New Year's Day

What is something that you appreciate more about your own life since coming to Malawi? 

I really appreciate that I do not rely on the weather each year to produce sustenance for my family.  There are so many Malawians who are sustenance farmers and it is hard to see without it changing you.  After reading “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” I realized how much they livelihood is based on what the weather does.  They have no back up plan for when the rainy season comes to late and produces a poor crop.  They seem to be stuck in a rut that they don’t have any way to get out of. 

            On our way back from Lake Malawi, I got to see all of the farmland again.  This reminded me about how blessed I am to have a grocery store that I can drive to 24/7 and I never have to worry about whether they will have food or not.  It is times like these that it really hits me hard how much I take for granted and how I want to live my life in the future in a way that isn’t so ignorant to the issues of this world. 

What do you appreciate about life in Malawi?

The biggest thing that I appreciate about Malawi is the incredible people.  The Malawians have been nothing but hospitable and fun so far.  There have been many Malawians who have stopped us and welcomed us to their country.  That is not something that people in America do. 

            One of the ways that the people of Malawi are incredible is through their skills.  They have blown my mind with their ability to paint, carve, build, problem solve and do business.  All of the artwork that we have see on the side of the roads is awesome.  Then you see the carvings and there is nothing that you can say other than, “Wow!” 

            Today, we went to Lizard Island in the middle of Lake Malawi and swam around for a little while and even jumped off of some big rocks.  I got to take my GoPro with us, so I got to take some fun videos with it of us jumping and swimming.  I really enjoyed this time, because it allowed me to have fun filming, while at the same time enjoying jumping off the rocks.  Also, it showed everyone else what I like to do in a practical way.  Plus, I got to try out some new ways of filming and attempting to get some really cool shots. 

A quick video that I put together from our time on Lizard Island.

            After going to the island, we came back to Cool Runnings and had lunch and drove back to Lilongwe.  On the way back, I was thinking about the amount of money that I have spent and how much money I have left for the trip.  I only changed $40 to begin with and I have already purchased a lot of the gifts and fun souvenirs that I wanted, so that means that I still have way more money left over than I could ever need.  I was thinking about how I can begin to take the things that I have learned so far on this trip and the things that I have seen and use that money to do something about it all.  However, I don’t know exactly what that looks like.  Therefore, I will probably continue to think about this and figure out what that will look like before we leave.

I woke up to a bunch of ants crawling all over me.

Cool Runnings view of the lake.

            Also on the way back from the lake, we stopped at a craft market.  I quickly bought the things that I wanted and was out of Kwacha.  I kept walking around and looking at what the venders had, but I was unable to purchase anything else.  Right before we had to leave, I went into one of the stalls and talked to a guy named Mike.  I quickly told him that I did not have any money left, so I would not be able to purchase anything, but I asked if he would still show me the things that he has made.  He quickly showed me and I told him that he was really talented.  Then, I wanted to simply talk to him about life so that I could learn more about where he is coming from and how he feels about it all.  I asked him how long he had been working in the business of carving and he told me 7 years.  He then told me that he is only 19 years old and my mind was blown.  I looked at his necklace and it had a cross on it, so I asked him what it stood for.  He began to tell me that it stood for the fact that he is a Christian and that he believes in Jesus and what he did for the entire world.  I am a Christian too, so it was easy for me to relate to him. 

Mike and I at the craft market.

            Mike taught me that it is great to believe in the Bible and what Jesus preached when he came to earth, but it is something totally different to actually live it out.  Mike told me that he cares more about glorifying God through his faith and what he does, than he does about selling everything that he has carved.  He told me that when he only focuses on selling all his inventory, he is not bringing God any glory and that typically results in poor sales.  However, when he focuses on glorifying God through everything that he does, the Lord provides for him.   That doesn’t always mean that he sells a lot of carvings or bracelets, but it does mean that he is relying on more than just himself.  This meant a lot to me and I was able to get a photo with Mike to remember him by.  Unfortunately, I had to get back on the bus in order to leave, but before we pulled away, Mike came up to the window and gave me a letter opener.  He hadn’t sold anything all day and I had nothing to give him, but he gave me a piece of his inventory, which is his livelihood.  I told him that I would be praying for him and his business.  We left and I know that I probably won’t ever see Mike again here in Malawi.  But I do know that one day everlasting, I will see him in heaven as we worship God together as brothers in Christ.