South Africa Trip

Heading out to start our trip

We were thankful to arrive home on Friday safely from South Africa. We were blessed to be able to get everything accomplished that we had hoped. It was an extremely busy time with long days out and working most evenings late into the night.

​Going to South Africa is always a nice mental break from Zimbabwe, but it was still tiring physically. We were able to get supplies for the women's groups that will last through the end of the year (including some things for a Christmas party), all of our needed VBS supplies, copies for VBS, other printings, a service for the Hilux, grocery items for us, food hamper supplies for Western and Elizabeth (in addition to their pay, we also give them several staple food and toiletry items each month), and a few requested grocery items for Janeece. We have had to really plan well in advance this time. Knowing what supplies will be needed for the next 9 months and any special activities during that time, meant really knowing what this entire year holds, schedule wise.

Pictures

We'll take you through our trip with a handful of pictures. In all, our driving time was 22 hours. Below is 2 hours in, after driving through Harare and coming out the other side. This is a spot where people are waiting for taxis and vendors are selling their things.

We were blessed with smooth crossings over the border each way. Although we had to wait in line much longer than usual going down.

​At the border there are several things that we need to do, documents we need to show and fees we need to pay, so there are multiple lines at multiple buildings where we need to wait. Below is the line we waited in on the South African side of the border at an outside trailer where we had to get our passports stamped. This line took more than an hour to get through. 

After driving about an hour and a half into SA, we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn (one of the 5 major lines of latitude on the globe). We are standing in front of the marker below.

English and Afrikaans are both national languages in South Africa. Many times a person will automatically answer the phone in Afrikaans. Yolanda made a phone call in which the other person didn't speak very good English, so she spoke only Afrikaans. Watch the video below to hear what it sounds like. Can you tell what they are talking about?

We need to shop around to get the best prices, but we have been enough times to generally know which store to get what. Below is one of the bulk stores where we are able to get a variety of items. You can see Yolanda, shortly after arriving with her empty trolley.

The next picture was not posed. Ahead of Yolanda and out of the picture are our two trolleys filled to the top. This third one has less on it, but you can see what our energy levels are like at the end of the day. We also happened to be in a particularly slow moving line at the cash register.

Sometimes we forget that it's common for some stores to close for an hour or two at lunchtime. Below is an example of that. This is a store where we get filler beads, yarn, crochet hooks, crochet cotton, and fabric, etc.

Thankfully, the place where we stayed was a two bedroom apartment. So we were able to store everything in the room we weren't using. Below Yolanda is strategically packing things. We pack everything in a way knowing where we want each thing situated in the back, so that if we are searched by customs, the first container they see when they open the tailgate is the one we want them to see. We had four full suitcases, several boxes, a few plastic tubs, and a cooler.

We pack up the truck the night before we leave to head back to Zimbabwe. In the town where we stay, there is a cross high on a hill. At night it's lit and could be seen straight out the front door, over the security wall, and through some trees.

Leaving SA, we only drive for one hour before hitting the border back to Zimbabwe. This time was the quickest we have ever been through. Customs did not inspect anything in the truck and they didn't ask us to pay any duty, even though we showed them our receipts. But when they tell you that you can go, you don't ask questions. You get in the car and leave before they change their minds and thank the Lord.

Along the highway, "rest stops" are an extra patch of dirt next to the road. No bathroom facilities. So Yolanda likes to bring her own. All I can say is that this seat was a good investment!

Because so many things are being imported into Zimbabwe or are being taken through to other countries, we pass many trucks and wide loads (or "abnormal loads"). When a big dump truck is hitched to a long flatbed trailer, that's an abnormal load!

We made it back safe and sound, thankful for the ability to make this trip, saving JM2Z and us A LOT of money for all that we are able to do. Even taking into account gas, food, and accommodation for a week, it is still a huge savings!

​Lots of planning has already taken place, but now that we're back, all of our attention is focused on VBS, starting in a week. While we were gone, we sent out the invite through a text message to the women in our groups (who have phones) and just three days later all 120 spots were filled. PLEASE PRAY for the children who will be hearing about how to become a Christian and what it means to do so. Please pray for their hearts and understanding. We would love for all of them to make a decision next week, but we know full well that our jobs may be just the beginnings of planting seeds and we will not know what takes place in the time to come. We can't wait to see how the Lord uses this week in each of their lives.