Salvation Stories

When volunteer minister, Jared Thompson, approached the four rough looking men in a body shop to witness to them he wasn't sure what to expect. He timidly asked if he could talk to them about Jesus. They laughed and said, we don't plan to listen, but you can talk all you want. Then they resumed working on a vehicle. He began to share the gospel story and one by one the men quit working and began to give him their full attention. After he finished speaking, all four men prayed to receive Christ and then asked Jared questions about living the Christian life. Jared will never forget this moment when he participated in ushering four men into the kingdom of God! Jared Thompson, along with three other ministers from Georgia, Eddy Rushing, David Brown and Marshall Kellett came to Zimbabwe to participate in Simultaneous Revivals. Even though they preached in 4 different Baptist Churches in Bulawayo, each afternoon the four of them went together to one of the churches where they participated in evangelism in the neighborhood around the church with church members from that church. (The church members from each church went out every afternoon even when the pastors were not with them. Pictured here are the U.S. pastors and witnessing members from Bethel Baptist Church.)

David said, "It was good that we partnered with local Christians because sometimes we encountered people who were dealing with issues we didn't have much knowledge of so they were able to handle those situations." David had an opportunity to witness to a teenage girl who seemed to have a lot of Bible knowledge and had many questions about the Bible, but she did not pray to receive Christ. Please pray for this young lady that the seeds which are planted within her will bear fruit. While Marshal was witnessing to three young ladies, he realized pretty quick that two of the ladies were not very interested, but the third young lady paid close attention to him. Soon she began to weep and prayed to receive Christ. "It was amazing to see the Holy Spirit at work in the lives of the people with whom we witnessed," said Marshall. Pastor Eddy came across a fifty year old man and shared the gospel and the plan of salvation with the man. He was so excited and immediately prayed to receive Christ. He told Eddy he had been searching for God's Truth for many years. He had attended many different kinds of churches, but no one had ever shared the gospel with him.

Even their driver, a Zimbabwe Baptist pastor's son, got in on the action! M. found seven boys playing soccer with a tennis ball in the street. At first the boys were reluctant to listen to him - they wanted to play ball. Eventually they began to listen to him as he shared his own personal testimony. All seven of the boys prayed to receive Christ. (Pictured are David, M., the driver, and Jared)

At times they came across people who weren't sure if they were saved or not, but after sharing the steps for salvation a person might say, "Yes, I have done that." So the team was able to assure them of their salvation and pray for them to continue to grow in their relationship with God. Other Christians were facing difficult situations and the team was able to pray for them. Passing out lollipops is not your usual modus operandi for evangelism, but giving a lollipop to one little boy led to an invitation by his Grandmother to come for a visit in her home. When this orphaned boy got home to his sick Grandmother she asked him where he got the lollipop. He told her that some Americans had given it to him. She told him to go get those Americans and invite them to their house. When Marshall and his witnessing team arrived at the house they found a very sick old woman. They shared the gospel with her and wanted to pray for her, but she refused. She was wearing some traditional beads and told them she could not turn her back on her ancestors. That very night the Grandmother became so ill she was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital and a church member took the little boy into their home for the meantime. Pray that this Grandmother will not die in a lost condition. Pray that God will provide for the needs of the orphaned boy, especially if his Grandmother passes away soon. A total of 149 decisions for Christ were recorded during the week of the Simultaneous Revivals. One team member said the hardest thing about the experience was after someone prayed to receive Christ not being able to really spend time discipling them. The realizing that there was so much they needed to know. One boy in particular who had received Christ late in the afternoon as the team was about to head for their respective churches came running to them shouting, "Wait! I have some questions." Pray that there would be good follow-up from each church and discipleship as well for these new believers. Pastor Eddy wanted his team to also get some insight into rural Zimbabwe so on the last day they decided to take a drive about 15 miles outside of Bulawayo to see a more remote village."We passed by several huts until we decided to stop at one for no particular reason. We pulled up and the woman was digging a 10 foot deep toilet and was in her late 50’s early 60’s! She had 4 grandchildren with her there alone. She took us into her hut and we shared with her. It was a miracle because she spoke Shona in an Ndebele speaking area. M. and L., our translators, only spoke Shona! What a blessing from God. She accepted Christ and said that she had prayed for God to send her someone to tell her how to go to heaven because she didn’t know. She also said that she would sleep better from now on. The whole encounter was truly God-orchestrated."

Eddy and his volunteer team had such a great experience, they are already praying about coming a gain next year to do Simultaneous Revivals again in another city in Zimbabwe.

Dedication of Newly Completed Pastor's Home

Under a blazing African sun umbrellas shaded participants in the dedication of the newly built pastor’s home at Mkoba Baptist Church.

It has taken a number of years for the house to be completed. The people of the church have sacrificed and given little by little as they were able to buy building supplies and pay the local builder to complete it.

Taking part in the dedication were the Executive Director of the Baptist Convention of Zimbabwe, Missionary Gregg Fort, and the deacons of the church.

The women ululated as the ribbon was cut and the house unlocked.

After everyone walked through the house the women and youth gathered around the pastor’s wife (light brown suit at back left of picture) and danced and sang in celebration.

Pastor Jeffrey Ncube and his wife are pictured here outside their new home with one of their granddaughters.

Sanyati Baptist Hospital Staff Retreat

Creating Community was the theme of the first ever Sanyati Baptist Hospital Retreat. Skeptical yet excited, these early risers climbed on the bBig bus headed to a camp called “Lasting Impressions”. Singing and laughing made the long, bumpy trip pass, well, not quite so slowly. Finally reaching our destination, tucked away in the outskirts of Kadoma is the green, yet rocky, serene camp. The uniquely thatched A frames for sleeping, with a beautiful dining area and welcoming cups of tea and coffee, just increased the level of intrigue and excitement. Then everyone was told to head to the field and “play games”. Little did they know, there was a purpose behind everything they did.

Some lessons were taught with words but then each teaching was reinforced in an experiential way through group initiatives. (A VERY different form of learning for Zimbabweans). Blindfolds, hoola hoops, and silly handshakes started the teams’ training in problem solving, communication and trust building. LOTS of laughter and smiles filled the camp as the hospital employees began to learn about creating community in the work place and beyond. The training was sponsored by Winshape, an affiliation of Chick-fil-a, and led by Clarence Taylor (CT) owner of the Overland Park, Kansas restaurant. CT and his team shared the principals of a High Performance Team and working together to accomplish the best work possible.

The 2 ½ day retreat was highlighted with a most honest and challenging message on INTEGRITY by the pastor of the Kadoma Baptist Church. “The biggest crisis in Zimbabwe is a lack of integrity,” he boldly declared. The staff listened intently as he shared about the importance of character and doing the “right thing” even when no one else was. Then everything was pulled together as Dr. Mhinga (former doctor at Sanyati Baptist Hospital) reminded the staff how God’s hand has been on Sanyati from the beginning. He challenged the staff with the same threefold ministry of Christ; to teach, preach and heal, which has been the purpose of the hospital since its inception.

Nearly every staff member attended the retreat (100 in all), divided into two groups so as to keep the hospital running, and the only difficulty was getting them back on the bus to leave when it was over. Everyone returned with a renewed sense of purpose and community, making the work environment a much more pleasant place. One employee committed his life to Christ and several made verbal commitments of change and asked to be held accountable to characteristics of Integrity. We give God the glory!! Please continue to be in prayer as the staff faces so many daily challenges in this very limited resource setting. We pray that the things we have learned and received and heard and seen at the camp would be practiced out in our everyday lives (Eph. 4:9). Thanks to CT, Chick-fil-a and Winshape for sponsoring the Camp and making it all possible. Submitted by Angie Byler

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS COME TO SANYATI

Tennessee Volunteers were all over Sanyati in the month of May. We had a great month with lots of activity throughout the hospital and community. It started with a group of ten from Pleasant Heights Baptist Church, many back for the third time and a few newbies.

Serving in the Medical venue were a few doctors a nurse and a pharmacy tech.

Also on the team were some hearty young men (and Wilbur) worked deconstruction and ceiling installation in the maternity wing. The termite eaten bed dividers and rotting ceiling panels were swiftly removed by the boys in the maternity wing, while babies were being delivered and tended to on the other side of the hospital.

The nurses were coming daily to teachings provided by the volunteers and pharmacy was lent extra hands sorting the meds by others on the team. All this took place during the work day and the evenings were filled with playing in the yard with all the kids and singing and dancing with the ladies staying in the Matumbas.

Saturday was a special time of ministry for the women. Dr. Karen did a teaching on when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and how we needed to serve one another likewise. As an application of the Scripture, we girded ourselves with African wraps, called ‘Zambias’, and proceeded to wash the ladies feet, about 45 pairs in all. Then the young girls on the team painted the toenails of anyone who wanted it done.

The Matumba Ladies definitely felt pampered and loved on. Some were embarrassed at first, saying their feet were too dirty and ‘cracked’ but we encouraged them that it didn’t matter and in the end they all felt loved. This first team paved the way for the next Tennessee volunteer team which arrived a few days later and came from Central Baptist Church in Crossville TN. Again, this church was sending a team for the third year in a row; however everyone on the team was new to Sanyati. Five Youth and 3 adult leaders bounded off the transport van with smiles, energy and enthusiasm.

Fun and hard work characterized their team. Early the first morning (on a Saturday) they were busy beginning to paint the new ceiling boards the last team installed, and working on getting walls prepped to be painted.

It was easy to tell what their job was and what color the hospital walls were just by looking at the youth. Three full days plus, were spent painting the walls in the Maternity wing, and three days were spent going out to the local elementary and secondary schools and sharing songs and testimonies.

Every student spoke in assemblies, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and each team member had a chance to share at the morning hospital devotions. The team also did a wonderful job leading the Children’s Bible Club in my backyard, attracting over 100 kids, along with sharing songs and devotions with the Matumba Ladies also the other afternoons. A highlight of all the teams is getting to share a Traditional Meal with a family in their Village. The Host families cook up big pots of Sadza, greens and chicken for the teams and throw in a special treat of Mopani worms. Under star-filled skies we share traditions, songs, testimonies and prayers. Both teams enjoyed these evenings immensely and most volunteers even ate a Mopani worm. For our volunteers, these trips are an opportunity to serve an underserved people, share Christ’s love both in Word and in Deed, and get away from their own comfort zones filled with distractions and focus on the LORD and someone else. For us, the teams bring energy and encouragement, yes extra work, but it is an opportunity to work alongside fellow Americans serving the people of Sanyati. For the Nationals, it is nice to know that they are “not forgotten”, and having a hospital refurbished for them to continue to come and be treated at medically is a BLESSING beyond measure. The Zimbabweans continue to “HEAR” and “SEE” the Gospel as it is demonstrated to them in Word and Deed. Thank you to all the volunteers who have come and to the many preparing for their trip. submitted by Angie Byler

Seminary Renovations

Nick Moore, Tyler Moore, and George Fabish of Kentucky recently came to Zimbabwe. Nick is a Ph.D. student at Southern Seminary and a pastor. Representing World Hope Bible Institute, he taught intensive seminary courses to about 18 church leaders and pastors. They studied Missiology and Evangelism, Systematic Theology, and the Basics of Christian Discipleship. According to Nick, the participants had lively discussions and good fellowship during their time together. God is at work "renovating" the hearts and lives of the leaders in Zimbabwe.

While Nick was used by God to Renovate the hearts of the pastors and church leaders, Tyler and George did physical renovations in the Seminary Chapel. Tyler is a robotic and mechanical engineer and George is a contractor for Lowe’s.

They hung up new light fixtures and replaced broken glass.

They also wired a new electric panel, replaced some termite damaged beams and did some roof repair on the library. While at the Seminary, they enjoyed meeting new friends and hanging out with them. Their new friends helped out in various ways as well.

Tyler said, “Sometimes they had a hard time understanding our English accents. We also learned some new vocabulary. We learned that now means relatively soon, but now-now means right now.” Overall they felt it was a very successful week.

Sanyati Baptist Hosptial Makeover Update

The Sanyati Hospital Makeover continues to progress. We have been blessed by so many different groups that have come our way since the beginning of the year (2014) Many of the teams which have come to work on the hospital have also done other types of ministry as well. This group taught Bible Stories and did crafts with children.

The emphasis in the past few months has been to get the Maternity and OB Ward of the hospital up to a usable standard. This has been a major project that has included a number of aspects. The Maternity Ward was built by local builders about 16 years ago (according to a plaque on the wall). In its beginning it was a very up to date unit to bring a much needed service to the “Waiting Ladies” of the Sanyati area. Unfortunately, during the intervening years, time, a collapsing economy, and marauding termites have not been kind to the facility. The teams coming this year have been helping to completely refurbish the Pregnant ladies ward rooms, the OB area and the delivery area. This includes working on the plumbing, repairing and replacing ceilings that were devastated by termites, reworking lighting, replacing wooden partitions between stalls in the delivery area with Stainless Steel, and painting the entire wing. All of this work should be finished before the end of August. Two teams of note were at the hospital during June and July. The first team with a difference came from Baptist Bible Church. This is a completely local team from Harare. Their main movement on the Makeover was in the painting of the Delivery Area and in doing some ceiling repair. Along with their work on the Maternity area there was preaching at Sanyati Baptist Church and the University students taught Sunday School for the Secondary School Students. A second team that motivated a great movement forward was the team from Heritage Hills and Zion Baptist Churches in Conyers GA.

During their time, major work was carried out on the infrastructure of the ceilings, lighting rewiring, and then painting of the repaired ceilings.

Ministry was also done daily with chapel services, visiting of new mothers and babies, Bible Studies for women waiting to deliver, Sunday School teaching and preaching at a local church. In addition In Service Training to help the hospital nurses keep their continuing education up to date was provided, and instruction in the use of the Fetal Sonogram were given. All of this was done with noticeable quality and workmanship. When these two teams left, a great leap forward could be seen in the progress for this year.

Volunteers from Oklahoma help start new church.

In late June, a team from Bartlesville Southern Baptist Church came to Zimbabwe, led by Pastor Paul Rummage,

with the aim of planting a new church at Cheshumba, an area at the base of Mount Mberengwa, which is considered by the local people to be a sacred mountain. The team set up camp on the school grounds of Cheshumba Primary School.

A small team of local pastors had arrived the day before to prepare the way for us, so the first night there was a good turnout for a showing of a portion of the Jesus Film, along with a short evangelistic service.

The next morning, after braving a very cold night in their tents, the team divided into several groups and set out, along with local translators, to visit in homes in the area. The groups were able to share the Good News with many people, and took the opportunity to invite everyone they met to come to the school that night for services, and more of the Jesus Film. In the afternoon the team had the opportunity to visit at the school. They shared songs, a Bible story, and games with the children.

After sharing the story of the “Feeding of the Five Thousand”, one of the team members used balloon art to demonstrate the loaves and fishes. Each child received his or her own “fish” balloon. As the children left school that day, they made quite a colorful sight of hundreds of children heading for home, each wearing their “fish” balloon on their heads!

That evening an even bigger crowd came for the service and there were many who responded to the gospel message. On the second morning at Cheshumba, Carole, who is a kindergarten teacher in the states, was invited to share a special time with the Grade Zero students at the school (the Zimbabwe equivalent of kindergarten). More Bible stories and games, and more balloon art rounded out her visit. Meanwhile, the evangelistic teams went out again, to visit in more homes.

Pastor Paul relates this story about one of his team’s visits in the community: “We came upon a small beer and snacks store, where we found three men. We visited and shared with them. One man, whose name was Honest, seemed very interested. We asked him if he would want to trust Jesus for salvation at that moment. He said no, and mentioned he was trying very hard to improve his life. Concerned that he was thinking about a "works salvation", we explained the grace gift of God. He interrupted to explain that he could not trust Jesus today because he had done so the previous night at the Jesus film showing. However he admitted his struggle in ‘leaving the beer drinking behind’. We prayed with him for deliverance from the alcohol, and encouraged him in his new life in Christ. He was thrilled to know that a new church could help him grow in following Christ. Please pray for Honest.” The team continued all that week visiting in homes each day, and holding services at night. At the end of the week when the Bartlesville team left, the local pastors stayed behind and organized a discipleship class for everyone who had made commitments to follow Christ during the week. It was reported that a large number of people came. Then on Sunday morning, the first service of Cheshumba Baptist Church was held, and twenty-four people attended and signed the membership register! Praise God for this new church!

God is at work in this area of Southern Zimbabwe. Please continue to pray for these new churches, especially for Cheshumba Baptist Church, that God will raise up a lay leader for the church, and that they will continue to grow in their faith and walk with Christ.

Veterinary Team from Lake Charles, LA

The veterinary team from Trinity Baptist Church in Lake Charles, LA consisted of three people: Dr. Kyle Hebert, Mr. Rusty Sittig, and myself (Katherine Bonvillain). Dr. Kyle went ahead of our group a few days to buy cold vaccines for Lumpy Skin Disease, which we had been informed in advance was a big issue with herds in the community where we were working.

Treating animals in wooden shoots made of tree branches is hard. We all got banged up a little from the cattle and being pushed up against the wood.

There were days when the cows were pushing us around and dragging our mood down, but the people were a joy to see. They came and drove the cattle in and worked along side us. They came with hands ready to work and hearts ready to listen. Their respect for Dr. Kyle's position and help led to an eagerness and willingness to listen to the Gospel he shared. Over and over again we were astonished as they asked for us to talk to them, and then after we had, they would almost all raise their hands and ask to pray to receive Christ. Also, those that were already Christians would ask to pray with us in unison or for us, and watching those men get down on their knees and bow to pray was more beautiful than any view of Victoria Falls. During our 6 days of work we saw over 3,200 animals, predominately cattle, also sheep, goats, dogs, and donkeys. We spoke with hundreds of people, and around 300 prayed to recieve Christ. Serving in Zimbabwe has been an honor, a privilege, and a blessing.

One day Dr. Herbert heard about a man who had a sick cow who was about to slaughter it so he went to check on it. He was able to treat and save the cow. Then Dr. Herbert told the man, the reason I am here treating cows is so I can have a chance to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the owners of the cows. The man listened to Dr. Herbert’s testimony and prayed to receive Christ. The man was later chosen as the lay-leader for the new church formed in his area.

Katherine Bonvillain shown above with her father Robert Bonvillain who worked on the construction team in Zimbabwe.

U.S. Construction team helps at Baptist Seminary

A construction team from Trinity Baptist Church of Lake Charles, LA recently came to Zimbabwe to help with some repairs on the Baptist Seminary property.

After unloading their tools they did an assessment of the work needing to be done and compared that with the building supplies with which they had to work. This turned out to be a real challenge for the team. Almost daily they made trips into town (the seminary is about 15 miles outside of Gweru) to try to source basic building supplies. Often they could not find exactly what they were looking for, but they always managed to come up with a plan to accomplish their task!

Connor Fry is a university student and the newest member to join this volunteer construction team. The others have been on previous volunteer trips.

The team found working out of a trunk instead of a toolbox a bit interesting. It seemed easier to just dump it all out and dig through to find what one needed.

Earlier this year a storm took the roof off of one of the student housing duplexes and did damage to another seminary house roof. The first project was replacing and repairing these roofs. (Robert Bonvillian is seen here on the roof.)

Connor Fry and John Davis found that one of the houses required brick work before the roof could be completed.

Dr. Dick Landry (a doctor on the Trinity Team) and Gregg Fort went out to the seminary one day to check on the work. After the roofs were completed, the team moved over to spend their remaining time beginning on the needed repairs on the seminary chapel.

While Robert and Todd painted the chapel roof with vinyl paint to extend its life. Ron Ritter, John Davis, and Connor Fry stripped off the rotten underneath ceiling board on the front porch. Then they put on new ceiling boards.

And painted them.

All in all a job well done.