Malawi

My recent trip to Malawi was incredible. I still am having difficulties putting it into words. It was an experience that is much better to have been felt in real life as opposed to just telling or reading about it. Words cannot convey what it was really like.
As for logistics, we left on July 4th and returned on July 17th. No way was that long enough for me. The flights were long and took up way too much of our time. I would much rather have spent that time there.

The warm heart of Africa. That’s what they call Malawi. It could not be more true. The people we met there were some of the most gracious, giving, loving, caring people I have ever been humbled to meet. And once you meet them, it takes all of a few minutes and you feel like you know them. There was not one person that I met there that wasn’t overtly friendly. If given the opportunity, they want to give you the best that they have. Even though we have more than they could ever probably imagine.

I have been many different places in the world and have seen poverty before, but never like I saw it in Malawi. The people there live on so little. Most people throughout the country live in mud brick homes with either corrugated tin or thatch roofs. The floors are dirt and there is no electricity or running water of any kind. Many only have a couple changes of clothes and some of those are shreds. The blessed ones have bicycles to ride or they just walk everywhere no matter how long it takes. It is the stereotypical Africa that you think about with the women carrying large heavy loads on their heads and having the baby slung on their backs. And they are so graceful about it too.

More than anything while we were there, we just spent time with the people there. Our trip was more relational than anything else. I think it meant a lot for the kids at the Noah’s Ark Orphan Care just to know that they are loved by complete strangers from thousands of miles away. And it was so easy to love them all. Now that I am back, it is so hard because I miss them so much as well.

I truly miss the warm heart of Africa. I can hardly wait to go back again.