We have arrived back in South Africa for the Last Day of Unleavened Bread and the adjoining weekly Sabbath. Our visit to both Lilongwe and Blantyre, Malawi, were essential for helping our brethren. Our visit is covered in a travel blog with more details and photos at http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/victorkubik/17/tpod.html.

In Lilongwe, Malawi, we had 58 present for the first Holy Day. We provided the means for 12 to come down to join us from Mzuzu in northern Malawi. We had the happy occasion of ordaining Alfred Mitimoni in Lilongwe to the office of deacon. He lives just a few minutes from our church building and has been faithful in helping to serve the brethren's needs right in the city.

We are coming to the end of the Days of Unleavened Bread. The focus of these Holy Days is on Bread. The meaning is profound and an important factor on the narrow road to eternal life.

In Blantyre, we had the brethren come by all through the day to visit us on Tuesday, April 26. Close to half the church came. Over the years we have become well-acquainted with these people and it truly was a joyful day socializing with them. The church here in Blantyre is strong and vibrant.

We are planning to build a church hall on a desirable piece of real estate. The location will also be used for the Feast of Tabernacles and youth camp. The perimeter wall has already been built in the last year and with our visit here we approved the start of the main church hall.

On this visit to Africa we spent almost all our time interacting with the brethren and leaders. It was encouraging for all to have these meetings and interactions. These encouraging visits with the brethren bring to mind remarks the Apostle Paul made about the contacts he had with remote brethren as the Christian church was growing.

One instance of this is when a letter was sent to gentile brethren in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia announcing the outcome of Acts 15 Jerusalem conference:

"...when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter. When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement. Now Judas and Silas, themselves being prophets also, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words. And after they had stayed there for a time, they were sent back with greetings from the brethren to the apostles. However, it seemed good to Silas to remain there. Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, 'Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing'" (Acts 15:30-36).

We see a deeply caring ministry wanting to communicate, encourage, exhort and strengthen the church. We feel that we were able to accomplish some of this in a remote area of the world where poverty and despair abound.

We are coming to the end of the Days of Unleavened Bread. The focus of these Holy Days is on Bread. The meaning is profound and an important factor on the narrow road to eternal life.

First, Jesus Christ said the He was the bread of life (John 6:48). Bread is mentioned more than 20 times in sixth chapter of John alone. Jesus states that the bread that He was offering mankind was superior to the manna bread that sustained the Israelites in their desert sojourn. And, it's only through Him that we have eternal life. So, the Days of Unleavened Bread focus on Jesus Christ not only as our Redeemer, symbolized in the Passover, but as the one who grants us eternal life through the symbolism of the bread!

Through bread we abide with Christ now in our earthly journey:

"He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him" (John 6:56).

Further analogies of the bread and it being broken at the Passover represent the suffering that Christ went through for us. We must also be prepared to suffer against sin as Christians as Peter wrote:

"Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God" (1 Peter 4:1-2).

Unleavened Bread symbolizes the new nature that Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8:

"For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

Finally, bread symbolizes the unity of God's people: "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread" (1 Corinthians 10:16-17).

All these lessons of the Days of Unleavened BREAD could not be more relevant to what we need to be thinking about right now. May our loving Father and Jesus Christ be with you on this Last Day of Unleavened Bread.