Photo Credit: Vanessa Q.
I have spent the last four days at Month 1 Debrief in postcard-esque Cape Maclear, Malawi. Debrief is a time for all the teams to come together throughout the year to discuss how ministry is going, be challenged by our Squad Leadership Team, and find rest and rejuvenation. Malawi is known as “the warm heart of Africa,” and this place and its people have proven to be just that!
When we came to the border at 9:00pm last Thursday evening, the border patrol people did not want to process visas for 35 Americans. They wanted to wait until morning since the border was supposed to close at 6:00pm. Why they were still open was unknown to us, but after telling them our situation and saying many prayers, they stayed until 11:30pm and processed and approved every single visa application!
The cops that pulled us over at 2:00am the next day were very curious why a bus full of white people was traveling at such an hour and how we got through the border, but they were also kind and understanding and let us continue our journey.
The staff at Thumbi View Lodge has gone above and beyond in serving us in many different ways.
The local children run up to us with faces full of smiles wanting to give us hugs and high-fives while we’re walking in town. Any time we are on the beach, they gather to play with us.
Even though I am going to be in village outside of Ntcheu (“Chay-oo”) with no electricity, I’m excited to see if the rest of my time in Malawi will live up to the expectations I’ve developed from these first few days.
