Sunday Morning

Church here in Malawi is a very different experience than going to church in the US. Don’t get me wrong, some aspects are the same; there is singing, and a sermon, occasionally Communion, announcements, praying and an offering. Just because the bones are similar doesn’t mean the body is the same. Each Sunday St. Andrews CCAP (Church of Central Africa Presbyterian) has two Celebrations of Worship, a 7 a.m. English service and a 10 a.m. Chichewa service. In case you are wondering what happens between the two services, think again. The English service takes up the entire three hours each week. So by my calculations, by the end of the year I will have put in enough church time to cover me for a few Sunday morning sleep-ins. 

Church starts promptly at 7-ish. Malawians never seem to be on time for anything, so when I walk into the sanctuary at 6:59 like a good Presbyterian, I am one of a handful of people in the building. By the end of the service, every pew in the entire church is filled to the max, sometimes with people even standing in the back, or children sitting up front on mats. Worship starts with multiple choirs performing different songs. I used the word performing because there is usually choreography, or hand motions that go with almost all of the songs. There are a lot of different choirs in the church, some are all women, some all men, some young people, some older, anyone and everyone can be and is in a choir, and let me tell you; they can ALL sing and dance. It is so beautiful to watch these people sing their hearts out for their Lord and Savior. 

After the choirs, it is time for church announcements. The announcements are a little different from the ones I am used to hearing my Dad give on a typical Sunday. Things that are announced in church each Sunday are: the offering amount from the week before, who is in the hospital, deaths the previous week, upcoming marriages, where and when church meetings are to be held the coming week, where and when choir practices will be and if there are any visitors in the congregation today. Can you imagine if we had visitors come forward each week and greet the entire congregation … no one would ever come back to that church! Here it is very common and people really enjoy greeting the congregation they are visiting with. I am always entertained by the weekly announcements and realize it is really how information is shared with the church members. (No weekly e-mail blasts here.)

After the announcements there is usually a hymn and then the Bible reading. After both of those it is time for the sermon. Unlike in the US, it is not uncommon to see someone who is not a minister in the pulpit. This is because there are not enough pastors for all the churches in Malawi, so Pastors are assigned to multiple churches and prayer houses (smaller churches), that they travel to on various Sundays. In their absence, it is the responsibility of the elders and leaders of the church to preach. They do a wonderful job. Sermons usually last about 30-35 minutes (sorry if I ever thought you were long winded, Dad). Multiple times throughout the sermon the preacher will say, “The Lord is good!” to which the entire congregation responds enthusiastically, “All the time”. It is a treat to see the entire congregation engaged and really feeding on what is being preached.

After the sermon, it is time for the offering (after the offering there is one more hymn then worship is over, so when we reach this point I know we are in the home stretch).  The offering is something that I have always found inspiring in Malawi. Every single person in the church gives something during the offering, including children. If someone does not have money for the offering, those around them make sure they give that person some of their money so they have something to give. Everyone walks to the front of the church and puts their offering in a basket. These are people who compared to most Americans, have so little. Yet every week they march forward in that church giving a portion of what they have back to the Lord. They don’t do this with a frown on their face either; they often do it while singing and dancing, giving joyfully.

I have learned so much from going to church weekly here in Malawi, and most of what I have learned has not been from any sermon. A packed church every Sunday reminds me that even when circumstances are not what we would like, there is always, always, a reason to praise God. When I see people far less fortunate than anyone I have ever met in the States standing there praising God with everything they have, I am humbly reminded just how blessed we are. Seeing these same people, who may be struggling to put food on the table, or pay their children’s school fees, giving some of what they have to the church so the church can continue to do its works is so humbling. I challenge you today to try to find the same joy I see on their faces, even when the circumstances aren’t ideal. I also challenge you to give more in whatever that capacity is (time, talents, financially) because we are a blessed people, and I am reminded of that every day here, and even more so on Sunday mornings.

If you had to choose ...

Anyone in my family can tell you, I’m obsessed with the new hit musical Hamilton. There are so many amazing songs in the crafty and creative show, but one line has been constantly replaying in my head lately. The line goes:

“If you had to choose, If you had to choose”

The context of the line is the American people are forced to make a hard decision about who their next president would be (don’t worry this blog isn’t about politics, so it is safe to keep reading). This line got me thinking about how my decisions and the decisions of those around me are drastically different from the decisions I am usually faced with.

A decision I have been thinking about a lot lately is would I rather have electricity or water. There have been massive shortages of both the past couple weeks and we have gone many days without either. So every morning while I still lay in bed I think, which would I rather have? If we have electricity we can cook on the stove, keep cold water and food in the refrigerator, charge our electronic devices, use PowerPoint in the classrooms, and when it gets dark, turn on the lights. However on the other hand, if I choose water, I can brush my teeth without using bottled water, I can take a shower, wash the dishes, and flush the toilet.

I then remind myself that this is not a decision everyone has to make. There are people in this world who would never have to choose between water and electricity, they have plenty of both. There is not a doubt in their mind that when they push the power button, their giant flat screen TV will come to life, or that when they go to take their 30 minute long shower, the water will not run out before they finish rinsing off. I am also reminded that there are people who don’t ever have a decision because neither is available to them. Not far from my home here are people without running water or electricity in their homes, so they don’t have to make that choice.  Utilities are not something that everyone on earth has access to, so I am grateful to be able to be fortunate enough to even think about what I would choose.
 

I think I speak for most of us when I say we’ve all had the conversation that goes something along the lines of … “Where do you want to eat”, “I don’t care, anywhere”. This starts off the seemingly endless discussion of all the options we have available to us. Mexican food, Chinese, burgers, Italian, pizza, wings, subs, salads, or fast food (I am naming all the foods I’m currently missing and craving; sorry for the long list). We are forced to make decisions from the bounty of options at our fingertips. As I think about choices, food is something I automatically think of.

I wish this was a decision that everyone around the world had. Not only do so many people around the world and here in Malawi not have the amount of food options we as Americans have, but some people are faced with the decision of do I eat, or does my child eat. That is not a decision anyone should have to make. When you make the choice to get Chipotle over Chinese tonight (YUM!) give thanks for having that choice, and pray for those having to make more difficult choices about food this day.

We make a countless number of decisions every day. We pick and we choose. The choices we make say a lot about who we are as people, but they also can help be daily reminders of the blessing it is to have the ability to make those decisions because of the opportunities we have. If you had to choose, what would it say about you? I encourage you to be intentional in your choices, and hope you see the blessings in every choice.

Letters From Home

As I write this, I am 9,000 miles from home. When I think about the distance sometimes it can make me pretty homesick. Some days here are very challenging and make me miss the comforts that America has to offer. Many days I find myself missing my friends and family who are across the ocean. 

While I was packing to come here, Heather, my big sister, informed me that I needed to save a few pounds and space in my suitcase for something she was working on. As we approached my departure date, I began nagging her to give me whatever it was she had for me so that I could put the finishing touches on my suitcase. What she finally handed me was more than I could have ever imagined. She had contacted many friends and family members asking them to write me letters. What she handed me was 6 pounds of letters and cards.

I was so overwhelmed by the amount of love that had gone into making all of those letters and cards, but at that point I didn’t have the slightest idea how much those cards would help me. Some of the cards were blank, which meant I could open them any time I wanted. Some were marked for specific days (my birthday, Halloween, the first rainy day, the first day of school, etc.). Others were labeled to be opened when I was having a bad day, or was missing home, or was feeling overwhelmed. 

These cards and letters became an instant cure to any sadness or homesickness. They have been an inspiration for me and have reminded me why I felt so called to come here. They have made me smile when I am having a bad day. They are also a constant reminder of all the love and support I receive daily from so many people back home.

It is not only the letters that I carried over with me, but I also continued to be so encouraged by all the emails, Facebook messages, and messages left on my blog. I want you to know that I take the time to read each and every comment and they always put a smile on my face and lift me up. I am thankful to be sharing this journey with each and every one of you. 

I have had many people ask me if I can receive mail here. The short answer is, yes. The longer answer is although yes, mail will eventually find its way to me, mail here takes the phrase “snail mail” to a whole new level. It takes about a month for a letter to reach me here in Malawi. That being said please don’t let that stop you from sending mail my direction. Thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement throughout this journey; it is not the easiest thing I have ever done, but with the support of all of you, and through God, all things are possible. Please keep sending messages and prayers to the Warm Heart of Africa. 

Address:

Brooke Merry

c/o SAMSS PO Box 396

Mulanje, Malawi

Central Africa