Janet Karim
7 Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.” 7 Regarding the angels, he says, “He sends his angels like the winds, his servants like flames of fire.” — Hebrews 1:7
7 Don’t waste time arguing over foolish ideas and silly myths and legends. Spend your time and energy in the exercise of keeping spiritually fit. 8 Bodily exercise is all right, but spiritual exercise is much more important and is a tonic for all you do. So exercise yourself spiritually, and practice being a better Christian because that will help you not only now in this life, but in the next life too. — 1 Timothy 4:8
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. — Ephesians 2:10
Death was announced on Tuesday July 30, 2024, of my beloved MaiBusa (also known as Word Alive Ministries Church Lay Pastor Mrs. Dorothy Ngwira) at Mwaiwathu Hospital, in Blantyre. Wife of Blantyre Word Alive Church Resident, Pastor Reverend Mapunda Ngwira, MaiBusa Ngwira was mother of Pastor Elijah Ngwira and Esther Ngwira. Her remains were entered into her eternal earthly place in Rumphi on Thursday August 1, 2024.
I find myself devastated beyond human measure, in a mood that is often difficult to describe, understand, or bear. The death of this giant quiet person in religious and professional circles leadership positions, is another giant loss. Her passing hits me huge in high proportions. I will miss the ever-smiling, friendly, quiet, and laughing woman, who was married to also a quiet and smiling Pastor. A Dynamic Duo in the area of smiling and quietness.
MaiBusa Dorothy Ngwira was the Managing/Chief Partner of Graham Carr and Company, Malawi’s leading firm of accountants and auditors. (This is where one of my sons was first employed as a junior auditor when he completed his Form Five at the Kamuzu Academy.)
The first times I met these Dynamic Duos in Malawi’s religious circles, was when every time I made my rounds of other Christian church visiting – always at my friend General Overseer Joseph and Justice Jane Ansah, Reverend and MaiBusa Ngwira, were the ones who not only welcomed me, but took me and had me sit (despite my request to be placed at the back of the church hall) behind the church’s leadership (the General Overseer and the Justice).
One day, she jokingly told me, “This is your rightful place, please don’t make us do something wrong. You are friends of our lead Pastor and the Justice.”
Our paths crossed again in a surreal but pleasant way, when two major things happened. The first one was when my son was given a job at the organization where she would, in a few years, head as the lead partner; this is the nationally-acclaimed audit firm she was the CEO at time of her death. The second meeting was when her husband was offered the position of program director for the Word Alive ICOCA project. This led to the Dynamic Duo in time, to join the Word Alive Church. In time, due to the massive church growth, Pastor Ngwira rose to the position of Resident Pastor for the Blantyre Church. With MaiBusa Ngwira now being a member of the Word Alive family, our paths got entwined and even from distant locations, our ties grew stronger as time went by.
In 2009, Pastor Ngwira officiated my son’s and his wife’s wedding, while MaiBusa, was the lead in the counselling sessions of the wedding ceremony. The Ngwira’s were again by my side in 2014 when another son married, they participated in the counselling session, and were a great support to me personally at the reception.
Had I known that Tuesday July 16, 2024 was the last time I would send MaiBusa my recorded WhatsApp message, to which she responded also by a recorded message, would be the last time we would communicate, I would have kept the messaging go on and on and on. But I didn’t. In her message to me, she agreed to tell her guardian at the hospital (Reverend Ngwira) to answer her phone calls and therefore become a good guardian, when I call. Listening to MaiBusa’s July 16 response, complete with her usual and well-known joyous laughter, is uplifting. I am drawn to tells every time I listen to my recording and then to her recording.
But then two weeks after the exchange of recorded WhatsApp messages, (Tuesday July 30, 2024), she was gone. Gone Home to be with the Heavenly Father, to be in the Bosom of our LORD Jesus, and to live in her new Mansion in the New Jerusalem.
A very memorable MaiBusa and I moment in the corridors of our history, was when she came to the US in 2014 for a business trip. She wanted to go shopping; and I was glad to take her to the Westchester shopping malls for a good old shopping spree. Our last stop was at Cross County Shopping Mall in Yonkers, New York. We shopped and shopped till we got to that proverbial dropping stage. The highlight of the shopping spree on the last day, was when we walked outside of the mall buildings, a big wind swept across the area, and my wig went flying off of my head, flew aimlessly in the sky, going higher and higher in the moonlit sky, and was not to be caught or seen again.
The wig just kept on flying away with the wind over the highway.
The “wig-lost-in-the-wind” incident always brought laughter for MaiBusa and me each time we met or talked about it. It was always time for MaiBusa Ngwira to remind me to “remember to take the hairpins in your bag.”
MaiBusa Dorothy Ngwira was a top of the range account/audit professional and deeply Bible-based Christian woman, a wonderful wife, blessed mother, and great friend to many people in and outside Malawi. Truckloads of accolades are being sounded in chat rooms and other social media platforms, in condolence messages in conversations and news adverts, and at the celebration of her life during the Burial Service in Rumphi on Wednesday August 1, 2024.
Once again Malawi has lost a giant, an all-rounder, and a grand people-person. A mover.
A shaker. Got things done, involving all of us.
MaiBusa, I will miss your warm infectious smile and equally infectious laughter.
Rest in Jehovah God’s eternal loving peace (RIJGELP) till we meet again in Glory Land.
