Partners in Mission Next-Steps: Kalamazoo Corps
21/07/2011
Submitted by Betsy Clark, Kalamazoo Corp
The Kalamazoo Corps began its partnership
with Malawi about three years ago
when the Partners in Missions Next-Steps Pilot Program was launched. In the
initial stage, the Kalamazoo Corps World Services contributions went directly
to support a project identified by The Salvation Army in the Malawi Territory.
The corps decided that in order to truly understand the work of The Salvation
Army in Malawi, it would be beneficial to send a team over to Malawi to learn
about the culture, people, and ministries of Malawi. In March 2009, four
members of the Kalamazoo Corps traveled to Malawi, where they first connected
with the officers and soldiers there. As a result of this discovery trip, the
Kalamazoo Corps significantly increased its World Services giving. The corps
planned a larger mission trip to Malawi for the following year, in order to
help with the dedication of the completed project which had been funded by
their previous year's World Services contributions. In May 2010, ten
individuals from the Kalamazoo Corps traveled to Malawi to lead a Territorial
Music School and serve as the band for the dedication of the Nkhata Bay Corps
Building Project. During this time, valuable friendships developed
between the officers, soldiers, and friends of the two congregations,
solidifying the partnership between the corps and their comrades in Malawi.
It was during these two trips that the
team members from Kalamazoo met
Captain Robert Mtengowalira and his wife, Lt. Veronica Mtengowalira.
Captain Robert and Lt. Veronica currently serve as section officers in a
southern region of Malawi. Captain Robert also serves as the Territorial
Bandmaster, coordinating the musical efforts of the corps bands in Malawi. As
such, it seemed appropriate to invite the Mtengowaliras to be special guests at
the Western Michigan/Northern Indiana Music Camp in 2011.
The Mtengowaliras were involved in all of the musical groups and electives
during the music camp, sharing the word of God and the love of Christ with all
of the campers who attended. They taught the campers a few Malawian tunes and
shared some special African instruments with the camp. In addition, their 7
month-old daughter, Elizabeth, often stole the show with her contagious smile
and pure joy. Captain Robert was extremely eager to see how a music camp is run
here in the United States. He hopes to create a similar camp for the musicians
in Malawi. Furthermore, the Mtengowaliras said over and over again how pleased
they were with how The Salvation Army has managed its resources here in the
United States. They were eager to return home to share their experiences with
the leadership in
Malawi.
In order to make these three special
trips happen, the Kalamazoo Corps participated in a variety of fund-raisers.
From spaghetti dinners to craft sales, the band members, Home League ladies,
and other corps members all did their part to help fund the trips to and from
Malawi. In addition, special memorial gifts were used to supplement these
fund-raisers in order to meet the entire costs of the trips. All of the funds
raised for the trips were above and beyond the corps' regular World Services
goal.
It can be hard to put the benefit of these trips into words. The connections
made between the Kalamazoo Corps people and the soldiers in Malawi will truly
last a lifetime. Despite the long distance, the ever-increasing flight costs,
and the time that spans between visits, the partnership created between
Kalamazoo and Malawi is something that only God could have orchestrated.
What a blessing it is to share in such a wonderful ministry with our brothers
and sisters in Christ from halfway across the world! Even more so, we have all
learned many things from each other. The Malawians have shared their hearts
with our corps and we have poured out as much love as we can muster. And God
has blessed us through this partnership.