We have come to Malawi again. This is our fourth mission trip to Malawi. We began working here in 2018. The journey here doesn’t get easier with the 30+ hours of traveling, but the rejoicing at the end is worth it all!
Reunion
It is wonderful to reunite with friends and to see those who have become Christians in years past. All the babies have grown and there are new babies added to families. Yet, it is sad to miss those who have gone on to their reward. In just a year so many have passed. We miss their presence.
150 New Baby Christians
It’s good to share together plans to grow the kingdom of God. We’ve had several meetings to catch us up to date on what is going on in some areas of the work. Things that communication long distance fail us in. One big surprise for us was how many new baby Christians there are!!! 150 since our last trip! We’ve visited some new wells, a new church building, new businesses, and 2 new homes.
Healing Hands International Wells Bless Communities
It is so exciting to hear from each group and what is going on in their work. It’s wonderful to see familiar places and to rejoice with communities as they get clean water by receiving a well through the Healing Hands International. This is a huge blessing to communities. I look at babies and know their life will change because of this gift. They will grow up healthier because of something I take for granted every day.
Malawi Time
Life is slower paced here. Most things take a lot of time. Take meal prep. You may have to kill the chicken before preparing it. Almost everything is fresh. You are very close to your food source here. Every day we have rice or nsima, greens (rape, spinach, mustard, pumpkin, turnip), tomatoes made into a soup like sauce or mixed with other vegetables, and some fresh meat.
Transportation is a big deal. If you have a car for transport the roads are rough and sandy and very bumpy so it still takes a lot of time to get anywhere. My pedometer looks good on car days and when walking. You may ride on motorcycles like I did today to the market 3 adults on one motorcycle with rough roads. It takes a while. Or maybe you are on a bicycle. But most likely you will be on foot.
There is a certain peacefulness here, I am touched deeply by these people and their genuine hearts.