12th-13th-14th July 2024
Not a cloud in the sky. It’s rare to see a perfectly clear sky in Brooklyn. And even if there are no clouds in the morning they usually slide into view later on. Friday was a day without clouds, a little cool in the morning, sunny and warm in the direct sunlight. It was a day for reflecting, for preparing sermons, for contacting brethren, and taking a walk. I really needed a walk. After breakfast Chisomo took Lena and me down the road through their family plot, to the very end of the neighborhood.
As I’ve probably mentioned before, Zimbabwe has a mixture of strong infrastructure and what appears to be undeveloped land. Some of the places that are undeveloped or underdeveloped might have had paved roads in the past but they are now places unreachable during the rainy season. One piece of Zim that reflects this instability is the history of the local currencies. At a certain point Zimbabwe’s economy began to plummet and the inflation was awful. I’ve heard stories of people bringing wheelbarrows of cash to grocery stores just to buy a loaf of bread. Since that time, to help combat this hyperinflation and to try to love away from using the USD and instead rely on their own currency, the Zim government has issued various local currencies. These have been different versions of the Zimbabwean Dollar for years now. This year, 2024, in another attempt to get out from underneath the use of the USD, Zim has issued a brand new currency backed by gold, other precious metals, and various other foreign currencies. The ZiG (Zimbabwe Gold) is officially in circulation and all the prices in markets and grocery stores are in ZiG, but the hard currency is rare since not many bills or coins have been produced yet. We were lucky enough to get ahold of a 5ZiG coin as change at a grocery store in Kadoma.
On Friday morning we woke up to no internet. We must have used up what was there. While Lena travels she still has to keep up with her usual work which requires an internet connection. It’s frustrating when you have to work but can’t. As the Sabbath approached Mabasa ran into town and resupplied the internet. Lena managed to get some work done and I managed to be able to communicate with a few folks back in NYC just to make sure things were settled there for the Sabbath. As I communicated and worked in writing a few more blogs, I was joined in the garden by Christal and Layla. They sang the national anthem and showed me the pledge. They helped me practice Italian (I’m trying to learn some basics before the Feast of Tabernacles), and sing hymns. We also practiced the 10 Commandments and the books of the Bible. Christal is beginning to ask more and more questions about why we do what we do as Christians. I’m sure they are already able to see the difference between their beliefs and those of their friends at school.
Again I forgot to take a picture of the cake we had for dessert. It was just as good as the night before but this time a bit more condensed like a fine brownie.
The next day, since Kadoma is relatively central to Bomba and Harare, we planned to see if we could meet with brethren from both areas for services rather than trying to just visit one congregation. Although only a few could make the trip, we had brethren from Bomba, Kwekwe, Harare, Kadoma, and Zvishavane. We had a pleasant service with a sermonette from deacon Paul Pombi on the help from Jesus Christ when we find trouble. I gave the sermon on prayer and the importance of communicating regularly with our Heavenly Father.
After services we enjoyed fellowship, lunch, Lena’s leftover cake, and even a special treat of Lena’s handmade sourdough bread with butter.
After everyone had gone and the sun had set, I finally decided it was a good idea to check in for our flights online. The only benefit to us of doing so was that we could choose our own seats. As I grabbed the stack of passports and got started inputting the first one, the power went out. No power means no wifi and since we haven’t been able to get cell signal in Zim we were again in the dark in more ways than one. While we waited and hoped for power, Lena grabbed a deck of cards and showed the girls how to play Go Fish and Seven Up Seven Down.
After a while I decided to join in on the games. I also decided that since dinner most be delayed or might not happen that we would need some snacks. It’s better to come over prepared than not be prepared at all. We usually travel with some extra snacks to share which comes in handy in such situations. After a little bit Chisomo joined in on the games. I mentioned that popcorn seems like the right sort of food for a game night. Chisomo agreed and quickly whipped up a huge bowl of buttered popcorn using the gas stove. We feasted on beef sticks, popcorn, dried strawberries and apricots, and roasted almonds. Mabasa came to join us and we played until bedtime.
Not 5 minutes before Lena and I were going to climb into bed, the power came back on. I quickly checked the 4 of us in online, chose our seats, set alarms for the early morning, and then tried to get some sleep.
Before morning came the power had gone again. Lena and I typically have all of our repacking done the height before a trip and then do our final packing in the morning. This time we did our packing on the dark just after 4am. We decided we should get to Harare around 7am which means we would have to say our goodbyes to the girls and leave Kadoma sometime near 5am. We managed to be on the road by 5:15.
The air was cold but for some reason I was plenty warm, especially with my hat back on my head. I had made Mabasa a cup of instant coffee and then packed my in my travel mug for the trip. Today felt especially early. Mabasa drove across the tarmac roads and I watched as Zimbabwe woke up and the sun began to rise.
We reached the Harare airport sometime just before 7:30am where we met Mike Nyamasoka who had kindly agreed to keep the pickup in Harare until Mabasa and Chisomo return on Thursday. The same tower was still there but the newly constructed parts of the airport were a sight to behold.
Once we were through dropping off our bags, having our travel documents check and rechecked and checked again, and through the final two security screenings, and having our passports stamped, we stepped into the main terminal. It was the same place as before, only this time all the new shops were filled, the newer cafes were serving food, and there was no access to the older shops. The little corner cafe where I usually stop and get the hottest cappuccino in the world was still operating in the same location and eve had a smaller shop on a different corner. We opted for a new cafe that might have a better breakfast selection.
The flat white I ordered from Café Nush did not disappoint. I drank mine without sugar because the espresso and the steamed milk had just the right amount of natural sweetness. Three of us ordered the full English breakfast. Thankfully the cafe offered the non-pork version with macon and beef sausage. Delightful. There were even the stereotypical baked beans in tomato sauce.
We are our breakfast, made a few last minutes calls and sent a few messages, found our gate, and then finally joined the already long queue. As I’m writing this, we are seated on the FlySafair flight to Johannesburg. I wasn’t able to finish writing by the time we boarded the plane, and I lost the WiFi signal very quickly. But once we land you all will be able to read this latest travel update. I’ll add a photo of the Malawi travelers if we do actually arrive at the same time. Everyone will arrive for the conference today and things will officially begin tomorrow morning.
– Lewis VanAusdle
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