What a Beautiful Place!

Greetings from "the Warm Heart of Africa!"

Greetings from “the Warm Heart of Africa!” This is what many have called the country of Malawi, and I couldn't agree more! Today I write to you from a place that is stunningly beautiful with its lush green landscape, delicious mangoes fresh off the trees, and hot and humid sunshine that feels like a warm hug to a Canadian who has been used to cold and snow for many weeks! And then there is the rain! I have never experienced rain like this before... pounding, driving, rushing... It is as if God is directly answering and blessing the prayers of Malawians for rain, for Heaven's gates to open and satisfy the crops begging for nourishment. 

There is JOY here. From the moment I open my eyes and crawl out from under my mosquito net and out of my room, I am greeted with “Good morning! Mwadzuka bwanji!” These are the first Chichewa words that I was taught. I found it so telling that in response I was not taught to say, “I am tired,” or “I am sad,” or “I am stressed.” Nope, I was taught to say, “I am fine.” My first week in Malawi has taught me that the people of Malawi are a happy people. When buying food, stopping for gas, working at the nursery with the babies, or just visiting with new friends, I am constantly surrounded by the sounds of laughter and singing and JOY. 

There is thankfulness here. All day long you hear it, “Zikomo, zikomo, zikomo... thank you, thank you, thank you.” People are so thankful for what they have. Ironically, they live with far less than many of us in North America, but they live each day with a grateful heart that shows from the inside out. Just the other day, the water “stopped” at the Crisis Nursery, and the electricity flickered and then went out. This meant that the nannies hauled water from a distance in buckets on their heads. This meant the toilet flushed by dumping water from a bucket down the drain, and the endless supply of diapers could not be washed. Yet still, sitting by the light of two flashlights, there was singing. Softly at first, and then with boisterous enthusiasm; the nannies with their lyrical Chichewa, clapping hands, and passionate emotion, and me with my almost as enthusiastic humming harmony... :) God is good, even when times are tough! 

To all my family and friends back at home wondering how I am... I am doing well! I have been taken in by a wonderful family here, and they are busy introducing me to all of the things I have “missed” out on in my Canadian life... fresh picked mangoes, plates of nisima (maize/corn), cassava, guavas, and much more! So far, I have been working at the Crisis Nursery in the capital city of Lilongwe. This “Ministry of Hope” takes in abandoned babies, and children whose parents are simply unable to provide for their needs. I feed babies, lend a hand to the nannies, change diapers, and cuddle children who need some love! These precious babies are beautiful, and prove to me every day that miracles can and do happen. Their stories of abandonment and need break my heart, but their smiles and giggles help to make it whole again... Every day I begin at 7AM (after waking with sun), and by the time I head for home at 6:00, I am tired, but happy! But, speaking of tired, I had better sign off, because another busy week lies ahead of me... 

Blessings to you all!

Lessons Before Leaving for Lilongwe...

Well…. it’s official! Less than 24 hours remains until I board a plane bound for Africa. Actually, the first plane is bound for Vancouver, the next one for Amsterdam, the following one for Kenya, with my final destination being… LILONGWE, MALAWI! 

For those of you who know me well, you may breathe a sigh of relief and smile. After all, you have listened for months as I prattle on about hoping to find a place to volunteer with kids across the ocean. You encouraged me for weeks as I waited patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) for word from organizations and groups in Southern Africa. And then you cheered exuberantly with me as I received word from the Ministry of Hope that I had been accepted as a volunteer in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi. In the next eleven weeks, I hope to find ways to be a blessing to all those who are doing God’s work in another part of the globe!

The past few weeks have taught me that I have so much to learn! The ladies at the Bulkley Valley Credit Union can only shake their heads and smile at the girl who came in to order "kwachas," or coins used by those in Malawi, and almost began to panic as she found out it couldn't be done! How was I supposed to pay for my lodging and everything else while in Lilongwe? (So thankful for a wonderfully wise person who informed me that "of course, you order American money, and then exchange it for kwachas once you get to Malawi!") And just like that, panic was averted! A lesson learned!

Then there were the phone calls to the KLM Airline to find out how much luggage I could bring. One small suitcase. What? How was I supposed to cram the colourful pencil crayons, multi-coloured face clothes, bibs and slippers made by a beautiful friend, homemade-by-Dad wooden cars and trucks, and everything else I needed into one small suitcase!?! As it turns out, KLM has an exception to the one-suitcase policy. Flying to Africa? Feel free to take two suitcases. Once again, I could be at ease! A cheerful but persistent phone call results in another lesson learned!

What is even more exciting is just how many lessons I will learn in the next few months! I will hear the lyrical sounds of a new and beautiful language. I will live in a land where the weather forecast predicts thunder showers and rain and humidity for almost every one of the next fourteen days, which is very different from the -30 Celius we have been experiencing here! I will have the privilege of caring for kids and meeting and living among people whom I hope will become friends. Most of all, it is my prayer that I will learn in a brand new way what it means to trust God about tomorrow... what a comfort for me that He is already there! 

Until the next time, blessings to you all!