“It’s sugar, soap and likuni phala” Gerald told me, these are
the necessities of life. When deciding what to bring to people in need, to our
orphans, this is what is welcomed, this is what we bring. Likuni phala is this
vitamin, protein, just-about-everything enriched porridge looking mixture that
the children eat each day. It’s nutritious. Delicious? I’m not so sure, I’ll
let you know when I try some.
likuni phala.
road tripping.
beautiful Africa.
stunning Malawi.
But what caught me out was “sugar?” I asked, with a smile on my
face. I’ve seen how much sugar the Malawian men here put into their coffee and
tea (almost as many as me, which, on a particularly generous day tips around 7.
Don’t judge me.), and I wandered if truly and really it was a necessity, or
simply a luxury, with no nutritional value. A quick highway to weight gain and
cavities. He smiled as I had it explained to me.
because tauros was always my
favourite pokemon.
some of the cheekies.
aka my new besties.
the girls in the back just melt my heart.
You need food to live. You need soap to
deter infection. The bare necessities. The sugar? Well that’s the blessing, that’s
the above and beyond. That’s the sweetness, in the day and in the tea. That’s
the little extra joy. That’s the generosity.
this is their "I don't know about that white girl and her strange camera" face.
quickly followed by their, "just jokes, you're great!" face.
I serve a God who doesn’t skimp. He doesn’t get satisfaction over
providing me with simply what I need, but so much more. I serve a God of
blessing, of abundant blessing, of goodness and generosity and overwhelming,
undeserved, unconditional love and provision. I serve a sweet, sweet,
sugar-giving God.
kind eyed.
beauties.
And out of His love for me should come our, my love for ‘them’.
Whomever they may be. In this case, it’s the Malawian orphans of the AIDS
epidemic. For, as Mother Teresa put it kind of nicely, “each one of them is
Jesus in disguise”.
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