Malawi 2008

After 36 hours of travel time, we touched down in Charlotte yesterday morning. It was an amazing journey that took us from the bottom of the country to the top. I saw village huts, bustling city streets, and the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen of children orphaned by malaria, leprosy, dysentery and AIDS. My heart is crying out to them and it was difficult beyond words to bid them goodbye.

I walked through villages and visited homes no larger than a walk-in closet. Every time I would visit a home, my friends and I were placed in the seats of honor - chairs - while everyone else sat on the ground. The most humbling moments I've ever experienced were sitting in these thrones as the women knelt before us and greeted us with warm smiles shading the painful souls, sweaty brows known by the toil of labor in the sun. These are subsistence farmers, often working from sun-up to sun-down to collect food for their tables.

AIDS kills nearly 300 people a day in this impoverished country. But there is a positive future in the making. The land is teeming with joy amidst heart-wrenching sorrow, and new life amidst death. I got to witness the new Malawi in an AIDS clinic of Lilongwe, spreading its wings of hope through ARV's, counseling, and education. I visited an epicenter in Nchalo founded by The Hunger Project where families are given the opportunity of a career through skill development, bartering, and micro-financing.

I will be writing more about the trip in the future, so please check back later. I'm still trying to get over my jet lag, so I'm not exactly sure how long I'll be working today. But I did upload some photos last night - the address is http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevorevo/sets/. Please check them out and send me your thoughts! There will be more stuff to come, including video.