Tinotenda: We are thankful

We were constantly blessed with the hospitality of the Shona people today.  We had a long day, but it was one of our best yet.  It took two-and-a-half hours to drive to Karanda, so we got an early start.  It was a beautiful drive, and we saw everything from rivers to mountains to orange orchards to a Chinese military base.  It was also an adventurous drive, as the road went through the Ruya River to get to our destination.  It was only possible to go this route right now because it is currently the dry season. 

Along the way, we visited several of Bud's friends in their villages.  First we visited Chidzenga, a 94-year-old farmer who still rides his bicycle when he needs to go somewhere.  We also met his two wives and several children and grandchildren.  They were incredibly kind and offered to give us a honeycomb, but as we had no empty container, we promised to come back at the end of the day with one. 

We stopped at Chironga, a school of several hundred kids, where they all came out and sang us several praise songs in Shona, including "Hakuna Wakaita." We also visited the gravesite of an early missionary and his two-day-old son, which was a moment of prayer for those who have gone before.  A huge baobab tree adorned this village. 

Next we visited Solomon and the Josiah family, which consisted of several brothers and their wives and children.  They invited us into their cooking hut, which was built by hand out of bricks and thatching.  The women sat on a floor mat while the men sat on the bench.  They brought us masau fruit (aka the "smelly socks fruit"--liked by some more than others), and white sweet potatoes baked on the coals.  One little boy had a bloated stomach, a sign of malnutrition, although they made a point to feed first visitors, then adult men, and then adult women before children. 

Our next stop was Karanda Missions Hospital, another TEAM ministry.  We handed out some handmade dolls to kids in the pediatric ward and baby hats in the maternity ward.  We also saw the male and female wards, the operation ward, and the teaching college.  It appeared that this hospital had most of the conveniences of American hospitals, but the sad part was seeing lines of people waiting outside for treatment.

We held fast to our promise to Chidzenga to stop back for the honey.  We also received "Karanda Fried Chicken" and again, a huge bag of sweet potatoes.  This family too invited us into their cooking hut, where we found they had a cell phone despite not having electricity!  They apparently walk into town to charge it.  When we were getting ready to leave, Bud asked Chidzenga if he still played his mbira (thumb piano), so he got it out and played a short concert, accompanied by his daughter on maracas made from dried gourds.  It was a special moment hearing authentic African music. 

For dinner, we did a traditional send-off dinner at the Great Wall of China, a regular Chinese restaurant.

Tomorrow our only plan is shopping for souvenirs at the Harare Flea Market, before heading to the airport for our 5:15 flight. 

--Laura

Praise & R&R

Well, our Sunday just ended and out of all the days here, it was probably the most non-evenful, but relaxing and fulfilling, nonetheless.

We started the day by attending a church service at City Evangelical about 15 minutes from the ANESU base. The church rents a building, as it doesn't have it's own facility, but it doesn't temper the worship inside. The congregation truly praises and worships. There were 7 singers up front and only a keyboardist and drummer, but it sounded like so much more. We sang hymns in Shona and, although we didn't understand the meaning, it didn't matter, as the Spirit of God truly filled the place. The pastor spoke of making the most of opportunities and not wasting our short time here. Live the life God has given you to its fullest everyday. Give thanks to the Lord for just opening your eyes in the morning and embrace the day. Everyone on the team was truly moved. I needn't mention that the Zimbabwe people, as usual, were extremely inviting, friendly, loving and welcomed us with open arms.

Due to the outstanding weather, we all ate our lunch out by the pool and Steve, as all of us have been doing all week, shared his incredible faith story. It's amazing how all 9 of us have all had such different journeys - like a snowflake - not one alike, but God has shaped us and drawn us near to Him in one way or another.

The mid-afternoon saw some down time. Some slept, others read, a couple just vegged. A group of us took a walk around the neighborhood, admiring all the different types of trees and occasional color during this 'winter season'.

Dinnertime saw us at the home of TEAM missionaries Doug and Nancy Everswick. Nancy made sure we left full with her potato and squash soups and chocolate dessert. We had a chance to share what has impacted us this week and Doug closed the night with scripture and prayer.

At this writing, I am the only one awake, as the rest of the team has hit the sack. We have a 6am depart time for Karanda, which is a rural village a couple of hours away. So, it's time for me to get some shut eye as well.

We pray that your Sunday was as full of praise and rest as ours was.

The Big Wedding Day!

Today, our team was honored to participate in the wedding of Freedom and Shylet out at Rugare.  It was simply a once in a lifetime experience!  As we arrived to the church, we were instructed to bring the ladies from our team around the corner to the girls' home to help with Shylet's final preparations.  The bridal party looked beautiful and the young girls were all dressed up in beautiful purple dresses.  The procession began right there as the ladies laid their Zambias (outer skirt wraps) on the ground so that the bride's feet did not touch the ground.  At the gate of the girls' home was the team van and two other vehicles to bring the bridal party to the church.  They followed a small mob of people on foot to the entrance of the church...singing and dancing most of the way there!

I was given the privilege of preaching at the wedding this morning.  I am so thankful for this opportunity and grateful to God for equipping me to do something that I feel completely unable to do on my own.  God prompted me to both encourage the happy couple and challenge those in attendance and provided just the message to do so.

Terry and Walter were the designated wedding photographer and videographer, respectively.  They were commonly referred to as TW Productions (T Dubs for short).  I'm pretty sure they have a very promising future in this field in Zimbabwe, should they choose to accept it.

One of the most frightening moments of the wedding was when the wedding officiant asked if anyone objected to the wedding.  In fact, he gave a number of opportunities for people to speak up.  On one of these occasions, a woman rose and said in Shona, "I am carrying the child of this man and now he is with that woman!" (referring to the groom and bride).  Fortunately, the crowd laughed and the officiant played along with this fairly dramatic 'joke'.  One of the more entertaining moments was a dramatic entrance and exit of the bridal party, inclusive of dancing, singing and acting out a short story with a plot, believe it or not!

The Halfway Point

Imagine a one room school house with twenty-nine children of all different ages and all different abilities with only a couple books taught by one teacher.  Imagine a children's home with one toilet and a roof so low that you can reach up and touch it, that radiates the rising heat back into the home.  Imagine a leaky water tank connected to a broke pump that is meant to supply a church, school and community with water.  Those are all circumstances that we were blessed to see changed today.

In the morning, we went back to Rugare to formally give the bridging school the Happy Readers Program.  If only you could have had the experience of hearing 29 joyful children's voices raised in praise, thanking God for the people that brought them books that will teach them to read.  Thanking God for the chance to read signs that will warn them of danger, but most importantly thanking God that soon they will be able to read God's Word.  It truly was an amazing and humbling experience.  We also got the chance to give two laptops and a lot of easy reader books that the children at South Ridge had collected to Pastor Henry and his team.  In addition, we were blessed to give Hands of Hope, a Zimbabwean non-profit ministry, the money needed to fix the broken tank and pump at the church so that they can again provide water for the needs of the church, school, and community.  We also got the chance to visit the boys and girls homes and see the advancements made there; the raised roofs to allow better air circulation, the new toilets, and the new additions.  The girls home also brought us into contact with the chickens and rooster that they use for eggs and extra income.  It was an amazing experience that culminated with seeing the Happy Reader Program begin to be implemented in the bridging school.

This afternoon Bud and Mandy blessed us by taking us to the Lion and Cheetah Game Park, a misnomer because there sadly were no cheetahs.  BUT, we did get up close and personal with a giraffe, some impala, wildebeest, blesbok, and lots of lion...and I do mean up close; not in cages.  We had a wonderful picnic in the middle of the game park that included some rock climbing.  Our trip ended with a visit to Snake World where we all took turns holding a brown house snake, some chameleons, and Terry S. got to hold a python.  We saw a snake so deadly that within 10 minutes you are beyond all help and the black mamba, the world's fastest snake and causes the most deaths in Zimbabwe.

Our day of adventure full of the grace and awesomeness of God, ended with a TEAM Italian themed dinner at the TEAM base.  It was great to meet some of the other TEAM missionaries and hear about all that God is doing in Zimbabwe and throughout Africa.  Tomorrow...the wedding!
                                                                                                                           ~ Kelly