Thursday, April 14th, 2022
I woke up early, grabbed a cup of coffee, and headed outside to find a better connection so my blog from the previous day would load. It was nice to enjoy the fresh morning air and see a little bit of the sunrise. The Chapamba family have a small compound in Nkhwazi across from their clinic where they have a few fish ponds that are part of a rain water collection and filtration system. They also have a variety of fruit trees and other flowering bushes.
Our plans for the day started with a quick breakfast followed by a drive to Lilongwe for a meeting with the leadership of the congregation. They have a lot of good ideas for serving their community. God willing, and if the effort is put in, their plans will succeed. It was wonderful to meet together and to see old friends who have carried on forward in this area. At about midday we headed back to Nkhwazi to prepare for the Passover.
The sunset in this part of the world is pretty consistent throughout the year which means the Passover service began somewhere around 5:45pm for us. We arrive at the UCG property in Nkhwazi about an hour before sunset so we could see the property, meet some of the brethren, and prepare for the service. Since I was last there in 2019 for the Feast of Tabernacles, the land has changed quite a bit. There is grass on the ground, fully grown trees everywhere, real concrete walls on the church hall, a roof on the shower house, and a new kitchen facility. I can imagine that even having grass on the ground would make for a more comfortable Feast and youth camp (both of which are held on the property).
Our Passover service went well. There were 11 of us. Thankfully the church hall has some solar powered lights that come on automatically at night. I gave the main part of the service while Cephas translated in Chichewa for the benefit of the Nkhwazi brethren. It was a humbling and uplifting experience as we washed one another’s feet, and shared the bread and wine symbolic of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Here are some photos of various parts of the day including some photos of our dinner which included a unique fish (and yes it has both eyes and a spine when you eat it if it’s cooked properly).
– Lewis VanAusdle
Visit Every City 
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