Spotlight on Malawi – Jean-Claude and Joyce

Jean-Claude and Joyce, along with their children Chris, Ornella, Venerande and Isabella, live and serve among the Yawo of Malawi, arriving in late 2018. KawanaLife financially support the family, who are serving with Global Interaction.

Jean-Claude was born in Burundi and grew up amid a war-torn society. Both he and Joyce lived in refugee camps before arriving in Australia. When he arrived in Australia, Jean-Claude had no desire to return to Africa and looked forward to building a family in his new country. However, God was calling Jean-Claude to train as a missionary and return to Africa. He has a Diploma in Multicultural Ministry and an Associate Degree at Malyon College.

Jean-Claude and Joyce share a passionate love of God and people. They know that God has called them back to Africa.

Cultural and language understanding are at the heart of relationships and the basis for ministry activities.

In order to be effective members of their team, Jean-Claude & Joyce invest lots of time in understanding the local Yawo people’s way of life and learning the local language. This way they can communicate and share in day-to-day life activities as well as on a more personal level by speaking the heart language of their local friends. To do this, they spend 2-3 hours daily, 5 days a week studying with their language nurturers and continues to make cultural observations through watching, listening, questioning and practising.