Seeing and Hearing

"You are the God who sees me" Gen 16:13

We don't know how they did it. There never seemed to be much in the way of organisation, but somehow it did happen. On Saturday 10th, 40 students descended on our house for a leaving do / party for the final years organised by CMDF. The chairs and brai turned up. An army of cooks took over the kitchen, and a college vehicle was commandeered to get everyone to Smythe Rd. The food was good - as the photo shows, food is always a good draw for students! Events included an interview panel with 7 of the finalists. This was in turns embarrassing (previous relationships, unrequited love etc!), funny (tales of strange goings on in the back of lecture theatres) and poignant (friendships forged, support from CMF).

I found out an hour before the event I was to speak at it (I suppose there was some organisation). We looked together at the great verbs used to describe the Lord in Genesis and Exodus - how he hears and sees those who are in trouble; in particular, how he hears and sees the most unexpected or 'unimportant' people - Hagar, Ishmael, Leah, Rachel, the Israelites in Egypt e.g. Gen 21:17. Likewise he sees us in our work, hears our cries for our patients, hears their cries for healing and comfort, sees the poorest when the wealthy and powerful ignore them. It's great to know that our seeing and hearing God goes with us each day onto the wards!

New doctors

The class of 2004-2009 take their final exams in a few weeks - if they pass they'll be doctors by Christmas! On Saturday 10th, the Christian Medical Fellowship is hosting a lunch for all final years at our house. Many of the Christian students struggle to make the transition to the world of work with their faith intact.Please pray for students like Roderick (pictured here with one of the kids on the oncology ward) - entering a time of real change in his life.

Which is Witch?

“Pregnant woman gives birth to a stone. ‘Bewitched’ claims husband”

“Man resurrected by witch doctor six months after his funeral”

Newspapers are rarely dull in Malawi! These are just a few of the headlines that have appeared in the national newspapers in the last month. Speaking to people about these incidents has been very revealing. A few brave souls go against their cultural grain and say the stories are nonsense. Most people are troubled or even frightened by them – citing them as evidence of the pervasive, ongoing power of witchcraft. The stories provoked a debate in the national press. Is witchcraft real? It’s an interesting one for the church. On the one hand, the Bible is clear on the existence of supernatural malevolent power, and tells us not to get involved in occult activity. On the other, the fear of witchcraft has a tremendous grip on the lives of many people – a fear that is often stoked up by fire-brand preachers who peddle deliverance from its power. As a result we meet Christian people who pray fervently that their child will not start ‘flying at night’ (the trademark of witches) and live daily in fear. I can’t recall the exact quotation, but CS Lewis said there were two errors we could make about the devil. We can ignore him or pretend he doesn’t exist – the error of most Western secularists. Or we can pay too much attention to him, and live in terror of his power. Perhaps this is what we see in Malawi. Please pray for church leaders in Malawi that they will provide balanced, truthful Biblical teaching that sets people free.