When life gives you lemons [neighbors], you make lemonade [friends].
I had a neighbor in Malawi. She changed my life.
It all started when a few neighborhood kids offered us some homemade food. Naturally- we couldn’t accept the food without meeting the person who kindly prepared it for us. So the kids grabbed our hands to bring us in front of a red door.
Whatever was behind that red door would transform my life forever [I had no idea].
Her name was Mindalo.
I walked through the red door with kids surrounding me. They were filled with so much excitement. I could feel their eagerness to get me inside. It took a second for me to gather what I was walking into. I saw a mat on the ground with a wheelchair beside it. As the kids brought me in closer, I saw her.
There she was, sitting on a mat with her legs laid out in front of her. She grabbed my hand and said, “Welcome friend!”
Her smile spoke volumes. It gave me a sense of overwhelming peace. What I thought was going to be a quick “thank you” to our neighbor for making us food; turned into a beautiful relationship.
***
Mindalo was paralyzed in a car accident 10 years ago [September 20, 2005]. From her hips down she has absolutely no feeling. But, that it isn’t who she is. Her inability doesn’t describe who she is, her Creator does.
Mindalo is a woman of faith, believing full heartedly that God will heal her. She radiates love & strength. There was never a time where she wasn’t laughing. Her joy from God is her daily strength.
The month I had in Malawi was wonderful and Mindalo was a huge part of that. I loved spending sweet time with her. I loved holding her hand. I loved sitting as close as possible to her [soaking it all up].
All the neighborhood kids love her as well. They’re always ready to help her and constantly fight over who will sit by her. She is loved. She has a beautiful community behind that red door [& I am so thankful she welcomed me into it].
I can never fully express what Mindalo has given me. My heart has grown immensely just by knowing her. She isn’t depressed; she is joyful. She isn’t broken; she is whole. She isn’t forgotten; she is known.
There was one day where Mindalo let us take her outside the red door. This was exciting [I was excited!]. We got her in her wheelchair and took her down the road to get a coke. I am not exaggerating when I say she couldn’t stop smiling. The neighborhood flocked to her. Everyone wanted to be around Mindalo.
[Imagine this: Mindalo in her wheelchair singing, “How Great is Our God” over and over again]
***
“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart & with all your soul & with all your mind & with all your strength. The second commandment is this: to love your neighbor as yourself” -Mark 12:33
Mindalo was not just the woman behind the red door. She was my neighbor and oh man, I sure did [& always will] love her.
The last thing she said to me before our goodbye- “When you come back to Malawi, we will run together.”
There was a warrior behind that red door.
