Stripped of Everything

Malawi has been awesome, hard, challenging, and great all at the same time.  We have incredible ministry contacts that love the Lord and have more faith than anyone else I have ever met.  It truly is beautiful here.  We live on top of a hill looking over Lake Malawi and the surrounding villages. 

Every night we sleep in our tents, we have no running water, no electricity, and we wear skirts everyday.  Between my whole squad there is at least 20 different water runs a day.  The well is located ½ mile away, so we walk there, pump our water, and usually the water for all the women that are there, and then carry ours back.  Although it is hard, I, oddly enough, kind of enjoy it.  I know that after 3 months of living like this, I will never think the same, take the same things for granted, and be so much more thankful for the simple things.

Our mornings consist of some kind of construction work around the mission base, while in the afternoons we do outreach. Many of the villages surrounding our area are Islamic, so our goal is to show them Jesus’ love through pumping their water, spending time sitting on their front porches and getting to know them, and laughing and singing with their kids.  Yesterday, Alison and I litterally spent an hour singing with kids.  We started with 4 and ended with about 25.. I was in major VBS mode. A few times a week we get to go to an incredible special needs orphanage that my team has fallen in love with!  We love the simplicity of it, the staff, and the children that spend their days there.  I am so thankful that these kids, who have nothing in the eyes of the world, are experiencing so much love that only Jesus can provide.

After experiencing outreach like this every day, I wouldn’t chose any other way to live during these next three months. I am excited to physically suffer in order to spiritually grow. What seems like impossible living situations is normality and reality to most people in Malawi.  I admire these people because of their strength and contentment. They have so little, yet still have such a great time with each other.  They love their family and their friends and they all rely on each other. I love it! I am thankful for what these people are going to teach me during these next three months! I am excited to see their eyes opened up to the beauty of the gospel as we continue to share the love of Jesus with them! Please pray for a lot of open hearts and boldness of my squad.  We believe the Lord has some great plans for us here and I am so excited to see what happens!!!

“we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:3-4 

View of Lake Malawi from where we live 

My team <3 <3 <3 Yay for African skirts and tan skin baby!