{Africa. Day Eight.}

(Mozambique from across the lake)

Hello :) Wow I still have 7 more days to blog about! Talking about intimidating... Off the topic, I have been inspired by my friend Mindy's blog lately and, as of this week, have given into my domestic tendencies. Ha! So apparently, my tendencies aren't so wonderful. I made my first attempt at homemade bread this morning and it turned into a brick :( wamp wamp. It definitely didn't rise and likely would have broken your foot if you were so fortunate as to have a $10 whole wheat, unbleached flour log fall onto your tarsals. Oh well!

Saturday May 22nd ~ Lake Malawi

Boy oh Boy (looking back in my journal now, I've noticed that most of my entries start with that!!)! By the time Saturday rolled around, I was exhausted -- mentally, emotionally and definitely physically! We were able to sleep in until 7 this day, and after a hearty breakfast, we changed and loaded into the van ready for Lake Malawi! One of my favorite things to do (both in the States in abroad) is to load into a car and just drive. My grandpa took both my brother and I on a roadtrip last summer, and I would spend hours with my face pressed up against the glass, silent, and taking in new sights -- things my eyes had never experienced before. I love it! So, 3 hours of driving to the East was quite the treat for me! We even played a fun Bible game that JP introduced to us :) 2.5 hours into our drive, we were able to pull over and hit up the Malawian equivalent of a strip center. I made out with some pretty fun things -- all for a pretty great price (oh the joy of bartering!).


(Where we shopped!)

Before long, we had arrived at Lake Malawi, the eighth largest lake in the world. Lake Malawi has over 300 species of fish that cannot be found anywhere else in the world and was said to be the habitat of more species of fish than any other body of water on the earth! So cool! So, when pulling into this place, I was surprised to see that it looks more like the ocean than a lake! It was beautiful and truly a treat to spend the day there! We dined at the buffet (I was just happy to have a salad after all of the nSima and greens from the week!), sunk our feet in the sand, climbed rocks, and the guys even went in the water -- even after we were cautioned that parasites live in the water, and they will go up ANY open orifice and grow inside of you... Um, NO THANK YOU! ha!




I spent the day soaking up the sun and catching up on solo time. I loveed it! After spending a few hours there, we loaded back into the van and began our long drive home. On our way home, we stopped off the road and hit up a street vendor for sugar cane and "golden potatoes" aka Malawi's version of french fries. In all seriousness, they are the yummiest fries you have EVER tasted! No joke. We munched on our treats all the way home and I thoroughly enjoyed spitting my used up cane out the window! It reminded me of driving through Montana with my grandpa last summer, spitting cherry pits out the window at 70mph. Memories I won't ever forget. One particular time, I had bitten off a large chunk of cane and when I spit it out the window, I accidentally hit a unsuspecting cyclist traveling on the opposite side of the road! I felt so bad, but couldn't stop laughing! It was great, I was a sticky mess, but my heart was full. My life was full.





To touch on what I was talking about in my first post, prior to leaving for Malawi, my soul was stirred and there was NOTHING I could do to ease it. To put it to rest, to calm it down. Solitude, fasting, prayer... nothing. It was this day, Saturday, that I realized that the restlessness was gone. The stirring had stopped and I hadn't done ANYTHING. It was on the drive home when I realized that God was stirring my heart for this Country. It was as if I had stepped off of the plane, and stepped into His plan for my life. This night, as the sun was setting, I realized that without a shadow of a doubt,this is God's will for my life. He had met me with Himself here and that was enough. Serving, praying, caring, loving... this was His will for me, and Africa was the place. Like I said, my heart was full, but more than that, my life made sense -- something that I had yet to experience before. I'm writing this with a smile plastered on my face, because I am so excited for what the future holds! We ended the night with a late dinner and then climbed into bed. What an adventure, what a day!


(Open air bar)