My family in front of a giant Baobab tree This week we were blessed to spend some much needed time with family. Two weeks ago, my (Yolanda’s) mom spent the week with us in Chinhoyi while we kept working on things. Last week, we traveled 6.5hrs to my brother. He lives and works on a conservation ranch. It was good to see him and his family since it had been over a year since we last saw them. My uncle and aunt traveled up from South Africa to also come and visit us. It was nice for Andrew to visit some more of my extended family for the first time. While on the ranch, we were able to go on a few game drives and see some wildlife, which is always a pleasure. Although most people think that wildlife roam freely throughout Africa (Zimbabwe), that is not actually true. Most Africans don’t pass lions and elephants on a daily basis. In fact most have not seen these animals in the wild, at least not in my experience. However, we are blessed to witness these animals in their natural environment, right on the ranch where my brother lives and works.
Some of the beautiful wildlife we saw In fact, the day we arrived on the ranch was quite eventful for my brother. They were looking for an injured leopard out in the bush. Several guides, along with my brother, the anti-poaching manager, and some dogs were tracking the leopard. Of course they had weapons for protection. The dogs finally picked up the scent of the leopard and suddenly the leopard ran full speed towards my brother. My brother knew that his best shot was to wait until the leopard lept into the air and pounced on him to take a shot because it took time to load the gun. This also meant, however, that once he shot the animal it would still pounce on him and he would have to wait for another person to come to his aide. The leopard got 2 meters from him when it was distracted by one of the dogs. This is when the other larger dog immediately pounced on the leopard to protect his master. The leopard clawed the dog in his shoulder before my brother was able to take a shot at him and the leopard ran away; now more injured and causing a real threat to others. As my brother tended to his dog the other guides kept looking for the wild cat. The manager looked around, when suddenly the leopard pounced out of nowhere and lept into the air. The manager took a shot and the leopard jumped on him. Thankfully, with quick thinking, the manager buried his head under a cave rock to protect his neck and face, but the leopard began biting his shoulder. The guides stood around waiting for the leopard to let go because if they took a shot the bullet would go straight through the animal and hit the manager. They knew that leopards attack for just a few seconds and then let go. The manager kicked the leopard and it bit straight through the manager’s foot. The second the leopard pulled away, the guides shot several bullets and finally the animal was killed and put out of its misery. It was the largest leopard that had ever been shot on the ranch and is most likely one of the top 10 largest leopard kills in the country. My brother immediately tended to the manager’s wounds and placed pressure on open bites that were gushing blood. Immediately my brother rushed him to the closest hospital, which happens to be a mission hospital in a rural area near the ranch. The manager is recovering well, and so is the dog, but both have battle scars from the day.
My precious nephew and niece The rest of the week was much more uneventful during our visit, which we were all very grateful for. Visiting with family, taking photos, making memories, reading bedtime stories and playing games with my niece (4) and nephew (3) was all such a blessing.
During the week, we also made a day trip to my hometown of Masvingo (about 2 hrs away) in order to renew Andrew’s visiting visa. We had to make sure to do it before the end of the month. We also took the opportunity to briefly visit with some friends from my home church.
When we arrived at the ranch, Andrew had been coughing regularly for a few days. Then, it turned into a sore throat with white spots at the inside of his throat, which usually indicates strep throat. However, being in the middle of nowhere, we couldn’t run to a drug store. Thankfully, it cleared up in a day or two. At the end of the week, my niece woke up several times one night, vomiting about 15 times in all. The following morning, I woke up feeling nauseous; vomiting and having stomach cramps, which resulted in a LONG day, enough said! Thankfully, we weren’t driving back home until the following day, but that was definitely not a fun day! You know I’m ill when the scale says I lost 10 pounds…not a recommended weight loss program :-)
During the week, we also made a day trip to my hometown of Masvingo (about 2 hrs away) in order to renew Andrew’s visiting visa. We had to make sure to do it before the end of the month. We also took the opportunity to briefly visit with some friends from my home church.
When we arrived at the ranch, Andrew had been coughing regularly for a few days. Then, it turned into a sore throat with white spots at the inside of his throat, which usually indicates strep throat. However, being in the middle of nowhere, we couldn’t run to a drug store. Thankfully, it cleared up in a day or two. At the end of the week, my niece woke up several times one night, vomiting about 15 times in all. The following morning, I woke up feeling nauseous; vomiting and having stomach cramps, which resulted in a LONG day, enough said! Thankfully, we weren’t driving back home until the following day, but that was definitely not a fun day! You know I’m ill when the scale says I lost 10 pounds…not a recommended weight loss program :-)
 A lone wildebeest roaming in the bush |  A herd of zebras |  A hornbill in the garden |
There is much wrong in this country and yet in places like Save Valley Conservancy, wildlife of all kinds roam freely in their natural habitat. To see God's creation in its raw enviroment is both beautiful and awe inspiring. Although not all (not even most) of Zimbabwe looks like this; however, the few places that do are a testament of Zimbabwe's natural beauty. This broken country still has much to offer the world.
We are finally back in Chinhoyi again, after saying goodbye to family and my mom flying back to the UK. We will be here for 9 days before we go to visit my father for a week. We haven’t seen him in over a year and he is eager to see us. The 9 days back home is allowing us to complete some more work here.
If you pray for us, please remember the following:
- A meeting we have next week with a possible Shona tutor
- Some final repairs that need doing at the ministry base
- An upcoming interview concerning Andrew's spousal permit
- Traveling mercies for us when we travel to my father next week
- Our health going forward
We are finally back in Chinhoyi again, after saying goodbye to family and my mom flying back to the UK. We will be here for 9 days before we go to visit my father for a week. We haven’t seen him in over a year and he is eager to see us. The 9 days back home is allowing us to complete some more work here.
If you pray for us, please remember the following:
- A meeting we have next week with a possible Shona tutor
- Some final repairs that need doing at the ministry base
- An upcoming interview concerning Andrew's spousal permit
- Traveling mercies for us when we travel to my father next week
- Our health going forward
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