We're back! And what a glorious experience it was. Challenging, exhausting, faith expanding, humbling and exhilarating are words that just begin to describe our adventure. After almost 22 hours of air travel (plus layovers) we arrived in Des Moines just before 2:00 PM Sunday with most of our luggage. As all of you discovered, updating the blog was quite a challenge. Most internet access sites closed by late afternoon and we rarely arrived at the hotels before evening or later. We visited churches in villages and worshiped with their members. We conducted bible studies, taught Sunday school and learned more about joyous singing and prayer than we could ever imagine. We hard a presentation from Daniel Mhone, Mission Superintendent of the Malawi UMC, about his dream for a training center for the future growth and success of the Malawi UMC. We worked on a home/church that was in dire need of repair and visited Mzuzu University to learn more about their education system so we can provide scholarships for those most in need. We helped pour a concrete floor in a church that previously had only a dirt floor. It was noted that the new floor would prevent the members from having to wash their close after each service. Malawi is a great contradiction to say the least. It is one of the poorest countries in the world. Most villages have no electricity or clean water. They have a very poor public transportation system and very few have cars. A bicycle is considered a luxury. Food production depends solely on the amount of rainfall during the rainy season. Having said all that, the people of the Malawi UMC ( and in general, the people of Malawi) are the most amazing, inspiring people you will ever meet. They are hard working, positive, worship with a fervor and joy which is very hard to comprehend. They pray with complete faith and and without hesitation. We will be sharing stories, pictures and videos over the coming months. We will also be offering opportunities for financial support of specific projects. The bottom line, however, is to really understand the country and people of Malawi you must go. I have been there twice now and I continue to be overwhelmed both with joy and sadness. You cannot visit Malawi and not be changed forever. We are so very blessed and we appreciate it so little. We focus on "stuff" and we worship, sing and pray afraid someone might hear us. We confuse heroes with celebrities and "fit in" church activities when we can. Are these exaggerations? Perhaps, but not by much. Can we change to be more like the people of Malawi? Certainly. The task before us is "simple, but hard". Know that your financial support is being spent wisely and as was requested by the Malawi UMC leaders. Your prayer cards were an inspiration to everyone, not just members of the Malawi UMC. Our thank you's will continue but words cannot express our gratitude for your financial support and continuous prayers. The trip was an experience that exceeded expectations by a factor of infinity. The team truly was a team in the largest sense of the word.
Peace to all,
Dennis White