My squad and I have now been in Africa for a month and a half. Until now, I haven’t been able to connect to wifi that is adequate enough to post a blog.
A quick update: September was spent in Zimbabwe in a town called Bulawayo. My team partnered with a local ministry to support them by assisting with house visits and encouraging the local believers, hosting a sports camp, doing door-to-door evangelism, and much more. Later in the month, we moved to a rural community called Binga, where we stayed in an incomplete house without running water or electricity. We had to pump our own water and carry it on our heads back to the house, and we cooked over an open fire. This was actually my favorite part of the month. Having all the easy comforts stripped away really made me appreciate everything that I have back home, and we made some great memories. We spent this week doing house visits, building an orphanage, and I helped out in a local clinic.
After visiting Binga, we went to Victoria falls for a couple of days. It was so fun to be back there (I’ve been three times) and see the places I have fond memories of.
This month, we are in Swaziland. The first week we arrived, we had PVT. PVT (or parent vision trip) is a week where parents have the opportunity to visit their racers and participate in ministry. My parents came out and we volunteered at a center where we played with children and taught life lessons. It was so fun to see them and be back in Africa together.
Once PVT ended, we split up to go to our ministry sites. The squad was divided into two, and our half is in a rural community working with an AIM base (AIM is the parent ministry that the Race works under). We have been living on a school property and walking 5k to get to our ministry site where we play with kids that come from homes that aren’t welcoming. The site that we work at acts as a safe place for kids that can’t afford to go to school, and as an after school community where kids learn life lessons and about the love of Christ. Meals are prepared for the kids twice a day so that no one goes home hungry.
It has been great to be back in Africa, and it feels like home again. However, it hasn’t been easy. Although Southern Africa is predominantly Christian, it is mostly a cultural Christianity. People profess to be a Christian and may attend church on Sundays, but their lives do not reflect it. The ministries we are working with are great, but they need a lot of prayer and partnerships for them to be successful. So keep us in your prayers as we partner with some amazing local christians.
