Tyler’s Mother’s Visit

A Letter from Tyler Holm, serving in Malawi

Summer 2023

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My mom, Marian, is visiting us in Malawi. This is her fourth trip to Malawi. In this letter, she shares the changes that she has seen in the community and our work.

Dear friends,

This morning when I went out for my daily walk, I was struck by how smiles and laughter know no language barriers.  It seems that there are people walking everywhere. The children were on their way to school laughing and chatting together. The older children hardly dare glance at the old, white woman walking fast while the young children would often stop and stare at the strange sight walking without a large bundle on her head like their mother might have on her way to sell peanuts, bananas or avocados. While women are often walking with huge loads on their heads, men will often be walking alongside their bicycles with an extremely tall load of lumber or parts of trees piled very high on the seat. As always in past visits, the number of people walking is one of the things that seems extremely different than at home where we all drive everywhere.

Tyler’s Mom, Marian, visiting Mphatso, Rochelle and Tyler in Malawi. This is her fourth trip to Malawi and has seen some changes in the community and reflections on their work to share here.

Most of the time women wear simple chitenge cloth wrapped around as a skirt and always cover their knees and their upper arms. One can occasionally see a young woman wearing slacks or leggings at the university. At the English-speaking worship service on Sunday morning, almost all were wearing western dress, but very conservative and formal, jackets for the men and conservative dresses for the women. The university is near Tyler and Rochelle’s home church which attracts many young people. The service we attended starts at 6 a.m.! How many college students do you know would get up and go to a 6 a.m. service on Sunday?  As this was early in the academic term, there were not only hundreds in the congregation but additionally, they welcomed some 30 (!) visiting university students who were attending for the first time. I do have to say that not everyone was on time, but the auditorium was full by the time the sermon started. And how blessed would we be if we had 30 young adults new on a typical Sunday morning. As in past times that we have visited Malawi, I’ve been struck that men sit on one side of the sanctuary and women sit on the other side. The church service lasted over two hours and when it was over, hundreds more people were standing outside waiting to go in for the second service. The second service will have over a thousand attending with standing room only. Then there is a third service! It seems that there is a hunger for the Lord that is seldom seen in the U.S.

Tyler’s academic position at the University of Livingstonia Faculty of Theology continues as in all of my previous trips. This is my fourth visit to Malawi and as a mother, I am always pleased with the philosophy behind Presbyterian mission work and Tyler’s position at Ekwendeni. The old saying comes to mind of giving a person a fish and he will have food for a day but teach a person to fish and he will have food for life. Teaching seminary students so that they can go back to their communities knowing their customs and language and also looking like them seems much more productive than the older style of mission work. The seminary students were learning “to fish.” When I visited the seminary where Tyler teaches this trip, I was again struck by the warmth of the people who are students there and also by the staff. And that all these are leading and part of the vibrant church I have observed.

Each of the times that I have visited Malawi I am stuck by what a beautiful country it is. Mzuzu, where Tyler, Rochelle and Mphatso live, is surrounded by beautiful mountains. The area is very green due to the rains on this visit. The second week I arrived here, it rained for six days straight although usually constant rains have stopped by April, I have been told. It seemed like the amount of rainfall in Mzuzu during those six days was about what we get in a whole year in eastern Washington! Since this is the Southern Hemisphere, fall is starting with winter coming opposite our summers in the Northern Hemisphere. Despite the intense rains, the growing season is nearly over. The corn that has been planted in the small plots near walkways and other small plots is mature and will soon be harvested. The corn will feed families for an entire year since corn is a staple in Malawi.

The roads seem rougher than I remember in past visits. Usually, there would be huge potholes farther out in the country but this year it seems that there are many bumpy roads in town as well.  Maybe, because of the recent intense rains, the roads are worse. When it rains those holes in the roads fill up with water and it is deceptive how deep they are. With cars driving on the left side of the road, often for a split second, I will head for the opposite side of the car to sit in the front passenger seat and then will remember where I am. Driving in Mzuzu is something I do not want to do for many reasons! 

There are so many things that we in the U.S. take for granted. Besides good roads and being able to get what is on your grocery list, there often are power outages here. On this trip we’ve been fortunate to have power on the weekends but one time it was out for nearly three days. Last week it was out for 20 hours on one day and we never know if a 10-minute outage will extend to days. Tyler and Rochelle are well prepared after living here for many years and always have recharged lanterns and quick no-power dinner ideas. Sometimes the internet is “out” so one has to get creative and deal with what’s currently available, and sometimes that is a game of cards by lantern with my granddaughter Mphatso. 

As I look out at the hillside with the reddish-brown dirt road going up while writing this, I see people walking up and down the road with many of the houses having only parts of their roofs showing in the green, lush hillside as they build their house little-by-little. Maybe I will see some of these same neighbors on Sunday morning walking to church and maybe also some of these children will someday grow up to be students at the University of Livingstonia. I am reminded of the verse, “Where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth”  (Psalm 121). This experience reminds me of how grateful I am for the people who have been the Lord’s “hands and feet” and have prayed and financially supported to help Tyler and Rochelle’s work to continue for more than 10 years here in Mzuzu.

We (Rochelle and Tyler) are always thankful when visitors, family, or friends, are able to come and witness our work and lives. We are encouraged by their interest and all of your prayers and support of our work. Thank you and please continue.

Tyler