Agricultural Missionaries in Malawi

An abstract by Dr. Jacque Breman, who will be working with the Meyers on this year's Agricultural Consultancy Project:

Delano and Linda Meyers, from Chokio, Minnesota, have spent most of their 17 years as LCMS missionaries in Western African countries. They are now responding to Lutheran church requests for the subjects they are teaching, in East African countries (Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi). 

The Meyer husband-wife team teach the following subjects at Lutheran churches from the scriptural perspective of stewardship:

1. Management of the Harvest (budgeting, so they don’t go hungry between harvests)
2. Changes in the Environment (what happens to soil moisture when they cut too many trees down for charcoal)
3. Life of the Soil (what happens if they don’t rotate fields, don’t apply manure from livestock)
4. Water & Soil Conservation (how to be good stewards of the land they farm so that the soil can continue to produce food crops)
5. Animal Care (sustainable forage and livestock health practices)
6. Battle of the Spiritual Kingdoms (indigenous beliefs are still strong in Africa)
7. Husbands & Wives in Christian Marriage (fidelity and how to handle stresses)

The Meyers have been invited by Reverend Wowa, Excecutive Chairman, Confessional Lutheran Church, Malawi Synod (CLC); to teach these 7 subjects, at as many CLC churches possible, during the month of February.  

In order to maximize the agricultural teaching and farm visits the Meyers recruited Jacque as a short-term LCMS missionary with experience in tropical agriculture and third world experiences.  The vision is to expand the agricultural lessons portion in February and train Jacque for future short-term work.  To quote from Reverend Wowa’s letter “We hope, by God’s Grace, he [Jacque] will touch the soil of Malawi and serve us with agricultural lessons.”

A permanent LCMS project in Africa has been established for this work:  Project #61007 Agricultural Consultancy in East Africa. If you would like to support this continuing project, funding is routed to LCMS through Mission Central by sending a check to:

Mission Central
Gary Thies, Mission Development Counselor
40718 Hwy. E-16
Mapleton, IA 51034-7105

Agricultural Consultancy in East Africa is a continuing LCMS short-term missionary effort, during the Chokio, Minnesota winter months, as the Meyers taper their missionary efforts towards their retirement.  Opportunities for prayer and financial support will continue.

Prayer requests for January 31 through March 2, 2016 for Malawi:

1. Physical challenge- rainy season travel on dirt or poorly maintained roads to the churches.
2. Physical challenge- to reach as many Lutheran churches as possible in the time we have.
3. Spiritual challenge- to have the wisdom to know what we can help with, using local resources/management.  Agricultural inputs, such as farm implements, fence wire, fertilizer, feeds, pesticides are prohibitively expensive imports.
4. Spiritual challenge- sensitivity to the various cultures, so that we can leave our Lutheran Malawi brothers and sisters with a positive impression of their LCMS brothers and sisters in Christ.  May they know that we (LCMS) lovingly care, as Christians, for the entire person (physically as well as spiritually).

Where is Malawi? 

• East Africa, land-locked by its neighbors
• Zambia on west border, Tanzania on north & northeastern border, Mozambique on eastern & southern borders 

What are the major religions in Malawi?

• 80% Christian Christian (Church of Central Africa Presbyterian is the largest denomination, established in 1875, one year after Dr. David Livingston, Africa’s great Scottish explorer, died)
• 13% Muslim
• 7% Indigenous beliefs

Languages?

• Chewa (national language)
• Nyanga
• Yao
• Tumbuka (in the north)
• English (widely used in commerce)