They Gave Us Everything

I am overwhelmed by the principles I have learned through my experience in Malawi. I'll try to describe my most poignant moments in Malawi in the next couple of blog posts. Here is the first... 

One of the first days our group drove to a remote village in Malawi to deliver VitaMeal to the orphans there. (VitaMeal is a nutrient-filled meal that Nu Skin provides to these impoverished people in Malawi. We actually tried some of it our first day, it’s not too bad; it’s a mushy texture and kind of tastes like cornmeal.) 

We navigated our way over huge potholes and winding dirt roads for hours before we arrived, (there are only a couple of paved roads in all of Malawi, therefore it takes forever to get anywhere in the country, during the rainy season many roads are impassable because they are so muddy.) 

When we arrived at this particular village, I was shocked. I have been to orphanages and poverty-stricken villages before in my life, but had never seen anything to this extent. The orphanage/schoolhouse was one cement building. As we pulled up to the building, about 100 children stood outside the building, all of their faces beaming with huge, vibrant smiles, singing together, waving at us, welcoming us to their home. 

We got out of the vehicles, and that’s when I realized how spoiled I have been my entire life. Most of the kids clothes were in tatters, the playground consisted of a homemade seesaw (a branch from one of the trees) and a basketball court (a metal ring nailed to a tree.) 

Our group prepared to serve the children VitaMeal for lunch. For some, this was the only meal they would receive the entire day. One scoop of VitaMeal. After the children received their lunch, they congregated back in front of the schoolhouse, sitting together to eat. I looked out at the 100 or so kids and realized almost all the children were eating the steaming VitaMeal with their fingers, 90% of them had no utensils at all. All they owned was a cup. 

Next, the orphanage directors proudly led us inside of the orphanage to show us the school.

The only materials they had to teach 100+ children with were a few old, worn stuffed animals and two or three tiny objects they had molded out of clay. They excitedly took us to a section of the concrete room that was the library. It consisted of about six cards, with the five English vowels drawn on them. 

I was overcome by how much we have and how much I take for granted. Our group gave the school pens and pencils. As we gave them to the children we realized that these children don’t even have paper to use the pens and pencils, let alone pencil sharpeners to sharpen the pencils. 

The orphanage directors gathered all the children in the cement room then invited us to join them. The directors explained that they loved the orphans as their own. Everyone took care of each other in four ways. 1. spiritually 2. mentally 3. physically 4. emotionally. The love in this one room schoolhouse/orphanage was unbelievable. The love inside was palpable, and I couldn’t help but wonder if many of these people are happier than most other people around the world. 

They don’t have anything, but they have everything.

Despite the fact that these orphans literally had nothing, I have never seen a more loving people, a more affectionate people, kids who are so excited and passionate about learning, and children who are so ready to share anything and everything they have. They offered nothing but smiles, friendly waves, and their beautiful singing. They gave us everything that they had.

And that was what I took home today.