At midnight on March 23rd, 4 men entered our bedroom wielding machetes. They stole the equivalent of $1000 in cash as well as a great deal of our more valuable possessions, such as cell phones, our camera, shoes, our laptop, watches, and billfolds. Even Moffat's driver's license will take approximately $100 to replace. It quickly became clear they intended to kill us because they were completely unconcerned that we could see their bare faces. They beat up Moffat and his brother Chimwemwe, and severely injured our night watchman who's been with us for 7 years.

Throughout the ordeal, we held on to our inner peace and did our best to create a calm atmosphere. The men were unlikely to be part of the community we work in as they didn't know or recognize us. But as we talked gently to them--assuring them that God still loves them despite their actions, explaining that Moffat and I are pastors--they eventually backed off from their ultimate plan.

The police think the thieves tracked me home from the bank after I'd made a large withdrawal. This withdrawal was intended to pay for a week's worth of materials and labor for the community center we've been building since the end of 2010. We are saddened that the work had to be put on hold until we can gather more funds.

The community center's foundation has been laid next to the big, beautiful church that Moffat designed himself, and will reflect a similar design. We intend to use this space for youth activities, weddings, town meetings, etc--although it's located next to the church, it will be used for a variety of purposes.

We truly need the help of our friends at this time. This is the ideal season in Malawi for construction work, but the work cannot continue until we have the funds.

BUILDING COSTS
1 bag of cement: $20
1 truckload of bricks: $60
Truck rental: $60
1 week of labor: $150

The roof alone may cost around $10,000. With $20,000 in hand, we could potentially finish the building in three months. If we could collect even half the funds this summer, we can at least get started. Any small amount would be greatly appreciated--this would mean so much to the people of Mzuzu.

Rainy season starts in November, so we'd love to get the maximum time possible out of the dry season. Please donate whatever you can by JULY 30TH to help us finish as much of the building as we can before the rains start! Thank you for your support!

We are also happy to take your tax-deductible donations by mail:

WE ARE ONE Malawi c/o Kip Myers (check payable to WE ARE ONE)
305 Bergen Street Apt. #1D
Brooklyn, NY 11217

Posted by Rosemary in General , Mzuzu community , 03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Those of you who have supported us in the past already know this, but We Are One Malawi's fundraising work is carried out by a TINY group of volunteers. Unfortunately, this year the tiny group is unable to organize either a spring or holiday fundraiser. That doesn't mean our kids don't still have needs, however! School fees keep rising, and the WAO budget is strained as more and more kids enter high school, private middle school, or university. In a sense, it's a wonderful problem to have, but we could really use your help.

You've all been so generous over these last few years! Please consider making another tax-deductible donation in 2011. We take online payments as well as checks!

We hope to have some updates posted in the next few weeks, such as current pictures of our boys and news from their schools.

Posted by Nancy in General , 04:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I often say that I now live in the "land of the giants". Most of the twelve boys we are raising are my height or taller. It is truly amazing that because of nutritional food and nurturing -- they have grown and developed physically to their potential. We have carefully and consciously steered them away from salt and sugar, since high blood pressure and sugar diabetes are two of the predominant illnesses in Malawi. We have also encouraged good behavior and rewarded high achievements in education. Most importantly, though, we have shown them love.

Continue reading "Holiday update for 2010!" »

Posted by Rosemary in ESF , General , Our boys , 12:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dear friends,

As you celebrated 4th of July, we celebrated Freedom Day on the 6th of July. It has been 43 years since we gained independence from England and it's always a big day of celebration with a soccer match being the highlight. Unfortunately, right now we are experiencing a breakdown in our democratic process with Parliament shutting down twice in the last two weeks because of huge disagreements. The budget is only able to operate until July 31, so we are hoping that things can be resolved before then or everything will shut down.

Continue reading "Freedom Day" »

Posted by Rosemary in General , 04:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dear friends,

The nation of Malawi has been in mourning the last couple of weeks because the wife of our President has passed away. She died of cancer on May 28 and there have been services in each of the three regions for her. Yesterday, she was buried on the farm they own in the southern region. It has been a difficult time for our President, since they were married for many years and she was a real helpmate for him in running the country. She has a foundation which helped many of our women and children, so she will be greatly missed.

Continue reading "A Nation's Loss" »

Posted by Rosemary in General , 04:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)