On our plane ride from Kenya to Malawi, I was awestruck by the beauty of Africa. I saw Mt. Kilamanjaro, and a bunch of tiny villages. As we drove from the airport to the hostel we were staying at, my heart was yanked even more. I fell more and more in love with Africa as I saw the beauty of the landscape and saw people travelling on bikes and children bursting into smiles as they saw mazungus (white people) for maybe the first time in their lives.
This was not falling in love like I was feeling called to Africa (or at least I don’t think I am). It felt more like God was preparing my heart. He was filling it with His love and His view of the people so that once it came to ministry my heart would be fully into it. Up until I had imagined my World Race route, I had never wanted to go to Africa. I had heard the stories about malaria and flesh eating bacteria and parasites that enter through the bottom of your foot to enter your bloodstream. Africa had never seemed worth the risk to me. Don’t get me wrong, I had a heart for the people but I always thought I would leave Africa to other people.
When I got to Zambia, I didn’t think my heart could get any fuller of love for Africa than it was. But then I met the people. I met our main contacts. I met the sweet children who get so much joy just from playing peek-a-boo. I met the wives of husbands who had cheated on them and abused them and their only wish is for their husbands to love them again. I also met men who were determined to be good fathers and good husbands and break that chain. I met people who even by living their everyday lives are more spiritually rich than I ever could hope to be.
After my time in Africa, I hope to come back. I would like to go to Kenya and meet the people there. I want to come back to Zambia and meet back up with the contacts. I want to go back to the villages and see how those wonderful children are doing and see if they are becoming a force for their country. I’m excited for what God has in store for me in Malawi.
Has God ever taken a place or person that you didn’t necessarily feel called to invest in and worm its way into your heart?
