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It’s been a long time coming. I arrived here in Lilongwe on Saturday after a thankfully uneventful flight. As I disembarked and made my way through customs and baggage claim, I was surprised by the updates at the airport. Passengers were directed to a new area for baggage claim. I wondered what took so long.

The warm heart of Africa

The first time we landed in Lilongwe’s airport was in the early 2000’s. We were taken by the friendliness of the people. Then we learned that Malawi is called, “The warm heart of Africa.” The phrase is not just a token for tourism, Malawi really is a country of hospitality. It was a beautiful place to raise our family.

When I finished collecting my baggage, I was met by my dear friend, Yamikani, who is also our lead pastor’s wife in the country. She was there not only to meet me but to collect some lost luggage for members of the volunteer team who I was joining for our week-long free clinic. It was good to see a familiar face and reconnect after some time apart.

I wondered what took so long

As surprising as the updates to the airport were, I was even more surprised by the massive amount of roadworks taking place. The flight from South Africa to Malawi took only two hours. The drive from the airport to the hotel (normally 30 minutes) took nearly three hours due to traffic delays created by the repairs. These repairs have been a long time coming. I wondered what took so long.

After I checked in, I joined the team later on in the afternoon at the to help pack medications and later on for dinner. Conversation was light and the company fun. I excused myself a bit early to prepare for the next day, Sunday, as I was on to speak. Going to my room, I wondered how time has flown. My memories of planting our church in Malawi don’t seem to be so old.

I felt sheepish

Yesterday morning, I stood before the church. Many had gathered to hear the message and I felt a bit sheepish and hoped they would be encouraged. There were a number of familiar faces in the congregation that I knew, many who we held our first services with on our home’s back porch. It doesn’t seem like almost 20 years have passed since then, but they have. Their families have grown, some (like me) now even have grandchildren.

It will surely come

I’m awake early, getting ready for our first day of clinic and my heart is full. Starting the work here seemed to take so long as it was happening. Now, it feels as if it took only a moment for there to be nine churches and hundreds of people. I am grateful.

It’s been a long time coming, but not really.