Do you know how hard it is to become friends with someone who doesn't speak the same language as you? Trust me, it's difficult! Now I'm not saying I don't have any malawian friends, because I do: there's Tina, Enala, Liaka, Gofiyas. They may all be in 1st grade but they still count as friends...right? I'd say they do, but how about some my own age?

Do they count as friends?

Lately, I've been praying to God that he would give me confidence to talk to the teens in our village. I actually do talk to them, just not how I talk to my azungu (white) friends. When we are passing, I will say "Wawa!" or "Muli bwanji!" If they have a question I will answer. If I like something that they did, I will tell them. But then nothing happens after that. We just smile at each other, and walk away. 

However, I have suddenly been feeling random bursts of boldness when I am around the teens. I admit I don't always grasp the opportunities that God gives me, but I am really trying. Which is why I am so thrilled that I have become "friends" with a group of teenagers all from the same family. I will write about them in in my next blog.

My more mature friends

From Chickens to Jesus!?!?

     As Joel, Abby, Chloe, and I were making our way back home from a walk through the village, we noticed how incredibly beautiful the clouds were. It was about 5 o'clock, and the glorious orange sun was shining through the clouds, making the sky look like heaven. Joel and Abby observed how the clouds were perfectly placed, like someone had cut them out and hung them there. Then they realized, "Hey! It's God who put them there!"

     As we were meandering down the path, we noticed that one of the clouds looked just like a chicken. We all laughed because, really, how many clouds look like chickens? Just as we looked away, Joel yells, "It's Jesus!" This grabbed our attention. I quickly looked up, expecting to see Jesus advancing towards us on the path. He wasn't there, but as I looked up, I saw him! Jesus was in the clouds! It was a detailed image, like a Michelangelo painting come to life. The sun was a spotlight illuminating his glory.The glow of it brought me peace. Looking back on it now, it's completely crazy that we first saw a chicken, and then Jesus. That's the way it is here in Africa; everything's a surprise.

Sadly, we did not have a camera with us, but here is an example of how beautiful the clouds are in Malawi.