Has Been Well Worth The Wait!
I know this should have been written like 2 weeks ago…
but things have been SO BUSY BUT OH SO GOOD HERE IN ZIMBABWE!
I am truly in love.
My 4 year old self knew that there was something so special about Africa. My 4 year old self longed to be here; she knew. My 4 year old self was so right; Zim, as the locals here call Zimbabwe, has been even more incredible than I have ever imagined it being. The moment we got to Africa I felt that I was home. My 19 year old self knew Africa would be special as well when God revealed to me that I would be a missionary in Africa at some point. And at almost 28 years old, I feel so at peace. I am literally so happy every single day. Africa, you have captured my heart and continue to as every day passes.
Our team this month was partnered with a wonderful couple, Al and Shelley (and Caleb, their son) and their organization, “Lasting Impressions.” “Lasting Impressions,” primarily run leadership development camps, life skill camps, and environmental camps for various ages. According to their website, www.lasting-impressions.org, their mission is, “We aim to make a positive impact on the hearts and minds of the people of Zimbabwe through educational camps, inspirational retreats & community events in a picturesque setting.”
And boy, do they accomplish their mission with EVERY SINGLE THING THEY DO! Al and Shelley have this level of grace, love, and patience that is truly inspiring. There are a lot of things going on here in Zimbabwe and Al and Shelley face challenges every single day, but they do it with prayer as their tool. They have welcomed 6 20-something year old ladies into their family. They drive us everywhere and we eat meals with them every single day. We have laughed and cried together, prayed together, and genuinely love each other. I am literally tearing up as I am writing this blog because I am not ready to leave this amazing family in 2 days. It is really cool that Lasting Impresions has had stuff for all of us on Ivy that we truly love. We all feel so at home!
There is also a lot of interesting things happening here in Zim and times are tough financially for the country. Lasting Impressions is truly an amazing place and they need your support prayerfully and financially; if you feel led! Please check out their website!
Canoeing in our “backyard” on the River
This month has gone by incredibly fast, but we have done so much. The first week we were here we helped Shelley do random things around her house, played with orphans, and we planned and ran 2, 2-day camps; one for women and one for kids. The end of that week AL and Shelley took us “on a mini-vacation,” to a game range where we got to see wild African animals in their natural habitat with another family. It was amazing! God’s creation is absolutely breath-taking! We got to see the boys of the other family learn how to hunt. I watched Peter, our game guide skin/take apart impala that the boys hunted. We fed wild bush babies bananas and got to see Zebra, Giraffe, and endangered Black Rhino! It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience!
2 Of The Kids From the Orphanage
The Traditional African Way To Carry A Baby
I Got To Teach Swimming Lessons To Some Of The Village Kids
Some Of The Village Kids, They Climbed All Over You And Just Want To Be Held
Our second week we found ourselves helping out with a leadership camp for a 6th grade class that came from a Jewish School in Harare. It was a packed week but so fun! I would begin my day early up between 4 and 5 am to spend some time with Jesus before the 5:45am staff devotion time. Then the kids would do an activity (big group game,) and have devotions in their teams before breakfast. We then would do group simulations until the morning tea time followed by more simulations before lunch. After lunch came rest time and then a seminar for the campers and rest/team time for Ivy. Then group simulations would continue until afternoon tea time. Then the kids would shower and play outside. We would have dinner, a group activity, and then the kids would have an evening devotional before finally going off to bed. Towards the end of the week I was telling “scary stories,” to the campers at night, literally every single camper in the camp would sit and listen to me, it was so funny/cute. Jess and I had the “mango,” group. We had 10 wonderful campers who we already miss so much. The amount of growth they went through in just 4 days was astounding! They left camp as a completely different set of kids. It was definitely a week to remember.
After the kids left on Friday morning, we then had to transform the campground into a venue for a wedding. We prepped all day Friday and then Saturday morning through the afternoon leading up to the wedding and then served and were gophers for most of the wedding! It was a long, tiring day but it was absolutely beautiful! Al and Shelley truly outdid themselves!
Last night most of us slept outside since we had to give up our cottage for some of the wedding gifts. This morning I helped serve the guests breakfast and came back to the house where my team surprised me with a birthday brunch since we will be busy traveling on my birthday! I was so surprised, it was wonderful! We have been granted a well deserved rest day today, which I have enjoyed being on the couch and watching movies. That is one way that I rest well! Tonight we’re watching a movie with Caleb, Al, and Shelley! We are trying to savor our last few days together with them! We leave on the 19th (my bday) to head to Victoria Falls for a day before rejoining our squad for our last LDW and before we all head off to Swaziland!
Zim, you have been SO good to us! Al even told me that there is just something truly special about Africa. Once you’ve tasted it, you can’t forget it, it stays with you, deep inside. Thank you Al and Shelley for a fantastic month and a great way to start off Africa. (We were spoiled SO much this month!) God, thanks for blessing us abundantly! Zimbabwe, Al and Shelley, we love you and will miss you so much!
