Wrap Up A Bicycle for Christmas!

A small, shy woman stood in the shadow of a humble mud brick home in central Malawi. Her voice was soft and her face angelic. My wife Kathy and I were deeply moved as she described her ministry in Home Based Care (HBC) with our champion partner, Somebody Cares Malawi (SCM). She worked as a volunteer, caring for dying widows and vulnerable orphans. That work involved two visits a week to her stricken patients, bathing, anointing bed sores, administering medications, taking vital signs measurements, supplying humble food stuffs and arranging transport to small country clinics for emergency care as needed. That transport was usually performed by placing the patient on the back of her bicycle and peddling or pushing several kilometres to a clinic. If the patient was too ill to remain upright, she would strap them to her own waist and then ride two up over the rough trails. This exhausting work often took most of a day.

She gently thanked us for the bicycle WOW had provided. “It has shortened my travel here and back to my home by three hours,” she said. “This then gives me time to care for my church.”

What?!!

She was a pastor.

This diminutive, slender woman was both a volunteer caregiver to the dying and a widow herself. To think she also pastored a flock of needy people was truly breathtaking. As a pastor, I was fully aware of the drain that ministry brings. Add to that twice weekly bike rides into far-flung rural villages to care for “the least of these”, as Jesus put it, and you have a perfect storm of stress. But her face showed no sign of fatigue. Her eyes were clear and her spirit at peace.

I turned to Kathy and whispered, “She’s a saint”, and meant it.

Her name is “Precious” and precious she is. As are the hundreds of our volunteers in Malawi, Zambia, South Africa, India, and Ukraine. They are “salt and light” in the darkest of places. They confront famine, disease, drought, and even war (Ukraine) with the indwelling Spirit of God empowering them. It’s humbling to think we can play a small part in their service.

You see the pictures we’ve included in this letter. They were taken recently when we were privileged to present new heavy-duty bicycles to volunteers in Malawi. The joy was total. Singing, dancing, praising God, these grateful volunteers created a dust cloud as the drums beat and their voices filled the air. A new bicycle meant new ministry horizons could be pursued. What’s more, the bike meant their selfless efforts were appreciated and rewarded.

There was similar joy and gratitude as we presented bicycles to many of our volunteers in Zambia, but with a twist. Our Impact Community Outreach (ICO) leader, pastor Eric Mwambelo, humbly asked if a few of the bikes could go to some of the pioneer pastors who were planting churches in the region. Well that was a no-brainer! “Of course!” I said. After all, WOW’s ministry is predicated on local church engagement and leadership. More churches more better. What’s more, those three new churches are already seeing two hundred plus in attendance. Many of the new believers have come to Christ through ICO’s HBC ministry.

By God’s grace, WOW is a fruitful field.

The more we plant, the more we reap. And “we” includes you!

This is the third Christmas where we are wrapping up bicycles for our godly volunteers. They are key to our growth. And your support is key to our effectiveness on the field.

One heavy duty bicycle costs $300 and a repair kit $20.

Why not make “Wrap Up A Bicycle” part of your gift-giving this Christmas?

The joy on the receiving end is priceless!