Life Change in Malawi

Written by Jake Newhouse

Foreword by Logan Crouse

Foreword

Jake is someone I consider to be a brother in Christ, one of my closest friends. His relationship with Jesus is evident by the fruit that is on display. I met him not too long after I was saved. We served together at two churches, spent many hours in prayer and ministry together, ministered and prayed for each other, and finally did life together for a few years. Jake has taken three trips to Malawi. His testimony of what him and the other members of Life Change Church, Carterville are doing in Malawi is something most churches should take note of. As Christians, we are called to the local community and other nations. As a church body, we are equipped to travel to the ends of the earth to spread the Good News and, more important, make disciples. I thank God for my time at Life Change. It helped build the foundation of my walk with the Lord, Jesus Christ. Life Change taught me how to maintain a relationship with Jesus. I hope you enjoy these testimonies of what God is doing in Malawi, through the hands and feet of Life Change Church.

2022

In August 2022, I went on my first mission trip to the country of Malawi, Africa, I was taken aback by the poverty and brokenness that we would see as we drove through the city of Blantyre. This is a major city in Malawi that many of us in northwest Georgia might compare to Kennesaw. Some parts may look urban and normal to our American eyes as it has some larger buildings, busy streets, a few car dealerships, a small single-runway airport and 2 KFC restaurants. In other areas you would see impoverished homes that resemble shacks, many times without running water. Also, you would likely see many small business storefronts on the side of the road that are typically huts that would remind you of a flea market. This glimpse into the lives of the people of Malawi would only begin to scratch the surface as once we made it out of the city the scenery changed drastically. Family walking along the road, some of them trekking miles carrying water and or food. Children playing in their front yards of dry grassless dirt or in front of small markets and store fronts. It isn’t an unusual sight to see children sometimes only 10 year olds carrying their infant siblings which we would soon learn was a normal sight because many of them had lost their parents due to diseases like aids and malaria as well as another, cholera caused by contaminated drinking water when animals and livestock fall victim to cyclones (tropical storms) that have dealt significant damage, washing out roads and bridges and destroy many homes and crops each year.

                Not all is doom and gloom in Malawi though, the people carry something that you will likely never find in the United States. They carry a true and genuine smile that words cannot begin to describe. We often say that less is more, and the people of Malawi are living proof of this, seeing their smile can stir a great excitement in you and allow feel the love that the people carry. Malawi is often called the warm heart of Africa and when you see and meet the people, it is easy to understand why. In my 1st trip to Malawi, I awoke early one morning and the Lord Spoke that He “will raise up armies from this place” and He led me to Psalms 18 verses 33 and 34 where the psalmist writes “He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. 34 He trains my hands for war…” and this has been true for the people of Malawi as the struggles that they face in their day to day lives require more than policy and other political solutions. These are people who love the Lord and are grateful for everything they do have. They are not looking for a handout or a single donation for an easier life.

Life Change Church has partnered with Crossover Malawi and is helping with their mission to not only to combat the poverty and great unemployment rates with a vocational school teaching trades such as welding, brick masonry, electrical and others. They also work to meet people’s needs by providing access to medical professionals and medicine that they would otherwise not have access to. They are primarily committed to spreading the gospel there by supporting Pastor Mark Zimbiri’s vision for a pastor’s school that is now on its 5th graduating class to be sent out as missionaries and church planters. The pastor schools’ impact can be seen not only in Malawi but also reaching into the nation of Mozambique which is known for being hostile to Christians and even openly opposing the message of the Gospel in its constitution.

2024

“And these signs shall follow those who believe; In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues” Mark 16:17 KJV

 These signs that occur regularly at Life Change Church have followed us to the Nation of Malawi. Before our last trip the Lord instructed us to operate as we would at Life Change Church and the beauty of this command was that the Lord as again, not only faithful to His Word but He opened new doors and new opportunities for us to minister and serve the various needs of the people in Malawi.

                 In one village, our team could feel the witness of severe losses that the village had suffered but it was unclear to us what had happened. The scenery seemed no different than any of the other villages that we visited over the years, but something was different in the people. As we preached one by one, we delivered messages of restoration and encouragement, that the villagers could take hold of God’s promises over their lives (Jeremiah 29:11).  We had the opportunity to pray over them and then it happened. As one team member, Caitlyn preached, she asked a question that you may recognize as it relates to a popular worship song. “Were you shaken when the rains came?... when the winds blew, did they blow too hard?”. When I heard this question, I instantly recognized the reason for the severe heartbreak that we could sense in this village. So, I asked Pastor Mark Zimbiri (a lead pastor on the ground in Malawi) if this village suffered damage from a cyclone and he answered by saying that this village took the brunt of the damage from a cyclone and many of the people had lost their homes and family members.

                As we ministered at the global harvest pastors School lead by Pastor Mark, the Spirit of prophecy was at work in the services and the Lord had me deliver a Word of encouragement not only about the country of Malawi but the continent of Africa, that though the rest of the world has in many cases trampled over and stolen from Africa, the Lord’s heart is for Africa and it is only fitting that the revival that God has for Africa should start in “The Warm Heart of Africa” the nickname given to Malawi for the peoples genuine kindness and warm smiles. In the 2 services there, we saw God move at the pastor’s school like never before. We held 3 altar calls, the first 2 were for those who were touched by the messages and wanted to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit, a baptism of fire. The third altar call was unique on its own. Pastors came up for deliverance based on a word of knowledge given by Pastor Patrick that many in attendance were influenced by a lying spirit and we saw demons manifest, and many delivered as our prayer team ministered.

God is on the move in Malawi not only through these stories and our teachings but through the River of Life vocational school and the pastor’s school. These were started based on the vision that the Lord has given Pastor Mark Zimbiri. Our next trip to Malawi is scheduled for August 2025 and we are expecting Life Change Church to bring a team of 15, a larger team than the team of 9 we had in 2024.