For nearly three decades, Scott and Lorilee MacLean have enjoyed an enduring connection with the people of Malawi. After serving with Emmanuel International from 1997 to 2009, the MacLeans spent a decade back home in Canada. In 2019, following what they clearly felt as the Lord's leading, they returned to live, work, and share in daily life in the village areas surrounding the theological school called Chisomo.

Today, their days are filled with everything from managing classrooms to supporting farmers, serving as a bridge between Canadian supporters and local ministries. Here is a look at what God has been doing through their work.

Chisomo Theological and Vocational Training School

At the training school, the MacLeans work with a diverse class of students who arrive for an intensive one-year program. The curriculum is holistic, with students deepening their faith through theology courses while equipping themselves with practical vocational skills like carpentry, handcrafts, and foundational farming techniques.

Serving as the Academic Dean, Lorilee navigates a wide range of academic abilities. This year presented a common challenge: two of the women entering the program were illiterate. The school has offered them a life-changing opportunity to learn to read and write. Meanwhile, Scott wears many hats to support the school, including serving as the community's ambulance driver.

The Reading Club: Overcoming a Daunting Language Barrier

In the region where the MacLeans live, the local language is Chiyao. However, when children attend school, they are suddenly expected to read and write in both Chichewa and English (Malawi's official languages).

"What a daunting task!" the MacLeans share. "Often children drop out of school by Standard 5 because they haven't learned either language well enough and are completely lost in class."

What started years ago with just two local boys seeking help has grown into a bustling Reading Club supporting 35 kids from grades 2-7. Meeting five days a week for extra tutoring in Math, Chichewa, and English, the club holds students to high attendance standards. The results speak for themselves: out of 17 children who arrived this year completely unable to read or write, 14 are now reading fluently. One proud father even shared that he regularly finds his young son who is in Standard 1 sitting on their front porch, confidently reading the Bible.

Canadian Farmers Partnering for Abundant Harvests

Exciting update comes from the Farmer to Farmer project, where Canadian farmers have directly partnered with 10 local Malawian farmers to help encourage improved agricultural practices and crop production.

In the first year, participating farmers received the necessary tools to manage a half-acre plot and went on field trips to see modern, sustainable farming techniques in action. To keep the project self-sustaining, each farmer gave back 65 kg of maize from their first harvest, which was sold to buy seeds for the second season.

This past season, the farmers put their new knowledge into practice: fields were no longer burnt; precise manure measurements were used, and a protective "blanket" of dry maize stalks from the previous year was laid over the soil. The results were wonderful. Under traditional methods, the average yield was 8 bags per half-acre. With these new sustainable practices, the harvest jumped to an average of 14 bags. Plans are already underway to expand the training and increase the experimental plots to 3/4 acre next season.

Salimo 100 & Mission Mobilization

The imapct of EI's work in Malawi continues to ripple outward into the arts and future leadership training:

• The Salimo 100 Project: Fondly known as the "choir project," this initiative has fostsered a growing wave of worship among local youth. After a large choir competition across 3 districts, 16 semi-finalists are preparing to compete in the finals in August 2026. The project's TikTok channel has hit over 5,000 followers.
  
• Mission Mobilization Training: Looking toward 2027, the Evangelical Baptist Bible College in Liwonde is being re-purposed into a dedicated mission-training centre. The curriculum is currently taking shape to train future Malawian leaders in cross-cultural mission strategy, entrepreneurial skills, and community outreach.

Support the MacLeans

The MacLeans and the local leadership team are currently waiting upon the Lord for the necessary funds to officially launch the new Mission Mobilization intake. Please join our EIC family in praying for the financial provisions for this program, and for the continued strength of Scott and Lorilee as they serve on the ground.

To financially support the MacLeans' ongoing ministry, Donate to Field Staff