Well, as usual in Africa, plans change. After announcing the children we would be seeing today, we were told that there was a funeral in one village and everyone there would be away. So Falida D, Everyn & Stephano have been moved to Thursday instead for the sponsors following the blog.
The morning was spent meeting our newest sponsored child, a 5 year old girl named Lozibe.
When we were sent our profiles for our trip last summer, there was something about her face that I couldn’t forget. She had these enormous eyes that absolutely haunted me. A little girl that looked like she needed someone.
Out the windows today I could see our little girl in a sparkly red dress and pink shoes, waving. The friends gathered were singing and dancing, and as we opened the back doors and hopped to the ground, Lozibe’s grandmother grabbed me and hugged me repeatedly. She thrust Lozibe’s hand into my hand and we walked toward their home.
A constant stream of people shook our hands saying “Zikomo Kwambili” (thank you very much). Music was blaring from a D-cell battery tape deck with wood panelling circa 1980. They ushered us into a homemade shelter from the shade, draped in fabric, that we found out later had been constructed just for us.
Photo by Grace (World Vision Malawi).
We talked for quite a while, asked questions, answered some about life in Canada and then gave the family some gifts. The beads of sweat were absolutely pouring off of Lozibe.
We took photos and when we asked for family, I was humbled when a huge group of friends introduced themselves as Phannet’s friends, “I’m like an Uncle” said one man. “I named her Lozibe” one Aunt proudly announced. They were so proud to be affiliated with this family and it was clear Lozibe’s single Mom has so much support.
Turns out despite the girly dress, our Lozibe has a sporty side – her mother told us that football was her favourite thing to play, and she happily clutched a soccer ball in one hand and a doll from my friend Anita’s mom in the other. The dichotomy of being a girl.
Part-way through the visit, we realized we couldn’t leave – the rest of our team had taken the vehicle to another set of visits and we were at their mercy. So our visit ended up being much longer than we anticipated. As the party wound up, the other village children danced and I asked Lozibe to show me her house. We sat on the step and at one point, I knew I had made a friend. I felt this little hand slowly creep toward me and come to rest on my skirt.
But the highlight of the day for me, more meaningful than watching her mother dance with abandon, more powerful than her grandmother’s embrace or her uncle’s speech of gratitude. I saw Lozibe’s chin begin to quiver and I knew this little girl had reached her melting point. I put my arm around her and within a couple of minutes she was sound asleep.
Photo by Colin Zacharias
I found myself feverishly praying for the child in my arms – I told our translator, Grace, that my arms aren’t big enough to fix the obstacles facing her family, but my prayers are. We called her Mom over and she carried her off to bed (with her tiny new doll, Anita!). We had to leave before she woke up, but I left a message with her Grandmother to tell her how much we loved her.
Colin swears he saw a white dove before we left – and that was fitting. The whole morning was about peace – we set aside faith differences (Lozibe comes from a muslim family), hugely varying lives and we came together. They wished us “Go in peace and God go with you”.
Visiting all of these children is a precious gift. But there is something distinct and special when it is your child. You have to invest your heart in this process, and it hurts. But there is something so remarkable about knowing you have bought ground floor shares in something as precious as a family’s hope and future. As a Mom, I have scars on my heart when my kids hurt. And that includes this amazing little girl.
With the change in schedule, we had some sudden extra time on our hands. So we had time to visit your little girl after all, Celine! We walked from the car and realized her family had decorated their outdoor area with a myriad of flowers. They were hanging in stark red bouquets strung all around us and they had used empty water bottles to hold more flowers on a small table.
Precious Prisca is even prettier than her picture. But she was absolutely terrified of us! She jumped a foot off the chair if I moved near her so we had to make the visit brief.
Her mother told me that Prisca is in a preschool program and loves music and singing (Coincidence? I think not!). The family loved your letter and the whole group clapped when they heard you were pursuing your education to become a writer. Without even being there, Celine, you inspired them.
I am happy to announce, by the end of our visit, we had a much more relaxed, smiling little girl. Between you and me, it was the tiny little ring on her finger from her bag of treats that cheered her up – like every little girl, accessories are everything!
We spent the remainder of Tuesday winding through the roads of Liwondi National Park. For the bargain price of 825Kw ($4.82 to be precise), we got admission to the park. We also paid an additional amount for a “guide”. I use the term loosely because she may have packed heat in the form of an AK47, but I think Ida viewed the ride solely as a chance to eat her lunch. We saw impalas, kudu’s, and about a million warthogs (Hakuna Matada!). Ida promised us elephants and in the first 7 or 8 Km, she delivered- in the distance we saw a herd of about 20 elephants. So worth the price of admission and a neat experience we would never have had without this unexpected break.
I feel like I’ve been in Malawi for months. I know we’re days away from coming back to full-blown Canadian Christmas. And while I can’t wait to see my kids and my family, I’m dreading the reality of blizzards and holiday mania. I want to keep the simplicity of Africa deep in my heart.
Your words touch and inspire me Christy. It seems more obvious than ever that I am doing the right thing with my time and money. Blessings to all on the trip.
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