'Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after
orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world'. (James 1:27)
As we assembled in sporadic outbursts of torrential rain with the huge crowd which had gathered from
far and near for the funeral of Rev Levison Ntonio, some inkling of the sheer scope of his influence
began to dawn on me.
I began
to remember the thousands of miles we had travelled together throughout central and southern Malawi.
Everywhere we had been we had met with warmth, excitement, respect and gratitude. Even the poorest
of the poor showered simple gifts on Levison - a basket of the first cobs of the maize harvest, a
dish of red beans
or a bunch of bananas. Often an old widow in some remote village who had somehow heard he was in the
area would wave down our vehicle and hobble after us with a cloth, tied up to make a little bag,
bulging with Irish potatoes.
The
reason for this love and gratitude is not hard to find. Levison Ntonio had devoted his life to the service
of others with special concern for the poor and
needy.
As a graduate of LBI (now Evangelical Bible College of Malawi) he supervised
the building of the remote health centre at Matanda. He typically sacrificed his own comfort and security,
sleeping under a tree with his young wife Esnart because initially there was no accommodation in the
area.
Then there were the
'golden years' at Ntonda where he was administrator of the health centre. Like Joseph, Levison's ministry
bore the hallmarks of acumen, integrity and honesty. The poor and the downtrodden always came first
with him and the work at Ntonda prospered under his management. Since his passing I have become aware
of
several who were dependent upon his personal generosity.
On that day of the funeral I looked out on the sea of expectant mourners waiting to hear a final tribute
to the man they had called 'Abusa - Shepherd' and I wondered just how to respond. Then in answer to
a desperate prayer I found the Holy Spirit bringing to mind a fragment of Acts 10;38. This part of
Peter's
description of the life of Jesus was so apt that I had no hesitation in using the phrase to sum up Levison's
ministry - 'He went around doing good'.
This man 'walked as Jesus walked' (1 John 2:6) and God graciously gave him a father
heart. Always as we drove into the Namisu Orphan Village our dear little children would scamper up to
meet us calling, 'Atati, Atati!' ('Father, Father') and then gather around to stare lovingly up at
him. If one of them looked ill Levison would quickly take the child in his arms and all plans would
be abandoned
for the welfare of this sick orphan. I have often thought of Psalm 27:10, 'Though my father and mother
forsake me, the LORD will receive me'.
The prayer of St. Francis of Assissi was truly answered in the ministry of Levison Ntonio:
'Where there is despair in life let me bring hope'.
He lost his life in the
service of others at the hands of cruel men. The shock stunned and momentarily demoralised us but helped
by the many prayers of friends in the UK we entrusted ourselves to the God Who raises the dead, realising
that the most fitting tribute we can make to Levison is to acknowledge the power of Christ's resurrection
which was at work in our brother and continue his vision for the orphans, the widows and the disadvantaged
of Malawi. It was our Risen Lord Who said, 'He
who believes in me will live even though he dies'.
My life and those of countless
others have been enriched through fellowship with this dear man. It is fitting that we honour his memory
and praise God for him remembering that a day will come when we shall all stand together filled with
joy unspeakable and full of glory in the immediate Presence of the One Who will say, 'Well done, good
and faithful servant!' to all who follow the example of Christ, the Great Abusa!
John Searle
Director of Aquaid Lifeline |
