John and Hilda Van Gyssel had the song “Here I am, Lord,” on their minds as they set out for Malawi on October 16 to serve as International Relief Managers (IRMs) with World Renew.
“I love the song’s refrain,” explained Hilda. “‘Here I am Lord, is it I Lord? I have heard You calling in the night. I will go Lord, if you lead me. I will hold Your people in my heart.’ It ties in well with a verse we love, from Psalm 119:105: ‘Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.’”
The Van Gyssels, who are members of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, said that their years of Christian commitment provided them with a heart of service and willingness to give of their time to help those who need assistance. This couple has previously served as IRMs in Mozambique, Kenya and the Philippines. Prior to that, they were also involved in extensive volunteer opportunities through building projects in the Dominican Republic and throughout the USA. In Malawi, the Van Gyssels will be working with farmers who are struggling with acute food insecurity due to changing weather patterns that have caused crops to fail.
Malawi is just one of the countries in Southern Africa where El Nino has caused prolonged and severe drought.
Malawi is just one of the countries in Southern Africa where El Nino has caused prolonged and severe drought. With the weather now switching to La Nina (a weather pattern that can cause increased rainfall) the same communities are worried about possible flooding and continued crop failure. In February 2016, World Renew began a program to provide 350 families in Malawi with food packages and potato vines — a quickly maturing crop that could provide a source of basic food. Thanks to additional funding from the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, World Renew is now expanding its El Nino/La Nina response to provide monthly cash distributions to 1,000 households in Malawi for six months, allowing households to buy the food rations they need while also helping local vendors as food will be bought locally. This project will also provide households with early maturing maize seeds and sweet potato vines that will be ready to harvest in March 2017, when the monthly cash distributions come to an end.
“We look forward to being God’s servants once again, giving people a helping hand to help restore their crops with fresh seeds, so they have the opportunity to feed their families,” said John. “We also look forward to building new relationships with partner organizations where God has placed us.”
The Van Gyssels have prayed and trained for this opportunity in Malawi, and they ask for continued prayer as they go about their work in the coming three months. They know that this experience will be difficult at times– for them, for the people they’re working with, and for their families back home.
Hilda said: “We ask for your prayers for the people we are assisting, as it is not always easy for those struggling daily to ask and receive help. Pray that gentle rains may fall on their fields. It can also be difficult for us to see so many people suffering. We ask for prayers to help our patience, give us wisdom to deal with different cultures, and for discernment to make the right decisions. We also ask for your prayers for our families back home as they miss us and perhaps worry about us as we are so far away. Pray that God’s Word will be a source of support for us.”
