As we all now enter this Christmas season and the closing of 2024, it’s a tradition for many, to look back over the past 12 months to reflect and remember, and perhaps evaluate what was done or accomplished. For us, because of the “Gift of God” in His Body, we give Him all glory, praise and thanksgiving for His Holy Spirit, the Living Water poured out into the Malawian believers this past year.
The passage In John 4:10 comes to mind, where Jesus was deliberately waiting near a well of water for His opportunity to reason together (speaking the Truth in love) with a Samaritan woman so that she could know that He was sent from God, the Father, and in believing, receive eternal life.
“Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the “Gift of God”, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
Then in verse 13:
Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.
But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
Then the “Gift of God” in Ephesians 2:8-10
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the “Gift of God”, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Amen and Amen
Please join all of us who are involved with Ruth’s Shawl in honoring Him and thanking God for His indescribable Gift as you read this remembrance of Him in all He has done in this recollection of 2024 and all your prayers He has graciously answered for the Gospel’s sake in Malawi.
Rejoice, have a blessed Christmas as you remember His virgin birth, life, death and resurrection.
Be strong in His Word, faithful and courageous as you occupy until He comes. Maranatha!
The year 2024 has been very fruitful for Ruth’s Shawl as we have successfully endeavored to reach so many men, women, children and youth with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. He kept the doors open and gave the harvest for His kingdom. The Ruth’s Shawl teaching staff has been used by God to go and make disciples of all nations.
Children's and
Youth Ministry
The team has taken 43 weekly trips to Chigwirizano this year and has reached 280 children and 24 youth with the Gospel. 19 youth have professed Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The children have worked through 38 memory verses and 83 of them can recite 5 verses accurately. 21 of the children are now able to pray confidently and 8 of the youth can comfortably share their testimonies following the Evangelism Explosion training that Ruth’s Shawl (RS) provided them.
In Chorwe, the RS teaching team has taken 25 trips in which 129 children and approximately 14 youth have been reached with the Gospel. Seven of the youth believed and received Christ as their Savior! Besides receiving weekly Bible lessons the children worked on memorizing 25 Bible verses and 16 children can say 5 verses perfectly.
Training
and
Discipleship
God has done amazing things this year through Adult Literacy, Inductive Bible Study, and the Jesus Film within the scope of the training and discipleship department.
The Adult Literacy program started the year with 14 teachers and have recruited and trained 8 additional teachers to ensure that each of the 11 classes has 2 teachers each. This year 151 have graduated with a gift of their own Bible. The team was able to take four supervised trips to each of the classes bringing teaching materials, prayers and encouragement for the teachers.
The RS team made 25 visits to Chorwe for the ongoing Inductive Bible Study throughout the year, where an average of 30 adults attended weekly. We have been in the Book of John chapters 1 to 17. The attendees are very involved and participate in group discussions as they contribute and ask meaningful and relevant questions which shows how impactful the Bible study is for them.
One Jesus Film outreach happened in the year with around 200 attendees. RS worked in partnership with 4 churches and approximately 10 people accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior following watching the film.
Sponsored Students
Ruth’s Shawl has successfully completed another year of sponsorship for four full time students. The sponsorship helps these students in their secondary education with school fees, uniforms, and learning materials while also providing discipleship for spiritual growth. All four students passed their Junior Certificate Exams!
Inductive Bible Study Training
The team organized one Inductive Bible study training for 37 participants who represented 7 churches around Chorwe area. This training brought church leaders who normally work separately together in unity and gave them much needed Biblical training which they would otherwise not have access to. By the end of the training, church leaders were able to express the practical tools for studying the word of God inductively.
Youth Conference in Chigwirizano and Chorwe
Ruth’s Shawl held two successful youth conferences, each aiming at proving practical tools for Christian living. These conferences engaged the youth in meaningful discussions, worship, and fellowship. The main purpose for both conferences was to enhance a deeper Biblical understanding of God’s Word to teach them to develop an everyday walk and lifestyle that reflects their faith.
Both youth conferences – ‘Guidelines for Christian Living’ successfully addressed the needs of young Christians living a Christ-centered life. The feedback and outcomes from both events suggest the impact that these two events have had on the Ruth’s Shawl youth has been immense, leading to spiritual growth. An estimated total number of 63 youth attended these conferences.
Juvenile Prison Ministry
RS teaching team has visited the Bzyanzi Juvenile Prison 32 times this year. The average of 92 inmates have studied the book of Romans and a total of 40 inmates have given their lives to Christ. RS was blessed to distribute small hygiene products as well.
Inmates gather in small prayer groups after worship and teaching for discussion of the Word and prayer. This correlates with the questions they were asked and demonstrated that they took their private discussion seriously. After they present what they discussed, they express how the Bible studies have impacted their lives since they began the study. The feedback is overwhelming indeed lives are being changed.
A real life Malawian Prodigal Son: During one of the visits to the prison, one of the youths, approximately 16 or 17 years old, asked a RS team member if they could contact his family as they did not know where he was. His family lived in the most northern part of Malawi, but they were able to contact his family. His father travelled many miles by taking many different cabs to get to his son, just so that he could put his arms around his son again. When this young man was released he was able to be reunited with his family.
God isusing Ruth’s Shawl to make a positive impact on the lives of people in Malawi.
On October 21, 2024, the Ruth’s Shawl team embarked on a five-day’s journey to Ntchisi to celebrate the graduation of the Adult Literacy Class of 2024. This event not only marked the completion of the class of 2024, but also served as an opportunity to assess the impact of the program within the communities Ruth’s Shawl is serving.
The RS team engaged in discussions with a diverse group of villagers including former adult literacy learners, local chiefs, church leaders, and RS teachers. Their insights offered valuable perspectives on the program’s influence on the lives of adult learners and its contribution to the wider community.
Key questions explored during these discussions included:
How has the program affected the wider community?
How do program participants engage in community activities or service after completing the program?
Here is what they had to say:
Happy (church elder): Our church is lucky to be part of your program. Many of our members have learned to read and write. The Bibles they got are very helpful to our church. We can see how much this program has helped our church.
Vyson (former adult literacy learner): This curriculum has equipped me both physically and spiritually. I now feel confident to participate in various developmental activities in our community. At church, I can also be trusted with positions that require literacy skills.
Mphanzi (Group Village Headman): I have observed that many of the individuals who participated in this school are demonstrating positive behavior. They are eager to volunteer and engage in community service, contributing to a vibrant and active community.
Kamkondo (recent graduate): When I was approached about the opportunity for the Adult Literacy Program to start in my village, I did not hesitate to grant permission. The arrival of this program felt like an answered prayer, as I had been seeking such an opportunity for myself. That is why, when the school opened in our village this year, I was the first person to enroll.
I'm so excited because I can now read and write. I also got a Bible to help me learn more about my faith.
Through these engagements with various villagers, we reached an important conclusion about RS Adult Literacy Program. It is not only helping people learn to read and write, but it is also helping them grow closer to God. This program is making a big impact in people's lives, helping them grow as individuals and in their faith. We are so happy to see how God is using Ruth’s Shawl to make a positive impact on the lives of people in Malawi.
Village Life
Children having a snack outside their home
Indoor cooking stove (most cook outside)
Open Market Day shopping
Little ones learn about Jesus together
Pigs, dogs, cattle, and goats roam freely
The children gather to welcome the RS Team
Prayers and Petitions
Graduating students from the Adult Literacy Programs as they move forward with all that they have learned, continuing to study and share the Word.
Pray for the provision of funds to supply bicycles for teachers, enabling them to travel easily to and from their schools, which are far from their homes. May this initiative enhance their mobility and support their vital work in the Adult Literacy Program.
Wisdom for the Ruth’s Shawl Ministry as they pray and plan for 2025
Prayer for all teachers as they minister through literacy program
Pray for wisdom and possibility to train and empower particular God risen individuals within Chorwe to be equipped to teach and lead in Bible study.
Pray for the Chorwe youth ministry as interest among the youth seems to be diminishing. Uphold the male participation in the Adult Literacy Program to increase.
Provisions to accommodate more participants in Inductive Bible Study training
Prayer for the provisions to complete the building project in Lilongwe.
Gratitude for the funds of $12,573 that completed the Foundation of the RS building in Lilongwe in 2024
Prayer for funds of $62,000 to finish the building in 2025.
All labor with prayer and strong backs
Building a firm Foundation!
Foundation done!
The RS team would like to thank you for your continued prayers as we minister each day to do God's work as He leads. Please share this newsletter with your friends and church family and encourage them to pray for the work in Malawi.
Should you have any questions or have an interest in ministering with Ruth's Shawl in Malawi please contact us at contactus@ruthsshawl.org. or visit our website at www.ruthsshawl.org
