Hello all! I’m sorry I haven’t updated in a while! The wi-fi in Africa is very scarce and unreliable so I will be updating my blog as frequently as possible! I am currently in Swaziland so my blogs are a bit behind but here is my ministry recap from Zimbabwe! Enjoy :]
Month 8 was supposed to be spent in Botswana. One week before we left Asia, we were told that my team would be sent to a different country than the rest of our squad. Our setup sheet informed us that we would be doing evangelism, Bible crusades, and planting churches and the co-ed team had been requested for safety reasons. We were told that our team would now be going to Zimbabwe apart from the rest of Q squad and while some of us were bummed about it, the rest were just indifferent. Thankfully, the Lord goes before us and knows exactly what we need because Zimbabwe was everything I didn’t know that I needed.
The first 11 days in Zim were spent in Bulawayo at our host’s home. It was a house that made us feel at home with lots of laughter, a cozy fire every night in the fireplace, and a beautiful yard! We rarely had running water or power but our mornings were free to spend time with the Lord, lay in our hammocks and read for hours, and play games with each other until lunch at 11:30. In the afternoons, we would drive an hour to a small village and split up into teams where we would then go door to door meeting people to tell them about Jesus. During those 11 days, 35 people gave their lives to Christ!
On Sunday, we planted a church in the village that we had been evangelizing in and I had the honor of preaching the very first sermon. I shared my testimony and talked about the reckless love that God has for us and how no matter how far we try to run from Him, He will always chase after us. Immediately after I was finished speaking, two women gave their lives to Christ. It was incredible and I was so thankful that the Lord was able to use my story to touch their heart!
Halfway through the month, we packed our bags and left for Binga. Binga was a 6-hour drive from where we were staying and we were told that it is the bush of Africa. Funny thing….there were no bushes in Binga. We call it the thistle of Africa because all the trees and plants have long sharp thorns on them as if they will be attacked at any moment! We laughed at first because they look like toothpicks which started the conversation about whether or not toothpicks grow on trees. They don’t…also, those toothpicks hurt when they go through your toe!
We arrived in Binga and absolutely fell in love! We were staying on the grounds of an orphanage in our own house with the most comfortable beds we’ve slept in all year, a nice shower with running water, and constant power. During our free time, the girls stayed cooped up in our rooms just so we could spend as much time in our beds as possible! We were also surrounded by goats everywhere we went! Big goats, little goats, itty bitty baby goats…they even offered us goat to eat! (I couldn’t do it, they were so cute!)
For ministry, we had a 2-hour drive to the village of Lubimbi. The drive was an adventure in itself; we rode 2 hours in a van that had to have been anointed by the Lord, Himself! The road was dirt with large jagged rocks EVERYWHERE. We basically bounced up and down and prayed the frame of the van didn’t fall away the first 2 days. We did door to door evangelism Monday through Friday and planted another church in the village and there were 79 people in attendance on the very first Sunday! I encountered some of the worst spiritual warfare of my life in Binga, but that is evidence that the Spirit is alive and working there. During our 2 week stay in Binga, we saw 176 people come to Christ and 4 healings!
After leaving Binga, we were blessed to be able to go to Victoria Falls and stay with some friends of our host in the most beautiful mansion. Victoria Falls was an actual dream and my first natural wonder of the world! I have loved connecting with the Lord through His creation this year and seeing the falls was incredible!
All in all, I wasn’t very excited about Africa because I had no idea what to expect, but as usual, God blew my low expectations out of the water! I am so excited about what He has in store for the next 3 months!
Exponentially grateful for this life,
Hannah
