At the start of a new year

We are standing at the start of a new year. First, we want to wish all of you Gods blessing for the year that lies before us!

The center in Malawi opened again. The children are coming to school again and receive two meals during the day. The action committee is present every day again to make sure everything goes well. The mothers are present each day at 6.30 AM to prepare breakfast for the children. And at 7.00, the teachers arrive to welcome the children and to prepare everything for the school day. Every time we arrive in Kwanjana, our hearts fill with gratitude and happiness. We have such a precious work to do. At this moment, we have 71 children in our sponsor program. 71 children that we may help, thanks to sponsors in the Netherlands. It is so good to see their daily development. To see how malnurished children look healthy after being in the program for a while. To see the children smile and shine and enjoy their time in class, where they receive so much love from our wonderful teachers. To observe that their English is improving. To hear that they know a lot of Bible verses by heart in English. And that they hear from the Bible each day. We pray that the seeds that we plant, may carry lots of fruit!

Always when we visit Kwanjana, we rejoice and we are amazed about our beautiful work. We really can make a difference in the lives of those children. Developmental work really helps, also on the short term! Our sponsor children that visit the primary school (not the For a Change school), had the best grades in class, because they receive healthy meals every day and receive tutoring from our teachers. It is very special to see!

It is wonderful to be in the classroom for a while. The children are working about the hospital at this moment. They are really serious when they practice their doctoring skills, or when they are selling medicine. They are very busy making medicine from clay. They learn about the importance of good health care and also about the danger of medicine mans and witch doctors (which are still 'working' in the villages). And the most important: they learn about the Heavenly Doctor that can cure their souls.

We started this year around the Bible, together with the children and the staff. We read the story of the Good Samaritan. And we wish that there may be one word that is central in 2021. That word is love. To love God above everything, and to love our neighbours as ourselves. Then it will be a good year, whatever will happen.

We hope and pray that we may continue to defeat poverty step by step in 2021, together with the people from the Netherlands that support our work. With Gods help and His blessings. Otherwise, our work is in vain (Psalms 27).