Malawi 2019 - July Edition
We are absolutely thrilled to have such a great group of people to serve and learn in Malawi this July! For most, this will be their very first time to Africa! A few are returning trip participants. We're anticipating a wonderful visit together.
Learning is at the heart of serving on a Love a Village team. As teams join in village life in Luhomero, they add to our understanding of both the capacity and significant needs in the community. Each team strengthens our partnership with our wonderful Malawian friends and builds our capacity to cultivate hope.
Please join us in praying for this terrific team and consider how you can financially support them.
If you'd like to support anyone in reaching their goal, please click the support button by their name.
You will be taken to our Donation page where you will have options of how you can support them.
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Ensure you include your full name (with middle initial), mailing address, email address, and name of team member.
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Tax receipts are issued for all donations of $25 or more.
Julie
Hello! My name is Julie. I'm the founder of Love a Village Mission, and I have the unique and wonderful privilege of taking Canadian friends, new and old, to Malawi to see how LAV is changing lives!
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Malawi has changed my life forever. In some really incredible ways, both with excitement and with a great deal of gut wrenching challenges. God has opened my eyes in ways I never knew possible. I have learned to question the ways our society, culture, background and experiences impact us and create "norms" we put our faith in so wholeheartedly.
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I've learned to look at my own life, and where I live, through a new lens. One that has caused me to rethink what we call " the blessings of living in Canada". I've begun to question why, without a choice of my own about where I was born, should I be given such "blessings". And if I've been given them without merit, what am I to do with them? I really do believe more and more wholeheartedly, because of my faith, that because we can't take anything with us, and that because all things belong to and come from God, that we are to take care of the poor, to not consume and keep things that have no eternal future. We are to give generously and live life simply.
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Ok, enough of the soap box - and please, no guilt - I'm just a girl who's been gripped by the paralyzing effect of extreme poverty and shaken to the core regarding what I'm to do about it. Much love all!
Hi! My name is Kyle. I've recently spent some time in South Africa learning about how the government and organizations have, and are working with the marginalized people of the country. When I first arrived, although very different from Malawi, I realized how much I missed Africa and the people there.
I’m really looking forward to being back in Malawi and spending time deepening my friendships and growing in my understanding of the needs and strengths of this country.
I'll be going for a longer time - 3 months - to be able to shadow Love a Village's partnering organization to learn what it's like on the ground on a day to day basis. I'm really excited to be able to spend time with Daniel and Khezzie, learning about what they do to implement LAV's projects, and offering help in whatever way I can.
I’ve seen many ways that God is working in Malawi and met many really great people there. I’m really looking forward to being back!
My name is Trevor. I was introduced to Malawi by my wife, Julie as she led our family to travel there in the summer of 2012. Since then, I’ve watched as God has opened up relationships and opportunities for Julie to start Love a Village and initiate numerous projects to improve lives. This trip will be my first opportunity to see the work that’s been unfolding since Love a Village formalized a partnership with Rural Development Partners. I’m excited to see the progress!
My name is Albert. I pastor Trinity Grace Church in Toronto. I’m excited for this mission trip for two reasons. First, our church proudly supports Julie Seath and Love a Village through prayer and finances. I’m excited to take our support to another level by having a few church members participate in a mission. Second, I hope my example of going to set a spark for other church members to be open to overseas short term mission trips. My goal is twofold: to see and celebrate Love a Village in action and to have my heart stretched all the more by God’s heart for the world.
Albert
My names Estera and I’ve heard of Love a Village through Julie, who is a member of my church, Trinity Grace Church!
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Being a part of the TGC family has really helped me grow in my Faith and I can’t help but feel a tug on my spirit, to go on this Once in a Lifetime Experience!
I am a born again Christian who fell in love with Jesus a few years ago. Finding Him was the best gift I have ever been given - I have never felt more in place, than I do in His family.
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Since then, I have been eager to try and seek His Will for my life, and even though I fall short everyday, I have confidence that He remains faithful and that nothing will snatch me out of His hand!
I love fitness, I love encouraging others, and I’m ready to humble myself and give my all to Jesus. I just want to do His Will. This is my journey!
Hey, I'm Rob and I'm thrilled to be a part of the July team to Malawi! I'm a busy guy, as a husband, a dad to two teens, and keeping my dog exercised. I'm a kindergarten teacher at the local school and involved in community building, through Good Shepherd Community Church and in my neighbourhood in Scarborough. I am excited to learn first hand the difference that Love a Village is making at cultivating hope among the community of Luhomero, in the 'warm heart of Africa'. My hope is that my heart will be warmed to renewed involvement in world mission and to be reminded that connection and loving relationships, rather than 'stuff', is what makes us rich.
Mark
Hi! My name is Mark, and I'm excited to return to Malawi with LAV. I am a mechanical engineer, now 3+ years out of school. I feel God is the first and best advocate for the poor, and He has given me resources I can use to help them. I am joining the July team in hopes to be a small part of how God is working in and changing Luhomero. In my previous trips, I learned a lot about extreme poverty and its effects on people's lives, and assisted the Malawian team where they asked me to. This trip I am particularly excited to see a beloved group of leaders in Luhomero who have been going through training to become Bible Study group leaders. When I met with them last year, their eagerness to learn and to help their community was a great encouragement to me. I hope to see the personal development plans they worked on last year, and the progress they've made.
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Aside from that, I am going with open eyes to see other good works God has prepared for us to do.
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Thank you for your prayers and support!
Kyla
Hello! My name is Kyla, and I heard about Love a Village through Mark and the missions reports he shared with our church after his trips to Malawi. I’m excited to journey to Malawi to visit Luhomero and its dear people for the first time in July - I’m sure I’ll return home with a very different perspective than when I leave!
I currently work as a transportation analyst for an engineering firm, but I’m looking forward to taking my eyes off of numbers and my computer screen for a few weeks and refocus on the work God is doing in Malawi through Love a Village. I’m seeking to embark on this journey with an open heart and to take in all that God has to teach me through Malawi and its people. My desire is to observe, learn, and help in whatever way I can while on the trip, but to also take what I see and learn in Malawi and share it with those here in Canada that may not know or understand what extreme poverty looks like (or how they can help in a meaningful way).
Jordan
Hey, I’m Jordan and I am a 17 year old high school student in Grade 11. I am planning to study Health Sciences for my undergraduate and work towards a medical degree. I hope to become a physician and help care for underprivileged children. I learned about Love a Village and its mission through Trinity Grace Church and felt that this would be a great opportunity to learn and be challenged.
Although I have travelled to many places, I have never been to the continent of Africa. I am excited and eager to learn more about Malawi and its people. I will be there for 3 weeks this July and hope to see from the ground how people live as well as the challenges they face day to day.
I know that I have been blessed in many ways, but also recognize that there are many things that I take for granted. My wish is that through this trip with Love a Village, I can have a better appreciation for the struggles that children in developing countries face and explore opportunities to become a better-informed advocate on their behalf.