"Gotcha!"

It was one cold and rainy night when Jackson arrived at our door. He came from Chitipa, a village in the far north, about a 4 hour drive from Mzuzu. Sadly, Jackson was rejected from birth. His mentally ill mother had been raped. She bit a nurse who was trying to help her breastfeed. She was simply not capable of parenting him. His grandmother was too old and poor to care for him. No other relatives were located who could care for him. So social welfare decided to entrust him to the care of our Crisis Nursery.                         

Jackson was cute and easy to love. He grew

Jackson at the nursery

 and developed into a normal healthy baby who won our hearts. An American couple visited the Nursery and also fell in love with him. They decided to adopt. We were delighted. What an opportunity for Jackson—life in the U.S. with a warm, loving and financially secure family. They had all the proper paperwork and hired a lawyer. Twice they made the 10 hour drive from Lilongwe to Chipita to meet with the local Social Welfare. But the adoption process dragged on. The Malawian system stalled. It turns out that some distant relative finally said NO to his adoption. The American family ended up returning to the states with empty arms. We were all crushed.

And then, “out of the blue”, a businessman from Lilongwe contacted us saying he was Jackson's “uncle.” He said he would be coming to visit Jackson. We waited but he never came. After several more broken promises to come for a visit, we gave up. We didn't know what to do. Discharging Jackson to the village in Chitipa would certainly lead to starvation. So as Jackson began to grow out of infancy and into a rambunctious toddler, we waited.

Jackson's new family

Two weeks ago Jackson's uncle actually arrived at the Nursery. He had pre-arranged that he would take Jackson home with him. I silently vowed “maybe”. We would see. I was prepared not to like this man who couldn’t seem to keep his word.

Uncle and Auntie arrived as promised, in their car. Never before had any relatives arrived in their own car. Then they took a picture of Jackson with their camera! Then they called other family members on their phone. Uncle was a retired business man. Auntie was a new, young wife, eager for the chance to have a child.

Follow up Visit

They asked what Jackson liked to eat (never asked by a family before). They wanted to know when he slept, and asked about anything else they might need to know. They were interested and involved. They actually played with him (another first).

We waved good bye as the new family drove off. Uncle called a few days later with a few more questions. Jackson’s new step-sister posted his picture on facebook!! Unbelievable!

And guess what.

This “uncle” (actually some sort of distant cousin thrice removed) was the one who refused the adoption in the first place. He was planning all along to take the child, we just didn't know it. Jackson now lives in Lilongwe with his new family, well taken care of and totally a Malawian citizen. Gotcha! God has surprised once us again.

Buggery

It is not an uncommon sight in Malawi—two men walking down the street hand-in-hand. (Women are usually too burdened to have a free hand.) The men may be chatting away or quietly enjoying each other’s company. No one notices. It is the way of friends.

It is uncommon in Malawi for two men to announce that they are being married to each other. So last Christmas, when a pair of male lovers did just that, the nation went into shock. Homosexual practice is against the law in Malawi. In May, after their trial for “buggery”, the unhappy couple was sentenced to 14 years in prison (presumably not in the same cell).

The politicians were pleased. The traditional leaders were pleased (although it was suggested that a 20 year sentence would have been better). Even the church leaders were pleased.

But not everyone was pleased. Some donor nations expressed outrage and even threatened to cut off aid to Malawi. These outside agitators were quickly told to mind their own business. Nevertheless, “multi-lingual” money talks in almost every tongue. In short order, the Malawi president soon pardoned the offenders.

Homosexual practice is still against the law in Malawi. (Although homosexuals here do not face the threat of a death penalty as they might in some other countries.) Given the strong feelings of righteous condemnation, an amazingly open public discussion is still taking place through the Malawi print media. And although this “first couple” has since broken up with one partner “going straight,” two men walking down the street hand-in-hand is still not an uncommon sight.

Second Wave

In the midst of the global financial crisis, in early 2009 we received an e-mail from Ministry of Hope (MoH) in the U.S. addressing some financial challenges that lie ahead. “The MoH finance committee met tonight to go over the end of year figures and the financial crisis in the U.S. is having its impact on MoH. Giving is way down and we are having to reduce our monthly allotment. … Thus, at this point, we will need to fund the Mzuzu Nursery from the reduced undesignated pot of money that Ministry of Hope receives every month and is shared. (among two Crisis Nurseries and 6 orphan care centers).

Nevertheless, in spite of a drastic reduction in the "pot of money" to be shared, the Mzuzu Crisis Nursery was spared. The feeding centers and main office took the brunt of the financial blow.

This week, the “second wave” has hit our shores without any early warning and it is threatening to devastate the life of both Crisis Nurseries. An e-mail near the end of July tells the story:

This month's allocation (July) will be as follows:

MZUZU CRISIS NURSERY from $6,500.00 to $4,420.00

(Lilongwe Crisis Nursery from $6,000.00 to $4,080.00)

 

Financially speaking, the “bottom line” is that $6,500 per month is needed for the Mzuzu Crisis Nursery, to continue our level of care for the babies. As you can imagine, the loss of over $2,000 per month is devastating.

However, for Christians, the bottom line is never a minus sign (-).   It is always the sign of the cross (+).

The babies + the staff + MoH Board + committed congregations + persevering presbyteries + compassionate corporations + interested individuals + our generous God all add up to the Hope which does not disappoint.