Anxiety, Jet Lag, and Joy

Hello from Malawi, my friends!
Well, here we are again! Nearly a year after my first experience in Malawi, I have returned to this beautiful country and among the incredible group of travelers are my own two oldest girls, Julia and Maddie. LuAnn, Ed & Dianne, John, and his two daughters Hannah and Ella round out our group of nine who will experience Malawi together. After months of fundraising (thank you, by the way, to EVERYONE who helped us make this trip possible! – we are so grateful for you!), the trip seemed to sneak up on us and we were on our way!

Saturday morning, July 1st, we dragged ourselves out of bed at 3:00 a.m. (ok, I didn’t sleep at all, worried that I would miss my alarm!), and all six of us packed into the van. We left a bit early, excited to arrive at MSP and meet up with the rest of our group. But, our excitement was quickly replaced by anxiety when our van got a flat tire on the freeway. I began silently assessing the situation, thinking about every alternative solution if we couldn’t get the tire replaced with a spare. We stopped in downtown Hudson and parked in an empty lot where Nik (my husband and hero of the day) calmly and swiftly changed the tire without any complications. We were back on the road in less than 15 minutes. (Sure glad we left early!)


After arriving at the airport, we met up with our travel companions where we checked ample amounts of luggage (10 suitcases of gifts for our friends in Malawi), waited in unusually long security lines, and made it to our gate with a few minutes to spare. The first leg of the trip was to New York City (our overnight layover) where we took a guided tour around Manhattan. Some highlights: The Statue of Liberty, Central Park, the 9/11 Memorial, John Lennon’s home and Strawberry Fields, and Grand Central Terminal. We ended the day with some fantastic Indian food and fun conversation. It was a good day! 

Day two was a little less exciting – we traveled from NYC to Johannesburg (no layover or stops)…a 14 hour flight that offered plenty of time for sleep, movies, reading, coloring, a little food, and conversation. Upon arrival in Johannesburg, we switched planes and were immediately of to Lilongwe. After securing our visas, we made our way through the airport in Lilongwe, collected our luggage, and were warmly greeted by Mphatso (ELCM companion coordinator) and Derrick (our driver). It was wonderful to see both of them again! As we wheeled our four carts of suitcases out to the parking lot and began to load the van, it became evident that we were not going to fit all the suitcases AND the 9 of us in one vehicle….hmmm…. Mphatso approached another driver, and we were able to secure some extra seats to the ELCM compound in a second vehicle– problem solved!

As we drove the 30 minutes into the city, so many things were familiar – buildings, roads, the smell of the air… As I glanced around the van to see the kids’ reactions, I laughed to myself as I watched their heads droop with jet lag exhaustion. So tired. Soon, I found myself in a similar state. How is it possible to be so tired after sitting for so long?! 

We arrived at the ELCM compound, unloaded the bags and got our room assignments. After dropping our belongings off in our rooms, the four young girls and I explored the grounds, and with every building and path we passed, memories of my time here last summer began to replay in my mind. Such a tremendous experience. As we walked, I silently prayed for these four girls, that the Spirit would show up in big ways during their time here, and that Malawi would leave an indelible mark on their hearts. After eating our first Malawian meal, everyone was asleep before 8 pm. 

Tuesday morning we had the opportunity to visit the preschool at the compound – we were greeted with curious (and somewhat nervous) eyes as we brought in soccer balls and spinners to share with the kids in the classroom. Initially, it took some time to warm up, but after a few courageous kiddos tried out the new toys, Hannah, Julia, Ella, and Maddie jumped in, offering kindness, laughter and generosity to the preschoolers as they demonstrated and taught how the spinners worked, took pictures with the kids, and played catch with the balls. Ed was also busy as he took pictures in the classroom and printed them off for the teacher to keep and to share. There was so much joy…


The afternoon brought opportunities to play some card games as we waited for our meeting with the Bishop. As we entered the ELCM office building, we were greeted by some familiar faces, Agnes and Mabel, who offered warm welcomes and hugs. It was good to see them again and introduce them to Julia and Maddie. I feel proud and lucky that my girls can be here with me.After another delicious meal, including a Malawian staple, nsima, we showered (now that the water was working again), and headed to bed. Now that jet lag seems to have dissipated a little, I think we are ready to dig into some more companion work here with our brothers and sisters here. Tomorrow we will be traveling south to Balaka parish (LuAnn’s companion parish) to visit the communities there – we are excited to explore more of Malawi!

My prayer for today: that trust in God will always overpower anxiety, that we can recognize when we need to slow down and enjoy our moments with one another, and that no matter how old we are, we remember to embody the uncomplicated joy of a child. Amen.