Month two has been such a stark change from month one. Zimbabwe is truly unlike any place I’ve ever been, and the problems they face are things you only read or hear about in the news. Zim, as it’s called locally, is in the middle of one of the biggest financial crises in the world today. The country is currently number one in the world for inflation percentage, and the money type situation is beyond confusing. However, the people of Zim are some of the friendliest I’ve ever encountered. Our time here has been marked with many situations that could be considered negative, but my team has done an unbelievable job getting something positive out of these situations whether that’s physically, emotionally, or spiritually. The government of Bulawayo turns off the power in the city for about 12-16 hours daily, sometimes water gets shut off or a pipe burst, our ministry host never plans out more than a day ahead, and many other inconveniences. The power outages have brought us closer through cooking dinner in the dark or spending uninterrupted team time together on the couches trying to ward off mosquitoes. The money situation has required us to live minimalistically for the entire month, during which nearly all of us have spent no personal money. The ministry planning has made us to be more flexible and willing to be present and just take things one day at a time. All of this gets wrapped up into what my team affectionately calls TIA (this is Africa).
One thing that has been blatantly different this month is the inconsistency of ministry here in Zim. We are partnered with Bulawayo Baptist Church here in the city, and we are sort of shared between the pastor of the church and the outreach coordinator. Our first week here we helped with a city-wide outreach week called Bulawayo for Jesus. This is a week where all the local churches, regardless of denomination come out and work together to spread the word of God in the community. During this week we went to the market and evangelized, helped work a concert featuring local christian artists, did kids ministry for hundreds of kids out in the outskirts of town, and prayed over numerous people. The next two weeks were a little more routine, but the occasional curve ball was never out of the question. One of the big ministries we helped out with is centered around eggs. Our host boils upwards of 10,000 eggs a week to take to kids in the local schools and communities. For some of these children, this is the only protein they would receive during the week. We helped our host boil eggs a couple different times a week, and also helped pass out the eggs at schools. While at the schools, we also performed a vbs style worship and devotional session. Sometimes Austin, Jeeves, and I were able to go play soccer with locals through the street boys ministry that a world race alumni and his wife are in charge of. Sports ministry is definitely where I feel most at home, and this is a ministry I could see myself partnering with in some capacity. Also this ministry made me miss my soccer boys back home who I’ve fortunately been able to keep up with in some ways. However, most days saw us going into the street and evangelising, cleaning the home of an elderly church member and listening to their stories, or going to another local church and hanging out with kids all day. Month two also presented internal hardship for most of my team as different situations unfolded. It’s about this time that you really begin to see intentionality within your personal life and those who are willing to seek it. In a conversation I had with the racer who’s blog brought me to this race, I was informed that one of the hardest parts of the race is seeing the people who continue to pursue you and the people who fall away. It’s definitely not easy when people fall away from your life, but it’s truly amazing to see the people who want to pursue you, and it’ll even shock you sometimes at who those people are. This is also where I’ve been super thankful for a team that seeks growth and understanding. A team that isn’t afraid to call you higher, but also present grace. Koinonia, I am extremely grateful that this has become a family more than a team. Ally, Austin, Brooke, Erin, and Jeeves..Thank you.
This month flew by, and it seems like it shouldn’t be time to leave yet. We were able to make friendships with locals in the church and to see those develop so quickly was amazing and will be difficult to leave. As we gear up for month three, I can say my heart is ready for the challenges of manistry month (all male month) and the required roughing it that comes with it. God continues to show me His presence and His heart here in Africa, and I continue to be amazed by what He has next.
