KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Rosemary Gibbons Phiri is not a missionary for a few weeks or for a few months or even for a few years. The former Kansas City resident is in the southeastern African country of Malawi to stay.
As a child in Slater, Mo., she knew she'd become a missionary. Fulfilling that dream took a long path and many years.
After graduating from Central Missouri State University, she taught in several school districts. She then worked for public television in Kansas City and for the Kauffman Foundation.
Along the way, she married, had four children and divorced.
She also started a consulting business called We Are One in the early 1990s, which later became a nonprofit. The business provided leadership development and helped people to become self-sufficient using principles from the Bible.
While attending Sheffield Family Life Center, she went on a mission trip to Malawi in 1997 for 10 days. The next year she was invited back to teach a five-week leadership course.
"That's when God spoke to me that God wanted me to be there full time," Phiri said on a recent visit to the United States.
She sold her home in Kansas City, and in 1999 she returned to Malawi to teach full time at a seminary, training people to be leaders. There she met a preacher, the Rev. Moffat Phiri, who was attending seminary classes.
"He is a natural-born leader," Rosemary said, adding there was a mutual connection. "We saw how we could do work together."
They were married in 2000.
He was an evangelist, preaching at different churches. Australian donors had helped him through school. The two moved to a village deep in the country. He taught theology, and she taught life skills.
"After a few years, God gave us a vision to build a church about 50 miles from the village," she said.
They also felt led to raise 12 orphan boys who were starving because of famine. "We wanted to raise them up to be godly men," Phiri said.
While still teaching at the village, they started the church in their home in Mzuzu with 12 people. Today about 500 attend services, and it is one of the largest congregations in northern Malawi. Their efforts went into reaching people and teaching.
A valuable tool was information they received from a Kansas City Christian businessman, Frank Moseley.
While preparing to go to Malawi, Phiri was given an "SOS" card and materials from Moseley. The SOS card contains a simple plan to lead people to Jesus Christ. Using the Morse code international signal for help, Moseley developed his evangelistic plan based on "You're SomeOne Special."
Moseley said he sees it as "rescuing people from peril," and said the card and materials have gone to more than 20 countries, with the biggest response in India.
Phiri said she and her husband have shared the SOS message with hundreds of people and credits it with leading many to Christ and to their church. Moseley, a real estate agent, also was instrumental in arranging for them to get their home.
The relationship has continued, and Moseley has nothing but admiration for her and her husband.
"Here is a Kansas City lady who, because of her faith, gave up everything she had to help in Malawi," he said. "Here is faith displayed at its highest."
The Moseleys not only have helped with SOS materials, but financially, including funds for Moffat Phiri's higher education. He now has a master's degree. Also, Moseley's wife, Charlene, regularly provides clothing for the children.
"They have truly made us feel special," Phiri said.
Starting with one Kansas City church, support has reached to churches from other parts of the country that Phiri tries to visit and thank on her annual U.S. trips. Occasionally, her husband is able to join her.
Help is always needed. In August, she said a group from Brooklyn, N.Y., will make its fourth trip to provide medical help, and a Kansas City dentist also has visited.
The couple's ministry is growing, but not fast enough because of the great needs, Phiri said.
Moseley agreed.
"Most Americans do not realize how we are blessed."
In addition to the church, the Phiris run an orphanage for famine-starved children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Villagers built the orphanage out of handmade bricks. Frequently construction was delayed as the group waited for enough money to continue the building, which was completed in 2002.
The church developed a community center in a nearby village and is building a youth center.
In Malawi, the children have to pay for secondary education and buy their uniforms and books, which is impossible for most of them. Therefore, part of the ministry deals with practical matters: paying school fees, helping to educate women, supporting businesses and helping to plant gardens for food.
"At one time we fed about 100 children a day, but we had to cut back because of funds," Phiri said. "At one point we were paying fees for 25 students but now only seven because funds have gone down."
The ministry puts a high priority on developing leaders for the country, conducting leadership seminars and training people to work alongside them.
Phiri, a white woman living in Africa, said she's never experienced prejudice or felt afraid until an incident last March.
The couple had gone to a bank to withdraw money for construction materials for the youth center. That night a gang climbed over their 9-foot brick fence, knocked out their security guard and broke into their house.
Four men came into their bedroom armed with machetes, while four to six men stayed outside.
They threatened to kill them, beat Moffat and his brother who was staying with them and threatened to rape Rosemary.
"They stole all the cash we had and everything else that wasn't nailed down," she said. "During their threats of violence, we kept praying and saying 'Jesus loves you' and 'We want to pray for you. God wants you to have a different life than this.'
"I think this is what kept us from being killed. The spirit of violence gradually changed into a spirit of peace.
"They had said, 'We are thugs and here to kill you.' Instead, they tied us up, locked us in our room and left without harming us any further."
Phiri said violence is uncommon in the country, but because of the poverty, it is happening more often. She said she is trying not to be afraid of further attacks, and they have taken extra precautions.
"When I lived in Kansas City I had done volunteer work at the Rescue Mission," she said. "So I'm used to people who have lost hope. I felt the same about these men. They were people who were desperate and had lost hope."
During her visit here, people replaced her laptop and a few other things that were taken. About $20,000 still is needed for the youth center, where the couple want to conduct youth activities, rallies and Bible lessons, and it also can be a reception hall for weddings.
"It's a faith walk," she said before she returned to Malawi earlier this month.
No comments:
Post a Comment