The Love Letter

Malawi wrote me a love letter before I left on Monday morning. She didn't say much, she didn't have to. I could read it in her eyes.

As we drove at 4:00 in the morning, this was the view out of the car window.

My response:

Malawi,

Thank you for letting me enter your sanctuary. The city of Nkope and its people are grafted to my soul. Its faces and souls are permanently placed on my heart.

The warm heart of Africa lacked the creature comforts I was used to, but it always left me satisfied.

I asked the driver to pull to the side of the road, so that I could enjoy the sight one last time.

I took a breath of unusually cool air. I use the word sanctuary, only because its the only way to describe my time in Nkope. I didn't exist in Nkope. It felt like my self disappeared, if that makes sense. Not in a physical sense. The people smiled, waved and made me literally feel like the king of Malawi, but I became aware of how much bigger the experience was, than me.

I will have plenty of stories to tell, if prompted, and the stories are just the top layer of the experience. I don't know that I will ever convey to anyone the significance of this trip and how I think it has changed everything!

Now, to you:

Thank you seems inadequate. There have been hundreds and hundreds of people supporting me during this time. I am not unaware that this entire trip happened because of you. From the money that you gave, the prayers that you whispered, the consistent encouragement you lavished on me and the concern and appreciation for the importance of this journey.

This trip literally went off without a hitch, which if you know me in the slightest, you know that alone is a Christmas miracle! I never got sick, which I cannot say about any other volunteer that I worked with. I was never seriously injured. I had every possible survival tool that I needed. I never had to worry about finances. I didn't miss any flights, there were no international incidents, despite the fact that on my final leg of the journey I snapped at a lady to sit down when she was holding up my progress of going home. She actually sat down and didn't attack me, which was also miraculous in nature, considering we were in New York!

So, thank you for any role you played in getting me there and back. You did it! You might be thinking "Do I fit in that category?"

Answer: You're taking time to read my final blog...congratulations, you're in:)

I love every one of you!Its amazing what can happen when you feel like people believe in you. You don't doubt yourself because there is an army of people saying that you can do it.

I will be doing some follow up with the people of Nkope, and I might be coming to you again for financial, moral and prayer support. There are a lot of great opportunities to empower the people with the tools they need to make the village even stronger. I want to be a part of that.

I will be posting some supplementary videos that I never got to share, due to internet connectivity, so be looking for those:)

So, goodbye for now, Nkope! Tionana posachedwa!


We shall see each other soon!