Malawi- you are a small country with a big heart. Also a country full of irony. I give you permission to hate me and my presence, yet you graciously decline every time.
I have a very strong belief about a system in the first world that I had fallen victim to years ago: the ACT. The fact that our world judges the worth of your future by one test score infuriates me- especially because I didn’t measure up to societies cut off of “good.” Only a point or two away and there is a list of schools, scholarships, programs, etc that you are automatically discounted from. Based on one number, you could be treated by your peers and teachers/professors as completely different during the time in your life when you are a student. There are many things in which we are judged by numbers in school- and I don’t exactly know if there is a better answer given the size of our society-however, the injustice still makes me angry. I remember a time in my life where I hated anyone associated with the ACT. I couldn’t even look at my friends who had benefitted from this system when I was left to suffer. It wasn’t the specific fault of any individual that I had met. The system was created years ago and is now ingrained in American culture. Admissions counselors and other individuals who make decisions and judgements are just doing their job. Some people benefit, and I shouldn’t be so bitter toward their success which has nothing to do with me. There weren’t any specific actions taken against me to hurt me, and I knew that in some ways it was irrational or unwarranted to have so much frustration toward a particular section of people. However, could you blame me? To an extent, I don’t. In being aware that my specific anger was the manifestation of frustration with a societal system, I think many of those emotions were justified.
There are other connections we can make as well. In the TV show, “This is Us,” there is a young girl that Kate babysits that is angry toward her Mother because of her beauty. The young girl was overweight and carried the weight of being treated different in society because of how she looked. When the girl looked at her mother, she saw that pain and was frustrated that her mother was treated differently because of her beauty. I also know people in the US who have an anger toward people in their community who are just born into wealth. That its hard to look at people who have had so many physical blessings just handed to them just by their birth. I know these aren’t all exactly the same, and that some of these topics can be controversial, however, I hope the underlying idea comes through that pain caused by injustice or prejudice provokes warranted frustration.
When I imagine what its like to be on the other side of the issue of race and the history associated with slavery, I imagine a similar pain as to my preceding examples. While I won’t ever know first hand- these examples seem like the closest comparison. Malawi, part of the reason America is so wealthy today is because of the free labor gained from enslaving your people years ago. Somehow, I was born in a rich country even though there was nothing I did to deserve it. It’s not MY fault that your country is poor. Its not MY fault that your people were enslaved years ago. However, I am deeply associated with the culture and history that did.
Additionally, I benefit from a wealthy nation just by birth. You are some of the best salesmen I have ever met. The skills of the people in your country can put American college grads and our large corporations to shame. I was radically impressed as I saw textbook examples of the keys to marketing right before my eyes. The first mover advantage, focusing on the product value to the customer, building relationships with your clients, importance of reputation, digging for objections, ect. perfectly and effectively displayed. I have also met people who can make absolutely anything out of wood: nativity sets, jewelry, world maps, bottle openers, silverware, you name it- and they will carve it right it front of you with wood that they cut down themselves somewhere in the mountains. Their work is remarkable and sold at a significantly low cost, especially considering the amount of work and skill put into it.
In America, we hold the idea that the harder you work, the more money you earn and the more you have. Skillsets and effort are what we think of a as an indicator of your ability to be wealthy (I want to note this isn’t always the case). However, I have found that Malawi is full of some of the most skilled salesmen, farmers, customer servants, painters, and artisans I will ever see, yet the poverty is astounding. In America, their skills are so valuable, they could get a job and negotiate for a very nice salary. But the reality? A lot of them are barely able to make enough to provide food for themselves. One of my teammates told me that after a conversation with one of the salesmen, he told her that he has to steal so that his family can eat.
How can a country so rich in skill and equity be so poor? Lack of infrastructure and shipping prevents access to wider trade, government corruption, and no access to bank loans seem to be the largest issues in further development. These are not things that you individually chose- you just happened to be born into them. In many ways your people have more skill than me and my people, yet we are so wealthy, while you can barely feed your family.
Malawi, why do you love me? Why do you welcome me with a smile on your face? Why do you set me and my team in the front of the church on chairs while the rest of the congregation sits on the floor? Why do you wash my clothes, cook for me, and sometimes was my dishes for free? Why do you shout Monzungu and wave like I am famous? Why do you await my preaching as if I have all the answers?
It just doesn’t make sense. When I interact with anyone in this country who is full of gratitude and praise toward me and my country after our history and wealth, I am wildly confused. Malawi, you shouldn’t want me in your country. You should be angry and frustrated when you see me. You shouldn’t want to be my friend.
Its not just Malawi, but other countries as well. My country is kicking Hondurans out. That families we met across Central America were deported from their shot of making a sustainable living for their families. The land of opportunity is only extended to a select group of people lucky by birth. I am one of those people. We have laws that protect ourselves a little bit, which keeps your country out of the global trade market- starving your economies. We set factories in your countries and don’t even pay a fair wage. Yet, I am welcomed and stared at because I am an American with blonde hair.
With great power comes great responsibility. As a missionary, I have a message for your people. Malawi, I want you to know that God loves your nation as equally as he loves the United States. You are not poor because you are different. There are a number of factors that stifle economic growth- none of which you individually chose and you probably don’t play into. I am sorry that sometimes we are so focused on climbing the wealth ladder for ourselves, we forget that your people are valuable and worth investing in. That even though our nation is wealthy- it doesn’t mean life is perfect, because we have suffering too, it just looks different. Our material blessings are in other ways burdens and distractions. No, not everyone is saved in America, and it is a very sad thing. God looks down on his children in your country and is proud of you. He sees the work that you are doing and smiles. He is sad to see that so many people who are so skilled still struggle to find food. Maybe there is so much rain here because the heavens are crying for your injustice. God is in this place to the same extent as any other nation. That by the Holy Spirit you have the same power to reach the gospel as I do. I have learned about joy, and freedom, and hospitality from your people. I will teach others about the things I have learned from you when I go back to the states. If I could leave this country with one message, I want to encourage you that God is using you. That you are a valuable people, church, and country in so many different ways. I can only pray that you see it too.
Malawi, I still hold the expectation that you should hate me, but I will receive your blessings of a warm heart.
