Journey Excerpts

I left for Malawi on Monday, and arrived on Wednesday. Since I couldn’t update during my journey until now, I thought I’d just share some small excerpts from my travel journal.

May 12 – 11:00 pm EST

Here I am at Gate C33 at Pearson, not by myself, but with the Holy Spirit. I don’t know which it is – a divine dose of peace or denial, but I am calm and ready to go. Vicki’s whole family came to help me unload my bags. I just felt so grateful. All I could keep saying was thank you...

May 13 – 6:20 pm GMT (Heathrow Airport)

I dozed for most of the afternoon, and finally got a spot on the funky red leather couch. It was quite comfortable. I’m lucky I woke up. Feeling some butterflies now. The long gruelling 11 hours are ahead. I feel not too tired though.

May 14 – 6:25 am GMT+2

We’re 28 minutes from landing in Johannesburg, South Africa. The sun is rising on the left side of the plane. Here on the right side is a sky like a hazy rainbow. I can’t see the ground very well right now, but it seems to mostly be flat...It is midnight in Ontario, and 1 am in Nova Scotia. I don’t expect Mom or Dad to be awake right now. I can hardly believe I am! So...yeah, here I am in Africa (!). The strange thing is, even as I sit here and gaze out at the South African countryside, it still hasn’t really sunt in. Only 7 more hours until I touch down in Blantyre (which we already passed by nearly 2 hours ago heading over Zambia). Ah, the descent...

May 14 – 9 pm GMT+2 (Eggert house, Zomba, Malawi)

Only one word can fully capture today – SURREAL. I watched the sunrise in South Africa. I met a Christian missionary from Seattle. I made friends with the Malawi head of South African Airways. I took illegal pictures at Johannesburg and Chileka airports (unknowingly of course!). I met the moving, living, breathing versions of the Jones and the Eggerts. I walked barefoot on the rusty red Malawian soil. I washed dishes with a semi-solit pink detergent called Axion. I was greeted in Chichewa by Bambo (Mr.) John, a real Chichewa speaker. I took a hot (!) shower and wondered what Mom would do if she saw what a Malawi bathroom looks like. And now I’m sitting under my mosquitoe net, listening to the local dogs barking. Today I did a reflective spotcheck on the fact that I had just traveled down the entire African continent by myelf. As I gazed in wonder at in wonder at the red, rugged terrain passing below, I was flooded with the reassurance that I am not in fact alone. God’s presence was just...there. No questions. Just silent peace and gratitude.