Opportunities...

Sometimes in life opportunity presents itself, and often the decisions to
seize such are tough to make.  For some reason, I never second guessed
taking this venture... I'm so glad.

As I sit here on a crowded plane over the Atlantic Ocean... adjusting the
time on my phone realizing it is 3:00 am at home and the sun is chasing us,
shining on the plane from the North East, I realize how surreal this entire
trip has been.

From the first day I was approached about making this journey and over the
one-year wait to make the travel, I realize that I was prompted to do this
from a higher place.

If someone would have asked me just one day earlier, a year ago, if I would
fly to Africa with a bunch of strangers to build a structure in a country
filled with poverty and sickness I would have probably asked them why in
the heck such as question was being asked before I simply said "No, that's
not for me."

At the time I was asked, several people I knew were going on the journey
and joining them filled me with excitement.  As the trip was delayed by
several months, the passenger manifest changed, and although I was hugely
disappointed, my mind didn't once think about changing.  I felt like I was
alone in a way, the only adult male from Columbia besides Jimi, but
something told me this decision was made and wouldn't change.

Even as the bags were packed and we set out on the road, boarded the first
plane, or even stepped off on foreign soil, I still didn't really grasp
what mission I was venturing into.  Africa was a place on a map, far away
and exotic... but not appealing in so many ways, but I was at least going
to "see it."

As we arrived... I expected to be welcomed by a third world heat and smell
that I had previously experienced when deployed to Panama in the military.
I expected to meet people who stared as they wondered why you were in their
world.  I expected to hold my pockets close and keep a straight face as to
not show fear to the predatory thieves that run rampant in these such
domains... and to bear responsibility to watch for the safety of the women
and teenagers who were in our group.  By nature and by my career, I do not
often extend trust to everyone I meet, until I have been able to assess
their character.

Going through Ethiopia turned out to be uneventful... as it seemed the
entire plane was full of either travelers returning to Africa, all who
could afford the plane tickets and probably had much more financial
resource than me, or do-gooders venturing to the unknown land to help
someone they don't know.

In Addis Ababa, we de-planed the Boeing 777 and shuffled through the
airport and back to a smaller plane, a 737, headed for Malawi with a stop
in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  THIS plane felt a little more like I
had expected... boarding to find a rough, seedy man wearing sunglasses in
my seat, it wasn't an argument I needed to engage judging by the other
passengers in the row, so I took the nearest vacant seat hoping I could
stay there as the rest of the passengers walked by and took their seats.
We took off, and soon landed in Congo.  The characters on the plane that
made the hair stand on the back of my neck de-planed.

While on the ground, through the windows of the plane, you could see this
was not exactly a friendly area.  The grass around the runway was scattered
with random walking armed soldiers, or men cutting tall grass by hand.
Just outside our plane stood a military man with beret and automatic
rifle... definitely not the welcoming ambassador to D.R. Congo.  The land
was brown and arid with no living color other than a few dirty green
branches on scant trees.  All of the land was cut into small asymmetric
sections, obviously farmed by hand, unlike the crop circles and squares in
developed countries. A few new passengers boarded and we departed.

As we flew to Malawi, I could hear conversations between passengers, mostly
either local travelers, research students, or some type of missionaries.  I
felt okay about this crew... danger seemed minimal.

As we arrived in Malawi, the airport baggage claim was somewhat "open air"
compared to domestic locations.  Outside of the baggage area, we were
welcomed by Lawrence, John, Harry, and Timothy... accompanied by some older
Makalani village kids, all who were smiling and eager to help with our
baggage.  Departing the airport, the looks were of welcoming faces that
smiled, nodded and waved.

Was I in the right place? Or were these people really good actors?

As we drove down the road, the sights were different than I had expected.
First, the weather was wonderful... probably about 80 and breezy.  The sky
sunny and was covered in haze, a brownish haze that seemed like smoke
and/or dust.  The grass was all dry and brown with very little green
anywhere, other than the same dust covered tree branches.  The roadway was
paved with good asphalt and the traffic was actually calm.  Third world
infrastructure is usually very poor and traffic laws are ignored as drivers
make three lanes out of two with their horn... but not so much in Malawi.
The vehicles were of course older, dirty and all the windows were always
open, but nothing as bad as I had expected... It looked like we might
actually arrive alive.

My mind was quickly believing this was not going to be a beautiful venture
into an exotic territory of National Geographic beauty, or a dangerous
adventure among people who would just as soon see you robbed or dead, but
something very different.

What I quickly experienced is people who have very little, but are happy,
kind and hospitable.  A land that has been used, farmed, and milked of its
resources for people to survive.  Other than dogs, chickens, goats and a
few cows... I did not see a single wild animal.  Panama was full of
wildlife and strange insects.  Africa where we were only had flies and
mosquitoes.  When asking, I found that the wildlife in the area had been
killed off... with some monkeys still scattered around, but few and far
between.  The crops grew small and their yield was obviously low.

Nothing was wasted... One day, I saw two boys who had dropped a sack of
maize (white corn) off of their bike and they were on their knees picking
the kernels out of the fine red dust of the dirt road... intending to
salvage every spilled kernel.  If you had extra food on your plate, no one
would think twice about finishing what you didn't want... it was normal
practice.

The people turned out to be the nicest people I have ever met.  Don't get
me wrong... I'm sure not every soul is nice, but the greatest majority of
people you saw on a daily basis made a point to smile and say "Hello" or
"Wa wa" which is Hello in their language.  As you walked down the street,
you would hear people, especially children shout "Mzungu" in excitement,
which mean "white person." They were tickled when you noticed them and said
Hello, kind of like that simple Hello was a treat... They were GENUINELY
excited to see you.

When we finally went to the villages and build site, like I wrote before...
It was overwhelming at the swarm of attention begged and demanded of you.
A handshake would cause endless giggles.  Taking their picture and them
getting to see the back of the camera created excitement and awe...
Everyone wanting to pose and get their picture changing.

Something as simple was a homemade ball created hours of play... Especially
if you joined in.

So many little faces still sit in my mind, all of them smiling except for
the shy or sick ones.  It still boggles my mind how they find such energy
and excitement in the life they live.  As Americans, we are spoiled.  Upset
when we wake up on the wrong side of the bed, or conditions aren't as we
want them... but everyday these people are happy and eager to please the
next person.

Their faith was evident in the things they did.  The adults and children
prayed.  There was order in their tattered lives.  The children wore school
uniforms of pink and blue four days a week, even if they were dirty or
tattered.    It was amazing how a world that appeared from a distance, so
uncivilized... Was remarkably organized.  One note... It may not have
happened in a timely manner, as everything happened in "Africa time" but it
did eventually happen.  Africans don't "sweat the clock" the way we do...
probably because not everyone owns a clock.

All in all, so many of my perspectives on so many things are able to be
viewed through a different lens now.  The children touch your heart.  Their
smiles pierce your soul, and their struggle and strife invoke empathy at
levels not previously known.

Africa was the most color blind place I have yet to find on the planet...
prejudice was not evident in any venue I could note.

They call Malawi the warm heart of Africa and I completely understand why
now.

I look forward to new opportunities with Be The Change Volunteers.  It has
been one of the most emotionally and spiritually satisfying events of my
life, that I know in my soul changed other peoples lives.  Things happened
in the past two weeks that people will never forget.

As it all turns out, this venture wasn't about the far away exotic land,
vacation, or potential photo opportunities... It was about the people.  The
people you meet, you help, your learn from, the way they touch your heart,
and the way you touch theirs.  I'm not sure who benefited more... whether
it was me, or it was them... the experience is life changing for all those
involved and for that, I will be forever grateful.

I hope you can explore opportunities like this either by going on a build
or supporting a build.  Think about it or look into it... It may be the
most profound thing that happens in your life and may bring many parts of
your past to a culmination, an understanding for you as it has been for me.
I will go somewhere like this again, and I eagerly await that day which
will remain in my prayers just as the people I have met in the past two
weeks.

---

We're almost home now, back on US soil in Washington D.C.  Our team breaks
apart physically at this point going to different airports, just as we said
goodbye to John when he headed back to Ireland, we say goodbye to some of
our adventure friends here now.  The goodbyes are serious... not just
handshakes but hugs, with the promise to meet up again on a future build
somewhere in the world.

I wish I could do justice to the feelings each person probably feels.  Its
bittersweet.

I especially want to thank God for this experience and what he provided for
us.  We didn't have a single problem along the way.  Everyone was safe,
stayed well, and he provided for us in every way.  It was truly an
experience that brings one closer to God, probably the greatest experience
of all and some of the greatest physical evidence of his presence a person
can have in this life on earth.

Forever grateful...
--Dusty