Written Feb 22, 2020:
Hey guys! Welcome back. This was sadly our last week in Bulawayo and we have now arrived in the capital Harare.
This week was very different but so great. We started off on Monday with a new ministry for us. We went back to the church that we had done kids ministry at the week before and were able to volunteer at a mobile clinic that was set up there for the day. The clinic came once a month and there were well over 100 people lined up to get free medication.
We were there to pray for people and bring them encouragement, but we said we could do whatever they needed help with so they said we could take blood pressures and I got so excited! My hand shot up and Sharon volunteered as well and we got to take the BP of everyone in line and their heartbeat as well and it just felt great to be able to do something practical and physical to help out.
After we finished taking BPs we headed back over to the rest of the group that had already started praying for people. We split into two groups and began to hear people’s stories.
It was truly heartbreaking to hear how many of them were parents and grandparents that had been abandoned by their children and either hadn’t seen them in years or were in another country. So many of them had high blood pressure as well and some suffered from injuries inflicted by horrible accidents and acts of hate. Yet they were so thankful to receive prayer .
Tuesday we went out for evangelism with Pastor Lucky from last week. We went in the morning to follow up with the newborn Christians from the week before to see how they were doing and encourage them and then we went to talk to new people about Christ and share Jesus with them. After that we went back to the pastor’s house and ate lunch and got to hang out together for a couple of hours until the Bible study/cell group later in the day. They had a tv, which we hadn’t seen since we left Australia, and they had South African shows on it and we got to watch a bad drama. It was so cheesy but we all made fun of it together.
Sharon shared at the Bible study about how God gives us strength but we have to give up our rights to Him. After that we went back and ate a delicious dinner and rested.
Wednesday we went back to the pastor’s house for the last time. We went to his house and picked up his family and then went to a nearby town we had gone to the week before to do some follow up and evangelism. It was a great time and my group ended up in the same house the whole time because where we went to encourage new Christians from the week before, new people were there who hadn’t been saved that we got to talk to, and I got to lead a salvation prayer for the first time.
After evangelism I we had lunch and then a time of thanking each other and praying for each other before we went out and took a ton of pictures with everyone before we hesitantly left to go back.
What was a great surprise though is we got to meet an pray for the pastor’s wife’s mother who was such a blessing. She was the definition of cute old lady but she had so much spunk and humor too and I think I want to be like her when I grow up.
Thursday was a special day because we left early in the morning to go to the border of Zimbabwe and Botswana to intercede for Botswana. We were supposed to go there for two weeks of outreach but it didn’t work out so He put on our hearts to go and intercede for Botswana. It was an amazing time that we started with finding a spot with shade and privacy off a dirt road just a few kilometers from the border. We started with worship for about an hour and then started praying for things that God put on our hearts. We prayed for chains to break and His spirit to rain down and for binding of the enemy and that He will make a way into the country. We interceded until lunch and spent time resting and eating, then went closer in the van up to the border right by the fence and border post just to see and then went back home for the day.
That night after dinner me and Daph were dancing to music in our room just having fun and decided to take it to everyone else so we went out into the kitchen with the speaker and got everyone to start dancing. We even got to teach them some of our choreographed songs.
Friday was our last day of ministry in Bulawayo, outside of church that is. We went back to the church we loved so much and got to do kids ministry one last time. We played games with them all morning long doing things like duck duck goose (ish), charades, and a couple other games we made up. Then we got to teach them one of the skits we did so they could do it themselves. They did so well and we were so proud! It was so nice to see them again, some of them for the last time. We took a ton of pictures after and got to say a good goodbye before we left to go to town one last time. Saturday was our rest day so we wanted to do everything before then so we could really rest.
We got souvenirs at a nearby church, flea markets, went to chicken inn again for a late lunch and free WiFi, and to buy some flowers for our hosts as a thank you. Then on the way back we decided to go to the church for the worship night they had invited us to earlier that day. Me and Sijin decided to go back and rest because we weren’t feeling too well but Sharon, Daph, and Josiah went and had a great night of worship. We then ate a late dinner and went to bed, not getting up for breakfast until 9 on our off day.
Saturday really felt like a rest day. We got to do our laundry, take showers, do our quiet times, watch a movie, hang out, pray for YWAM Perth, take naps, and eat food. It was an amazing and much needed day of rest.
Sunday was church, our last time going to church in Bulawayo. Me and Sharon got to do kids ministry and Daph preached on the prodigal son and running back to the Father. We were very glad to see some of the kids and the church members there one last time before we left.
After church we went back home and played soccer for a few hours with the guys and girls we were staying with and played some music. Baboe showed us some dance moves and some of their music while a few of us (aka me) watched the game. It was hilarious to see how bad we danced next to her.
We ate dinner after that and had a time of the guys telling us how they felt about us being there which made me cry a bit. After dinner we had another dance party! We turned on their music and just hung out and danced until they had to go to bed. We took some pictures with them too and had a blast making up weird dances and learning from them. They have some seriously talented dancers!
Monday morning was difficult. None of us had a harder time leaving a place on outreach than Penial Center in Bulawayo. It had become like a home to us and all the young people there had become our friends. We finished packing and took our stuff outside to wait in the cold overcast and windy weather to leave, saying goodbye to everyone.
We drove to the bus station and when we got there Gideon and our friends from his house came to say goodbye as well! We got to say goodbye to them and of course I started crying again. It was so hard to leave them as they had become our friends, but I’m also so thankful that we got to have these two precious weeks with them. We gained a family while in Bulawayo.
We had a really nice bus ride to Harare and were picked up by our contact Shirley and her sister and taken to our accommodation which is Shirley’s house. It’s so nice and we are so blessed to be here in such a nice house. We even have wifi here! We will start ministry here tomorrow and have two weeks until debriefing and then fly back to Perth!
These two weeks in Bulawayo have been great and such a learning experience and I am ready to see what these last two weeks of ministry in Harare hold for us!
That’s all I have for now! Thank you guys so much for your prayers and support. I love you guys! Until next week.
Hugs from Harare, Zimbabwe! 🇿🇼
Journey With Kaylee 