A few days ago I returned from Malawi with 17 others. What an incredible journey! We landed in the capital, Lilongwe, around noon on Tuesday the 15th. For the next several days, we did all sorts of work to contribute to the ministry of Esther's House and the general advancement of the kingdom of God. On Wednesday, we went to a local school. There we handed out around 200 book bags to the children and painted two of their classrooms. On Thursday, we went out to a village and God brought an incredible harvest of new believers to start a new church in the area.

On Friday, we had the Pastors Conference at Esther's House and prepared for the next day, in which we contributed to the weekly service to widows and orphans. Over 100 come to Esther's House each week, and on this Saturday, we hosted teaching sessions for the widows, Bible storying, crafts, and games for the orphans, and had the incredible opportunity to wash the feet of all the widows and orphans, and give them brand new shoes.

Sunday was an incredible day in which we joined in a local church, worshiping the Lord together with our Malawian brothers and sisters, and later seeing 13 be baptized! On Monday, we worked around Esther's House, contributing to cleanup (with so many people, we're a messy bunch) and painting the girls' bathroom.

Tuesday we said farewell to our Malawian team and headed to Lake Malawi. There we played with the missionaries' children, relaxed on the beach, and even went on a safari on Wednesday! On Thursday we said farewell to the missionaries and Malawi and arrived back to the United States on Friday.

God moved in incredible ways in Malawi! Not only was His kingdom advanced through us in the lives of many of those we encountered, He also matured each of us, growing us in our walk with Him and challenging us to seek Him in greater ways. I have grown in my understanding of what it means to be joyful in the Lord, have faith in His promises, and to be content in all circumstances. I have been challenged to pursue Him even more in my own relationship with Him, and in my relationship with my girlfriend, Lauren. The Lord is good, He is faithful, and He is worthy of all that we can offer Him in surrender.

God bless you friends!