Sam Bennett of Orlando, Florida was part of a writing team to Malawi in November through COTN's Venture Program. She and her team of five spent two weeks working with our children and staff leading writing and journalism workshops and also interviewing our children, recording their stories.
I’m sitting on our front porch, watching my last African sunset. Ahhhh. I love you, Africa. We will see each other again, I think. This trip has been amazing. And encouraging, inspiring, heartbreaking, surprising, all that. I love the COTN staff/children and our writing team. I seriously haven’t laughed this hard in a while. Unfortunately, all this laughter has probably confirmed the stereotype of loud, obnoxious Americans. Sorry, America.
Feeling all nostalgic, I keep flipping through the children’s stories I have heard. A boy I interviewed yesterday lost both his parents to malaria when he was five. His two younger siblings were sold into slavery. His uncle saved him from a similar fate, but then forced him into manual labor. He escaped two years later and lived on the streets until COTN partnered with him. Now he’s a junior in high school and plays the drums in two bands. His whole face lit up when he started talking about his music and plans to record.
My heart breaks and leaps when I hear these stories. It’s such a roller coaster. I hold back the tears when they talk about their early days, and by the end, I’m bursting with pride. These children are so brave, so strong, so courageous. I wonder if they realize how much their stories reveal God’s thing for transformation. It’s impossible to talk to them and not feel hopeful.
I will miss these children like crazy. I will miss laughing with my girls and learning Chichewa [local tribal language]. I will miss the Malawians and their wide grins. I will miss drinking orange Fanta and all the grazing goats. Yup, I will miss you, Malawi. True statement when they call you the warm heart of Africa.
Interested in visiting Malawi for yourself? Read about COTN's Venture Programs to find out how.