Caroline, Scott with from left to right sons Derrick, Aaron and NathanStanding on Nkhoma Mountain, looking down on the green valleys below, it is difficult to believe that thousands of people make this land their home. But look a little longer, and thatched roofs appear between the trees, and fingers of smoke rise from unseen cooking fires. Sprawled below, hundreds of small African villages struggle to cope with an epidemic of orphaned children. These are the people Nkhoma Orphan Care Project strives to help.
Last September, my husband, Scott, our three sons, and I left our home in Canada and journeyed to Malawi. Our new home is the village of Nkhoma, a mission station and hospital established in 1889 by Dutch Reformed missionaries from South Africa. We have come under the auspices of Word & Deed. Scott’s work involves overseeing the orphan care projects which Word & Deed supports in Malawi. We labor alongside those involved in the project, encouraging them to use their God-given abilities and resources to help their neighbors in need.
Word & Deed has two branches of ministry in Malawi: Logos Ministries and the orphan care projects. Manuel Kamnkhwani, a Malawian and Westminster Theological Seminary graduate, is the acting director of Logos. This ministry’s mandate is to train Malawian church leaders in Reformed theology so that God’s truth may be proclaimed accurately and powerfully. Heretical teachings, like syncretism, the false doctrine of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the lies of Islam, threaten to smother the pure gospel message in Malawi. Logos works to build up church leaders in Reformed biblical truth so that they, in turn, can be used by the Lord to strengthen their congregants.
Word & Deed’s other work in Malawi involves assisting six orphan care projects across the country. Each project is a separate entity and composed of several orphan care centers. Word & Deed has found and partnered with indigenous people already caring for orphans by providing financial support, oversight, and encouragement. Orphaned children remain in their traditional villages living with a caregiver family, frequently their relatives. The care centers support the caregiver families in a variety of ways. They distribute donations of clothing, food, blankets, seed, and fertilizer. Bible-based teaching is provided by many of the centers. They also allocate available funds for medical care and school fees. Each center is administered by a volunteer committee made up of members of the community, including local pastors, elders, and deacons.So far Scott’s role with the orphan care projects has included tasks as diverse as delivering a motorbike six hours north to Chintheche, and arranging for the drilling of a well two hours south in Lizulu. Our decision to settle in Nkhoma was strategic – Nkhoma Orphan Care Project is the largest and weakest of the projects. They have recently begun the construction of a multipurpose hall (a project being funded by the Word & Deed Business Group of Central Alberta) and much of Scott’s time has been occupied with that.
We are finding much joy in the work, but it is not without its challenges. Bernie Pennings (Word & Deed Canada) warned us to be careful not to take over the work done by local people. He encouraged us to come alongside and help them grow in recognizing and using their own gifts and abilities. We wholeheartedly agree with this approach, but have found it formidable to implement. Simply by virtue of his skin color, Scott is perceived to be an authority figure, to have superior problem-solving skills, and to carry a limitless supply of cash. He is regularly addressed as boss, or even “big boss,” by Malawians who are complete strangers. When you are identified as “superior” by those you are trying to help, they are inclined to want you to take control of the work and your ideas are considered the final word. It also means you need to regularly examine your heart for a growing lack of humility! (An honest wife is an asset with this, as well.) Scott is persevering and continuing to stress to the Malawians that their capabilities and leadership are vital and that they must work through problems without his help.
It is human inclination to measure the success of work by its observable outcomes, but here we must be wary of this tendency. We are learning that our task here is to humbly serve, doing what is best for the people, even if it means the physical project comes to a halt. Scott has already addressed some thorny matters with his fellow workers, including usury, corruption, and theft, along with an unwillingness to confront and discipline their neighbors. We need to remind ourselves repeatedly that although goals are important, the Lord’s purposes in our work may not include a completed multipurpose hall. And when we occasionally despair that “nothing is getting done”, we must trust that our part is to obediently serve and it is God who will bring the increase, in His time and His way.It is a tremendous encouragement to our African brothers and sisters to know the North American church is responding compassionately and generously to their plight. God is using deeds of kindness, together with His powerful Word, to point the unsaved in Africa to the transforming love of Jesus Christ.
Caroline Van Dyken lives with her husband Scott and three sons, Nathan (13) ,Derrick (11), and Aaron (7) in Nkhoma, Malawi. She and her family are originally from St. Catharines, Ontario, where they are members of Trinity United Reformed Church.
