Country/Dates- Lilongwe, Malawi. November 9th- December 7th  

Ministry site/Host accommodations- Youth for Christ Malawi. Stayed at Trans World Radio station in their guest house at the back of their property. It was the perfect little house with two bedrooms, our own little kitchen with a two burner stove top, a shower, and a little front porch with two chairs perfect for morning coffee.  

Weather- glorious compared to Zambia! Chilly mornings and rainy days 2 or 3 times a week. 

Wifi- we had wifi provided at our house that worked really in certain places of the house. 

Food- we prepared our own meals. We had a lot of trash (also referred to succotash), oats, no bake cookies, potatoes, rice and beans, apples, bananas, popcorn, onions, granola, eggs, bread, coffee and we even treated ourselves to feta cheese one meal. We had a boujee dinner with Amy and another as just a team. 

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Hosts- Faith & Tammie, Edward and Nellie

Staff- Innocent, Oliver, Smiles, Bucket Hat, Usher, Cecilia. Friday and Austin (our taxi drivers) 

Words/Phrases- Hallelujah Hosanna, T.I.A. (This is Africa) 

Ministry- the first week we taught lessons on worship, evangelism, Bible study, and thanksgiving. On Saturdays we did sports ministry. On Wednesdays we attended the midweek service at Faith and Tammy’s. We did a kids program at one school. We washed clothes for an elderly lady from the church and visited and prayed for another gogo (grandma). We visited three different churches the three Sundays we were here. We usually only had about 3-4 hours of ministry a day. 

Exercise- this was probably my most consistent workout month so far. Tiff and I started the month doing our “natural resource circuit workouts” at the back of our house. When Amy joined us, we did BBG workouts with her with a mile run before. Cinder blocks and seat cushions came in clutch. 

Holy Spirit- at all three of the churches we attended, we witnessed a lot of the moving of the Holy Spirit and manifestations of demonic spirits. 

The Word- Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, finished Acts and I Corinthians, and continued reading in Psalms.  

Team Overflow- bitter sweet last month together. We had some great morning devotions together. Good laughs in the many taxi rides we had. Became pros at changing ministry plans last minute and adapting to difficult situations. 

Health- had a few days where my stomach was off but nothing serious. The last few days I was pretty tired and had to sneak in some naps before ministry. Got some pretty serious mosquito bites on my legs but thankfully they don’t itch much. They just look like someone took a red sharpie and polka dotted my legs. 

Defining moment- the unexpected kids program we had at the school and then I got to talk with some of the kids afterwards.  

Answered prayers- always thankful for health and protection. Thankful for a ministry site I could work out in and the unexpected blessing of a space for my quiet time in the morning. Thankful for a great last month with my team! Great way to end my time in Africa. 

Not what I expected- it was a pretty slow ministry month and also the first month we experienced the slower pace of African culture. For example, when we were told the taxi would be here at 2:30 to get us, sometimes it wouldn’t be until actually 3:45 when the taxi showed up. 

How I feel going in to month 5- nervous. I’ve really gotten comfortable with the African culture and I’m going to miss it more than I thought I would. But I am excited to go back to Asia. The last time I was there was my sophomore year of high school on a mission trip.   

Areas I want to grow in next month- expressing my emotions in a healthy way. I am a “stuff your emotions in the trunk” kinda girl and I’ve realized that’s not always the best solution.  

Personal realizations- I’ve REALLY enjoyed my early mornings all to myself. Time to clean the house, make coffee, listen to music outside in the cool of the morning, workout, do my quiet time, and journal. It’s been glorious and I’m really going to miss it. 

How I’ve changed/grown- this month I’ve been able to focus more on getting to know myself, which sounds silly but I’ve discovered things about myself I didn’t really know. I’ve seen myself grow in humility and sacrificial service to my team. 

Prayer requests for Vietnam- this month is going to be like starting the World Race over again. I will have a new team and it’s a new continent with a completely different culture. Pray for health as I adapt to the new food and weather. Pray for my new team and I as we begin this next adventure together. Pray for unity, love, grace, and understanding.