Wednesday, July 31, 2024
The delegation was to meet back at the Gweru church at 10:00 AM. Sarah McKenzie and I stayed at the same host home and were treated to a breakfast of tea, egg, bread, meat of some sort (maybe liver?), lettuce, tomatoes, and steamed veggies (from last night’s dinner). We felt so bad because we couldn’t have the lettuce and tomatoes as they had been grown and rinsed with local water!
Every meal we have had here has been prepared with so much love and pride. David and Lindy informed us that the food and water situation is so much better than the last time they were here in 2015.
📸 S. Westergren
We said goodbye to our new friends and left Masvingo around 11:00 AM stopping first at a grocery store to get water, snacks, pastries, etc. for the long ride to Gweru. We arrived in Gweru at approximately 4:00 PM and stopped to find bathrooms as we were not sure the church to which we were heading had bathrooms.
We finally arrived at Ivene UCCZ in Gweru around 4:45 PM. The building was just walls and a foundation when Lindy and David were last here in 2015 — David actually laid a brick during the building! We also learned that, for his 40th anniversary of ordination, David asked his guests to make a donation for a roof of the new Ivene Church — literally a “raising the roof” fundraiser! Because of this, the church is now complete and was dedicated on June 27, 2021.
Rue, of the Ivene Church, presented David and Lindy with a certificate token of appreciation for all they did to help the church.
📸 S. Westergren
Inside the bright and beautiful Ivene Church UCCZ.
📸 S. Westergren
We all enjoyed a lovely potluck dinner, prepared by the church Ruwadzana and members before heading to new host homes, at which we would stay for the next two nights.
Most meals are prepared outdoors when they are prepared for a large group.
📸 S. Westergren
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