Since I last wrote a blog, I have traveled to Malawi and returned to the USA. It was my intention to write a post from the field, but due to a busy schedule and power outages it didn’t happen.
Malawi is incredible. To be honest with you, I didn’t know what to expect when I went on this trip. I was traveling alone to a place I had never been before. The only context I had for the culture was based off email and phone interactions with people I have known for 6 months and random memories shared by friends I’ve had for less than a year. In the past, I don’t know if I would sign up for something like this. Nowadays, I embrace it.
I embrace it because, even though traveling through a foreign country, meeting with a dozen ministries, communicating with the office, and getting the rest I need is a difficult balance, there is so much room for Jesus to teach me things.
He taught me things like…
Being in the moment. There were several opportunities for me to give people I met my undivided attention. There something about visiting a culture that isn’t consumed by their phones or distracted by next week’s plans. They were all in during conversation, so I had to match that. There’s a perspective shift in here somewhere. I’m processing it. You should too.
Rest. Historically, I haven’t been the greatest at this. However, I was able to experience rest in a way I haven’t in quite some time while on this trip. I visited a place called Nkhata Bay where we partner with an incredible organization called Butterfly Lodge. They have a traveler’s lodge on Lake Malawi (the third largest lake in Africa). It’s beautiful, google it! Much of the weekend the power was out, so I was disconnected from the world. I was able to spend so much time along the lake just me and God! It was the recharge I needed to finish my trip strong.
Hospitality. Since I moved to Georgia a year ago, I’ve seen “southern hospitality” first hand. Malawi takes hospitality to another level. I was welcomed into homes for meals. By the end of my trip, I had five ministries checking in with me to make sure my travels were going well. A pastor and his wife even presented me with a gift to remember Malawi. Each time I come to Africa, I see that their culture does this well and it challenges me to walk in this hospitality when I return to the USA.
I encourage you to keep your eyes open for what Jesus wants to teach you. You don’t need to travel or be on “the mission field” to learn these things. I happened to get a new perspective on these things in Malawi because my heart was open to receiving. It’s not where you are, it’s where your heart is.
I love reading about your first trip to Malawi!