Hey Everyone! I am Seth Adams. I was a 2-month intern in for Esther’s House in Malawi. Hopefully I can give another perspective of life over there and maybe this can convince some of you to jump on board the ministry to support and serve.I have been home for a little over a month and find myself missing Malawi everyday. The experiences that I had over there have changed me forever and have deepened my conviction of serving in Africa.
God placed a vision of using the tools and abilities he has gifted me with over in Africa at a young age. I was saved in the early part of my life and was given the calling of serving him for the rest of my life in middle school. Throughout my high school days he shaped my heart and willingness to serving the people groups in Africa. I believed that my call was to be a full-time missionary but the Lord didn’t have that in store for me in the immediate future. He still needs to teach, shape and mold me into the man for His purposes. He placed in front of me civil engineering, which is the study and design of elements within the physical world. This includes water, structures, soil and how they all work together. I believed that this major would be a huge asset on the mission field. I held this vision throughout college and it got me through the tough 4 and a half years of school that I had at the University of Arkansas. Throughout my college years I was led to Cross Church where I was able to serve and teach in the student ministry there. That is where I was able to meet the Carney family. I taught both Braxton and Ethan within my youth group. The boys were an absolute joy to teach and I have enjoyed watching them turn into the Godly young men that they are today. I was able to be a part of their transition of them moving to Malawi. From the moment I heard, I knew that I was going to go over there to serve with them. Since Africa had always been on my heart, I felt as though God was leading me to an opportunity to understand the true depth of the calling he has placed on my heart with missionaries whom I had already developed a relationship with. Which led me to my two-month journey in Malawi.
My journey began with me boarding that long plane ride over. I got off the plane and was greeted by Jason and the boys and was surprised at how green and pretty everything was. I was able to go over in the rainy season, which is when everything is green and growing. There were mountains everywhere and it was honestly breathtaking. We drove back to the Carney house, in the Boma (city in Ntcheu), and I was able to meet the Wilson family. It seemed that instantly they opened up this missionary life to me and we were a team. God couldn’t have placed two better families there to work together to accomplish the vision that God has set before them. After dinner we drove to Esther’s House, where I stayed on campus with the 9 residential kids and the Wilson family. When we pulled through the gate the kids were on the porch waiting for us and I got to meet them. The kids instantly melted my heart. Through my time there I began to learn that they are regular children with their spouts of disobedience but its impossible not to love them through it. The first morning I woke up early to their laughter and went out to play with them. This seemed to be a trend for the rest of the two months in between work. In the days to follow I began to work in my focus areas. I was sent to do a water study of the nearby wells. I was to make recommendations on the wells that required maintenance and the areas that were without a clean water source and in need of well to be drilled. I also was sent to assist in the medical treatment on the Esther’s House grounds. I began to learn that missionary life is a 24/7 job, which requires everything and pushes you outside of your comfort areas to accomplish God’s purpose. I was trained in engineering, with no medical training, and performed medical tasks that made the blood drain from my face, but was required for the children within our service. Missionary life will make you uncomfortable but for every uncomfortable moment, the Lord carries you and supplies you with what is needed to accomplish each and every task. Though those two areas were my focus at the beginning, it began to change as different needs arose. That included maintenance around campus, teaching a bible study class and some administrative tasks. One of the most rewarding ministry opportunities was being able to show the Jesus film in some of the nearby villages. That was an incredible opportunity to see the gospel translated into their native tongue and the 350+ people at each event share in an opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel. While participating at each event, God made certain things very evident to me. Watching the 350+ people standing and attentively watching the Jesus film in Chichewa, I was reminded of how big our God actually is and how often the gospel can be taken advantage of. We have the gospel so richly intertwined within our culture that we can become numb or detached from its true power and what implications it should have on our lives. The other truth that was revealed to me is that our God is not a God of boundaries or nationality. He is a God to all people and all nations. For me, when faced with these truths, it changes the way that I see our God and the way that I worship Him.
{showing of the Jesus Film}
Through my time there, I was able to gain life long friends in ministry with the missionary families as well as the Malawian friends that I was able to serve with. The journey has changed my life and I was able to gain a much better understanding of missions and the responsibility that all Christians have in ministering to the world. Missions isn’t a calling that only some believers are a part of but one that every Christian has on his or her life. John Piper describes missions this way, “Go, send or disobey”. That we either go to minister to the world, financially support those ministering to the world or sin through our disobedience in not participating in the mission that all Christians are charged with. So I pray that you join this ministry in supporting financially or giving up your time to go serve alongside these missionaries while they minister to Malawi. You will never regret this decision and you will be an enormous blessing to this people group. I personally am counting the days until I get to return but until then will continue to look for opportunities to serve the missionaries and the people of Malawi back in the states.
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