I’m back from my trip to Malawi, Africa. People ask me how it was and I answer the same every time, “Amazing!” Although it’s nice to be home with my family and comfortable surroundings, not a day has past that I haven’t thought of the people of Malawi.

I felt tremendous joy being in Malawi and working with the people there. The intense joy within the people there radiated and was infectious! I was humbled by the respect given to me and the experiences that I was able to engage in. I worked directly with child caregivers for three days. They seemed so eager to learn and took notes for later application in their classrooms.

Two powerful moments for me were when the school children serenaded us as we arrived at their schoolyard (see video below) and watching the child caregivers teach 150+ children the very games I had taught them the day before. To see both the adults and children playing and laughing with glee was incredible for me.

Two memories that I’ll never forget are the mice on a stick (see pic below). I took a rain-check on that experience! And also the man in the grocery store (larger city) at the deli trying to sell us a wild baboon.

Although the trip challenged me in many ways (electricity & water outages, etc.), I always felt safe and in good hands. That allowed me to be my personal best and focus on the work I was there to do. I feel blessed and honored to have taken part in such meaningful work! I’ve included a few pics from my journey below.

-Dawn