Welcome to Beautiful Malawi

After a 30  hour trip from our North Carolina home we were embraced and greeted warmly at the Lilongwe Airport by Pastor Williex Cholombo and Pastor Stephen Banda, "Welcome to beautiful Malawi!"  On the four hour road trip from Lilongwe airport to Zomba,eagerly Williex asked, "What do you think of Malawi?" I answered, "Beautiful people, beautiful land."
We arrived at our room at Ndindyea Motel here in Zomba, Malawi during a blackout in the city. These are becoming very common I learned.  We were issued candles for our room, so we unpacked by candlelight then took an exhilarating, brief, and cold shower. It may sound like a missionary's hardship, but we came to serve the people in the villages where people who had no water (hot or cold) and  can't afford candles.  So, although we were quite tired from the long trip, we lay on our pillows, praying, talking, planning, asking God for ways to bless the people, precious people who have no status in this world but who are very precious to Jesus.
This morning we traveled to the Zomba Mountains with Williex. All the way along the climbing road we were passing women and children coming down trails from further up the slopes. They were carrying on their heads massive loads of wood, bundles maybe 2 feet across with each trees being 3-7 inches in diameter.   Each load about 8 ft long. Some of the women had babies on their backs.  I asked Williex to stop so I could speak with one young woman who had lowered her load to rest a moment before continuing down the mountain.  I asked her how she would use the wood. She said she would sell it to get food for her family. She told me she left her home  at 4:00 AM without food or water and would not arrive back home until 2:00 PM.  She said after that she would go to collect water for her family.  Water is an hour away from home. She has two children. We passed 50 to 60 women and children along that road carrying the wood, working extremely hard just to survive.
My  heart was breaking for the women of Malawi. I had to fight to hold back tears as I spoke  to her and smiled. I reached into my backpack and gave her a granola bar. She smiled back. God, why are we here? Shall we we tell them Jesus loves them and not show them?  I believe I am feeling God's heart for the precious people of Malawi.
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