Oh the stories to be told

Greetings from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe!

The pictures above are from left to right:

Students on the last day of school in their uniforms.

Rick greets an older woman who walked slowly down a dirt road to greet us as we toured a site being developed for a new congregation. We walked her back to her house and she insisted that we come in much to the surprise of the niece at the house, who then walked us back to the car.

The group has reconvened at the guest house at the ELCZ headquarters in Bulawayo, back from four nights with local families. We have all had very different experiences and have been sharing stories all evening despite being pretty tired! Tomorrow we head for Manama and the national revival.

I can only tell you some of what Rick and I have experienced. I will try to get the others to stop telling their stories to each other long enough to write some of them in the blog!

Rick and I spent our last day in Bulawayo visiting a school associated with the maximum security prison in the area. There is a village adjacent to the prison that houses the families of those working there, including the Lutheran Chaplain. The road to the prison is 12 km of extremely rutted and potholed pavement in a car with very few shocks. We were invited to meet the parents and children associated with a self contained, special needs classroom of about 11 students that was part of the school. These students ranged in age from 5-14. Special challenges included Downs Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and developmental and physical delays. There was one teacher and one aide for the 11 students. The bathroom was about a quarter mile away on a dirt road. The parents talked to us for a long time about how they supported each other, their dreams for their children, and their desire to be connected to others with children like theirs. We had time to interact with some of the other students, and have chicken and sadsa (a thick corn porridge) at the Chaplain's home.

The graciousness of these people, even those with limited resources is unsurpassed. One of their customs includes pouring warm water over your hands before you eat, and you are offered refreshments everywhere you go. Everyone greets you with a smile, handshake, and sincere inquiries about your health. We have learned the three stage handshake, the clapping that occurs as thanks, or out of respect, and the slight dip in the knees (for females) when receiving something from an older person.

Lisa observes that people here do not hold grudges. They are hopeful, and love their country and want it to be better. They get frustrated with the power outages but do what they need to do to cope. The literacy rate is 97% and the school system has been one of the best in Africa, but now struggles as teachers leave the profession to find other jobs that pay better, and parents who can not afford the required uniforms and fees to attend.

The music is incredibly spontaneous and filled with spirit. We brought With One Voice hymnals with us, but wonder what the response will be when we present them to our congregation in Shurugwi. The music for the choir here is written out for the choir director only and is done with Do, Re, Mi notation in four parts.

We struggled with the dichotomy of nice houses built of stone or brick, in a country that we were told is poor, but now understand that this country is experiencing what the US experienced during the great depression. The buildings stand, but there often isn't enough money to purchase even basic needs, and electricity is rationed. Some of the ability to buy food is tied to the amount of rainfall during the rainy season. Zimbabwe experienced three consecutive years of major drought and during that time crops failed. There was absolutely nothing to buy in the stores since little was grown in country. Families often had one meal a day in the evening. Pastor Mlilo tells us that students often fainted during school from hunger and their parents would be called to come and take them home. The children in our family ate whenever food was offered, and plates were piled high for dinner and completely cleaned up. It was as if they remembered being hungry and wanted to eat when they could. When offered the choice they will choose a meat pie over a sweet. The rainfall has been adequate the past two years, but there is no telling when another drought will occur. It is hard to imagine what these children have experienced when we can walk into Wegmans and buy whatever our heart desires.

We have a long bus ride to Manama tomorrow and little connectivity for awhile. Keep us in your prayers, as we do you. We can not wait to share more with you!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, your spirit does not rest in one place, but circles the earth and connects us all. Help us to learn graciousness from our brothers and sisters here as they host us, care for us, drive us around in precious family vehicles, and share their food with us. They have welcomed us into their families, trusted us to hold their babies, and shared the light of candles on dark nights and mornings. Hold them in your care. Keep us and those we love safe until we return home. In your name we pray, Amen.