It’s not difficult to see why Malawi is called “The Warm Heart of Africa.” This is a beautiful country, with even more beautiful people. Malawi is also the poorest country in the world. To be honest with you, I have a hard time fathoming this fact. Every time I lock eyes with a widely grinning African child, or am generously welcomed to sit on a stranger’s humble porch to share about Jesus, or fix my eyes on the mountainous horizon, I feel like I am in the richest country in the world.
Currency is not always the best measurement of true wealth.
However, my eyes have swallowed some horrifying sights that reveal the deep need of this breath-taking country.
A young boy, draped in matted, torn clothing, dragging a metal can attached to a wire behind him. (A toy, perhaps?) … Groups of people sifting through a putrid mound of trash, searching for food … Protruding bellies and bare feet on almost every child (definite signs of malnutrition and poverty) … Another little boy who captured my heart at first sight had a lazy eye. Will he ever have to resources or funds to get that taken care of?
Brightly colored fabrics worn as wrap skirts; tiny, gritty hands clasping mine in complete trust; children clamoring to have their picture taken; jarring pick-up truck rides; body odor; shouts of “My friend!” from street vendors trying to sell their art; horns honking; church “buildings” made of straw, reeds, and some thin logs; women carrying impressive bundles on their heads; the heart-warming sound of praise, melodiously erupting from my African brothers and sisters’ mouths as their bodies dance… Welcome to Malawi.
I have decided to share two short stories with you to give you a glimpse of what God is doing here in Malawi! I also want to share a little about the work He is doing in me.
How I Have Participated in the Spirit’s Work in Malawi
On our second day of doing door-to-door evangelism, my teammate Mary and I set out with our translator, Mannasseh, into the village. We approached a house with a lone man sitting outside on the ground. He welcomed us to sit beside him. Mannasseh explained that we were there to encourage him about Jesus. His name was Moffat. We learned that he was planning to go to the church (a plant that is only a few months old), and to accept Jesus as his Savior soon. Mary asked if he would like to right now, and he said yes! I got to pray with Moffat to accept Jesus as His Savior!! I could not stop smiling. This was one of my big prayers for the Race, and Jesus allowed me to be the one to reap what He had been sowing!
Furthermore, last Sunday Jesus layed a message on my heart from Romans 6 to preach on at the second church we visited. It was supposed to be held under a tree because they do not have a building yet (I was pumped about this, because trees have major significance for me), but it was raining, so we all crammed into the lead evangelist’s house. I shared the gospel, explaining that we are all born into spiritual slavery, that we are prisoners and our punishment is death. Jesus’ death sets us free from our slavery, our deserved death. I then shared that to be a new creation in Christ means that we are no longer forced to sin, because sin is no longer our master (thanks Dr. Miller!). We are free in Christ, but we can always choose to pick those chains back up. A real slave who was set free would never look back; he would run into his freedom. After my message, Pastor Ronald helped me to ask if anyone needed the freedom Jesus offered, needed to accept Him as Savior. Guys…. 16 people wanted to!! AND right around that time, it stopped raining, so I got to pray with them under a tree!!! The Spirit is moving here in Malawi friends.
How God is Growing Me
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In my previous blog, I was still in a fight with God. So much has happened these last two weeks! The longing that God awakened in me has turned into me falling back in love with Him. Isn’t that crazy?! He has been showing me that a big part of my Race is just to explore Him. I am eager to do just that.
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God is challenging me to explore His faithfulness in prayer. He recently laid Matthew 7:7-11 really heavily on my heart. He is calling me to be more bold and specific in my prayers. I admit that I am hesitant and nervous, but also eager to see how this prayer journey stretches my faith!
We only have one week left in Malawi before we leave for Zambia! Next month is All Squad Month, which means that all 6 teams will be serving together. Please keep us in your prayers as we finish our work in Malawi and prepare to serve in Zambia.
