Malawian youth + American youth = SMILES
While Tracy, Chloe and Joel were gone for the last 4 weeks, our daughter Annie was really missing Chloe. A good time, we thought, for her to bond with the teen Malawians who live here as our neighbors! Pictured here are the girls enjoying a “teen girl night” at our house.
From left: Alexis and Madison (visiting friends from America), Annie, Ruth, Priscilla, Aline, Mary, Berita
Ruth adds color to Annie's nails.
It was an easy recipe for a fun night: a little candy, some nail polish, and a lot of makeup warmed them all up before sitting down for a nice dinner around the family table.
An American-Malawian meal of rice, fried chicken, sauteed cabbage and a green salad.
A few days later we held Movie Night in our living room, inviting all of the young and old kids from the onsite children’s homes. We were able to squeeze in 12 of the Malawians with the 3 American girls onto cushions and pillows on the floor. Popcorn and Sobo (a Malawian sweet punch) was the perfect accompaniment to the Pixar movie, “Despicable Me.” I heard many “oooo”s and “eeeeee”s during the moving which, in Chichewa, means something along the lines of, “This is fantastic!”
15 friends on the "comfy" brick floor watch the movie projected onto the living room wall.
There was a unique bonding with the teenagers throughout the 2-week visit from our American friends, as they all worked together to plan for the Fun Camp. As I get to know each of the Malawian youth individually, I see a love and respect for family, a quiet Christian maturity, and a hopefulness that is ready to burst as they teeter on the edge of adulthood and independence. These young people (especially the oldest - Aline, Eliness, Priscilla, Ruth, Weleard, Wyson) really need our prayers more than ever: that they will seek God’s provision for wisdom, confidence, guidance,and mentorship to continue on in the right path
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