We made it home, thank goodness! There was a moment in Washington DC where it felt like we were never going to reach Seattle :) I have never been happier to be at the North Satellite of Sea-Tac.
A few days have passed and I know the process of "coming home" takes way longer than that. As we all email back and forth, post inside jokes on facebook and look at pictures, something bigger is actually happening. Inside, we are all asking God - "what do I do now?"
That is the heart of missions - what is God asking of you? What is your next step? We know that everything we see and do is used by God to shape our character and that nothing is wasted. The hardest part is that character is shaped over longer periods of time, not in 5 days of processing or 2 weeks in Africa.
So we wait. And pray. And think. And hope. And wonder. Why did God have me go to Malawi? Why did I meet Henry...Dina...Gift...Stephen...Tadala...Thokozani...Clayton...Alan...the family in Mgwayi...that child in Chiwengo...? And what the heck do I do now that I'm at home, back to work, staring at my computer...?
And I have good news for you [inside joke :)] - we are not in control of what God is doing in our lives or how he teaches us. Our job is to pray, seek and be open to whatever He has for us...exactly what we were forced to do when we were in Malawi.
I believe that this mission trip was about WAY MORE than Malawi. God is moving and revealing himself to us, and as a team we were able to see a unique picture of that by taking ourselves out of everyday life, and going to Malawi.
We are grateful He chose us, and grateful that the Holy Spirit gave us the courage to accept the call and go.
And we are grateful for EastLake - a church that encourages us to seek God first and be on mission to share the good news that He has...for all of humanity, here in Seattle and around the world.
Signing off,
Kristen :)
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
And just like that...
Our trip is almost over.
Tonight is our last night in Malawi. It has been a crazy 2 weeks.
Our time in Chiwengo village was wonderful. Though the team was a bit shocked with the bucket showers and non flushing toilets, they were troopers and settled in just fine. COTN has their children's homes there, where the majority of the kids in full-time care reside. We truly enjoyed spending a few days with them. They are sweet, thoughtful, loving and joyful children. Our biggest highlight in Chiwengo was probably the surprise party thrown for Emily's birthday. We were moved and amazed at the celebration they pulled off for one of our team members. They were thrilled to be celebrating "another year of life"...Something they consider a huge accomplishment and blessing. It was a true celebration, one that I was definitely touched by.
The teaching at the school was another highlight. God for sure moved in that situation as we were able to (I think) effectively teach them about sexual purity and goal setting. You should be sure to ask any team member about the things we did. Although we were discouraged and heart-broken at some of the myths and craziness that they believed, we were so honored for the opportunity to tell them the truth.
Today was our last full day in Malawi - we spent it at the shores of Lake Malawi. It was a beautiful, fun and relaxing way to end the trip.
As a team we each took a turn tonight discussing our experience so far and a brief overview of what God is doing in our lives. I can say confidently that God is moving in this team of people - what a privilege it is to see Him at work in the lives of my friends...my Malawi family :)
I'm not able to summarize that part of it - how God has moved in each one of us. I hope you take the time to ask someone on the team about it.
Thanks for your prayers. We have felt protected, provided for and encouraged.
Kristen
Tonight is our last night in Malawi. It has been a crazy 2 weeks.
Our time in Chiwengo village was wonderful. Though the team was a bit shocked with the bucket showers and non flushing toilets, they were troopers and settled in just fine. COTN has their children's homes there, where the majority of the kids in full-time care reside. We truly enjoyed spending a few days with them. They are sweet, thoughtful, loving and joyful children. Our biggest highlight in Chiwengo was probably the surprise party thrown for Emily's birthday. We were moved and amazed at the celebration they pulled off for one of our team members. They were thrilled to be celebrating "another year of life"...Something they consider a huge accomplishment and blessing. It was a true celebration, one that I was definitely touched by.
The teaching at the school was another highlight. God for sure moved in that situation as we were able to (I think) effectively teach them about sexual purity and goal setting. You should be sure to ask any team member about the things we did. Although we were discouraged and heart-broken at some of the myths and craziness that they believed, we were so honored for the opportunity to tell them the truth.
Today was our last full day in Malawi - we spent it at the shores of Lake Malawi. It was a beautiful, fun and relaxing way to end the trip.
As a team we each took a turn tonight discussing our experience so far and a brief overview of what God is doing in our lives. I can say confidently that God is moving in this team of people - what a privilege it is to see Him at work in the lives of my friends...my Malawi family :)
I'm not able to summarize that part of it - how God has moved in each one of us. I hope you take the time to ask someone on the team about it.
Thanks for your prayers. We have felt protected, provided for and encouraged.
Kristen
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