Community...

Meet my Malawian family.

Some of you may be thinking... "Family? That white boy stands out like a cornflake in a bowl of Cocoa-Puffs! How can they be family!?!"

Yeah yeah... So they aren't really my flesh and blood family... I admit it. But, when I sit around the living room with these people, I feel right at home.

I met the Kamthunzi's shortly after arriving in Malawi, and knew from the beginning that these guys would become close friends.

These days, I cherish the times when I stroll into their house unexpected, and without one word being said, I find a place with my name on it at the dinner table. We waste hours sitting around laughing at my over-confident use of the Chichewa language and talking at length about American politics (of which they know far more about than most American's I know).

As I recall sitting on the floor at a prayer gathering surrounded by a living room full of friends back in August before I came to Malawi... one of the things that we prayed for was that I would be able to find community in Malawi like I had experienced with them. I knew deep down that community is hard. It takes effort. It takes perseverance. I trusted God to go before me and prepare that.

Although it definitely hasn't happened over night, each day I feel more and more at home here in Malawi.

Do I lay in bed some nights and yearn to be back with the people I love? ...Oh yeah!

Do I wish that I could have just one taste of good Cajun food like a huge pot of gumbo at my grandparents? ...Don't even get me started!

But, the other day as I was sitting around the dinner table with this family enjoying nsima and chicken and fish and unfiltered water... I thought to myself... this is good!

These people make me smile.

Although nothing will ever replace the family and the community that I love so much back at home, I am so grateful that God has broadened my horizons and placed so many amazing people in my life.

How lucky am I?

As I have strove to figure out what biblical community is supposed to look like for me at this stage in my life as well as in my future, being in Malawi has been a enormous asset. In America, our models for healthy, biblical community are few and far between... although I have been blessed to have some amazing people in my life that have pointed me in the right direction.

But, as a society, Malawi is miles ahead of most western societies when it comes to living a radical Acts 2* lifestyle. The open-door, open-pocketbook, open life scene that you find throughout the early church.

Some of the top characteristics of Malawian culture include: hospitality, family ties, respect, and sharing of resources.

Sadly, however, it seems like the American dream is slowly swimming across the Atlantic. In attempts to chase after success and "happiness" as seen in magazines, television and music, people seem to be placing less and less emphasis on the things above. I pray that before Malawians go down the same empty road that so many in the west have found themselves on, they would rest in the joy of living in community.

I pray that we in the west... the church... the people that like to read through the Acts 2 passage and analyze it rather than live it... I pray that we would take lessons from our Malawian brothers and sisters.

I thank God for the blessings of community.

*Acts 2:42-47 (The Message)

They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person's need was met. They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.