A Letter from Janet Guyer, serving in Malawi
Spring 2022
Write to Janet Guyer
Individuals: Give online to E132192 in honor of Janet Guyer’s ministry
Congregations: Give to D500115 in honor of Janet Guyer’s ministry
Churches are asked to send donations through your congregation’s normal receiving site (this is usually your presbytery)
Dear friends,
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler…” Robert Frost
Thirty years ago, this quote headed up my first newsletter from Thailand as a Presbyterian mission co-worker. Since that time the road has been long and winding, working as a chaplain at Payap University, doing HIV and AIDS work alongside wonderful, committed colleagues on two continents, working with women and children and finally being a member of the staff of the Women’s Department of the Synod of Livingstonia, Church of Central Africa, Malawi. The years were full of joy and sadness, of excitement, of hope and of challenges that stretched my mind and heart. But through it all, of one thing I was confident and that was that God was walking beside me.
The time has come for those roads to diverge again. At the end of April, I will end service with the PC(USA). This will be a time of both joy and sadness, excitement, hope and anticipation of the challenges to come. It will start out as a retirement in which I will pick up a job somewhere along the line, but it is not all clear at the moment.
Thank you for your prayers, your friendship, your support and your commitment to the people with whom I worked. I ask for your continued prayers for our friends and colleagues in Malawi, in the Synod of Livingstonia and especially for the Women’s Department, for all who serve there and all they serve. Also, I ask prayers for Tumekutana, the Network of African Presbyterian and Reformed Women Leaders. Later this year they will be having a “Gathering,” which will meet via Zoom due to the uncertainties COVID has presented. This will be a huge challenge. Please pray for God’s guidance through this process.
As for me, I will be leaving Louisville at the beginning of May and going to Salem, Oregon where I anticipate living in the coming years. But for the summer, I will be in Malawi to pack up my house and say goodbye to friends and colleagues there.
In closing, these days Isaiah 43:1-4 has been a constant companion. Here are pieces of it.
“Do not fear for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name and you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers they will not sweep you away…. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…. You are precious and honored in my sight, and… I love you.”
My new email address is jguyer@pobox.com.
Please use this email address from May 1, 2022 onward. There may be a little time when I will not be able to access this email account at the beginning of May. If there is anything urgent, please call me at (502) 294 6704.
Blessings,
Janet
World Mission gives thanks for Rev. Janet Guyer’s long and faithful ministry, her gifts for connecting with and encouraging partners, and her deep concern for all of the members of Christ’s family around the world as she has served in Thailand, South Africa and Malawi. We are also grateful for members of the PC(USA) who have supported the ministries of dedicated mission co-workers such as Janet through your prayers, gifts and messages of encouragement. Those who wish to continue meaningful connection to partners in Malawi, such as Janet helped to nurture, should consider partnering with Rev. Cheryl Barnes, who serves as Education Facilitator for the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian in Lilongwe, with a special focus on safeguarding the rights of children and protecting young girls against violence. Gifts to support the ministry of Presbyterian mission co-worker Cheryl Barnes may be made to E132192 in honor of Rev. Cheryl Barnes. Gifts to support the ministry of other mission co-workers can be made in their honor to E132192.
You may freely reuse and distribute this article in its entirety for non-commercial purposes in any medium. Please include author attribution, photography credits, and a link to the original article. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDeratives 4.0 International License.