Our trip to Zimbabwe was an amazing experience. This continent never ceases to amaze me. I fall in love with one country, then go to another, and fall in love all over again. The people, both members and non-members, are humble, kind, loving, accepting, friendly (there are not enough adjectives to describe them)……..just so happy and welcoming. There was a lot of poverty, there is 90% unemployment but the spirit of the people is inspiring and they made me want to become a better person. When we had to leave our new “FRIENDS” at the end of the week, there was a great feeling of loss.
Wednesday, 5 August started early with Abraham (he works for the area office transporting the people to and from the airport) picking us up at 7:30 from our home. When we arrived at the airport we ran into 4 elders that were going to Zambia that we had met the day before. There were three of them that had not had not gone through the temple and they didn’t want them to go on mission without receiving their endowments, so they stayed back an extra day to attend. We helped them get their tickets, got ours and then waited for 2 hours for our flight. While waiting we met two different groups of Baptists from the states (one from Dallas and one from Ohio) that were going to Malawi to do service projects and bible study for two weeks. There are a lot of great people in this world that sacrifice a lot to make the world better. We finally boarded our plane and one of the stewards, Bonigani, saw our name tags and informed us that he was a member of the church in Joburg. A great way to start our journey. The flight took 1 hour 20 minutes – just enough to make me airsick…..no Dramamine. What a surprise awaited for us. When we got off the plane (we were on the last row) there was an hour wait to receive our Zimbabwe visas to enter the country. Then there was another hour wait to get a receipt for the visa! But during that time we got to know a Zimbabwean man that was coming from the UK to attend his daughter’s wedding in Zimbabwe (had heard of our church and asked how many wives Dennis had), a young girl that was from Cuba meeting her boyfriend’s family in Zim and then a man from Pennsylvania that was coming to Zim to do bible studies out in the bush. My patience was dimmed with these kind people. We are now through the lines, have our luggage and then have no idea what to do next. We found a young man that had a porter jersey on and asked him where to go. He said, “You’re from the church. I’m a member in the Queensdale Ward, Harare South Stake. My name is Felix.” Our first friend in Zimbabwe. As Isiah says…the gospel shall “encompass the whole earth”. After showing our passports one more time, we were finally out into the lobby. We were so happy to see the Avis Rental Car sign. The two young boys that greeted us behind the counter were so cute and friendly..a great first impression of Zimbabwe. Their names were Crispin and Tapfuma. They became immediate friends. They presented us with our paperwork, a bag of chocolates and took us to our “red” car and we were off but not before we had exchanged face book information. We drove just a bit and stopped to put our Bed and Breakfast coordinates in our GPS but “no search found” came up. We saw another Avis Car rental place, so pulled over and asked for help. They were so kind – they called Ballantyne Lodge were we were staying and they gave us another coordinate and told us to call when we got there and they would come fetch us. When we got back to our car, Dennis couldn’t figure out how to put it in reverse and every time he tried, he moved forward getting closer and closer to the parked cars until he was just about to hit them. So I got out to stand between our car and the others. I didn’t want him to cause damage to the cars! So then he put it in neutral and I pushed the car away from danger. Finally one of the Avis men saw us and showed Dennis the button that you have to push for reverse. A sense of humor helps at times like this. So off again and a few kilometers later, we are pulled over by the police for not making a complete stop at a “Give Way” sign. I tried to explain to him that we did stop because I had Dennis stop so I could take a picture….but he told us not to argue and just say your sorry or he would take us to the magistrate. We obliged and said that we were sorry. He let us proceed without having to pay the $20 (Zimbabwe uses American money)fine. Just minutes later we were at our designated spot and we called Sonia at Ballantynes to come fetch us. While we were waiting I saw a man that was selling metal baobab trees that was exactly what I wanted from Zim. So I ran and bought 2 trees for $15.00. On the road for less than an hour and I bought a souvenir (it turned out the only souvenirs that I bought – good for me!). Sonia directed us to our “home” for the week which was beautiful and Sonia became another true friend with whatsapp info shared. We unpacked and called Rodney and Madeline Chikenge that we met at the temple last month and decided it was too late to try and find them which turned out to be a good thing because our cigarette lighter in our car was not working which is what gives power to our GPS. So we called Avis and they told us to bring the car back but we don’t know how to get back to the airport without our GPS. Sonia to the rescue – she had us follow Cosmos to the airport. It is now seven at night. Tapfuma had another car for us when we arrived, but that cigarette lighter didn’t work either. Crazy that a cigarette lighter is so important to ones that don’t even smoke. So off to the other Avis place that we had found earlier. Finally, a lighter that worked. With our GPS working now, we were off and starving because we hadn’t eaten since the morning. We found a place to eat that Sonia had suggested. Back home at 9:30. What a adventurous first day in Zimbabwe! I was just so excited to be in Zimbabwe…nothing could dampen the joy I felt.
Four elders going to Zambia – two of them were from Zimbabwe (When they arrived on mission, one of these elders was assigned Elder Malinga from Gege as his trainer….yea!!)
Elders Zimene, Zhuwankinyu, Kububa, Kobyana
Tapfuma and Crispin
Our first sights of Zimbabwe
The view from the “give way” sign that apparently we did not stop at
Our bathroom at Ballantyne Lodge
Our shower
Our view of the garden
Sonia, Shirley (the owner)and her son
Thursday, August 6th began with a marvelous breakfast at the lodge….omelet for Dennis and a Ballantyne special for me. We met Bro. Never Chikunguwo at the Holiday Inn in town. What a delightful man. We knew that we were going to have a great week. We drove to Iris Nield’s home who was the former Zimbabwe Country Church History Adviser – her husband died a few months ago. Her home and grounds were beautiful. She had her home set up with muffins and drinks and two of her daughters, Sharon and Kelly, were there also to greet us. The next three hours were absolute joy. The conversation was delightful talking about her husband Reg’s spirit of love for the people, the church in Zimbabwe in the early years, the service that is going on now to help the people, how they were able to help hundreds of young people to go on mission, just stories galore. We were invited back. I pray someday I will be able to return. Again, friendships were made. We met Sister Everjoice Chikunguwo at a funeral parlor that Never works with. She is an amazing woman and we so enjoyed talking with her. We did 3 hours of Church History training. It was a good session. After we left we called Rodney and Madeline and they directed us to their home which was about 30 minutes from Harare in a place called Makafose. At one point we got lost, so called him to come fetch us. A group of kids gathered around us and started singing songs from Frozen. Miles apart from home but there are just some things that connect us. To see Rodney and Madeline again warmed my heart. They had set up a small bench, a bucket and a box outside for us to sit and talk. We learned how they met, how they were married, their desires for the future. A story about a tradition when they get married. After the ceremony, Madeline’s family (her parents have both passed away so her sisters raised her) takes her back to her home (she lives in Bulawayo and he lived in Harare – look on the map above) and Rodney has to go back to his home until her family thinks it is time for her to join him. She said she kept asking when it is going to be time. Finally, two months later they brought her to him. Can you imagine that joyful reunion. But that made it so they could not get sealed in the temple until a year later. You have to go within a week of being civilly married. So a year later in June they went to the temple to be sealed and that is when we met them. They showed us their humble abode. It is a small room with a bed, their clothes, a small burner for cooking…..it truly felt like a home. Next, we walked to the home where he grew up and met his sister. His father was at work and his mother was in Kenya for his brother’s wedding. They showed us their ward house and the mission president was there doing interviews. Madeline showed me the gardens that they have on the grounds. Ward members have different plots where they can grow vegetables to survive on. We ended the night at dinner at Bojangles in Harare and back to their home (35 minutes) and then back. Again, another great day.
Iris Nield and Never Chikunguwo
Iris and her daughter - Sharon Spencer
The Nield’s grounds
The streets of Harare
Never bought some air time from this young man
Never and Everjoice
Our drive to Makafose to see Rodney and Madeline
The group that sang for us
Dennis took this picture and when he got out of the car to show the mother, this little girl started screaming. A white face must have been scary.
Rodney and Madeline
Their home
Rodney’s sister
Rodney helps the humanitarian couple dig water holes for the people. This is one the church did.
The Harare Zimbabwe Marimba Park Stake
The gardens of members on the grounds of the ward house
They are measuring Dennis for a shirt that Madeline is going to make for him. She is also making me a skirt.
HARARE – beautiful but what you can’t see is the potholes on the roads. Every street has them. We really can’t imagine how any car can last very long in this place. The only road that we were on that didn’t have them was the road to the airport.
You literally take your live in your hands when you drive. The kombi drivers here are crazy with no respect for laws. They turn from any lane and whiz right past. Kombi’s are how the majority people get around.
The streets are full of vendors selling everything you can imagine.
On Friday, August 7, after another great breakfast, we went to visit Malone Manhanha – an elder that served with us in Swaziland and was there when we left. He gathered testimonies from the elders and members and presented them to us at our last Monday night PMG that we had. I will cherish that book for the rest of my life. It was such a sweet gesture of love and friendship. We had so much to catch up on. I never dreamt that we would ever see him again and especially not in his country. He really is a special young man – ended his mission as AP. Since he has been home he tried raising rabbits to sell to restaurants but didn’t have the right atmosphere, so they started dying. He is now selling “formal” shirts to try and raise some money. We hope that we found a possible job for him while we were there. I am praying that this works out. We went to meet and visit the couples at the mission office. A great group of missionaries. Then we took Elder Manhanha to lunch at St. Elmo’s. After he showed us President Mugabe’s home in Harare. President Von Stetten, I heeded your warning and didn’t take a picture! Elder Manhanha also told me that I would be put in prison if I took a picture and even he could not come visit. Coming from two sources, I thought it was wise to keep my camera hidden. But it was surrounded by trees and guards. Couldn’t see a house! We left Malone where we were to meet up with the Chikunguwos. But we found out that the Harare Stake Center which was in an upper room of a kombi rank, was being moved to another spot around two blocks away. But while we waited for Never and Everjoice, there was a young man there also waiting that we started talking to. We found out that he just returned from the Uganda mission and new our Swazi missionaries serving there. His name is Spencer Bandi. Seriously, the boys here are so cute. Not only in looks but also in personality. Their just so friendly and good!! We would love to bring them all home with us. Back to the work at hand……..we drove Never and Everjoice to the new place that they will meet in for the first time on Sunday. They were still painting, fixing the grounds and preparing the rooms when we were there, so to find a quiet place to do the oral history was difficult. Their story is amazing. They shared their experiences for two hours and I was fascinated the entire time. Over dinner they continued to tell us stories that we laughed at and cried over. The one really important thing that I would like you to know about them is after they were baptized, they set a goal for themselves to baptize 100 people in a year…….they exceeded their goal by 49!!! This only included the adults….with the children, they figured it was close to 400. True missionary spirit. After dinner at Paula’s Place, we took them to the place that they catch their kombi to get home. They wouldn’t let us take them home…they said it was too far. Let me tell you, Harare is even more crazy at night than the day. There was people all over, loud music, kombi’s everywhere…I tried to take a picture but it didn’t work too well. I was frightened to leave them on the corner, but they reassured us that they would be okay. They called when they got home.
Malone Manhanha
The first chapel built in Zimbabwe – the mission office is across the parking lot
Elder and Sister Diede – Self Reliance senior couple
Lunch at St. Elmo’s Restaurant
Spencer Bandi – just returned from Uganda mission
Harare at night….we were trying to get down that street!
Saturday, 8 August began as a disaster. We discovered the internet was down, so Sonia came over to fix it. We were totally alone in the lodge because Monday and Tuesday are holidays and everyone was leaving and there were no reservations except us. But Sonia was kind enough to come and fix our internet. We also discovered our phone wasn’t working, so we followed Sonia to a phone store. They could not fix it, and the rest of our time in Zimbabwe we did not have phone service. When we went back to our car, we discovered that the tire was almost flat. We asked someone where there was a gas station. Flat tires and pot holes in the roads do not go together. I was totally stressed. When we got to the gas station they did not have air. We drove a bit further and then just stopped. The young man that was on the corner selling air time approached us and offered to help. He called for someone to come over and this kind man showed us the nail and said that he could fix it for us. When he saw our name tags, he said that he used to go to our church in Highfield but does not attend any more. He took the tire off, disappeared for a while and then returned with a tire inflated and ready to go. His name was Ronald. Another friend that I will cherish. The plans were to meet the Chikunguwo’s at 11:00 but could not get hold of them to let them know of our problems. Shame, I was a basket case. They were relieved when we arrived safely. We went back to our bed and breakfast and did some more training and preparing for the oral histories that were scheduled for the afternoon. Then off to Highfield were we did an oral history with Roda Roslyn Muziuidzi who joined the church in 1980 and shared many stories of miracles that occurred during the early years of the church in Zimbabwe and how it grew from just a few members to a strong, thriving church of 6 stakes, 2 districts with 10 branches and wards under each, and a mission. Remember Iris Nield that I mentioned earlier? Roda Roslyn shared how her husband, Reg, would come with his truck from Highland where the church was to Highfield, where the recently baptized black members lived, which was probably 45 minute drive, and load the members up in the back of his bakki and take them to church and then bring them back. Truly a sacrifice for him and his family. After the interview, we went to take the keys back to the bishop, and found him and his ward members doing a service project of painting a neighborhood clinic. The bishop happened to be one that we met at the Church History Center a few weeks ago, Bishop Vega. A small world in the gospel. Then off to the Highland chapel for another oral history. When we arrived, we met Sibusiso Godi who is a recent return missionary from Liberia/Zimbabwe – he was in Liberia during the ebola and was evacuated out and finished his mission in his own country. He is headed for BYUIdaho in January. Brother Masiya Mabundu arrived to share his story of being the first bishop in Enterprise during the time when there was no food in the stores and people were being displaced from their homes. People were sleeping in the chapels and he was trying to find food for his members to survive. The stories that we heard gave me such a different perspective on priorities. We drove Bro. Mabundu home which was quite an adventure. It was dark, pot holed roads, toll road and then up a dirt road but the beauty from his place was spectacular. It was a clear night and the sky was studded with thousands of twinkling stars. It took my breath away. We hadn’t eaten all day, so we stopped at Nandos for a quick bite before we took Chikunguwo to the kombi rank.
Our flat tire episode
Ronald, our miracle man
Roda Roslyn Muziuidzi – a member since 1980
Church service project at the community clinic – painting the facility
Priesthood leadership – Bishop Vega is in the middle
Don’t you love the dress Everjoice has on?
He just wanted his picture taken
Some sights while we were driving
Sibusiso Godi – recently returned from his mission in Liberia/Zimbabwe
Chikunguwos and a member of the Stake Presidency
Bishop Masiya Mabundu
The Mabundu homestead in Enterprise
How many times have I told you that I love the Sabbath day in Africa……Sunday, 9 August was no exception. Chappie, the chef at our lodge, fixed breakfast for us and also some muffins for our training session this afternoon. I love these people. Another dear friend. We left at 8:15 so we could make it to the Harare Marimba Park Stake Conference which is where Rodney and Madeline and Malone and Gibson attend church. We know it was Sunday, but we discovered that we didn’t have enough gas to get to Marimba because it is quite far. So, to a gas station we went. Surprise, they do not take Visa only their own credit card – the Smart Card. We only had $12.00 on us. So we got $12.00 worth. We scrambled to find a bank with an ITM (that is what it is called her) so we could get money and was successful but ran out of time so decided to get more gas on our way home. That is what we get for not being prepared for the Sabbath!!! Elder Chatora was the presiding Area Seventy at the Stake Conference. We know him from the temple. He is the Johannesburg temple recorder. Also, President Mkapela was there who is the new Zimbabwe Mission president. We know him from our previous mission. He visited Swaziland a number of times. We were surprised to see so many in the chapel because the parking lot had only a few cars. By 10:00 the building was packed. Elder Manhanha was super busy fulfilling his Stake Executive Secretary responsibilities. The conference was inspiring. The choir was beautiful. They sang “I Know My Redeemer Lives” in Shona. I wish I could have recorded it for you. It was a choir of Heavenly angels. The electricity went out during Sister Mkapela’s talk. Elder Mnahanha scurried out and soon the generator was up and running and everything back to normal. FYI – we were told that in Zimbabwe if you have electricity in the morning, you won’t have it in the evening and vice a versa every day! Our B & B had a generator they booted up when the electricity went out. But the majority of the people cannot afford the luxury of a generator. Rodney told us that they just prepare for it. They never know from day to day whether it will be morning or evening. Elder Chatora spoke on love – love of God, neighbors and spouse. Great advice from a servant of our Heavenly Father. After, Malone brought his mom and twin sister to meet us. They wanted us to come over to their home but we didn’t have time. That will always be a regret. We also saw Elder Mudd that served with us, Gibson and his family and Rodney and Madeline – Madeline made me a purse. Love it! Many of the members introduced themselves to us and made us feel right at home. A new group of friends even if I don’t know their names. We were the only whites except 2 elders that are serving there. I would have loved to have lingered longer but we had to hurry to our training session that was scheduled for 2:00. They changed buildings so we were worried about the attendance but they totally amazed us. When we started we had 20 clerks and bishop/branch presidents with just 2 stakes represented. There were no cars parked – which meant they all came on foot or kombi! I really don’t think back home we would have anywhere near 20 in attendance to a meeting on a Sunday even if it was close and they could drive there. The meeting went so well. Their spirit was so sweet and strong which inspired us. When we first arrived there was a young man that was waiting. While talking with him we found out that he had only been a member for a year and wanted to make sure that he fulfilled his calling well for his Heavenly Father so made sure that he was early. One young man that was a stake clerk, had served with us in the Durban mission. He never made it to Swaziland but we had met him on several occasions. His name is Elder Karumazondo – another FYI, by the time we arrived back to Joburg, he had emailed to us 4 ward annual histories from his stake. He caught the spirit and acted on it! How many times can I express my love for these members. Bro Never and Sister Everjoice Chikinguwo are going to do a fabulous job as country church history advisers. We asked how they got so many there and he said that he just called, called and reminded. They are a couple that will forever be implanted in our hearts. The Lord has blessed us with two more friends to bless our life. It was the first time we had arrived back to our B & B before it was dark, so we took advantage and walked around the beautiful grounds. It was a good Sabbath!
Conference is over
Malone Manhanha and his mother
The Manhanha family – Malone and his twin sister
Elder “Mudd” – his name is longer than that but that is what we called him on mission
Dennis is getting the Stake Clerk of the Marimba Park Stake’s contact information – Elvis
Friends reunited - Malone with an elder serving in Zimbabwe who is from a ward in Durban where Malone served
Look at the beautiful grounds
Gibson Guzha (he works with the humanitarian couple) and his sweet family (wfie – Paidamuo)
Where we met for our annual history training
This young girl and her brother were waiting for their mother while she was attending a class on self-reliance
And we begin……
Our group of clerks and leadership – plus one lady that came thinking it was Family History
Elder Karumazondo – Harare Stake Clerk that we served with on previous mission
Branch president Fortunate Chitiyo, that hosted us in his chapel. His wife and child waited for us to finish. They had been there the entire day. Such commitment!
Dennis relaxing and studying after a long day.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARA!!!! Officially a teen-ager. When did you grow up? Love you sweetheart
Sara Arkell – 13 years old today
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY CAMEO AND JEREMY – 9 years. What a great marriage it has been. Love you both
I have no words to tell you how wonderful Monday, 10 August was. We met Elder Larry and Sister Debbi McMurdie (Humanitarian couple for Zimbabwe) and Gibson Guzha at the mission office at 8:00 and off we were for an adventure out in the bush of Zimbabwe. We drove for about an hour where we saw homes scattered here and there, people working in the fields, children playing barefoot in the dirt (it was a holiday – Hero’s day) until we arrived at a clinic that the McMurdies are helping with. Last year 50 women and babies died walking to get to the clinic to deliver. They live so far away and have no transportation, so they walk and many die on the way. So the tender nurses that run the clinic have remodeled part of their clinic into a “hotel” for these women so they can come and stay up to 2 months before their delivery date so when they go into labor, they will have care. The church is providing beds, blankets, newborn kits (the church no longer does them in Salt Lake so they have to be bought and assembled in the country that needs them), hygiene kits, etc. The McMurdies have to buy everything here and then assemble. On Tuesday, they had a Relief Society activity with some wards and branches to sew blankets and assemble kits. Would have loved to have been there to help. It was a humbling experience to be there. When we arrived there was a cart with 4 donkeys attached to it. Gibson asked the man standing by it if we could get in and take a picture. He agreed and what fun we had….but the best part was when his wife came down the road carrying a brand new baby. She delivered the baby on Saturday and her husband had come to fetch her with the cart to take her home to their 3 other children. (Gibson translates for us) What a sight to see him leading the donkeys down the road with her and the newborn in the back. A scene from a hundred years ago. Another scene I will never forget is when we walked up to the clinic and there was a lady with an exhausted expression on her face sitting on the ground leaning against the wall. We found out that she delivered her baby while walking to the clinic. She and her baby were one of the lucky ones – a lady from the village had accompanied her. They brought her baby out and we got to hold him. A humbling moment for me. We left for another similar clinic and there found 3 very young looking girls waiting to have their babies. They were cleaning up after cooking. We met some of the amazing nurses that give so much to make the lives of these women better. True disciples of Christ that give their all. Off in another direction we went to Marimba where we attended church and saw some of the water holes that they had just drilled recently and able to see them in action. Back to Harare where we ate at KFC, went to a material shop where I bought some plastic for my table at home and back to the mission office. There we met a young man that was just released from his mission. He started in Liberia but was transferred back to his home country when ebola broke out. He is hoping to go to BYUI in January. I pray things work out for him. We left Gibson and the McMurdies for a few hours until they picked us up for dinner at Millers Rest. Gibson’s wife joined us. We had a great evening. Home exhausted but heart full of love for the people we had met, spent time with and a country that was now part of us. A whole country of “friends” that we had made.
Enjoy the sights of Zimbabwe
The clinic
Man that has come to fetch his wife and newborn baby with the donkey cart
Maxmos Kutama
Maxmos and his wife, Tracy and new little girl - Fait
This woman has just given birth to a little boy while walking to the clinic.
She was a lucky one – 50 other women and their babies died on the way
They always bundle their babies – no matter the weather!
Preparing the rooms
Their oven
These are the rooms that they are preparing for the pregnant women to stay
Gibson, Debbi and Larry McMurdie
The examining room
Of course, I brought suckers for the kids….
The nurses at the second clinic
These women/girls are waiting for their babies to be born
The wells that the church has installed
Lunch at KFC – Gibson, Debbi and Larry McMurdie
Cheesy picture but I wanted to share the purse that Madeline made for me…..a treasure
I am having a hard time finding someone to do my hair. The price for cut and color is astronomical!!!! Dilemma – something needs to be done!
Tuesday, 11 August, we were up and going at 4:30 a.m. We had to take our car in, check in at the airport and wait for our flight at 7:00. We arrived home around 10:30 and Abraham was waiting for us. It is always good to be home but my heart was sad. We unpacked, cleaned and went to the office. But couldn’t get in because the lady that had our key was in the temple. There was a reason we came back though. We met a young lady, Pamela Tegwati Seloane, that has been out of the church for a long time and wants to come back. She is a granddaughter of one of the first blacks in South Africa to be baptized. We have heard and studied his story, Franc Tekgwati. He was an amazing man. She came specifically looking for church history. She cried as she shared stories about her grandfather. I will have to tell you his story later. She has a little girl named Bunny who is adorable.
Pamela, Bunny and Sister Kinghorn
“And again I say unto you, my friends, for from henceforth I shall call you friends……D & C 84:77
