Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Happy New Year

Because we are traveling to a third world country it is required that we get a series of shots before making the trip. Below is a list of shots required and the cost. Fortunately I don't have much of a problem with needles.

Hep A - $35 Yellow Fever $96 Typhoid - $67 Polio Booster - $27

We have our next meeting January 11th. We will develope a timeline/calendar for the next 7 months until we leave. I plan to take a picture of the team at our next meeting and post it on the blog.

Happy New Year!

Malawi Mission Team

Friday, December 12, 2008

Map and Basic Facts About Malawi









Location: Malawi is in Southern Africa, east of Zambia.

Land Boundaries: Mozambique 1,569 km, Tanzania 475 km, and Zambia 837 km.

Geography: The size of Malawi is 118,480 sq km, slightly smaller than Pennsylvania, US. The terrain is made up of a narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, and some mountains. Lake Malawi, some 580 km long, is the country's most prominent physical feature. The climate is sub-tropical; with a rainy season (November to May); and a dry season (May to November). The lowest point in Malawi is at the junction of the Shire River and the border of Mozambique, at 37m above sea level. The highest point is Sapitwa the highest peak on the Mulanje Mountain which stands at 3,002 m. Malawi is a landlocked country.

Population: Just over 13 million people live in Malawi. Life expectancy is around 41 years. Birth rate is on average 5.9 per woman. 14% of the population is believed to have HIV/AIDS. Literacy rate is just over 62%.
Languages: Chichewa 57.2% (official), Chinyanja 12.8%, Chiyao 10.1%, Chitumbuka 9.5%, Chisena 2.7%, Chilomwe 2.4%, Chitonga 1.7%, and other 3.6%.

Ethnic Groups: Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, and European
Religion: Christian 79.9%, Muslim 12.8%, other 3%, and none 4.3%

Political History: Established in 1891, the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades of one-party rule under President Hastings Kamuzu Banda the country held multiparty elections in 1994, under a provisional constitution which came into full effect the following year. Current President Bingu wa Mutharika, elected in May 2004 after a failed attempt by the previous president to amend the constitution to permit another term, has struggled to assert his authority against his predecessor, who still leads their shared political party. Mutharika's anti-corruption efforts have led to several high-level arrests and one prominent conviction. Increasing corruption, population growth, increasing pressure on agricultural lands, and the spread of HIV/AIDS pose major problems for the country.

Economic Overview: Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world's least developed countries. The economy is predominately agricultural, with about 90% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture accounted for nearly 36% of GDP and 80% of export revenues in 2005. The performance of the tobacco sector is key to short-term growth as tobacco accounts for over 60% of exports. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations. In late 2000, Malawi was approved for relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program. The government faces strong challenges, including developing a market economy, improving educational facilities, facing up to environmental problems, dealing with the rapidly growing problem of HIV/AIDS, and satisfying foreign donors that fiscal discipline is being tightened. In 2005, President Mutharika championed an anticorruption campaign. Malawi's recent fiscal policy performance has been very strong, but a serious drought in 2005 and 2006 will heighten pressure on the government to increase spending.

A little About Myself


My name is Brian Taylor and I am a member of Calvary Church in St. Peters Missouri. I am very active with the Open Arms Ministry for Orphans, Foster Care and Adoption. I am Married to Bo and we have three wonderful children, Jake (10), Abby (8), Nick (4).


I was adopted at birth by two amazing people Gentry and Elaine Taylor. Gentry and Elaine adopted three children, Mark who is two years older than me and Janet who is four years older than me. In addition to three adoption's, Gentry and Elaine provided foster care to 250 plus children over a 46 year period. There contributions to the world and the lives of the children they cared for is not easily matched.


Having been adopted and being raised around foster children I have always had a special place in my heart for what God calls "The Least of These".


With my involvement with Open Arms I have become intimately aware of the incredible issue surrounding orphans in Africa. It is for this reason I am accepting this responsibility to travel to Malawi with the Calvary Mission Trip to minister to Orphans and do whatever I am called to do to provide hope for these orphans.
God Bless You


Thursday, December 11, 2008

Malawi Mission Trip to Africa



I will be joining the Calvary Church missions team traveling to Malawi Africa in July 2009 to minister to orphans and others in need. In the book of Mathew, Jesus implores his followers to care for the "Least of These". The Children we'll be helping are the unfortunate victims of HIV/AIDS and other tragic circumstances. Our team will be conducting a vacation bible school program with the assistance of our African Bible College Missionary partners, Steve and Marion Spencer as an opportunity to demonstrate to these kids, in very tangible ways, the good news of Jesus' Love.

Below are some staggering statistics about orphans. It is for these reasons and my own personal experiences that I feel very strongly that I want to do what I can to help these orphans. Please consider supporting our missions team and this mission trip.

You can assist in two important ways.

First, we’d ask you to consider being a part of our prayer team, committing to pray for us as we prepare and then as we serve. Prayer is a key component of each mission trip, and we’re asking God to prepare our hearts with the boldness and courage to share His love. If you’re able to join in this important aspect of our work, we’ll keep you updated with prayer requests during the preparation period and while we’re in Malawi.

Second, as you can imagine, a trip of this nature is costly. Each team member will commit personal resources, Calvary Church has provided a contribution from its scholarship fund and, as a team, we are sending these letters of request for support to our friends who may have a desire to assist financially. The total cost per person is $3500.00-$4000.00

If you are able to join us as a prayer and/or financial partner, please email me at bwtaylor10@sbcglobal.net and in the subject line please put Malawi Mission Trip Support and I will email you a copy of this letter along with a sponsorship form.

You will be provided a receipt for your tax purposes. A gift of any amount will be very much appreciated!

Throughout the Bible, God Shares his compassion, His Love and His special concern for the most vulnerable among us-The Orphan. In fact the Bible mentions the importance of caring for these individuals more than 60 times. Why would God tell us that caring for orphans is pure and undefiled religion? Maybe its because the world sees God’s heart when he works through his people to help the helpless.

God Bless You


Orphan Statistics

130 Million Orphans in the world today
By 2010 the number of children orphaned by AIDS is expected to exceed 25 Million
20 Percent of households with children in Southern Africa are caring for one or more orphans
Every 15 Seconds another child becomes an AIDS Orphan in Africa
Welcome to the Malawi Africa Hope for Orphans Mission Trip Blog.