Blog: Malawi – The Warm Heart of Africa
From 19 to 28 October, Luiz H. Seidel, Dr. Mirjam Laaser and Tobias Schäfer-Sell from the Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Lower Saxony (ELM) will be travelling in Malawi.
Together with Finn Peters and Wiebke Zimmermann from the Committee for Mission and Ecumenism of the Regional Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover, they are visiting our partner church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi (ELCM).
The focus of the ten-day trip is on encounters and shared discussions on the themes of youth and the future, displacement and migration, and sustainability.
In this travel diary, we’ll take you along to Malawi. We’ll share personal impressions, recount moving encounters and provide insights into the partnership between our churches – ten days full of dialogue, inspiration and new perspectives.
You can read the reports for each day here. The latest report will always appear at the top.
19 October 2026: Arrival in the Warm Heart of Africa
After a long journey, we arrived in Malawi today. As soon as we crossed the border, we realised why the country is known as the ‘Warm Heart of Africa’.
The health check was followed by immigration control, where our e-visas were checked. Waiting, changing counters, waiting again – and finally, when it was her turn at the counter, Dr Mirjam Laaser recounts the official’s question: “What are you coming to Malawi for?”
“Oh dear,” I thought at first. But when I explained that I was here on official business, visiting the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi with a delegation, the young official looked up and beamed at me: “But that’s a blessing for us. A very warm welcome!’
I hadn’t expected that. I tell her that she is the first border official in the world to welcome me like this – and that this encounter is a blessing for me too. By the end, we’re both beaming. And ‘Warm Heart of Africa’ takes on a whole new meaning for me right from the moment I arrive.
The warm welcome continues afterwards too. The airport staff have already taken our luggage off the carousel and set it aside. Outside, John, the representative of our partner church, the ELCM, is waiting for us, together with the driver who will be accompanying us this week. Together, we set off for the church’s guest house in Lilongwe.
In the afternoon, we get to know the church compound and its surroundings during a walk and a short guided tour. It’s a first impression of the place where we’ll be spending the coming days. Afterwards, we go over our programme once more and round off the day with dinner together.
Tomorrow morning, we’ll take part in the daily morning devotions in the main church. We have a long day ahead of us – filled with encounters we’re really looking forward to.
