Ways are Greater than Mine

So, this one time when I woke up to the warmth of the African sun beaming in my window…..oh wait, that was this morning!!! Happy Sunday everyone! It is almost noon here in Malawi and I hope this update finds you well and enjoying God’s grace today!

The last week or so has been a whirlwind of emotions and experiences. As I mentioned in my last post, my body was feeling pretty worn down and sick for a couple weeks, but towards the beginning of this week, I am happy to say that I am finally feeling much better and He has given me much more strength than I could ever have had on my own to endure and thrive during the activities and experiences here. ☺ I greatly appreciate your prayers and thoughts while I am here, so thank you!

Let’s see….this week began a little differently than usual. A group of us interns began going to one of COTN’s children’s homes called Chitipi Home; about 10 minutes from where we stay. This is the same home that we were taken to right off the plane and welcomed by a performance of song and dance by the 30 or so sponsored children that live at the home. It was such an encouragement to be able to return to the home and spend more time with the kids! Our group went specifically to tutor some of the kids who are struggling the most in school; they are on their “break” and so the goal has been to help them catch up and review before they finish their last trimester. When I initially found out I would be going, I was really excited; I had heard that we would be tutoring but we hadn't yet…but then I found out I would be tutoring math, which is quite funny since that is definitely not one of my spiritual gifts…hahahaa. ☺ Anyways, I went into the first morning on Monday completely unsure of how or what God had for us there, only that we were hands to share and love on these kids. It has definitely been a new experience this week to say the least; I am helping with three girls in Standard 4 (similar to grade 4) named Zione, Matalitso, and Edria. They are precious girls and have been SO patient with myself and the other interns that have helped. While it has definitely been a struggle and a learning experience, God has been so good in helping us reach these girls and get to know them even on a deeper level than just math and reading. ☺ I am really looking forward to the next couple weeks with them and seeing the progress they have made already in their school work as well as continuing to build relationships that truly reflect the love Christ has for them through our time.

My time with the widows and their families continues to be a joy and struggle at the same time. I have become much closer with several of the women and their kids and seeing and experiencing first hand what their daily life is like has become more and more hard for me. The times we spend in the mornings, singing on our way to their homes to help and learn Malawian chores and activities bring joy to my heart and yet cause it to ache as well. Me and several of the other girls on my team are already making plans of things we want to do to continue to support these women when we are home in the states, which I am excited about. Many afternoons are structured simply for us to spend time in fellowship with the women and their small children, some of us learning to knit or crochet, some simply listening and sharing their life stories, and others teaching and learning English and Chichewa. One of the precious children that I hold almost every day in the widows’ program has become my prayer during this afternoon time. As I held little Falida this week and last, I have become overcome with compassion and prayer for this child of God, whose life growing up in Malawi I will have very little control of. My heart breaks for the fact that she might become a widow at a young age like her mother, and I became so overwhelmed with how small my singing “Mighty to Save” (the only song she falls asleep to ☺ ) to her every week is. But I have been realizing more and more through experiences here that His ways truly are greater than mine and He is active and alive as much in Africa as He is in the states and that Falida can realize her worth and value growing up in a little village of Msiliza, Malawi and change her world through His love! If I don’t think that His ways are SO much bigger than mine, I am limiting the very God who created her precious smile and heart…and so I continue to lift her up to Him as well as every person I have had the opportunity to know so far this summer.

This post is already way too long, even though I feel that I barely touched the surface! ☺ So I will wrap it up and update you again in a few days instead…I am praying and thinking of you all very often and hope you are having a blessed week!