Half Way Mark

February 23, 2018, was the six month mark from when I left the United States. I can certainly attest to the phrase “time flies when you’re having fun”. It seems like just yesterday I was boarding a plane to come to Malawi, and I’m now half way through my time here, which is crazy. As I look to the future, at my remaining time here, there are so many things I am looking forward to. 

 

The main thing I am looking forward to is working with and continuing to teach the students at St. Andrews school. Seeing how they have grown and learned over the past six months has been such an encouraging experience. Having the opportunity to see them excel and push themselves to be the best they can be is more than any teacher can wish for her students. I can’t wait to see how far they have come from the shy little Form 1 students that I met on the first day of school, to where they will be at the end of the year.

With my time left here I would also like to travel and see as much of this beautiful country as possible. I have done a good amount of traveling since I arrived, but my goal during the next half of my journey is to travel to northern Malawi (which I have never done before) to see the beauty that is there. I plan also on traveling with some other American missionaries that I have met here, which I am also very excited about. Not only will it be nice to travel, but I love hearing about the work and different experiences that missionaries from all over the world are doing here in Malawi.

A major goal for the next half of my time here is to climb to the top of Mt. Mulanje. Every day I look at this magnificent mountain and think about what it will be like at the top of it, and I can’t wait. Climbing the mountain during the rainy season is not a good idea, and climbing in this heat would be brutal. After speaking to some mountain guides they told us that May/June is a great time to climb, so that is when we are planning for! 

Another thing I am looking forward to over this next half of my journey is the visitors that are coming. My Dad and my Nana will be coming in mid-April; I am so excited to see both of them and to show them my life here. My Dad put so much work into making this school a reality; it will be beyond special to have him sit in the back of my classroom as I teach these amazing students. I am also so blessed to have two crazy friends that are going to come visit me once they are done teaching their own classrooms in the states. Being able to share this country with my friends will be very special. They have heard my family and me talk about Malawi for years, and I can’t wait to show them my school and this beautiful county we love so much.

I cannot even begin to say all the things I have learned over the past six months. There are so many ways that I have grown and I have been challenged. This is an experience like no other. I can’t wait to see what the rest of this year has in store for me!

Thank you so much for following with me on this adventure so far. As long as people keep reading my blogs, I promise to keep writing them! Your words of encouragement and your prayers have been such a comfort to me daily. I ask for your continued support, encouragement, thoughts and prayers throughout the next six months of this journey.