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