A mission team from the Collegedale Church of Christ and the Christian Student Center at Troy University will return to Malawi, Africa, for two weeks in June.
The mission team will work closely with the Mtendere Children’s Village, an orphanage in Lumbadzi that was built through missions based in Montgomery.
To assist with the funding of the mission trip, Collegedale Church of Christ will sponsor a Miles for Missions 5K Run and One-Mile Color Run on Saturday, April 26.
Bobby Templin, Collegedale Church of Christ minister, said the mission trip is expensive to make. The team has to raise the funds through individual donations and through different fund-raisers, such as the Miles for Missions 5K and Fun Run.
“Each time someone is able to donate – whether with a donation, or just with time in helping with our fund-raisers – we recognize that we are representing and sharing their love and concern for the people of Malawi,” Templin said.
Some people may ask why send a mission team to Africa and why Malawi, Templin said.
“According to the latest rankings, Malawi is the eighth poorest country in the world,” he said. “There is very little to no medical care there. In the United States, there is one doctor for every 3,000 people. In Malawi, there is one doctor for every 100,000 people, one of the lowest ratios in the world. Since there are no doctors, trained nurses, or medical supplies, hospitals in Malawi become a breeding ground for disease, such as HIV and malaria. Because of these terrible diseases, many children become orphans at young ages.  The Mtendere Village is a life saving place of refuge for some of these children.”
Betty Stocks will be making her third trip to Malawi. She said the main focus of the mission team is to spread God’s love to other.
“We will spend most of our time with the children and the workers at the orphanage,” Stocks said. “These people have become very deart to our hearts. We look forward to holding daily Bible studies, similar to our vacation bible schools with the children and we’ll also have nightly devotions and do some tutoring in their school work and help them with their daily activities.”
Stocks said life is difficult for the people of Malawi, who must struggle just to survive.
“But they are loving and happy people,” she said. “The like to sing and dance. They smile all the time. Their love shines through.”
Stocks said the children at the orphanage attend school and they have high hopes and dreams just like children everywhere.
“The want to be teachers and doctors and airplane pilots,” she said. “But they all have a common dream – to become a person who can take care of themselves,” Stocks said. “It is such a blessing to be able to share God’s love with these precious children.”
The Miles for Missions 5K run is set for 8 a.m. Saturday, April  26 at Collegedale Church of Christ on George Wallace Drive in Troy. Registration fees are $20 for the 5K and $15 for the One-Mile Color Run. Registration forms are avaialable at the Collegedale Church of Christ. Participants may also register the day of the race. For more information, call 334-566-5110.