We very much enjoyed having Shasta (our Forwarding Agent and Treasurer) with us for a 10 day visit! The day after we picked her up from the airport, we drove just outside of Harare for an overnight stay at a game park. We had never been there before, so we weren't exactly sure what to expect and it exceeded our expectations! It was very fun and Shasta enjoyed seeing many animals up close and in person.

Scroll through the slideshow below to see the pictures!

We went on a couple game drives, walked with elephants, fed rhinos, had some wonderful meals, and got to see a gorgeous sunset over a lake. This is definitely a place where we could take visitors in the future..hint, hint ;-) 

Once back in Chinhoyi, Shasta led a 4 day sewing seminar at our home for the Wednesday ladies. Our dining room table was taken up with sewing machines and the living room was full of measuring, cutting, and ironing.

It had been a full year since the women made bags when Nan (also on our board) was here and taught them how to make bags for the first time. This time, the bags were similar, but additionally they are reversible, have pockets, have longer straps, and a button to keep them closed.

The ladies were extremely excited to make bags and each made two or three. Our inverter came in very handy on the last day when we had 7 hours without electricity. We barely noticed though, as the sewing machines and lights could still be used. What a blessing the inverter is!

Scroll through the slideshow below to see all the pictures!

The ladies were sad to tell Shasta goodbye and each one wanted an individual picture with her! We are thankful for her generosity of time and resources that she was willing and able to make the trip! We took her to the airport last weekend and she made it safely back to Idaho.

She took the bags and many pieces of jewelry with her. They will be for sale and we will get them up on the website ASAP for you to browse through.

Last week was a whirlwind filled with excitement, exhilaration, and finally exhaustion. The theme for VBS was "How to Become a Christian." Each day their lessons focused on one or two components: Hear, Believe, Repent, Confess, Be Baptized, and Live a Christian Life. We spoke about grace and Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and what Scripture tells us about being saved. Everything backed up the lessons - the crafts, the activities, the skits, the worship time, memory verses - everything we did reiterated the components and ultimately the theme. We have so much to tell you that it's hard to know where to even begin.​

VBS was Monday-Friday and we had the kids from 1:00-4:30, except Friday when they came at 10:00, which gave us time to serve them lunch and have the ceremony at the end of the day with their families, and then left at the regular time. Those were the times for the kids, but of course we were working early every morning and late into the night on multiple occasions. Even though the theme was different, the week looked pretty similar to others that we've had. Below is a video of pictures from the week.

Several of the women from our groups volunteered in various capacities throughout the week. I picked a group of them up on Friday morning at 7:00am, so they could begin preparing and cooking lunch. In all there were 18 chickens (some donated by them and others we bought from them), potatoes, rice, and vegetables. We are very thankful for their giving of their time and energy!

The most significant events came at the end of the week. As we said, throughout the entire week we reinforced the content of the lessons over and over. On Thursday, during the lesson time, we gave the older children (10-13 year olds) two sheets of paper. One was blank and the other had a crossword puzzle. After hearing and understanding what it means to become a Christian, we gave them the option to commit their lives to Jesus. If they didn't want to, they were able to do the crossword puzzle. If they did want to become a Christian, they wrote a letter stating what they believe on the blank sheet. This way, there was no pressure and no one knew what anyone else was doing, whether they were doing the puzzle or they were making a decision.

​37 children chose to write letters stating what they believe and also that they would like to become Christians and follow Jesus! Below you can see a picture of all the letters. The reason we had them write letters is so that they could take them home and if they keep them, months or years later they can look back to this point in time and see what they believed and their desire to follow Jesus.

​After writing that letter on Thursday, we gave the 37 children letters for their parents/guardians stating that we would be baptizing anyone of them who would like to and that we wouldn't do it without a parent/guardian's permission and signature. We were very clear that in order to be baptized, Yolanda and I did not NEED to be the ones to do it. The parent or a pastor or someone else could do it. Or they could do it any other time. But we would be doing it on Friday for those who wanted to.

​We brought their letters home on Thursday night so we could read them and determine whether or not they fully grasped what it meant to become a Christian and that they were mature enough to be baptized. There were only 2 who we decided that we wouldn't baptize, even if their parents said it was ok.

Many of these letter showed lots of maturity and understanding and a strong desire to follow Jesus. Read these three to see how God has been working in their hearts.

​Takudzwa's is first. In it he says, "I know you're my Savior. I will follow you, so help me God."

Nyasha's is below.  In it he says, "You say Christ let the young children come to me. We will come to you. I want to become a new Christian, forever and ever amen."

Below is Craig's. In it he says, "I want to live a life like Christ."

Such precious words from believing hearts.

In the next two pictures, Nyasha was just as excited!

Each one who was baptized received a baptism certificate, as well as an orange "coupon" informing them to meet us this Saturday so that we can give them each a Bible. After we knew the number of Bibles we would need, we bought them in Harare this week and will meet the children in the high density area where they waited each day for VBS to be picked up by the bus. How eager they are to receive their very own copy of the Bible!

​What a wonderful week this was for these children and their families! 37 of them made decisions and we don't know what else may come from this week and we may never know. Each day parents/guardians received letters relaying the lessons that the kids were experiencing and also their memory verses. How many parents or siblings have something stirred in their hearts? How many children who attended have seeds planted and may make decisions weeks or years down the road?

Next week, our Forwarding Agent and JM2Z board member, Shasta, will be visiting us for 10 days. This is her first trip to Zimbabwe. Please be in prayer for her safety in 37 hours of flying/traveling (one-way) to get here. She will be leading a sewing seminar for the women, but will also just see what life is like in Zim. Shasta sees every single one of JM2Z's receipts and knows all that goes into the ministry and she is looking forward to seeing it up close, in person.