Ovaha's Hut: First Visit to Ovaha's Hut

Angela Yu and Mark on the way to Ovaha's Hut place

My first visit to Ovaha’s Hut was heartbreaking and very powerful. I was moved and could see the heartache and pain in the eyes of the elders. I saw a connection with Lawrence and the villagers, a real deep connection that cant be accurately described with words. The trip to get to Mulanje and the village is about 1.5 hours by way of mini-bus from Blantyre. The backdrop of the Mulanje mountain range is beautiful and the people that live in it’s shadows have hearts as big as the towering mountains.

We arrived early Saturday morning and met with 20 of the elders. Lawrence laid out the plan to assist and visit them in the coming months. I didn’t understand much since the conversation was in the native Chichewa tongue but I saw hearts open and ears holding attention to Lawrence’s every word for an hour. After we talked with the elders, we greeted each of them and gave them a little bit of spending money that was donated by Ovaha supporters. We then walked around the village, checking out the homes of the villagers. Sad conditions but the zest for life is real there. The villagers live hard, tough lives. You can can see the wrinkles in the face of the elders. Years of barely getting by and raising children with very little. I also saw the hope, hope for the future. Hope for Ovaha’s Hut and hope for Lawrence.

As we headed back to Blantyre, I put in my earbuds and just sat in thought for most of the ride. I thought about how I ended up in a village in Africa with a dear friend. I thought about God using me to help with the blog and fundraising for Ovaha’s Hut. I thought about being an answer to prayers in the village. As I prayed for the villagers, I asked God to alleviate some of the problems that plague the village. I prayed for hope, comfort and peace. I prayed for support for the village. I prayed for guidance and growth. I prayed that God uses Lawrence and he is granted wisdom to help his village. I prayed that we are able to bring an ounce of happiness and the hope of Jesus to the people. January is going to be a big month for Ovaha’s Hut, please continue to pray for this project.