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Edition1- September 2014

Lucky,
Cynthia
and baby
Margaret
Contribution from Cynthia
"I am very thankful for the financial support for my
Chemotherapy treatment. Life has been so
challenging throughout treatment period but so
rewarding. I am left speechless with what the LORD
has done to me through your support.
Now I am almost stable, though waiting for report for
my last check up as my senior doctor is out. However
the other doctor told me I might need a dose of
Radiotherapy but to be confirmed by the senior
doctor. I am hoping to seeing normal life soon. Once
again thank you and may GOD bless you all. May
John Blyth rest in peace."

Baby Margaret was born safely but with a good deal of
anxiety because of the chemotherapy which lasted most
of Cynthia's pregnancy. However, here she is on her first
birthday in August '14 and you can see what a bonny baby
she is!

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The newsletter
This newsletter is a memorial
to John, who died in
September last year.

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.

We hope to send out a yearly
up-date of Malawi news, and
we hope the newsletter
distribution in Malawi will help
to develop a sense of 'family,'
and mutual support amongst
John's Malawian 'sons and
daughters.'

While receiving free
chemotherapy here, John
heard of Lucky and Cynthia's
plight and told them clearly
and strongly to seek for and
immediately start life- saving
treatment. The huge expense
for that was met by your
donations. Thankyou.


JOHN BLYTH FRIENDS TOGETHER
NEWSLETTER
B Christ centred, B inspired by hope, B renewed by mission
The New Vision.......
........is to provide nancial
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.
Edition1- September 2014
The road
gang" paid
with rice.
Introducing John in Malawi.
John (1946-2013) wrote his PhD in Aberdeen, the topic
of his dissertation being on the performance of Sitka
spruce in NE Scotland and its relationship with site
factors, particularly soils.
While in Aberdeen he became enthused by development
needs in Malawi and hence was appointed as a Land
Husbandry Ofcer, rst in the Shire Valley, then based in
the north in Bwiba, Karonga.
It was to Bwiba John returned after his marriage to
Margaret, where they lived a simple life for 5 years, but
with the luxury of running water and generated
electricity. Here he gained professional experience and
had the fun in his spare time of designing
and constructing a new road from
Karonga to Chitipa, with a dry-season
crossing of the Rukuru River. This
greatly improved local access. The
road, (known as the John Blyth road to
this day!) is visible from google earth
imagery.
Family walking the Karonga to Chitipa road in
2009. Here we are on a hand built embankment.
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How to donate and GiftAid

This Newsletter is not intended to ask
for money: it is to thank and inform
readers how their previous giving was
used to change lives.
However, it is clear that friends do
wish to continue giving, and we thank
them again. They also wish to give
efciently, and this explains how to
add GiftAid or GASDS.
If you receive a printed copy, use the
white labelled envelope, ll in your
details, sign if you wish to GiftAid,
otherwise we will benet by GASDS.
Then return it either to
The Treasurer,
Caddonfoot Parish Church
C/o 9 Craigmyle Park, Clovenfords
Galashiels, TD1 3LA
Or to
Mrs Margaret Blyth
7 Peel Gardens
Clovenfords
Galashiels TD 1 3LH

If you receive your Newsletter by
email, then print out the electronic
copy of the Caddonfoot GiftAid form,
ll in, sign if you wish to GiftAid, and
return to either of the above addresses.
Please make out cheques to
Caddonfoot Parish Church and write
JOBLMF on the back.
easyfundraising explained
easyfundraising.org.uk is a way to raise money for
charities, schools, sports clubs, community groups, and
other good causes just by shopping online. You dont pay
anything extra but money is raised for causes
throughout the UK by donations from the
retailers. There are nearly 3000 retailers from
whom you can buy using easyfundraising.
You set-up an easyfundraising account
and search for the cause:
Malawi Project.

How it works
1. Start at easyfundraising
Let's say you want to buy
something from John Lewis. Instead
of going to johnlewis.com, you go to
www.easyfundraising.org.uk rst.

2. Make a purchase
You click from the easyfundraising website through to
John Lewis to make your purchase. The price is exactly
the same as if you'd visited John Lewis directly and you
will have benetted the Malawi Project cause!

So far
we have benefitted by
126.54 through
easy
fundraising!
Introducing John in Malawi, continued...
John's rst child, Jonathan Chimwemwe, was born in Mzuzu and his daughter, Alison
Wezi, shortly after the family returned to the UK for John to start his academic work in the
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources in Edinburgh University. He taught forest
management, mensuration and developed new teaching in agroforestry. His students
greatly appreciated him as their Director of Studies, which he approached in a pastoral
manner.
The family returned to Malawi when Jonathan was 10 years old for him to see where he
was born and he wore his Chaminade Eagle football team t-shirt for the occasion. John
was dismayed to see how much the tree cover was reduced and his dismay increased on
his next visit with a TearFund team in 2007.

With study leave, John visited Ethiopia where he
was involved with eucalyptus trials, including
coppicing effects. He found when eucalyptus
trees are cut down in their prime and a slow re
lit over the stump, then within days, new
vigorous growth surged back- 5-6 stems to
replace the one cut down! If the foundation is
good then the future is assured - good news
indeed for those who relied on wood fuel for their
cooking needs. The family accompanied John to
Addis Ababa, enjoying high altitude living,
schooling, 2 Christmases, 2 Easters and 13
months of sunshine each year to t in with the
Coptic calendar.
Approaching retirement John was able to return
to Malawi, rst with the Scotland Malawi
Partnership, then self-funded. He taught forestry
and mensuration courses at Mzuzu University,
and planned to return for 6 months for 5 years -
a plan cut short by his last illness.

But the family, as adults in 2009, had again
joined John in Malawi and enjoyed a journey in
the ship Ilala up Lake Malawi, a walk along the
John Blyth Karonga to Chitipa road, and learning
4 wheel driving on Girode up the Rift Valley
escarpment's 22 bends to Livingstonia.



Family trip
to Malawi
in 2009,
round the
base of a
baobab
tree.
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A life renewed by
mission.
John's ashes were committed to the
soil in Glentress Forest at a family
service in part of the trial area he
had managed for 30 years in a joint
venture between the Forestry
Commission and Edinburgh
University. Management of trees is
a slow business which requires
patience and meticulous recording.
It aimed to develop Professor
Anderson's vision of transforming
the uniform and even-aged forest
into its present, attractive and
productive state of irregular, mixed
species forest. It is one of the
longest running forest trials in the
world. Glentress is well used for
recreation as well as landscape
protection, water management and
of course, for timber harvesting. It
is now valued as a model for
similar development of upland
forests in Scotland.
As the family and friends gathered
on the sad occasion, with the mists
of the elevated spot swirling around
us and at times revealing views of
hills and the River Tweed, we saw
the renewal of the forest through
natural regeneration and thought of
John as an 'oak of righteousness, a
planting of the Lord' ( Isaiah 61) and of
all the acorns he had produced in
his life, both in the Borders of
Scotland and in Malawi.
The Vision of the JBMF is that all
these acorns themselves grow into
'Oaks of righteousness.'
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Contribution from Lucky Nyirenda.
Lucky is in contact with all the beneficiaries, and sends the
following report.
John asked Raphael to resource and fit a solar panel for Alice
Ngosi, which supplied her with light in the evening and a power
source for a mobile phone. He also fitted a panel and light bulb
for Lusungu, a bright student who was then able to study at night,
work his fields during the morning, attend school in the
afternoon, and supply the village with power to recharge their
phones! Lusungu and Raphael became friends and shared their
garden produce during scarce times.
The Fund paid for a lorry driving licence for Raphael which
provides work at times....when there is petrol/ diesel available.
Life is always precarious for Raphael and Patricia, but they are
able to take care of their extended family.

Alinafe is an orphan, living with her Uncle, who suggested the
way to pay for her schooling was to become a prostitute. When
Lucky, through the SCOM (Student Christian Organisation of
Malawi) drew John's attention to her needs, schooling and
another place to stay was arranged, and Alinafe honoured this
trust and did extremely well in her studies. Last year she
requested further support for vocational training in Hotel and
Management, and is finishing that course soon. We hope she
finds satisfying employment and becomes self-supporting very
soon.

Alice and John were exactly the same age, and met often around
Alice's hospitable table enjoying her cooking and fellowship.
They met again when Alice visited Edinburgh with the Women's
League. Alice has a vision to build and run a Christian Day Care
Centre to allow carers (parent/grandparent/older sibling) to work
and earn a living. And John and family had fun resourcing used
fish tanks, pipes and gutters and sending them by container to
Mzuzu, then whilst on holiday, erecting a rain-water collecting
system which greatly reduced expense.

This is a brief account from very long, excited stories from 3
women in Chibavi: they were supported in their idea of a group
sausage-making business. They were known to John through the
church. They needed a deep-freeze and a small amount of money
to buy the raw ingredients to start off, and now have many
customers, can send the children to school, feed the families and
cover medical expenses. They make excellent sausages!

Macdonald Simbi chose to learn plumbing and graduated
with the highest marks ever in Northern Malawi. He and
Beatrice plan a plumber's supply shop, a plumbing service
and aspire to buy a sewage pump to clear long drop toilets
and develop the contents for compost.
Life's task for all
Christians surely is
to
Be Christ
Today
Contact address:
Margaret Blyth
7 Peel Gardens
Clovenfords
Galashiels
TD1 3LH
margaret.g.blyth@btinternet.com
Personal column

Prisca's new business:
Prisca is an energetic, innovative and clever girl
for whom John acted as 'father' at her wedding to
Alinafe. They now have a little boy, and Alinafe
also supports his 7 orphan siblings through
school.
Prisca was financed through vocational Hotel
Management training, but life still runs on the
breadline for them and she has discussed with
Lucky the possibility of running her own
restaurant in the market.
They have decided this would indeed be a good
idea, and she sends news of her progress...

.... "The council has allocated me to City centre (Area 13
market) where there is a market that people are just
developing and there are restaurants in operation. The
place that I have been given is a bare ground, where I will
have to start everything myself -like building an
infrastructure for my restaurant."

The project has 'grown arms and legs' and Prisca
has been forced to change her business plan but
must work with the money already sent.
We will have continuing news of this new
enterprise in the next edition.




Margaret is delighted to announce
the safe arrival of John and her
rst grandchild,
Molly Jane Blyth, born on 16th
August 2014 to Jonathan and
Catherine.





Next issue:
enjoy reading John's stories of
his time in Malawi,
'Escapades which mum
never fully heard about.'
Church of Scotland - Caddonfoot Parish Church
(Caddonfoot Parish Church of Scotland - Registered Scottish Charity SC016990)


Gift Aid Declaration - The Church of Scotland


Name of congregation: Caddonfoot Parish Church


Donor's Title (Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms/etc.): ................................................................................................

Donor's Full Name (in CAPITALS): ................................................................................................

Donor's Address (in CAPITALS): .............................................................................................

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Donor's Postcode: ................................................................................................

I want the Congregation to treat all donations I make from the date of this declaration until I notify you
otherwise as Gift Aid donations. The congregation may also treat donations in the four years prior to
this tax year (6 April to 5 April) as Gift Aid donations.

I confirm that I have paid or will pay an annual amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax that is
at least equal to the amount of tax that all the charities which I support will reclaim on my gifts. I
understand that other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify.

Signature of Donor: .............................................................................................

Date of signing: .............................................................................................

Completed forms should be returned to (and any future amendments or cancellations advised to) the Treasurer,
Caddonfoot Parish Church.

Notes:

1. You can cancel this Gift Aid Declaration at any time by notifying the Congregation.

2. You must pay an annual amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax that is at least equal to the amount of tax that
all the charities which you support will reclaim on your gifts.

3. If in the future your circumstances change and you no longer pay an annual amount of Income Tax and/or Capital
Gains Tax that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all the charities which you support will reclaim on your gifts, you
must cancel your declaration (see note 1)

4. If you pay tax at the higher rate, you can claim further tax relief in your Self-Assessment tax return.

5. If you change your name, address or postcode, please notify the Congregation.

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