Zimbabwe was a great month. The Fellowship, my team at that time, was paired up with Team Gener8 in the town of Chinhoyi. We were blessed by having an American couple as our hosts, Mark and Helen Begarly.
Mark and Helen have been serving in Zimbabwe for many years. They work alongside the natives and have really created a home and family there. It is a partnership and the people truly value their wisdom from their many years of experience. They started the Huntington Retreat Center just outside the city and they also started a church within the city of Chinhoyi.
We worked at both locations throughout the month. Monday mornings we would get everything together and travel to the retreat center to work for the week and on Fridays we would come back to Mark and Helen’s house for the weekend.
While at the retreat center we painted all the buildings, inside and out. It was a chore but so rewarding when we finished. It took us all month.
We got to cook our meals over ire and eat all together. It was a lot of fun. It was really a retreat for us as well. We were out in the middle of nowhere of Zimbabwe. There was no traffic or city noise but nature all around. The tall grass swayed in the wind and stars gave light at night as we stood in awe at God’s creation day after day and night after night. It was so peaceful.
We also painted the inside and outside of the church our last weekend there as well as the gate at Mark and Helen’s.
Some people would say, “All you did was paint all month?” Well, yes and no.
It was a great month for building relationships not only between the two teams but also with the people we worked alongside.
Mark and Helen were like parents to us all and loved on us so well. They truly made us feel at home. It was the first time in a while that we could really joke around with our hosts and they would actually get the jokes. It was nice to connect with someone from our own culture but who got the present culture as well.
We made some great Zimbabwean family; Catherine, Takawira, Herman, Mr. Chando, Brian, all the women from church, and all the kids from youth group.
Every Saturday afternoon we had youth group. It was so awesome. So many were thirsty for the Word of God and its’ meaning. Taka is the youth minister. He and Herman actually had the opportunity to receive an education at a seminary in Michigan on full-ride scholarships. They are both such awesome men of God.
Going to youth group and hearing God’s Word taught was such a true blessing to us and not just the students.
It was also a great month of music for me personally. Between Allison and Brian God really filled up the part of my soul that had been longing for some sweet songs and good worship that I could sing with.
One Friday night we had an All Night Prayer with the women from church. I will say we all pretty much dreaded it. Staying up all night is difficult let alone praying all night as well.
It turned out to be one of my favorite nights. We each shared something. Some of the women shared. We sang songs, ate, and just had great fellowship. It was awesome! We all left exhausted but with great encouragement and deeper love for one another.
Zimbabwe was such a great month and God continues to show me how to love more and more.
