Manna for Malawi 2019
Manna for Malawi 2019 was a great success!!
This fifth annual event raised approximately $44,000. These funds will be used to purchase a truck for the farm in Malawi, for education for high school students, and food for the children.
The event featured the Johnny Holm Band which was very popular. Despite the rain fans stayed and listened to the music and danced. Everyone was enjoying the music.
Thank you to Maucieri’s Italian Bistro for the meal and to Mixed Company A Kava
House for the beverages. A special thank you to The Woodtick Inn for hosting this event.
As soon as possible $40,898 will be wired to Malawi. Of that money $30,000 will be used for the truck, $5,898 will be used for education, and $5,000 will be used for food.
There were activities for all ages, including a silent auction, face painting, hula hoops, balloon sculptures, and more!
Mark your calendars now for Manna For Malawi 2020 which will be held Sunday, June 28th and will feature the Johnny Holm Band.
Everyone is enjoying books at the new library
New and used books were given to Kanyenyeva Ministries to start a library at the orphan project.
A mission team from Ohio presented the books to the leadership of the orphan project. 
The mission team stated, “The focus of this mission was on literacy. High School students in Malawi must take national exams in English, but their native tongue is Chichewa. They literally have almost no books to read in order to increase their fluency. We were thrilled to start a library in Kanyenyeva with 230 books and more to come!”
Books were read to the children and they were able to look at them independently, also.
Everyone enjoyed the books, even the adults!
Johnny Holm Band to Perform for Manna for Malawi this weekend!
Johnny Holm will turn 70 this year. Yeah, 70 going on 35.
And he and the band will be in Cuyuna this weekend. The Johnny Holm Band will perform at this year’s Manna for Malawi fund raiser on Sunday, June 23rd at the Woodtick in Cuyuna, Minnesota. There is no admission to the four hour event, only a free will offering. The event runs from 4-8pm.
Holm is starting his show these days with the admission that he’s been doing this for 50 years. And thinks he’d like to stick around for another five or six! Holm says he feels good, pays attention to his health, and has even begun a yoga practice. As if running around on and off the stage during the show band’s rock and roll performance isn’t enough exercise for anyone, especially someone who is closing in on seven decades on the planet.
The regional band has been attracting audiences around the United States, primarily in the five-state area around where he began. Holm began his musical journey just down the road where he went to high school in Brainerd. One memory has it that Johnny was taking classes in Fargo for something or other and playing guitar in a local club. And the money was better at the club. Fast forward fifty years through countless bars, county fairs, bowling alleys, proms and late night private parties and the energy is as strong, infectious and invigorating as its ever been. Bring your dancing shoes. Johnny will insist on it.
Manna for Malawi 2019 runs from 4:00pm to 8:00pm. In addition to music, those who attend get to eat Italian food from Maucieri’s while they’re checking out the silent auction items.
Pastor Paul Mattson said his heart was touched as he saw first hand what Manna for Malawi has done and continues to do. Malawi is in southeastern Africa, the poorest nation in the world. Average income is less than $2 a day.
“When we were invited to help the mission 13 years ago, volunteers fed 400 hundred, once a week. Now, feeding takes place six days a week and gives up to a thousand African orphans get their only meal of the day,” Mattson added. Last year’s event raised more than $35,000 to help the organization buy a tractor for the farm bought the year before. Money raised this year will go for the feeding program, farm equipment, and education for orphan children.
Floods during growing season will decrease harvests in Malawi
Photo from the Times Group (www.times.mw/expect-more-floods-met-department-says/)
Please pray for the people and the country of Malawi. At least 56 people have died this year as a result of the flooding in Malawi. Most of the flooding has occurred in the southern part of the country. The orphan project is in the central area of the country and has received much rain but not deadly flooding.
According to The Malawi Times, at least 13 of the 28 districts in Malawi are affected by the flooding. The floods began as a result of Tropical Cyclone Desmond in late January and heavy rains have continued through February and March. These floods have affected at least 922,945 people and displaced at least 16,545 households, who are now living in camps.
The Village Civil Protection Committee has reported that most boreholes were underwater and 97% of latrines have collapsed in the flooded areas. The flooding will increase the likelihood of cholera and malaria in these areas.
The floods and heavy rains have also ruined their crops which were planted in December and January; this will increase the cost of food countrywide.
“An estimated 3.3 million people were assessed to be in need of food assistance until the start of the main harvest in April. The most food insecure districts are in the south, reflecting the impact of production shortfalls in 2018. As a result, many households depleted their food supplies from own-production earlier than normal, compelling households to access market supplies prematurely.
Moreover, the recent floods in the southern region, which have affected over 900 000 people, have further compounded the situation. Losses of food supplies, damages to the soon-to-be harvested 2019 crops and reduced access to markets, are likely to aggravate food security conditions. Heavy rainfall, forecast for much of the second dekad (set of 10 days) of March, could increase the risk of further flooding, potentially resulting in larger crop losses and interruptions to humanitarian operations.” (http://www.fao.org/giews/countrybrief/country.jsp?code=MWI)
Please pray for safety, housing and adequate nutrition for everyone. If you feel led to make sure the orphans have adequate nutrition, learn how to donate here.
