Magazine

Mudi

Master Guide
A Resource for Adventist Youth Leaders and Parents

We Are Each Other’s Business

Agonies and Ecstasies of a Master Guide Mentor
Leadership Development: The Case of Mudi AYM

MMG 07 2021 Mudi Seventh day Adventist Church

Table of Contents

Editorial 3 Mudi Master Guide Magazine © 2021 Mudi

Seventh day Adventist®
Mudi Adventist Church: 2020 In
Review 4 Adventist Youth Ministry

Introduction to Junior Youth

Curriculum 7
Signs of Jesus Christ’s Imminent Return
11 Master Guide Mentor: Thom Khondiwa

We Are Each Other’s Business 13 Editor: Thom Khondiwa

Leadership Development: The Case of Cover and Interior Designer: Thom

Mudi AYM 16 Khondiwa

Adventists Beliefs: The Trusted The Asset Graphic Inc.

Pilgrim’s Roadmap 18 Photos Credit: Mudi Adventist Youth et al.
Agonies and Ecstasies of a Master
Guide Mentor 20
SOS: Sexually Transmitted Infections Mudi Master Guide is a publication of the
Amongst the Youth 25 Adventist Youth Ministry of Mudi
Seventh day Adventist®
All rights reserved.
Permission to reproduce this Mudi Master
Guide edition is granted for use in local
churches, youth clubs and other Christian
educational purposes.

For More Information:

WhatsApp/Call: 0992 865 960
 Editorial

I
we willing to share those lessons and experiences?
This edition is largely on personal experiences. Many
of us have shared our experiences in our leadership
was a member of an organizing team that positions, in our work environments, in our families
was tasked with a leadership seminar. One day we
and of course on our local church.
3 were suggesting topics and facilitators. One of the
topic was on leadership skills development. We Wherever we may be, God has placed us there to
chose a friend to facilitate it until another friend learn. And God would love us to learn and share
chipped in. He said, “Thom, I want you to take this. with others that which we have learned.
I do not want you to present what you have read in After all, what is Youth Ministry if it is not about
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books or in our manuals, no. I want you to share learning? The whole youth program revolves around
with us that which makes your personal lessons you a curriculum that the church desires to be learned by
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have learned through the leadership positions you its youths. And learning is a never ending journey.
have held.” And he reminded me of the times I had As we work in various positions and locations and
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worked as a District Education Director and another situations and contexts, we have embarked on
year that I worked as a District Coordinator. He sharing that we have gathered along the journey. En-
watched me lead; and he wanted those lessons I have joy.
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gathered in the course of leading to be shared.

Well, for the first time I was given something rather
familiar but strange. For the first I had to reflect
back, down the memory lane. What have I learned
that I can share? What was the “secret” behind my
success? He wanted to know my secret. I did not
know the secret.
After a thoughtful moment, I jot down seven lessons.
One of them was that I did not see other leaders as
competitors; they are my co-workers. Ideally, leader-
ship is not a race or a competition. Leadership is a
privilege granted by the Trinitarian God.
Why am I bringing this old issue? Well, every leader Thom Khondiwa
has a story to tell. A knowledge and a personal expe- Master Guide Mentor
rience to share. As we go about this privilege we
learn and a good leader never ceases to learn. We all
have learned enough to share. The question is, are
 Mudi Adventist Church: 2020 In Review

L
and very practical in today’s world of family disagree-
ments and disputes.
It was a fast ending week as the lessons were being un-
ast year was an interesting and challenging folded. 4
year. The major game changer, undoubtedly, was
COVID-19 pandemic that shook the global financial
system, social, physical, mental and spiritual spheres.

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As part of the larger community, Mudi Adventist
Church was also affected. However, we managed to
press on despite the setbacks. How was 2020 at Mudi?

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Well, allow me to begin with good news.

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During the year we had 4 weekly congregational gather-
ings. We started with the 10 Days of Prayer program
that our Shepherdess Grace Ndalama facilitated at the

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beginning of the year in January 2020. We had a good
attendance from the congregation and all went on well
throughout the week. Every day was a blessing to the
participating audience and this gave Mudi members a
vibrant spiritual kick start in the New Year. We applaud
and praise God for those who were gracing the prayers A part of congregants
as designed and initiated by our General Conference.
We had yet another week of Christian gathering as
Family Life Revival conducted by Evangelist Batumeyo
from Kachere Adventist Church. This witnessed anoth-
er successful participation of parents and youth at Mudi
Adventist Church. The lessons presented were worthy
 Then we engaged the South Malawi Conference (SMC)
Personal Ministries Director Pastor Phaiya to another
week long revival meetings in September 2020; He
shared with us lessons from the Book of Revelation. It
was a week well spent and patronized.
Lastly, we had a Stewardship Emphasis week in
October conducted by our local church Pastor and
Shepherdess Ndalama. The duo did a fantastic job as
God led them throughout the studies.

No Through Road

Youth Activities

Adventist Youth Ministry championed the Global

Youth Day by constructing a house for a homeless in
Makata Ndirande. The church members supported to-
5 wards this precious and wonderful gift.
Pastor Ndalama and Shepherdess Ndalama
receiving gifts at the end of the Week. This year we witnessed a colorful investiture for 7 Mas-
ter Guides that included elders.
These 4 weeks of weekly revival meetings gave the Thanks to the hard working mentor and instructors .
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members of Mudi Adventist Church a spiritual diet that With this the local AYM have received a jab that has
every seventh day Adventist Christian requires. We boosted the morale for sizeable team to participate in
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recommend all the presenters that took time preparing AY programs.

and facilitating the meetings; we were blessed.
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Church Building and Development

Amidst financial challenges the building committee

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chaired by Mrs Ganiza and Elder Biliati took a very

challenging task of erecting a brick wall fence separat-
ing the residential houses from the church. This will
help prevent encroachments.

Fresh from the Farm: The Newly invested Master Guides

 Church growth in the year
Twenty three (23) people were baptized this passing
year after numbers of covid-19 reports dwindled.
Tithe goal was achieved but by less than 30% of tithe
returners.

Book distribution
On this exercise, the youth proved to be the head of 6
the spear. The challenge was that few people bought
the books.

Our finances suffered a great deal due to Covid-19

pandemic that forced us to cancel the church gather-

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ings for four consecutive weeks at the height of the
outbreak.

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We thank those who assisted us in the fight against
the pandemic through provision of sanitary equip-

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ment and the health workers for their technical sup-
port..

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Above all we thank God for helping His church sail
through; may He help and bless us in this New Year,
again for the first!

Book distribution

Challenges
We were saddened by the loss of our dear servants of
GOD in the year—Miss J Maonga and Mrs M Khonje.
We miss their services and may the Lord continue
Hastings Chipungu
blessing and comforting their families.
First Elder
 Introduction to Adventist Junior Youth Curriculum

T he question is: What do we intend to achieve

through the Youth Ministry? The answer lies in what
we do, more specifically in what we have been pre-
The Adventist Education is Christo-centric. This means
that at the center of Adventist teaching is Christ. In
every Fundamental Belief Christ is uplifted as the cen-
tral salvific figure. At the back of the Fundamental Be-
lieve 2005 edition this point is clearly stated: “Jesus, the
7 scribed to teach. What we teach in Youth Ministry is
within the teaching of Seventh-day Adventist Church. central focus of scripture and history, is also the central
For us to better understand what the Seventh-day focus of Adventist doctrine and experience.”
Adventist Church intends to achieve through its Youth
Ministry we need to understand the philosophy of Adventists believe that God’s character and purposes
Adventist Education. Why philosophy? Well, here is can be understood as revealed in the Bible, in Jesus
the answer I have found enlightening.:
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Christ, and in nature. As we study the Bible, as we study

“People’s beliefs about philosophic issues of reality, the life of Jesus and as we study nature, we can under-
truth, and value will determine everything they do in stand God. No wonder, Adventists believe in General
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both their personal and professional lives. Without a

distinctive philosophic position on those three catego- Revelation (God revealing Himself in nature) and Spe-
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ries, a person or a group cannot make decisions, form a cific revelation (God revealing Himself through Jesus).
curriculum or evaluate institutional or individual pro-
gress. With a consciously chosen philosophy, however, The distinctive characteristics of Adventist Education—
a person or a group can set goals to be achieved and derived from the Bible and the writings of Ellen
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select courses of action to reach those goals.”

White—point to the redemptive aim of education: To
George Knight, Redemptive Education (Part 1): A Philo-
restore human beings into the image of their Maker.
sophic Foundation, the Journal of Adventist Education,
Indeed, education is a means of restoring human beings
2010
to their original relationship with God. If education, in
Well, this is why different educational systems have dif- whatever form, fails to achieve this it does not qualify
ferent goals—different goals based on different philoso-
and deserve the name.
phies of education. Ideally, an Adventist Education re-
flects the Adventist understanding of reality, truth, and Another aspect of Adventist education is that homes,
value. schools, and churches work together in cooperation
with divine agencies in preparing learners for responsi-
Philosophy of Adventist Education
ble citizenship in this world and in the world to come.
A good example of how this element is visible in Youth
Ministry is Adventurer program which is really a family Introduction to Adventurer Club
strengthening program.
“The Adventurer program has been created to assist
parents in their important responsibilities as a child’s
Adventist Education fosters a balanced development of primary teachers and evangelizers. The program aims
the whole person—spiritually, intellectually, physically, to strengthen the parent/child relationship and to fur-
and socially and its time dimensions span eternity. In ther the child’s development in spiritual, physical, men-
Youth Ministry, this aspect is evident in all curriculums, tal and social areas. Through the Adventurer program
including over 300 Pathfinder/AYM Honors and Ad- the church, home and school can work together with
venturer Awards. A the parent to develop a mature, happy child. Adventur-
Among others, Adventist Education seeks to: develop a er ministry is a Family Ministry—it is not a kindergarten
life of faith in God and respect for the dignity of all ministry but a family building relationships ministry; a
human beings; build character akin to that of the Crea- parental involvement and support ministry!” Adventur-
tor; nurture thinkers rather than mere reflectors; pro- er Director’s Manual
mote loving service rather selfish ambition; ensure maxi- “Since both men and women have a part in homemak-
mum development of each individual’s potential; and ing, boys as well as girls should gain a knowledge of 8
embrace all that is true, good and beautiful. household duties. To make a bed and put a room in
Philosophy of Adventist Youth Ministry order, to wash dishes, to repair s meal, to wash and pre-
pare his own clothing, is a training that need not make
Youth Ministry is an integral part of the church and its any boy less manly; it will make him happier and more
ministry. Its philosophy is based on the same principles useful. And if girls, in turn, could learn…to use the

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that undergird the ministry of the whole church. What- saw and hammer, as well as the rake and the hoe,, they
ever is taught in Youth Ministry reflects the Adventist would be better fitted to meet the emergencies of life.”
teaching and practice. The leaders who volunteer to Ellen G. White, Education, page 216-217

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work with the juniors should not teach the doctrines or
interpretations that are alien to Adventism. The study of these and similar statements led to the
development of Adventurer Classes and all the require-

The four forces that sustain the life of the church are
the same dynamics in youth ministry:
i. Fellowship: the church demonstrates it through its
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ments for the classes are based on this instruction.
Overview of Adventurer Club Curriculum

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love for and acceptance of its youth The Adventurer Club Curriculum is a 6 year curriculum.
i) Nurture: through the fellowship the church nur-
The club curriculum functions as part of larger GC
tures the personal and spiritual growth of the youth global youth ministry. It also function as distinctive
parts within the club; the Little Lamb would not effec-
i. Worship: the celebration of the relationships tively teach the Builder; the builder curriculum would
not meet the developmental needs of the Early Birds.
i) Mission: this is the church’s plan to extend these Each curriculum is distinctive and work together for the
relationships to others through the affirmation and whole club to function adequately.
utilization of the youth’s spiritual gifts.
Each level, (Little Lamb, Early Bird, Busy Bee, Sun
Adventist Youth Ministry is a specialized ministry that: Beam, Builder and Helping Hand), has four major cate-
gories which emphasize the four aspects of develop-
A) Seeks to address the needs of the youth in their mental growth:
own environment and respond to them as they are
My God, My Self, My Family and My World
B) To incorporate them into the fellowship of the
church—a caring Christian community Each of the above categories is further divided into
three separate components
We must remember that the youth ministry is an incar-
national ministry. The incarnate Christ is the model The requirements are placed according to the categories
here: He had to become man in order to reach us
where were, as we are. Those who volunteer to work
with the youth must as well reach them where and as
they are.
 Categories The Goal of each Category Major components of each cate- Concepts included in each
gory Component

My God To facilitate the development
of a growing and fruitful rela-
tionship between the child
and Jesus Christ
i. His plan to save me
ii. His message to me
iii. His power in my life
i. God’s love, sin and for-
giveness, conversion, obedi-
ence ii. Memory verses, Bible
books iii. Prayer, Bible study,
witness, living for Christ

To enhance the children’s care
and appreciation for the indi-
My Self viduals God created them to
be
9 To empower the children to
be happy and productive
My Family members of the families God
gave them
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i. I am special ii. I can make wise
choices iii. I can care for my body
i. I have a family ii. Families care
for each other iii. My family helps
me care for myself
i. Uniqueness and value of
each person, responsibility for
service, talents ii. Feelings,
values, decision-making, me-
dia iii. Health, fitness, anato-
my, temperance, sexuality
i. Uniqueness of families, fami-
ly changes, roles and responsi-
bilities ii. Authority and re-
spect, appreciation, family
activities iii. Safety, steward-
ship, indoor skills, outdoor

skills
To enable the children to en- i. The world of friends ii. The i. Social skills, courtesy, preju-
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counter God’s world with con- world of other people iii. The dice, peer pressure ii. Serving
My World fidence and compassion world of nature the church, community, coun-
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try, world iii. God and nature,

nature study, nature recrea-
tion, concern for environment,
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are in a fast-growing physical stage of development

The requirements are arranged as follows:
The program is packed with action, adventure, chal-
Category: e.g. My God lenge, group activities, and provide opportunities for
the development of new skills that develop personal
Major component: e.g. His plan to save me growth, team or community spirit
Requirement (s): e.g. Create a story chart showing The philosophy of the club is built on the premise
the order in which these stories took place: Paul, Martin “children learn best by example, rather than precept.”
Luther, Ellen White and Yourself
Background information: Explanation of and some As the Pathfinders see leaders and parents model spir-
information relating to the requirement itual and social values, they too will aspire to develop
high moral principles, loving and caring attitudes, and
Teaching tips: suggestive teaching methods determination to excel in all their various pursuits
Evaluation: How will you know when (or if) the re-
A failure to listen to and understand the needs of the
quirement has been completed (as in suggestive method young people will only erect barriers to real spiritual
of testing) growth and development
Introduction to Pathfinder Club The failure to understand them may prove to be a con-
tributing factor in making the church and its mission
unattractive to the youth.
Much of the Pathfinder Club program is built around
physical action because youth of 10 to 15 years of age The Pathfinder Club curriculum of six classes (and six
years) and nearly 250 honors lies at the heart of the pro- Explanation: (some requirements) of the requirement
gram. and some relevant info
Among others, the following objectives of the Pathfind- Teaching Methods: (suggestive methods you can use)
er Cub curriculum can be achieved:
Resources: What you will use in teaching the lesson
Help the young people to understand that God (e.g. Scriptures of choice)
and His church love them, care for them and
appreciate them Method of testing: how will you know whether the
Encourage Pathfinders to discover their own requirement has been completed. (e.g. participation in
God-given potential discussion; participating in worship.
Make the personal salvation of every Pathfinder
number one priority
Teach Pathfinders specific skills and hobbies
that will makes their lives more meaningful
Seek to foster the development of physical, social, intel- 10
lectual, and spiritual life of the Pathfinder. Like its twin
Club (Adventurer) Curriculum, the Pathfinder Club cur-
riculum is for 6 years which functions as part of larger
GC global youth ministry.
It also function as distinctive parts within the club; the

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Friend would not effectively teach the Guide, the Guide
curriculum would not meet the developmental needs of
the Ranger. Each curriculum is distinctive and work

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together for the whole club to function adequately.
Each level, (Friend, Companion, Explorer, Ranger, Voy-

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ager, Guide), has eight major categories which empha-
size the eight aspects of developmental growth: Thom Khondiwa
Spiritual discovery, Serving Others, Friendship
development, Health and Fitness, Organization Master Guide Mentor

Mudi Master Guide

and Leadership Development, Nature Study,
Outdoor Life and lifestyle enrichment
The requirements are placed according to the categories.
Every major category has an Advanced requirement
which is optional for the Pathfinders. Ideally, a Path-
finder can choose to complete ‘normal’ requirements
only leaving out the Advanced level requirements.
Those that have completed the class curriculum with
Advanced requirements are awarded a special Advanced
Class bar for a particular class completed.
The requirements are arranged as follows:
Category: e.g. Spiritual Discovery
Requirement: e.g. Study the personal work of the holy
Spirit as it relates to mankind and discuss His involve-
ment in spiritual growth
Class Periods: a suggestive number of periods you
may require (e.g. 2)
Objective: what the lesson was designed to accomplish
(e.g. to encourage an active, trusting relationship with
the holy Spirit)
 11
Signs of Jesus Christ’s Imminent Return
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A
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farmer prepares a garden during a dry sea-
son. The farmer does so believing that one day rains
shall come. During the preparation of the garden the
sky is clear with no any cloud cover but still the
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farmer is sure of rainfall one day in the future. Having
waited long enough, one day cloud cover is seen,
thunders are heard and finally rains fall, the hope of
the farmer is fulfilled. The stages the farmer went
through are; preparation, waiting for rainfall signs
and then fulfillment of the long time cherished hope.
In our Christian life, we live like a farmer who pre-
pares the garden while the sky is clear hoping for
rainfall in the future. In Christianity, believers are
preparing for the second coming of Jesus Christ one
day in the future. When cloud cover appears, it is a
sign of rainfall and a sigh of relief to a farmer who
had prepared the garden long before hoping for the
rains. Believers prepare their hearts and wait for the
coming of Jesus Christ one day in the future. Before
rainfall, there is always a sign which is a cloud cover,
before Jesus Christ comes again, there should be
signs of His coming and Jesus wanted His believers
not to be taken unaware, to this extent He told His
believers the imminent signs of His second coming
and He said, “Now when these things begin to hap-
pen, look up and lift your heads because your re-
demption draws near.” Luke 21 : 28 (NKJV)
Signs in the heavenly bodies.
Genesis 1 : 14 states that heavenly bodies would be
used as imminent signs of His second coming. During
Creation Week, Jesus put heavenly bodies in place so
that beside their daily appointed duties, they should
be used as signs to mark for His second coming and
Jesus referred to them in this fashion, Matthew 24 :
29, “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not
give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the
heavenly bodies will be shaken.”
The darkening of the sun took place on May 19,
1780, it was not an eclipse, no one has ever been
able to explain the unnatural darkness of that day.
The failure by the moon to give her light took place
the same evening following the day the sun was
darkened, the moon was full but could not give light
and the sky was black as though there were no
moon.
The falling of the stars refers to what we know as
`shooting stars` or meteors, this sign was fulfilled on
November 13, 1833 when a very great number of
shooting stars appeared in the sky.
Earthly events as signs of His mankind. are still sick, economies have been
second coming, Daniel 12 : 4 informs us that many crippled, and the life style has
changed. Truly, the whole world
Matthew 24 : 7 tells us that na- will go here and there to increase
has been hit hard and as if this is
tions will rise against nations, king- knowledge. Though the prophecy
not enough, the world is now wit-
doms against kingdoms, and that is to do with the increase in the
nessing Covid 19 Third wave. In-
there will be famines and earth- study of God`s word, it also refers
deed we are living in the end
quakes in various places. In the to the modern increase of
times of the world`s history.
First and Second World Wars, na- scientific knowledge that has tak-
tions rose against nations, and en place in the last 100 years, as Why so many signs?
kingdoms against kingdoms; we well as the progress in travel by They are ringing bells to cause
have civil wars witnessed in many land, sea and air as never before much noise to awaken us from our
countries like Angola, Mozam- while discovering so many of the deep slumber and calculate the
bique, Rwanda, and Burundi to secrets of nature as fast as it is time in which we are living and
mention but a few. Famines con- today. respond accordingly. How should
tinue to be the song in many coun- False Christs and prophets as a we respond? Well, Luke has an-
tries; earthquakes have been wit-
sign of His second coming. swer, “When these things begin to 12
nessed in many countries like Paki- take place, stand up and lift up
stan, India, Portugal- popularly According to Matthew (24 : 24) your heads because your redemp-
known as Lisbon Earthquake, and false Christs and prophets will ap- tion is drawing near.” Luke 21:23.
Seaquake as witnessed in Indone- pear and perform great signs and This verse is admonishing believ-

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sia popularly known as Tsunami miracles to deceive even the elect, ers not to neglect these many
(26 December, 2004) if possible. Today, we are witness-
signs but rather to stand up
ing the proliferation of popular
Hurricanes (Katrina, Stan, Idai false Christs and prophets rising (getting ready for the journey to

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leading to storms, tempests) fire almost everywhere. heaven); lifting up heads means

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eruption in Krakatoa in 1883, humility, total surrender and being
floods occurred in Yellow River in Social signs. home sick. As these signs are un-
China and West Indian, seven of There will be terrible times in the folding, it is not time to do busi-
the warmest years on record have last days. (2 Timothy 3 : 1-5) Peo- ness as usual but rather our re-

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been recorded since 2001. Disas- ple will be lovers of themselves, demption draws nigh.
ters by sea and land follow each lovers of money (cash gate, killings Beloved, Jesus loves us, He gave
other in quick succession, all these of people with albinism, high cor- these many signs solely for our
being signs pointing to the soon ruption rate), proud, abusive, hav- redemption. The signs are ticking,
coming of Jesus Christ. ing a form of godliness but deny- is your spiritual life ticking as well?
Other signs Jesus foretold ing its power (today we are wit-
nessing inflated church mem-
Matthew 24 : 14 records “And this
bership with members who but
gospel of the kingdom will be only warm the benches in the
preached in the world as a testi- church)
mony to all nations and then the
end will come.” Here, Jesus did Pestilences as a sign of His sec-
not foretell the conversion of the ond coming (Luke 21 : 11)
world but rather the worldwide Today the whole world is wit-
proclamation of the gospel. To nessing a major pestilence un-
this end, Scriptures and their pub- der names COVID-19, this pesti-
lications have been translated in lence has shaken the whole world, Jossen Ndalama
over 1,200 languages making sent a million into graves, some
Pastor
God`s Word available to nearly all
 13
We Are Each Other’s Business
A
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namasowa called out, Wonder!! Wonder!!!
“Tandibweretsere mphika titsuke Anthewa asanan-
yamuke wa kuuzimba.” (Get the clay pot for
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me, I need to clean it before your grand pa
leaves for hunting.) I was only ten years old then. This
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was our weekend routine, as all my uncles would leave
for a hunting spree in Liwadzi mountains. Anamasowa
my grandmother would clean the clay pot, keep it upside
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down in the kitchen waiting for the returning hunters’
venison to be stewed under her amazing kitchen skills.
It needed a hold of faith otherwise there was no guaran-
tee they would return with relish. Never did any hunting
day pass, without dogs enjoying some bones. I was
young Anthewa never allowed me to accompany them
on these hunting escapades. I waited for the day I would
take my “Chibonga” (hunting stick) and join them in
chasing and killing the antelopes my favourite, but the
day kept delaying. Frustrations took the best of me, I
stopped asking and joined a band of fellow kids who
were good at tracking and killing mice.
No sooner had I joined these amazing mice trackers
than I forgot about Anthewa and his hunting missions.
I got interested in weaving traps for mice. Bwalilimba
was the best mice tracker amongst us. We were a team
of five village rascals after mice and some wild rabbits.
One afternoon, in a garden of ground nuts, Bwalilimba
noticed some foot prints of mice. He alerted us to walk
softly and be on the lookout for possible outlets as we
searched for the main entrance to the mice hole. He said
these were very clever mice and even scolded us for
making noise. I had never encountered such type of
mice, not even heard about them. Even Goliath my
Uncle who knew more of these ground animals had
never told me of their cunning behaviour. As I moved
about our business silently, I saw some soft dry grass on
sand. The ground looked as if the soil had just been
sieved but I did not pay much attention for my eyes
were fixed on ant hill holes ahead of me. I step on the
soft sand and suddenly hell broke loose as there were
mice everywhere. Arms akimbo I could not chase not
even one. In a slip of a second they were all gone. I
looked where my foot had stepped and there was an
outlet from their sleeping tunnel. We lost them.
Bwalilimba sat us down and told us how the mice oper-
ate. “Dondwe is a mouse with brown fur but has a white
stomach. You usually get between eight to fourteen in
one hole. They like to eat groundnuts. They always re-
serve one hole which is an escape route and do not
open it. They usually leave the outlet layer so thin that
they would be able to see the moon during the night”,
narrated Bwalilimba. He continued, “When alerted of an
eminent attack, the big mouse will be the first to come
to the thin wall of the safe outlet. It will hook the next
mouse with its tail and the next would do the same with
the next until all mice will be connected to each other
with the tails. They all stay very alert at the sounds. At
the first sign of their being discovered the biggest mice,
just with all might will break the safety wall and take the
others with it. And then they all take a run for their life
in different directions.” We were all looking at
Bwalilimba with such dropped faces knowing we lost
the best catch of the day.
What fascinated me more was the organisation of these
mice in readiness to danger. Such kind of escape drill,
requires high levels of team work, leadership, common
goal, and coordination in one spirit.
Enough of mice and rats. How often do we work to-
gether for the common good? How often do we sacri-
fice our time for the glory of the team? How much time
do we put into a team’s effort to serve others?
Many times, we have lost direction because of self-
exaltation. Leaders in higher positions need to put
others first in order to balance the power in a group.
Empowering the followers does not mean giving away
authority, it means trusting co-workers. I came to be-
lieve that all the other mice in that tunnel do push each
other to support the big mouse. There is always power
and strength in the unity of oneness.
Moreover, as John Trap puts it “Unity without verity is
no better than conspiracy.” A leaders we need to learn
to trust others. In my few years I have lived on earth
the ubuntu philosophy, “I am because you are” appeals
to me so much.
Many times, we have
lost direction because
of self-exaltation.
We are each other’s harvest;
we are each other’s
business ; we are each other’s
magnitude and bond.
-
Gwendolyn Brooks
Several times I chat with a brother of mine who works
in Zambia. We look at life situations and how families
tend to suffer because of their reliance on one family
member. This other time a story was narrated about a 14
fellow we both knew, Khwaye. Khwaye was the only per-
son who went to school in the Humba family which
had 7 children, five boys and two girls. School support
was a scarce commodity as he progressed through the
2021
classes down Gowa Malawi Correspondence College.
Luck smiled on him as Zoda, his classmate who came
07
from a well-off family adopted him. As a team on a
mission, the boys excelled through the classes like a fu-
MMG
rious hurricane. They graced the corridors of the fa-
mous Chirunga Universitiy. Khwaye made it with a
distinction, he was absorbed into a famous company.
Mudi Master Guide
In no time at all he rose through the ranks and became
the Chief Executive Officer of the firm. Not only was
he the pillar of his company, he also became the
holding pillar of the Humba Family. Unfortunately for
him, his brothers and sisters never went far with educa-
tion. The highest class any of them managed was stand-
ard six. The girls were married off and the boys were
either mere farmers or hawker operators in the village.
Every problem from the family was for Khwaye to
solve, even the brothers needed him for clothes and
basic needs. Khwaye’s wife complained of the frequent
bothers she received but what could a man do, could he
forsake his blood relatives? Of course not.
He vowed to help them no matter what. The stress he
bored took a tore on both his family and work until
Zoda decided to have a man to man talk with him.
They decided to give skills to the brothers.
 One brother was trained in welding and he started a
welding shop. Another was given a motorbike and start-
ed running a transport business. He bought a water
Up Coming Events!!
pump for his other brother for irrigation. He sent the
youngest brother to a technical college. Yes, he spent a
Pathfinders
lot on them, but within a year, the frequent visits, the
calls had been reduced. Most of the times, he was only  Environmental Clean Up
told of things that really concerned him. The other fam-
ily members had started relying on themselves. When 4 July, 2021
his papa died, they shared the responsibilities and it was Ndirande Health Center
lighter to him. He begun to enjoy the visits to his home
15
village again.  Hiking
If you have the ability to train 11 July, 2021
others, do it for them for that Michiru Nature Sanctuary
will ease your work.
2021

 Weekend Camp Out,

Moral of the story is if you have the ability to train oth-
ers, do it for them for that will ease your work. If you 27-29 August, 2021
07

do train others, the responsibilities will always fall on

Lengwe National Park
you. There will be nobody to help you. Paul made sure
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he mentored others to finish the gospel work he started.  Pathfinder Day, and
Timothy, Philemon, Apphia, Archippus were all men-
tored by Paul. As a leader, how many people have you Community Service,
Mudi Master Guide

mentored so far? Let us build the capacity of others so 18 September, 2021

we can all contribute positively towards guiding the chil-
dren of God to be responsible citizens of this country
and prepare them for Jesus as we await the new earth
and Heaven. Trust each other and work towards the Adventurers
common goal.

 Cookery Day
4 July, 2021
 1 Night Camp Out,
21 August, 2021
 Nature Walk,
19 September, 2021
Wonderful Dzekedzeke
Master Guide Instructor
 Leadership Development: The Case of Mudi Adventist Youth
Ministry

F or any organization to grow and de-

velop to any meaningful extent, it needs to have
a system of development of its leaders. The
Church. Among others, the program focuses on
one’s personal spiritual life and growth. There is
an old adage that says “You cannot teach what
16

2021
Church is no exception. Biblically, we have some you do not know, and you cannot lead where
examples of leadership development: Moses you won’t go.”As leaders we need to learn to

07
and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha relationship. We live by what we preach and demonstrate it.

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also have the example of Jesus Christ and His The program is primarily designed for those
disciples. who wish to become actively involved in the
The Seventh-day Adventist Church through its junior youths of the church. Some of the prereq-

Mudi Master Guide

Youth Ministries Department commonly called uisites are that one needs to be at least 16 years
AY, emphasizes on leadership development. old to start and at least eighteen years to finish;
Through the Master Guide program, volunteers and be a baptized member of the Seventh-day
undergo official training program which aim at Adventist Church.
developing them into Christ – like leaders to dis- The importance of effective leadership develop-
ciple children, youth and young adults. ment cannot be over stressed. Without this train-
ing the work will suffer and succession will be
The Master Guide program was developed to
difficult. We need to know the fact that no one
train and develop leaders for the Church
can remain a leader forever and no organization
specifically for youth ministry.
can succeed in its mission without adequate pro-
This is the highest level of leadership within the vision for the next round of leaders and this is
Junior Youth Ministry (Pathfinder and Adven- where leadership development counts.
turer programs) of the
 When people are given the opportunity to de-
velop in an organization, they become trustwor-
thy to lead the organization when the need aris-
es. Even when it comes to succession, an organi-
zation will not face problems because they have
trust worthy people who understand the opera-
tions of the organization. Leaders who are com-
mitted to the call of leadership development will
always equip, support, motivate and mentor
others to realize their full potential.
At Mudi Seventh-day Adventist Church, the
17
program is under the tutelage of Master Guide
Thom Khondiwa popularly known as Mdziwi.
He emphasizes on reaching the highest stand-
ards reachable, discipline and commitment from
2021
few months I have been in the program I have
gained a lot.
The program runs for a period of between one to
three years and you need to meet all require-
ments if you are to qualify as a Master Guide. I
am definitely looking forward to that.
Once one completes the program, the club or-
ganizes a colorful ceremony known as Investi-
ture , where one is formally and ceremonially
invested as a Master Guide. The ceremony is
presided over by representatives from the South
Malawi Conference, the awarding Conference.
At Mudi this year’s investiture ceremony is
slated for December 2021.

the learners. There are several continuous as-

sessments that we are given. We are challenged
07

at every corner of the way. Our competency is

tested both theoretically and practically.
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The volunteers need to be resourceful, commit

their time to class assignments which are many,
Mudi Master Guide

exciting and challenging. In fact, the whole

course is just challenging and perhaps that is
why it is interesting for some of us.
When asked for his comment on how the pro-
Joseph Lipanda
gram is progressing, Isaac Chinkango a volun-
teer said, “The program is very rich in terms of Master Guide-In-Training
content and has changed his perception towards
the youth ministry.’’ I cannot agree more with
Chinkango for what he said is what I would
have said if I were asked the same question.
And this applies to many. The course is indeed
shaping us and correcting our earlier precon-
ceived misconceptions about the course and the
whole Youth Ministries department. At first I
thought there was little, if any, I will gain from
the course, but ALAS I was terribly wrong. The
Adventists Beliefs: The Trusted Pilgrim’s Roadmap
18

M
what the Bible teaches.”2 The Adventist follower may
truly feel safe in that every belief is rooted in and has
passed the ‘test and scrutiny’ of Scripture.

2021
any people especially non-Adventists Stability and Safeguards
do not know that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is

07
world-wide, orderly and well organized. Central to this While it might be admitted that the set of Adventist be-
organization are its teachings popularly known as Fun- liefs are not the subject of wanton modification or revi-

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damental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventists. The sion, the beliefs are not cast in stone. It is stated that
beliefs trace back to 1872 when the Adventist Press in revision of the “statements may be expected at a Gen-
Battle Creek, Michigan published a “synopsis of our eral Conference session any time the church is led by

Mudi Master Guide

the Holy Spirit to a fuller understanding of Bible truth
faith” in twenty five statements. This was a fitting result
of earnest prayer and intense bible study overseen and or finds better language to express the teaching of
endorsed by the pioneers of the church such as Captain God’s word.”3As a matter of fact, such revisions have
Joseph Bates, Mr. James White, Mrs. Ellen G. White occurred in 1889, 1905, 1980 and as recent as in 2005
and Mr. John Nevins Andrews to name but a few.1 where the session of the General Conference of Sev-
Adventist Christians can therefore rest assured of divineenth-day Adventists in St. Luis, Missouri, USA, had an
impression and direction even from inception of these additional belief voted. “This was not to add previously
beliefs. unknown material, but rather to better express and em-
phasize the church’s understanding of God’s power to
Unique give victory over the powers of evil to believers in
Unlike many established denominations who confess Christ.”4During these revisions the beliefs have changed
without remorse that tradition, experience and scripture from twenty five, to twenty two, then twenty seven and
are key components of their beliefs, “Seventh-day Ad- now twenty eight.
ventists however assert and declare that the Bible alone
is the only rule of faith and practice hence its beliefs
constitute the church’s understanding and expression of
 Members of the church may therefore wish to take today’s society. Of course, that said, they are significant
note that any attempt to teach anything outside of the for eternal life and truly the trusted pilgrim’s roadmap.
voted and settled beliefs no matter how seemingly
plausible, is ill conceived, unauthorized, not procedural
and a deliberate move to confuse, destabilize and mis-
lead members of the church.
Scope and Content
A look at the compiled book of the beliefs reveals that
it has been compiled to cover every aspect of human
19 endeavor and aspiration. The believer’s needs for faith,
spiritual growth and material walk, hope and destiny
are all been covered in this compilation. Firstly, it lays
the foundation with the doctrine of God, the origin of
Chris Maseya
man and then importantly presents how man can gain
2021

and experience Salvation. Other doctrines on the Master Guide-In-Training

church are followed by doctrines on what can be
termed the “Christian Culture “ with clear emphasis on
07

the fact that while some prevailing cultures and tradi-

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tions may have some relevance, Christianity is an over-

arching and supreme culture, a way of life that takes
pre-eminence and to which all other cultures pale in
comparison. After all, the Bible teaches that those that References:
Mudi Master Guide

are genuinely in Christ become new creatures, the old Robert H. Pierson, G.C President, Foreword, Light
is gone, and they become new beings.”5 “But you are a Bearers to the Remnant: Pacific Press Publishing Asso-
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a ciation, mountain view California, 1979.
peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises
, 3 & 4 Ministerial Association of Seventh-day Ad-
of Him who has called you out of darkness into His
ventists, Seventh-day Adventists Believe: Pacific
marvelous light.”6
Press Publishing association, 2006 ed., Boise,
ID 83653, page. V.
The book on beliefs closes with teachings on the last 5. 6, The Holy Bible, 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paraphrased,
things with Christ’s Ministry in the heavenly sanctuary 1 Pet. 2:9 NKJV
taking center stage. The curtain fittingly closes with
teachings on the Second Coming of Christ, Death and
Resurrection, the Millennium and the End of sin and
destiny, the New Earth. By this time, Adventist Chris-
tians will have come full circle as it were, informed and
challenged to the effect that the Fundamental Beliefs
are not just an empty and meaningless creed, but Bible
based convictions, which are of significance to them in
 Agonies and Ecstasies of a Master Guide Mentor
4

I
greatest lessons in mentoring Master Guides: It is possi-
ble to mentor a person to a level you desire if they are
willing. Today, Master Guide Kesten has mentored
was invested as a Master Guide in 2013. In several Master Guides. In a sense I started a nuclear

2021
2014 I found Pathfinders at a local church attending chain reaction which will spread in every direction these
regular meetings without a leader. They met for drill people will go. The reaction can't be stopped even by

07
and marching mostly if not only. No leader was willing me. The only way to stop a reaction like this is to not
to help or perhaps others had no or little working start it.

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knowledge to help the Pathfinders. I took the chal- Since then I have mentored at least a Master Guide a
lenge. That was my first year to work with the Pathfind- year. The mentoring journey has taught me that it is a
ers after my investiture—the real ground work. . One journey that is not like Picnic. It is filled with both ago-

Mudi Master Guide

challenge though: these Pathfinders have not been ex- nies and ecstasies.
posed to the Pathfinder progressive classes. All they
know is drill and marching. Well, I divided the Path- Agonies
finders in two classes, not recommended though: Ex- Planning
plorer and Ranger. Additionally, I had one Pathfinder
We encourage instructors and mentors to plan their
in Guide class and one candidate on Master Guide
work on a daily and yearly basis. The annual plans, es-
course. The results were just amazing: on every class,
pecially for a course like Master Guide, are a hectic.
the Pathfinders passed the SMC Final Examinations
You have to fit the program within a year though the
(back then we were writing final assessment from the
work is spread up to three years. But since we deal with
Conference). So I had invested a Master Guide and a
mixed abilities we have to allow the possibility of some
friend Kesten Nyson. Kesten taught me one of the
 volunteers to do the course within a year. Usually, Path-
finder/Adventurer year runs on a 8-10 months calen-
der. So the Master Guide curriculum has to be fitted
within this period. This is not an easy task. In my case,
I have to digest the work week by week, assuming a vol-
unteer willing to go through the course as I have
planned should be guided accordingly. The plan has to
be developed before beginning of the new year, usually
January which means the plan has to be developed be-
fore the end of December. Every year comes with it's
own need of a new plan because the dates have to fit
well.
to use. In our case, we check candidate's work against
the standard as outlined to in General Conference
Manual of Master Guide of 2015. But the manual will
not do the check for you. It has only guidelines and sug-
gestions. As a mentor you have to decide how every
candidate can best achieve the requirements. This de-
mands both reasonableness and common sense. Candi-
dates have different abilities and the completion of the
requirements varies. As such, you have to decide the
acceptable quality of completion taking into account
the ability and the given standard. Now this is not as
simple as it sounds.

21 I usually engage fellow Master Guides to help me teach The volunteers will misunderstand you and question
some of the seminars or honors. The plan has to show your neutrality especially when they compare their
who will teach what and when. works amongst themselves. When I read the written
assignments I have to make a determination whether it
Teaching
fits the desired quality or not. This has to be done with-
2021

Teaching is not an easy thing as a lot of work is usually out imposing some bureaucratic formats to them. Al-
involved. Again, the element of planning comes into lowing every candidate to complete the requirements
play here as you cannot teach a class without planning. according to their abilities is what makes me head over
07

The teaching aspect of mentoring challenges one to heals. It spins my brain and for some candidates the
keep on reading and researching on viable alternatives decision is reached after so many agonies in my head/
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to the course work. Teaching what has been prescribed heart.

within the local contexts. A good lesson has to relate
well to the surrounding environment and deal with is- This element is what has made me given different labels
Mudi Master Guide

sues that have practical significance. Contextualizing the from different volunteers. You tell them to submit the
benefits of reading Steps to Christ, they bring you a
lessons taught is not an easy thing as well.
good summary of the book. This work has been sub-
Quality Control mitted by a respectable person; say one of the church
As we prepare the Master Guide candidates for investi- elders. What should you do? Well, the summary may be
ture, we help them with the fulfilment of the require- good but the standard is the focus on benefits. So the
ments. Usually, it will take up to 4 months or so for the candidate has not completed the requirement by sub-
candidates to begin picturing what the course entails mitting the summary. They have to correct and re-
and demands from them. Many a candidate join the submit the correct response paper. That decision of say-
course without knowing really what is expected of them ing no to A when it is either hand written or printed is
and the commitment the course will demand from not easy one. It comes with some frictions that produce
them. As a Master Guide mentor you have to help them heat in my brain. As a mentor, you have to take this
understand the course requirements and how they can challenge, swallow your pride and help the elder com-
best complete it. Most candidates want to shape the plete the requirement correctly.
course to suit them. As a mentor you are or will be In 2016 I had the privilege of mentoring a pastor and
there to help them be shaped by the course material. his wife. How do you mentor a mentor? Well, not an
This requires some sort of quality control check. easy task you can imagine but I thank the dual for their
In quality control check requires one to have a standard humility in fulfilment of the Master Guide require-
ments. There was a requirement which needed a sum-
mary of at least 15 Fundamental Beliefs. I waivered the
pastor this requirement because he is trained in Advent-
ist Theology; but the Shepherdess wanted to be waiv-
ered of this requirement as well arguing she has attend-
ed several seminars that may satisfy this requirement.
Well, I said no and stood by the decision. Of course she
did complete the requirement. Again I thank the pastor
and the Shepherdess for understanding and cooperation
with me in completion of the requirements. Though I
enforced this requirement it was not enforced by the
Conference back then. We were in the era of summative
assessments and the final examinations focused on sem-
inars usually. Talk of quality control.
Teaching honors is also head rolling. Every honor has
to be taught and assessed. When you have willing vol-
unteers that are geared to completing the requirements
it becomes fun. However. It is not always the case. We
sometimes meet candidates who fight the whole learn-
ing process.
Assessment is a very important component of mentor-
have been assessed and have passed the assessment.
Remember, we are mentoring a Master Guide who will
be central to Adventuring or Pathfindering. We need
highly capable individuals to fulfil the role of Master
Guiding. So they have to be well conversant with the
honors that are prescribed by the course and assessment
is the only method of measuring their level of compe-
tency. Formulation of an assessment method, questions,
marking and recording the marks are indeed the causa-
tive agents of I can call "mentor angst".
When the church ac-
cepts the responsibility
of training it's Master
Guides the burden is 22
relatively lighter.
To effectively mentor Master Guides you need to pro-

2021
ing a good, down to earth Master Guide. Allow me to
vide enough opportunity for every volunteer to fulfil
illustrate with knot tying honor. Like many honors
their requirements. Well, if the requirement says they
(over 250!) Knot Tying honor has both theory and prac-

07
should supervise Pathfinder or Adventurer class, you
tical part. I teach both aspects and assess both aspects.
need to work hand in hand with a Club Director to allo-

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The teaching and assessment require a good knowledge
cate the volunteer a class. If they need a two night
of the knots for you cannot assess what you do not
camp out, you need to organize the camp out. All these
know. The teaching itself demands practice of the same.
arrangements have to be done within the allotted time
I remember times when I walk or travel with a rope just

Mudi Master Guide

frame of course according to an individual's ability.
to have time to practice the knots. You have to know
how to tie every knot you want the volunteers to know; Other requirements require the church leadership to
and know how to assess it--know when it's done cor- allocate times for oral presentations especially on Fun-
rectly or not. damental Beliefs. At times, you may need the church to
allocate your candidates to various Sabbath School Ac-
The assessment comes together in a package of marking
tion Units (classes). When the church accepts the re-
and record keeping. You have to mark the work of eve-
sponsibility of training it's Master Guides the burden is
ry volunteer, make a determination whether they have
relatively lighter. But this is not always the case.
passed or failed . Those who have failed the assessment
will need a make-up or supplementary assessment. The course has a lot of moving parts that need to be put
Sometimes some volunteers will not be able to write the together, like a picture puzzle. The challenge is, in this
first assessment. These will need deferred assessment to puzzle it is mostly the mentor who has the clues as to
help them fulfil the requirements. It is highly recom- how each piece is to fit to the other to form a complete
mended to award honor certificates only to those who picture. In most cases, your candidates will begin to un-
 derstand the puzzle after at least three months into the
course. Those who understand earlier are especially
those who do not fight the training or try to shape the
it to suit their needs.
I have mentored Master Guides within the age range of
16-50+ since I began the mentoring journey. Experi-
ence and exposure has shown the older candidates are
more willing to complete the requirements accordingly
than the younger generations. The 18s to early 20s find
it difficult to be shaped by the course material. Usually,
these will give you a lot of excuses and they expect you
to understand them and waiver them some require-
23 ments. They may gang up against you; dig into your life
and try to expose your weaknesses until you give in to
their demands or give up the mentoring process. The
pressure from the younger generation is sometimes
coupled with the pressure of some old folks who feel
2021
the course is demanding too much from them and
would love to be understood as well. "How do you ex-
pect us to read all these material as old as we are?" “We
07
have so many responsibilities at home and at work. “
MMG
They think you are being mean, selfish and unreasona-
ble. The younger generations will be like, "I'm very busy
with school or business, I will not be availing myself to
Mudi Master Guide
most of the classes." All these believe that their reasons
are reasonable enough to be understood by a fictious
reasonable Master Guide mentor. Now you have to bal-
ance between their ability, their age and the quality of
Master Guide they will become. To reach the balance is
not an easy task, assuming you reach it. Like the young-
er generations may put it, it's tough to be a Master Guide
“Often times, as we labor for
the great Master Guide, Jesus
Christ, we are not granted the
opportunity to see the fruits of
our laboring.”
mentor; the situation is always kiritiko!
Though you need to be in control of the course com-
pletion, you need to leave some room to be controlled
by the candidates. Here, you have to be careful because
the quality of the Master Guides you will mentor lies
largely in you. This year for example, I have a candidate
who found a format for completion of the Encounter
Series 1 which was different from mine or that suggested
in GC Master Guide Manual of 2015. I liked the format
and I recommended it to other candidates. In this way,
I allowed a candidate to control me in a way.
Ecstasies
When mentoring, is there anything to smile about?
Well, there is. I mean other than the friendship I have
made with those I have mentored. The friendships that
would not have been if it were not for the mentoring.
Often times, as we labor for the great Master Guide,
Jesus Christ, we are not granted the opportunity to see
the fruits of our laboring. When it comes to Master
Guide mentoring, the opportunity is almost always
there. You see people transformed to capable Junior
Youth leaders. I have so many examples where this op-
portunity has been granted. One "extreme" example
though. I did mention that I found Pathfinders without
willing leaders to work with them and that I divided
them in two classes. Well, one Pathfinder was invited by
his friend, Veronica. Veronica invited James to a Path-
finder meeting and James had not heard anything con-
cerning AY or Pathfinder club. He did not know what
it was and what they do there. Well, she told him that
was the more reason he should join her and he did. I
did not know any of these Pathfinders neither their sto-
ries. I started working with them and later realised that
James was willing to learn more. Later, I realised James
was 13 years and capable of doing Ranger class so I de-
cided to put him in Ranger class. I remember one time
he asked me, aise kodi ma lashings ndi chani?? (What are
lashings?) I said these are rope works my friend and I
will teach you in due time. “Aaaaah, nde ndalembatu
kuti Eye Lashes ine on exam paper!” He exclaimed.
Well, as I continued getting to know him I realised that day when God will rejoice with us for going about His
James was coming from a non Adventist family and was business whilst here on earth.
in standard 8 then. He passed Ranger exams, so I
And yes I know, the greatest joy will be in heaven when
worked with him in Voyager, through Guide and Master
I will be allowed to see to the great lengths the results of
Guide. This year, Master Guide James Medson was used
my mentoring. Indeed, I will rejoice with those I have
as an SMC Trainer in it's In-service Trainings. He has
helped in their spiritual walk. I will rejoice with those
also been used as one of the "experienced" instructors
that I have had a hand in their salvation! That will be
of Knot Tying honor according to Master Guide
the only ECSTASY that matters. And all 24
Chifundo Mpeni, deputy director of Pathfinder Club at AGONIES of mentoring will be remembered no more.
Blantyre-Chiradzulu Zone. Mpeni is also one of the
Master Guides I have mentored. In preparation for the
Pathfinder fair slated this year , Master Guide Mpeni

2021
enlisted James as one of instructors for Knot Tying, to
prepare the district and local club directors who would
later prepare the Pathfinder. Indeed, James is one of the

07
best Master Guides I have mentored. Talk of the satis-
faction within! From a non Adventist family to a SMC

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Trainer! What a joy to his mentor.
When you are dealing with able candidates, they may

Mudi Master Guide

help you with good framework of how the requirements
can best be completed. These makes the work easier and
make me learn from them as well. In a way, my own ex-
perience gets fed through mentoring. The case of iron Thom Khondiwa
sharpening another iron I guess.
Master Guide Mentor
Another ray of joy dawns when I see Pathfinders and
Adventurers having capable and dedicated leaders. To
say the truth, the focus of Master Guide and therefore
its mentoring is on Adventurers and Pathfinders. We
mentor leaders specifically for the Junior Youths so
when I say the Juniors benefiting from the quality Mas-
ter Guides I mentored I feel good. The burden that
would have been mine alone will now be divided
amongst the equally capable leaders. More so when the
Adventurers and Pathfinders get invested.

But perhaps the greatest joy will not be felt here on

earth. Whatever joy we may feel for going about our
Father’s business is tainted with some sinful trait. How-
ever, as we wait for the fullest joy that would be felt
without restraint of course at the second coming of Je-
sus, we have to continue laboring for the Master, enjoy-
ing to whatever level, the joys of our labor as God will
permit us. As we continue working, we await the great
 25
SOS: Sexually Transmitted Infections Amongst the Youth
S
2021
07
exually Transmitted In-
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fections (STIs) are becoming ram-
pant in the suburbs of Ndirande,
one of most highly populated areas
Mudi Master Guide
in the city of Blantyre, Malawi—
believed to contain both high spirit-
ed and perturbing people. Young
people of different age groups and
denominations are not uncommon
among the most infected, an indica-
tor that something is wrong and
that there must be a serious ap-
proach of addressing this in as far
as the second coming of Jesus
Christ is concerned.
Although the journey to heaven is
considered a personal adventure,
enlightening one another on ac-
ceptable ways of living at frequent
intervals can help curb the pre-
existing problem among those af-
fected now, and generations to
come, drawing one or two or three
to Christ our Creator and Savior.
On the other hand, the world has
so far introduced three levels of
disease prevention which apply also
in the fight against STIs, including
primary, secondary and tertiary lev-
els.
Primarily, people are not yet dis-
eased. They are healthy and are only
sensitized and encouraged to follow
ways that will keep them from ac-
quiring the infections. At this level,
married people must protect their
spouses by staying away from infi-
delity, because this is the only way
they will not become friends of
STIs. No matter how much they
become tempted or seduced, they
should stay loyal and faithful to
their lawfully wedded husbands and
wives, and unceasingly pray for one
another to stay strong from the
temptations.
We however have a long way to go
pertaining the unmarried, particular-
ly large number of youths both in
schools and in communities. These
are taught to abstain from sexual
activities and this is the right thing
because they are biblically not eligi-
ble to have sex. How many youths
choose abstinence over all? Studies
show that very few abstain and
many including Adventist Christians
are involved in premarital sex.
These indulge in harmful sexual
practices despite the fact that, al-
ready, they are at a higher risk of
acquiring STIs because of a number
of contributing factors.
First, young people are not com-
fortable enough to talk about their
sex lives since in the first place they
are doing something they are not
supposed to do at that particular
moment. They grow up being
taught on what and what not to do
including avoiding premarital sex so
when they find themselves doing it, they hardly talk
about it and suffer in silence.
Another factor is that many youths have multiple sex
partners. This makes it difficult for them to tell which
one can infect them.
The youths are also careless enough to go for HIV
Testing Services (HTS) because they are afraid to be
seen and reported to their guardians. This means a
large number of the them do not know their serostatus.
Biologically young women’s bodies are more suscepti-
ble to STIs, a factor that puts female youth at relatively
higher risk. Young females that start sexual activities
early easily develop Cervical Carcinoma (Cancer of cer-
vix)) later when they grow up. If a simple biblical text
cannot send a red flag, cervical carcinoma should do.
Indeed, this is one of the major reasons they must ab-
stain until they are of legal age and are joined in a holy
matrimony.
When the youth have failed to abstain and have in-
dulged themselves into the malpractices that have got-
ten them diseased, primary prevention has failed. This
will require secondary level of prevention. At second-
ary level we seek medical help from the hospital. Lack
of access to health care is yet another factor that puts
young people at risk; but this one barely applies to
Ndirande youth because there is a big and reliable
health Centre situated right in the township where they
can access health services at any time of the day and
night.
We will take a look at two scenarios below, that are
portraying a picture on how Christian youths are hesi-
tant to openly talk about their sex life when they visit a
health facility. We will also explore the cases of those
who are open to talk about their problem and later re-
pent never to indulge themselves again in reckless liv-
ing. It is so obvious how heaven wishes we could just
be doing the right thing until Christ comes to take us
all home, unlike living carelessly and suffer before com-
ing to repentance.
“My name is Mwai-Danida Tambudzai Chisesele-
Khondiwa, a health care worker at Ndirande Health
Centre. As a wife, I have done all my work at home.
Masked up due to a number of increasing Covid-19
cases tested and diagnosed right at the health facility,
and heading to this week’s assigned outpatient depart-
ment, my mind is already taken to a very big book that
I will find on my desk in the consultation room. It is a
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) desk Register
where many of the ones frequenting the clinic with STIs
are aged 15 to 30 and many are males. Why are fe-
males not appearing as frequent? It hits me hard! Be-
cause management of STIs requires that when a male is
infected, his partner must come for treatment too. I
know there must be a girl out there whom if not yet dis-
eased, in a couple of days she will also start seeing symp- 26
toms, more so because she has not been treated as the
boyfriend has. She is not coming probably because she is
shy to come with such issues at the clinic. What will be
her fate? Makes me sad. I call out for patients to start
2021
entering the consultation room and lo a pathfinder at my
church comes in. Whatever he explains, I will keep the
07
confidentiality and not even my husband, the current
Pathfinder Club Director will know the name of this
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my patient or anything concerning his illness. He ex-
plains what brings him to the clinic and I realize he has
an STI. I ask follow up questions so we arrive at the
Mudi Master Guide
type of STI he has acquired. There are many types in-
cluding Abnormal Vaginal Discharge (AVD), Ingui-
nal Bubal, Genital Ulcer Disease (GUD), Acute Scro-
tal Swelling (SS), Syphilis, Neonatal Conjuctivitis
(NC) among others, but his is Urethral Discharge
(UD). This one he is having abnormal penile discharges
with intense pain. Physical examination has not shown
any ulcer present on his private part. At first he is reluc-
tant to let me do physical examination because he is shy.
I have to perform that at all cost although as a patient
he has a right to choose a health care worker to attend
to him. It would have been much better if there were
enough health workers in the facilities but just as many,
Ndirande health Centre also has shortage of staff and
on this day it is just a female worker present to attend
to every condition. Luckily this young man has accepted
to be seen by me. I have sent him for an HIV test and
 a test for syphilis. He is afraid of the results and many
youth ran away when we arrive at this point. I have ex-
plained how easily one with STIs acquire HIV and he
has chosen to know his current serostatus. Syphilis test
has come out negative but HIV positive. He is 16 years
old and a student at a primary school. He has so far
slept with more than one young female primary school-
mate. More than one older women also enticed him to
sleep with him. He must have acquired the infections
from an of these. He is sad, very sad at the reception of
the results. He is to start taking a life long antiretroviral
therapy for viruses not to multiply. This makes me sad
too. There must be an undiagnosed chain out there be-
27 cause it cannot come to the clinic. It is hesitant to do so.
Another man 28 years old walks in. He says he has
ulcers in his private parts. He reports that he works for a
road construction company which requires him to go on
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field trips now and again. This one is very honest with
me. He admits he cannot go on a field trip without hook-
07
ing a sex worker. He has an innocent look, too good for
his behavior to be true. And guess what, he is a Chris-
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tian. His health passport is full of STI prescriptions. He
must be a regular STI patient because his partners never
report for treatment whenever they are asked to do so. He
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also has not yet realized that honest living takes some
level of discipline. But today, he is tired. He is fed up
getting infected and infecting young girls. He wants to
quit saying he cannot believe his HIV test has come out
negative when he thought thus far he is infected. It must
be God speaking and he stresses today is the last day we
will diagnose him with STIs. I am happy and hope he
will go and lead a clean life, protecting not only himself
but others too.
Scenarios above show only males. Females are
showing up but rarely. This does not mean they
are not infected or affected. There must be rea-
sons why they are suffering in silence. Poverty is
one reason. Young girls indulge in sexual activi-
ties because they want to find food for the day.
For others it is just a choice. Their families are
not living below the poverty line but they just
choose disobedience and pleasure. Although
they learn about STIs at school during their life
skills lessons, they rather try doing what teacher
said was wrong to do, and worse still opt for
unsafe sex. Although parents and church coun-
sel them not to have sex outside marriage, they
follow their own way and end getting diseased
that many stay unreported. Whatever the reason
but youths can choose today to live according to
God’s standard.
For all these dilemmas young people find them-
selves into, it is important to never stop telling
them how unpleasant STIs are and how taking
medication or frequenting the hospital is time
consuming and cumbersome. Why not choosing
God’s way in spite of the feelings and pleasures
of this world? No matter how one finds them-
selves in a difficult situation, God’s way never
fails. Remember Joseph in the Bible? A very
handsome young man we are told. His good
looks are even noticed in a robe his father made
for him. You and I well know it is so difficult to
notice the beauty of someone wearing a robe
and we would rather go for this generation’s
popular “ung’ono-ung’ono.” But the Bible still
stresses on how good-looking Joseph was, to an
extent that Potiphar’s wife asked him to sleep
For all these dilem-
mas young people
find themselves into,
it is important to
never stop telling
them how unpleas-
ant STIs are...
 with her. She promised him better life upon While the world may judge you, Christ will
accepting to make love to her. If it were you, cleanse you and make you whole again. And
would you have said no? when Jesus forgives you, you will be a new
creature. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this
Many of young people these days do not ac-
person is a new creation; the old things passed
cept what we are, our family status and just
away, behold, new things have come.” 2 Corin-
what God wants us to be. We choose to ex-
thians 5:17. This is the everlasting gospel to
change our bodies with money and in the end
those who have been caught up with sin, even
acquire STIs and some have died earlier than
the sexual sin. I join God when He says,
would have been.
“Then neither do I condemn you, Go now and
Learning from our role model Joseph, our situ- leave your life of sin.” John 8:11
ations must never take us away from God. He
refused to disobey God regardless of being
cornered in a tight situation where an older
28
woman was right in front of him naked and
promising him benefits thereafter.

Unlike Joseph, some of us have given in al-

ready in similar cases. We failed to say no for

2021
various reasons. And now you think you are
done (‘inalakwa kale’) and there is nothing you

07
can do about it; buy hey, slow down. Remem-
ber this moment that you are the reason Christ
Danida Khondiwa

MMG
visited this pathetic Planet to die a sacrificial
and atoning death. Adventurer Club Director

Mudi Master Guide

“No matter how one finds
themselves in a difficult
situation, God’s way never
fails.”