After a day of preparation and two days of medical clinic, we were ready for something completely different. Saturday began our time of teaching and singing, praying and training. The team was split into three different groups for the next couple of days. My group taught the Esther’s House widows; another group taught and played with the Esther’s House orphans and village children; the third group spoke and worked with the local pastors for the Pastor’s Conference.The Pastor’s Conference
was titled “Restore My Heart, Oh God”. Invitations were extended to 25 local pastors of multiple denominations to come together for a time of fellowship, confession, healing and restoration. Like everywhere else, there is much corruption in Malawi, and because sin has no bounds and makes no distinction between men, deceitful actions extend from the greatest to the least. The conference was a powerful time for God to work in the hearts of those present. It is my prayer that many seeds were planted that will take root and grow, resulting in fresh hearts and minds among the ministers, churches and congregations in Malawi.The two or
phans currently living at Esther’s House and the group of non-residential orphans that come each day for a meal gathered on Saturday morning for a time of singing, games and Bible story learning. I had some extra time and was able to film the children singing several songs, a few in Chichewa and a couple in English. One of our team translators was a school teacher, so I used her to help me write down the words to the songs I recorded. Over the next several weeks, I will teach those songs to our children involved in the FBCS pre-school and children’s choir programs. I look forward to filming our American children singing the Malawian songs and will send a DVD back to Esther’s House with the March team. I’m sure our attempts at their language and singing style will elicit more than one round of laughter at Esther’s House next spring!The widows walk from long distances to come to Esther’s Ho
use once a week for a meal. Once they all arrived on Saturday morning, we had a time of discipleship and singing. We spoke about our responsibility as Christians to tell others about Christ—God calls us all to go everywhere, always sharing about Christ through our actions because we cannot help but share the good news. We met again after lunch and shared a variety of stories, testimonies and songs. I had the privilege of sharing my “Africa testimony” with the women. I started with the story of Moses, and then explained how God used the passage about the burning bush to confirm my calling to come to Malawi in March. I never tire of telling my story, and I had a rapt audience as I tried to explain my feelings toward them and their land.
Getting the opportunity to tell my story, combined with the emotions and fatigue of the trip, left me emotionally spent afterwards. When I was hugged (more hugging!) and told I had done a good job, I broke down and cried. I’m sure any of the widows watching me thought I had completely lost my senses! But my greatest desire is to one day hear my God tell me that I have done a good job and that He is proud of me. There are many days that I don’t hear those words on this earth, but my very soul cries to hear them from Heaven. I feel like God breathes on me in Malawi. I can open up to people and share my passion. I feel like I can be who God has created me to be with abandon, without censure or embarrassment. I thank God for allowing me to experience Malawi. I get a tiny taste of the freedom that Heaven will be. 
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