I stepped outside the church door and the first thing I noticed was the color green. Green then a reddish brown, followed by some pinks and purples hiding in a nearby bush. Africa is beautiful, and that is not limited to the colors in the trees, dirt and flowers. The people here in Malawi are warm, kind, and gentle. They laugh often and their smiles are big. No wonder they are commonly referred to as the heart of Africa!
My team and I have all sensed an overwhelming peace here in Mzuzu, Malawi. We love our hosts, Moses and Susan. They are pastoring the Mzuzu Pentacostal church and in our first few days here we have already felt accepted and loved. I am so excited that we have a whole month here, and I already have a feeling that it will be hard to say goodbye.
Our schedule looks to include helping teach English in the Christian elementary school in the mornings, house visits to the sick and elderly in the afternoon, as well as evangelism, and working in their children’s, youth, and women’s ministries.
So far the highlight of my time in Malawi has been attending the church service yesterday. They have two services, an English service, and a bilingual service. My team and I loved the first service because we knew all the songs and were blessed by the message; however, the second service was a blast! Africans love to dance, and when you mix that with the songs in their own language, you cannot help but join in. People came out of their pews, shuffled their way to the front and unashamedly used their body movements to communicate their love, gratefulness, and praise to the Lord.
Just within a few songs, these people were revealing to me more what freedom in Christ looks like. They were not holding back in fear of what others thought of them. They were not worried if their movements were wrong. They were communing with God and allowing the joy they have in him to overflow and move past just a thought, or the raise of a hand.
Right before leaving on the race, the leadership encouraged us to not live in fear of man. Too often we limit the work of the Holy Spirit out of fear that we will look silly, or wrong. Funny thing is that God does not care about our reputation. He cares about his creations choosing to be in relationship with him.
So if that means stepping out of my pew to dance, I want to do it. If that means talking to a stranger, I will do it, if that means standing on a chair and proclaiming the gospel in a restaurant, I will probably hesitate, but eventually I want to do what Holy Spirit prompts me to do without fear. Because “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17) I want this freedom all the time. Where no fear holds me back from being in full relationship with Jesus, and inviting others to have that as well.
Just to get a picture of where this is being sent- I am currently in the Mzuzu Cofffe Den. This is the only location we know of that offers Wifi, a 20-30 minute walk from the church we are staying at. We each had to pay 600 Kwacha (less than a dollar) to use 500mb of internet. We are sitting at some retro black and red tables and I have a coca-cola to my left. It is drizzling outside, which is making the trees extra green and adding a slight humidity to the air.
Thanks for reading, friends!
