Malawi Trip Recap - Ben Ellison

​My three weeks in Malawi with Managers on a Mission was an experience I will always remember. This trip was unlike any I had ever been on, and the difference was in the children. From the moment we pulled up to the Rafiki gates that very first time, I knew this would be different from other experiences I have had.
            What got to me on this trip was the mindsets of the children of this orphanage. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, and you see it from the second you get off the plane. You cannot escape it and even though these orphans live like kings and queens inside the fences, they are reminded daily of how much they have been blessed just from looking beyond the gates.
            My favorite question to ask the kids was always about what they wanted to do once they were to grow up and leave the village. I was always interested in their aspirations and their dreams, and I found it interesting to gain their perspectives. Their replies blew me away because almost all of them were centered around wanting to give back. When asked, some would say they want to be doctors so that they can care for orphans. Another told me she wanted to go into law so that she could be a voice for orphans in the court room. Another even told me that they wanted to go into the service so that they could physically protect children with whom nobody will protect. Sure, some kids told me they wanted to travel to America and become a professional athlete, but so many voiced their passion for the marginalized and the over-looked.
            It was more-than humbling to hear these kids talk about how they wish to serve rather than to be served and reminded me of the mindset of Jesus. Christ came to us, to serve rather than to be served. I could so easily see Jesus in each and every one of these children, and it completely blew me away and gave me a new perspective on why Jesus has given me what He has. Nothing that I have came from my own will or dedication. Everything came from above and is a gift to further the kingdom. Nothing I have is mine to keep, but rather to invest in glorifying the Lord and spreading the truth and knowledge of the One who sent His only Son to save the lost.
            I want to thank Managers on a Mission for giving me the opportunity to be a part of their mission this year, to Rafiki for so easily welcoming us and making us feel at home, and the children of the orphanage who made ​much more of an impact on me than I did on them.