FBC Murray, KY Construction Team at Sanyati

In a previous blog we shared some of the things the ministry team from FBC Murray were involved in. Now we want to share some of the work the makeover team was involved in at the hospital. Alan Haley, Danny Woods, Eddie Jones, David Lampkins, Steven Cobb, Bradley Cobb, Warren Edminster, and possibly others (forgive me if I left anyone out) participated in the work at the hospital. One group was assigned to paint walls.



Another group was given the assignment to divide a room in half by bricking it up.
One of the small rooms will be used to house the batteries for the new solar powered system that will be installed to help provide power when the electricity is off, which right now is most of the time!



The team had to mix their own cement.



They were joined by a man from Sanyati, Thomason Job who knew how to lay the bricks and was happy to help out. He told the team that Dr. Giles Fort, the missionary doctor who established Sanyati Baptist Hospital, was the doctor who delivered him into the world. He wanted to help fix up the hospital so it would continue to help many others in the years to come.



While some were laying bricks, others were knocking a hole in the wall to put a door to enable hallway access to the new room.



Even though they faced some interesting problems and challenges, the team managed to finish the brickwork and the door before their time was up! YEAH TEAM!

Sanyati Makeover and Ministry Team

While most folks in the U.S. are bundled up and enjoying family time over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, volunteers from FBC Murray, Kentucky came to Zimbabwe to spend their holidays working overtime at Sanyati along with 20 Baptist Zimbabwean college students who also came to work.



After a tour of the hospital, (Friday 30th Dec.), the team divided up. The construction workers got started on renovating the room where the batteries for the solar power system will go.

The ministry team headed to Arda, a very very small little town that is near Sanyati to do door to door visitation. They wanted to invite all the children to come to the Vacation Bible School they planned to start that afternoon. The visiting teams also led several people to LORD.



On New Year’s Eve the day began with a breakfast of bread, butternut squash and tomato relish along with hot sweet tea.



Pastor Willie Green was kind enough to show some of the construction workers how to be “cool” in Zimbabwe. We hope they don’t forget!



Then all of the Murray team along with the Zimbabwe college students participated in a joint Bible Study and prayer time before heading out to their respective ministries.
A large crowd of children came for VBS in afternoon and had a wonderful time playing games and learning about Jesus. Each child made a “wordless” and “pictureless” book with the different colours which represent the plan of salvation. The children were taught how to use the books to witness to others.



During a quiet moment Pastor Willie Green was able to show off his new “ride” to some of the college students. It definitely needs pimping – it doesn’t even have an engine!
(Just kidding – it’s only the shell of a vehicle that has been sitting there a very long time.)



That evening, the team members and university students participated in the New Year’s Eve Service At Sanyati Baptist Church. Just before midnight, Pastor Dhlula invited each person to write on a piece of paper the mistakes they made and regretted during 2011.
Then each person was given the opportunity to burn their mistakes in the fire and put them behind. Then the pastor prayed a blessing over each person as they began the New Year!

On Sunday (New Year’s Day) the team divided into five groups and went to five different Baptist Churches to minister in various ways.

Pray for the other Sanyati Makeover and Ministry teams that are schedule to come in 2012 that they will be as productive in the construction work and as effective in ministering to the spiritual needs of the Sanyati area as this team has been.

Ramona Beam visits Moyo Family at Shauro

Recently I had the privilege of visiting for a weekend in the home of an Ndebele pastor’s family in a village in the area around Mberengwa, Zimbabwe.



This was such a wonderful time of learning for me, of both language and culture of the Ndebele people. The purpose of my visit was “language immersion”, in other words, to be in a place where the Ndebele language is spoken, and to learn about the culture of the Ndebele. Living in town as I do where most people speak English, it is sometimes a bit of a challenge to find language helpers willing to help me with practising my language skills.

My arrival coincided with the arrival of a volunteer team from the US, who were providing seed maize for the church members. The rains would begin soon signaling the start of the planting season, so this gift was greatly anticipated and appreciated. All the members of Shauro Baptist Church came to greet us, with singing, rejoicing, and prayers of thanksgiving.



After everyone had spoken to express their thanks, and had received their seeds, we all loaded up in our vehicles to go to the home of the Moyo family, where I would spend the weekend. After formal greetings and welcome, the volunteers left to go to their place of ministry, while I remained behind with the Moyo family. Baba Moyo is the lay leader of Shauro Baptist Church, and an elder in the church. He and his wife have three children, Ayanda, who is the oldest son, Busane (second son), Ntokozo (daughter), and Nkosi Khona, the baby and youngest son.



I was immediately shown to the room I was to be given for the weekend. I was amazed and very humbled to realize that I was being given Baba and Mama Moyo’s very own room, and I was to have the only bed the family owns. The entire family would sleep on the floor so that I could have their bed! When Mama Moyo tentatively asked if I would be willing to let their daughter sleep with me, of course I could do nothing but agree.

Our first task was to go and fetch water from the village borehole (well). Carrying enough water for the family (plus me as their guest) was no small task. Ayanda loaded up their water barrels onto the wheelbarrow, and Mama Moyo and I each carried additional buckets. The walk to the borehole was about a kilometer. Not too bad going there with our empty buckets, but quite another story on the return trip, carrying the water. I made an amazing discovery, however. It really is much easier to carry a bucket of water on one’s head than it is to carry it down by your side. I also learned why most African women I have met have such good posture and stand and walk so regally. It’s because, when you have a 20kg (44 lb.) bucket of water on your head, you must stand and walk very straight or risk an unexpected shower right then and there! I actually made it back to the kraal (homestead) without spilling. That is amazing in itself!

The next task was cooking supper. Since the weather was very, very hot, we decided to use the outdoor kitchen to cook the meal of isitshwala (or sadza, a paste made from mealie meal, or corn meal, about the consistency of mashed potatos—a staple in the diet here), chicken, and a vegetable sauce or gravy. When I say the outdoor kitchen, I’m not talking about a gas grill…first we had to build the fire, then kill the chicken and pluck the feathers before we could start cooking!

By the time we finished preparations and ate our meal, people from the village had begun to gather at the Moyo’s home. Before long, it seems the entire village was there, talking, visiting, and laughing together. Then, the singing started. There were songs and dances performed by the youth, children, and some of the adults. Rarely have I had the opportunity to be a part of such joyful celebration. It lasted well into the night, but eventually folks started drifting away to their homes, and everyone settled down to rest.

Early the next morning (the sun is up by 5am here during the summer months), everyone was up and dressed, and the day started. Work must be done early in the day during these months, because in the middle of the day it is too hot to do much outside in the sun. Mama Moyo seemed tireless in her energy, making sure all the children were bathed and dressed, making everyone’s breakfast (when I asked to help, she just directed me to sit; I could help after morning tea), and washing up the dishes from the night before. During the day, a seemingly endless stream of visitors came, mostly ladies coming to greet the white visitor. Some even brought gifts, some eggs, a bit of sugar or tea, and one lady even presented me with a staw mat she had made. Everyone helped me with language, teaching me new words and phrases, and how to use them properly.



After a day of visiting with these precious ladies and helping with household chores, once again the village gathered for singing and celebration. I asked Mama Moyo if they do this all the time, to which she replied, “No, it is because you are here.” This night, I was so humbled when there was a “Thanksgiving Ceremony”, during which many of the villagers made speeches and offered prayers, thanking God for my coming. What an honor and a blessing!

All too soon, Sunday morning came, time for my departure. I will always cherish the friendships I made during this special weekend, and hope to return for many more visits.

However, the weekend was not over. From Shauro, I rejoined the volunteers and we went on to Nyezi, another nearby village area, for a baptism service held by a new church that has been started in that area. Thirty were baptized in the river that morning. What an amazing time!

Mahatshula Baptist Church

The weekend of November 26-27, 2011 was a very special time in the life of Mahatshula Baptist Church. The celebration began on Saturday, the 26th, with a baptism service during which five young people were baptized. The ages of the candidates ranged from 11 up to 24.
When I arrived at the church before the service, a makeshift baptismal pool had been set up beside the church shelter, consisting of a circle of chicken wire with a large tarpaulin draped over it. Church members were still carrying water to fill the pool, so there was a bit of a delay until they had enough water to immerse the candidates. Then, things moved very quickly, since a small hole was discovered in the tarp, and all the baptisms had to be done before the water leaked out.



One of those being baptized was the oldest daughter of the pastor of the church. At the age of almost 12 years, P. made the commitment to follow Christ in baptism after her confession of faith earlier this year. How wonderful for Pastor to be able to baptize his own daughter, and as well as his nephew during this service.



Another young man, T., (pictured above) was baptized at the age of 22. Even though he was born into a Christian family, he found it difficult to find Christ. Submitting to peer pressure, he occasionally drank, watched ungodly videos, and fell into other temptations that he knew were wrong. When he became a Christian four years ago he says his biggest challenges were, “growing in his relationship with God, changing his mindset, forgiving those who have wronged him, and letting go of some of the stuff he knows God wants him to get rid of.” Pray for T. and other Christian young adults in Zimbabwe as they seek to overcome peer pressure and grow daily in their walk with God.

One other young man, and a teenage girl rounded out the candidates for baptism that day. The Sunday morning service the next day was a time of thanksgiving and celebration for the entire church. We heard reports from the various ministries of the church, from the ladies’ Bible study group to the youth, worshiped with songs and prayers of thanksgiving, celebrating the Lord’s Supper, and hearing a message from the Word from a guest preacher.

After the service, the ladies of the church laid out a feast to end all feasts to bring to a climax our weekend of celebration. Wonderful food and fellowship was enjoyed by all. And oh, so much food! Out of their meager stores, these ladies went all out to share with the church the very best of what they had.

Please pray for Mahatshula Baptist Church as they reach out to the community around them. Pray especially for these new believers who were baptized during this weekend of thanksgiving and celebration. Pray that they will be a light shining in the darkness in their community, and that they will share boldly the Savior that they have accepted as Lord of their lives.

Chik-Fil-A Winshape Leadership Workshop

As the wind began to blow in the first of the clouds of this year’s rainy season across central Zimbabwe, the Holy Spirit also began to blow in a Spirit of renewal of hearts and vision among the leadership of the Baptist Convention of Zimbabwe.



The Chik-Fil-A Winshape Team made up of Jeff Rouse, Clarence Taylor, and Russ Sarratt shared the basic principles of leadership.



They used games and activities to help get their main points across.



At first some of the folks were a bit perplexed by the games, but it didn’t take them long to get tied up in knots and then work their way out of those knots using teamwork.



After each game, lively discussions were held and it was exciting to see the understanding of the convention leaders. It was also thrilling to hear them voice what they had learned and the things they want to apply as leaders in their personal lives, their local ministries, and in the Convention as a whole.



Dr. Stan May from Mid-America Seminary challenged the leaders to work on a new, more culturally appropriate, yet biblical model for doing the work of the Baptist Convention. He also challenged each pastor to work to mentor and develop leaders within their churches for future generations.

Pastor Bobby Welch, representing the SBC in the U.S. came to bring greetings and words of encouragement to the Zimbabwe Baptist Convention leaders. He challenged them to keep evangelism as the number one priority in each church and association. He said only then could evangelism truly be a Convention wide priority.

Please pray that the pastors will seek to develop other leaders within their churches.

Pray also that churches within associations will be willing to work together to reach the lost.

Pray that church members will be challenged to tithe, and that churches will better support financially the work of the Baptist Convention of Zimbabwe so that it may become self-sufficient, no longer depending on outside funds.

Dr. Stan May visits Zimbabwe

Recently Dr. Stan May from Mid-America Seminary came for a visit in Zimbabwe. We asked him to write a blog about his time here:

“What a joy to return to Zimbabwe! We had lived here from 1989-95 and worked among the AmaNdebele people. I was privileged to return several times, but I had not returned for several years. I came at the invitation of the IMB to consult with the Seminary as they seek to move forward to train pastors and church leaders. During my time I preached at the Seminary and presented them with a computer and some new commentaries for their library.



I also preached at the Theological College of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo and spent a day there renewing acquaintances.



Two highlights of my time were preaching with my friend and former student Mehluli Dube in Kwekwe (he started this church with 4 families 16 months ago and now has 22 families worshiping) and preaching to a church started by Gregg Fort among the AmaNdebele in Mberengwa.



It was a joy to preach again in iSiNdebele. We also gave out exercise books to the students after I had the honor of sharing my testimony in iSiNdebele to them.”



Of course it would not seem like a trip to Africa without spending some time in the bush and viewing an African sunset!



Submitted by Dr. Stan May

Grand Slam

For those who love baseball there is nothing more exciting than watching your favorite team hit a Grand Slam.
This July 31st until August 10th a Partnering Team from Conyers, Georgia came to Zimbabwe as part of the Great Sanyati Makeover Project. The equivalent of a grand slam was accomplished as they worked with IMB missionaries, local volunteers, and even the WMU from a nearby Baptist Church. The Great Sanyati Makeover Project seeks, over the next five years, to upgrade the hospital facilities that have not been maintained or replaced with newer equipment for more than 25 years. Partly as a result of the devastating financial crisis experienced in Zimbabwe for a number of years. In partnership with Baptist Global Response, The Baptist Convention of Zimbabwe and other Baptist entities, not only will the hospital facilities be upgraded, but local churches strengthened and encouraged.



The Partnering Team included Jan and Jeff Ross, Dennis McClendon, Ryan Sifford, Marilyn Perkins and Janice Fordham. They were joined by Barry and Marleen Robinson. Meeting the team in Sanyati, and having pre-planned the coming week’s hospital makeover schedule, was Don Smith. Waiting to work with us on the hospital were three or four local volunteers. Amai Dhliwayo , Amai Alice, and the hospital Chaplain were on board as ministry translators. Later in the week, the WMU ladies from Lozane Baptist Church came and joined us as we worked on the hospital.



The first hit, filling first base, was the Hospital Makeover renovation itself. Having been hammered by over 10 years of historic economic chaos, the facilities of the hospital are tattered and worn. The roof leaks and the termites have decimated the wood in the buildings, in some places all the way to the roof peaks. The first order of business is to replace the entire roof and begin the process of installing the new solar array that will give light to the hallways, delivery room, and surgery.
With a will to work, and the experience of construction and engineering under the belts of several of the team members, the old roof was torn away and termite devastated headers and rafters were replaced. With amazing speed and determined toil the new roofing sheets began to be hoisted into place.
By the end of the week the amount of roof replaced more than doubled what had already been done. The entire administrative building, pharmacy, two corridors and a breezeway were now dried in.



The second solid hit, advancing a man to second and keeping first base full, was the Medical portion of this team’s abilities. Some months ago a new sonogram machine had been donated to the hospital. Jan Ross, a sonographer from Conyers, used each day to do numerous sonograms on expectant ladies. In between she sharpened Dr. Mark Byler’s skills on that particular machine. It was a week of joy and as well sadness as the ladies saw even before giving birth, God’s wonders living inside them. Later in the week, one of the ladies who was very sick had a sonogram. At that time she had a living child. A few days later the child was stillborn. In the end she too died. Whether the news of the sonogram was joyful, or the ending saddening, each time was an opportunity to share how Christ could have meaning in their lives.



Filling the bases is the Ministry portion of the team’s time together. Each day was filled with numerous types of ministry. Every morning (except on the two holiday days) part of the team attended and brought devotions to the chapel. Daily they visited patients who had been admitted to the hospital to share words of encouragement and pray with them.
The hospital contains two villages called “Matumbas” (meaning “Shelters” and for these women it is like a “ home away from home”.) where expectant ladies wait for a month or two for their delivery. Four of the days the ladies of the team went to the Matumbas and storied several bible stories and used Creation to Christ to share the plan of salvation with them. On several days the ladies also moved from hut to hut sharing the message of Salvation using Creation to Christ. There were life changing decisions made during these times.
On Saturday, while part of the team continued work on the roof, the ladies and Barry went to Gambiza Baptist Church. Jan Ross led a session on biblical leadership, after which Barry and Marleen led a session on husband/wife relationships from Ephesians Chapter 5.
Sunday the entire group again attended Gambiza Church. Jeff Ross taught the adult Sunday School Class using the storying method. The story of the Prodigal Son was the story used. The ladies were asked to teach the children’s class. After Sunday School, Barry brought the morning message.
On Monday and Tuesday several of the men accompanied the ladies to minister to children. A Little Helpers (our equivalent of Mission Friends) Club had been arranged at a local church, and a similar ministry opportunity at the Community
Center.



Driving in the loaded bases resulting in the Grand Slam was the outcome of the week of ministry. Throughout the week numerous hospital patients were encouraged and had the love of Christ shared with them in word and deed. After the days in the Matumbas, and the Sunday Services there were 22 who had given their lives to Christ.
With the highly successful Makeover work, the positive medical and the life changing Ministry, the week was truly a Grand Slam!