If I were to begin to attempt to describe the spiritual and physical implications of all this month has been here in Africa, I would fail to even scratch the surface. I have felt this odd mixture of peace and unrest within myself that has been an interesting egg to crack. The moment we came to Malawi, I knew something would be special about this month and this place. This is the most primitive setting I've participated in on The Race, fetching water from a well 1/2 mile away for everything from laundry to meals, cooking over a coal fire, and sleeping in tents on a hot, dusty mountain looking over Lake Malawi. The environment is incredible. I have seen the most radiant, intensely technicolor sunsets from our natural campsite on top of this mountain (my teammate Laura captured every single day's sunrise and sunset, check out her blog at lauraeconomides.theworldrace.org). Our contact here is a South African man who has encouraged us to practice stepping deeper into the spiritual and really experiencing the voice of God on a day-to-day basis. We work hard here, physical labo in the hot, burning sun. I have never sweat so consistently, but the feeling of joy that I am working hard for something good overwhelms me as I'm out there.
One thing we have been focusing on this month is listening to the Lord to hear what He wants us to do, so this morning my team and I sat down to do a 'treasure hunt.' This is what we call it when we just ask God for words, visuals, or thoughts about where He wants us to go or what He wants us to do. Someone might see a woman in a red shirt, or someone else might feel really pulled to go to the home at the bottom of the hill. As we began praying, Kristina got the word 'popcorn' while another girl said she was really picturing this little pink shop near the lake where we sometimes purchase mendazis and cool drinks. Two others quickly confirmed that they were feeling drawn to the very same area as they prayed, so, without further analyzing, we decided to go and see what would happen. When we arrived at the bottom of the hill, we stopped at the pink shop and purchased cold Cokes. Becca excused herself to venture over to another shop down the street. She came back over to us, "Hey guys, guess what?! They're selling popcorn over there!" We looked over, and sure enough, there it was hanging from small bags outside the shop.
The shop owner, whom we all know, asked if we would please attend the funeral. "Funeral?" We inquired. But quite quickly, I was reminded of our treasure hunt challenge to trust and see where God might lead us, so we all decided to go for it. An African village funeral. Hmmm. Popcorn bags in hand, we all made our way down the street, and I ran into a man named Symon on the street whom I had met before and felt really drawn to sit down with. Coincidentally, he happened to be leaving the funeral and I asked him if there was anything we should know. "Well, you will notice the men all sitting on one side and the women on the other. You will want to sit on the women's side." I was so excited to see Symon, because I had decided that he was the one I wanted to interview for my 11:11 book project. I had tried to visit him twice previously, but we had missed one another. I eagerly made plans to see him that afternoon and thanked God in that moment that there are no coincidences, only divine encounters.
We made our way to the funeral, and sat down under a shade tree next to a few women. There were over 100 people present, it seemed like everyone in the village had come out to pay their respects. "Who was it that passed?" I curiously asked someone sitting next to me. "Her name was Esther," the woman explained. "She was 29 years old. She had been fighting sickness for over five years and it finally took over." Astonished that this woman was just over a year older than me, I asked, "do you know what she was sick with?"
"Tuberculosis." She responded.
Wow. I know very little about tuberculosis, but I can't imagine anyone being so sick at that young age. In the States, we have such advanced healthcare that this type of situation wouldn't even be an issue. I was able to talk quietly, so I asked the woman her name. "Memory," she said. "How old are you, Memory?" I asked. 19 years old. She was curious about me, why would a 27-year-old girl not be married yet. No children? Why would I leave my friends and family and come to east Africa? What would compel me to do something like this. "Jesus," I responded. "I know it's cliche, but I love Him so much. I have actually felt His presence." I felt drawn to know and see the world that God created, to learn from all of His people. "I love Jesus," she said, contemplatively. She was looking off, like there was a whole world happening inside her head. "I love Him SO much," she added. "How long have you loved him like this?" I asked. "When I was 15-years-old, I went to a seminar here in Malawi," she said. "There was a man of God preaching, and he told me to repent of my sins, and give my life to Jesus, so I decided to trust Jesus with my life, and I have never been the same."
"So, have you seen God do any miracles in your life?" I inquired. "Yes!" She responded quickly. "That same year when I was 15-years-old, I had been fighting daily migraine headaches. I would get them every single day and had been dealing with those headaches for over two years. I also had some major sinus problems. After I prayed to give my life to Jesus, the headaches were instantaneously gone, and I have never had sinus problems since then. That is why I love Jesus so much." I smiled at her as we chewed on some popcorn, with the sounds of funeral singers nearby. Their songs were joyful – more like a church service – much different from what I'm used to for a funeral. They seem to see it as more of a celebration that their loved one is passing from this hard, cruel world to their true home in heaven.
Memory turned towards me and asked, "what miracles have you seen God do?" Ironically, three days before this conversation, I was witness to a miracle. The way it happened was an accident, actually. It wasn't supposed to go the way it did. We planned a night of worship and prophecy, and my team leader and I planned a very specific agenda for the evening. We started singing, and people felt compelled to lift others up, encourage, challenge, and pray for one another. As powerful words were being spoken, I kept strumming away at the guitar. Suddenly, one of the girls felt the Lord prompting her to ask our team leader, Ashlee, to stand in the middle of us and receive prayer. Ashlee has had mastoiditis (I think that's right), an infection in her ear, ever since she was a little girl. She has had multiple surgeries, and as a result, became deaf in her ear. She has not been able to hear through that one ear for a number of years. So our team put their hands on her and began to pray, I stayed in my position on the guitar, and as I was playing, I can't even explain what happened, but I am pretty sure the Spirit of God swept through our little concrete room. I literally felt like I was levitating (I did check at one point, and my feet were still on the ground). I started singing in a way I have never sang before, it didn't even feel like my voice! An infectious yelling and laughter began to fill our special space as the crowd of people around Ashlee parted. She had nearly tipped over as prayers were going up, and in a sort of shock, she put her hand to her ear. "I can hear! Oh my gosh. I can hear out of both ears!"
The whole room was full of laughter and joy as people began huggin her and celebrating what the Lord had done. Our God is an amazing, powerful, miraculous God, and He has proven that to me over and over since I started this journey, though it has taken so much time to trust the reality of the Kingdom and all of it's power. (P.S. If you want the first-hand story of this healing, check out Ashlee's blog at ashleecastle.theworldrace.org)
I shared this story with Memory, and didn't even realize until I looked at her eyes that they were moist with tears. "I want more of His miracles in my life, in Malawi. He is so good to us, isn't He?"
"Yea, He's the best," I responded.
All this from sitting down in prayer and asking the Lord for a vision for the day. All this from a strange unbeknown vision of popcorn and the little pink shop, leading to an invitation to a funeral in Africa, and an incredible heartfelt conversation with a new friend. The people that most amaze me and inspire me are those people who can see every moment as an opportunity for the divine to touch the earth. I am amazed when divine 'coincidences' and miracles take place, but why am I so amazed? This is the stuff of the Kingdom. It's about bringing the supernatural to the natural. So here, God ironically places a vision of popcorn and a place in our thoughts, and through obedience, He made the miracles happen. I am in awe of Him, and I don't believe it's just because "I'm in Africa" that I'm seeing the unexplainable things I am seeing. I want to be the miracle that someone else is waiting for, praying for. I want to be on the lookout for the beautiful treasures of our Father. I want to live looking for the miracles, because they are all around us. We are often too blind to see them, especially when we are too focused on ourselves to see them. But when we take off the blinders, we find an infinite world of possibility, of passion, peace, and incredible power. Even if He leads you to eat popcorn at a funeral, it will be worth seeing the miracle that waits on the other side of obedience.
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This is my incredible team at Zehandi Missions (minus Kristina who was running an errand). From L to R: Ashlee, Darren, Allison, Me, Christy, Nash, and Becca. Love these guys.
