Welcome to Zimbabwe! The country where the money is made up and the speed limit doesn’t matter!
What a TRIP!! This country has seriously been incredible. I’ll take it back a little bit.
We arrived in Bulawayo on the 29th of March after a crazy 11+ hours at the boarder filled with plenty of those pictures that your friends take of you while you sleep in unflattering positions with your mouth open and multiple chins.. my favorite! We eventually made it out of South Africa and into Zimbabwe where we were welcomed into our host’s guest house with homemade shepherd’s pie (insert dry tears of joy).
Our team hasn’t just been blessed with an empty place to stay here, there is actually a prior WR couple from America who currently live in this house but they are staying with the Pastor, just so we can have a home to ourselves! Talk about generosity!!
We are working with a church here called Bulawayo Baptist. (Our host is the Pastor so it’s really convenient). Last week, we helped out with a few thing around the church. Going to meetings, painting a few offices, decorating for a night of worship, selling popcorn and baked goods at a church block party, hanging out with the youth group!
Last weekend our host’s wife, Tammy, took us to one of the orphanages she helps take care of, the Sandra Jones Center. This is a place for abused girls to go. I could actually talk for hours about what I saw there but I’ll try to make it brief..
This was probably the most incredible, satisfying facilities I’ve ever seen for the simple fact that it is soooo extremely self-sustaining, it blows my mind!
I’m talking gardens, chickens for meat, laying hens, rabbits for meat, sheep, alfalfa, and enough of everything to eat and sell and keep the place going.. it’s education for the girls, life skills, chores, home.. it’s life done as a team.
It struck a chord with me on an instrument of passion I buried not all that long ago. An excitement for this simplistic, minimalistic, whole lifestyle that I want to discover so much more about.
Wow! I couldn’t stop thinking about it.. well that is until this week happened.
This week we are working with what they call “Holiday Club” that is more commonly known as Vacation Bible School (VBS) in America! It’s a week long camp for children to come, hear a Bible story, play games, and so much more!
Wow do those kiddos take out your energy!! Today was only day two and I’m already so thrilled and slightly exhausted from pouring out everything I have into the fun-filled, Victory themed Camp!
All of the materials were donated from a church in America and is being passed on to different churches here! HOW COOL IS THAT??? Seriously, what better use of leftover materials??
Camp has been incredible and I’ve loved watching the kids in my small group open up and memorize our “memory verses”. At the end of the day, the leaders meet together, talk about what happened, talk about what to do differently, talk about highlights and how we saw God move, eat lunch, and pray.
As I closed my eyes to pray today, all I could see was a bunch of small African children with their arms stretched up to me, some pulling at me just wanting a piece of love, attention and affection. It is one of the sweetest feelings to be able to give a piece of my heart to different children during our break time. I can’t really explain the wholeness I felt today from one of the smallest little girls, her relentless climb up into my lap, the look in her eyes, the slight tug of her small hands through my short hair, her giggle, her joy.
This is living.
oh! and as I mentioned earilier.. their economy isn’t doing so hot(with around a 95% UNemployment rate) and they are currently using what they call “Zim Bond” which is conviniently equivalent to the US dollar (so they say). Unfortunately, only Zimbabwe recognizes it as any sort of real currency. And their speed limits.. well if you happen to see one posted (I haven’t), they don’t seem too worried about following it! They have these things called “50 cent texis” that are random Honda Fits where they literally pack as MANY people inside as they can (I’ve seen 10 not including the driver). I usually end up in the “boot“.. or as we Americans call it, the trunk.
I’ve surely been stretched on this thing called the World Race. I never thought I’d be where I am.. and I am loving it 🙂
“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me”
Matthew 18:3-5 ESV
