![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rs2.pattersonit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/DSCN1725-300x225.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nDuring their first visit to Malawi in 2007, two Ruth’s Shawl board members heard women\u00a0describe their hopes and dreams \u2013 including a desire to establish a business to support themselves and their families. \u00a0The voice of one widow cut above the rest as she proclaimed, \u201cHow can we do anything, how can we compete in business, when we cannot even read and write?\u201d \u00a0In response, Ruth\u2019s Shawl began its work to establish adult literacy programs across the Lilongwe and Ntchisi Districts in Malawi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The adult literacy program first used Malawi’s Ministry of Education-approved teaching materials, in both Chichewa and English, to teach reading, writing, and mathematics. \u00a0However, in 2017, Ruth’s Shawl adopted an adult literacy curriculum that is centred on the Bible. \u00a0The goal with the new curriculum is to teach people to read and write while also learning the Gospel. Once the learners demonstrate a commitment to the literacy course and the ability to read and write, they receive the gift of a Bible to keep as their own.\u00a0 Ruth\u2019s Shawl prays that as the people\u00a0learn to read and write, they will share that knowledge with their families and others in the village and start Bible studies to share the good news of Christ. Currently, Ruth\u2019s Shawl is working with 13 villages around the Ntchisi District to provide adult literacy classes throughout the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ruth’s Shawl was led by the Lord to start a School of Ministry in 2012, because there is very little biblical training in the villages of Malawi. \u00a0The Schools of Ministry present curriculum and materials for teaching inductive bible study, pastoral training, biblical instruction, and biblical foundations for leaders in the villages. \u00a0The Ruth’s Shawl staff and interns not only teach the current curriculum, but also facilitate examinations with follow-up. They also mentor the learners so that they are encouraged and strengthened to pass on what they have learned with confidence to others in their villages. \u00a0The goal is that the learners go out to their villages to share the Word of God with knowledge and integrity. In addition, Ruth’s Shawl regularly hosts seminars on Marriage, Women’s Conferences, and Men’s Conferences as invited by the villages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ruth’s Shawl teaches and trains Malawians to share the Gospel with their neighbors. Our educational ministries include Gospel-centered literacy programs and Bible studies throughout the Lilongwe, Dowa, and Ntchisi Districts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2548,"parent":0,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1342","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rs2.pattersonit.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rs2.pattersonit.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rs2.pattersonit.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rs2.pattersonit.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rs2.pattersonit.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1342"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rs2.pattersonit.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1342\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rs2.pattersonit.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rs2.pattersonit.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rs2.pattersonit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/lit-e1502853031807.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nPastor and Leadership Training<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n