“Today is like a dream”, I said to Mayeso. He smiled, “My friend, this is your reality”.
Last Saturday, we climbed Mount Zomba in Malawi. Mayeso [Martin in English] was our guide on this beautiful adventure. It was a gift to spend the day with him exploring the land he loves. His story, however, involves the lives of other people. You see, Mayeso lives his life for others. When you ask him about himself, his reply will morph into a story about another person. That’s just who Mayeso is.
He is a friend, an artist, a healer, a giver, an adventurer, & a man of love.
Let me explain how we became friends with Mayeso.
My teammate Jill and I were browsing around town when we found Mayeso’s art stand. Being the man he is, Mayeso told us to take a look at the other stands before looking at his. Not thinking much of it, we looked around and didn’t find anything. So we walked back to Mayeso’s stand.
He wasn’t there. Where did he go?
We didn’t see Mayeso again that day but we did notice a sign outside his business. It said, “Dreadlocks Saloon”.
We knew we would be back soon.
So there we were, getting a dreadlock done by a man named Psalms outside Mayeso’s place. You read right, we got one dreadlock each [for now], but with our white girl hair- one simple dread needs maintenance often. Because of this, we have gotten to spend a lot of time with Mayeso and Psalms. [Fun fact: you really get to know someone over a dreadlock]
***
There are days where Mayeso collects no sales. He works everyday, whether he’s selling his art pieces or taking people up Zomba Mountain- he does the best he can. Nonetheless, the money he makes is freely given away.
There are a lot of street kids in Zomba, Malawi. These kids have parents who aren’t around and/or cannot give them the bare necessities to survive. This is where Mayeso comes alive in this story.
He feeds them, bathes them, teaches them, heals them, & fathers them.
Mayeso receives no “worldly” reward from helping these kids [in fact, he loses the little money he has] but that doesn’t matter to him. He believes in love. He gets to see his friends [the kids] receive a full belly, an educated mind, and a promising future. To Mayeso, that is the best kind of payment.
We aren’t the only ones who have seen Mayeso’s heart for these kids. People have donated cooking tools to help feed the kids. Mayeso has friends that help out alongside him. Psalms [the dread man] is one of those friends.
Here’s the thing: Mayeso doesn’t care about the recognition; he cares about the kids [that’s it].
His day doesn’t start off feeding his own hunger; it starts with feeding others.
Mayeso doesn’t put limits on how he can express his love to these kids. He is currently fighting to get them four walls and a roof- a place they can call home. He is working on making this love he has an organization. He wants to help more kids because Mayeso doesn’t have an expiration date on his love. He’s invested for life.
Zomba’s Street Kids Foundation.
[That’s the name Mayeso attached to his life’s investment]
As readers, I have a prayer request for you. Please pray for this foundation and for the kids. Pray for crazy awesome things to happen in Zomba, Malawi. There are so many mouths to feed and lives to protect. I hope to soon write on how to financially help these kids but let’s be real; your prayers can move mountains over here in Zomba, Malawi.
Remember at the beginning of this story where we couldn’t find Mayeso at his art stand? He had left work; it was the kid’s lunchtime.
[Innocent & Mada]
[Mayeso walks barefoot everyday- checkout my last blog]
Thanks for reading. Much love to you all.
