As I sat at the well waiting for my turn to fill my container to carry on my head a half mile back up the sandy road, it finally hit me: this is really how these people live. We’ve been “playing Africa” by fetching water from the well (for cooking, bathing, drinking, cleaning,) cooking food on coal, walking everywhere in the hot hot sun, using outdoor dirt squat toilets, bathing with a bucket and a cup outside, canceling entire days because of rain, I could go on forever.
But this is how these people actually live every day of their lives. This is how their families lived before them and how their families will live for years to come. They barely have enough money to give each child 2-3 pairs of clothes that they’ll wear to rags. They eat cheap corn-based foods like sima (shima in Zambia) with very little nutrition. Many children don’t go to school so they can help with family businesses. Children are given to orphanages because their parents can’t afford to take care of them. I carried 20 liters of water on my head but most of them carry 40+ liters multiple times a day even farther than we have to go.
These people are strong. They’re adaptable. They have a strong community and they take care of one another and each other’s children. Malawi is called The Warm Heart of Africa and that’s for a good reason. These people know how to love and love well.
We’ve been in Malawi for about 11 days now as a whole squad. It’s been a lot of fun being all together. We are working with Johan and Marie, the founders of Zehandi Missions which is in Malawi, Zambia and South Africa. I love being with them. We worked with them a bit in Chipata. They are more concerned about our spiritual growth than our ministry. Because you can’t lead someone to a place you aren’t at yet. You can’t serve God well if your heart is not in the right place. There have been many days or afternoons canceled so that we could minister to each other or be ministered to. It’s been a bit of a struggle feeling like we haven’t been doing much in the community, but this month is going to be so great for us in the long run. We need to grow stronger as individuals so that we can be that much stronger as teams.
We have had opportunities to minister in the community, though. Teams have helped in orphanages, clinics and schools. My team has helped put up a solar panel and dug holes for fruit trees. More teams have helped fill in potholes in the sand roads. We’ve cleaned and cooked and just have conversations with people in markets. It’s been a very unexpected and emotionally hard month so far, but I’m enjoying it!
A few of us had the opportunity to go to a funeral in the village nearby. They wait an entire day in silence, the entire community, in case they raise from the dead. Then the next day they have an all day visitation followed by the burial. We attended the visitation because each family in the community must have at least 1 representative at funerals or you won’t be respected when someone in your family dies. It was an interesting experience. We sat outside with people from the community and waited for hours for the casket to be ready and delivered and for the ceremony to start. It’s strange, but it was cool just to sit with the people and be a part of life here. The ceremony itself wasn’t too different than American funerals. They sang literally all day long and sang as they brought out the caskets. There were some speeches or preaching (I’m not sure, I don’t speak Chichewa) and then it was over.
Please keep Z Squad in your prayers. Pray for health and unity and strength. We’re only in Malawi for another week and we want to make the best of it.
Please also pray for fundraising for those who still need it. I’m in need of about $3000 by the end of March and I’d love some prayers for that! God is a provider. I see that every day in Africa. It’s amazing!
