Malawi, the Warm Heart of Africa.

[...]I grew up in this small place in Africa,

we did many of the same things children do all over the world,

only with slightly different materials.

And talking with friends I've met from America and Europe,

I now know this is true.

Children everywhere have similar ways of entertaining themselves. If you look at it this way, the world isn't so big.

William Kamkwamba, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Malawi, the Warm Heart of Africa.

If you told me a year ago that I would go to Africa this December, I probably would have been excited. If you told me a year ago that I would go to Malawi, I probably would not have known where it was located on a map. It's funny how something you were ignorant of previously can suddenly become your passion and your focus.

When I found out this July that I was going to Malawi in December on a service project with my physical therapy professor, I instantly tried to get to know the place where I was going. I read books (The Boys Who Harnessed the Wind was one), researched, and googled. I wanted to learn more about the people and the culture that I was/am going to encounter. 

So here are the facts:

Capitol: Lilongwe

 Population: 16+ million (1/3 of the population is 
< 14 y.o.)

Life Expectancy: 52 y.o.

Language: English (official), Chichewa

Avg. Income: US $120

Sights: Lake Malawi (3rd largest fresh water lake 
in Africa; 1/5 of the country)

Religion: 73% Christian

Highest ratio doctor:patient: 1:88,321

Most Prevalent Diseases:

HIV/AIDS: 25%

Lower respiratory infections: 12%

Diarrheal diseases: 8%

Malaria: 8%

Cerebrovascular disease: 4%

Ischemic heart disease: 4%

Conditions arising during prenatal period: 3%

Tuberculosis: 3%

Road traffic accidents: 2%

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: 1%

Though the facts are interesting to know and they provided a skeleton of Malawi, it wasn't until I finished the book, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, that I truly felt like I knew these amazing people. This book provided flesh to my bones of facts. It helped me feel the poverty, experience the hunger. Yet, it also made me fall in love with the people of Malawi. I understood their joy, I saw their creativity, I appreciated their courage.

Our application essay for the service project was to answer the prompt, "I need Africa, more than Africa needs me." After learning more about the people and the culture of Malawi, I find this to be true. These are a people abounding with joy, curiosity and perseverance. As I prepare my heart for Malawi, I know that the people I meet will change me more than I will change them. I anticipate the change. I welcome it.

Yet, if I am to leave behind one gift to these people, I wish to give them the gift of knowing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord has given me this phrase to fuel my time of preparation: Jesus wants to be the sustenance for the malnourished and the treasure of the impoverished. This is my prayer for the people of Malawi. This is my prayer for my trip. Unbeknownst to my professor this service project is a missions trip, disguised by physical therapy for the glory of Jesus Christ. I love Jesus' sense of humor. I feel like a secret agent for the gospel.

So, Malawi, the Warm Heart of Africa, I'm excited to meet you, finally. I look forward to what you have to teach me. I anticipate that I will never be the same because I knew you. Let me introduce you to my best friend, Jesus.

Africans bend what little they have to their will every day.

Using creativity, they overcome Africa's challenges.

Where the world sees trash, Africa recycles.

Where the world sees junk, Africa sees rebirth.

Erik Hersman