Church on the Rock

Photo Cred: Joshua V.

This past week Sarah, Josh and I traveled to the feeding center that is found on top of a giant rock. It is quite the sight. Even as the rains made an appearance, the children were calling 'Azungu' and running down to greet us. It never ceases to amaze me how happy they are to see us every time. There weren't many children at first when we arrived. The ones that were sitting were giving us the quizzical look that were asking 'who are you and what are you here for?' I don't blame them. We are three Azungus who don't speak much Chichewa and who are clearly happy to be there even still. We decided to break out our cameras to break the silence and take some pictures of them while we were waiting for the children to arrive for the program. 

Here are some pictures of this attempt to get them to smile:

Photo Cred: Joshua V.

Photo Cred: Chantal M.

Inside the church I saw that the widows were arriving. Some of them looked like they had already had an exhausting day in the hot sun. I was hoping that they would be fed not just with food but also with more of God's word. They all needed something to hold onto. We greeted each of them and saw their smiles make an appearance as we showed them honor. The cooks were also busy getting the food prepared. I greeted each of them as they saw me and made contact. Truth is it is hard to imagine how hard they work just to be able to help others get fed. They always eat last. It reminds me of the truth that in the kingdom the last will be first. These women remind me how important it is to serve and put others before yourself. They always look so happy to serve. It is a beautiful sight. Here are a few of the ladies at the program who help out:

Photo Cred: Chantal M.

As the children shuffled in and Sarah began to introduce us I started to see that some of these children were also carrying younger ones with them. An older sibling has much more responsibility here in Malawi than in Canada. These older children not only watch the younger ones but carry them everywhere, share their food and make sure their younger ones are behaving. They are a second mother and father. These older siblings are weighted with a responsibility that most Canadian children don't have even as they grow up. I am always humbled when I see an infant carried on the backs of a sister as she still participates in the program, in the games, and as she eats. Here is a great picture that shows what I mean:

Photo Cred: Joshua V.

God has been working in the hearts of these young children. They constantly memorize scripture and are being taught from the bible by their teachers (who are volunteers). It is amazing to see so many children excited to learn more about Jesus and the bible. We gave them all candy at one point after a skittles object lesson. Seeing them each cherish their gift was a blessing for us. One piece of fruity gum made each of them smile from ear to ear. The widows, cooks, and volunteers were all smiling. Everyone at the center left fed and satisfied. Each person was grateful for our visit. So much gratitude.

Outside as we were getting ready to leave I saw some children who clearly wanted to say "Bo (Hi) "to us now that they weren't as shy. I decided to take a picture with one of them. As soon as the other widows and children saw the camera they all wanted to join in. I went from one child to a multitude of people surrounding me. It was wonderful. Here is a picture of all of them excited to pose:

Photo Cred: Joshua V.

Josh also experienced the feeling of being part of the multitude ;)

Photo Cred: Chantal M.

Afterwards, I wanted to play with them. So I decided to initiate a game of tag. I acted as if I couldn't run far and then tickled children. Each child saw this and began to laugh and they understood. After a few minutes I had caught a few of them and some of them even hid. It was so cute. Pictures are shown here:

Photo Cred: Joshua V.

Photo Cred: Joshua V.

This church on a mountain is clearly full of Christ. It is not going anywhere. The people are faithful, and hungry for more of Christ. I am so glad we had the opportunity to meet with them. It was a wonderful day and I left full of gratitude and love. The scenery is a huge bonus ;)