Thomas, Jack, and Kathleen (Malawi Mission Trip)

When friends and family ask me how my mission trip to Africa was I find myself at a loss for words. For those who know me, you may find that hard to believe. And still, months after being home I cannot fully wrap my head around the entire experience. I know that whatever I try to say or write will forever fall short of capturing the depressing, humbling, and inspiring feelings I had in Malawi. I will instead share my favorite story from the trip. A story that brings a smile to my face no matter how I am feeling. A story that not only confirmed my faith in Jesus but brought me home in a place that was not my own.

In Malawi my girlfriend, (now my Fiance) Christy, and I were working with Children of the Nations, a nonprofit organization that brings hope to the hopeless and gives children a fighting chance. Through COTN you can sponsor a child for less than a dollar a day and truly make a difference in his or her lives. Seeing this on TV never brought the importance of sponsorship home for me; in fact I used to change the channel.

All that changed for me in the village of Mgwayi. That is where I met Thomas, a smart, 11- year-old boy that I swear will be a teacher if not the President of Malawi someday. With his round face and glowing eye’s, you could see the hunger for learning inside this humble 8th grader. The entire time we were together he would call me, “My friend, Christopher,” while he was teaching me words in Chichewa. As we walked together, he would have one hand in his pocket while holding the other in the air like a waiter balancing a tray of drinks, as he would intently quiz me on the words he taught me the day before. I remember telling Christy that I would love for us to sponsor Thomas but after looking into it we found that he was not in the program. When push comes to shove all of these children need to be sponsored but COTN does a great job of putting into order the children that are in the most need. Although we were sad we couldn’t sponsor Thomas we felt good knowing that he was in school and had a family. Thomas and Me

I had an emotional goodbye with Thomas the day before we left. He came to see me play in the “big soccer game” even though the field was a great distance from his village. When the game was over I saw him standing by the sidelines looking for me. We walked all the way back to the COTN camp holding each other’s hand. With his free hand he made the motion of a plane and asked if I was leaving for America. “Come back soon, my friend Christopher.” I told him I would but only if he stayed in school. We embraced and as I entered the gates of the COTN compound I turned back to see him standing there; no shoes, torn shirt, wearing his Chicago Bulls cap, waving goodbye until I was out of sight.

Christy and Jackson

After learning that we could not sponsor Thomas, Christy told me about Jack. (Jackson) I saw firsthand the consequences of malnutrition in Jack. He is a 4 year old that looks like he’s 2. He didn’t talk at all but he crept into our hearts with his furrowed brow, baby cheeks, and his lips that seemed to be frozen in a constant pout. When we asked about Jack we were told that, unlike Thomas, we would be able to sponsor him and that we should meet his parents. We were both so excited. Upon meeting Jack’s Father, Gilibati (Gilbert) and Mother, Khricy (Krissy) we came to learn that Gilibati was the chief of Mgwayi. He just so happened to be doing concrete work in his house and having years of concrete experience, I was glad to help. Although there was a language barrier we could work together just fine and I felt a sense of pride rush through me as I helped out in the house of the child we would be sponsoring. Their house was built like all the others in the village, made out of dried mud bricks with dirt floors, although their house was bigger than most of the others we had seen, about 600sqft. After we finished working we said goodbye to Jack and his family. There were 8 children in all. From oldest to youngest: Matilda, Judith, Fikinla, Kingsley, Khricy, Precious, Jackson, and a new born baby that had yet to be named. She was a beautiful baby girl, only 3 weeks old.



Baby Kathleen


The next day we were told by Davey and Pike (COTN workers that put everything they have into getting these children sponsors) that there had been a mix up. Jack already had a sponsor. I could tell by looking at Christy’s face that we felt the same way. At first you are saddened to learn you cannot sponsor this child and yet you are excited that they are already being helped. We then asked Davey about the newborn baby we had met the day before. Davey asked us what her name was and we told them that she didn’t have one. He explained to us that in Malawi it is customary that the child be named by a relative from another village. With no cell phone or email this can take up to 3-4 weeks. Another reason for not naming babies is because the infant mortality rate is so high. Davey told us that he would go personally that day and get the baby registered into the program so we could sponsor her. He then told us that we may be able to name her. With no hesitation Christy and I told Davey that we would be honored if they named her Kathleen, after my Mother.

Mom and Me

This is where the story hits me the hardest. My Mother passed away from Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis on April 22nd, 2007, 4 days before I had met Christy. Christy was my rock through that entire time and it has always bothered us that she was unable to meet my Mother. To give you even more insight, I was raised Christian but I stopped going to Church and to be honest, after my Mom died, I lost my faith completely. It wasn’t until I met Christy that all that changed. She would tell me that she was going to Church and I would grumble and tell her to have a good time. She never forced me to go. She just showed me the door and let me know that it was always open. So I went to Summit Church a few times, and then a few more times after that. I found myself, for the first time in my life, feeling comfortable in a church. I felt like this place got it right and the more I dove in the more I got back. The more I walked towards Jesus the more the pain of losing my Mother disappeared. I found that, even though I still had many questions about Jesus and the church, my heart was open. Without Christy and Summit Church in my life I would have never gone to Africa.

We were able to sponsor that baby girl and her name is Kathleen Gilibati. Standing there under an African Sky, a little under a year and a half after my Mother had left this world, Christy and I found each other involved in a child’s life and her name was my Mother’s. Seeing Christy hold Kathleen brought me full circle. The woman I love was holding a child that we named after the other woman I loved. What had been a heart breaking ending turned into a heart breaking beginning. What broke God’s heart broke mine.

People often say that God works in mysterious ways and I never understood that before. Not until I went half way around the world did I learn what that truly meant. Kathleen’s picture hangs on our wall and we pray for her, hoping that she is blessed with a wonderful life. Through God, we were able to meet Thomas, Jack and Kathleen and they showed us that sometimes you have to leave your home to come home. You have to open your heart to what He wants you to see and feel.

Measured in Stories - God's Timing from Summit Church on Vimeo.

Check out these links and websites below for more info:

http://vimeo.com/2471559 (short video of the story you just read)

http://summitconnect.org/ (Summit Church, Orlando FL)

http://cotni.org (Children of the Nations)