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- Week of July 24, 2011
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Week of July 24, 2011
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Dear Friends,
I would like to give you just a brief report regarding the Fourth Chosen Generation Missions Conference which was held last week at Chongoni. It was a very wonderful conference. The speakers at conference challenged the delegates to pursue God's will as revealed and fulfilled in Christ. Various youth and church leaders from several evangelical denominations attended the conference under the theme, "Thy Will Be Done" taken from Matthew 6:10b. Our aim was to get people more grounded in the Word of God so that they are able to go and teach others. Each of the conference received a total of sixteen (16) books written by sound evangelical/Reformed authors.
Delegates came from all across Malawi, some from the USA, Canada, Scotland and Mozambique. After the conference some of the delegates were sent to Mozambique on a one week mission to support the work of spreading the gospel there. A more detailed report and pictures about the conference as well as the Mozambique mission team will follow soon.
Thank you all for praying for and supporting this year's conference.
Blessings in Christ,
Rev. Fletcher Matandika
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President & Founder
Joy to the World Ministries, Inc.
www.jtwministries.org
Taking the Whole Gospel, to the Whole Man, and to the Whole World
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Church Minister
New Westminster Chapel
www.newwestminsterchapel.org
Always Preaching Christ
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Please consider making a gift to Joy to the World Ministries by clicking here or by sending a check to us at: Joy to the World Ministries, P.O. Box 1514, Poway, CA 92074.
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Week of April 18, 2011
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ANNOUNCING THE FOURTH CHOSEN GENERATION MISSIONS CONFERENCE – JULY 6-10, 2011
Dear Friends,
I am pleased to announce to you the Fourth Chosen Generation Missions Conference which will be held at the Namoni Katengeza Church Lay Training Center (Chongoni) in Dedza District, Malawi from July 6-10, 2011, Lord willing. Since 2008, JTW has been organizing the Chosen Generation Missions Conference, the first conference of its kind in Malawi. The conference, held for the past four years on the campus of the African Bible College in Lilongwe, has the primary goal of awakening a passion for global missions among African Christians, especially among the young people of Malawi. Since 2008, people from all ages, professions, and over ten different countries have returned home from these missions conferences, challenged and inspired to take the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the nations! Praise the Lord!
Theme for This Year’s Conference: "Thy Will Be Done..."
Our theme this year is taken from the third petition in the Lord’s Prayer, "Thy Will Be Done" (Matthew 6:10b). Our particular focus will be on the Lord Jesus Christ, for in Him alone is God's will perfectly fulfilled on behalf of His people. Through His perfect obedience to God's law and through His sacrificial death on the cross, He perfectly accomplished the will of God for His life and on behalf of those who trust in Him for salvation.
Mozambique Mission Trip Following the Conference
After the conference, JTW plans to send a team of at least 15 Malawians to Mozambique for a short mission trip. While in Mozambique, the team will be involved in evangelism and discipleship ministries as well as some work projects in partnership with other Malawian missionaries currently based in Mozambique. The goal of this trip is to strengthen the Christian witness in Mozambique and to support the Christians there in the work of spreading the gospel. This team will be joined by another team from Evergreen Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. More details about this year’s Chosen Generation Missions Conference can be found on the JTW website by following this link: http://www.jtwministries.org/missionsconf.html.
Please look out for further details and updates regarding this conference in the weeks ahead. I would also like to ask you to please be in prayer for this conference in the following primary ways:
As always, thank you very much for your partnership in the gospel. May the Lord richly bless you!
In Christ’s Service,,
Rev. Fletcher Matandika
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President & Founder
Joy to the World Ministries, Inc.
www.jtwministries.org
Taking the Whole Gospel, to the Whole Man, and to the Whole World
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Church Minister
New Westminster Chapel
www.newwestminsterchapel.org
Always Preaching Christ
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Please consider making a gift to Joy to the World Ministries by clicking here or by sending a check to us at: Joy to the World Ministries, P.O. Box 1514, Poway, CA 92074.
To unsubscribe, click here.
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Week of April 1, 2011
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Greetings Friends, Brothers & Sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ!
It is such a joy for me to write to you again after such a long break! First of all, I would like to thank the Lord for all of your prayers and support that you generously rendered to me and Angella with respect to our wedding in January. We both feel greatly humbled and blessed by your support and generosity. May the Lord be praised!
Through your generous financial support, we have been able to purchase 200 sets of books (11 books per set) at a highly discounted price in partnership with William Mackenzie of Christian Focus Publications (CFP), which is based in Scotland (www.christianfocus.com). Lord willing, these books will be given out to the participants at this year’s Chosen Generation Missions Conference in Malawi from July 6 to 10, particularly to pastors and lay church leaders. In addition to these books, we have also managed to secure lots of children’s books (missionary biographies and other books on church history as well as Bible stories). Please pray that the Lord will use these precious resources to build up His people in Malawi. Furthermore, please pray that a new generation of courageous and fearless heroes of the Christian faith may be raised up from Malawi — a generation that will faithfully and fearlessly "contend for the faith that has been delivered to saints" (Jude 3) — to the end that the whole world will know that our God reigns (Psalm 47:8)!
Angella and I are settling into married life well as well as into the church ministry to which the Lord has called us here in New Westminster, BC (Canada). I am very thankful to the Lord that Angella and I share a common passion and commitment to see God’s Name exalted among the nations, "from the rising of the sun even to its setting" (see Malachi 1:11). She is a real gift from the Lord, and I count myself blessed to have her for my beloved partner both in life and ministry. Truly, "He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favour from the LORD" (Proverbs 18:22). Our prayer is that we may continue to grow in the likeness of Christ by the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives through the Word; and that in doing so, we may mirror to each other and to the world around us, the love relationship that exists between Christ and His Church in increasing measure to the glory of God! Please join us in praying for this! Thank you!
Let me take a moment here and remind you that our commitment here at Joy to the World Ministries remains the same: Taking the Whole Gospel, to the Whole Man, and to the Whole World. This mission drives our desire to take the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the nations wherever the Lord shall lead. As a ministry, we are increasingly cognisant of the fact that this will not happen apart from the faithful, God-exalting and Christ-centered preaching of God’s Word leading to the salvation of sinners through the cross of Christ. We are therefore praying and seeking, under God, to step up our efforts in this area in order that we may proclaim God's Word to the nations with greater clarity, conviction and faithfulness to the end that sinners will be saved and the saints sanctified to the glory of God because "faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). Thank you once again for partnering with us in this all important task through prayer and financial support.
Finally, I would like to share with you an article that I recently wrote for Modern Reformation (www.modernreformation.org) magazine (March/April edition). The article is entitled, Contending for the Faith in North America: An Open Letter to North American Churches. I pray that you will be blessed as you read this article.
Always contending for the faith once for all delivered to the saints!
Your brother in Christ,
Rev. Fletcher Matandika
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President & Founder
Joy to the World Ministries, Inc.
www.jtwministries.org
Taking the Whole Gospel, to the Whole Man, and to the Whole World
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Church Minister
New Westminster Chapel
www.newwestminsterchapel.org
Always Preaching Christ
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Please consider making a gift to Joy to the World Ministries by clicking here or by sending a check to us at: Joy to the World Ministries, P.O. Box 1514, Poway, CA 92074.
To unsubscribe, click here.
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Week of February 28, 2011
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Dear Supporters of Joy to the World Ministries,
We have taken a break from the Praise & Prayer emails for a few weeks while Fletcher was visiting Malawi for the very important event of his wedding and with the very important goal of bringing his new wife, Angella, back to be with him in Vancouver. With this in mind, this Praise & Prayer email will focus on praising God for bringing Fletcher and Angella together and for their safe travels back to the United States and then Canada. We also would like to ask you to pray for Fletcher and Angella's marriage, that it may be strong and reflect the love that Christ has for His Church.
JTW Board member, Michael Kane, attended the wedding and wrote a description of the experience. Please join with Fletcher and Angella in their celebration of their new life together!
In Christ,
Ally van den Herik
Director of Vision Sharing, Joy to the World Ministries International
A CELEBRATION TO REMEMBER
by Michael Kane
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And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Rev. 21:2)
On January 8, 2011, I had the great privilege of attending the wedding of The Revd. Fletcher Matandika and his bride Angella Moyo in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi. Business in the UK in the previous week provided the opportunity to travel south and join the celebrations. I am very grateful to Fletcher and Angella for the invitation and to their respective parents for their kind hospitality on a day that began at 7am and ended late in the night.
The wedding itself was led by Revd. Thompson Chipeta, who described himself a Fletcher's "grandfather" (in the faith). His own story is quite remarkable - an orphan founding a school for orphans and a "home that raises children to the fullest potential and is the best in Africa".
Having grown up in England, I have a certain preconception of how a wedding should be - my own was a relatively formal event. Not the sort of wedding where the bridesmaids dance down the aisle to meet their respective groomsmen dancing down another aisle. But they did as the congregation cheered and the ladies ululated.
And then Angella appeared, her parents on either side, in a beautiful white dress, dancing slowly, joyfully down the aisle. And then there was Fletcher, his parents on either side, dancing slowly, joyfully, towards his bride. And the noise of celebration was almost deafening. It was wonderful - and a beautiful picture of the day when the Bridegroom will come to claim His Bride for eternity!
After the wedding was over, we drove in a long convoy to a home for the official photographs; the cars swayed from one side of the road to the other in celebration. Lunch in various homes and then off to Africa Bible College, just outside Lilongwe, for the reception in their gym.
More music, more dancing, and Fletcher and Angella were seated on a sofa covered in white high on a platform to observe the proceedings. As the afternoon progressed, so the room filled with friends, family, ABC students and a large contingent from the village of Dzuwa, in which Fletcher has invested so much of his life. The Master of Ceremonies, himself an evangelist, soon announced "The Revd. Fletcher and Mrs. Angella Matandika" in a deep, loud voice that resonated round the hall; I doubt I will ever forget the sound.
Two particularly memorable moments were the bride's speech to her friends and the cutting of the cake. For Angella, her marriage to Fletcher means leaving her family, friends, and her country and traveling 10,000 miles to a new home and a new life in very different circumstances. Her "farewell" was gracious, thoughtful, and Christ-centered. The cake was in fact several cakes and after one was cut, Angella presented another first to Fletcher's parents and then to her own. Beyond all the celebrations of this fine event, there was also a great sense of honor paid to both parents.
The day concluded with a dinner for both families and friends - it was quite a privilege to be invited.
I am very grateful for Fletcher's friendship and for the opportunity to attend this fine event. I hope that my own daughters' weddings will be characterized by this same sense of honor and celebration. And I hope all of us will keep our eyes fixed on that day when the sound of celebration will resound all the way to heaven, and clothed in His perfect righteousness, we will finally see our Bridegroom face to face to be with Him for eternity.
Michael Kane is the Vice-President and Board Chairman of Joy to the World Ministries (US and Canada respectively), and is working with Fletcher to establish the first classical and Christian school in Southern Africa. He and his wife Juliet live in Beaverton, OR where they have 4 daughters, none yet of marriageable age.
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 Rev. T.J. Chipeta giving the marriage certificate to Rev. & Mrs. Matandika
 Rev. & Mrs. Matandika
 Rev. & Mrs. Matandika with Mr. & Mrs. Moyo (bride's parents in white) and Rev. R. A. & Mrs. Matandika (groom's parents)
 Rev. & Mrs. Matandika with Mr. Michael Kane
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Please consider making a gift to Joy to the World Ministries by clicking here or by sending a check to us at: Joy to the World Ministries, P.O. Box 1514, Poway, CA 92074.
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Week of November 1, 2010
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Meet Our Missionary: Ronald Chimzimu
Dear Friends & Prayer Partners:
This week, I have the privilege of introducing you to another outstanding member of the JTW family, Ronald Chimzimu (Ron). Ron joined JTW as a full time missionary a year after his graduation from the African Bible College (ABC), where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Biblical Studies and a minor in Radio Communications. He began working with JTW part-time in 2006 while finishing his studies at ABC. In 2008, he moved to Dzuwa Village following his marriage to Ulemu. Prior to moving to Dzuwa, Ron worked ABC as an electrician. He also assisted in supervising construction and maintenance projects for the college. Ron is currently serving as the Manager for the JTW Lighthouse Christian Center (LCC) in Kasungu.
I asked Ron to share a little bit about his personal life and ministry experiences with JTW in Kasungu. This is what he had to say:
My typical day at the Lighthouse Christian Centre is very simple. I get here soon after 6am every week day to balance the books and have the cleaner do his job before the LCC opens for business. We have a brief staff meeting and devotion from 7:45 - 8:00am. Between 8 am and 5pm I help with serving customers and doing computer training with our students. Between 5pm and 6pm I check the computers to make sure they are in good operating condition. I also do the paperwork if needed during this time. The beautiful thing about working at the LCC is the opportunity to interact with people even though conversation is only brief and often business-oriented. I think the Lord is meeting the people's IT needs through the Lighthouse. It may sound funny but I know from experience how it feels when you cannot access the internet especially when you have an urgent email to read or send.
Ron and Ulemu have a young daughter with a unique name, Wonder: http://jtwministries.org/news.html#babygirl. Here is what he had to say about his daughter's name:
Our daughter's name is Wonder, Wonder - Michelle in full. "Wonder" because she is a wonder from God! Everything about her has been extraordinarily wonderful. We named her Michelle after Michelle Halemeier, a very good friend of ours. Besides, the name Michelle means "Who is like God?" So we thought Wonder - Michelle - was the perfect name.
I also asked Ron what has been the greatest blessing that he has experienced while on staff with JTW. This is what he had to say:
It has been a great blessing and privilege to be an ambassador for Christ among a people I did not know before, and to experience once again the power of the Word of God when we preach, teach, and live it. I have also been blessed immensely by the many new brothers and sisters that I have met through JTW.
I give thanks to the Lord for Ron and the wonderful family of missionaries at JTW. Please continue to pray for them as they diligently labor for the cause of Christ and His Kingdom in their various areas of responsibility to the glory of God.
Please feel free to get in touch with Ron at any time to offer your words of encouragement and support. You can e-mail him at: ron@jtwministries.org. I am sure he would appreciate hearing from you our friends and prayer partners. Thank you.
Blessings in Christ,
Rev. Fletcher Matandika
President & Founder
JTW Ministries, Inc.
Taking the Whole Gospel, to the Whole Man and to the Whole World
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Week of October 20, 2010
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Meet Our Missionary: Ulemu Chimzimu
Dear Friends & Prayer Partners:
I trust that you have had a wonderful and blessed week. I pray that the Lord will bless you all as you seek to follow and serve Him daily. Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support for JTW and our missionaries.
This week, it’s my pleasure to introduce the second of our pioneer missionaries in the ministry, Ulemu Chimzimu. Just like Elliot, Ulemu joined JTW in 2006 shortly after graduating from the African Bible College in Lilongwe. She graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Biblical Studies with a Minor in Education and currently serves as the Director of Women Ministries & Education Development for JTW Ministries. She is married to Ronald, and they have a daughter named Wonder.
I asked Ulemu a few questions regarding her ministry with women in the villages around Dzuwa and in Kasungu, where she is currently based:
- Fletcher: Could you please share what your experience has been working with women in the villages around Dzuwa since 2006? How have you seen the Lord working in you, through you, and in the lives of the women in those villages?
Ulemu: The Lord did many wonders in Dzuwa. Many women and their families have come to Christ, and some broken marriages have been restored. The microloan program has also helped the women to become bread winners in their homes.
 - Fletcher: You are now based in Kasungu. Could you please share with us how the Lord is working there among the women to whom He has sent you to minister?
Ulemu: The faith of the women in Kasungu greatly humbles me. Most of them are widows living with HIV. JTW's work among them has given them hope amidst so much suffering due to the pandemic. Each time I am with them I'm reminded about the realities of HIV/AIDS and the depth of God's love.
- Fletcher: How have these experiences impacted your life spiritually, physically, and in any other way?
Ulemu: I have learned to love people for whom they are, regardless of their socioeconomic status. I have also learned to step out of my comfort zone for the sake of Christ alone.
- Fletcher: What do you see to be the greatest spiritual needs of the women to whom you are ministering?
Ulemu: Their greatest need is knowledge of the Word of God. We need to help these precious women to understand and get rooted in the Word of God.
- Fletcher: Could you please share with me a brief story/testimony from your interactions with the women?
Ulemu: Chrissie Chilongo comes to mind. She is 51, a widow, and discovered she was HIV positive in 2007. She had been praying earnestly for a Christian organization from which she could get a loan to start a business to support herself. (She had once borrowed money from a secular organization, but she wasn't happy with the way they treated her.) When she heard about Joy to the World Ministries from some of her friends, she was very excited. She continues to pray for the work of JTW and has been able to build a business through the support of our micro-finance group.
- Fletcher: Could you please share another story or testimony that the Lord has used to bless or challenge you?
Ulemu: A woman named Felesiya Mtengaponji heard about a JTW Bible study that was being held at a church near her village. At the time, she was going through a crisis because her husband had just married another wife and she felt hopeless. She sobbed bitterly as she was sharing her story. After some time of counseling and prayer, she became a regular member of the Bible study. Later she brought many to faith and was chosen as a leader of the women’s guild. Each time I think about her, I'm always amazed at God's plan over her life and how much He cares for all of His children.
- Fletcher: What are your personal goals for the future as a Christian woman and a servant of the Lord?
Ulemu: My greatest desire is to work as a Christian educator and to empower women with business skills.
- Fletcher: What would you like to share with the other Christian women out there?
Ulemu: You will be blessed to help needy women to realize God's love for them and the potential that the Lord has given them.
Please remember to pray for Ulemu. I would also like to encourage you to take a minute to write her words of encouragement. Our missionaries greatly appreciate your prayer support. You can email her at: ulemu@jtwministries.org.
Thank you once again for your prayers.
Blessings in Christ,
Rev. Fletcher Matandika
President & Founder
JTW Ministries, Inc.
Taking the Whole Gospel, to the Whole Man and to the Whole World
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Week of September 20, 2010
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Greetings Friends,
We at Joy to the World Ministries pray that you are well and that you are resting confidently in the knowledge that God is working out all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His perfect purpose! Thank you for partnering with us as we labor towards the end of glorifying our great God by taking the whole Gospel to the whole man and to the whole world!
JTW Missionaries & Their Support
We are on our knees this week as God tests our faith in His provision. We are grateful to all of our supporters who have enabled us to accomplish God's will among the people of Malawi, and we call on you again to help us through this stretch of tight finances. We are preparing to launch an "Adopt-a-Missionary" program, through which our supporters can designate a certain monthly donation to cover a portion of the support we give to the missionaries on our staff. All of the missionaries who receive monthly support from us are from Malawi, with the exception of one, Jayne Powers, a Scottish woman who receives the same support as our Malawian missionaries. The average monthly support for each of our missionaries is $400, quite a bit less than most Western missionaries require to cover their expenses. An added advantage of using only local missionaries is that they speak the language of the people they are helping (Chichewa, in our case), and they also are very familiar with the culture and customs of the villagers. To find out more about our missionaries, visit http://www.jtwministries.org/whoweare.html#malawi. We will be sending more specific information about how you can pray for each of our missionaries in upcoming Praise & Prayer emails, starting with Elliot Khembo, the National Director of JTW in Malawi. Stay tuned!
If you would like to sponsor a missionary with a consistent monthly donation, please visit www.jtwministries.org/adoptamissionary.html, or if you’d like to make a one-time donation, visit www.jtwministries.org/donate.html for various donation options. Thank you so much for helping us cover this very important expense, as our missionaries are putting hands and feet to God's love through JTW's many projects!
Evergreen Presbyterian Missions Conference
This weekend, I will be speaking at an annual missions conference at Evergreen Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Beaverton, Oregon (www.evergreenpca.com). Please pray for the Lord’s blessing on my time there, my interaction with the brothers and sisters in Christ at the conference, and especially on the ministry of His Holy Word. If any of you are in the vicinity of Beaverton, Oregon, please join us!
Thank you for standing with us in prayer! Your support is greatly appreciated as we seek to follow God's will in feeding His sheep by giving them the Gospel in word and deed.
In Christ’s Service,
Rev. Fletcher Matandika
President & Founder
Joy to the World Ministries, Inc.
Taking the Whole Gospel, to the Whole Man and to the Whole World
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Week of September 3, 2010
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Greetings Friends,
I would like to begin with an apology for the unexpected and unannounced break in the flow of the weekly “Praise and Prayer” e-mails over the past month or so. I had not anticipated the difficulties of e-mailing during my travels over the past month due to a busy schedule and very minimal and irregular access to the Internet. Please accept my sincere apologies. I don’t anticipate any such breaks in the foreseeable future and hope to be consistent with these e-mails at least up to the end of the year, Lord willing. All the same, I trust that you have not stopped praying for the work of the Lord through JTW. We appreciate your standing with us in prayer. Please know that your prayers do make a difference (James 5:16b), and we all expect great things from the Lord in answer to your prayers and according to His will. To God be the glory!
Over the next few weeks, I hope to bring you to speed on some of the new developments within JTW so that you may join us in praising the Lord for the great things that He is doing and also that you may continue to pray more specifically for the pressing needs of JTW as we all continue to labor for the Gospel.
Dzuwa Medical Clinic
September 1, 2010 will be remembered in the history of JTW and of Dzuwa Village as a very remarkable day. On this day, the Medical Council of Malawi (MCM) finally gave JTW their approval to open and operate a medical clinic in Dzuwa. This is such great news for us all and a wonderful answer to prayers that we’ve prayed for a very long time. This licensure was long overdue! But we praise the Lord that it’s finally here. We thank the Lord for our National Director, Mr. Elliot Khembo and Mr. Ronald Chimzimu (our General Administrator) for their relentless efforts in mediating talks between JTW and MCM. May the Lord bless you both! Please pray for us as we now begin taking the necessary steps to open and start operating this clinic in Dzuwa. The next logical step is for us to hire medical missionaries on staff to serve at the clinic and procure additional medicines and other supplies to facilitate our service delivery to the people of Dzuwa and the surrounding villages. Above all, please pray that God will use the clinic to cause the people of Dzuwa to experience not just physical healing, but also spiritual healing as they come into contact with the living Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (the Great Physician of our souls). “...He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).
The Third Chosen Generation Missions Conference
I praise the Lord for another wonderful “Chosen Generation Missions Conference” this year. This year’s conference was the third one to be hosted by JTW. We had a blessed time in the Word, and I thank the Lord for all the wonderful speakers who faithfully and passionately delivered God’s Word at the conference, challenging all of us to seek to live our lives as “Kingdom citizens” in the various stations that God has placed us. Four Malawian missionaries who are currently serving in Mozambique attended the conference, shared their experiences in the work of the Lord there, and challenged everyone to get involved. The conference participants responded positively to the challenges presented at the conference by taking a collection to support the work of missions in Mozambique. Furthermore, the conference decided to send a mission team to go and support the work of the Lord in Mozambique in 2011, Lord willing. Twenty-four people signed up for the Mozambique Mission Trip (2011). Preparations are already underway, and we are all looking forward to seeing how the Lord will use this new initiative/connection in the work of expanding His Kingdom in Mozambique. Please pray that all will be done in accordance with His will and to the honor, praise and glory of His Holy Name! Please stay tuned for more news and details regarding the conference as well as the Mozambique Mission Trip (2011). Special thanks to you all for your faithful prayers and generous financial support towards this conference. May the Lord richly bless you!
JTW Missionaries & Their Support
I would like to ask you all to please join me in praying and thanking the Lord for all the wonderful missionaries serving with JTW. I am constantly amazed and driven to my knees in awe and gratitude for the wonderful team that He has put together to serve Him and carry out His purposes through JTW in Malawi and beyond. Over the next few weeks, I look forward to sharing with you personal stories from the missionaries in Malawi so that you have the chance to get to know each one of them, their families, and their responsibilities with JTW. As a ministry, we thank the Lord for faithfully providing the financial support of our missionaries since the inception of JTW, although He often tests our faith by causing the support to arrive at the last moment! Please pray that the Lord will continue to provide for all the needs of our missionaries (for the body and soul) as they continue to serve Him in their various roles in this ministry. Beginning this month to the end of the year, we will need a total of about $4,500/month in order to fully support all of our missionaries. We are totally depending on the Lord to provide these funds, and we ask you to prayerfully consider joining hands with us in the supporting our missionaries financially on a regular basis. If you feel led to do so, please get in touch with us or simply send your donation to us via our website: http://www.jtwministries.org/donate.html. We will soon have an option to specify a monthly recurring donation to put towards the support of a missionary (or part of a missionary’s support). Thank you.
Special Announcement
Last but not least, I am pleased to announce to you all with great joy and gratitude to the Lord that on January 7, 2011, I will be getting married to a very wonderful, godly young lady, Angella, Lord willing. Angella and I met in 2008 at the first “Chosen Generation Missions Conference.” We made a commitment to start a serious relationship in 2009 which led to our engagement in January 2010. I give thanks to the Lord for His faithfulness and goodness. Angella is a wonderful and very special gift to me. She is currently finishing her college studies at the Chancellor College of the University of Malawi in Zomba, Malawi, where she has been pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Chemistry and Biology, and she is due to graduate in October this year, Lord willing. I certainly need her brain J, and I look forward to our life together in the service of the Lord and His Church around the world wherever He may be pleased to use us. Further details regarding the wedding will made available in due course with other relevant updates, as will be appropriate. The wedding will take place in Lilongwe, Malawi, and you are all invited!
Well, on that note, please let me bring this letter to a close. Thank you for your continued prayer support for me, Angella, and the entire JTW family.
Until next week, may the Lord richly bless you all!
In Christ’s Service,
Rev. Fletcher Matandika
President & Founder
Joy to the World Ministries, Inc.
Taking the Whole Gospel, to the Whole Man and to the Whole World
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Week of July 4, 2010
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Dear Friends,
I trust that you have had a blessed week. My week has been great, and I praise the Lord for His goodness and mercy toward me. I rejoice in the LORD and praise Him for the many wonderful blessings that He has bestowed upon me through Jesus Christ. The LORD has blessed me with a great sense of His peace, favour and Presence. To God be the glory!
I would like to ask you to please join me in praising the Lord for what He has done through JTW over the past six months. We are now in the second half of this year and it’s time to stop, look back, and thank the Lord for His goodness and faithfulness in the past and for the present blessings as we look forward to the future with great hope in Him alone who holds our future.
Looking Back
Many wonderful things have happened in JTW over the past six months. I think one highlight that is certainly worth noting here is the introduction of the school feeding program at Dzuwa Primary School. I thank the LORD for this program and the difference it has already made in the lives of many children and families in Dzuwa. I shared about this not too long ago and do not want to repeat myself. But let me ask you to please pray for God’s continued blessing on this program so that there will also be spiritual fruit born in the lives of the children and all who are involved in this program. At the end of the day, we do not just want to bless these children with food to fill their stomachs, but we want them to feed on Christ, the Bread of Life (John 6:35); we do not just want these kids to acquire academic knowledge and fill their heads with it, we want their hearts and minds to be saturated with the Word of God and the deep love of Christ; we do not just want Dzuwa to produce excellent students, but we want by God’s grace to see saintly servants being sent out from Dzuwa to the rest of the world to share the great news of the Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation that He freely offers to sinners through the Cross where He died to pay the penalty for our sins.
This Month
Presently, the one thing that is in the mind of everyone at JTW is the Chosen Generation Missions Conference which is just a few weeks away. From July 28-31, hundreds of young people, pastors and other church leaders will gather to attend the third missions conference organized by Joy to the World Ministries. These conferences have become the highlight of all that happens at JTW every year since our first conference in 2008. These conferences are in many ways our way of telling the world what JTW is really all about: Taking the Whole Gospel to the Whole Man and to the Whole World. But our goal is bigger than that. We do not want to just make a statement about our calling, vision and mission. Rather, through these conferences, we endeavour under God to call Christians from all walks of life and from all ages to join hands with us in this mission so that when all is said and done, God’s Name “will be made great among all the nations from the rising of the sun even to its setting” (Malachi 1:11) as lives are changed through the Gospel. So, please pray with me that this year’s conference will be another wonderful time of blessing from Heaven and that the LORD God will be pleased to pour down His Holy Spirit upon us all as we attend to His Most Holy Word and fellowship with one another.
Looking Forward
We are already over one week into the latter half of this year. The clock is ticking. History is being written. The LORD is on the move driving all things as well as our lives to their destined ends. I pray that the next few months will be filled with greater blessings from Above and that by God’s grace, we at JTW can remain faithful to His calling upon our lives and stand up for His Truth in this dark and sinful world. There is so much to look forward to as the LORD unfolds His will and purposes for us. I can’t wait to see it all come to pass. We look forward to new plans, new people and new programs, all for the purpose of accomplishing His will in and through us to His glory. All these are wonderful prospects. No doubt there will be many changes and challenges along the way. But our hope is in the LORD God, who does not change (James 1:17), in the one who is greater than He who is in this world (1 John 4:4). One of our greatest challenges moving forward as I see things is regarding our finances. We need special prayer in this area, as our finances are very tight right now. We desperately need the LORD’s intervention in this area as we move forward so that we can manage to cover all of our operating expenses, especially the support for all of our missionaries in Malawi. We believe that the LORD is able to supply all our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ (Philippians 4:19). He owns “the cattle on a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10). We trust that He will provide. But I would like to ask three things of you in this regard: Firstly, please pray with us regarding this particular need; secondly, please consider giving a portion of your finances towards the work of the LORD through JTW; and thirdly, please join us in telling others who may be in a position to support us financially (family, friends, church leaders, etc). Your prayers and financial support are vital to the work that we do. Please send your tax-deductible donations to: Joy to the World Ministries, P.O. Box 1514, Poway, CA 92074. You can also donate online through our easy and secure website: http://www.jtwministries.org/donate.html. Thank you for standing with us in these ways.
I wish you a blessed weekend and pray that you will be blessed as you worship the LORD in your congregations this Lord’s Day!
Your brother and fellow servant in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior,
Rev. Fletcher Matandika
President & Founder
Joy to the World Ministries, Inc.
Taking the Whole Gospel, to the Whole Man and to the Whole World
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Week of June 27, 2010
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Dear Brothers & Sisters,
“Give thanks to the LORD, call upon His Name, make known His deeds among the peoples, proclaim that His Name is exalted. Sing praises to the LORD, for He has done graciously; let this be made known in all the earth. Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitants of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 12:4-6
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND ENCOURAGING E-MAILS
First of all, I would like to offer my sincere thanks to all of you for your prayers and encouraging e-mails in response to last week’s e-mail. The last few days have been so wonderful and I have felt lifted up and supported spiritually as a result of your prayers and encouragements. I was blessed to be in God’s house once again this past Sunday ministering His Word and worshipping Him in the assembly of His people. “...Thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere” 2 Corinthians 2:14. Please continue to pray that I may continue to experience the peace and Presence of God and that I may remain in constant fellowship with Him in His Word and in prayer as I seek to follow and serve Him each day. More specifically, please pray that I may walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7) as I face the daily challenges of life and ministry, trusting that His ways are higher than my ways and that His thoughts are higher than my thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). Thank you.
MALAWI MISSION CONFERENCE
In a few weeks, I will be travelling to Malawi for the Chosen Generation Missions Conference, which will take place on the beautiful campus of the African Bible College from July 28-31. Please pray for the LORD’s blessing upon all the final preparations regarding the conference in these remaining weeks, for all the speakers and for all who will be attending the conference. Thank you to those who have made a financial contribution towards this conference. If you haven't yet donated, please prayerfully consider supporting this conference financially if you are able. Your financial support will be a great blessing to us as we seek to reach many lives with the gospel of God’s grace in Malawi and beyond. You can make your donations towards this conference through our secure website: http://www.jtwministries.org/donate.html. Thank you.
TWO JTW MISSIONARIES IN TANZANIA
Please join me in praying for two of the JTW Missionaries from Malawi who are currently in Tanzania for the next two weeks. Harold Juma and Timothy Matandika were invited to join a short-term mission team from California and participate at a missions conference and other outreach programs in Mbeya located about 850 km southwest of Dar es Salaam (the capital of Tanzania). Harold and Timothy have been joined by another brother in Christ from Malawi, Kondwani Masimbili, who has recently graduated from the University of Malawi (Bunda College of Agriculture) and is seeking the Lord’s direction regarding his next step in life and ministry. Their outreach activities in Mbeya will include street evangelism, ministering to orphans and serving food to the community surrounding the local partner church as well and most important of all, preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in Mbeya. Last year, we had the privilege of hosting two pastors from Mbeya while they attended our Chosen Generation Missions Conference. This year, it is wonderful to see this relationship being strengthened as Harold, Timothy and Kondwani have gone back to support and encourage our Christian brothers and sisters in the work of the Lord among His people in Mbeya. Please pray for this conference and all the outreach activities which will be taking place of the next two weeks. May the Lord be glorified among all as His gospel goes out to the lost and His people are built up in our most holy faith in the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.
I want to close by giving thanks to the Lord above all for His goodness and mercy towards me. Thanks again for all of your prayers and encouraging e-mails over the past few days. May the Lord richly bless you all in your own pilgrimage towards the Celestial City. Christian and Hopeful in their discourse with “The Shining Ones” (in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress) asked the following question regarding the Celestial City, “What must we do in the holy place?” To them it was answered,
“You must there receive the comfort of all your toil, and have joy for all your sorrow; you must reap what you have sown, even the fruit of all your Prayers and Tears, and sufferings for the King by the way. In that place you must wear Crowns of Gold, and enjoy the perpetual sight and vision of the Holy One, for there you shall see Him as He is. There also you shall serve Him continually with praise, with shouting, and thanksgiving, Whom you desired to serve in the world, though with much difficulty, because of the infirmity of your flesh. There your eyes shall be delighted with seeing, and your ears with hearing the pleasant voice of the Mighty One. There you shall enjoy your friends again, that are gone thither before you; and there you shall with joy receive even every one that follows into the holy place after you. There also shall you be clothed with Glory and Majesty, and put into an equipage fit to ride out with the King of Glory.”
I pray that you will be encouraged as you follow Christ each day in the midst of all of life’s challenges, trials and tribulations that may come your way. May the Lord give us all His sufficient grace that we may persevere to the end. Let me leave you with this encouragement from God’s Holy Word,
“Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
May the LORD be with you throughout the remainder of this week.
Your brother and fellow servant in Christ,
Rev. Fletcher Matandika
President & Founder
Joy to the World Ministries, Inc.
Taking the Whole Gospel, to the Whole Man and to the Whole World
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Week of June 20, 2010
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Dear Brothers & Sisters,
My sincere apologies for not sending this e-mail until now. Things have been quite hectic and stressful this week and it has been quite difficult to stay focused and efficient. Because the week is almost over, I was tempted to just let this week pass by without sending this e-mail, but I believe it’s never too late with the Lord!
“LORD, I BELIEVE, HELP MY UNBELIEF!”
In addition to praying for our missionaries, as I requested last week, I now ask that you please pray for me as well. Please pray that we may be strengthened in our faith. I admit that this request is primarily my own at the moment, as I definitely feel the need for my faith to be rejuvenated, reaffirmed and reinforced in the midst of the challenges and pressures of life and ministry. Often I have found myself crying out to the Lord, sometimes silently within my heart and at other times audibly in prayer, like the man that we read about in Mark 9:24 who having brought his boy to Jesus for healing exclaimed in response to Christ’s words and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Without going into all the details, that is how this week has been for me to a large degree. I have often struggled to keep my head above the waters in many areas of my life and ministry responsibilities. Every week, I always look forward to Sunday because it is the LORD’s Day. But this week, I really look forward to the LORD’s Day in a very special way because I really need the rest that no other day provides for me. I look forward to being refreshed by God’s Holy Word in the worship assembly of His people in the congregation that I currently serve. I pray that the Lord will visit us all in a very special way. It is also my prayer that you will have a wonderful experience as well as you gather to worship the LORD and attend to His inspired, infallible and inerrant Word as it is faithfully preached in your congregation.
FAITH BEYOND CIRCUMSTANCES
In the midst of moments or periods of doubt and despair such as what I've been experiencing this week, we need to know that God is bigger than our circumstances. We need to trust God beyond our circumstances. We need to have faith in the LORD Himself and His power to save and rescue us. We need faith in the promises of the Gospel. We also need to put our faith in action and completely rest in Him. As I am writing this e-mail to you, I am encouraging myself in God’s Word.
“...My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9a
“Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22
“As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people, from this time forth and forevermore.” Psalm 125:2
FAITH TO PRESS ON
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7
“...But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14.
I praise the LORD that He gives us strength to press on. His promises given to us in His Holy Word fuel our faith and spur us on to wholly lean on Him. Please pray for me and all of the JTW missionaries that we may experience more of the blessing and Presence of the LORD through His Word and in all of our circumstances as we continue serving Him and as He conforms us to the image of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and the Savior of the whole world!
Finally, please continue to pray for the Chosen Generations Missions Conference, which will be held July 28-31, 2010 on the campus of the African Bible College in Lilongwe, Malawi. Specifically, please pray for a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all who will take part in this conference: the conference organizers, the speakers and attendees. Thank you. Special thanks to all of you who have responded to our appeal for your financial support towards this conference. May the LORD richly bless you all. Please pray and encourage others to do the same through our secure website: http://www.jtwministries.org/donate.html. Zikomo!
Until next week, I wish you a blessed weekend and a wonderful day of worshipping the LORD and fellowshipping with His people in your congregation this weekend.
In His Service,
Rev. Fletcher Matandika
President & Founder
Joy to the World Ministries, Inc.
“Taking the Whole Gospel, to the Whole Man and to the Whole World.”
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Week of June 13, 2010
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Dear Friends,
It is my great joy to write to you again to share some news from Joy to the World Ministries. First, let me express my deep and sincere gratitude to all of you who have been writing to let us know that you are standing with us in prayer. I give praise, glory and honor to the LORD who alone gives us His sufficient grace which enables us to do what He has called us to do. Without Him, we can do nothing. May His Name be greatly praised for what He has done, for what He is doing and for what He is going to do through JTW to touch many lives in Dzuwa and beyond.
This week, I would like to ask you to join me in praising the Lord and lifting up the following prayer items before His Holy Throne:
- The School Feeding Program at Dzuwa Full Primary (F.P.) School
The school feeding program recently introduced at Dzuwa Primary School has been a huge blessings to the students. I praise the Lord for how much this program has improved the students' attendance and academic performance. I am especially thankful to the LORD that the Dzuwa community has been committed to this program from the start, which has been essential to its success. Because they care about their children's future and place great value on education, parents are eager to do whatever is necessary to ensure that their children are doing well in school and receiving a good education. With the help of JTW, the Dzuwa community cultivated 4 to 5 acres of corn and soy beans, which they are currently harvesting. So far, they have harvested over fifty 50-kg. bags of maize (corn), plus four bags of soy beans, and they expect a few more bags by the end of the harvest season. As a result, the community will be able to continue providing food to the children of Dzuwa for the remainder of the year until the next harvest season. In addition, the community is also currently busy creating bricks for more teachers’ houses. These wonderful developments give me hope for the future, as it demonstrates that the community is ready and willing to embrace the responsibility for their own welfare. This is one example of our "No Hand-out" policy. Instead of giving hand-outs, we prefer giving people a hand-up so that they can develop themselves. It’s such a blessing to see that this is working in Dzuwa. Please join me in praising the LORD for this. Please also join me in praying for the children of Dzuwa. My prayer for them is that, in addition to having their minds fed with good education and their stomachs fed with good food, their hearts will be fed by the glorious Gospel of the LORD Jesus Christ.
- Missions Conference Seminars
For the first time, we will be conducting seminars at the “Chosen Generation Missions Conference.” My prayer is that these seminars will greatly benefit those who attend. The topics covered include: The Pastor and Missions, Women in Missions, Developing a Christ-Centered Vision for Your Ministry, as well as Joy to the World Ministries and Mission Opportunities in Malawi and Beyond. Please pray that these seminars will be used by the LORD in a very special way to touch the lives of the attendees. Please pray that the power of the Holy Spirit will help the presenters as they prepare for their seminar presentations. May all be done to the praise, glory and honor of the LORD.
- Our Missionaries
I am always very thankful to the LORD for every single one of the missionaries that He has called to serve Him through JTW. Each of them brings unique gifts and talents to JTW. Their individual and corporate contributions are truly vital to providing the hands and feet for the JTW's primary vision: Taking the Whole Gospel to the Whole Man and to the Whole World. Please join me in thanking the Lord for each one of them. Please also pray for God’s wisdom, strength and blessing in their lives as they continue to serve Him faithfully. I'd like to also ask you to pray for any future missionaries who join the JTW family. Please pray that the LORD will be the One who will set them apart and prepare their hearts and minds for faithful and fruitful service in His vineyard as JTW continues to grow and expand in Dzuwa and beyond. Finally, I would like to encourage you to please get in touch with at least one of our missionaries and offer them a word of encouragement and let them know that you are praying for them. You can do by sending an email to missionarysupport@jtwministries.org, and we will make sure that your message gets to the right person. Thank you very much for your prayers, support and encouragement.
I would like to close this e-mail by once again giving glory to the LORD for all the wonderful things that He is doing on behalf of His people in Dzuwa and elsewhere through JTW. My heart is filled with exceeding joy and gratitude for what the Lord is doing. I count myself highly favoured by the Lord to be numbered among His children and His servants. Please join me in singing to God’s praise the song of Mary, the Mother of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ in response to His grace upon each one of our lives:
"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever." Luke 1:46-56
Wishing you every blessing from the Lord. May you go throughout the rest of this week singing of the mercies of the Lord, His grace and faithfulness.
Your friend, brother and fellow servant in Christ,
Rev. Fletcher Matandika
President & Foundera
Joy to the World Ministriesa
“Taking the Whole Gospel, to the Whole Man and to the Whole World.”
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Week of May 30, 2010
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Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
I trust that you are all doing well in the Lord’s keeping. Thank you for your prayer support on behalf of Joy to the World Ministries. May the Lord richly bless you as you continue praising the Lord and praying for the ways He has shown and will show Himself strong through the work of JTW.
Here are the praise and prayer items for this week:
- School Feeding Program
In 2009, we became aware that many children at the Dzuwa Primary School were choosing to work for food during the growing season rather than come to school. In January, JTW therefore began to work with the Dzuwa community to implement a school feeding program (http://www.jtwministries.org/gallery.html#schoolfeeding). Today we praise the Lord that the children in Dzuwa are now being fed during the school day, causing attendance, their attention spans and academic performance to increase dramatically in recent months. We thank the Lord for the involvement and contributions of the Dzuwa community as well as the participation of the JTW missionaries, particularly our Director of Education Development, Mrs. Ulemu Chimzimu, for making this program a success. Please pray that for the continued success of this program.
- Microfinance Program
With starting capital of $130, JTW introduced a micro-finance program in 2006 to help women develop businesses that would provide additional income for their families. Ten women initially received loans ranging from $10 to $15. Today, there are thirty-four women involved in this program, and the loans range from $100 to $300. These women meet every other week for a Bible Study, to report on the progress of their businesses and to support one another in prayer. By selling chickens, vegetables, bread, tea, fabric and other goods, or by sewing clothing and providing other services, the women are quickly becoming self-sufficient contributors to their families’ income and are able to better feed their children and send them to school. JTW Women Development Officer (WDO), Mrs. Gloria Khembo, is responsible for the Microfinance Program and has reported that it is amazing to see the spiritual growth of these women through their Bible Studies. Please join us in praising the Lord for this program, and please pray that God will continue to bless these women’s spiritual and economic well-being.
- JTW Lighthouse Christian Center in Kasungu
On October 1, 2009, we opened the Lighthouse Christian Center (LCC) in Kasungu, a city located about 130km (80 miles) from Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. The primary goal of the LCC is to share the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with the people of Kasungu in collaboration with the local churches. The LCC also seeks to provide outstanding Christian literature in its library, as well as high-quality Internet access, computer training, and photocopying, printing and fax services. We also sell Bibles and other Christian books, as well as music, beverages and stationery. One of JTW’s missionaries, Ms. Jayne Powers, moved to Malawi in July 2009 from Scotland, where she had been a librarian at Oban High School. As the Manager of the LCC, Jayne has done a terrific job working with the other JTW missionaries to achieve the goals they have set. Praise the Lord! Please pray that the Lord will continue to use and bless the efforts of the LCC to reach and transform many lives in Kasungu with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank you very much for standing with us in prayer for these ministries as we strive to remain faithful and true to the vision of "Taking the Whole Gospel, to the Whole World and to the Whole Man" as entrusted to us by the Lord. May His Name indeed be made great among all the nations "from the rising of the sun even to its setting" (Malachi 1:11).
I wish you the Lord’s blessings for the remainder of the week.
Your brother & fellow servant in Christ,
Rev. Fletcher Matandika
President & Founder
Joy to the World Ministries, Inc.
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Week of May 23, 2010
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Greetings Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Thank you for your faithful prayers on behalf of Joy to the World Ministries. May the Lord richly bless you as you continue to remember us in your prayers this week and beyond to His glory!
Here are the three praise and prayer items for this week:
- The Vision of Joy to the World Ministries: “Taking the Whole Gospel to the Whole Man and to the Whole World”
I thank the Lord for the vision that he laid on my heart four years ago, that Joy to the World Ministries will “take the Whole Gospel to the Whole Man and to the Whole World.” Please pray that the Lord will continue to bless us and that JTW will always remain true and faith to this original vision. At JTW, we count it a great honour and privilege to labour with the LORD in the fulfilment of the prophecy of Malachi 1:11. May His Name indeed be made great among the nations from the rising of the sun even to its setting as He has decreed it!
- A Plentiful Harvest, A Few Laborers
Since JTW started in 2006, we have had many wonderful opportunities to reach out to the spiritually lost and the physically needy, many more than we had anticipated. I thank the Lord for our dedicated team of missionaries in Malawi, under the wonderful leadership of our National Director, Mr. Elliot Khembo, who have been doing a wonderful job in ministering to the needs of the people of Dzuwa Village and beyond. Please pray that our missionaries are joyful and bear much fruit as they face the many exciting challenges and wonderful opportunities in their work. Please also pray that the Lord would send us more labourers into this harvest field (Matthew 9:38) to meet our growing needs. Finally, please pray that the Lord will continue to provide financially for these missionaries each month. If you would like to partner with JTW Ministries in supporting one or more of our missionaries financially, please let us know. To find out how to make a gift to support our missionaries, please visit http://www.jtwministries.org/donate.html.
- Announcing the Launch of Joy to the World Magazine (JTW Magazine)
I am pleased to announce the Joy to the World Magazine, which will be launched this summer at the Chosen Generation Missions Conference. Through this magazine, we hope to reach many of the urban masses across Malawi with the solid teaching of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. We desire not only to teach the truth, but also defend it and use God’s Word to respond to erroneous teaching. Please pray that the Lord will use this magazine to equip the Church of Jesus Christ across Malawi and beyond to shine for Him in this dark world. Please pray for the successful launch of the first edition of the JTW Magazine, which will consist of articles, poems, sermons, questions and answers on “The Gospel of the Kingdom” based on Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Please also pray that there will be many more subsequent editions and that the Lord will provide faithful workers who will invest time, talents and resources to this magazine to the glory of God.
Thank you for partnering with us in prayer.
Your brother and fellow servant in Christ,
Rev. Fletcher Matandika
President & Founder
Joy to the World Ministries, Inc.
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Week of May 17, 2010
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Greetings Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I am very thankful to know that you are standing with us in prayer. I am confident that great things will follow as we all lifts our hearts to Him in prayer: “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him" (1 John 5:14-15). Ultimately, our prayer is that the Lord will continue to work through JTW so that lives are transformed spiritually and souls are transferred from the kingdom of darkness into His marvellous Kingdom of light to His praise, glory and honor for all eternity!
Here are the three praise and prayer items for this week:
- Fourth Anniversary for JTW: Tomorrow (Tuesday, May 18)
May 18 is a very special day in the history of JTW. On this day, I had the opportunity to meet with Luciano, the Chief of Dzuwa Village, and by God’s grace I shared with him the vision that the Lord had laid on my heart to establish a mission organization and mission station in his village. Luciano was and has been very supportive of the vision and work of JTW, and through his initiative, JTW received 171 acres of land to set up a base from which we are now able to reach out to the people of Dzuwa Village with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Please join me in giving thanks for the Chief of Dzuwa Village and for all of the missionaries who serve the Lord through JTW. Please pray that the Lord will bless and expand this work and enable us to reach not only the people of Dzuwa, but also those across Malawi, Africa, and to the ends of the earth to God’s praise! If you would like to read more about the start of Joy to the World Ministries, read My Week in Dzuwa, a letter I wrote after spending my first week in Dzuwa in 2006. You can also listen to a radio interview in which I shared the story of Dzuwa Village and the founding of JTW with Charles Morris on his weekly radio program, Haven Today. Lord willing, we will organize special events next year to celebrate our fifth anniversary and to give praise to the Lord for all that He has done and continues to do.
- Update on Medical Clinic
The discussions with the Malawi Government are still in progress and continuing well. Last week, Mr. Chimzimu and the team in Dzuwa started setting up the clinic and unpacking the various medical supplies and medicines that were shipped to Dzuwa with the help of High Desert Church in California. Praise the Lord! Please continue to pray for God’s hand and blessing as we continue these discussions this week. We are confident that the Malawi government will soon grant us a license to open and operate this clinic in Dzuwa.
- Third Annual Chosen Generation” Missions Conference (July 28-31, 2010)
Registration for the 2010 “Chosen Generation” Missions Conference has begun. There has been a growing interest across Malawi—especially among the young people and pastors—to attend this conference, which is very encouraging. Please pray that the Lord will bring all those whom He wants at this conference. Pray that the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ will be proclaimed faithfully, clearly and powerfully by all the speakers to God’s glory. I ask you to continue to pray that the Lord will stir up the hearts of many who attend to embrace and take up the call of God upon their lives to spread the good news of the glorious Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the salvation of the lost, the edification of the saints and to His praise, honor and glory! If you are able, I would like to ask you to join hands with us in supporting this initiative financially by sponsoring a group or an individual to attend this conference or by making a donation to help cover the conference expenses.
As always, on behalf of all the missionaries and board members of JTW, I thank you for your prayers. As the writer to the Hebrews put it, “Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honourably in all things” (Hebrews 13:18). Please pray for us that we may serve the Lord honourably; that we may faithfully execute our duties, use our talents and abilities; and that we may conduct ourselves in a manner that is worthy of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the glory of the LORD. May we be found blameless because of the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ our Savior!
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26). AMEN!!
Your brother and fellow servant in Christ,
Rev. Fletcher Matandika
President & Founder
Joy to the World Ministries, Inc.
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Week of May 10, 2010
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Greetings Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I greet you in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I trust that you all had a blessed time of worshipping the Lord and attending to His preached Word in your local churches yesterday. I had a blessed day in the ministry of God’s Word and I give praise to the Lord for that. “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever” (Psalm 107:1). Today, I would like to share the following three praise and prayer items with you and ask that you please join me and Joy to the World Ministries in lifting these praise and prayer items to the Lord this week. Thank you.
- Dzuwa Medical Clinic Discussions with the Malawi Government
As mentioned in last week’s email, Mr. Ronald Chimzimu (General Administrator for JTWMalawi) has resumed discussions with the Ministry of Health regardingthe new medical clinic that has yet open in Dzuwa. Praise God that there has been much progress! After visiting Dzuwa last Friday, a team from the Medical Council of Malawi (MCM) has told us they are ready to provide us with a license once we furnish the clinic with certain basic equipment. Mr. Chimzimu has also been meeting with the Lilongwe District Health Officer (DHO) and his staff, and they have promised to provide some of the essential medicines and supplies. They have also promised to send us medical staff who will be on the government payroll for at least the first two years. Please pray that we can move forward with these plans and that the clinic will open soon to help the many people in Dzuwa who desperately need it.
- Mr. Harold Juma Appointed Chaplain for the JTW Christian Lighthouse in Kasungu
Please join us in praising the Lord for Mr. Harold Juma, who has been appointed as the full-time Chaplain for The JTW Christian Lighthouse in Kasungu District. The Lord has been growing and blessing our business at the Lighthouse in Kasungu, where we minister to the spiritual needs of many people. Though we also hope to generate income to support the work of JTW, The Lighthouse is primarily a place from which we can reach out to the people of Kasungu with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, in collaboration with some of the local evangelical churches. We praise the Lord that Mr. Juma has kindly agreed to take up this responsibility in addition to his current ones as Director of Missions and Outreach. Please join us in praising the Lord for how the Lighthouse in Kasungu is reaching many people for Christ. Pray that the Lord will bless Mr. Juma’s ministry there with abundant spiritual fruit to His glory and to the salvation and transformation of many lives in Kasungu.
- Chosen Generation Missions Conference: Speakers & Seminar Facilitators
Finally, at a very personal level, I would like to share with you how much I am looking forward to the third annual Chosen Generation Missions Conference, which will take place from July 28-31 in Lilongwe. (Click here to view the conference bulletin.) I expect great things to happen through this conference. Please join me in thanking the Lord for the men who will be speaking at this conference in the plenary sessions: Mr. Lot Dzonzi, a wonderful man of God and a well-known evangelist from Lilongwe, Rev. Donald Macaskill and his twin brother, Rev. George Macaskill, both ordained ministers of the Gospel with the Associated Presbyterian Church in Scotland, Rev. Chatha Msangaambe of Kaning’a CCAP Church in Area 47, Lilongwe, who is also Vice Moderator of the Nkhoma Synod CCAP, Rev. Brian Kamwendo of Kasungu CCAP Church, who is also Senior Clerk for the Nkhoma Synod CCAP. I will be joining these men in bringing God’s Word at this conference. Please also pray for the following seminars: Women in Missions, The Pastor & Missions, JTW Ministries and Missions Opportunities in Malawi and Abroad, Developing A Christ–Centered Vision for Your Ministry, and others. Please pray for the anointing of the Lord by His Holy Spirit upon all the speakers and seminar facilitators and for much fruit to be born through this conference to the glorification of God’s Holy Name among the nations!
Thank you once again for joining hands with me and the entire JTW Family in lifting these praise and prayer items to the Lord! It is a joy and great blessing to know that you are lifting us up before the Lord as we seek to serve Him and His people diligently and faithfully every day. “Brethren pray for us” (1 Thessalonians 5:25).
Wishing you a blessed week!
In Christ,
Rev. Fletcher Matandika
President & Founder
Joy to the World Ministries, Inc.
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