On a Mission!

On a Mission! is a regular feature page focusing on real-life stories from the mission field. Each time we focus on a different mission from around the world.

Missionary life with Florisa de Leo.
 
  Lilongwe in Malawi, Africa
  Refugee Ministry
  Innocent Mugambi
  Florisa de Leo
  2

1) Please give a summary of your Ministry: There is Hope is a recently established ministry to the 11,000 refugees living in Malawi. Men, women and children from Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Somalia & Ethiopia. Some have been refugees all their lives and spent years moving from one camp to another looking for peace and prosperity.
2) How does your ministry impact your life and the life of the people around you on a daily basis? I wake every morning delighted to do what I love! I feel like I have the best job in the world. We have impacted lives of a young refugee man who was dying of diabetes without adequate medical care, and a young refugee mother now studying for a nursing diploma.
3) What are the main differences between U.K. and your mission field living?
I drive everywhere instead of using London transport. My work & private life are meshed into one and it’s not quite the 9-5. I get to speak Swahili, Chichewa and French a lot more here,
4) Why do you like working in your location in the world? I love Malawi; I live in the Capital so there are lots of professionals and there is still a lot of time for personal interaction.
5) What line of scripture/verse from the bible is your favourite/keeps you inspired? one bible-based reflection that really inspired me recently was: “Although the victory was certain for Joshua, he still had to fight against the enemies living in Canaan”
6) What would you say to inspire would-be missionaries to the field? There’s nothing better than trying missions out short-term to begin with. I had been to Malawi 3 times by the time I committed to long-term mission and it prepared me to be effective now.
7) What are the future plans for the ministry, God willing? We aim to help refugees attain a better standard of living: materially, emotionally, socially & spiritually. We want to open an online learning centre at the refugee camp, start a women’s crafts group, find scholarships for more refugees to study, teach church leaders and run a children’s music competition, +more
8) Why do you like being part of ITeams? I am not saying this to win brownie points, but ITeams is the best thing since sliced bread! A collection of inspiring, humble and caring individuals.
9) Favourite moment on the mission field so far? Getting engaged on a plane between Malawi and Kenya. To read more:

Right now we could do with someone skilled in writing fundraising grants, they would not need to be based in Malawi, although they could be. Other needs are dependent on us hitting certain milestones this year, so please Contact the U.K. Office if you are interested!