Feel Good Stories

It was my first week in the field installing wells in Central Malawi. I was getting accustomed to the routine of bumpy long rides to well sites and being greeted by happy welcoming villagers. I was paired with veteran MMM volunteer Ellen Doshier who did a great job of teaching me the ropes. At one village site, a proud mother presented us with her newborn twins and we were honored to be able to hold their tiny bodies all wrapped up in beautiful chitenje cloth. The mother shown here behind us was beaming with great pride. I was so happy for this young family.

​

Ellen told me later that twins born in Malawi were a mixed blessing. Often due to the hardship of raising 2 infants at a time, the twins did not survive infancy. The Malawi government used to offer subsidies to families with twins but the government is no longer able to do this due to financial reasons.

​

The fact that this mother now has access to clean safe drinking water at just the right time for these newborns seemed to be a gift straight from our Creator.

​

Please join me in praying for these 2 new lives and for the work done by Marion Medical Mission through the grace of God working as the Body of Christ.

Where did I see God?

Once again, I was in Zambia, staying in the towns of Lundazi & Chipata. There would be days of driving over 2 hours before getting to the first well. My partner and I drove nearly 1,800 miles, and completed 96 wells. As a result, over 2,400 households now have clean water, serving over 24,000 people!

​

Where was God?

- Outside of Chipata, the villages were set in open plains with the mountains in the background. How beautiful. - Villages’ gardens, so green, often next to the new wells - Women singing with wonderful harmony at the wells - Villages excitement (especially children) when the truck would arrive - Willingness of the villagers to help carry the hand pump parts to the well - Children shouting muzungu (white person) - Children wanting to hold hands with muzungu walking to/from the wells - The excitement of all the people trying to get a taste of the clean water from the new well - Words cannot describe the feeling one has when you see clean water coming from a new well after walking by open contaminated water holes.

Where was God? God was everywhere!

Upon entering the village to install the next well, our truck was once again surrounded by celebrating villagers. Such excitement and joy embraced us. As I began to climb down from the driver’s seat of the truck, a 5 year old little barefoot girl came and immediately took my hand to escort me to the well site. I was told that her name was Wyneece. As we walked down the long and steep incline, she slowed to make sure I was safe – still holding tightly to my hand. She remained close beside me as the data was entered into the Android, the pump was installed, and the well dedication began. Wyneece’s Uncle, the Headman of the Village, opened the dedication with prayer and as I had done hundreds of times before, I knelt down beside the well and placed both of my hands on the top slab. Surprised to feel someone kneeling beside me, I opened my eyes to find Wyneece with head bowed. As I began to close my eyes, she placed her small little dusty hand on top of my hand where it remained until the final Amen.

​

When we returned to the truck – still hand in hand – her Uncle told our Field Officer that I was the first Mzungu (White person) she had ever seen. I will never forget the picture of her kneeling with me at the well. Some of our most memorable pictures cannot be captured by a camera – this is one of those - but it will remain forever in my heart.

Inscribed on top of every MMM well are the words "Glory to God" in English and in the native language. Each time the well is used the user is reminded to give thanks for "water is life." A simple statement, but very profound, after one spends a few days in East Africa.

​

After eight trips with MMM I still get excited watching clear clean water being discharged from the new pumps, especially after seeing the watering hole they replaced. More often than not, it is literally a hole in the ground, colored gray or green with cut-out steps leading down to a precarious landing where the mamas can kneel and dip their 5 gallon pail into the murky water.

​

Every year is a different experience. This year was special in that my niece accompanied me to Tanzania where together we installed and dedicated 251 protected water wells. The driving was still challenging, the walks difficult, yet the results were most gratifying: clean water for remote villages where previously they had shared their water resources with their livestock, dogs and wild animals. After every installation the villagers recited their thanks to Americans back home for providing support for this program and encouraged us to relate the continued need to the donors back home that their neighbors needed wells as much as they.

​

I enjoy watching the mamas intently paying attention to the installation supervisor demonstrating the proper use and care for the completed well. Even the men and children take an active interest. Everyone seems to want a turn at pumping and are amazed to see clear water discharging so effortlessly.

​

What we take for granted back home they see as a miracle. The prayer a villager gives at every dedication conveys a powerful thanksgiving for this life-giving substance. Even though it is in Swahili you can tell by their inflection, tone, length, and key words (baba=father, asante asante = thank you, thank you) that they are moved and are giving heartfelt thanks to God for this blessing. Sharing this experience always reminds me of the blessings I have received.

I wish every American could experience the excitement, the significance, the friendships, the difficulties, the hardships, the joys, and the community that participating in this mission brings. Three weeks in Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi working hand in hand with these Africans is if not life changing then certainly eye opening in many ways to forming or transforming one's world view.

​

New volunteers are always welcomed, one trip is rarely enough, once you have experienced an MMM trip.

Bringing clean water to these remote villages truly is a miracle that never gets old! Sharing in that accomplishment is a great joy.

"God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them." Hebrews 6:10

​

As we get closer and closer to Christmas, our "to-do" list often expands from busy to ridiculous, and we get more and more exhausted. Some days, it seems like we'll never get everything accomplished. One of our experienced volunteers, Jessi Stitt, shared about an exhausting day during this year's well season.

"On the last day of team one, my Field Officer told me that by 2 pm, no matter how many wells we had installed, we would be headed back to the hotel so we could prepare to leave the next morning. We hoped to install 9 wells. 2:45 came and went -- we'd been to seven well sites and I thought we were finished.

"But the last 2 are close together, so we'll do those." I wilted as my Field Officer pressed onward. I didn't say anything, but oh, how I wanted to sit and not go on. But we were changing lives and bringing water to those who need it. What is my tiredness compared to the 200 people who would get clean water? I could do this.

"And those last two wells were exactly what I needed. The number of people waiting for us, ready for the installations and dedications, with their energy, smiles and excitement, revived me. I bounced and played, splashed and hugged."

Much like our well volunteers experience each year, helping others in need isn't a burden, but an opportunity for renewing our faith, for bolstering our strength. God gives us what we need to keep going, even when we feel like we've reached our limits! We hope you'll find some time in the busy seasons of Advent & Christmas to look outward, to search for some of God's children who need your love and service; it will renew your energy.

"Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water."  Psalm 114:7-8

​

Water is mentioned in 363 verses in the Bible. God often performed miracles related to water. God spoke and separated the waters so that land appeared, parted the Red Sea and later the Jordan River for the children of Israel, and instructed Moses to tap a rock to get water. God told Moses to turn the Egyptians' water to blood with his staff. He also told him how to sweeten bitter waters with a branch. Many marriages came about after the people met at the well, including Sarah and Abraham, and Jacob and Rachel.

Jesus spoke to the woman at the well, turned water into wine, told His disciple to get money out of the mouth of a fish, walked on water, and calmed the water when the disciples were afraid of the storm. Jesus told the disciples where in the sea to fish and God's prophets, Elijah and Elisha, used their mantles to part the Jordan River.

​

Water miracles are nothing new, but they are a fresh reminder that God, the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, is still with us today, still doing the equivalent of pointing out the rock to tap in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia. The challenges remain, but God knows how to find and transport cement, pipes and pumps, just as He knew exactly where to direct the disciples to fish.

God is directing the steps of Team Two and all of MMM's African staff as they work to finish 2,900 wells before the rainy season begins. Please pray for their safety and for the families supporting the volunteers from afar. Pray that this year's wells will be a blessing to all who drink from them and that this year's total might be one more of God's "water miracles."

This was my third time for MMM and I was in Zambia this time. I have now been in all three countries, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia. The experience never gets old, it never becomes routine, it never ceases to amaze me how awesome this project is. Matter of fact, now that I have been there several times, I’m able to not be so overwhelmed by the initial culture shock and the change in climate or the severity of the roads. I was able to absorb more of the subtleties of the people, of Africa itself this time around. I was able to hear the songs of the birds, the chatter of the villagers, to watch the interactions between the villagers and each other and those who had come to the well. I focused more on their eyes this time, watching what they watched and watched them watching me. I was able to ask better questions of my Field Officers and thus learned more of the complexities of life in Africa. All of it just makes me ready to go back to continue to see this amazing project work. To participate in the “impossible.” To watch God at work and to see what God is doing in this amazing place called Africa.

Well season progresses and the miracles keep coming. As Team One is traveling back to the U.S., hundreds of wells are already complete! Thousands of people now have a clean, sustainable source of drinking water, improving their chances of having a healthy and productive future.

​

A long-time volunteer shared about her experiences last year as she and her partner installed 88 wells across Zambia. She says, "After each well has been installed, we conduct a dedication of the new protected water source. It starts with a prayer from someone in the community. We've heard two prayers that were in English! How humbling! Usually, I pray for the water and village, that the well will bring the citizens health and energy. When I got to hear the prayer from them, it was about God giving us strength to continue our work, to bless us and to bless those in America who helped them to get this safe, clean water."

​

While our volunteers and supporters at home are praying for the African villagers, those same people are often praying for us! How humbling, indeed!

​

These same villages are some of the poorest in the world - many families in the areas we serve survive on less than the equivalent of $3 per day, and yet, they give the volunteers and staff a multitude of gifts as their well installation is complete.

​

While we are blessed with abundance which we sometimes don't appreciate, those who live in total poverty without many of the things Americans consider essential are looking outside of themselves and praying for us. They have almost no material possessions, but they give what they have and, in generosity, they share with totally open hearts.

​

Join with us now to pray for the volunteers, the staff, and most of all, the African people who are praying for you. There is still much work to do before the rains come in November -- many would say the task ahead impossible to complete. However, together, we make the impossible possible!

This was my 3rd trip with Marion Medical Mission and it could not have been better. Four of were sent to Zambia and the camaraderie was extraordinary. Our alarms went off at 4:45, devotions at 5:30 and then off to start the well installations.

​

The people who fascinated me the most were the field officers. This year we had a very special man, Goodwin Banda. Goodwin is an intelligent, committed Christian and family man and he certainly enjoyed conversing with us. This included the serious, as well as the light-hearted conversations.

​

I asked where the next well was located, and he replied "it is very far, quite a long distance." I then, jokingly, asked why he didn't ever say that it is near, it is close by. He replied, "somebody else can get the easy ones, only Marion would go through such obstacles to get the hard ones." He also reported that MMM has a good reputation. I presumed that he was talking about those Zambians seeking employment with NGOs.

​

This got me thinking about a book I had recently read, "When Helping Hurts" by Corbett & Fikkert. In this book, which is often quoted by other writers on this subject, they explain some of the do's and don'ts with regard to helping the poor. I found that MMM does not violate any of the don'ts and does most of the do's.

I think all of the volunteers want to feel good about the organization they are assisting. After reading the book and knowing MMM's funding practices and promises to donors, I couldn't be happier or more grateful to have served with Marion Medical Mission.

"God, I lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1-2

Sometimes, help comes from unexpected places...and yet, it always comes from God's infinite love for us. Pastor Laurie Fields experienced her help LITERALLY from the hills on her recent trip to Africa.

It had been a very long, hot day with very hilly hiking to and from the well sites; it was already after 3:00 PM, but there was still one more well to finish before the day could end. Walking up a ravine to the truck, Laurie began to lag behind.

"All of a sudden, I heard the sound of a motorbike coming up the hill. My partner, Jessi, turned around and told me, "You're getting a ride!" I climbed on the bike, and after about two only slightly terrifying minutes, I was being dropped off next to the MMM truck. I told the driver, 'Towanga Chomeni;' he said the same before he took off. Instead of being the last one back, I had about 4 or 5 minutes to take in the beautiful scenery of Malawi before the rest of the group arrived and we left for that final well of the day.

"There was more than one moment in Malawi when I wondered if I had the strength to keep going. It was hard - physically, mentally, emotionally - to keep getting up every day, driving and walking, talking and seeing village after village as we installed and dedicated wells. It was beautiful and amazing and wonderful, as well - but it was also hard. But each time I started to wonder about my own strength, I found that I experienced grace in that moment, as well. Sometimes it was an earlier than expected lunch break. Sometimes it was a Sunday to rest, when I just knew I couldn't manage another day of well installations. And sometimes, it was a villager on a motorbike offering a ride up a steep hill. Our strength may falter, but God's grace prevails - sometimes in something as ordinary, and unexpected, as a motor bike. Thanks be to God!"

Most of us will face challenges that have little to do with climbing mountains, but we still have personal struggles. We pray you will be able to look up and find help in an unusual and unexpected solution...and that you'll know it came from Him.

“But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’. The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’ Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.’”

Luke 10:29, 37

​

At the end of the dedication service of a new well, we leave space for the community to speak. Along with much gratitude for this amazing gift of clean water that will change lives, often comes a request. “Don’t stop. Please, continue to help our neighbors. Do not forget our neighbor villages that have the same problem of water. Please remember that while we now have clean water, the work is not done."

​

Last year we drove past a well that was installed in 2010. We stopped and I filled my water bottles from that well! It still worked! Nine years of clean water and we (MMM) were back “in the neighborhood” helping a nearby village with access to clean water. We were helping their neighbors, our neighbors.

​

This spring, I met many of my neighbors who live near to my house. Neighbors I hadn’t met despite having lived here for over a year. Spending more time at home and in the neighborhood, I found myself reaching out both in my physical space (while also keeping a safe distance) and online. I volunteered at the local food bank and supported the food distribution relief from flooding in Malawi.

​

I spent more time with the question, “Who are my neighbors?” I heard a voice from Malawi say, “Christ loves you and we see Christ in you. Thank you for showing Christ’s love for us.”

Application Question: How can you show that you are loving your neighbors today? How can you show Christ’s love?

Prayer: Creator God, thank you for the energy and community you give us. Help us to show our neighbors near and far your light and love in this world. Re-create us and energize us to continue in your love this day and always. Amen.

"God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them." Hebrews 6:10

​

As we get closer and closer to Christmas, our "to-do" list often expands from busy to ridiculous, and we get more and more exhausted. Some days, it seems like we'll never get everything accomplished. One of our experienced volunteers, Jessi Stitt, shared about an exhausting day during this year's well season.

​

"On the last day of team one, my Field Officer told me that by 2 pm, no matter how many wells we had installed, we would be headed back to the hotel so we could prepare to leave the next morning. We hoped to install 9 wells. 2:45 came and went -- we'd been to seven well sites and I thought we were finished.

​

"But the last 2 are close together, so we'll do those." I wilted as my Field Officer pressed onward. I didn't say anything, but oh, how I wanted to sit and not go on. But we were changing lives and bringing water to those who need it. What is my tiredness compared to the 200 people who would get clean water? I could do this.

​

"And those last two wells were exactly what I needed. The number of people waiting for us, ready for the installations and dedications, with their energy, smiles and excitement, revived me. I bounced and played, splashed and hugged."

Much like our well volunteers experience each year, helping others in need isn't a burden, but an opportunity for renewing our faith, for bolstering our strength. God gives us what we need to keep going, even when we feel like we've reached our limits! We hope you'll find some time in the busy seasons of Advent & Christmas to look outward, to search for some of God's children who need your love and service; it will renew your energy.

Heavy rains in January, February and March of 2020 caused massive flooding in the Karonga District of northern Malawi.

Homes, businesses and crops were destroyed, leaving many living in tents without adequate basic needs. On March 18,

just as quarantine was being enforced in the U.S., Marion Medical Mission’s Coordinator, Mr. Vyalema Khosa, sent word

that many were starving. MMM immediately responded, providing $25,000 to purchase maize (corn) to feed the hungry.

​

850 110-pound bags of maize were purchased; each bag to provide a family of 6 the food needed for a month. By March

21st , the maize had been purchased and distributed, 8,500 miles away in the African country of Malawi. It took only 3

days.

Marion Medical Mission put the word out and many responded. Our funding goal was reached in record time.

As a result, we were able to send the second $25,000 on March 30th , and 1025 110-pound bags of maize were

purchased. By April 1st , the maize had been distributed. A 2-day turn around, from purchase to distribution.

​

In a matter of a few days, 1,875 bags of maize were purchased and distributed providing over 11,250 people the

food they needed for a month; a cost of $4.44 to feed a hungry person for a month.

​

Marion Medical Mission’s African Coordinators, Field Officers, Installation Supervisors are the best! None better.

They represent honesty, leadership, compassion, heart, skill, expertise, efficiency, effectiveness, and teamwork.

Jesus said loving your neighbor as yourself is like loving God, the first and greatest commandment.

Make love your aim. What you do speaks so loud I can’t hear what you say. The time is now. When we pray we

move our feet.

In August of 2015, Marion Medical Mission learned Malawi was facing a terrible famine and many people were on the verge of starvation. We set a goal to raise $100,000 to buy maize to help feed the people.

Marion Medical Mission put the word out that a family of 6 could be fed for an entire month for just $20. This $20 was to buy a 110-pound bag of maize and get it distributed to the family at risk.

Rev. Kachapapa, General Secretary of the Synod of Nkhoma, asked the leadership of each rural congregation in the Central Region of Malawi to get together with the Traditional Authorities and select 250 of the most vulnerable families in each area.

The last distribution was in Liziri in the Kasungu District in late October 2016, 1782 families showed up hoping they might get maize. We had 250 bags to distribute to the 250 families that had been identified. After half bags had been distributed, I got up and walked around the side of the church building. There were two 110-pound bags of maize on the ground. They had been opened and the maize was being put into smaller sacks and buckets. I looked across the dirt road and they were doing the same thing there...and, also, in the distance under some trees. Confused, I turned to Mr. Khosa and asked what was going on...he said: "they were sharing the maize they got with the families that didn't get any."

When Mamma Jocelyn was able to pull all the numbers together to determine the total cost, we found out the $20 to feed a family of 6 for a month was wrong…it was $17.54. At the end of the day, 47,000, 110-pound bags of maize had been purchased and distributed. Who is good at math? 47,000 times $17.54 is $824,380. HELLO.

There is not a shortage of resources. There is not a shortage of food to feed the hungry. God has given us more than enough.

My solution to everything is the same. Very simple. Whatever the problem, the difficulty, the tragedy; pray, then dig a well. Be involved in a miracle. Share Christ's love. Feed the hungry, give the thirsty safe drinking water; go the 2nd mile to greet those who look different, are different, believe different…let them move ahead in line, buy their lunch (even and especially those you don’t know), smile and make them feel welcome…at the grocery store, gas station, restaurant…wherever. We must not wait. Jesus has called us. Together as God’s people the impossible is possible. Apart, the possible is impossible. Let's pray, move our feet, and dig a well.

Only together can we be who God created us to be.

“Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,

because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

1 Corinthians 15:58b

Each weekday, a good, long-time friend sends me an on-line devotional from Max

Lucado. This particular one struck home for me and MMM. Here is Max’s devotional.

"A few years back, three questions came from different people in the span of a month.

Question 1: Had you been a German Christian during World War II, would you have

taken a stand against Hitler?

Question 2: Had you lived in the South during the civil rights conflict, would you have

taken a stand against racism?

Question 3: When your grandchildren discover you lived during a day in which

1.75 billion people were poor and 1 billion were hungry, how will they judge your

response?

I didn’t mind the first two questions. Those choices were not mine. But the third question

has kept me awake at night. We are given an opportunity to make a big difference during

a difficult time. We are created by a God to do great works. He invites us to outlive our

lives, not just in heaven but here on earth.” (end of Lucado devotional)

When I read this devotion, the third question convicted me that the work we do in Africa

is extremely important, not just for how we live our lives for the Lord, but it allows us

to set an example for our family, children and grandchildren as to how they too should

live their lives. During my military and corporate experience, I have had the opportunity

to be placed in many leadership roles. It has always been my philosophy that I should

lead by example and I should never expect someone to do something I would not do.

Through our work with MMM, we have this unique opportunity to make a difference in

the lives of others and illustrate to our family how they can do the same. We give praise

to our God who has given us the health and ability to make trips to Africa.

Application Question: How will you make a difference in the lives of the people you

encounter today?

Prayer: Gracious God, show us your presence and guidance in our lives today so we will

make a difference to the people we have an opportunity to serve through MMM.

Amen.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

Don’t Give Up! This last year was my second trip to Africa with MMM. I remember the previous year I felt the familiar pull of the Holy Spirit on my heart. “You want me to go where, Lord?” I felt so unqualified. When I finally arrived, I was so overwhelmed by the things I saw. There was need everywhere. What difference did it make if I was there? It didn’t feel like it was going to do much.

This year, I remember getting out of the truck and seeing a sea of tiny faces staring back at me. At first a lot of the kids were afraid of me, but by the end of the dedication I had made seven new friends. The second well was close, so we all walked over and repeated the process as a group. When we finished, I said goodbye to my friends and hopped in the truck. When I opened the door at the next well, I was surprised to see my same seven friends smiling at me from ear to ear. Somehow, they had raced ahead of the truck and beat us to the next well. They did this five more times that day.

On one of the longer walks, one of the girls stopped and took a drink of water out of the old water source. This wasn’t my first year, so I shouldn’t have been surprised to see this. But this girl was my friend now. This was a girl that I had played with, laughed with, and skipped with, and who, Lord willing, will never have to drink from that contaminated water source again.

Sometimes the need seems overwhelming. Sometimes we wonder if what we are doing is really making a difference at all. But we worship a God who sees everything. He saw the need of my friend in Africa and allowed me to be a part of answering that need. He sees the need of your neighbor, near and far, and has called you play a role in answering it. There is no need too big for our God to handle. He will empower you to do the things He has called you to. Trust in Him and watch Him do the rest.

Application Question: How is the Lord asking me to persevere in the things He has called me to do?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve your children near and far. Please continue to strengthen us and bless us with the perseverance to do the things you have called us to do. Amen.

“Looking at his disciples, he said: 1

‘Blessed are you who are poor,

for yours is the kingdom of God.’”

Luke 6:20

Malawi, where MMM launched its protected water program, is consistently near the top of the list of the poorest countries in the world. Infant mortality rates are high, literacy is low. Economic opportunity for the vast majority is nearly non-existent. Simply put, those who are the benefactors of MMM’s efforts are among the “least of these” in the entire world when it comes to material wealth. It would be easy to pity the villagers as some of the poorest emerge from mud hut houses and gather for the well dedications barefooted and wearing rags.

Don’t. Look past the surface you will see the richness of their world.

Our materialistic culture has brainwashed us into thinking happiness and fulfillment come through the stuff we own, the cars we drive, the vacations we take, the restaurants we frequent, the jewelry we wear, the houses in which we live. Our money-oriented mindset frequently makes us blind to the things which really matter.

Those whom we serve through MMM are among the richest individuals I’ve ever met in the things which God says matters most. They enjoy rich relationships with family and friends. They have an overflowing joy that resides deep in their hearts and is lavished upon others. They possess a profound personal faith in God that is only magnified when they gather for corporate worship. They prosper in authenticity, sincerity, generosity, passion, and unconditional love. They are wealthy beyond

measure.

The gift which we give through MMM allows them to enjoy these Godly virtues for longer since their physical suffering will be lessened and their lives extended but don’t be misled. While they lack material wealth, they are rich.

Application Question: Is my life rich in the things which really matter most?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please allow me to gain an eternal perspective and adjust my priorities accordingly. May I not reach the top of the ladder of success to find that it is leaning against the wrong wall. Allow me to see the altruistic wealth of those whom I serve today who live in abject poverty. May I be inspired to emulate their purest virtues. In the precious Name of your Son Jesus I pray, Amen.