We have now been in Malawi Africa for four days. On our first day we went out with the pastor to get some peanut butter because that is what you do when you are a racer. Where you find no peanut butter, you find no happiness. That is one thing i've learned in my travels. So what God is working out in my life right now is what it is like to love first. To seek out others and give love and to not need any in return. I am very good at loving but only when it is reciprocated for me. That is not what Christ calls us to do. We are to love all.
Well on our way to get peanut butter we stopped to pick up a man who was very sick. This was not a surprise at all. What you find in Africa is that if you receive half of the story of the days itinerary then you will be in good shape. Initially i could see that this young man was very sick. We then proceded to take him to a few different hospitals to try to figure out what was wrong. It was pneumonia. The total bill for treatment was going
to be 11,000 Kwacha which is around 35 USD. I've actually never given out money on my entire race but i felt the Lord prompting me to pay. After asking I found out that they were not able to pay it on their own and he was going to have to refuse treatment. I knew this was my opportunity to love first, to love this random man. So Gene and I ended up pooling our money and paying this mans bill which paid for a weeks stay in the hospital and for
treatment.
He is not a christian. I didn't get to share the gospel. I didn't get to hug him. I barely even shook his hand. I think his name is Edgar, or Edward. But i pray that this small act opens his heart up. Softens his heart to Jesus. That he won't remember me, but we will think that was one time where God was good to me.
Yesterday I was able to go to a prison full of "street kids." This is our entire ministry, loving these kids and letting them know of the love of Jesus. I see that when we walk down the street people stare, and not just because we are white people, but because the children we are with are looked down on as trash. They are used and abused. One day a man stopped us and said, "do you know who these kids are, they are robbers and scum. You shouldn't be hanging around with them, they will steal you blind." Our pastor we are working with said you see these kids? I used to be one of these kids.
When i walked into the prison it was about 50 by 60 ft. open space in the middle. These were 10 rooms with grey doors. Most of the kids were out and sitting down waiting for us to arrive. There were in the neighbor hood of 250. Some had pants and a shirt, most just had pants on that were barely hanging on to the little bit of waste they had. Ropes held up a lot of the kids pants and since it had been 4 days since their last meal it wasn't a surprise. They were between the ages of 14 and 25, and most of their faces didn't at all look like hardened criminals. Although i was told to not let that fool me.
We started out with a few games that they seemed to have a lot of fun playing. Then we sang a few songs and they sang us a few songs. I played a Jack Johnson song for them. I was able to give a message to encourage them on the story of Joseph and Potiphers wife. They listened intently to every word, but my fear is that they won't really hear. That their hearts are hard. Their unanimous answer was yes of course I'm a christian.
But most people don't really get it. They don't have a relationship with their Father. Don't just know it…..feel it and live it is what i want to say.
Sadly, a lot of the kids will go straight back into prison when they get out. They need the real Jesus who really loves and really heals and really changes hearts.
