Khalani Chikondi

It means "Live Love" in Chichewa, the most common tribal language in Malawi and the second official language along with English.  It's also the name of our partner - Live Love Malawi (http://www.livelovemalawi.com/ or on Facebook).  On the wall of their office is the slogan, "Speak love. Act love. Live love. Change the world."  Does it sound "cute" or "idealistic" or "unrealistic" to you?  Then you haven't met the Live Love team.

Live Love Malawi was founded in 2012.  It was born from the vision of Blessings Chibambo, Live Love's Director and an alumnus of the African Bible College in Lilongwe where our team stayed during the trip.  Blessings and two fellow alumni, with support from a US church, have adopted the rural community of Chipampha, about 20 km west of the city. Their mission is "to bring holistic transformation to individuals, families and communities."  This holistic ministry responds to the spiritual, physical, social, and emotional needs of the people.  Examples of their service include WASH (the reason for our training), medical clinics, building homes for outcast widows and orphans, after school tutoring, child sponsorship, and ministries to men and women of all ages.  And they do this with a staff of three people.

How do they do this?  Their army is a group of young volunteer interns who are undergrads at ABC. These young people serve as many as 20 hours each week in this community which is 40 minutes from campus during dry season.  I have no idea how long it would take during the torrential rains.  They do this without pay and without academic credit while maintaining a full academic schedule and working part-time jobs to pay tuition and expenses.  Their primary job in the community?  Relationships.  They aren't community workers who come to give something.  They are friends who come to visit.  Yes, they teach and lead programs.  But they also encourage and mentor, and laugh and cry with the residents.  They sometimes spend the night on the floor of a hut in order to spend more time talking with someone who needs a good listener, and then hurry back for morning classes.  And never complain, but thank God for the opportunity.

Why do they do this?  It's all in the name.  They know what it means to "live love".  Love is not an emotion, it's an action of the will.  They love the people of Chipampha because they understand that God first loved them.  They are compelled by God's love (2 Corinthians 5:14) and are his ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20).  Yes, they are full of youthful enthusiasm and energy.  But they are also full of faith, full of joy, and full of hope.

I am honored to have had the opportunity to learn with these young people for two weeks, and to call them my brothers and sisters. And I'm proud to wear a wrist band with the phrase "Khalani Chikondi" that was given to me by Fiki, Live Love's Program Director. It's not just a regular reminder to me to pray for my dear friends in Malawi.  It's a challenge to me to live my life by the simple principle of demonstrating God's love in every word, every action, every encounter with another person.  Care to take on that challenge with me?

Double Blessings

As I looked over my last post (Khalani Chikondi), I realized that, although I had praised Live Love Malawi as a group, I had ignored the impact they had on me as individuals.  Well, to those of my Malawian friends who find their way to this blog, this one is for you!

Blessings "C" loses at Bawo - again.

This training was a remarkable opportunity to live almost full time with an amazing group of young people.  Our daily schedule was to join them for devotions at 700 AM.  Each day they took turns leading the worship, prayers, and Bible study, and these sweet times with God really set the tone for the day.  We began training after breakfast, and with breaks for energizers and lunch, we finished around 430 PM.  Then we had free time which typically involved a variety of games.  Susan was always looking for challengers in Bawo, a local game that I never did figure out.  Jon had ongoing Monopoly games with several participants.  And Julie was in the midst of the very competitive football (OK, soccer to you Americans) matches on the "pitch" behind our training home.  And yes, Lifewater, we even found time for some lesson prep! After our third (filling) meal together, our team finally headed back to ABC for team devotions around 800 PM.  Thus, we spent about 13 hours with the participants every day!  Even on Sunday of their weekend off, many joined us for worship at a great local international church and a long, lazy afternoon capped by an ice cream social.

With this amount of time, along with their outstanding English and boundless energy and enthusiasm, we made some wonderful friends.  We were blessed with two Blessings - Blessings "C", Live Love's Director,

James and Chris, who always made me feel young.

and Blessings "M", as well as Innocent, who will be a great preacher someday.  There was James the future journalist and Chris the wise-cracking DJ for ABC's radio station, who constantly joked(?) about moving in with Cindy and me in the US.  Duwa, the loving and wise mother of two who dreams of using her life's story to serve as a missionary to transform the lives of others.  Dorothy, the sweet soul with bold spirit.  Tusha, the rapper and football star with a humble, generous heart.  Richard, Vice-Director and our driver, who cut his honeymoon short to join us.  Fiki, who was the behind-the-scenes organizer and constant cheerleader.  Not to forget Augustine, Sharon, Dyana, Pemphero, and Enelless!  There was no "us" and "them".  We were all peers, all friends, all part of the team.

I think that the hardest thing for me to communicate to my US friends and family about these trips is how emotionally and spiritually close we grow to our new friends in such a short time on these trips.  And this trip was the most remarkable in that regard.  I may be Facebook "friends" with some of this gang already, but I'm also true friends with each and every one of them, for all of this life - and the next as well!

A not-so-solemn graduation ceremony to cap off an outstanding training!

Things Unseen

When Pastor Mike and all my friends at Hope Church prayed over me last Sunday, one phrase leaped out at me.  He asked God to "show Whit things that he hasn't seen before."  Later that day, a friend prayed the same thing.  When someone prays something for me that really stirs my spirit, I take notice.  When it happens twice, I take notes!

So what might I see on this trip that I haven't seen before? Well, since I've never been to Malawi, the easy answer is - "almost everything"!  I've seen beautiful scenery and wildlife in Ethiopia and Kenya, but this will certainly be a different experience.  Yet I'm sure that this is not what the prayer was about.

Beautiful Lake Awassa in Ethiopia, 2012

Maybe it's about seeing new people?  Of course, the people are far more important than the scenery, and I treasure the opportunity to make new friendships like the ones that I have with my brothers and sisters from my previous trips.  But that still isn't it.

How about seeing something new about myself?  Well, every trip reveals more to me about my inner self - and sometimes it's not a pretty picture!  I've learned a lot from the mistakes I've made, and I'm sure I'll learn even more on this trip in the same way!  But throughout my preparation for this trip, God has been urging me to be less introspective, not more - to focus on others - my team, our partners, our participants, and everyone I meet - rather than on myself.

The key, I think, is in a line from Hillsong's Hosanna that, not coincidentally, we sang last Sunday.  It says, "Open up my eyes to the things unseen." In other words, the things of the spirit realm, the things of God.  I believe that these prayers are asking God to show me what He sees.  Another line from Hosanna is, "Break my heart for what breaks yours."  God is already at work in Malawi to rescue the people He loves from disease, poverty, and hopelessness.  As Mike reminded us in his message, Henry Blackaby describes "experiencing God" as seeing where He is already at work and joining him there.  And there, I believe, is the meaning of that prayer, and the message I needed to hear before I leave.  I am not going to Malawi to help people learn about sanitation and hygiene.  God has invited me to witness and join Him in His work to redeem a nation.  Can there be any greater privilege?  So, I join my friends in that prayer, and humbly request that all of you join us as well.  I promise to return and report God's answers that will be far beyond what I can hope or imagine.

Malawi Travel Plans

For those of you who are detail oriented (like me)...

I leave Charlotte at 605 AM on Friday (pray for poor Cindy driving me to the airport at 430 AM!)  I meet up with the other four in the team at Dulles, then we have a 12.5-hour flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Unfortunately, I won't have time there to visit so many dear friends!  Another 4-hour flight takes us to Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi.  We'll arrive at 1220 PM Saturday local time (620 AM EDT).

We'll be staying in a guest house at the African Bible College in Lilongwe.  Sounds like a beautiful campus. We'll have the remainder of the weekend to rest, worship, and prepare for the first day of training on Monday morning at 830!  We expect 20 participants, who we think will all be community workers with our partner, Live, Love Malawi (check out their website or their Facebook page.) The training schedule is very tentative, particularly because this curriculum is brand new.  We're scheduled to run from 830-430 everyday, and we hope to have dinner with the participants most nights, which will be a great opportunity to develop relationships.  We should wrap up the training by Wednesday 8/27 or Thursday 8/28.

Hopefully we'll have time for a little R&R Thursday night, then we're back on a plane Friday at 110 PM local time (710 AM EDT).  Unfortunately, my return connections are horrendous, so I don't arrive back in Charlotte until 630 PM on Saturday 8/30 - almost 36 hours later!?!

Our team has been reviewing the new curriculum in preparation, and we have each been assigned the lessons we will facilitate.  I'm really excited about a couple of the lessons I'm doing, and will share about the experience after I return - no matter how it goes!

Be on the lookout for another post before I leave, as I have some pre-trip thoughts that I want to share - then I probably will not have the opportunity until after I return.  I'll try to do a quick Facebook status and/or email update once in a while.  Thanks for your prayers!

Wowee! Malawi!

A couple of weeks ago, Cindy and I returned to our cabin from a long hike to a glacier field far above Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies.  Before I even sat down to rest, I took the opportunity to check my email, and learned that I had been selected by Lifewater to serve on a team to Malawi from approximately August 15 to 31!  The startling contrast between the adventure just concluded and the adventure ahead left me shocked and speechless (which leaves all of you shocked and speechless as well, I'm sure!) I finally said to Cindy in a small voice, "I'm going to Malawi!"

Now that we're home, I'm finally embracing this exciting opportunity.  Lifewater has been going through some significant program changes in recent months, and this is the first trip using a new curriculum with a new partner in a new country! The curriculum is sort of a hybrid of several that I've worked with before in Ethiopia and Kenya (community development, promotion, and hygiene), but some of the facilitation will be a little different.  The partner is a new, small Christian NGO called Live Love Malawi.  The training will be in Lilongwe, the capital, and the project area is a group of communities a short distance from there.  Even the team will be new to me.  Julie, the lead trainer, is a staff member whom I've known for several years but have never traveled with.  The other three I have yet to meet but have heard great things about from others.

That's essentially all I know right now!  I'll be posting more information and stories as the trip approaches, so please keep us - and our partners and their communities - in your prayers, and keep checking back!

Jim/Tesfalem