Our team has been in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe for a little over a week now. We are partnering with an organization called Youth for Christ and it has been an absolute blast.
So far, ministry has looked like building a playground at a local church.
Over the last week, we’ve been spending days clearing and leveling land, learning to mix cement the African way, and installing play equipment. Right now, the playground is fully equipped with a swing set, a teeter totter, some tires for climbing on, and plenty of room for running around.
The next generation of Zimbabwean Christ followers get to grow up on this playground. But it’s not just a playground, it’s learning ground. I pray that on that teeter totter they come to know that their debt is paid. I pray that on that swing set they learn just how incredibly loved they are. I pray that on that playground they know that they belong and that they carry a piece of the Father’s heart that the world desperately needs.
Ministry has also looked like (my favorite thing in the world) MORE TEACHING!
Last week, we spent a Saturday teaching a local church’s youth group of about 60 about evangelism and sharing the gospel within their community. The next day, we got to go back and lead the group’s weekly Sunday night service and talk about ways we all view the Lord and how it impacts our daily lives.
Spending time with this group has been so special. They minister to us just as much, if not more than, we minister to them. Their faith in and love for the Lord is inspiring. The relationships we’ve formed with them are authentic and real. They’re comfortable with us and we’re comfortable with them. No conversation is off limits.
This week our team spent a morning speaking to a high school about forgiveness. Later this week and into next week, we’ll be doing some more teaching in schools and at churches on things like prayer and being a loyal solider of the Lord.
Ministry has also looked a lot like hospitality and relationship building. It’s inviting local ministry volunteers over for dinner or coffee and spending time in conversation about what the Lord is doing in their lives and ministry. It’s spending time pouring love into them so they can pour that love right back out exactly where they are after our team is long gone.
It’s in times like that that the Lord reminds me how much He loves me. Sometimes I look around and He reminds me “Hey, you’re having coffee with a friend on the other side of the world right now,” or “I know there’s a major power crisis here, but look how brightly the stars shine in the sky. I put them there just for you.”
Zimbabwe is special. The people are special. The way the Lord loves His children here is special. Zimbabwe has a major water, power, and gasoline shortage right now. Money is short and most Zimbabweans live on less than $60 a month. But the joy and love of the Lord is strong here.
A few months ago I had a conversation with the Lord about purple flowers. I just love them. Every kind. I always have and probably always will.
When I see them I’m reminded of the Lord’s love. It’s like He’s saying “Hey, I see you. You’re my daughter and I love you. I made these for you,” every time I see them.
You know what Zimbabwe is full of?
Purple flowers.
Jackaranda trees line the streets and purple flowers litter the roads. The coffee shop we visit has a garden full of lavender. I’ve seen different kinds of purple flowers around every corner since we got here.
Zimbabwe is special. Our time here so far has been so sweet. The Lord loves us the same amount no matter where we go and what we do. But I can’t help but see His love a little more in this beautiful country. Thank you Lord, for Zimbabwe.
