Heart Of The Matter

My dear family and friends. It's 4 am on a Saturday here in Malawi, Africa. I arrived yesterday. My luggage did not.   When we arrived at the airport in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday we were told due to all the cold and snow out east our flight had been delayed. We had to totally rearrange our travel schedule.

 We ended up flying to Detroit, then London, then Amsterdam, then Nairobi, and finally Lilongwe. Ken and I left home around midday on Wednesday. After 6 airports and 5 flights we arrived here around midday on Friday.

It was my first visit to London. I was surprised at how big, how crowded, and how old the city is.

On international flights the airline is always feeding you. Flying into Holland we had this waffle for coffee time that was sweet and tasted like a scone. It was really good. Our spouses must have gotten their cooking skills from their Dutch roots.

We flew right over Benghazi and later Mt. Kilimanjaro.

We arrived in Lilongwe to find Harrison who was scheduled to pick us up as well as Jane and John. It took an hour to explain my luggage was missing. It not only had my clothes and supplies but also had all the neat little gifts Jan had packed for Moses and Maria and their children.

Ken decided to buy an inexpensive cell phone so Harrison took him to a local vendor. Phones and air time are unbelievably reasonable here in Africa. The cell phone companies know in order for people to use them they have to be priced accordingly. Most adults in Malawi have a cell phone even though they are not sure where their next meal might come from.

On Saturday afternoon Harrison and I went to the airport to see if their was any news on my luggage. They said it might be located and would arrive sometime soon. I hope it gets here before I leave. While returning to the city I asked Harrison if we could stop at a village. We drove through the rutted muddy road and found Moses and Maria. It was worth the trip just to see them again. When we were leaving Maria mentioned church started at 10 am on Sunday and they had not had a white person worship with them since we were there last year. I told her we were looking forward to worshipping with them again. Then she said the congregation was exited and I was to be the guest pastor. Oh my. I told her my messages were shorter than they were used to.

 So why did I come to Africa? As I'm finding out my plan is not always God's plan. We again traveled the long way around. Two nights without sleep. Arriving with just the clothes I'm wearing. Internet is so hit and miss it takes two days to write a blog visit. However I truely believe I was put on earth to help people and be an encouragement. It warms my heart when the kids holler "azunga" (white guy) when we drive in their village. This trip always reminds me how blessed I am. The people here show me what true contentment of the heart is. Stay tuned.