Last week I was feeling tired and discouraged. Two members of my team and I became very ill with GI distress. Last Friday we all went to an American hospital and learned that we had food poisoning. On Sunday, I emailed some friends for prayer.
That same day, I felt a noticeable shift in the atmosphere. My teammates and I were in town that day. At the end of the day we went to the grocery store. As we were walking out of the grocery store I heard a Malawian man singing in perfect English. He was singing my favorite worship song “When Jesus Says Yes, No body Can Say No.” This song has special significance for me and I began to cry.
Throughout last year I wrestled with the idea of going on the World Race. I constantly questioned if I heard from God. I worried that I was crazy for me to leave my family, my job, my life. When I would feel those doubts the song “When Jesus Says Yes” would always encourage me to move forward. What are the odds that someone in Malawi would be singing that song in perfect English right when I was walking by? I’m so thankful that God provided such deep encouragement.
I went home with a lightness in my spirit. That lightness has lingered and I’ve found more purpose in my time in Africa. I’m so thankful for the way God speaks to us in familiar ways. I have a fresh perspective this week. This week my team and I went to a local village and visited 3 different widows.
In Malawi, if you are a widow your life is generally very insecure. Widows do not have resources like Social Security. Widows totally rely on the income of their families. We visited one widow named Ediss. We learned that her late husband’s family was coming to her home at night and threatening to kill her. Her husband’s family wanted to take back the plot of land that they felt belonged to their family. Ediss confessed to us that she thought about suicide on multiple occasions as the harassment was so bad.
It was such a privilege to sit with Ediss and learn about her story. My heart empathized with her and I thought of my own mom. My mom is a widow as well. I couldn’t bear the idea of her struggling like Ediss. My team and I prayed for her and told us that she wanted Jesus to be part of her life. We helped to clean her home. We pumped water out of her well and mopped her floors. One of my team mates washed her feet. We were there to bless her, but we were the ones that left with full hearts.
My time in Malawi is coming to a close. Next Month we will be in Lusaka, Zambia. We’ll be staying in the capital and I’m not sure what our work will look like next month. Please continue to pray for my time on the World Race. This is a difficult and often uncomfortable time, but I’m learning so much. I’m so thankful to be here and I’m thankful to you for making it possible. I’m about 3,000 dollars away from being fully funded. Would you consider helping me to continue what I feel God has called me to do? To donate to my account click “support me.” With sincere thanks from Malawi, Meghan.
