Or “Hello Everyone!” In Shona…. 🙂
We are finally in Zimbabwe! My team arrived last Tuesday, 9/17/19. We hit the ground running and haven’t stopped since!
This month we are partnering with an organization called Youth for Christ (a worldwide organization) in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. We work alongside young adults in their early 20s, to reach teenagers in the city. They have a center here that teens can come hang out at during any point of the day. The organization is also going into several high schools each week, teaching the Gospel, performing dramas, and loving on students.
If you know me at all, you know that I love it here so far! I have been working with my church’s youth group back home for 5 years now. (Engage Students! Go check them out on FB or Insta! – Shameless plug, you’re welcome, Jeff!) I LOVE TEENAGERS! Youth ministry is definitely the area of ministry I am most comfortable in. I can’t wait to continue learning from the team here and be able to share some things I’ve learned with them. I’ve been able to teach dramas to the team, which is something else I love!
Last week was a week of meeting and getting to know the YFC team and what all they do on a daily/weekly basis. Our team also got to minister at a girl’s book club/Bible study group (35 girls there) and at a girl’s boarding school (100 girls). I got to share on Esther at both places and my team shared what was on their hearts’ as well.
This week, however, starts a citywide campaign called “Bulawayo for Jesus” or Proclamation Week. This is a week where all of the local Christian churches and organizations are coming together to preach the Gospel all over the city through crusades, school outreaches, and street/door-to-door evangelism. The churches are hungry for revival in their city! We spent Friday night at an all-night prayer event, just praying for revival to come to Bulawayo and for locals to be receptive to the Gospel. I was in awe watching everyone cry out for their city. It was beautiful.
The kick-off crusade was last night, today is Overflow’s (my team) Sabbath day, then starting tomorrow, we will jump in full force in the schools and street evangelism for the rest of the week. I can’t wait to see what all the Lord is going to do!
This month, we are staying with the sweetest hosts that work for the organization, Sheunesu and Susan! They welcomed us into their home with open arms. They have also agreed to let me called them my Zim parents. 🙂
We are so blessed to be here in Bulawayo this month. We all love it! What’s even cooler is that we are getting to take what we learned last month at Impact Africa and teach it here! From evangelism to dramas, we are getting to use and teach it all. Thankful that the Lord has orchestrated our steps so that we could be poured into, to then also pour into others.
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out!
-Autum 🙂
P.S. Prayer requests:
-“Bulawayo for Jesus” that young people (& all ages) would come to know Jesus and revival would spread!
-Team health
-Me. I’ve had a few waves of homesickness.
-Strength and rest! They keep us busy here (& we love it), but we need our physical bodies to be strong and feel rested to carry out the mission here.
