As a dress rehearsal of sorts, the youth competed in a mock Bible bowl against Dale. Every question came from Ephesians 4. Although they went neck-to-neck for awhile, the youth gradually pulled ahead as questions were taken from their weekly chapter questions that Dale was not privy to see.
Two weeks later, the youth tackled their own dads with questions coming from the entire book of Ephesians. With 9 weeks of preparation, the youth were more than ready. On the morning of the competition, one of the oldest youth was plagued with fever & fatigue due to malaria. Through the four rounds of competition, he helped his team to victory and took third place overall. The youth took 1st, 2nd & 3rd places: Alyssa, Moses, & Ganzan.
Make Me a Servant
...Lord, make me like You. For you are a servant, make me one too.
In the women’s program, we have been studying how to become servants for the past eight weeks. At the beginning of each class, we try to sing the referenced song that I translated into Chichewa.
Malawian moms are diligent to take their young children to the equivalent of wellness checks. Springboarding off that concept, each of us completed a spiritual wellness check to see how we are coming along as Christians [ie took temperatures (hot, cold, lukewarm), checked attitudes, considered our walk (mobility check), evaluated our spiritual age (milk or meat), and performed home inspections].
Next, we considered what servants look like and how to start thinking like a servant. This is where we noticed that being a bondservant of Christ is not something we do but who we are.
In Week #3, we went a little deeper into the heart. Having the heart of a servant included being in fellowship with God and loving our brother/sister as the two go hand-in-hand.
At the halfway point, we stopped and spent an entire class applying what we had learned so far. We played a game that taught us that by listening carefully to what others say about themselves, their families, where they came from, etc, we can learn how better to serve them.
As soon as we start serving, we must also start renewing. We carefully studied the book of II Thessalonians to see why the church in Thessalonica needed the encouragement “to not grow weary and lose heart” found in 3:13 and how Paul, Silvanus, & Timothy encouraged them.
In Week #6, we looked at ways to continue growing in faith and how to keep our cups full.
Finally, we concluded with the ultimate servant: Jesus Christ. We began with His superiority and then took a closer look at who He served, why He served, and where He could/could not serve.
Let the Show Begin...
As a grand finale to the “Make Me a Servant” class and as the students are going home on break next week, Alyssa and two of our workers put on a puppet show for everyone on campus.
The puppet script based on a children’s story book illustrated that some people may applaud the changes they see in us, compliment the lessons we teach, or give us praise for spiritual growth. Other people may lavish us with criticism, make comparisons between us and others, or remind us of our mistakes or who we used to be. Both can be distractions as we should only care about what Jesus thinks about us.
The Dunbel Glaston Family
Dunbel was born in 1970 in the Dowa district of Malawi. Thokozily was born in 1978 in the Nkhotakota region. He married Thokozily in 1998. They have 7 children ranging in age from 24 to 1. Currently, they are also caring for their granddaughter for a few months while her mother is moving. Dunbel was baptized in 1993 and Thokozily was baptized in 1998. Interestingly, she was converted by her husband.
Before coming to Lilongwe, Dunbel and his family were living in Phwamphwa, a small village east of Rumphi. He worked with his sons as a goat butcher. Dunbel had almost 30 years of preaching experience preaching before coming to school. However, he wants to get an education in Bible to become a better preacher.
Between the 8 students who are enrolled, Dunbel is by far the most passionate speaker we have. He is not afraid to raise his voice and drive home that point. He is also an older man who wants to be molded to become a better worker for the Lord. Thokozily is a very concerned about the souls of her children and the influence the world is having upon them. She deeply desires for all of her children to get that crown of life in the end. Please pray for this dedicated family as they work hard to become more knowledgable workers in God’s kingdom.