We are back to work after our 3 weeks of peaceful vacation time. We really enjoyed our time off and were blessed to be able to show my family around Zimbabwe. The highlight for me was going to Victoria Falls (my first time and Yolanda's second time). It is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world, and for good reason. It spans over a mile wide and is 100 meters high (twice the size of Niagara Falls). It was given the nickname Mosi-oa-Tunya (the smoke that thunders), because the mist rises more than 100 feet above the top of the falls. Because of this, we had ponchos and were soaked by the end, as we walked through the rainforest, opposite the falls! We were excited to see several rainbows, which of course are reminders of God's promises. His creation is so amazing!
 How amazing it was to see this in person |  We saw a double rainbow! |
As the cash crisis continues more stores and merchants are starting to accept debit and credit cards. Our phone, Internet, and gas station are among our bills that can now be paid by card. A different option, in which we can transfer money to our cell phone, and then transfer from our phone to a biller, is a way that we can pay almost all of our other bills, such as our security company and city taxes, etc. We are very thankful these options are available, since up until a few months ago, cash was needed for each of them. Even though we have some cash, we are thankful that we are able to conserve it and cover our expenses through other methods.
The cash problem, combined with the increase of police road blocks (trying to get more cash), city workers, teachers, and soldiers not being paid the last couple months, and a new ban of goods that may be imported into the country have brought emotions to a high. People are fed up with what is happening. Zimbabwe is truly one of the most peaceful African nations. People here are generally placid and just take things as they come. However, now they are uniting and saying that enough is enough. A new movement has risen up, mainly through social media (can you believe that in Zimbabwe?), and is led by a pastor. He has put out a series of videos, calling for change, without violence. You may have heard about it. It was covered on worldwide news in the U.S. and U.K. I saw stories on NBC. Two weeks ago, he called for a "stay away" day, where people were asked to stay home from work, as a protest. For that day streets throughout the country were very quiet, companies and schools were closed. They said that if change didn't take place within a week, the following Wednesday and Thursday would also be "stay away" days. The Tuesday evening before that, the pastor was arrested. The next day, the courtroom was packed with 200 people and the street outside was filled with 2,000 people. Once work let out for the day, 5,000 people gathered in the street in front of the courthouse. The people outside were wrapped in Zimbabwe flags. They were praying and singing throughout the whole day. Generally when someone is arrested in this type of situation, they are locked up, the key thrown away, and disappear, never to be seen again. When the judge asked who his lawyer was going to be, 100 lawyers stood up and volunteered to work the case for free! Eventually in the evening hours, the judge threw out the case and set the pastor free. This does not happen in Zimbabwe, where the higher ups arrest somebody and he is set free! God was definitely working! Within the last couple weeks, former Zimbabweans who now live in other countries, gathered at Zimbabwean embassies to protest in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Australia, to name a few.
Since all of this has taken place so recently, we are not sure what is going to happen next, but one thing is for sure, people want change. Please pray for the nation as a whole. Each individual has so many needs, it can sometimes feel overwhelming. Please pray that they would see God's hand at work in a very real way. Pray that if there are more protests, they would remain peaceful and that people would stay safe. If you would like to read more about the situation, you can click the following link to read a recent BBC article and see a short video http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-36776401
The cash problem, combined with the increase of police road blocks (trying to get more cash), city workers, teachers, and soldiers not being paid the last couple months, and a new ban of goods that may be imported into the country have brought emotions to a high. People are fed up with what is happening. Zimbabwe is truly one of the most peaceful African nations. People here are generally placid and just take things as they come. However, now they are uniting and saying that enough is enough. A new movement has risen up, mainly through social media (can you believe that in Zimbabwe?), and is led by a pastor. He has put out a series of videos, calling for change, without violence. You may have heard about it. It was covered on worldwide news in the U.S. and U.K. I saw stories on NBC. Two weeks ago, he called for a "stay away" day, where people were asked to stay home from work, as a protest. For that day streets throughout the country were very quiet, companies and schools were closed. They said that if change didn't take place within a week, the following Wednesday and Thursday would also be "stay away" days. The Tuesday evening before that, the pastor was arrested. The next day, the courtroom was packed with 200 people and the street outside was filled with 2,000 people. Once work let out for the day, 5,000 people gathered in the street in front of the courthouse. The people outside were wrapped in Zimbabwe flags. They were praying and singing throughout the whole day. Generally when someone is arrested in this type of situation, they are locked up, the key thrown away, and disappear, never to be seen again. When the judge asked who his lawyer was going to be, 100 lawyers stood up and volunteered to work the case for free! Eventually in the evening hours, the judge threw out the case and set the pastor free. This does not happen in Zimbabwe, where the higher ups arrest somebody and he is set free! God was definitely working! Within the last couple weeks, former Zimbabweans who now live in other countries, gathered at Zimbabwean embassies to protest in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Australia, to name a few.
Since all of this has taken place so recently, we are not sure what is going to happen next, but one thing is for sure, people want change. Please pray for the nation as a whole. Each individual has so many needs, it can sometimes feel overwhelming. Please pray that they would see God's hand at work in a very real way. Pray that if there are more protests, they would remain peaceful and that people would stay safe. If you would like to read more about the situation, you can click the following link to read a recent BBC article and see a short video http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-36776401
 | Upon our return to Zim, the women from our crochet group presented us with the results of their work that they completed while we were gone. They were ear warmers/headbands. They were very well done! We sent them back to the U.S. with my family and we will put more about them online in order to sell them in a few months. We are guessing that since it is July, you can't imagine needing anything to warm your ears at the moment :-) Look for more on that this Fall. |
Please pray for these ladies as we are continuing on with this group and start new ones, as well. Please pray that JM2Z would be used to show them who Jesus truly is and that they would know Him personally, and also that they would be able to take a step forward economically, having their basic needs met through what they are learning.
Look for Part 2 to come out next week :-)
Look for Part 2 to come out next week :-)
RSS Feed