He said to him, ”You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

             -Matthew 22:37-39

It was a lovely morning with so much for which to be thankful. For instance:

One of us helped another to retrieve a left-behind item in time to make the flight to Malawi

It was a beautiful day with a warm but comfortable breeze

We had a safe and uneventful flight from Johannesburg , South Africa to Lilongwe, Malawi. 

There was a palpable sense of closeness to God as we practiced Amazing Grace in a parking lot

We reunited (some of us) and met for the first time (others of us) our wonderful and spirit-filled Malawian partners, who picked us up at the airport and brought us to our lodging here in Malawi. 

But the meeting at the church this evening…now THAT was what brought to perfect clarity, the verse that started this post; the verse that we discussed and marveled at when we gathered for our daily devotion! 

Because the love that was shared between and among all who were present this evening was palpable. 

There were dozens and dozens of people who came to greet us, to welcome us, to accept us. And there were so many precious and wonderful children!

The words of welcome were touching. The prayers were inspirational. And the songs they sang were so beautiful and joyful, and full of spirit, that translation was absolutely unnecessary!

It was crystal clear to anyone attending, that God was in our midst.