Every month we submit an article written by one of the elders or church members to Great Shelford's monthly magazine. Here is our latest contribution for the April 2024 edition.
Aquaid Lifeline
The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Imagine if villages like ours twinned with villages that have a completely different heritage and perspective. Could that enrich our lives? Might it open us up to even more amazing opportunities? Last month I visited a village in Malawi. It is called Namisu Children’s Village and was set up 24 years ago by a local man named John Searle via the Aquaid Lifeline.
April 2024 is the month that we will be focusing on this charity as a Church - timed so that I could feedback on my latest visit to the children and staff at this important centre of learning and support for some of the world’s most vulnerable children. The first time I visited in 2023, even though I tried to prepare myself for a very different culture, it was still overwhelming in so many ways. From seeing a motorbike with three passengers (one being a young pig) to bikes with no lights and buses with the suspension maxed out by the weight of too many customers, to starving desperate families, my head found it difficult to manage this overload to the senses.
Of course, in the bush, the number of white people is mostly restricted to myself and my friend Josie and evoke a range of emotions. There is the occasional scream of small babies seeing an ‘Azungu’ for the first time and well-meaning occasional comments on how ill and pale we look. But I was not prepared for how the worship in the morning devotions by the staff at the Village or at a little Church deep in the bush would touch my heart. Since my visit last year the Malawians near Blantyre have suffered at the hands of Storm Freddy, twice, and now a drought, when there should be rain and crops should be thriving. Yet they still sing.
Aquaid Lifeline has one united aim… ‘to give hope and opportunity to the orphans and vulnerable children under our umbrella of care.’ It is easy to feel good about helping a struggling peoples, but never underestimate the effect those same people can have on you. It has been an honour to play with the children, properly listen to those I meet and be part of a bigger family.
For more information please go to https://lifelinefund.org.uk or come to Great Shelford Free Church on 7th April 2024.
Even if we don’t have a formal twinning option for a village in Malawi, let’s remember them in our prayers.
Carole Johnson
Member of Great Shelford Free Church