August 16th 2015
UPI's Director of Special Projects, Margaret Wooten, is leading a vision trip to Malawi. She is taking a team of UPI supporters to visit our ministries, meet our executive directors, and witness the work we are doing in "The Warm Heart of Africa." Check back often for updates from the team!
We arrived safely and happily on Thursday midday. Transfer through Ethiopia was pleasantly uneventful, and we arrived on schedule in Lilongwe. Before entering customs, each of us was subjected to a temperature check to ensure there was no fever. Customs was easy enough to navigate once we realized the posted signs didn't align with where arriving passengers could go. Some of us went through lines for Malawian residents, others through lines that said special assistance. But the check through was simple: finger prints, photos, and a few questions about where we were staying, and off we went to baggage claim. Baggage claim made the customs line look very orderly, but we managed to retrieve our 20 bags. And then we were in our way to the Baptist Guest House!
With a shortened agenda masterfully reworked by our host executive director Peter Gamula and our mission leader Margaret Wooten, we wasted not one minute getting started on our in-country journey.
Day 1 in Malawi afforded us a brief but eye-opening tour of the city of Lilongwe. As we rode, Peter shared facts about the city, the people, and the culture. We were amazed and overwhelmed at the sights and sounds. The way of life here is so foreign to what we know and how we live. There were sobering sights, like the coffin vendors who lined one street of an open air market we traveled past. But there were signs of thriving people, too-- traveling by foot, by bicycle (often carrying tremendous loads on their backs and bikes), and by car. There were schools, stores, nurseries, and road side vendors of fruits, rubber strips, and mice (a delicacy some of us vow to try before we leave!). In little less than an hour, we had a picture of this capital city in the warm heart of Africa. Despite seemingly abject poverty, the country was starting to reel us in.
That evening, we dined out with friends from Youth Care, Christ Cares, and Rise Malawi! They shared with us dos and don'ts on our journey, and background about our itinerary. As we finished our meal, we headed back to the guest house, excited for our busy second day in Malawi. We are blessed to be here! --Kelly Donlon Hoy