Why Malawi?

When we originally began planning to go to Africa, we were joining a team going to Sierra Leone. When plans changed that year, we were asked to instead join a team headed to Malawi. So, that’s the first answer to why. But ultimately the why was part of God’s plan for us. Many people over the years have told me they could never do it. They can’t imagine how hard it must be. It’s so far away. It’s Africa! If only they knew the truth…

This page will tell you much about the country, what the struggles are, and why COTN sends medical teams. It’s a big part of our why. https://www.cotni.org/places/malawi?gclid=Cj0KCQjwqPGUBhDwARIsANNwjV47nE-GadDwzI7td1nWYi5byA0H2ykFaYY6m8dWNrVmzBrFSTYYjncaAq_TEALw_wcB

The family we have made at COTN Malawi is really another big part of our why. They love Jesus with a passion I rarely see here in the U.S. They love the children that God has given them to care for. They work tirelessly day after day, month after month, to meet the needs of the children and their families. They are resourceful, and creative, and compassionate. But what they do is hard. They often do not have the resources they need, and they often have to make do with little. But they never give up. Every day they get up and work hard to answer the call that God has given them. So God really calls us to go and serve the servants. He calls us to pick up a corner of the burden they carry every day and lighten the load for a few short days. We go to remind them they are not alone. We go to be part of God’s plan to meet their needs. We go because God chooses to use us to encourage them. We go because they are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and they need us. We go to make them stronger, so they can continue to share Jesus with their own people.

But there’s another reason we go. And this one, I’m almost ashamed to tell you. We go because it fills us up. We get to go and be a part of something so much bigger than ourselves. We go because we are blessed beyond measure to spend time with these people.

They teach us what it is to truly have faith. They teach us what contentment really looks like (we Americans don’t even have a clue). They teach us about relationships and love and compassion. I truly believe they help me more than I have ever helped them. Somehow, when I’m in Malawi the veil between heaven and earth seems so much thinner. God seems so much closer and more real and more powerful. His voice is clearer and louder and sweeter. Perhaps it’s the lack of “noise” in a place where the power goes off often, the water isn’t always warm, the internet isn’t always on, and at night there’s no city lights to hide the magnificent stars. Perhaps it’s the sunrise I get up early just to see because it’s so beautiful and quiet and majestic. Perhaps it’s the light in the children’s eyes when we spend time with them. Perhaps it’s the praises sung with joy in a language I barely understand but with faith you can’t mistake. I’m sure it’s all those things and so much more. So, yes, I keep going back, expecting God to meet me there and do another makeover on my heart. I am sure this year will be no exception. So yes, it’s far and it’s hard and it’s Africa…and I can hardly wait to get there! So, tiwonana posachedwa Malawi!