12 Days From Africa

I am 12 days returned from Zimbabwe and honestly it seems like a long ways away.  Our lives here in the States and maybe everywhere are so buys and full of stuff.  Something very meaningful happens or we do something that has a deep impact and within a couple of weeks we begin to "lose it".  So many other things compete for our affections and for our time.  In light of this I would like to fight against it and share another encouraging story from Zimbabwe about the local pastors we visited with and ministered alongside.

The first is about Peter who is a pastor in Chinhoyi and who has been through quite a journey these past four years.  The pastors in Zimbabwe rarely collect any income from their churches because all of the monies given go to the widows, poor, and sick who don't have the support structure that Americans, Europeans, and other First World nations enjoy.  Anyway, after our visit in 2007 Peter's landlord decided to double his rent and thus force him out of their home.  There was fundraiser and Peter was able to get a home of his own.  Since then, Peter has also started a butchery where his family works alongside him in order to provide for the needs of the family.  In the middle of all that, Peter has served as pastor for Revival, his church in Chinhoyi, and is planning and praying for a new church building closer to the town center in order to have a greater influence on the city and its residents.  Peter showed me the plot of land during my visit and it is just an abandoned lot right now...but with faith, hard work, and the power and generosity of the Lord, it can become the center of compassion and grace Peter and his congregation envision it to be.

Over the past four years Peter has continued to serve his church as pastor, been evicted from his home and forced to find a new one, started a business for his family, and asked God for a vision to build a church closer to the center of the city where he lives and serves.  All of this in the midst of an economy that left the shelves at the grocery store empty and the people of Zimbabwe praying for God to provide their next meal.  Praise God for Peter and for His faithfulness to him through it all.

Sunday in Chegutu

On Sunday, August 14th while in Zimbabwe I had the opportunity to preach in the city of Chegutu.  The church there meets in a beautiful building that they have refurbished since purchasing almost five years ago.  Our team in 2007 visited this site and the walls for the building were only 6 feet tall and there were no ceilings or roofs yet built.  Zimbabwe has been hammered economically over the past four years and yet Moses and Rofina (the couple who pastor the church and run the feeding center) have been able to raise funding and finish building the facility God envisioned in them.  I was very proud to be there and to see their perseverance having come to fruition.  Currently, they have broken ground on another property where an orphanage will hopefully be built in the next couple of years.

The Zimbabwean church leaders that Vital Connections is supporting and whom we work with are working so hard to advance the kingdom of God.  They want so very much to bring Jesus to those in the community and especially to those in financial need.  I want to congratulate Moses & Rofina, Peter & Stella, Eshwin and Erita, who are pastoring the churches in Chegutu, Chinhoyi that we had the pleasure of visiting as a team.  God is obviously blessing your ministry and working through you.  Keep up the important work!!!

Back Home from Africa

It is Monday morning and our team has returned from Africa.  Lori and Rebecca returned on Wednesday afternoon and Nathan and I returned on Friday afternoon after a couple extra days traveling across the country of Zimbabwe.  I am so thankful for the trip and for the team who went.  There is much to think and pray about.  In fact I spent a couple hours this morning journaling and praying about the trip.  (Jet lag has had me up at 2, 3:30, and 3:45 the past three mornings...at least I think it is jet lag.  Maybe it is God wanting me to have extended time with Him which is an even better reason to be awake.)

Our trip was a success as far as I would have measured it before leaving.  I had some rough ministry expectations in several different areas and from my perspective, we exceeded my hopes in all of them.  The team members, their spiritual fervor, and their generosity of spirit to love one another and the people of Zimbabwe were crucial and essential in the overall success of the trip.  It was a pleasure and privilege to lead this team.

The locals in Zimbabwe were very thankful and grateful for our ministry and our team and team members were also deeply impacted on a personal and spiritual level.  There is much to unpack in the weeks ahead, but I wanted to update you and thank you for your prayers and support for our journey.  I look forward to sharing more in the days ahead.

In the meantime, here is a "nugget" God shared with us through Francis, a local Zimbabwean liaison and guide while in country who is also our friend and brother in Christ.  After returning from what we sensed was a very successful ministry conference to the young leaders in the local churches, he shared this with us during the next morning's devotional time:

After returning from a successful ministry effort where the disciples were casting out demons, healing people, and seeing the power of God manifest itself in many ways, Jesus gave them these words, "Do not rejoice in this...(the miracles and power)...but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven."

If you are a true follower of Jesus, ...rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.