Dorothy Ndovie never imagined her life would change with a single vision – until the day she saw Jesus on the cross.

In that moment, everything shifted. For 10 years, Dorothy had worked as a government-employed homecraft worker trainer, teaching women how to clean, cook, sew and knit until she had the vision. On the day she had the vision, she knelt and prayed, sensing a call that would take her far beyond the skills she had taught.

An intuitive missionary urged Dorothy to attend the Bible school in Malawi, now known as Great Commission Bible School. Back in 1998, Henry and Bonnie Church were running the school, and part of the program required students to plant a church before graduation. Dorothy accepted the challenge.

From 1998 to 2002, Dorothy studied and planted her first church in Kalonga. She began with door-to-door evangelism, sharing with one household at a time. Within eight months, a congregation of about 25 people gathered. With the help of her husband and children, a church building was constructed. Out of that first congregation, a man named Kayange felt called into ministry and today serves as a Free Methodist pastor.

Dorothy didn’t stop there. She started a second church in Chilumba, again going door to door. The congregation began in her home while they molded bricks for a new building. Today, that church has grown to about 100 members – and Dorothy has faithfully served there for 25 years.

Her family has been part of this journey. One of her sons now pastors the Kalonga church. Three other sons are teachers, and her daughter works in South Africa. Through all these years, Dorothy says, lay leaders have been a great help, and her greatest joy has been her husband’s encouragement: “Don’t give up.”

What began as a vision, turned into a calling that has impacted multiple communities and generations.