July 29th,
Have you ever wanted to be famous?
If so, then come to Africa.
Hello my dear friends and family, I hope this email greets you with good spirits and a fresh day. I have been imaging that being a white person here in Malawi is like being a famous person in America. Coming in the towns in the back of the truck you are constantly yelled at and waved at, all in a friendly matter, but each and every day we always come in, and we always receive the same response. These kids are genuinely happy to see us. When you step out of the truck, you wish you had more than two hands because you are overwhelmed by the children that are pushing to the front of the crowds just to hold your hand. Giving the kid a smile, well, that makes their day. Picking them up and holding them, well that gives them bragging rights to the rest of the kids. Talking with them, playing hand games, taking pictures of them, well it all brings to them what we've all been missing this whole time, joy. It has been amazing to watch these children truly take joy in us being there, and please don't misunderstand me, these children are only happy to see us, not because of us, but because the work that our God has done in their lives through us. Never allow me to take credit for anything that is good that I have ever claimed to do, because it is not with my own strength that I do it. Anyways, my point being, if you ever want to feel loved, important, or cherished, come to Malawi and let these children love on you. It is easy here to love these children because they love us so much, it is hard to feel lonely in the villages because you are never left alone. It really feels like you are famous but I constantly question myself to why on earth these children should love me as they do.
I regret to inform you that there is bad news in my village of Muzu, the village that I talked about earlier where I do sports ministry. There is need for prayer. Apparently last Saturday there was a COTN ref at one of the soccer games, and the men from Muzu were kicked out of the tournament according to a judgement call made by the COTN ref. They told him that if us "azungus" came back on Tuesday that there would be serious consequences. We were not able to go today, and it was hard for us to sit back and watch Tuesday pass without going to Muzu. We are hopeful to go back on Thursday, the worst that can happen is them telling us to leave, right? Well.. let's hope. Please keep Muzu in your prayers, for their chief is one of the Gulu religions which I talked about earlier- they are known to turn into animals at certain times and nothing that happens at that time of them being an animal (fighting, killing, etc) is held accountable to them. So there is a great deal of violence and fear in the children that we work with at Muzu. I hope Thursday we can go back.
This weekened was relaxing for us, we got to go to town again, we walked six miles there and back and it was nice to get outside these walls. There is a nice coffee shop where we can relax and enjoy some coffee or tea. It is hard to explain everything because here, every day is an adventure. It starts with the morning colors of the sunrise and ends with the beautiful silence of the night sky. I have grown to love waking up with the sun every morning and hope to continue that tradition when I get home. I can't even begin to describe how much I have learned since I have been here, greatly appreciating the opportunities I get to experience and grow in what I love to do. Thank you all for your support, I hope that if my words are not adequate, that some of my pictures will be.
Keep our team in your prayers, we only have 1 1/2 weeks left of ministry. Then we go on our safari in zambia, and to lake malawi for debriefing. There is so much to look forward to, but tensions rise as the time ends. We still have lots of work to do here and do not want to grow weary in what we are doing.
For now,
In Him,
Laura
No comments:
Post a Comment