Aymie here...
Our first official day of ministry was fantastic! We spent the morning visiting with our friends who are part of the Wings of Hope Club at HHI, a Christian high school in Blantyre. We played games with each other, sang songs (admittedly, they were beyond good; we were...we were okay), and shared our lives with each other. We'll have an opportunity to spend more time with them on Wednesday, but it was fun to meet the new members of the club and to reconnect with our friends that we met last year! The school was on holiday on Monday, so every student walked in to see us. They truly honored us with their presence.
After our fun time at HHI, we boarded the bus to head out to Malawi Children's Mission. Lunch on the bus is always an adventure; sandwiches flying through the air, Papa Rick and I making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the picky eaters...it's a blast!
When we pulled in to MCM they had created a welcome committee for us; children were lined up, holding signs that spelled out, "We, MCM, welcome you, King's Academy." Such a heart-warming sight! So was the sight of so many of our young friends and how they've changed over the past year. Clement has grown and filled out, Beauty is still full of smiles and hugs, and Gift made sure that we knew he remembered us. It was an incredible time of reconnection (for those of us who have come before) and introduction (for the newbies). It didn't seem to matter if members of our team were new or old, the children at MCM were excited about these "azungus" and determined to make friends and have fun. Our students rose to the occasion, and I witnessed many grabbing groups of kids and playing silly hand-clap games, taking pictures, or just giving piggy-back rides or hugs. I love the way our team fearlessly jumped in to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the children's lives; many of these kids do not receive hugs or affection, but they are receiving it in abundance this week!
We were greeted in a formal way by many members of the surrounding villages, who made sure we knew how grateful they were to us and MCM for the work being done for the children. The children also put on a performance of traditional dancing for us, which was amazing! I only wish I could dance like that! We did crafts together, struggled through pronouncing their Chichewa names, got a lot of laughs because of said pronunciations, and spent a good time just connecting in whatever way we could. We can't wait to go back later today.
Our first official day of ministry was fantastic! We spent the morning visiting with our friends who are part of the Wings of Hope Club at HHI, a Christian high school in Blantyre. We played games with each other, sang songs (admittedly, they were beyond good; we were...we were okay), and shared our lives with each other. We'll have an opportunity to spend more time with them on Wednesday, but it was fun to meet the new members of the club and to reconnect with our friends that we met last year! The school was on holiday on Monday, so every student walked in to see us. They truly honored us with their presence.
After our fun time at HHI, we boarded the bus to head out to Malawi Children's Mission. Lunch on the bus is always an adventure; sandwiches flying through the air, Papa Rick and I making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the picky eaters...it's a blast!
When we pulled in to MCM they had created a welcome committee for us; children were lined up, holding signs that spelled out, "We, MCM, welcome you, King's Academy." Such a heart-warming sight! So was the sight of so many of our young friends and how they've changed over the past year. Clement has grown and filled out, Beauty is still full of smiles and hugs, and Gift made sure that we knew he remembered us. It was an incredible time of reconnection (for those of us who have come before) and introduction (for the newbies). It didn't seem to matter if members of our team were new or old, the children at MCM were excited about these "azungus" and determined to make friends and have fun. Our students rose to the occasion, and I witnessed many grabbing groups of kids and playing silly hand-clap games, taking pictures, or just giving piggy-back rides or hugs. I love the way our team fearlessly jumped in to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the children's lives; many of these kids do not receive hugs or affection, but they are receiving it in abundance this week!
We were greeted in a formal way by many members of the surrounding villages, who made sure we knew how grateful they were to us and MCM for the work being done for the children. The children also put on a performance of traditional dancing for us, which was amazing! I only wish I could dance like that! We did crafts together, struggled through pronouncing their Chichewa names, got a lot of laughs because of said pronunciations, and spent a good time just connecting in whatever way we could. We can't wait to go back later today.
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Love the pictures, especially the one of them all lined up with their little signs! Adorable!!
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