July 20-21, 2016

Hello Friends!

Well, we have made is safely to Malawi! 

When we boarded the plane in DC (bound for Ghana), nearly everyone was ready to sleep after the long flight delay.  I did not even introduce myself to my seat partner, as I selfishly didn’t want to sacrifice sleep for conversation.  HOWEVER, after a REALLY good 5 hour rest, we awoke to the flight attendants serving breakfast, and my seat buddy and I had an amazing conversation…funny thing is, as I traveled farther and farther away from home, my world got smaller and smaller through our conversation – Kwame (my seat buddy) is originally from Ghana and currently works with a company providing solar energy (really cool pilot project he’s currently involved in) - he now lives in Minneapolis (we took the same flights from Mpls, to DC and then to Ghana).  To top it off, he and his siblings all went to Luther College (Go Norse!) and we all graduated around the same time.  Oh yeah, and he’s married to a Luther grad too! 

Kwame’s kindness, his memories of Luther, his passion for clean and alternative energy, as well as his curiosity and quesions about my family, my call to ministry, the ELCA, & challenging issues in the church made the next few hours breeze by.  I was grateful for him and the distraction he offered after so, so many hours in the plane.  Thanks, Kwame – I hope to meet again sometime!

After half of the plane disembarked in Ghana, and new passengers boarded, we headed the rest of the way to Johannesburg (another 5 hours).  The flight was fairly uneventful....

Once we landed in Johannesburg (around 10:00 p.m…..I think……) we took a cab to the hotel where we could shower and get a full night’s rest.  We enjoyed a unique and delicious breakfast in the hotel the next morning and traveled back to the airport for the final leg of our trip.  The airport in Johannesburg felt more like a mall than an airport – although there were some unique places to shop.  I think all three of us were happy the plane boarded and took off on time.  We were getting anxious to be upright for a while!

Landing in Lilongwe, we obtained a visa for Malawi, went through customs, and were greeted by Mphatso!  It was fun to see the joy on his and John and Kathy’s faces as they reunited.  He also welcomed me with open arms (literally!) and introduced us to Derrick, our driver.  We loaded our bags into the back of the truck (which proudly display a Luther rose on the door) and headed to Mutheto Lodge to drop off our bags.  (Side note: It may take me some time to get used to driving on the left side of the road!) Our rooms are beautiful, the food is delicious, and the hospitality of the Malawians is amazing.  But I’m also having a difficult time receiving so much generosity knowing the conditions that surround us which have been caused by the famine here. 

There is so much I want to ask – but for now I will listen….and pray that the Spirit will guide questions when the time is right. 

Tomorrow we are off for a fun adventure to Kasungu National Park to hopefully see some wildlife. 

Until tomorrow.....