Zimbabwe!

Oh Africa.....! I am SO in love. With the people, the beauty of the land, the children, the pure and raw life that the people here live (a much needed break from Dallas I must say). I got back yesterday to my temporary "home base" in Johannesburg (my brother's house) after spending an amazing week in Zimbabwe with a youth group from Atlanta.... I'm going to try to put some of those experiences into words here.... it will be hard so wish me luck!

We spent the week in the Matopos Hills, on a farm/property called 'Morning Star' with Chris & Norma Ferguson, an amazing couple who live on the land and are doing amazing things to invest in and bring about lasting change in their community. (As is the amazing Young Life staff and volunteers!!) Where do I start.....

ZIMBABWE:

Going into this trip, the vision and expectation I had of Zimbabwe was of a land living in a subtle (if not overt) state of fear. The terror that the government has imposed on this people, the farm invasions that have caused such destruction and horror, the immense oppression that the people have lived under which has caused such incredible poverty..... I went into this time thinking that everything would be shrouded in a layer of fear and furtiveness. A sense of impending danger and of the unknown. Oh how wrong I was. The predominant word I have to describe Zimbabwe with is: PEACEFUL. The most explanatory and descriptive word of the land, the people, the lives, the time spent there is PEACEFUL.

Zimbabwe is a beautifully rural and peaceful land. Quiet.... Beautiful.... Gentle.... Joyous.... Full of life.... Full of potential.... Full of Hope. Bigger, greater, brighter, and more numerous stars in the sky than I've ever seen in my life. I went on daily runs and felt like I was literally running through a safari- usually without a person in sight, only expansive terrain of savannah as far as the eye can see (with no lions- they get their occasional leopards, but I luckily never came across any on my runs ;)). Incredible rock formations that almost come to life as they resemble animals, faces, objects (similar to seeing images in clouds). The local people who are now my dear friends are full of such life and joy- oh, the songs and dances of praise that we joyously sang to our God! The laughter we shared. The memories we made. Fear is the very last word I could use to describe my experiences there. No, not fear. Quiet. Rural. Joyful. PEACEFUL.

But the statistics of poverty in this country are staggering. And they are real. And they affect these beautiful people each and every day. Here are some of them:


*Zimbabwe has a population of 12 million people. There are 1 million orphans in the country.

*25% of the population has AIDS/HIV.

*The life expectancy in Zim is one of the lowest in the world: some figures say it's around 34-37.

*The unemployment rate is around 95%.


I could go on and on, and there are numerous reasons for these facts (yes, probably the greatest being the incredible oppression the corrupt government has imposed on the people), but those to me are the most staggering. And yes, I cried when I heard many of those numbers.... Feel free to also.

The majority of the time we spent in Zim was spent playing with school children and loving on orphans- we fed orphans during regular feedings (that the Atlanta group sponsors); we visited several schools where we did face painting, played games with the children, and simply invested in them to show them that they are LOVED, special, and important individuals. (Most schools in the area said that about 50% of their students are orphans.) We did other things, and I could go on and on, but for the most part that explains the time we spent. I will add some pictures in a little bit to give images that explain more.

Yes, there is very real poverty and very real hunger in this land. And an inordinate number of orphans who have a very real need for love. The people are peaceful and joyful, yet there is certainly great need at the same time. Don't let the numbers depress you; instead let them spur you on to consider the impact you can make for the world's poor.

A word of encouragement for you:

"Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor! The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble. He protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity in the land and rescues them from their enemies. The Lord nurses them when they are sick and restores them to health." -Psalm 41: 1-3 (thank you my friend Sharon for sharing this word with us!!)