July 12, 2017
Yesterday, our group took a long van ride south to Blantyre –
en route, we had the opportunity to drive alongside Mulanje Mountain, the 3rd
largest mountain in Africa. We stopped
to take some photos and stretch our legs.
Breathtaking…one more unique quality of this beautiful country.
As we continued, we drove through a tea plantation –
hundreds of acres of tea plants, beautifully green from irrigation, hard work
and care. Not long after, we stopped for
lunch – on the menu….PIZZA!... definitely a treat. Our table had a gorgeous view of the mountain.
A while later we arrived in Blantyre, a large city in
southern Malawi that has modern architecture and conveniences. As we drove through the city, we hit rush
hour traffic – stop and go for quite a long stretch of road. Traveling
the opposite direction were several police vehicles; Mphatso said it looked
like perhaps the Vice President of Malawi was traveling, escorted by police
officers. As we began to turn the
corner, we saw a large group of people gathered who were likely there to listen
to the VP whom we had just passed. Many
of the people gathered were wearing blue fabric that proudly displayed the
president’s face – others wore blue shirts with the words “Democratic
Progressive Party.” The people seemed
filled with energy and there were traditional African dancers on site, doing a
good job entertaining the crowd.
We arrived at our lodge in Blantyre and got settled into our
rooms. Everyone seems tired
tonight.
On Wednesday, we traveled two hours downhill on a very
twisty road to reach the Lower Shire deanery where we will participate in the
day’s building project. This area, while
not terribly far from the river, is extremely dry and dusty. We
reach the dean’s home and were greeted with gratitude and excitement by Abusa
Joseph, whom I remember from the Pastors’ academy last summer, and his
wife. We travel to one of the local
congregations where we are greeted with handshakes and the harmony of
Malawian singing – that sound never gets old.
We get a quick tour of the area, including the congregation’s
chapel space which is overflowing with people – great problem! Currently, in a space designed for about 30-40
people, this congregation is packing in 80 adults and nearly 170 children. In addition to the overcrowded space, this is
an area that experiences a lot of flooding and their building can no longer
sustain the excess water – they need a space with a more appropriate concrete
foundation, so they are working on making bricks for the building.
We get to work, watching some men pack mud into wooden
molds, flip the wet bricks out onto the ground in rows, and begin the process
again. (They need roughly 15,000 bricks
to build the new chapel – so far they have made 2500.) We took turns learning how to properly pack
and flip the bricks to ensure they would be strong. It was a messy job, but it was SO fun to be
getting our hands dirty! We packed until
the mud mixture was gone – about 150 bricks total for the day.
All the while we were working, the youth choir from the congregation sang and danced – it was a space filled with happiness.
While we helped make bricks, Hannah, Julia, Maddie and Ella
pulled a couple of Frisbees out of the van for the dozens of community children
who had gathered there and they begin a game of catch. As we finished washing the mud off our hands,
we were invited to take a seat for some formal greetings. Abusa Joseph introduced his church leaders
who offer a quick report about their congregation. And, with the help of Mphatso, John
introduced the group and offered words of gratitude and prayer to those who
were gathered.
I am astounded at the number of children in this community –
so many kids who were unafraid to meet us and be nearby, hoping for a quick
photograph or brief interaction with our youth.
It was mentioned in passing that this area could use a well, as the
other water source is pretty far away – I pray that this can happen for them – everyone
should have easy access to water – not negotiable. I wonder what we can do to make this happen…
We arrived back at the lodge with enough time to shower and
get ready for dinner. We enjoyed a meal
together and excitement about traveling to Red Zebra tomorrow – after a very
dry couple of days, I think the group is ready to see the lake! As the teens and I gathered for our evening
chill time, they express how sad they are that the trip is coming to an end –
they already miss the kids from the villages and the music that has surrounded
in many ways throughout the past week.
They are looking forward to worship at the cathedral this weekend. It has been a pleasure to see this trip
through their eyes. I hope that God is
speaking to their hearts in big and powerful ways this week.
My prayer for today:
That we all take the time necessary to see the bigger, mountain-sized
picture and not fret about details - at least not all the time ;); that we pay attention to one another, and
help carry one other’s burdens, even if it might inconvenience us from time to
time; and that our hearts might be open enough to let God come in and change our
perspectives so that we might have a more honest and complete view of the world
around us. Amen.