“Odi, Odi?” Is a very common phrase here in Malawi. Odi, basically translates to “may I enter?” I have the pleasure of living with Tinashe Saka, a college graduate from African Bible College and graduate of Urban Promise Entrepreneurial Fellowship. She is co-founder of RiseMalawi. Due to that she is highly respected in this community, a different one than where she was raised. Also, she never says no to “Odi.”
Friday night we told stories and laughed until the early hours and then grinned big knowing we could sleep in. We joked about not opening the door to the early morning “Odi’s” because Tinashe needed rest. Despite what was said, many people came, asking, “Odi? Odi?” with no refusal from Tinashe. The love and hospitality she shares is indescribable. She drops what she is doing knowing she may lose time to herself to lend an ear to a broken soul.
Over dinner she told me of the “tears that were shed in this house today…not down cheeks but displayed on faces…” I was at a loss for words with the selflessness she possess and the brokeness of this world. In this community women are suffering with men who practice polygamy, broken marriages due to differing religious beliefs and children struggling to obtain the basics, like underwear and soap. Join me in prayer for those who come and sit; lets pray for them to find hope. Also pray that living with Tinashe I will emulate the patience and love she exudes. I hope Tinashe can help us connect to the ways Jesus loved. John 15:12-13 “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Great love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
If you know Tinashe, encourage her. She is carrying quite the load.
Zikomo
mollytomalawi 