This morning I spoke in Chapel for one of the primary schools. There were students from grades 5-7 with over 640 students. I spoke about the favorite food of Zimbabwe, Sudza (a corn meal mixture eaten with most meals). All the kids know that they need to eat lots of sudza if they want to grow big and strong. Instead of comparing Jesus to the bread of life I told the kids Jesus was the Sudza of life. Sudza alone will nourish the body which will last temporarily, but Jesus will give life that is eternal. Jesus will make the spirit strong, like Sudza makes the body strong.
In the morning we are getting up very early (4:30am) to visit a game park on the way to Mutare. We hope to see elephant, lion and giraffe (as well as zebra, antelope, buffalo, etc.) in their native wild habitat. They say that now is not the best time to view the animals because the brush is grown up tall. Zimbabwe has finished with their rainy season and everything is green and beautiful, but when it is brown and dry the animals are easier to see.
Tomorrow is Jenn’s birthday. She will be 25, she’s so excited to celebrate her birthday in Africa. We’re looking forward to an exciting birthday celebration in the truck on the way to the youth conference ;-). She said she has really enjoyed the children in Zimbabwe. Today we visited two orphanages in the Chiredzi area, and she really connected with the young children and the girls. They were following her around and showed her their gardens and games they enjoy playing.
The longer I am here, the more I understand that this trip is merely a drop in the bucket of the ministry that is currently being done and the ministry that needs to be done in Zimbabwe. In Chiredzi, we are staying with the Pemberton’s who lead Hippo Valley Christian Mission. They have been here doing mission work for three generations since the 1950’s and they have over 24 schools, 2 orphanages and hospitals that they have been a part of starting. They have also planted numerous churches and currently support the entire salary of nine local pastors. They have made a large splash in the bucket, and continue to impact the Kingdom in major ways. As I write this blog post I am looking at a proposal of ways they can cut their budget over the next year in order to make ends meet. You have all supported me generously, and if you wish to support this mission I plan to send money back when we get back to the states.
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