Newsletters

John and Myrt Rule

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:27:35 -0400

Chris and I were able to go together for the first time in four years! It was a tremendous privilege and encouragement to have John and Myrt Rule of Columbus, Ohio with us - Myrt’s first time in Africa and
John’s first time in Malawi although he had visited with us in Nigeria and Ghana in the past. Chris has posted a couple of blogs on the FVM website together with some pictures so please visit the site for some colour commentary @ www.fvm.on.ca and go into “updates”. MEADOWBROOK CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP (John & Myrt Rule) The adult Bible Class at this church in Ohio committed to raising funds for the work in Malawi through “sacrificial giving” i.e. above and beyond their planned giving to the church and other charities. Prior to our departure they had already raised $6,000 ( enough to cover the entire child feeding budget for 2012!). Since our return the Rules have informed us that there has been an additional $3,300 raised in the last two weeks! We are so thankful to the Lord for setting the hearts of these Christians on fire for others.

Malawi Trip 2012 Update

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 22:24:57 -0500

A week ago today we departed on our journey to Malawi and as I sit in
the early a.m. and look out over Zomba with the mountains in the
background I am overwhelmed.

It is both a wonderful feeling of gratitude for the overwhelming
beauty of God’s creation with the warm hearted Malawian people truly
showing us “the warm heart of Africa” and an overwhelming “almost to
the point of despair” as I read in my devotional this a.m. “Jesus
Calling”. Over the past few days out in the 23 villages of Taulo,
where Newton Sindo, John and Myrt Rule, & Pastor Justin, together with
us, took part in the feeding program of over 400 children in the
little pre-school and heard them sing their little hearts out. We then helped
deliver a wheel chair & walker for little Mercy, visited Chief Taulo,
his wife Esther and their little Anita☺, shared in the celebration of
officially opening up well #2 at Ibrahims, and us old ladies played
net ball in the heat of the African sun! John opened and shared in
the first Bible Study to be held there, and Myrt shared the story of
Zacchaeus on flannel board & we toured the Noah’s Ark play centre.
On our way home we visited Mavuto and he was very anxious to email you Anita☺ He
is doing extremely well at his secondary school! Thanks for all the
educational & medical supplies many sacrificed to send from back home
- John & Myrt are visiting in the Blantyre hospital today.

We are now here in Blantyre visiting Davey Ngaloauka - Joel, they
can't wait for you to come for your BYOBike adventure in June! We are
heading for Mulange on Sunday afternoon & tomorrow we will entertain
and celebrate Myrt's birthday with our Malawian friends in this
wonderful home away from home the Lord has opened up for
us...hopefully the pictures will say it all!

With our love to all of you from us all."

"kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly
endless." Mother Teresa

Malawi Trip Update

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 16:10:28 -0400

Wayne Ferguson and I returned to Canada in March after two fantastic weeks in Southern Malawi. We were met at the airport in Lilongwe, the capital, by Newton Sindo (the FVM Canada – Malawi Liaison Development Officer) and Davie Ngalauka a long-time friend and co-worker who would be our driver for the next two weeks.
We had a very productive and happy time traveling through the south of the country with emphasis in the following areas – listening to Newton’s thoughts on further development in Taulo and enjoying staying with him in his home with his wife, Idah, and children, Praise and Shalom. What a great time!
• visiting the nursery school where an average of more than 400 children are cared for daily including a protein enriched meal.
• touring the village- initiated and maintained crops for future child feeding programs.
• Wayne headed up a “Noah’s ark” playground building project.
• watching as the women utilize the donated sewing machines to sew colourful bags for sale here as a fundraising initiative.
• visiting the recipients of the various secondary school and post-secondary scholarships and encouraging them in their studies.
• assessment of the Taulo area for borehole drilling in August this year.
• liaison with the large hospital where we send interns annually for clinical experience.
• visiting Nandolo village near the Mozambique border where there is a great need for assistance with early childhood care.
• renting a house in Zomba for the use of visiting teams and guests of FVM.
CONTACT US AND COME FOR A VISIT !!
All in all it was a wonderful trip and Wayne, as always, was a great companion and help in many ways.
Thanks for your prayers and support.

Malawi Trip Update

Tue, 1 Feb 2011 09:02:19 -0500

On February 18th ,Dan will travel to Malawi to meet Wayne Ferguson for two weeks in the south of that country. Wayne and Judy will already have been in Africa ( Zambia) for several weeks prior to that.
There are several goals for this trip along with the usual requests for prayer .
-Assessment of the nursery school program which has been attended by over 400 children daily since opening on September 13th, 2010. An organization called SAFE has conducted a training program for our volunteers who tirelessly work daily with the children including serving a hot protein- fortified meal to each one.
-Wayne will put his agricultural and landscaping skills to work developing playground facilities for the children. There is nothing there at present except barren thorny ground! We want this to be as “Malawian” as possible – no imported plastic play centres!
-Wayne will also work with the existing agricultural initiatives to reduce dependence on purchasing food for the children.
-Both of us will spend a lot of time with Newton and Idah and their family as well as Chief Taulo and the 21 other chiefs, listening to them and their ideas for the future. What are their priorities and what are their proposed solutions? How can FVM assist them in bringing their dreams to reality?
-Several young people, especially orphans with no family at all, are being assisted with educational funds. We wish to visit them and see their progress.
-We will have the opportunity to meet with local groups of Christians in a number of churches.
-Dan will spend some time at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital where we now have both an Optometry Internship and a Medical Residency for graduate M.D.’s doing their Family Practice Residency at CFFM where I teach.
-Both of us will look at housing options with respect to suitability for future visiting teams.

Thank you for your interest , support and prayers. We are extremely thankful for strong African leadership there, leaving us in a position to support their initiatives as identified by them.

Christmas at Popcorn House

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 13:06:17 -0500

The Christmas Family Friday event at Popcorn House was anything but a silent night. There were over 100 people crowded inside to celebrate Christmas together. There were all of the familiar and necessary items for a great Christmas party: family, friends, presents, Santa Claus, Christmas decorations, and of course, way too much food. The place was crowded, noisy and a little chaotic, but everyone had a lot of fun and the Christmas spirit could be felt throughout the Popcorn House.
After everyone had left and the place was tidied up, I, like so many people after a busy Christmas evening, had time to reflect on the evening and the importance of Christmas. I wondered what Christmas meant to the families that come to Popcorn House. To some, it might be a time of great joy, comfort and excess; to others it could be a time of financial struggle or a time of loneliness and longing. Many new Canadians wish to pass their cultural heritage on to their children, but are faced with a dilemma as their children are enticed by the commercial aspects of Christmas in Canada.
Then, I thought of hope. Is this not what Christmas is suppose to represent? Why, for so many, is hope in such short supply at this time of year? In the book of Isaiah, it is said that “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” These ancient words are imbedded deeply in the spirit of the Popcorn House and feel as fresh and as relevant as ever. I’d like to think, thanks to the many dedicated volunteers from Mill Crossing, Forward Baptist and Grandview churches, that for a few hours that Friday night, everyone experienced a piece of the hope and encouragement that Christmas can bring. This, in my mind, is why the Popcorn House exists.