Megan Mathis
Co-Founder & Director of Fundraising- Denver, CO
I grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles and am grateful to have attended undergrad at the University of Southern California (Fight On!) followed by University College of London for an MSc in Globalization. My dream was to work in the music industry (despite growing up with zero musical ability). Never in a million years would I think that my passion for music would take me to a tiny land-locked country in southeast Africa, but it did! I’d always had a heart for giving back, volunteering wherever I lived and travelled so when an opportunity came about to volunteer for the Lake of Stars Music Festival in Malawi, I jumped at the chance.
In 2010 I travelled to Malawi as a research volunteer for the festival and was forever changed by this experience. I had never seen extreme poverty up close- between an AIDS and malaria epidemic, no access to education beyond primary school, subsistence farming at the mercy of changing weather patterns, lack of access in many areas to sanitary water, food or health care, and a tremendously low rate of literacy, my eyes were permanently opened to how the majority of the world lives. At the same time, I was also tremendously moved by the love, community and kindness of the Malawian people, the happiness they exuded in spite of all their afflictions, and their unrelenting faith in Christ despite the heavy hand so many of them been dealt. There’s a reason Malawi is affectionately known as “The Warm Heart of Africa.”
I met our now in-country director Hudson during this trip and over the next 8 years partnered with him in small fundraising efforts to bring educational opportunity to children in Malawi. In 2018, following the sudden passing of my mother, God called me and Hudson into this work full-time, and RiseUp Malawi was born.
As I continue to grow in my relationship with the Lord, I have a better understanding of the life of Jesus Christ and how He demonstrated perfect servanthood. Specifically, I've learned that there is great responsibility that comes with financial blessing. Good stewardship of God’s finances means recognizing that we didn’t earn or deserve a penny, and that the Lord blesses the few in order to bless the many. Testimony after testimony from my work with RiseUp has shown me that God provides most when we are in service to our brothers and sisters here on Earth and living out His great commandment to “love the neighbor.”
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28