April 2006
Late April 2006
I can’t believe how quickly the month has gone by! It feels as though the last newsletter has just been sent out to everyone & here we are again busy preparing the next one. As many of you will know, it has been an INCREDIBLE month in Kande village, & that really is an understatement. For those of you that don’t know, Robyn telephoned us on the evening of Easter Sunday (it was about midday in Kande village), she was in tears & as she was talking to us, flash floods were washing through the village, knocking down houses & collecting people & debris along the way. She rang pleading that we contact as many people as possible, asking them to pray. There was nothing else they, or we, could do. Children & adults from Kande had been swept away by waters out into Lake Malawi. Our kids – the ones attending the day care – were missing. At the time, she said people were standing along the lakeshore & river mouth just waiting for bodies to be washed down. In a conversation with Robyn later that same night, Robyn said they could really feel our prayers. Miraculously, every person was found except for one.
Some of them had managed to cling to trees or floating debris, others had their clothes caught on branches which prevented them from being swept away any further. Sadly, the wife of one of the garden managers was found drowned later that night. She had last been seen helping a young girl who had tried to climb into a chicken coop to get away from the rushing waters, only to find a snake in there hissing at her. With nowhere to go, the girl was trapped between the coop & the floods. In essence, this woman gave her life to save another. Robyn was able to help the family by paying for the coffin. We found out a few days later that another drowning had occurred, the 14 year old brother of one of Robyn’s helpers. He did not die in the floods, but as a result of them.
On the day of this boys funeral, Robyn, Jade (her daughter) & other passengers were travelling to Lilongwe as Jade’s flight back to Australia was due to depart. We received a text message from Robyn saying “Can you please ring. In car accident, nobody hurt, miracle”. They were apparently trying to avoid another car accident which forced Robyn & crew off the road & into a ditch. Their vehicle, a ute, almost rolled, & again, miraculously it didn’t. Jade & the other passengers were in the back of the ute & so it would have been catastrophic had it rolled.
As tragic & traumatic as these things have been, they have all been able to give God thanks for His protection in situations that could have been far worse. And Robyn has asked us to say thank you so much to everyone for praying in their time of need. The food shortage situation in Malawi has further worsened due to more crops (almost ready to be harvested) being destroyed in the most recent floods. And there are always the medical problems associated with flooding. Your prayers are still desperately needed not only for these issues, but for Robyn’s overall protection also.