Month nine began our final stretch of the Race on a new continent: Africa. First up was Zimbabwe. We were based in the second capital city of Bulawayo, which is located in the western half of the country. Our team, along with another from our squad, worked alongside a ministry called Scripture Union (SU) for the month. SU is a ministry that seeks to share the Gospel with students in schools throughout the city. Over the course of the month, we were able to share the Word with over 5,000 Zimbabwean young people.
We gathered each morning to receive our daily assignments before heading to a series of local coffee shops to spend the first part of our day before visiting the schools. Once it was time to go to the schools, we usually went in pairs or in threes along with a field officer from SU. They have roughly a dozen or more field officers, who are volunteers from the community, many of whom grew up involved in SU activities. Once we were on site, we usually had anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours to share the Word, which meant we often had to think on our feet and let the Holy Spirit guide us through the process. I was able to share much of my testimony alongside stories from Scripture such as The Vine and the Branches as well as Peter walking on the water to Jesus.
There was a moment during the month where I was definitely struck by what we were doing. We were standing up in front of hundreds of students who were hungry for the Word…and we obediently shared with them what the Lord was placing on our hearts. We were the vessel. The conduit between the Father and His children. How incredible is that? And the beautiful part is this: it can be done anywhere at any time. We are all called to be ambassadors of God’s Word, whether we are in Zimbabwe or at home.
Zimbabwe was marked by a lot of unique Race experiences as well. We were able to go to a Zimbabwean wedding, catered by one of our host families. We were able to go to a “proper Zimbabwean brai” where my teammate Zack was given the honor of slaughtering the goat. This was particularly special because the family only slaughters a goat once every year (Christmas Day), which means they chose to bless us in an extraordinary way that evening. Lastly, we were able to go hiking and bouldering in Matopos National Park.
One of the highlights for my month, however, was being able to team up with another squadmate, Victoria Baxter, to film and edit an anniversary documentary for SU. We were tasked during the first week with filming, editing, and presenting a documentary that encompasses everything SU has been doing and continues to do today for their 70th anniversary celebration dinner. This was an exhausting process, but the final product was well worth the time and effort. It was also the beginning of me discovering that the Lord has given me a huge passion and joy for film production.
All things considered, Zimbabwe was a perfect introduction into African culture and the final stage of the Race before heading home. Month nine flew by and month ten has followed suit.
As always, where else would I leave you than with a video that will show you in better detail everything that went on in Zimbabwe. Take care!
