Harare, Zimbabwe

Crazy. That's the word that comes to mind. Every place we go is different. God is doing different things in many different places, but he is everywhere. And he sees everything. He doesn't miss a single person. He cares for all of them the same. We go to small churches in the middle of nowhere, but I know that God has a plan for every person in every church we go to.

Over the weekend, we split up into teams and stayed in different homes in villages. My team (Masiye, Derek and Essie) stayed with a Zimbabwean pastor, and we were treated with incredible kindness and hospitality. We spoke at a Bible school that is training African pastors, visited people's homes to encourage them and ran the church service on Sunday.

The rest of the week we have stayed in people's homes in Zimbabwe. Also very hospitable. We have done a lot of sports ministry and children's ministry this week. Not my thing at all, but I have really loved the change of pace. Using games, sports and dramas to teach children about Jesus is a really amazing thing. You never want to leave the kids when you're done. They have so much love to offer, and you desire so deeply for them to grow up holding Jesus' hand and loving him. I notice how much pain is in the hearts of the older children (and sometimes even the youngest children), but I know that God has not forgotten them and will not give up on reaching into their hearts with his love. And we should never underestimate the impact that one smile or one word or one hour of sports can have on a child's life.

Yesterday was interesting, because we prepared a bunch of programs that were changed less than an hour before and had to adjust and change all that we prepared. That's missions. My favorite was when we arrived at a school assembly and discovered that it was an all-girls school. The boys received A LOT of attention. The girls asked one of them for his autograph.

Please pray for the health of the team. A lot of us (including me) have gotten sick in the past few weeks. One team member is still very sick now. Pray for safe travel to Malawi on Sunday and pray for the vehicles!!!! They break down a lot. TIA (This is Africa). And of course pray for our ministry and for strength and perseverance. It's a busy lifestyle, but God has blessed us with times to relax as well.

Learning a lot here. Especially learning to trust God to take care of the many people I meet. All of us are learning a lot about our giftings and how to use them for God's glory. Thinking a lot about my calling as well.

Funny moments in Harare:

The most embarrassing moment so far was when I managed to lock myself in a room in my host home in the middle of the night. The door knob fell out. Regina and I went outside and tried to bang on Aliette's window, but she didn't answer because she thought someone was trying to break in. My host family woke up and saved me.

Another great moment was when Barney and I were doing a drama for the kids and he decided to celebrate at the end of the drama (this was not planned). His attempt at a high-five ended in an injury for me. The kids didn't seem to notice, but our team was certainly entertained. Some things never change.

I will not have internet or signal in Malawi for 10 days. We'll be sleeping in tents and smelling awful.

Bye for now!!!!!!!