Relationships and Unity

One of our goals is to get more involved in the community and build relationships. To that end, a couple Saturdays ago, we went to the local school for the morning. They were having several rugby and field hockey games. They were fundraising for their new equestrian program by selling breakfast sandwiches, hamburgers, popcorn, other snacks, and drinks. It was my first rugby game in person. Being so close, even at the high school level, you could see how rough of a sport it is. The paramedics had to come on the field 5 or 6 times. We saw several people we already knew and met new people as well. It was a nice morning and was fun. We were also made aware of a man in Chinhoyi who has a massive e-mail list and sends out messages about items for sale and upcoming events in town. This helped us find a good place to buy chickens that are cheaper and have better meat than you would find in a store. There is also a monthly community dinner that we will look into attending. This e-mail list will help us be able to meet new people and get involved in the community.

Cleaning the line before hanging clothes

Hanging clothes to dry after washing

Winter has arrived and so have heaters in the stores.

One thing that needs to be taken care of at the house is curtains. We have curtains on some windows, but on others, we have sheets and towels. It’s a safety issue, of course, so on a Friday afternoon we went to a material store in Harare. Last year, we looked all over Chinhoyi and Harare for material, but to no avail. A friend recommended this one that is downtown. They had good prices and good fabric, so we purchased what we needed and left it to have it sewn. By the time we left, it was 5:30 in the afternoon. We were heading just a couple miles away for an all-church worship time at a conference center. Being the time that it was meant it was rush hour traffic. The sun was setting as well. We got in the car and were barely moving at all. We realized that after work hours, people park their cars in the turn lanes in the middle of the road, which contributed to the congestion. To get away from the traffic, we made a couple turns and took some side streets. There were less cars, but now, we were in some bad areas where I did not want to be. No street lights, people covering the road, night clubs on either side, no lights or stop signs at intersections. We got back on the main road ASAP and eventually made it to our destination.

All the churches in Harare were invited to an evening of worship. They were promoting unity within the Church, no matter what denomination. There were about 70 churches represented at the event. They were also focusing on praying for Zimbabwe as a country. This was the seventh year of this annual event, with over 3,000 people attending. Yolanda and I were two of about eight white people, which with the demographics of the country were about right. However, this was the first year that they had any white people there. There was a choir made up of people from all different churches. They were dressed in black, each with either a red, green, or yellow sash (colors on the Zimbabwean flag). About 60% of the songs were in English, with the rest being in Shona. All the words and translations were up on screens. It was certainly a cultural experience with a couple women up front wearing their traditional, colorful African clothing. After awhile of singing, they invited people to come to the area in front of the stage to dance. So people began filing out of their seats, up to the front, and danced, raised their hands, doing whatever they felt was worshipful. I couldn’t believe how much energy the people had, as this went on for more than three hours. At the end, they asked all pastors to go up to the front. They held hands in a circle and someone prayed for them. Then, the pastors broke into pairs to pray for each other. It was great that even though they don’t agree on every little thing, that they could recognize that they are all Christians, serving one God, and the importance of unity within the Church.

The following day everyone was invited to a walk in city center. Unfortunately, we were unable to attend because we had other engagements. However, 7 cities in the country participated in this walk within their own cities. The walk was 7km long and at city center everyone stopped to have a 7 minute prayer for the country and its people. Obviously it was advertised as the 777 event. On Sunday when we attended a church they highlighted the event and showed pictures of the Saturday walk in town. Churches were encouraged to print out flyers to distribute to walkers and drivers in order to get more people plugged into the church - it was all very exciting.

We look forward to attending this event next year and possibly taking part in the walk as well.

One of the plants Janeece planted in the garden was a moringa tree (above left). This is a tree we have told many of you about that has many benefits for natural medicine. You can use everything from the leaves, bark, pods, and even roots (since the roots grow so shallowly). It has many benefits. For example, the roots are extremely high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Iron. You can grind it down to a powder and put it in any food. The biggest benefit is that these trees are abundant in the bush, and especially when it is expensive and far away to purchase vitamins in a store, this is a perfect option for anyone in a rural area. The picture on the right is a packet of moringa bought in the store, even here in Zimbabwe it is not cheap to purchase as many have found the benefits of it and of course have marketed it. Janeece had purchased some in the US at a health store (I believe) and had even brought some along for her to take while she was here the last several months.

The electricity was out yesterday from 4:30am until 9:00pm, so a full 16 and a half hours. Thankfully our freezer kept everything frozen and there wasn't really anything in the fridge that would spoil (the milk lasted). We are grateful for such good appliances and even though the electricity regularly goes out and stays off for long periods, that we have not lost any perishables - God is so good and it's a constant reminder of both His provision and His protection.

We are continuing to organize our home and office for ministry. We have felt in a constant transition ever since we left Zimbabwe last year and returned with boxes that still need unpacking. Please pray for us to find some peace among the chaos of boxes and organization. We are ready to have this completed.

This weekend is a long weekend for schools, so many families travel for a mini-vacation (3-4 days). Tomorrow or Saturday we plan to spend the afternoon with another missionary family. Like most Zimbabweans, that will most likely result in going to the lake, having a braai (bbq), and doing something relaxing outside.

Hope you too will find some rest among the hustle and bustle of life.