By Lee Forland
After forty years of faithful mission service in Africa, a mission worker couple, based in the rural village of Nanjoka, Malawi, have now been called back by God to return to the United Kingdom. As the time has come for them to complete this chapter of service, God’s blessings are clear.
A Day in Jo and Steven Wheatley’s Final Weeks in Malawi
It was 3 AM when the electric fan blades stopped turning. The local power had gone out again, and being a typical, hot Malawian night, sleep without fans was difficult. Being sleep deprived, finalising the preparations for a going-away party that morning became more challenging.
Jo, a physical therapist, has been treating young children throughout Malawi, and in this capacity, God has used her throughout her forty-year journey as a conduit of His love. Jo started this particular day with a party for the Katawa village children and their mothers. It was their opportunity to say goodbye to one another and to celebrate the time they had spent together. The party was festive, and Jo was greeted with many smiles when she arrived. God has been using Jo’s big heart to share the love of Jesus with the people, and the love that Jo and the children and their mothers have for one another was easy to see.
“God has been using Jo’s big heart to share the love of Jesus with the people, and the love that Jo and the children and their mothers have for one another was easy to see.”
Jo first read the Bible story of Jesus calming the storm, and reminded the mothers that Jesus will calm the storms in their lives. After hearing the story, the children and mothers enjoyed Jo’s hospitality. She shared delicious treats and the gift of a new outfit of clothing for each child. As the party drew to a close, tears flowed, and there were lots of hugs and thanks for God’s goodness, Jo’s passion, and all that Jo had done for the families.
Later in the afternoon, Jo led a Bible study for a women’s group and a children’s group to help them better understand Jesus and His love for them. The women took turns reading and discussing Bible verses, talking about their meaning and the differences that the verses can make in their lives. Singing acapella, they finished their study with the joyous singing of their favorite choruses in worship to God.
Jo led the children’s group in a study of the faith lessons drawn from Abraham’s life. The children followed the story in activity booklets. Learning these stories helps the children experience God’s love at an early age.
Steven, on this particular day, was tasked with the loading up of furniture and other belongings into a truck that were being transported back to Blantyre, Malawi, as part of their bigger move back to the United Kingdom. This was an important task because at this point in time, Steven and Jo’s flight home was less than three weeks away.
For Steven, this was simply another act of service. Though Steven has worked with many ministry activities over his forty years, he describes his role as a mission worker very simply: to serve God and the people.
God has called upon Steven’s gift of discipling, mentoring, and training up of others. In Nanjoka, he has been serving as a leader of a pastor’s fraternal group where he disciples and encourages pastors as they study the Bible, share, and pray for one another to support them in their faith walk. In their meetings, they have good discussions, a time of prayer, and they enjoy meals together. Steven has a big heart and has been thankful for this opportunity to get to know the pastors.
In his service to Jesus, Steven serves quietly, getting on and doing what needs to be done. He is often called upon to preach, and he disciples the workers on the farm where he and Jo live, and often uses other skills to make aids to support the children to assist Jo with her physical therapy.
Looking back at forty years of service
Steven began his service in Zambia, while Jo had started her service in Nigeria. After meeting at the All Nations Christian College and marrying, they studied Portuguese and moved to Mozambique, where they served in the church and community in many different ways. In 2010, they were called to Malawi and have been serving in the rural village of Nanjoka for the last four years.
When asked what advice Steven and Jo would give to new mission workers, they both recommended that new mission workers focus on learning the language and culture of the people they are to serve as much as possible before concentrating on their mission work. They also said to approach mission work with an attitude of learning, trusting in God’s faithfulness, whatever’s going on day to day.
“Though Steven has worked with many ministry activities over his forty years, he describes his role as a mission worker very simply: to serve God and the people.”
As a special memory, Steven recalled the time that he was serving in Mozambique and the villagers were eager to hear the Gospel. It was exciting, he said, to see the passion the people had for learning about Jesus. Nanjoka, he and Jo both said, is a more spiritually difficult place to serve. Though people do come to believe in Christ, they are often slow to abandon their traditional beliefs.
God has clearly been working through Steven and Jo to bring His love and goodness to Africa. He has also been using their gifts as a blessing to plant seeds in the hearts of the people they have served. Their service is a testimony to what it means to serve and to share God’s love. In time, God will further reveal how these seeds will blossom and how He will use their work to continue building His Kingdom.
Steven and Jo Wheatley are now back in the United Kingdom and are seeking God’s will to understand what is next, and are eagerly waiting to see what God plans for them. Their adventure in faith continues.
Please pray
- Pray for the people of Nanjoka that they may come to know Jesus as their Saviour
- Pray for Steven and Jo’s transition to the UK, that the move continues to go smoothly
- Pray for Steven and Jo’s next steps, that God will make their next calling clear, and will bless the work of their next assignment
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