---> All the pictures will be posted separately and letters will be going out in the mail soon! <---
Dear Family and Friends,
Hallo! I am back
in the US after two exhausting and exhilarating weeks in Malawi. This trip was
so special to me, particularly since this was the second time going back and
working with the same NGO and the same group of families. I can say for certain
that even though this trip looked similar from the outside it felt very
different on the inside, and I know that God is calling me to be more involved
in Malawi, particularly in support of the work that Children of the Nations
(COTN) is doing there.
Upon arrival we
immediately went to one of the COTN feeding programs where the children sang
songs and recited Bible verses to welcome us to the warm heart of Africa. Many
of our group got invited to dance and one thing is for certain in Malawi: if
you’re invited to dance – you dance!
Each morning before
our activities started we had devotional time with our team, the other teams
that were there, and the Malawian translators and staff. After devotions and
before breakfast we would introduce ourselves to each other. Imagine saying
“Mwadzuka bwanji?” and replying “Ndadzuka bwino. Kaya inu?” to no less than 25
other people each morning… I got proficient at my greetings pretty quickly!
The first full day
we were there we participated in cultural immersion. During cultural immersion,
we shopped at a market for the items needed to prepare a meal for a family (all
shopping conducted in Chichewa of course), and then went to the home of a
family registered with COTN in Mgwayi Village and helped prepare the meal. The
family I spent time with had 11 children, ranging from adult to less than two
years old. The baby was so small that she was scared of us azungus (white
people). We tried hard to get her to like us, but she just hadn’t seen enough
azungus in her lifetime to be comfortable. The father was the village chief and
while they certainly had status in Mgwayi the last time they had eaten a
chicken was months ago. We spent a large part of our time sitting on their mat
introducing ourselves and getting to know each other, one aspect of Malawian
culture we can all learn a lot from.
On Sunday we
visited a Pentecostal church and COTN’s Chitipi children’s home. The main
catchphrases we went home with after spending a good three hours at the
Pentecostal church was “Hallo!” “Hallelujah!” and “We are kings!” The pastor
shared a very encouraging message to remind us that we are all kings, not to
allow people to treat you as less, and to not treat yourself as less. If that’s
how God sees us, that’s how we should see ourselves. Chitipi Children’s Home
houses around 30 children and 20 young women (which the little kids call their aunties).
The children come to them either as orphans or from incredibly desperate
situations. At the home they have everything they need, a house mom and dad,
and many wonderful aunties to care for them. Most of the young women head off
to college after successfully finishing high school and lead wonderful lives
thanks to the home they found at Chitipi. They even have their own farm, raise
their own animals, and have a school on the property.
We spent the next
day visiting some villages where the Africa Windmill Project helps empower
farmers. To read more about AWP, visit http://africawindmill.org. We also
visited one of COTN’s widow’s programs, which teach the women sustainable
skills to be able to provide a living for their families. It is not uncommon in
Malawi for the deceased husband’s family to show up and take all of their
belongings, leaving the widow and children with nothing. We had the opportunity
to see and purchase some of the very neat items they handcraft: coin purses,
bags, headbands, and jewelry.
On Tuesday, the
real reason we went to Malawi started: our VBS camp. Our skits, stories,
crafts, and Bible study time all revolved around stories about Jesus: that he
was human, he was God, he performed miracles, he faced temptation, and his
death and resurrection. These stories aren’t new to the children with special
needs and their caretakers at VBS, but what was new was that we added in a
separate time for them to break out in groups and participate in
age-appropriate Bible study. The group I have been most involved with is the
caretaker group, which is about 30% grandmothers, 60% mother’s, and 10% other
(aunties, etc.). We had a group of younger children, teenage girls, teenage
boys, and two caretaker groups (one with caretakers from Mgwayi and Mtsiliza; one
from Chirombo).
The week Summit is
there is the only time during the entire year that these children get treated
as kings. While they may be invited into other special programs throughout the
year, this is built around and for these specific kids. They are fed two
snacks, drinks, and two meals each day, they get a million hugs from all of us,
and they get to participate in something very fun while learning about Jesus.
We host a fun afternoon out at a local play place, we go into a clinic to serve
others (NiceServe), and even have a water day with them.
All of our efforts
are made in conjunction with COTN staff. We don’t just show up and work
separately from the in-country staff. We put every effort into supporting what
they are already doing with the children and families, much in alignment with
the theories behind Helping Without Hurting.
The week we spent
getting to know these women and their children were pivotal for me. They look up
to us yet ask nothing from us; they have only one yet they give us their
chitenjes (wraps) to sit on so that we won’t get our skirts dirty; they share
intimate stories with us yet they are just getting to know us; they have so
little yet are grateful for everything. They encourage us daily yet depend on
God fully to provide their next meal. They are thankful and appreciative of the
time we have together, and they pray with unceasing fervor and reliance on God.
We seem to have everything we need because our material and daily needs are
easily taken care of in America, yet we lack so much connection to God and so
much closeness to each other in comparison.
I am so thankful
to have been a part of the special needs VBS twice and I will definitely
continue to be a part of this group when I travel to Malawi with Summit in the
future. The children and families that COTN cares for are ones that really need
it: they are unable to feed their children, unable to provide mosquito nets to
protect against malaria, sometimes unable to clothe them. Take it one further
step and imagine being put on the outside of your community because you have a
child with special needs and there is that much of a greater need. There still
exists a lot of stigma surrounding the mother and the family if a child is born
with or develops a disability. Villagers may assume the child was conceived in
adultery or the mother is a witch. Many of the caretakers shared how they had
brought their child to the village witch doctor to try to cure them before
finding healing in a church.
We asked the
caretakers what Bible characters or stories they would like to learn about next
time and I can’t wait to be a part of a team in the future (next year??) and
God willing many more times in the future. Quick brag about Nico: the first time
I talked to her while in Africa, she said “I’m so glad that your team is safe
in Africa.” She has such a giving spirit and I can’t wait to help shape her
heart for others by taking her on mission trips when she gets older.
On the second
Sunday there we hosted a special lunch for the children who are sponsored by
team members. I invited Hati (pronounced Harti), and decided to be his sponsor.
His mother was in my caretaker group so I got to learn quite a bit about their
family. She has 5 boys: Mikey, Hati, Billy, Land, and Fumbani. When Hati was
young he sustained an accident to his legs. They took him to a hospital and the
doctor told them to amputate his legs. His mother did not consent but instead
took him to another hospital. The doctor there told them to take him home and care
for him as best as they could. He walks with a limp, but does not wear braces
on his legs. He is 11 years old, attends school, and likes to play soccer. He
has the sweetest disposition and was
my little buddy for many days. I had two bracelets made, one with my name and
one with his name. I asked him if he would like me to be his sponsor and if
he’d like a bracelet to remember me by. He chose to keep the one with my name
on it (awwww) and now I wear the
bracelet with his name on it to remember him.
If you’re
interested in sponsoring a child through Children of the Nations, please reach
out and let me know – I met so many children while there and know that
sponsorship truly helps these children and their families in tangible ways. I
can give you some names of children that we met in the special needs program
and in the villages. COTN’s website has pictures and names of the children that
need sponsors, and you can search by country as well:
https://cotni.org/children (Cost is $32/month)
I would like to
find another sponsor for Hati so that he is fully sponsored (each child can
have two sponsors), and a sponsor for Linda. Linda is also 11 and from the time
we first met we were special friends. She was born missing some fingers on one
hand, and although that might not seem like much of a disability to those in
America, anything that sets apart a child, especially at birth, places a huge
stigma on them and the mother, which reduces their ability to acclimate and
lead a normal life in their village.
Our team ended up
having 15 people on it, more than half of which fell ill at some point either
in transit or during our stay there. The illnesses included gastrointestinal
issues, ringworm, fevers, body aches, vomiting, colds, ear infection and burst
ear drum, flu, and probably others! Only one needed to visit the local clinic
though and started to get better after receiving a shot in lieu of an IV. I
stayed completely healthy while there and even skirted the cold Jason and Nico
had when I got home.
Living together as
part of a missions team is also very interesting. We get close quick and
conversation goes deep. Some (not all) of the large “life” stories people
shared with or experienced as part of this trip included me connecting with
another woman (59) who also lost her father to suicide. It was been 15 years
since he died and she had not yet fully processed his loss nor shared it with
her daughter (17, and she has since shared it with her daughter). One woman
shared that she was adopted, later gave up a daughter for adoption before
having more children later, and had recently been contacted by the daughter she
gave up. One young girl (18) who is heading off to college in the fall recently
found her birth family and learned that she was the product of an unfortunate
situation that happened while her birth mother was in college. Her father, also
on the trip, opened up about a son he had adopted but then had to give up more
than seven years ago due to some serious emotional disabilities and violent
outbursts. During our time in Africa, the son (now almost 16) contacted him via
Facebook, which was taken as a miracle, since this father’s heart truly aches
for his son.
I know this is not
a quick update letter and I appreciate you taking the time to read it all. It
is hard for me to abbreviate any part of this trip since it was all worth
sharing. If you were able to support me on this trip, THANK YOU! Your support
is not taken lightly and I am truly thankful that you were a part of this trip
with me. I was able to bring home an assortment of goodies and will include one
in your follow-up letter via USPS. To see more pictures, visit WadesPlusOne.com
– because they won’t all fit here!
Malawi really is
the warm heart of Africa, and I think you’d quickly notice the same thing if
you ever have the opportunity to travel there. Their hearts are fully of joy
and their spirits are contagious. Here’s to future adventures and furthering
the work of God’s kingdom in Malawi!
Big hugs, Diana (aka Doc, as I’m known in
Malawi)
