We traveled for six months through the warm heart of Africa. Backpacks, pick-up trucks, dusty roads, and more smiles than I knew existed. 

But for the first few months, I was pretty sure the entire continent was out to get me. 

Sure, there were swindlers and cheats, scam artists and robbers. 

But those you have everywhere. 

No, Malawi was truly the warm heart of Africa. 

Their kindness brought my guard down. Their sincerity had me doubting my understanding of the world. Their love taught me new ways to see people. 

This is one story of a single afternoon on a single day where the lives of two strangers met. 

We do have a choice as to how that encounter transpires. We might slightly alter the trajectory of someone's future by what we say, how we react, what we do. 

Sometimes, they alter yours.