November 2019

wonderful harmony. Rhythm and harmony
are second nature to Malawians.
Everywhere we went on our Presbytery
visit we were greeted with joyous choirs,
beaming their welcome and loving the
chance to perform for us.
But back to Mikuyu No.2. It was hard to
recognise this group of men as just young
lads. The harsh living conditions and
wretched diet showed in their drawn
faces. Rev. Stanley had warned me of the
overcrowded facilities but was anxious I should see for
myself. Boiled pigeon peas is the unrelenting diet - the
only variation being when there is no food at all,
sometimes for as long as two days, he reported. With
the money I
collected from
parish and
hospital
donations, we
bought and
distributed
bags of Soya
pieces to
supplement
their diet and 6 large cartons of soap,
enough for over 400 prisoners.
Despite the obvious hardships and
deprivation the young men were suffering (some serving sentences for petty
crimes of theft of food, or a debt of £5 equivalent), there was still hope and joy
expressed in a poem by one lad, as he read ‘Jesus, friend to all’ written for the
occasion and fitting beautifully with the theme for my address.
Rev.Stanley was so grateful for all the
contributions from you all: the scores of reading
glasses, writing materials and the footballs.
Everything will be well used, I could see.
Our Presbytery group divided and re-grouped as
we met our different objectives. I was delighted
to see the kits for girls being distributed at
St.Anthony’s (Thondwe Girls Project) and to view
the proposed site for the Hen House Project. We
also signed a new Memorandum of Understanding
with the Twinning Committee, to strengthen the
links with Luwatala and Thondwe. In addition,
Namadidi Parish (Rev.Lucy) was very keen to reestablish
the connection with the UT parishes
after Rev. Bob Milne’s retirement.