Boundless Opportunities

The Lord continues to bless us with boundless opportunities to share His word and encourage his flock in Malawi. Though our last letter was loaded with grieving concerns for the Church's direction in Malawi, we have softened as a result of your many prayers. Thank you.

Sam continues to have opportunities in rural areas every week to share the gospel. The five students he takes with him every week have also begun being asked to come and preach. Sam has visited churches in Dowa district twice this month. Dowa is a rural district about two hours from where we live. The district [and unfortunately the churches] are well-known for their involvement in witchcraft and dark practices. The response in these churches has been very encouraging. The people to whom we preach would say they are Christians, but it is a relationship driven almost exclusively by fear or social constraint. To preach grace and the Cross in the midst of that environment is a high privilege. So, thanks for praying that we press on. Of course, he is staying busy weekly in his classes and discipleship at the college.

LeAnne continues to be consumed and looked to as a resource for just about everything at the children's academy. It is always a delight to see her interacting with, and our daughters living with, children from all over the world. The academy truly has one of the most vibrant ministries in this region of Africa.

And the girls are doing well. Amber, Molly, and Sarah continue to thrive in this MK environment and we are delighting in watching them blossom in life and faith [if those can be separated???]

A few prayer requests, if you wouldn't mind:

1. This may sound strange, but we pray for things to get worse than they are. Right now Malawi has no fuel due to the nation's failure to have funds to pay for replenishment. We are stuck. Also, because the rainy season has begun, we have shaky electricity. Writing this email is a privilege - I'd better hurry. These things begin to weigh on you after a couple of days. But we believe the situation will not be improving any time soon. And so, we ask that you pray, it get WORSE!!!! Yes, I said it, worse. We have found that when we have to live like the Africans around us, our dependence on God heightens and our inner delight beams. So, pray for life to get tougher, please.

2. Pray for our many students who simply continue to struggle with school fees, the loss of loved ones [continuously], and courage to speak the truth in an environment where social belonging is the most important of all values. [That is, pray that the gospel will help them speak the truth in love and their fear of people's opinions would abate].

3. Last, pray for our dear supporters [YOU] who have marveled us with continued support. We have had only one church stop supporting us since the economic crisis. So thank you all for seeing the big picture and allowing us to serve you and Christ in this most needy place. Thank you for staying with us!!!! [By the way, Malawians do not know what a financial crisis is; they simply know it as life - past, present, and future].

His Face Upon You All,
The McDonalds
Sam, LeAnne, Amber Elizabeth, Molly Grace, Sarah Rose

Teachers Needed

Hello from Malawi,

I know this may seem really early for this request, but I want to start early, so if there is someone interested, then I can help with whatever needs to be done. I am asking if you are interested in teaching at ABC Christian Academy or know someone who is. Please pass this on to as many people as you can. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about anything. When it comes to moving to Malawi, there are no silly or dumb questions. I look forward to hearing from you and possibly from some people whom I have never met.

In Christ,

LeAnne McDonald
ABC Christian Academy

Newest Addition

This is the newest addition to our family. Her name is Sadie. She is a 7 1/2 week old Malti-Poo. Isn't she cute?

We Need a Booster Shot!

Praying friends,

Help! We need your help going to the throne of grace -- not so much for us, but for those whom we are trying to bring to the Lord's gospel. The longer we are here, the more overwhelming we find the work of influence.

No doubt, you have heard how "explosive" the church has been here in Africa; how growth has been unparalleled; perhaps, even how the center of Christianity has shifted. Those types of sentiments sell books and challenge our perspectives, but the reality of ground experience is quite different. The situation is desperate. Numbers are impressive, but few core gospel truths resound: Fear over Grace, External Behavior over Internal Reality, Performance over Substance, Privilege over Service.

I know -- this sounds familiar everywhere. And you'd be right. The difference is that the church here is so young and immature that it has little, if any discernment. And when a young church has little discernment, it will embrace anything that comes its way.

Let me give you a taste:

1) It is widely held in almost every denomination that Christians lose their salvation all the time. Assurance is never even a possibility.

2) There is an increasing movement within even the most conservative denominations to believe that Christians are really little gods entitled to success, abundance, and superiority (Thanks TBN!). This may sound an exaggeration, but I have heard two sermons outlining the following statements, and I quote:
"What do goats beget? Answer: goats. What do birds beget? Answer: Birds. Now read John 1:12. "To as many as believed gave he right to become sons of God. Now, what does this verse say? It says, God begets what?" My stomach sank.

Another occasion one preached: "God created Adam and Eve in heaven, not earth. Then he drove them to earth in a car."

I think two examples are enough.

3) Fundraisers are held about once a month during the church service where a "master of ceremonies" pours guilt on the impoverished to contribute to some building project to look better than the nearest competition. Those words are used exactly. The Lord's service is turned (without protest) into a den of robbers.

4) Many of our students refuse to become pastors because they are afraid people will think they are NOT believers. The prevalence of unbelieving shepherds is so profound that our heart simply breaks, breaks, breaks.

The good side is that we are having fruit, and we are seeing students "get it." But it is a slow, painful, and often frustrating process. And, moreover, once they "get it" the societal structure pressures them to just stay quiet. And so, we become like parents watching a child's addiction to heroin grow. You simply watch them kill themselves as they think life is okay.

Please pray for the Lord to pour out substance on the church here. Pray for doctrinal purity, for discernment, and for a continued to willingness to learn. And pray for us to remember that the Lord is never surprised nor taken off guard. He will preserve His church and He will build His kingdom.

Thanks for your help.

With a crying heart,
Sam McDonald

Beautiful Flowers

These flowers show just a glimpse of the beauty of Austria.

And then here is our beautiful flower, Sarah "Rose" with the beautiful roses. 

We love you and wish you could experience all this beauty with us.

LeAnne (for all 5 of us)