Mayi Mpakati

By bro. Wladimir, 'Our man in ... Malawi' 

It has been some time since the head of the home care told me that Mayi Mpakati layed in her shack, badly ill. Could I please go and visit her?

’You know… She dreamed of you. You should come. She told me yesterday that you should bring a white cloth and holy water. She wants to be wrapped in the white cloth, you should sprinkle holy water over her and pray for her.’

‘Oh now wait, wouldn’t it be better to ask a priest to go to her?’

‘No, she dreamed of you. Yesterday she was still approachable, today she isn’t. You should hurry.’

Well, what would you do? We did have a white sheet. Holy water we didn’t have. Perhaps clean water with some salt could work as a blessing as well.

With a liter of clean water and a speckless white sheet we found Mayi Mpakati, laying on a rush mat in her poor shack. She was very ill indeed. I handed over the sheet to the ladies of home care and waited outside for them to wrap her in. After that I sprinkled her abundantly with clean water, mumbled a few prayers and went back home.

Two days later Mayi Mpakati sa ton my doorstep. Radiant with joy she told me: ‘After you dispelled the devil, I fell asleep. When I woke up the next morning, I was cured. Thank you thank you thank you!’

I explicitly asked her not to trumpet the story around.

Imagine what could happen!

PS. Last week Mayi Mpakati died. It was only at her funeral I learned that Mayi Mpakati was muslim.

Br. Wladimir

Malawi