Letter from Cody: Malawi – Sept. 2015

Brother Golden (center) with two fellow-believers

Human love is a beautiful but unexplainable experience. Do you remember holding your own newborn baby? Remember the feelings of love that surged through you? He or she may have been a slimy, wrinkled, crying baby, but you loved that baby more than you could express. Human love is a beautiful experience that many times totally defies explanation, but it is very real nonetheless. God has given to us the great privilege of experiencing the “joy of human love.” Yet, human love is just a miniature picture of the true love of the universe—the infinite, matchless, unfathomable love of God. “All the paternal love which has come down from generation to generation through the channel of human hearts, all the springs of tenderness which have opened in the souls of men, are but as a tiny rill to the boundless ocean when compared with the infinite, exhaustless love of God. Tongue cannot utter it; pen cannot portray it. You may meditate upon it every day of your life; you may search the Scriptures diligently in order to understand it; you may summon every power and capability that God has given you, in the endeavor to comprehend the love and compassion of the heavenly Father; and yet there is an infinity beyond. You may study that love for ages; yet you can never fully comprehend the length and the breadth, the depth and the height, of the love of God in giving His Son to die for the world. Eternity itself can never fully reveal it.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 740. The incomprehensible love of God! Despite the amazing joy of human love, all the human love combined throughout the ages cannot come close to revealing His marvelous love. May we seek to comprehend more and more of this infinite love!

Baptism with some of the new believers from Bro. Golden's work

Recently, I was privileged to meet a brother who has a real burden to share the amazing love of God with others around him. Brother Golden Lapani has a remarkable conversion story, but an even more remarkable determination to share Jesus’ love with those who don’t know the incredible love of God. Golden was born and raised as a Muslim in the Islamic area of Malawi, but over thirty years ago he had a dream calling him to follow Jesus. Immediately, he became a Christian and began sharing his faith with his family and others. Despite being rejected by his family, he persevered and eventually saw his family melted by God’s love, as well. He quit his teaching job to become a lay-evangelist to his people. When he enters a village, he visits the people, prays with them and ministers to their needs. He comes close to the people and ministers to whatever needs that they may have, whether it be used clothing, medicine or just individual attention. After coming close to the people through friendship, he asks the village leaders if he can hold meetings for the people. Usually by this time, they are excited to hear his message, but if not, he does not reject them, but continues to minister to the village through personal ministry. When given the opportunity to hold public meetings, he is able to relate to them in a way that they can understand because of his own Muslim background, and many are led to make decisions for Jesus and the Adventist message. After a church has been raised, he does not forget them, but tries to regularly return to the area, encouraging the believers and visiting with those who may be missing. The Lord has blessed Golden’s ministry, and he praises God that he has been able to see dozens of churches raised up and thousands of new believers baptized. If you would like to help Golden in his work of reaching out to the Muslim areas of Malawi, you can mark your donation “Malawi.”

Villagers gathering to hear the last day message of God's love

Yours in studying and sharing the infinite love of God,

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