There's so much to share. Where to begin on sharing about our first week in the country. Suffice to say, it's been rather hectic, but we have gotten lots accomplished, which we are proud of. Time works a little differently here in Africa, and everything takes a lot longer to get done. The first couple days are recorded below, so let me share what happened after that. The friends we stayed with in Harare (the capital city) were gracious enough to lend us their vehicle until my brother came up to meet us. We spent the next day visting over a dozen car dealers, looking for an affordable, economical, and yet good condition vehicle. Thankfully, my brother knows cars well, and as a mechanic, he was able to look at each car in which we were interested. This was a huge help to us, because neither Andrew or I are very knowledgable about cars. My father's wedding gift to us was money to put towards either a second rception in Zimbabwe or a car for us personally. After some prayer and discussion, Andrew and I finally decided a car was a wiser choice. Therefore, after combining my Dad's gift and a wedding gift from my brother, we were able to purchase a little vehicle. Ultimately, what this did was really help the ministry. We looked into renting a vehicle for the summer due to all the traveling we'll be doing, and the final cost came upto $6500 just for the rental, not including the gas we would need to cover. My brother obviously knows the culture and the dealership business well, and was able to get us a real deal. We feel so very blessed to have had the support of family. After purchasing the vehicle, we started the process of licensing and insurance etc, again a lengthy process.
A couple days after that, we picked my mum and younger brother up at the airport, since they flew in from the UK for a visit too. After 2yrs, it was nice to see them, since they were unable to travel in December when Andrew and I were back here for Christmas.
After my mum arrived, it was time to start the process of applying for a new passport. The lines are ridiculously long at the passport office and people have been known to wait for a week in lines just to have a form signed, and then still need to return to have have something else handed in or checked off the passport renewal list. Again, my brother was a big help in knowing the process in order to have it move a little faster. Finally, after several hundred dollars, lots of patience, standing in long lines, and walking down rather unsafe roads (to the passport office) we were finally blessed to receive my passport. Thank you Jesus! This was a big concern for us since we had heard horror stories of some people not receiving their passports until several months later.
So, although it doesn't seem like much was done, we feel like a huge weight was lifted off our shoulders after getting a new passport and being able to purchase a vehicle. We will leave the vehicle with my brother, and he will service it for us and care for it until our return in January.
So, although it doesn't seem like much was done, we feel like a huge weight was lifted off our shoulders after getting a new passport and being able to purchase a vehicle. We will leave the vehicle with my brother, and he will service it for us and care for it until our return in January.
This past week, we have visited with my brother and Andrew has experienced eating lots of new things, such as prickly pears, sharon fruit, cream of tarter, sugar cane, and lots of game meat, such as impala and wildebeest. Andrew was also excited when he saw several wild animals in their natural hanitat; such as giraffes, elephants, lions, and rhinos to name a few.
Next on the agenda, for this upcoming week, is:
- getting a new ID for me
- visiting my home church
- visting a local orphanage
- visiting a local retirement center
We will give you our weekly agenda as the summer progresses. Feel free to comment below, email us to tell us of your news, send us any prayer requests and encouragement.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers.
- getting a new ID for me
- visiting my home church
- visting a local orphanage
- visiting a local retirement center
We will give you our weekly agenda as the summer progresses. Feel free to comment below, email us to tell us of your news, send us any prayer requests and encouragement.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers.
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