Katondo Open Day Camp

The teens in Katondo have ambitious goals: they want to be doctors, lawyers, and pilots. Yet their challenges are numerous: Early marriages, no money for school fees, poverty, lack of access to healthcare, lack of role models or supportive parents, etc.

Yet when we asked the teens at Katondo for a list of possible solutions, they were completely silent. The laughter and the chatting died, and the students sat stone-faced in their small discussion groups. It became clear that no one had thought critically about solving the problems, or at least, they didn't feel as though they had the power to change their situation.

So the next day, we tried something different. We started with a game where the kids had to close their eyes, and then line up in order of youngest to oldest without speaking to each other or looking at one another. They tried once, and all ended up on opposite sides of the room.

We asked them if they could do it better and they unanimously said "No. We can't succeed if our eyes are closed."

Then one of the younger boys spoke up. He said something in Chichewa, and drew his age on his friend's shoulder. They tried again, this time communicating through touch, and did well. From there we played "All Aboard" on the stone wall outside the center, where the students were charged to fit as many people as they could onto the wall. At first, they said they could only fit 10. But after some experimentation, they fit all all 17 people onto a small space.

Little by little, the teens started solving various challenges. We did "human knots," "group juggles," and other problem solving activities. I swear, those games are magical. And while I know that it takes more than just a game to make someone feel empowered, it was amazing to see the difference. In the hour we did those activities, we went from a group that couldn't speak for itself and was leaderless to a group where even the girls- who rarely speak or make their opinions known- were pitching in to make the group succeed. And the guys were actually listening to them!

By the end of the day, the group was able to teach younger children about what they had learned the previous day. The teens gave the younger kids short speeches on the importance of education and staying in school. What's more, by the end of the day, two of the teens stood up and gave a 10 minute speech to the parents, asking them to encourage their children to go to school.

It was encouraging to see the teens take ownership like that, and to begin to be leaders in their community. While we can certainly try and teach about the importance of education, health, or empowerment, its much more effective coming from teens who live in the village.

Teen Retreat 2011

I am in a nation full of morning people. Even the teens are early risers.

At MOH's youth retreat this past week, I was constantly shocked by the energy of the campers. By 5:20 in the morning, most of the teens were already up, screaming as they rushed to the lake to bathe. By 6, the worship band was in full swing, and within ten minutes, all 200 teenagers were dancing to the beat of the “Vision Vibration” praise team.

And that was just the morning devotions.

The four-day retreat, sponsore by First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, PA was one, high energy whirlwind of games by the lake, teaching, small groups, and “life skills” sessions. The camp gave 20-30 secondary school students from each of the centers to meet one another, listen to teaching from the Bethlehem group and from MOH staff, and hear from peers who had experienced similar challenges. And while many parts of the camp reminded me of youth retreats back home, there were some noticeable differences.

Worship, for instance, was never just mere repititon of words. It was a reggae dance party, an experience that was as much physical as it was spiritual. (see video below)

Small group discussions centered on issues like and "what to do when people come after you with a mpando knife ( a machete) when they find out you are a Christian,"and "should I still go to church even when my dad won't let me."

Despite the differences in worship style and faith challenges, it was encouraging to watch teenagers from both Malawi and the US connect with each other across. And while none of us were able to master the dance techniques below, it was humbling to just take part.

Fighting within Ministry of Hope

Tired of conflict in the workplace? Observe as members of Ministry of Hope- Daniel, Joseph, Chris, and Thomas- demonstrate the latest techniques in positive conflict resolution. The practice, dubbed "Ninja" by its creators, encourages coworkers to release negative energy through physical aggression. The rules: You have one move to hit another person's hand. If both of your hands are hit, you're out. It's taking a while to catch on.

Operation Christmas Child Deliveries

Growing up my grandmother would always take me and my siblings shopping around Christmas time. We weren’t shopping for ourselves, our family, or even our friends. We were shopping for someone that we didn’t know on the opposite side of the world; we were shopping for Operation Christmas Child. I used to love packing a shoebox to send out every year; it was fun, easy, and somehow even the elementary-aged version of myself understood it was a good thing to be doing. Until Friday though, I don’t think I ever quite understood why packing shoeboxes with presents and sending them to the undeveloped world is a good thing. Actually, after Friday, I now see that Operation Christmas Child is not merely a good program, but an amazing program.

Friday, MOH traveled to the remote village of Kwamba to distribute a truckload of present-packed shoeboxes to children in the community. We arrived at the Kwamba feeding-center around lunchtime and commenced handing out boxes. After several hundred boxes were distributed we moved locations to the local primary school to distribute there. All told we gave away over 400 shoeboxes. I can only begin to describe how beautiful it is to see a child receive, quite possibly, the first present of their life. Operation Christmas Child is not a means of community development; certainly receiving a shoebox full of toys does not solve the problems of poverty, hunger, or homelessness in a community. But, Operation Christmas Child is a means for loving others. The children of Kwamba will never know the person they received a shoebox from, neither will the person who pack a box ever see the smiling face of its recipient. But, at the receiving end of a shoebox there is guaranteed to be a smiling face and a child that feels loved. I am very thankful MOH has the opportunity to distribute shoeboxes. What a blessing it is!