Music needs no language

Hello again!
I'm sitting outside of the offices with Mpotso, our German Shephard guard dog. He's featured in one of our MTV cribs episodes. Um, this week was good. It's hard to summarize how I'm feeling and I think I finally understand how last year's interns felt. So my feelings are indescribable, but what's so beautiful about that is that God is in my unknown. The more I don't know, the more He knows and the more I'm trusting in Him to know for me. If that makes any sense. But I was struggling with that this week. It's not like God disappeared on me, it was more like he got quiet. I was so frustrated on Monday that I remember sitting in this little gazebo, and in my mind, just yelling. Where are you? I wasn't looking forward to our home visits later because I felt like I was going implode or something. But as we were walking to Mgwayi, I kept on praying that God would give me strength to stay intact. As we were approaching our house (The house of Mercy [named after our house mom]), I saw these two smiling little boys who I always played with, pushing past the people in front of me and just racing to see who grabbed my hand first. At that moment, I didn't think much about it because that was basically what I did every day, hold hands ("hand ministry" coined by Ben Meki). But that night, as I was reflecting on my day. That image popped into my mind. I kept on replaying it over and over in my head. Their smiling eyes, their crooked baby teeth, their snotty noses and sticky hands. In that split of a second, He revealed Himself to me in the face of little Chifuniro (his name means "God's will"). I wrote in my journal, "I'm just so overwhelemed by it right now. Those kids have absolutely nothing, (or what we consider as nothing) and yet there were still so overjoyed. I don't deserve this at all. Who am I for them to find such happiness and joy in? I'm nobody. Seeing us interns is truly the highlight of their day, maybe even their childhood. So instead of groaning when they ask for the millionth time 'one peekcha' (one picture). I'll take it. What is one more or one million more pictures to me? It's nothing. But it's everything to them. So why don't I give them my nothing so they can have their everything?" [these kids love seeing themselves in pictures, mostly because they don't have mirrors so they don't know what they look like. so consequently, when an azungu comes, they as for 'one peekcha' all the time, and a never ending cycle of 'one peekchas' begin] I was just so humbled at that moment and it is such an honor to be loved by these kids.

There's more, as I was taking pictures of these kids and replaying the picture back to them, I stumbled across this video I had taken of kids in Chitipi welcoming us to Malawi in song. I played the video and hoards of kids just piled on top of me (the kids were so close I think someone even drooled on me). Even though they didn't know the song, they were trying to sing along. I replayed it and more kids came running towards me. The pushing got so bad that Felix, our national intern, had to tell them to get off of me which was funny. After the video, I asked how many of them liked to sing. Immediately, all these hands shot up. That was when I thought we should sing. It was so fun, singing songs in Chichewa. But it wasn't just fun. It was uniting. No one was pushing each other, no one was fighting for the intern's hands, no one was yelling. Everyone came together in song and I'm glad I captured that on my video camera. I later replayed that video back to the kids and they were soo happy. They pointed and laughed at themselves, their friends, and at me. It was such a God filled moment.

Music is such a powerful thing, especially in Malawian culture. Everyone sings, everyone dances. I wanted to use music to bring people together and bring them to God. With that in mind, I prepared a message for my family on Thursday. We first did some chores. We grinded some corn into flour at a corn mill, and carried the buckets on our heads all the way back. Then we played, what I call the booty game. All the girls gather in circles, clapping, and singing, and would take turns dancing in the middle. I'm amazed at how well they can shake it. We were so loud that the whole neighborhood started joining in. When we had a whole crowd, Felix started singing a Chichewa worship song ("Tikutamandani" which means we praise you). It was so amazing to see these people, kids and adults, sing with such passion. It was then and there that I knew I was speaking their language. I told them later that because I can't speak Chichewa, my way of speaking to them, of sharing my love for them, of sharing God's love for them, is through song. I shared a couple Psalms and told them that singing is also my way of talking to God. I told them that we should sing loud so that everyone in the village can join us in chorus, and through that, may they come to God. So, I'm going to try to make this a regular thing. Singing. And I just pray that God's song will touch their hearts as it did mine.

So ofcourse their is so much to tell, but little time. So here's a condensed version of what went on this week:
-Flood interns went to George's wedding yesterday (He works at Flood Malawi) and we did a little number on the dance floor which was funny because people started cheering for us
-shared many lifestories yesterday
-watched "cool runnings" which was very inspiring and we're now going to start a Malawian bobsled team
-introduced kids to bubbles and how they are for playing with and not for eating
-Oh! Daddy Chris came this week (Chris Clark, founder of COTN), which was really awesome because he gave a really touching sermon about how when we focus on God and not the waves of life that can break you down, the world will start to fade away; we will be able to see things through His lenses.
-went to the welcoming party for Big Daddy Chris. There were "acrobats" which really scared me because they were climbing on the beams of the building and I thought the roof was going to collapse.
-had a nzimbe (sugar cane) eating contest (it wasn't really a contest, I was just wanted to see how fast I could finish one) which made my teeth feel like they were going to fall out (you had to strip the bark with your teeth, I'm surprised I didn't get any splinters in my tongue)

that's all for now folks. I'm hoping to upload some videos and pictures soon on facebook. Also, I just want to thank all of you for your comments, emails, and everything. It really is an encouragement to read!