"Winter" Happenings

Ladies' Groups

Since it’s been “winter” (June and July), we’ve been enjoying soups during our weekly gatherings. The ladies love the variety and addition of meat since our lunch rarely consists of meat, except during winter months. I put out several blankets each week and the ladies huddle together under them. It’s quite funny because during the day (10:00am-4:00pm) the weather is very comfortable. Andrew and I stay in regular short-sleeved attire as we would normally. Back in April, our mission team brought a couple packs of socks, which we put away specifically for this time of year. We were able to bless each of the ladies with a new pair of warm socks, which they love! When they arrive at our home, they leave their shoes outside by the door. During winter, most would be wearing a pair of socks (some quite thin and with holes) then as soon as they sit down inside, they pull out their brand new pair of socks to pull over their feet. It’s as if their brand new pair are now their special “indoor socks."

It’s been a relatively mild winter this year, all things considered. Winter seemed to arrive early and our coolest days were back in June, which is surprising as they are usually in July. We feel winter is certainly finished now, as we packed away our little electric heater a week ago and we’ve already started getting sweaty during the daytimes, which is common in summer. We’ve switched the large fan back on in our bedroom at night when we sleep, just to be more comfortable. The women no longer ask for the blankets when they are here and I stopped making soup for our gatherings, starting last week. We’re back to our usual lunch menu, which is sadza and a green relish. The teacups and water urn have also been packed away until next year. 

No doubt all of this sounds so strange to you, as a majority of you are still in the middle of summer!

The ladies continue to work on their crochet and knitting projects, each showing off their handiwork to the others each week. One of the ladies posted a picture of some slipper socks she made on her WhatsApp account because she was so proud of her work (picture to the left). We’ll be bringing these back with us stateside to sell. The women are so proud of their hard work and they should be. We are excited to share a few new items with you all that they have been making! Don’t worry there will be plenty of their safari animals too!

The ladies have also been able to test out the teatime treats that the caterer will be making for the Women’s Conference (pictured below). We are keeping the ladies central in all the planning and decision making, so they can find some ownership in this conference. 

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The ladies have been working diligently on preparations for the Women’s Conference. They have been making all the decorations, which means literally a couple hundred tissue paper flowers. In addition, they’ve been doing lots of cutting of bookmarks, handouts, and invitations. They’ve been making decorative string and paper curtains for a photo backdrop and book page paper table runners. Their excitement as they learn a new craft or a new decorative item to make is palpable. We love seeing their excitement! All of them already have their 7 women in mind who they plan to personally invite. They’ve already been praying for the conference, the individuals who will attend, and all that we believe the Holy Spirit will do then.

You can scroll through the pictures in the slideshow below, which show the women hard at work on making decorations.

Adapting to Struggles

A screenshot of pictures on my phone, relaying items and quantities to our runner

We chose not to make a trip to South Africa for our regular ministry and grocery run. We decided we could save some money (with flights, food, etc.) if we chose to do our shopping through a runner (a person who makes purchases in another country, brings them across the border, and delivers them in the capital for a percentage fee). We prefer to make the trip usually, because it allows us to go to the many stores that runners do not. Our shopping through a runner is limited to big box stores, which means not only slightly higher prices, but also limited on selection. So I (Yolanda) spent hours shopping online (really it’s looking for a store that has an online catalogue, then taking a screenshot of the item and price, so one can send it to the runner who will then go purchase that item in that store). Between slow Internet and online shopping being very limited, this process takes several hours. I placed the order a month ago. Usually our runner delivers within a week. Each week, the runner had a different excuse as to why the order hadn't arrived yet - the truck was delayed at the border, the online purchases were delayed, the store didn’t have the item in stock, etc., etc. Yesterday, all our items were meant to arrive. I had specifically asked the runner the day before if he was able to get our entire list. He said, “Yes, except for one item.” Needless to say, the following day, I get an early phone call stating how nothing has been bought from the main store which is all of the items we need for the conference. Many of the items are things we need now, so we can make stuff, not just items we need for the actual week of the conference. So I frantically got online, started looking at other stores, hunted down similar items, resent pictures and prices and lists to the runner in hopes of receiving these things in time. I also ended up prioritizing which items are essential and which we can just scratch and do without. This is unfortunately the reality of shopping in another country and dealing with runners who are not reliable (and yet the best in their field). This just happens to be some of the struggles of the missionary lifestyle. We commiserated with a fellow missionary in Chinhoyi, who grew up just a mile down the road, and he feels the exact same way. So it’s a comfort to know that we aren’t alone. We adapt, pivot our direction, make a new plan, and forge forward.

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Sharing the Gospel with Confidence

Mai Mukandi

We are very proud of one of the ladies from the Tuesday group - Mai Mukandi. A few weeks ago, she was one of the main speakers for her church’s denomination-wide women’s conference here in town. She spoke to a crowd of 3,000 women about sharing the Gospel, being bold to tell others about Jesus, and fulfilling the Great Commission. Our housekeeper attended the conference and recorded most of the message. Mai Mukandi spoke with passion and conviction. She both encouraged and challenged her audience. As I listened to her message, I heard my own words that I’ve been sharing with the ladies these past several years, “When you go to the market and you buy some tomatoes from the lady, do you work on building a relationship? Do you take an opportunity to share Jesus with her? Or when you’re standing in line, waiting to purchase an item or get water, do you start a conversation with those around you, do you share Jesus with them? When you’re traveling in a kombi (taxi) or bus, do you talk to the person sitting next to you, do you give them Jesus?” My eyes welled up hearing her speak. Some may say she was just parroting what she has heard me say before, but I instead believe this was discipleship at its finest. She heard the Gospel, then went out and shared it with others and challenged them to do the same.

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Women's Conference Preparations

Lots of planning and preparing has been happening this past month in anticipation of the Women’s Conference. We have settled on a theme, “Salvation: The Greatest Gift!” We changed the theme, but the topics and teaching will still all be the same - “How to become a Christian.” I (Yolanda) have been meeting regularly with a friend to discuss all things conference related and she has agreed to speak at 2 of the teaching sessions. This helps me as I only now have to prepare and plan for speaking for 7 of the teaching sessions. My friend, who is Shona, will speak at the opening session. I had been doing plenty of research in preparation for this session because it will be addressing animism (ancestral worship), Shona traditions, beliefs, and milestone rituals, as they relate to spirits. We feel it is essential to address this right off the bat, as it seems futile to speak on issues of salvation, when not addressing the very things that prohibit so many Shona from becoming “true” Christians. By “true” Christians, I mean that 84% of the Zimbabwean population identify as Christians, but 57% of the population follow a syncretistic form of Christianity. Most Shona accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, BUT also continue to practice their Shona traditions, although they stand in contradiction to Scripture. So it begs the question, have they truly accepted Jesus as King of their life or merely added him to their list of gods? Culture in general is not bad and nor are traditions, but if they stand in contrast to God’s Word, then that’s when it’s a problem. This first opening teaching session will ask the question, “Can I be a Christian and still…” fill in the blank with some form of animistic belief system. Of course we all know that’s the wrong question to ask, but ultimately we will be pointing out how God is a jealous God who wants all of us, not only part of us and true Christianity is very simply (and obviously grossly oversimplified) Jesus plus nothing. The following days and teaching sessions will address in greater detail what exactly is our part in the salvation process, i.e. faith, belief, repentance, etc. and ultimately God’s part - saving us through His grace and the shedding of the blood of Jesus, not by our works or deeds. In addition, we will be providing an opportunity for all in attendance to respond after each session during their small groups, as well as providing an opportunity for any who may desire to be baptized on the final day. Again, we have no idea of the result of all of this, but are excited to see how the Holy Spirit will work through us and in the hearts of the ladies in attendance. We want to ensure that this conference provides everyone with enough information to make an informed decision, rather than a mass emotional one that is so often seen here in Africa. As missionaries, it is very freeing to know that the results are not something for us to worry about because our job is to do the sharing of the Gospel and it’s God's job to do the saving (not ours). 

We have 150 Shona Bibles, one for each woman attending

A Shona Bible will be waiting on each chair in the sanctuary at the conference for the ladies to use during the 3 days. On the last day, we will have everyone open the Bibles to the first page where you can write a name and date and tell them to write their name. It is then that we will tell them the Bibles are a gift for them to keep - this was the ladies’ idea (ensuring we only gift it on the last day). The ladies all asked if they would also be receiving a new Bible. We first said no, because they already have Bibles. But after some thought, we realized they all have family members who do not and they would love to regift the Bible to someone else. To us it’s a no-brainer to make a (Shona) Bible available to anyone who might want one.

The caterer has been booked, tables have been hired, delivery has been ordered for them, the bus has been rented to transport everyone, the photographer has been booked and a downpayment made, teatime snacks have been tested, Shona worship music has been gathered, decided on, and downloaded, and decor is actively being made. Much has happened in preparing to make this event a success!

I’ve designed and made some bookmarks that have a Bible reading plan of the Gospels and Proverbs. Several of the ladies have agreed to lead an additional small group that will meet weekly post-conference to encourage and challenge whomever desires to read through the Gospels. If the groups start in September and run until December and they read 5 chapters a week, they will read through all 4 Gospels. In addition, they can start 2025 off with the wisdom of God by reading a chapter of Proverbs each day and they’ll finish the book in January. These little bookmarks are in Shona with Shona Bible references and will serve not only as a practical Bible marker, but hopefully a useful tool for accountability. It’s our goal to provide multiple avenues post-conference for the ladies to get connected, either through a church, a small group, reading Scripture, and even a WhatsApp support group. Discipleship has always been at the core of what we do in JM2Z and we feel it’s not enough to just share the Gospel message. Discipleship and intentional followup is essential in being obedient to what the Great Commission expects of us!

In addition, we are gifting salvation bracelets to each lady as an easy, tangible, and duplicable way to share the Gospel with someone else. We plan on teaching multiple ways on how to share the Gospel, since everyone learns differently and repetition is key to longterm memorization. 

The gifts each attendee will receive by the end of the conference

Opportunity to Give

We are so thankful and blessed to have received sponsors for just over 75 attendees so far! Thank you to all who have already contributed! Our hope is to have all 150 ladies sponsored at $15 per person. Will you consider giving towards this need? In addition, if you’d like to just give a special designated gift for the conference that will allow us to cover some extra, last minute supplies we are in need of (i.e. covering the hiring additional tables [$115], covering runner fees and decor supplies [$200], ordering toilet paper, soap, and napkins, etc. [$27], purchasing notebooks and pens [$190]). You can give at the link below, and be sure to state that it’s for the women’s conference. Thank you in advance for making this event possible! As a reminder of dates, the event will be August 27 - 29. Please be in prayer for this event, the ladies serving and working hard for it, and all the many ladies who will attend, that their hearts may be open to His leading. Please also pray for Andrew and Yolanda as we put in many hours and late nights into preparing and planning for it.

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