Journey Africa: So grateful...

...to have gone there and back again.

To have lived with arms and heart wide open, and to have been blessed beyond my ability to adequately describe what that wonderful, sad, happy journey was like.

I want to thank so many people.

First, God for allowing me to experience Him in a new way in some of the hardest living conditions I know of, and for giving me the grace to walk this trip through.

To all of you who supported Amber and I financially, prayerfully, and with encouragement, thank you so much for helping me to receive some of the greatest blessings I've ever known.

Gail and John, thank you for your persevering, diligent leadership through that trek with 46 of us in tow!

To all the other Azungus ("white people" in Chechewa) who served with us, thanks for your new friendships, prayers, encouragement, and for working so hard together in Malawi! Thank you for your generosity to sponsor almost 50 kids!! I think we've short-circuted the http://www.cotni.org/ sponsor link for Msliza by adopting so many (just kidding, there are still so many kids left to be sponsored). I'm looking forward to the next time we all eat some sima and rice with just our hands.

Brian Owen, thank you so so much for all your hard work on my pc (which crashed while in Malawi) and for the work you're doing on getting the images up for everyone to use!

Thanks to my new friends Luke & Jack for answering all my questions, translating and just for your friendship. I can still hear Luke saying, "aghhh", and Jack saying, "yes Jes." I miss you guys!

To Jody & Beth for all your hard work setting up so much for us to experience and do while we were there! And especially for the truly wonderful suprise at the airport. I'm looking forward to seeing you both hopefully soon!

To Davie for tramping all over Msliza with us to find Aubrey, Loveness and Katrina. Your heart for the kids is such a hope for them, and also a great encouragment to me to keep sponsoring kids as I believe they will be in good hands while you're on duty.

Aubrey, Loveness and Katrina. You may never read this message, but I cannot make a post about this trip without telling you that I'm so grateful for you presence in my life, regardless of the short time period, you made the most impact on me of anyone on the trip. I miss you three everyday, and hope that one day the good Lord will let our paths cross again.

Lastly, I am so grateful to Amber for your tremendous heart for the forgotten, hurting, helpless. Without you opening yourself up to the pain of connecting deeply with the children who you were drawn to, knowing you had to soon say goodbye, I wouldn't have known how much my heart could feel and care about 3 complete strangers mentioned above. Your drive to find Loveness and Katrina gave me one of the most amazing gifts I've received in quite a while...to understand so much more fully than ever before that I truly am more blessed in giving than receiving. Thank you for being my best friend now, and on this jorney Africa.

I know you are all wanting some pictures, so here goes a few. Keep checking back as I promise not to let the posts get stale for a while at least.