Angus Buchan and Zimbabwe Trumpet Call

Angus Buchan was so amazing... I went to see him Saturday September 25. His heart of love was just so moving. He has not forgotten his first love!! Hearing him speak, I can't even describe in words his love. It goes SO deep. He loves just like Jesus does... He spoke about love from the book of Job. He talked about how when Job lost everything, that his 3 friends came and sat down with him. And they covered themselves in ashes and tore their clothes and they didn't speak a word to him for over 7 days. They just sat there with him, mourning with him... And they just loved him. Angus made such a beautiful correlation to Zimbabwe using this scripture.

One of the jokes here goes like this: What did we use for light before candles? The answer: Electricity. The fact is that Zimbabwe was once the bread basket of Africa. It even once fed the surrounding countries all around it.



Angus said that Zimbabwe needs love in the way that Job needed love from his friends. We don't have to come in and speak lots of words, we just need to sit on the ground and love people and share in their suffering with them. He said Zimbabwe needs love! He said that anywhere you go, people want you to identify with them. He said that Jesus can change this nation forever and that He will do it! He prophesied and said: The revival from Zim is going to spill out into all the surrounding areas including South Africa.

He spoke the next morning at a small Baptist church in town and somehow I was privy to know he was going to be there so I got to hear him again...



Sunday afternoon there was a prayer meeting called The Trumpet Call. I don't know how many people showed up but there were people from all different denominations gathering together all across Zimbabwe. There were several different prayer meeting locations including Israel. They had a call to repentance and everyone got on their knees before the Lord. It was a powerful event. You can read more about this organization at www.trumpetcallzimbabwe.org.



This year it is projected that the nation of Zimbabwe will be 1 million tons short of maize. In doing some research, it was determined that if every Christian in the nation would plant 25 meters x 25 meters of maize that there were be over a million tons in excess instead of a deficit.

The best time to plant seed is November 20 to 25.They said that if the maize actually gets planted at this time, it will be a prophetic sign of the coming revival. They stated that most maize does not get planted until the end of December which is already late into the season.

So, join with me in prayer and pray that the maize will be planted on time and that we would all take this charge seriously. It's time to plant some maize!

And then... at the end of all that, I still had to do my laundry! I spent the whole weekend at these prayer meetings following Angus all over the city... doesn't make for good management of time but it was worth it!



And for those of you who are wondering... YES, I do all my laundry by hand. I have discovered that I strongly dislike washing jeans by hand :)

25 Random Things

I wrote this 25 random things about myself in February 2009. I reread it just today.... it really made me laugh. I thought I would share ... maybe you will laugh too... If you know someone that needs a laugh, maybe they should read it too...

Maybe I'll write another one... hmmm....

1. In 2005 I moved from Connecticut to Minnesota, to South Dakota, to Montana, and settled in Iowa. (and yes that was all in one year).
2. In 2007 I moved from Iowa to Montana then back to Connecticut and then again back in Iowa (again... all in one year. )
3. I am really good at packing and driving really large trucks across the country.
4. The disclosure of this information is not an offer to help you move... lol
5. I am moving again.
6. This will be my fifth move within Iowa.
7. I have been called unstable by many people and have been told that I need to "settle down". Whatever...
8. I LOVE to travel. However, most people's view of travel doesn't include taking everything you own with you.
9. South Dakota has 3 bathroom's across the entire state... and should I mention... they're outhouses?!
10. I've seen 4 elk in Montana... hmmm, more than the number of bathroom's in South Dakota.
11. OK, So I didn't really see 4 elk in Montana, but I thought it was funny.
12. Speaking of Montana, my furthest travel was Switzerland.
13. I still have the toothpaste and toothbrush that they gave me on my flight to Switzerland.
14. Did I mention that was 10 years ago? But don't worry, I plan on replacing my toothbrush soon.
15. While I was in Switzerland, I became a professional hitchhiker.
16. I still haven't been able to convince anyone in the States, including my Mother and excluding Beth, that thats the best and cheapest way to travel.
17. I LOVE YOU MOMMY!
18. Sorry I never get your Christmas cards Gramma and Grampa and you now need to replace your address book because of me.
19. Did I mention that for 3 of my moves I took my sister Beth, her husband, and 3 kids with me? I just couldn't stop packing...
20. Please don't ask me to tell you the story about moving the piano. You wouldn't believe me anyway.
21. In my travels, I've discovered that I enjoy jumping things off cliffs, myself and cars included.
22. Yes, number 21 is actually true.
23. I've contemplated living out of my car, but I haven't been able to talk anyone into letting me... YET...
24. Maybe a motor home is a more suitable option for me.
25. For those of you that think I need therapy, you are dull, boring, and lack any sense of adventure.

Un-noticed signs?

I remember one of the first times I saw one of these signs. It spoke volumes to me. And then I started realizing that these little signs are everywhere... sometimes, several right in a row. They are all hung on trees just like this one.



I am usually in a car and not in a position to take pictures of these signs, but I was walking through town with a friend today and I had the time to take a few pictures. She said that most people don't even see the signs anymore. They don't even know they are there. Ya know how you can walk down the same street everyday and not know the name of the road? Or how when someone changes decorations, you know it's new, but you can't remember what used to be in that same spot?... She said it is the same thing with these signs... No one even sees them anymore.



I can't put myself in the shoes of a woman who feels she has no other choice.

I can't understand how a doctor who has given his life to save lives can kill the unborn and still have a conscience.

I can't understand the sacrifice of a child for the sake of one's convenience...

I can hear the screams of the blood of the innocent children crying from the ground when I am in intercession.

I can hear the sound of the Lord sobbing as we throw away our blessings.




Psalm 127:3 - Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him.

Lord, send me my reward... I will be their mother... Open our eyes to once again see these signs...

Mosquitoe Net

I was so tired the other night when I went to bed. It just so happened that that was the night that the mosquitoes decided to swarm my room. OK... You have got to be kidding me!!

So in reality there were probably only like 3 mosquitoes in my room but at the rate to which they swarmed my head, it felt like there were a hundred of them... Needless to say, I spent most of the night trying to figure out to keep these ugly little creatures from eating me alive. They were so loud. It sounded like one of those really ugly BIG horse flies. But as soon as I climbed out of my comfy, cozy, and nice and warm bed, I couldn't hear them at all. URGH! You would have laughed at me as I scoured the room, trying to be as quiet as I could so that I could hear them and kill them with a flip flop...

No success... Gotta love mosquitoe nets... guess what I was doing the next day? WOOHOO... good night sleep here I come!

This is me trying to make you think I know how to hang a mosquitoe net. It looks convincing... doesn't it?



In reality, I helped... a little... This is my boss here in Zim. Him and his wife have been amazing support to me while I am here. They are from the US as well... Iowa even!



Finished product... and a good night's sleep! YAY!

ICT Forum

This last week was adventurous... Our Appcore team was privileged to be a part of an ICT forum co-hosted by the Zimbabwean Ministry of ICT and the office of the Prime Minister. It was amazing how the Lord made a way for me to be involved with this conference!! Straight to the top of the mountain...



After the long week at the conference, I was looking forward to a restful weekend! I checked out a new church and it was awesome. I don't think it's the perfect fit for me so I am going to keep looking. So, if you can pray I find that special spot the Lord has for me, I would appreciate it!

The plug in my room hasn't been working and so I decided to fix it myself.



I used a screwdriver, a butter knife, a pair of tweezers, and a sharpie to fix it. The electric was pretty easy to figure out and YES I did turn the electricity off at the panel before I stuck the screwdriver in it...



And then I've been having some visitors...

This guy was about 4 1/2 inches long. I don't know what they feed their locusts here but they get SO big!



And these other dudes visit me regularly and I can't usually catch them because they are SO fast. You have to throw your shoe at it where you think he's gonna go. Otherwise you just leave a shoe mark on the wall... And I have pictures to prove the shoe marks! lol.... These spiders are called wall spiders or wallie's for short. I was hanging out with the gardener (Luke) tonight and I showed him another one even bigger than in this picture and he proceeded to kill it with his hand and then fed it to the ants. He said that it would be gone by the morning. I am thinking to myself - I want to kill these ants and you are feeding them! lol... different perspectives!



Did I mention that I HATE spiders!?

South African Potatoe Farmer ... : )

So, I was browsing through this South African Farm magazine a few weeks ago. It's very interesting to me to learn the culture and how the different nations interact with eachother, even though some are only as big as a state in the US.

As I was browsing, I can across a face I knew, Angus Buchan. I had watched the movie Faith Like Potatoes earlier this year, and I just loved the movie and I loved the documentary about the life of Angus. After I watched the movie, I checked out his ministry's website and I receive his monthly email updates. He penned an article for this magazine. I thought it was so cool to be here and see an actual article that he wrote. His life's work became reality as I read the article.



I was talking with some friends and they were telling me they were having this special farmer speaker coming to their church and they really wanted to go hear him... And they said to me - Have you ever seen the movie Faith Like Potatoes? I think it's that guy... And so, next weekend, Angus Buchan will be here in town at a local high school to preach. I look forward to hearing him speak in person!!!! thank you Jesus for connecting all the dots... This is gonna be SO cool!

Zimbabwe's Forgotten Children

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDezIzugLXU&feature=related

This series of videos just moved my heart...

I promised on my last blog to post this video if I could. As I got ready for bed last night, these people gathered by my house and I could hear them singing.

Power cuts

I know I'm behind on blogging... We have had serious power cuts this week and have been running a generator when we can so we can work during the day. I am getting used to living with candles and little water. Fortunately I have access to well water but I still can't get the water unless I have power. Many families have had no water at all for several days because they have municipal water. Please pray the power failures and water issues are resolved soon.

I know many of you are wanting a report from the outreaches from last weekend. I wasn't able to go due to some technicalities, but I am working out the small details with the staff of the church and we have a meeting set next week to get my credentials reviewed.

My heart goes out to women and especially children that are sold into sex trafficking. Exodus Cry, associated with IHOP in KC, is a ministry that deals specifically with this issue. I get their email updates and join in the live prayer stream when I can concerning this issue. Well, earlier this year, I saw that the Exodus Cry team was coming to Zimbabwe. I had emailed them asking for more info and who I could contact once I got here so I could get involved. Well, I never heard back from them and just prayed the Lord would open the door for me here.

This morning I met with the pastor of a ministry called the Voice of Peace. I went to see him because he was in need of a website. When he started talking, all of the pieces fell together and I discovered that his ministry was the one involved with Exodus Cry. They take care of 15 rescued children... I was SO thankful the Lord provided the contact person!!! Out of his ministry, there have been around 350 church plants, they feed 5000 to 6000 orphans a day, and they run 4 or 5 orphanages. I can't remember the exact numbers....

The pastor extended the opportunity to me to come see the orphanages and speak at his churches as often as I am available. He also asked if I could lead a bible study at one of the orphanages or do whatever I wanted, play games, pray with them... whatever I wanted to do. I am so looking forward to seeing the kids and getting to pray over them and speak the Word of the Lord to them.

As I sit here and write this (at almost midnight), I heard some people start singing outside. I didn't know where it was coming from and so I grabbed my little camera which can also take video. I recorded a short clip for you to listen but it says it will take an hour and a half to upload the 2 minute video. I think this is a religious group known as the Apostates. The wear all white to all of their meetings and you will see them lined up and down the roads everywhere on Sunday's. The believe in the bible, but they also worship the rocks and water... I don't know much about it yet, but some friends here say it is one of the largest religious groups in Africa.

I am going to bed now and if the video has uploaded by the morning, I will post for you to see. May the Lord continue to bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you. Thank you for sowing into me and Zimbabwe in prayer!