Saturday, July 28, 2007
Malawi Pictures...
I don't have much time but I did want to post a couple pictures. The first is just me with some of the village children while the boys were playing futbol. The second is me with two Malawian Interns from the African Bible College here in Malawi. The boy on my left is Yamigani and the boy to my right is Ebenezer who I have become really close to and love to have conversations with. We were in the Blacksmith shop over in Chitipi Village and they were teaching me how to be a blacksmith. I do not get to see them often which makes me very sad. They are the most polite, well mannered young men I have ever met in my life. The third picture is one of the beautiful Lake Malawi. I loved it so much. Zikomo for all your prayers (Thank you). They mean the world to me and I am so excited to share all that has happened here in Malawi. I love you all and will hopefully post again this time next week.
Chikondi (Love),
Kara Chimwemwe (Joy)
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
1 Month in Malawi...
Musuala Bunji??? Dasuala Bueno! So I am so happy to be able to use the internet yet again to communicate to you all the exciting time that I am having here. I am already getting teary eyed thinking about leaving this place. It is so wonderful here. I am in Lilongwe today (the capital). I can’t even tell you all the things that God is doing in and through my team. We had a camp with the surrounding villages last week (which went really well) and for the weekend we went to Lake Malawi. We just came back yesterday from Lake Malawi on a Mid- Retreat. It was so wonderful. What a gorgeous place. I was so happy to receive my camera (Yes Mom and Dad I got it! Thank you so much.) the day before I left on the trip. It was breath taking there.
We had three full days of relaxation and fun, Friday through Saturday. It was full of snorkeling, playing volleyball, hanging out at the beach, meeting others that literally live on this lake (it looks like a beach, its huge!), and also horseback riding! I went horseback riding along with four others. I have never done that before and it was AWESOME! Think of that picture of Africa we all have in our heads (just so you know it doesn’t all look like this), the big fields with giant trees scattered through a beautiful land. That is how the horseback riding was. (Mom and Kristi, I wanted you to be there so bad!)
Also along with that we were able to focus our attention on what the Lord has been doing in us individually and as a team. I will tell you God has been stirring in me like never before. I can honestly say like never before because I don’t think I have ever felt a deeper hunger for him in all my life. It was so cool because I kept feeling the Holy Spirit tell me that the sky would be my home and I was outside having some quiet time one late night as the sun was setting and a girl came to me as I was looking at the sky and said “Kumamba” and she was pointing to the sky. I asked her “In English the sky?” and she said “No in English it means Where God Lives”. I later talked to a woman about it and she said that that is what they call the sky sometimes. It is little things like that that God has given me. Little pieces of him to cling onto.
My Mom gave me the chapter Psalms 63 I believe and she doesn’t know this yet but that lately has been the cry of my heart. It talks about longing for God in a barren land. I don’t think I have ever before felt such a burden for others. They call Malawi the warm heart of Africa for a reason, they are so sweet but there is so much pain underneath those smiles and warm hearts. I have really been struggling with not knowing how to give the gift of God to these people and showing them how it means more than money or things or going to America which they see as Paradise. So at Lake Malawi I walked along the beach for about an hour meeting new people here and there and these 2 boys were like “ Sister come here” (They all call you sister, the other day a man said “Sister I need to marry you!”…lol) I was hesitant because they looked older than they were. They ended up walking with me and some other children and I got into an amazing conversation with them. They asked me like many do, to send them to America with me. Mark wanted to be a Lawyer, and Luke a Pilot. They were explaining to me that there families were poor and that they wanted to experience this wonderful place called America. I said but boys you look so happy, you have a family, and this beautiful lake (which serves a great need to these people). Mark said “We might look happy on the outside but on the inside we are hurt because of this poverty”. And I asked “What do you know about America then?” Luke said “We hear on the radio and see on television in some places that America is so rich and is so happy” and I said “Oh, but guess what we might look happy on the outside but that doesn’t mean we are happy on the inside”. Mark laughed saying “Oh sister you used my words!” I then went on to explain that Americans buy so many things to make them happy but it never does and that God is the only one who will bring true joy to your heart. I said I would pray for them that they would work hard and that God would bless them for doing so, this made them so excited! I said to them “Do you believe in God?”, “Yes”, “Do you believe in Jesus?” This was my favorite part, Luke said “Oh yes we are covered in the blood, are you?” And I went on to tell them what God has been to me and I told them the power of prayer (which is the biggest thing God has been teaching me on this trip). It was so wonderful. They were so happy to talk about it and thought it was so cool. Even though they were still jealous that Americans have “snacks”..lol. Well this is just a small part of what God is doing in my life this summer.
All I know is whoever wants to hear how my summer went is going to have to talk with me for like 48 hours straight just to get a glimpse…lol. It is just so amazing here. One thing I ask that you pray for me about is the fact that God is calling me right now to a deeper place, a deeper hunger, a deeper burden for his people, and deeper understanding of his will. I just spoke with my Intern leader last night for a long time about all of this. (She has been like a sister might I add, the people here are amazing on my team) And she prayed over me and even though it scares me to what God is calling me to I know that is all I want, to be in the will of my savior. So please pray for that. Also please pray for Malawi. At the lake the manager had some dancers come to perform for the guests and it ended up being this certain tribe we had been warned about. It was very scary for all of us, not in an actually frightening way but in a spiritual sense. We didn’t know what tribe it was but you could just sense the presence of evil and there is a lot of that that goes on here. It is actually a type of witchcraft. It was one of the first intense encounters I had with that. These people believe that if they put these costumes on they become the spirit of those animals so no matter what they do they are not accountable for their actions. It was really freaky but the leadership did a good job taking care of us. Don’t worry Mom I am fine. It was actually really good for me to experience something like that, to understand the intensity. But please pray, it was just so real and opened my eyes to a whole new world.
Well I have to go but I love you all and I wish I could email you all but I am out of time. No broadband in Africa. Alright Mom by the way you can call now we just didn’t get connection at Lake Malawi. Alright well I love you all and thank you for the letters and prayers! You are in my heart.
P.S. I will post a picture soon! Keep checking, maybe like one week from now. :)
We had three full days of relaxation and fun, Friday through Saturday. It was full of snorkeling, playing volleyball, hanging out at the beach, meeting others that literally live on this lake (it looks like a beach, its huge!), and also horseback riding! I went horseback riding along with four others. I have never done that before and it was AWESOME! Think of that picture of Africa we all have in our heads (just so you know it doesn’t all look like this), the big fields with giant trees scattered through a beautiful land. That is how the horseback riding was. (Mom and Kristi, I wanted you to be there so bad!)
Also along with that we were able to focus our attention on what the Lord has been doing in us individually and as a team. I will tell you God has been stirring in me like never before. I can honestly say like never before because I don’t think I have ever felt a deeper hunger for him in all my life. It was so cool because I kept feeling the Holy Spirit tell me that the sky would be my home and I was outside having some quiet time one late night as the sun was setting and a girl came to me as I was looking at the sky and said “Kumamba” and she was pointing to the sky. I asked her “In English the sky?” and she said “No in English it means Where God Lives”. I later talked to a woman about it and she said that that is what they call the sky sometimes. It is little things like that that God has given me. Little pieces of him to cling onto.
My Mom gave me the chapter Psalms 63 I believe and she doesn’t know this yet but that lately has been the cry of my heart. It talks about longing for God in a barren land. I don’t think I have ever before felt such a burden for others. They call Malawi the warm heart of Africa for a reason, they are so sweet but there is so much pain underneath those smiles and warm hearts. I have really been struggling with not knowing how to give the gift of God to these people and showing them how it means more than money or things or going to America which they see as Paradise. So at Lake Malawi I walked along the beach for about an hour meeting new people here and there and these 2 boys were like “ Sister come here” (They all call you sister, the other day a man said “Sister I need to marry you!”…lol) I was hesitant because they looked older than they were. They ended up walking with me and some other children and I got into an amazing conversation with them. They asked me like many do, to send them to America with me. Mark wanted to be a Lawyer, and Luke a Pilot. They were explaining to me that there families were poor and that they wanted to experience this wonderful place called America. I said but boys you look so happy, you have a family, and this beautiful lake (which serves a great need to these people). Mark said “We might look happy on the outside but on the inside we are hurt because of this poverty”. And I asked “What do you know about America then?” Luke said “We hear on the radio and see on television in some places that America is so rich and is so happy” and I said “Oh, but guess what we might look happy on the outside but that doesn’t mean we are happy on the inside”. Mark laughed saying “Oh sister you used my words!” I then went on to explain that Americans buy so many things to make them happy but it never does and that God is the only one who will bring true joy to your heart. I said I would pray for them that they would work hard and that God would bless them for doing so, this made them so excited! I said to them “Do you believe in God?”, “Yes”, “Do you believe in Jesus?” This was my favorite part, Luke said “Oh yes we are covered in the blood, are you?” And I went on to tell them what God has been to me and I told them the power of prayer (which is the biggest thing God has been teaching me on this trip). It was so wonderful. They were so happy to talk about it and thought it was so cool. Even though they were still jealous that Americans have “snacks”..lol. Well this is just a small part of what God is doing in my life this summer.
All I know is whoever wants to hear how my summer went is going to have to talk with me for like 48 hours straight just to get a glimpse…lol. It is just so amazing here. One thing I ask that you pray for me about is the fact that God is calling me right now to a deeper place, a deeper hunger, a deeper burden for his people, and deeper understanding of his will. I just spoke with my Intern leader last night for a long time about all of this. (She has been like a sister might I add, the people here are amazing on my team) And she prayed over me and even though it scares me to what God is calling me to I know that is all I want, to be in the will of my savior. So please pray for that. Also please pray for Malawi. At the lake the manager had some dancers come to perform for the guests and it ended up being this certain tribe we had been warned about. It was very scary for all of us, not in an actually frightening way but in a spiritual sense. We didn’t know what tribe it was but you could just sense the presence of evil and there is a lot of that that goes on here. It is actually a type of witchcraft. It was one of the first intense encounters I had with that. These people believe that if they put these costumes on they become the spirit of those animals so no matter what they do they are not accountable for their actions. It was really freaky but the leadership did a good job taking care of us. Don’t worry Mom I am fine. It was actually really good for me to experience something like that, to understand the intensity. But please pray, it was just so real and opened my eyes to a whole new world.
Well I have to go but I love you all and I wish I could email you all but I am out of time. No broadband in Africa. Alright Mom by the way you can call now we just didn’t get connection at Lake Malawi. Alright well I love you all and thank you for the letters and prayers! You are in my heart.
P.S. I will post a picture soon! Keep checking, maybe like one week from now. :)
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