Compassion extends beyond our comfort zone....

Remember we mentioned in a previous blog that this is the name of one of our devotional books we used some mornings? We have tried very hard in the last 2 weeks to extend compassion in many various forms and step out of our comfort zone. Looking back we certainly have been forced every day to take that step and as we are doing that we offer it all to the Lord and hope deep down in our heart that our prayer partners have been doing their duties! But today we didn't have to step out of our comfort zone - we went to Lake Malawi and it felt like being home. We we were on a sandy beach possibly Grand Beach with all the comforts of home. What a day full of beauty. Different beauty than what we usually experience - God's hand in the landscape as opposed to God's hand in the hearts and smiles of the Malawi people. I love it that He is ambidextrous and can easily use both hands and create such wonder in our world.

We left after our breakfast this morning and picked up 3 of the staff members from Somebody Cares and our new friend from Baltimore and headed for Lake Malawi. It is an hour and a half and 3 random police check road blocks from Lilongwe. These 3 ladies have definitely worked their way into our hearts and it was such a pleasure for us to be able to take them along. One of the ladies had never been to Lake Malawi and she was simply in awe of the beauty. It was like watching a little child seeing a new toy for the first time - wonder and smiles! These ladies are such dedicated workers. Here is a typical day for them during the week. They wake up at 4 AM and then work around their house before leaving for work. One of them has to bike for 1.5 hours to work. They get to work for 7:15 and then they are lucky to finish before 6PM. They make their trek home - and yes the lady on the bike still has that 1.5 hour ride home. Then comes making supper which starts with getting a fire going and they try and spend time with their children (they all have orphans living with them) and then most of them have another little side job on weekends to help supplement their full time income because they need to do that to make ends meet. So by 9PM they are asleep. And so the cycle continues day in and day out. 4AM is the middle of the night for most of us. Will we remember them next time our alarm clocks rings early in the morning and we don't want to get out of bed to the comforts of our home. We occasionally may think of them but unfortunately being humans we will forget. But the times we do remember those precious ladies that know nothing but love for the oppressed we will hopefully say a prayer for them and their families.

Our drive home from the lake was uneventful. But then I started thinking about how uneventful our drives to Winnipeg will be upon our return. Our roads are so wide compared to the roads here. We won't have to try to dodge multitudes of people walking along the side of the road, bicycles carrying huge loads of wood or sugar cane or woven baskets or charcoal or maybe 3 people. We won't have to be on the look out for goats, cows, chickens and vendors waving their kebabs of sundried mice hoping we will stop to buy an appetizer. Nor will the sides of the roads have markets, small villages with brick huts that never have windows and almost never a door but alway somewhat of a roof; whether it is thatched grass, tin, plastic or clothing held down by bricks. It will take time to get used to those long stretches of nothing for us.

Some of the signs we have seen on buildings these past 2 weeks have made us chuckle. For example today we saw on a store, Truth Shall Prevail Tuckshop. Yesterday a school was called, Catch Them While They are Young School! And here is a cute one, Glad Tidings Orphan Care. And one sign that struck us today was: Stop Early Marriages - every girl has a right to complete her education. That was a bit of a thinker for us.

So, I end this by quoting our devotional, "Simple compassion begins with paying attention, noticing opportunities to share love with those who have less."

P.S. Did you know that if you laugh and talk a whole lot it is equivalent to exercise. That is what one of the ladies told us today. Well, I think that we will be going home with pants that are 2 sizes too big especially if you add crying to that diet.

Thanks again for all your love and prayers.

Grace and peace to you, Simone