Mission Trip 2006
"God's Joyful Surprise"
by Joyce Heath
| It was three or four days before we were scheduled to return to
the states when I finished the book I had been reading; I decided to start the other book
I had brought along. I reached into the front pocket of my suitcase and pulled out a book
entitled "God's Joyful Surprise." It was not the book I was expecting. In fact,
I didn't remember buying or ordering a book by that title. I sat and stared at it a few
minutes, wondering where it had come from. After some thought, I decided that the title
was a beautiful description of my previous three weeks. My trip to Malawi was filled with
wonderful, joyous surprises! As our plane landed in Lilongwe, I was
again filled with a sense of joy and excitement; I was again welcomed by our fellow team
members already in Malawi; and once more I was greeted by the sight of the gorgeous
Jackaranda trees in full bloom - their beauty always a joyful surprise. On the 3 ½ hour
drive to Embangweni, my heart was warmed by familiar sites and memories of my previous 5
trips. The first morning after we arrived, I was delighted to see 6 of the 7 hospital
chapel choir members who had spent a week with my husband and me in the US in 1999. It is
always a wonderful surprise to hear how beautifully they praise God with such joyful
music. That same day, as I was walking back to the guesthouse, I met an friend that I did
not expect to see; we have corresponded for the past 9 years but he and his family live
many kilometers north. For the first time in the past three years, we had time to sit down
and really visit. I was delighted to get the opportunity to see and visit with so many old
friends, many I have missed on previous trips. I was also blessed with the opportunity to
make special new friendships. |
Joyce doing first aid training
|
I went to Malawi prepared to do the usual teacher workshops on first aid; fire,
electrical and other general safety; HIV/AIDS prevention and a presentation for the
women's guild about menopause. This year, however, I had requests for presentations and
workshops on several topics I had never done before, even a couple of topics for which I
had no expertise or resource materials. By the time I left, I had taught 25 workshops,
presentations or classes on fifteen different topics - nutrition, hygiene, water safety,
women's reproduction, women's heath, natural family planning, birth control methods,
customer service, team building, arts and crafts as well as the topics I had been prepared
to teach. I felt like I had been in a "whirlwind"; but I was joyfully surprised
that people were finally asking for information that was important to them. Despite the
intense afternoon heat, they did not want to leave at the time our sessions were scheduled
to end.
I had received some funds from members of my church to be used for a special project while
I was in Malawi; I was very surprised when the headmaster of the school for hearing
impaired children told me the estimate for the purchase of 100 new bed nets for the 140
children; bed nets protect children and adults from malaria mosquitoes. The estimate was
very close to the amount of funds I had available, so we bought them.
Each day brought new and wonderful surprises - the scenery as we drove through the
mountains to Mzuzu, the vibrant sunsets, the beautiful bright red blossoms of the
flamboyant trees that bloom just before the rains come, the awe of seeing African animals
in their own habitat at the game park in Zambia. As seems to be true on each trip, one if
the most special surprises is to hear the total number of wells that have been installed
in the previous 6 to 7 weeks. This year we had 952 photos of new shallow-wells that had
been installed. God is truly generous with our "joyful surprises."
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