Today I want to pray for all the people from Zimbabwe that have touched me this week. For Lovemo, his little two-year-old heart that has already seen too much of this wicked world. For Harriet, her finals are today and she hopes to get into boarding school in January. And for Sheila, her difficult role of being a single mother of five children while also being infected with HIV and TB. There have been a lot of instances lately that have touched my heart but these three people have had the biggest impacts so far.
Lovemo is an adorable little boy with big brown eyes and dirty feet. Both times that I have seen him this week he has been barefoot with only shorts and a t-shirt. That’s relatively normal for the kids to be wearing but yesterday was a pretty cold day. I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt with a hoodie and I was still cold. I’ve been feeling overwhelmed lately with all of the great need in this city to the point where I lose sight of what I can do, even if it’s something small. So I’m glad that when I saw Lovemo with his arms folded that I didn’t just overlook it as him standing funny, like he sometimes does. I realized he was probably really cold, considering I was cold and he is only a toddler. I took off my fleece hoodie and attempted to get his arms through, roll up the sleeves, and zip it up his little body. I stepped back and looked at his little face which instantly warmed my heart. It seemed like his demeanor changed and he was back to his playful self. He once again got his plate and ran right up to the front of the line to get food. We were having beans and sadza (cornmeal and water) and I knew my sweatshirt would come back to me in a mess, but seeing little Yoda-Lovemo warm and comforted was worth it.
Harriet is a beautifully talented teenage girl with a big heart for God. She recited some poetry for us with some of the other girls and it was so interesting to see her character change. All of the girls seemed pretty shy and quiet but once they started reciting poetry from memory, they broke out of their shells and turned into actresses. They also sang a few songs for us and it was so nice to see them open up to us like that within five minutes of meeting us. I loved seeing their talents because I couldn’t have done something like that. Then when we split up to talk one on one, I got to talk to Harriet. She shared with me that she had finals for school coming up and she was nervous because she really wanted to get into boarding school. She also expressed that she knew God would help her and that He would take care of her because she has trusted in Him as her provider. It was really inspiring to see her faith and trust in God and her love for Jesus Christ. She plays a big role in her family’s life because she only has a father at home.
Sheila is an older woman who takes care of five children by herself. Her husband died and she is starting to not feel too well; her stomach hurts all the time and her legs are starting to swell up. I didn’t know it at the time that we prayed for her, but she is HIV positive. I cannot even imagine trying to raise five kids on my own so when I learned that she has HIV, I was even more devastated. Your mind goes all different ways in these situations. I started wondering about the young kids, where they would go if Sheila passes on soon. These are the kinds of things that leave you speechless…
Please join me in praying for these three lovely people. I might only have a limited time to spend with them, but God is bigger. He can do anything and everything we ask of Him. All we have to do is ask. I’m asking Him to invade their lives with His love and Holy Spirit so that they may find hope in Him instead of this broken world.
