Serving children and widows affected by the HIV/Aids pandemic through community development. Malawi is the poorest country in the world. 1 in 9 adults is HIV positive. 500,000+ children are considered orphans, having lost either one or both of their parents. Nearly 25,000 children in Malawi each year will be diagnosed having HIV/ Aids themselves transmitted either through birth or sexual transmission.
About us:
Bill and Janet currently reside in Mesa, Arizona, and are members of Mission Community Church. They have been in Arizona since October 2004 when the Lord called them out into the desert from their home in Illinois. They are blessed by two wonderful, adult sons Jonathon and Matthew.
In May 2007, Bill had a unique opportunity to go on a vision trip to Malawi, Africa, in an effort to move forward in our churchs vision: Do Justice, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with your God ~ Micah 6:8. There, he and the pastors found Somebody Cares, a ministry founded by Theresa Malila, ministering to both the physical and spiritual needs of the people in and around Malawi’s capital city of Lilongwe. They found orphans, widows and a lost generation who had been affected by the HIV/Aids pandemic that had swept through the country.
As the church began to partner with Somebody Cares Ministries, opportunities came for short-term teams to go to Malawi. Janet and Matthew were on one of those teams. The family soon became dear friends with Theresa Malila (Founder and Executive Director of Somebody Cares Ministries), her family and the entire staff of Somebody Cares. As Janet was preparing for her third trip to Malawi (7 weeks that time), Matthew turned and said “Mom, while you’re there, why don’t you just look for a house for us to live in?â Janet turned to Bill and asked if he had heard what their son had said. Bill turned and gently said, “Janet, I’ve known for a while that we were supposed to move to Malawi. I’ve been waiting for the Holy Spirit to tell you.â
So they have been called to go to Malawi to work alongside the staff of Somebody Cares. They are called to use their God-given talents (accounting, organization, administration) so that the staff of Somebody Cares can truly be in the communities around the capital city doing what is needed most: providing food, medicine and the Good News of Jesus Christ to the people of Malawi.
Janet is currently the Executive Assistant to the Founder and Executive Director, and Bill is in Finance working in accounting, budgets and processes for the office. We are blessed by what God is doing in Malawi and are thankful to be blessed by the people there as well.
