Written Feb 16, 2020:
Hey guys, welcome back again!
This week was a great week of ministry here in Zimbabwe. We stayed at the YWAM Bulawayo base all this last week and it’s been such a blessing. They are way too good to us, so hospitable, and it really feels like a big family here. There are a lot of young people who live in the house who are being taken care of by a spiritual father figure who takes care of them, sends them to school, etc and helps them start their future as well. It’s such a great atmosphere and it’s nice to be surrounded by other young people.
We arrived Saturday and on Sunday we went to a local church to participate in the service and three of us did children’s ministry as well. We taught them a bible story, did worship, and played a game and they were so great. They really made it easy and they were so sweet.
Monday was our first day of official ministry in Zimbabwe and we were excited. In the morning we had a chance to connect with WiFi, though it was in the morning so everyone I knew was asleep haha. After lunch, we went back to the church from the day before and did kids ministry again, but this time for the kids coming from school across the street. Some of them knew us from Sunday which was great and we had a fun time! It went by too fast really.
Tuesday we went with the church pastor and the leader of the base where we were staying and went door-to-door in the morning. It was surprisingly so cold. God told me during my quiet time to dress warm and I put on my sweater. Turns out I needed a jacket it was so cold! And still raining too! We met some wonderful people and were able to encourage and pray for them that morning.
We went back to the church to eat lunch and prepare, but one woman who we saw visiting one of the houses we went to on the way out, she came to find us at the church because she needed prayer. We listened to her sad story and our hearts were touched. She had a daughter she had before she got married, and she has a husband now, and everything was going great, but now he doesn’t want to have anything to do with her daughter or help raise her at all. We prayed for her and the family and encouraged her that she can intercede for her husband.
Right as we were finishing up the kids came in and it was time to do the first program of the day for the little kids. They weren’t very responsive at first but I think over the course of the hour they grew accustomed to us and loosened up a bit. They were so adorable and sweet!
Right after they left we had a group of older kids come in after getting out of school and also coming to the church for food and the program just like the little kids.
They understood us very well as lost grow up learning English as well in Zimbabwe so it was really easy to communicate and get along with them. They were so interactive and full of energy and joy and we immediately got attached. After the older kids ministry we went back home and rested until dinner, then had our own communion time as a team. God has spoken it to Daph and to Sharon and to Sharon’a dad so I’m very glad we did it. It was such a beautiful time to remember together what it’s all really about and have new revelation of the sacrifice Jesus made all for us sinners.
Wednesday we did more door-to-door in the morning except I wore all the warm clothes I had so I wouldn’t be cold haha. I still was cold.
We met so many lovely people and we even met one woman who was from the church who we met on Sunday and we got to pray over her kid who was sick in his lungs but she couldn’t take him to the doctor. The pastor also talked to the woman who was with her and she ended up giving her life to Jesus! And we were able to give her a SD card bible she could put in her phone!
That afternoon we ate packed lunches at the church and did two more kids ministry programs. We were hooked on the kids, they were just too precious and we couldn’t get enough. We played game, danced, worshipped, and told stories to the kids and they loved it. We had such a great time. The sad part was it was our last day going there so we had to say goodbye, and all the kids gave such sweet well wishes and we shared many hugs.
After we got back from kids ministry, we had some time before dinner so we had some worship time in our room as a team and just sat in Gods presence. It was seriously such a time of revelation, realizing just how much God sacrificed to send Jesus to come to earth and give up everything he had, including his right to be God, just so that we could be free and have relationship with Him. How beautiful. We all sat and sang worship songs for an hour or so and it was such a time of recharging the spiritual batteries. After that I was ready to tell everyone I saw who Jesus is so they could experience this indescribable goodness for themselves.
Thursday we drove a bit farther out to meet with pastor Lucky to help him evangelize the area around his house with door-to-door. Little did we know we would spend most of the day traveling to and from there, but it was still so worth it.
We were really taken out of our comfort zones as we were used to encouraging believers not sharing the gospel with the lost so it was very new to us. We split into two groups with the people we were partnering with and went door-to-door sharing God. We all didn’t really know what to do at first so we asked if they would demonstrate it at the first house and it turned out to be so easy. You just share.
At the second chance after seeing one salvation I decided to go for it and asked God to give me the words to speak. I told them about His love and sacrifice and how he wants them to know them personally. I told them I wanted them t have that opportunity to know Him personally too, and then a crazy thing happened. They said “We are willing.” And my jaw dropped. It was so easy to share His love and to encourage people who know they need Him but don’t know what to do. Those two women were so kind and I could tell they meant it and I’m so glad they joined the family!
Friday we did the same thing but further out. We went to pastor Lucky’s house and then all drove together to another family’s house a couple towns over. There we met a wonderful family and all of us together went out to meet people door-to-door and share the Good News with them. It was such a humbling opportunity and it really changed my perspective on evangelism and what we’re called to do.
After morning evangelism we held a bible study where Sijin shared about God’s love being something that should give us daily revelation, not be an ‘of course’.
Saturday was our off day so we woke up late, ate breakfast, then went into downtown Bulawayo. Which is huge by the way.
We changed a bit of team money and personal money from USD to Zim dollars because we found out after we came into the country with US money that almost nowhere actually takes US cash lol. So we changed it to Zim but the biggest bill they had was a 5 so $300 US turned into thousands of Zim dollars and hundreds of bills… we didn’t really know how to feel about that. Kinda felt wrong. But kinda cool.
After that we went to a Zimbabwe fast food restaurant called Chicken Inn for lunch and it was packed! So crowded since it was city center, but they had Pizza Inn and Creamy Inn too which was perfect! We ordered so much fried chicken and fries and pizza and ice cream. It was a feast! And the first fast food we had since coming on outreach, and it was so delicious.
After lunch we went on a couple more errands and bought some snacks and drinks at a grocery store, but now we only had stacks of Zim dollars so we weren’t sure how we were going to pay at the counter. Then this woman said she would pay with her cards for our groceries if we paid her back in cash. It was perfect, then we didn’t have to count hundreds of dollars at the counter. So she paid and went to the car with us to count the cash. We didn’t know why she needed it but she seemed nice enough. After counting it all, she said “God bless you” with the most sincerity in her voice. Then she started to get choked up saying that we had blessed her. Turns out she needed the cash for medication for her foot which was not doing well. So we prayed over her and were able to encourage her. She was such a kind hearted and sweet woman and I thank God so much for that divine appointment.
After that we went back to base, ate dinner, washed up, and had a movie night with everyone on the base and the snacks we had bought at the store. It was a great and fun time to just hang out together.
Sunday we went to church, two of us prepare for kids, two for testimony, and one for preaching. I gave the testimony of how I was healed during lecture phase and Josiah gave an amazing sermon on how God wants us to have our roots planted in Him right by the living water so we can grow our roots deep in Him but wide too so that we don’t miss opportunities for ‘nutrients’. It was so good and made me think about where I was as well.
The rest of Sunday we rested which was much needed after our day off ended up so full.
And now it’s Sunday night and we’re going into week 9 of outreach. What! It’s getting so close to being over and I’m trying to stay present and soak up all the time we have left but it really is flying by. We have one week left in Bulawayo then next Monday we’re going up to the capital, Harare for the last two and a half weeks!
That’s all for this week. Thank you all for your support and your prayers. They are keeping this team protected. I love you all so much! Until next time.
Hugs from Bulawayo!
Journey With Kaylee 