Village Outreach in Malawi – Muzu Village

The village of Muzu in Malawi is one of three villages being reached through the recent development of Sports Ministry in Lilongwe. We began this summer as the first interns to minister to Muzu, and we definitely had a challenge ahead of us.

On our first day in Muzu, we were dropped off at the “futball” field on the outskirts of the village. The van drove away, and with soccer balls in hand we faced a deserted field. Children slowly began assembling at the field, the only draw: Asungus (white people). The children were apprehensive, shrinking back when we tried to put a hand on their shoulders, and standing only close enough to examine us.

Even though our first day was discouraging, we returned. We visited three times per week and did our best to draw as many children to the field as we could. We played copy-cat games, netball, futball, and anything else we could think of to keep the children coming.

One of the interns, Tracy Spohn, brought her unicycle to the field. The children were in awe as she wheeled around the field, and soon the children flocked to her, each of them vying for a try at the new toy.

The children slowly started trusting us, allowing us to hold their hands, and eventually the invisible wall disappeared and children started to sit next to us during the times we shared the gospel. God’s hand was seen clearly, as He slowly softened their hearts. By the third week of our time in Muzu, we were met by children screaming our names as the van dropped us off. They waited for our arrival in the field, and promptly grabbed our hands as we approached.

Though the children of Muzu were warming up, the challenges of reaching a new village were still very real. Our attempts to share the gospel were interrupted by drunk men fighting and children’s giggles. We were met with frustration, and the reality of being in the midst of a spiritual battle became even more clear.

With much prayer and much frustration, we continued our time in Muzu, each of us falling in love with the children there. Our role in Muzu is small, but even if one seed is planted with one child, it is worth all our effort.

Laura Beale, one of the interns assigned to Muzu, said, “We’ve taken the beginning step for something that could be a great ministry for COTN.”

by Lydia Nesset, Summer Intern from Newberg, Oregon