Sally Bryant is in Malawi! Sally has been an Empower missionary since 2009 and has a profound relationship with the people of Malawi. Please pray for her, her travel companions, and her host, Pastor Arnold Phiri. Please pray also for the people to whom she is ministering. As you read her report, you will recognize why they really need God’s word.
–Carrie
Here is Sally’s report:
Hello dear ones, a quick update from Malawi…
Today was our first day of training in Phalombe, an area where the hyena practice and widow cleansing are common. In the hyena practice, parents hire a man to rape their daughter when she reaches puberty. This is to “prepare” her for marriage.
Similarly, when a woman’s husband dies, the village believes she brought a curse upon the village and she must be “cleansed” in order to remove the curse from the village. The widow is “cleansed” by having sex with a man outside her village, without her consent.
For the first time in all of my trips, I heard that many men are hanging themselves, because they are feeling so much despair about their lives.
I asked Pastor Arnold how common the hyena and widow cleansing practices were in this area. He said it is very common, which is why he brought us here.
So please pray for this area. Pray these evil practices will be halted, pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten hearts and to change actions. Pray for Pastor Arnold as he travels with us. Pray for his wife Esther as she remains home with their children.
And please pray for us, that the Holy Spirit will speak through us and that the good news of the redemption and freedom we have in Jesus is clearly communicated and understood.
Love,
Sally