Last week in Zimbabwe

Day 130– Nov 7, 2005, Monday:
Wow, in two weeks we leave Zimbabwe.
Last night we had the biggest thunderstorm I have ever heard. It was so loud it woke me up. Nothing wakes me up. It actually shook the building. It was amazing. Unfortunately it caused us to not sleep for a good portion of the night.
After breakfast we had a time of worship with the base. It was fun. I’m going to miss African worship. Then we packed up some of our stuff and went to town for the latter half of the day. We went to some local street vendors selling tourist stuff. We were told by the driver that we should try to pay about half of what they ask for anything. We bought some really cool stuff. They have lots of woodwork, hand crocheted stuff, marble stuff… We tried to bargain, but afterwards I actually was feeling bad because we were paying $2 or $3 US dollars for things that took up to a week for them to make. Once I realized how little the stuff cost I just couldn’t bargain anymore. I paid less for a hand carved set of salad tongs than I gave to Derek last week. It was eye opening to realize how little these people live on.

Here is an interesting tidbit: The interest rate here if you want to buy a mortgage for a house……385% yep, that’s right you borrow $1billion, you pay $3.85 billion that year in interest….basically you don’t buy houses or borrow money here.

Day 131– Nov 8, 2005, Tuesday: The Rat
Last night Ruth heard some rustling in the room (you know where this is going don’t you?). She looked around with the flashlight but saw nothing and went back to sleep.
Today we woke up at 6:09am. We were hoping to wake up at 5:30 so we could leave at 6:30, but that didn’t happen. We rushed through getting dressed, saying goodbyes and jumped in the van. Once we arrived at the bus station we had about a half hour before the bus left so I walked back to the market from yesterday in the hopes to find the crochet lady and give her a few more dollars for the things we bought from her. No luck, only the carvers were there that early in the morning. So I gave another 20,000 to the guy who sold me the salad tongs. It’s only 25 cents, but it started his day off well. Then I went on a quest for coffee. Nick told me there was a coffee shop 3 blocks down. It turns out it was 5 blocks, but they had lattes and mochas so it was well worth it.
The trip back to Harare was uneventful. The kids were great for the 6 hour drive. It was really nice to have a cooler day to drive and have the added bonus of air conditioning that actually cools the air. Ruth saw 2 monkeys on the way as well. Once we moved back into our place Ruth noticed that our bag of juice mix had an odd shaped hole in it. It turns out that there was juice powder all over the kids’ suitcase. As we were cleaning the bag out she told me the story of how she had heard rustling last night. We looked around for something but couldn’t find anything. After dinner Ruth walked in our room and saw a little bit of rat droppings on the floor. I started hunting around with the flashlight and saw the outline I was looking for under the bed. I’m not much of a rat catcher so I rounded up Joseph, Stan and Rodney to help me out. We grabbed some brooms (Zimbabwe brooms are a bunch of grass about 2 feet long), blocked the doorway and started moving furniture. It was the funniest thing ever. As soon as the rat made a dash for it brooms were banging all over the floor; grown men were jumping; the rat was evading our every move. It was so scared it was peeing every time it stopped. We finally had to lift the bed up and it ran straight for Rodney. Luckily he had a trash bin and was quick enough to trap the rat in the upside down bin. We caught the rat! It was about 12 inches long nose to tail. Way too big to be comfortable with. Apparently we brought it with us from Bulawayo. We slid a pizza box under the trash bin and carried it out back for the dogs. Ever since then I’ve been on a rat catchers high; that really got my adrenalin going.
We are excited to be back in a place where we get the occasional hot shower. Ruth was lucky enough to have the first one tonight. Everyone made a mad dash for their towels when she told them the water was hot (it’s not even 9pm yet!).
Jonny started praying for Jessika to be healed tonite. It was awesome. She banged her head and he said “dear Jesus, be with Jessika that she won’t hurt and cry and we love you. Amen”. It took the tears away and even brought a smile. Then he said “see, she’s happy now!”. He was quite proud.

Day 132– Nov 9, 2005, Wednesday: Clean up
Since we just got back from Bulawayo we decided to spend the day at the house and do washing and catch up on things. It’s awesome to have a washing machine to crank through the clothes. Another reason that we decided to hang around here is because last weekend there was a demonstration downtown where about 150 people got arrested. As you know, most of the prayers and ministries we’ve been doing in Harare have been downtown, on the same block as the demonstration. We were told that there were lots of guards on the lookout today because of it, so we should stay away for a few days. We had lots to do to catch up on things anyways. We went to the store to buy food for meals. I bought a coke for $20,000 (25cents). Then I went to the internet store 1km away. It was awesome. It’s a liquor store with a little side room with a computer in it. They just dialed up on the modem and told me it would cost $5000 a minute. Somehow being charged by the minute made me rush. I’m just not used to being under the pressure. I got my emails done and ended up being there for 30 minutes and they charged me $100,000 ($1.25). I guess I didn’t need to rush, it’s just a mental thing.

Day 133– Nov 10, 2005, Thursday: Prayer walkin’
We decided to brave the trek downtown after we prayed about what to do today. We felt like there was unfinished business in town. We walked the 1km to the bus stop. We waited for ½ hour for the right van. We were so ready to cram into the van (because we always have to) that all 11 of us crammed into the back two rows of the 4 row van. There were only two other people in the front two rows. Once we realized how programmed we were to scrunch in we all laughed. I guess we are finally getting used to 25 people in a 14 passenger van.
We went to the reserve bank of Zimbabwe so we could pray for it and the monetary situation here. It was such a beautiful building. It seems like it is straight out of New York. Within 1 block there were at least 8 huge banks. We prayed and then felt the need to leave as there is a lot of security around. We decided to walk back through the African Unity park to pray a little more. We were pleasantly surprised to see that the fountains in the park are filled with water and running nicely. We had prayed for this last week! It was so cool to see that the waters were restored here downtown. So we walked around and just praised God for his provision and attention to even the little things.
It has been so cool to see God’s blessings and answers to prayer here. He has shown us so many things to pray for and answered the prayer. We prayed for water both here and in Bulawayo. The day we left here, it rained. Three out of 4 days while in Bulawayo it rained. It rained the day we got back here. It’s just cool.
After the park we took off because there is a ton of security around and there is more and more news about Americans. Especially as yesterday the American ambassador publicly slammed the government here.

Day 134– Nov 11, 2005, Friday: Check out Oasis
Today Ruth, Rita and Karen went to town to check out a ministry opportunity for next week. It’s called Oasis. It is a non profit organization based out of the UK. They currently have operations in 8 different countries. They have a campus just outside of town that has a preschool, some classes for townfolk (like computer class), and a program that takes girls in for a year and teached them skills to live. It really seems like a cool opportunity, so we are going to go help them out next week and just do whatever we can around there.
I stuck around the house today and played with the kids. We had fun, but it was tiring. We played tag. We made paper airplanes. We colored. It was fun. I also called around to try to figure out a game plan for tomorrow. We are planning to go to a few game parks and a local souvenir shop/mall place. We are renting a kombi (van) for the day to take us all around. Should be fun.
Tonite we also celebrated the birthday of our hostess, Nozi. We gave her some cards and bought donuts and just had fun singing happy birthday. Now we are full of dinner and full of donuts, so it is time to sleep.

Day 135– Nov 12, 2005, Saturday: The Lion Attack
We planned out a day to visit a game park or two and have a little time off. We rented a taxi for the day and took off right after breakfast. The first destination was the Lion and Cheetah park. We didn’t have any information on this place because they have refused to answer their phone, but we drove the 20km out of town to see what they have. It was unreal. We first drove in and it seemed a little bit like the movie Jurassic Park. We drove through one fence, then through another. We were told to keep our windows closed and to cruise around in the van. Immediately as we turned around a bend we could see 4 lions just hanging out. One was basking in the sun on a huge rock (we called him the king). Another was right next to the road lying there. We drove up and took a ton of pictures. It was just so crazy to be so close. Those things are huge!
Then we drove through the rest of the park and saw a few gamey animals like wildebeests, some variant of an antelope, wart hogs, jackals, zebras and some more. Then we drove up to the place where you can walk around. It’s sort of like a zoo at this point. We happened to walk in right behind a truck that was loaded with what smelled like week old meat. We decided we wanted to see what happened. Then, as he drove around the lions all started growling and roaring. This is gonna be good. We watched them throw chunks over the fence to the lions. Keep in mind that these fences are about 8 feet tall and made of chain link. We asked later if the lions ever get out, we didn’t like the answer. They each grabbed their (probably 20 pound pieces) and ran off to gnaw on them. It was really fun to see. Then this guy asks me if I want to go in the cage! What? I’m not going in their for all of the money in the world. He says “no, the cage over here”. He points to one with a little shed in it. Apparently this is where the cubs are. I asked him how big they were and he said a month and a half old. So we all went in there to see. It turns out that there were four of these cute little (10 poundish) lion cubs. We were able to play with them a little, I even got to pick one up. It was a feisty little guy and actually scratched my hand. I was proud to say I’ve been clawed by a lion.
After the lions we saw some baboons and other animals. Nother cool animal was the Galapagos toirtoise. They said that it is about 250 years old. It was just crawling around the park..no fences. This park was so cool. They would never allow us to touch a lion cub at the zoo at home. It was really fun.
The rest of the day we went to a souvenir shop area that wasn’t too exciting. After that we went to another game park and drove around in a safari jeep that was painted like a zebra. Here we saw giraffes, zebras and more of the antelope type fellas. It was awesome to take a day and see a little of the beauty of Africa.Above: the famous lion that attacked me. I'm still recovering...
Below: Jess playing on the mini at Oasis.
Day 136– Nov 13, 2005, Sunday:
Today we had it easy on the transportation side because we went to Joseph’s church, which is here on the property. So we had time to get up, have breakfast and practice a few sign language songs before we went to church at 9:00am. Church here is just so different than at home. We started with an hour of intercession…prayer. There were some songs mixed in, some Bible verses here and there as well. Joseph leads a fairly relaxed church, so they tend to go as the spirit moves. After prayer he gave some time for testimonies for people in the church. This one guy came up and had a very interesting story, but he was up talking for at least a half an hour. He told how he had spent the night in jail this week because he was blamed for stealing a calculator. It turns out that his 13 year old brother had stolen it. He was mostly thanking Joseph for standing by his side throughout the ordeal. Then we had about an hour of ‘family time’. This was time for Meagan to take the teenage girls to go talk and tell her story to them while the families stayed to talk to the church. It turned out really cool because Joseph asked us each to tell why we brought our families into missions, rather than just going ourselves. I talked for a little bit about how I want my kids to grow up knowing that people exist in the world that do not have televisions, running water or Bibles. I want my kids to both appreciate the things they have and to want to help those that don’t. Rod and Karen got up and talked about what an eye opening experience this has been for their kids. They just won’t ever forget it.
Eventually we all regrouped and it was time for what we westerners would call church. As a team we got up and sang “Light of the World” along with the sign language. Then the plan was for Ruth to give a 2 minute testimony. I’ll let her describe it…
Well, I knew the day would come on outreach where I would be challenged to speak in front of a group and today was the day. I was to give a short testimony in Joseph and Nosi’s (our hosts) church. As I prayed and prepared I felt like God was telling me that He was having me share for one person – one of Joseph and Nosi’s girls. After I gave my testimony and was ready to run back to my chair, Joseph got up and told me to wait up there with him. He felt prompted to give an invitation for anyone to come up and receive prayer or accept Jesus into their lives. I felt totally out of my element and prayed like mad. Several girls came up and asked for prayer. Meanwhile Dave and Joseph were praying for a few young boys. Then God surprised me! Joseph and Nosi’s girl, Samantha, came up. She said she wanted Jesus in her heart! I was shocked to be in such a place of priviledge and honor. I take credit for nothing but give God all the glory and thank him for choosing to use me.

Day 137– Nov 14, 2005, Monday: Oasis
Today we went to a ministry called Oasis for the first time. It’s a cool thing. They have a vocational training school there where they teach men how to do carpentry, or a few other skills. They also have a preschool with about 30 kids, about 25 of which are orphans. They also have classes in which they teach people how to use computers and such. And I think lastly they have a year long class where they take in street girls and teach them how to live, give them counseling, give them hope. They have a lot on their plate.
Ruth and Rita helped out today in the preschool. It was tough. The kids are pretty rough and play hard and it is tough for Ruth to manage our kids and teaching together. These kids also come from very destitute situations and very little parenting, so they are just kind of rough.
Rod and I helped out in the computer class. We were basically the think tanks for the day. People were just asking us questions all day long. Most of them basic, about Microsoft powerpoint, or word, or excel. It was fun. It’s great to be able to teach them and see them learn.
The rest of the crowd was with the street girls. They did a craft where they had the girls make a collage of sorts to show their dreams and hopes. It was amazing for them to see that most of the girls desire mostly material things and they think that life in western cultures is perfect. They were amazed to hear that there are homeless people in the US, or that there are people on drugs etc… It was interesting for us to see their perspective.
Overall it was a good, but tiring day. By the time we get there, minister, and then take the bus back it becomes a long day. But it’s good, and God will bless us and them through it.
Day 138– Nov 15, 2005, Tuesday: Helping out with Computers
Today I helped out a bunch in the computer lab. They have a test on Thursday, so they are all anxious to finish their review items. It’s really funny because they were given a list of several things that they needed to know for the test and many of them had never done some of them. I guess the class isn’t so organized on content. They were doing things like mail merge, macros, formatting text, and power point presentations. It was nice to help out a little bit. There is such a contrast between the people in the class. One guy (named Simba, which means “strong”) was really good. He could figure anything out. Another just couldn’t connect.

Day 139– Nov 16, 2005, Wednesday: getting Tired

Hmmm we had French toast for breakfast. It was so good. They also have fried tomato slices for breakfast every morning, with a little sugar and some herbs; it’s quite good. We then drove to Oasis again for the day. When we arrived, the power was out, so that put a damper on helping out with the computer class. Rod stayed with them and ended up cleaning computers all day.
I went to help Ruth and Rita with the preschool. We did a craft where each child made a Christmas ornament with their handprint on it. It was fun, but chaotic. It’s so strange how little the teachers seem to help out. I wonder if they are totally burnt out and just feel relief to have someone take over the class. Most of the time they just sat there. It was a little disconcerting. Most of the kids don’t really speak English either, so it would have been nice to have the teachers translating a little bit. But we made it through and the kids seemed to be enjoying it. They have a great little playground with a tire swing made from a big tractor tire and a beat up Mini car to play on. By the time we were ready to leave we were beat.
On the way home we went to “The Inns” to eat. It’s a restaurant chain that has several types…Pizza Inn…Creamy Inn (Ice cream)…Baker’s Inn… It’s become our favorite, mostly because we can buy ice cream afterward for about 25 cents. Then we made it home in time to crash with a quick nap before dinner.

Below: Crazy kids in the preschool.
Day 140– Nov 17, 2005, Thursday: Catching up
Our family stayed back from Oasis today. Partly because we needed to just rest and catch up a bit, and partly because everyone else was taking out the teenage girls from Oasis and we haven’t even met them. So we had some time to teach some school to our kids, walk to get Jonny’s hair cut, have some lunch, and do some laundry. It’s been good to catch up. We’ve been sleeping pretty bad lately, mostly because we have all of us in one room. This morning was the first morning in a while that the kids didn’t wake up at 5:00am. Ahhhhh.
I can’t believe we are leaving Africa in 4 days. It’s kind of surreal. We will miss the people most. We are finally getting the hang of the crazy Zimbabwe money. It changes so fast. They exchange rate has gone up over 20% in the 4 weeks we’ve been here.

Day 141– Nov 18, 2005, Friday: Debriefing
It’s not what your thinking. Today was a day to prepare us as a team for going home. We spent a lot of time together today praying, talking and sharing. I thought it was a great day. We had a great time of building each other up. We talked about the many exciting things we have done in ministry. We talked about some disappointments, things we were hoping or expecting out of this time. We reviewed how God has changed each of us; what we have learned. We talked about how life will be different when we go back home. A lot of time has passed and lives have changed. We have to go back and expect things to be different.
I’ll list a quick review of some of my favorite highlights from the past 2 months:
1. Last week at Highlands Church here in Harare. Ruth and I both ended up praying for people. It was unplanned and unexpected. Ruth was able to lead Samantha to know Christ.
2. At the orphanage in Soroti: The kids changed so much in the week we were with them. One began to walk. Many just became physically healthier. It was amazing to see how much they changed in such a short time.
3. Abundant Life church in Uganda. I got to preach (crazy). We were all amazed at the poverty of the kids all around the church. It almost seemed like they were raising themselves. Seeing 3-4 year olds with babies on their backs.
4. Ruth going to visit homes of the kids in the preschool in Uganda. It was just so real to see them in their element. The kids were overjoyed the next day, saying “you were at my house!”
5. The very first week. We were with the Discovery kids. It was astonishing to hear some of their stories. Most of them had seen loved ones die. Just horrible stuff. Then to watch them praise God! What a contrast.

We finished everything up by praying for each other. It was a great time. I think that prayer is one of the great strengths of our team. We’ve seen that throughout our time here.


Day 143– Nov 20, 2005, Sunday: Last day
Yesterday we did some final shopping and packing. We heard that last week the US ambassador slammed the Zimbabwe government, so basically there is a very anti-US feeling around here. It’s time to go. Most people think we are from the UK, so we just let them think that.
We had fun going to our last Zimbabwe church today. We went the same place as last week. I think I’m finally starting to get used to a 3 hour church service. I still can’t believe we are leaving tomorrow. We are getting excited to see friends and family.

Day 144– Nov 21, 2005, Monday: Time to go
All went well in airport customs. We were a little nervous, but it was no big deal. We just cruised on through. The greater challenge is definitely staying sane with all of the flying. The kids have been great so far. They seem to be sleeping more than me though, hopefully I’ll catch up at some point.

Day 146– Nov 23, 2005, Tuesday: Arrival
WOW. Flying for 48 hours is an experience. Again I say wow. We arrived here in Kona last night at about 9:00pm. 6 flights from Harare to Lusaka to Nairobi to Amsterdam to Seattle to Kahului to Kona. Ahhhh. We are staying at a hotel near the YWAM base. I must say, this is the nicest accommodation we’ve had in the last 5 months.

Below: Thanksgiving with 700 people in Kona at the YWAM base. It was awesome!