The Back Story

I had heard of Malawi only once before. A young Indian woman I worked with, Anu, was raised there. She nostalgically shared with me the opulent lifestyle they had lived - each member of the family had their own servant. I had no idea at the time that the little country of Malawi would impact my life so greatly.

In 2001, I introduced myself to a young man named Bayana Chunga after hearing him speak about his vision for an AIDS related radio ministry in his small African country of Malawi. There was a magnetic response between us - we simply clicked together. In 2002 I grasped the opportunity to join a team going to Malawi to work in Lilongwe, the capital city, with children orphaned by AIDS. It was a life altering two weeks - my heart had found its' home. The contentment I felt was profound, bringing tears on the third day in country. I did not want to go home. When my husband graciously agreed for me to return in 2003 for a six week stay, I was elated. While there, sitting on Bayana's parents' couch in Ekwendeni in northern Malawi , I turned to him and whispered "did you think when we met two years ago that I would be sitting HERE with you now?" Instead of feeling satiated after six weeks, my heart longed to stay.

I waited a long five years for my latest visit in fall of 2008, this time spending nine weeks in Blantyre, in southern Malawi. I worked with a rural nutrition program, participated in a village outreach and settled in to the activities of day to day life. This visit included what I call the "Malawi Mayhem Tour" - an intense four day round trip from Blantyre through Lilongwe north to Ekwendeni, then south along Lake Malawi back to Blantyre. The purpose of this trip was to film Pete Liebengood's documentary on Bayana's ministry, Wings of Hope, entitled "Serious Radio".

I found a quote by Mardi Manary with Project Peanut Butter that sums up my feelings for Malawi perfectly. "I am happy here, happier than I had remembered. Malawi is a part of my heart, a part denied. Most would be dismayed at my feelings. Malawi is poor, inconvenient, with electricity and water that work only at their own whim. I hide from a tropical sun by day and disease bearing mosquitoes at night. Water is suspect. Cars break down from the abuse of craggy roads. Yet, a part of me was reawakened the minute I stepped onto my beloved country." Oh, how this passage brings tears of joy, knowing that I am not the only one who has fallen in love with this faraway place, known fittingly as "the warm heart of Africa."

I want to be rich

I have always been fascinated with the expression "rich interior life". Not really understanding what it is, I want it anyway. Bad. I want my imagination to flow - to swirl and pop and sparkle. I want to be able to create my own reality, simply by thinking it into existence. When I watch travel shows, I imagine what it feels like to be there in a sensual way - smell, touch, sound, taste and sight. I have become desensitized to my daily surroundings through familiarity. I now realize that to be rich, my interior life must be filled with warmth, ethereal music, exotic flavors, sweet scents and IMAX visuals. I have to live more intentionally to overcome the sensual poverty that familiarity brings. I live in one of the most beautiful areas of this planet - there is no excuse for a bland existence. Without shame, I commit to strive to become richer each and every day.