Seeds of Doubt, Faith, and Freedom
Seeds I realize that most of you who read this blog may not see the potential, wealth, beauty, and diversity wrapped in that one little word, at least not yet. However, you encounter seeds every day, whether you know it or not. They are the coffee grounds you dumped this morning, the sesames on your breakfast bagel, and the baked beans you ate at lunch. The list goes on. For the farmer, the seed is everything. Their lives and livelihoods revolve around the seed. They keep it and plant it, water it and feed it, watch it grow, and then harvest it and save it for next season. They create… Read more >>Life in Malawi: Weddings
I have attended two weddings this year. I believe this is a record for me though a rather pitiful one. They took place roughly 7,767 miles apart, which is a record I probably won’t ever break. One ceremony was for the marriage of one of my coworkers, the other was my Sister, Laura’s wedding. Each ceremony was unique and also of course, influenced in some way by its own cultural history, but some wedding traditions are very similar even across continents and cultures. I am often struck by how much formality there is in every kind of meeting and event in African culture and weddings are no… Read more >>
Life in Malawi: Roads, Driving, and Traffic
When I moved to Malawi, many people asked me if I would be driving on the left side of the road and what side of the car my wheel was on. However, driving on the left side of the road and having a car with the wheel on the right, are just some of the things I needed to get used to while driving in Malawi. The blinkers, by the way, also swap sides, so I spent the first week turning on my windshield wipers every time I turned. I got used to the swap rather fast though. In fact, I was watching one of my favorite shows when one of the characters got in her car. Confused for a minute, I thought, “… Read more >>Life in Malawi: Worship
Obviously, there can be great differences in church services that take place just down the road from each other depending on denomination, the particular members, and many other factors. Our Western culture is one of these factors. I want to share some of the African Culture I have seen in services that struck me as odd at first, yet I have come to enjoy. I attend a large church in Lilongwe called Capital City Baptist Church (CCBC), and I spent one Sunday visiting a much, much smaller church that met in a little schoolroom in a village called… Read more >>