Standard 8 students have been preparing for their exit exams that determine what school they can apply for their high school years ahead. It is a trying time for them, so I lend a hand with afterschool tutoring. We are praying for them to take ownership of their studies, and so their future. Many have already made miraculous recoveries from pervious health conditions and malnourishment. They completely blow my mind when I think and see where they have come from and what they have accomplished already. They do come from horrific backgrounds, the worst that you can see in a report on rural Africa. When they are given a family of love, care and nourishment, their lives are improved, saved and changed forever. Absolute miracles are happening before my eyes every day when I see them living daily routine lives of going to school and being fed consistently.
I’m truly honoured to be living where I do. It wrecks me, challenges me, and blesses me all at the same time. It’s hard to explain and verbalize what life is like in this tiny bit of land in Malawi. We ebb and flow like any family, but on a larger scale!
The farming seasons have changed again, so I have started my adult English as a second language class again. It has been very exciting to work with the students who recognize that they need English to move further in their careers at Iris, as well as in their country, where the predominant city language is English.
We have had some fantastic visitors this year, and as scheduled by God himself we’ve had a great reprieve when we needed it, and truly received the helpful back-up that we have needed! It’s wonderful to watch how God continuously sends the right person at the right time….The one who can fix a broken generator, or step in for the missionary that’s away on leave, or is an educator and can step in to encourage the over worked school teacher or spend time with the young person that needs special assistance.
I continue to spend time with the youth to build solid relationships. Every Friday night we play indoor and outdoor games together, listen to worship music and pray, dance to their favourite songs, or watch an educational or inspirational movie. During the week I spend quality time with a few of the kids. I also make an effort to visit the girl’s homes in the evenings to relieve the house mothers in part, but more so to connect with the girls by doing homework or answering their questions about life and God. They usually ask me to read them a book, sing them to sleep and pray for them. These are the most special times for me. I often say that I do a job on the base just so I can be where God has asked me to be, and that’s with the youth and children at Iris Malawi.
