Heavy Heart – By Temwa Wright

July 8, 2018

It was another busy day for our team. We went to two separate church services in Mzuzu and then visited an orphanage where Muriel volunteered as a nurse for two months about seven years ago. The visit to the orphanage was very sad to me but not for the reason you might guess. It was actually a very nice orphanage on 74-acres. They had 10 cottages with 10 kids per cottage with a house mother in each. The kids learned in a very nice, clean, and well-resourced room. They even extended the school to roughly 100 other children from the community. The class size was about 1:18.

Despite seeing all that the institution had to offer, I couldn’t help but to have a heavy heart, a jealous heart really. I couldn’t help but to think about the 1,500 kids we serve in Zowe area, in the rural communities. They are crammed into dark, under-resourced spaces, many of them sitting on dirt and rubble. Their teachers have meager resources, their schools are falling apart, their uniforms are torn. It is so sad. And yet, here in Mzuzu, 45 miles away, there is this HUGE orphanage for 100 kids getting a private education. I know I shouldn’t be jealous. I know it’s good that they have this, but it really broke my heart to think about the thousands of kids who don’t have any options. I am looking forward to doing more for the children we serve in Zowe school.

Temwa from Malawi

Relationships First by Temwa Wright

Giving Dorika crayons for crisis nurseries

June 29, 2018

Time moves slower in Malawi. Everything takes longer, everyone seems less hurried; things are just slower. It’s really helping me develop my patience because I like to move fast. But here, you can only go as fast as the person you are working with. Though things move slower here, it is not all bad. I have noticed that people always make time for each other; relationships matter above all else. Today, we took some school supplies to Ministry of Hope another NGO based in Lilongwe. We had brought too many school supplies and it was making our car too heavy for the rough roads ahead. So we made an impromptu visit to Ministry of Hope, dropped off the extra bags and donated two suitcases of crayons for their crisis nursery for orphans. Although she was in the middle of a conference, the Director, Dorika, came out, greeted us, prayed for us, and spent nearly 30 minutes chatting with us, her unannounced, impromptu visitors. She was not a prisoner of time, like me. I can’t imagine someone visiting me unannounced during my work day (during a conference that I am running) and not being annoyed. It was a good reminder for me to put relationships first.

Pamoza for Christ

Temwa Wright

Unplugged by Temwa Wright

June 28, 2018

Yesterday and today seem to mesh together. We left the US yesterday and arrived in Malawi today. We have been traveling over 20 hours if you count the two-hour drive we made from Philly to NY. Overall, everything went smoothly and for that I am grateful. Unfortunately, we failed one of our first missions in Malawi, which was to get our phones set up. Only two of us were able to do that: Trudy and Sherard. The rest of us had SIM card issues, either our phones were locked (like mine) or did not allow other SIMS (like Verizon phones). So as a team, we agreed that we would have to live with being unplugged for a bit and just assure our family members at home that we will contact them if there is an emergency. Otherwise, they should be assured we are fine. It feels strange and unnerving not to have phone access. We are so dependent on our phones that they have become a clutch to us to some extent. Sometimes I fear they have replaced our dependence on God and on each other. That’s the world we live in today.

Pamoza for Christ

Temwa

Considerable Favor by Temwa Wright

Ready for a 15-hour flight?

June 27, 2018

It’s the first day of our mission trip and I feel great! we have had considerable favor during the flight process. In NY, Pam’s son, Phillip, helped us have a smooth check-in. He works for the airport and helped us navigate challenges. We brought an extra bag but faced no questions and no additional cahrges. Praise God!

I nearly left my carry-on at the airport. I had already boarded the flight when Ms. Muriel said, “is that all you brought?” referring to my backpack. That prompted me to remember that I had left my carry-on out in the lobby. I rushed off the plane and found it exactly where I had left it. Praise God!

Ms. Muriel needed a wheelchair to get to the gates and this gave us considerable favor too because we were able to bypass so many lines. Who would have thought a wheelchair would be an added travel advantage. (One woman even tried to pretend she was part of our team so she could bypass the long lines. It didn’t work. LOL).

So far, so good. Our team is getting along well. Now we just have to survive the 15-hour flight to South Africa and 2 hours to Malawi. It’s a long flight but we will survive.

Pamoza for Christ

Temwa

Swimming in School Supplies – by Temwa Wright

June 22, 2018

Yesterday, I spent hours packing school supplies for the communities we serve in Malawi. We have been storing the supplies for months, waiting for the perfect opportunity to take them with us because the airlines only allow a certain amount of luggage per person. This year, we have seven people traveling at the same time. Woo-hoo! Perfect opportunity to bring along these supplies. As I was swimming in school supplies, I was reminded of an observation my daughter made last year when we were in Malawi. At the time, she was teaching art lessons to some younger children and had brought several boxes of crayons with her. She had enough for each kid and expected the teachers to give one box for each student. Instead, each student was just given two crayons at a time and then had to give them back after class. My daughter was curious. “Why don’t you just give everyone a box?”, she asked the teacher. “These crayons are very special,” he responded. “We need to take care of them so they can last a long time.” That was the moment my daughter realized how much she took for granted in the U.S. It was just a box of crayons, after all. Right? Maybe to us, but to those students and teachers, it was a precious resource. Traveling to Malawi always reminds me to never take anything for granted.

Pamoza in Christ,

Temwa

God is in Control – By Temwa Wright

June 19, 2018

I can’t believe the mission trip is only 8 days away. There is still so much to do. Yesterday, I was extremely anxious. I woke up to the realization that I hadn’t ordered team shirts yet. How could I forget that?! Then I was scrambling, trying to figure out how to get it done by June 26th before we leave. But then I reflected on Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path.” It brought such peace and comfort to my spirit because the truth is God is in control. And you know what, it’s good that He is in control because my understanding is limited and if I rely on myself, I surely will go the wrong way. But if I trust in Him, I can rest assured he’s got EVERYTHING covered. Thank you God!

Pamoza in Christ

Temwa Wright

(2018 Mission Team Leader)