Edition 2 - January 2015

(Edited) Contribution from Co-ordintors in Malawi: Lucky Nyirenda (Health Professional) and Edson Musopole (Agriculture, University of Malawi) We wish to give our valued JBMF supporters an insight of what happens here on the ground!

We constantly remember our beloved brother John Blyth whose compassion is the centre and pillar for the JBMF. We also constantly commit his family to God's keeping. Please continue in your support of the most needy folks in Malawi: your work in the Lord is not in vain.As Co-ordinators we work for the JBMF voluntarily, with passion and purpose, as a ministry in the service of God.

"We thank you all so much for your financial giving."

All the money you send goes to those who need it, and we are guided by God to them. We speak to church leaders, village leaders, school head teachers and others to confirm that we have chosen the right young people to financially help, and we counsel them in business training, and monitor their efforts.

For poor people here it is hard/impossible to obtain loans from commercial banks or micro financiers as they demand surety or collateral and documents such as passports and driving licences - none of which our people can obtain. And of course, interest charges are high. JBMF is faith-based: money is lent without interest and repaid when possible although beneficiaries are encouraged to tithe from their business profits. Thus beneficiaries in their turn become benefactors. JBMF is a poverty-fighting weapon giving glory to God, and bringing back smiles to those who had lost hope. We in Malawi passionately want the good works the JBMF has started to continue even after our departure to the Lord, and have meditated for long on how to achieve future sustainability. We want to contribute to the growth of JBMF and also to reach out and touch many souls. So we are thinking of possibly buying a minibus and starting a commuter transport business

1

The newsletter- As we write this, Malawi has declared a State of Emergency following devastating floods in the south of the country. International Aid is likely to be required for recovery- let's watch out for an opportunity to help.

This newsletter is a memorial to John, who died in September 2013. It is to thank all who donated money to the John Blyth Malawi Fund (JBMF) at his funeral and since, and to let you know how the fund continues to change the lives of his 'sons and daughters' in Malawi.It is distributed to his Malawian friends, friends and colleagues in the UK, church friends and family.

JOHN BLYTH FRIENDS TOGETHER NEWSLETTER

B Christ centred, B inspired by hope, B renewed by mission

The Vision....is to provide financial support, on a loan basis, for under-privileged young Malawians, giving them the opportunity to become self-supporting via schooling, vocational training and business initiatives, and for the Fund, by September 2016, to become self-sustaining.

Life's task for all Christians surely is toBe Christ Today

Stories of lives being changed...

JBMF is currently helping 18 young people set up small-scale businesses, individually or in groups. Their aim is to become self-reliant and to support their families.

JBMF is currently paying school fees (secondary schooling is not free) for CHISOMO DIVALA, 14 years old and cared for by her grandmother. She is self-boarding to be near her Community Day Secondary School, where she is in Form 2. She is intelligent, God-fearing and hardworking. Apart from school fees she is given money for rent, food, clothes and school books. She says 'after losing my parents I lost hope for education, and I thank God JBMF has given me this opportunity'. She wants to change the prospects of her family and to be a JBMF supporter once she succeeds in school.

A word from NELLIA KANTHUZI

'I am very thankful to the JBMF for assisting me with a capital to start my cosmetic business. Its my prayer that my business shall grow and will be able to repay loan to JBMF. May God bless JBMF. Now I am able to find food, clothes, soap after a long miserable life since my parents are poor. I promise to Work hard in my business'

CHIMWEMWE NDALA says 'its like a dream to see me doing business. I am selling Second hand clothes (Kaunjika) and am very thankful to the JBMF for considering me. I am able to find money through this business for food and other things for my sisters and brother as we are orphans. Now I can see good future because of JBMF. May God bless all people who support JBMF'

PRISCA's restaurant opened, she says, with a 'wow'! Remember she had to build it and overcome many challenges as she did so. She says it is beautiful and in a good location and attracts many customers, both 'office-delivery and walk-ins' because they enjoy her cooking. She has been keeping a business-like eye on her finances, and as the building took a big part of the money she borrowed and she therefore had to hire some of the kitchen equipment, she has made the hard decision to temporarily close until after the farmers have harvested their crops in May. Then she expects bulk-buying of maize meal to make nsima (without which no Malawian has had a real meal!) to be cheaper. Her business has really felt the effects of the devaluation of the Kwacha, but her customers look forward to the restaurant reopening.

Continuing news from

MACDONALD and BEATRICE SIMBI - he has secured a government contract for the plumbing needs of 2 secondary schools

Sadly, the rains made it too difficult for

Prisca to send a photo of her

new restaurant.

The Elephant Marsh- the first of a series of John's adventures which he wrote but never fully told his mother about!

One of the cash crops being promoted in the 1970s by the World Bank in southern Malawi was cotton. The black clay "cotton" soils were ideal but as usual, mono-cropping large areas brought its problems, in this case of an insect variety. To control this pest DDT was applied by sprayer conveniently powered by solar energy. This was captured by a panel supported above the operator's head protecting him from direct sunlight and allowing the job to be carried out effectively.

The resulting ecological risk was not difficult to predict namely DDT entering the River Shire and adversely affecting the fishery component of the Project. To assess the amount of DDT in the river samples of mud were regularly collected and analysed. So it was that one weekend I was invited to join the Fisheries officer and crew of one in a small open boat powered by an outboard motor.

Setting off from Ngabu we travelled downstream for several miles before turning about and slowly returning upstream, stopping at predetermined intervals to lower a sampling device over the side and haul in mud samples which were duly transferred to labelled specimen bottles.

All was proceeding to plan until the outboard motor spluttered to a stop. After checking it for entangling weeds and previously encountered problems and after much vigorous pulling of the starting cable, the "captain" decided we should prepare for the implications of engine failure i.e. a slow drift down to the railway bridge and defunct ferry at Bangula about 15 miles away.

For the first hour or so this was idyllic. Rotating gracefully like Eeyore the crew man deftly used the single oar to

keep us in the main river channel and we progressed slowly downstream. On each side of this channel six foot reeds stretched for up to five miles providing no escape. An amazing variety of birds could be observed in perfect silence, often becoming aware of our presence when only a few feet away. The sun began to sink and by six thirty we were finding our way in "total" darkness except for a background of starlight. There was no moon.

With the darkness came other species of wildlife starting with the inevitable mosquitoes. With little extra clothing to cover the vulnerable area of skin our mood changed from wonder to murderous blasphemy at the endless assault of insects and our puny attempts to keep them at bay. Then it was time for larger

animals to emerge with unpredictable ker-splashes of origin unknown until a mega splash and heavy breathing identified a hippo. Being of curious disposition, he/she swam up to inspect the boat (which it could quite easily overturn) while we held our breath and prayed for mercy.

Occasionally a gleam of light would appear, revealing a fisherman beside a small fire apparently suspended in mid air on a woven mat of reeds. Long before we reached him greetings were exchanged with the boatman, followed by less than encouraging hearty laughter at our predicament.

And then quite suddenly, the river seemed to wake up and decide it really was going to reach the Zambezi. The boat gathered speed and all eyes strained to make out a bank of terra firma on which we could land. The sleepy boatman was transformed into a man of action, operating the single oar to great effect and the boat ground gently to a halt. After making the boat fast and carrying the precious sample bottles we stumbled clumsily along the south bank for about half an hour before tiny reflections identified the railway bridge onto which we climbed. (No danger here with only one train per week traveling at a maximum speed of 30mph!) Another half hour's walk brought us to another fisherman's house who, none too pleased at being woken at 3am, was eventually persuaded to drive us to the Fisheries office.

A cup of tea - what bliss - and a banana gave enough energy to find a bed of sorts and instant sleep. We prided ourselves at experiencing the Shire River Livingstone style.

How to donate: this newsletter is not intended to ask for money- it is to thank and inform readers how their giving is being used to change lives but cheques can be written to Caddonfoot Parish Church and posted to Margaret Blyth at 7 Peel Gardens, Clovenfords, TD1 3LH.

How to use Easyfundraising - many retailers use this to donate to Causes. Next time you shop on-line, please go through www.easyfundraising.org.uk and find the Malawi Project....JBMF provides financial support....The price is exactly the same as if you had visited your chosen retailer directly and you will have helped 'our' Malawian friends!

Personal column

Whilst receiving free chemotherapy here, John heard of Cynthia's cancer and told her to start life- saving treatment immediately. This huge expense was met by your offerings at John's funeral.

Cynthia says: "Thank God for your timely support. Here am I, cured because of you. I am able to do everything now normally." Since then, Cynthia's doctor told them radiotherapy was necessary if it could be afforded. God provided money for this and Cynthia went with her aunt on the 10 day return trip to Tanzania for the treatment . She likens having cancer in Malawi to walking through the Valley of Death. But now she is well, and back to normal life. Lucky and Cynthia's daughter, wee Margaret (born during Cynthia's treatment) has found her feet.

In January, our family and friends enjoyed a thanksgiving naming service for Molly Jane Blyth, now 5 months old, in Jonathan and Catherine's Whitehaven church.

John's memorialJohn's family are convinced that the best memorial he would have wanted is the ongoing work

in Malawi, which helps young people into sustainable and self-supporting lives. However, we also wanted a physical memorial here which would become an important place for the family, so we decided to plant some trees and become part of an exciting new project at Carrifran, near Moffat in the Scottish Borders. John helped in the seed collection for this Millennium project which aims to transform a presently denuded hillside into a 'wild wood' resembling the way it may have been 6000 years ago. Certainly a yew hunting bow was unearthed dating back to Neolithic times, and ancient pollen grains from peat-bog core samples show

which tree species would have been growing then - and these species from locally found seeds have been nurtured into small trees of which thousands have already been planted.Here we are planting 'our' small trees (juniper & alder) in October 2014 - a tiny proportion of the whole wildwood. We will have to visit regularly to control the bracken which will be 3 foot high in summer, but bashing and bruising it will discourage its growth until the trees are big enough to cast shade and discourage bracken growth completely.It is a beautiful area providing us with hill walks to the Grey Mare's Tail waterfall, St Mary's Loch, and of course, with growing grandchildren, visits to the famous Moffat Toffee Shop with its colourful jars of old-fashioned sweets. As grandchildren grow, so will the wildwood mature.....and who knows what wildlife will find a home there?!

Margaret is delighted to announce the safe arrival of their 2nd promised grandchild John Blyth Wood, known as 'Jack' - born to Alison and John on February 4th 2015. He is a MINTHONDWE!

Money collected

Donations & covenants, with Gift Aid & GASDS

Easy Fundraising

Since Sept. 2014

2084.25(Of which 337.50 is earned by leading music at Caddonfoot Parish Church).

36.48

Total7501.88(Of which 750 is earned by leading music at Caddonfoot Parish Church).

163.02