Thursday (Nov. 6) – Arrival in South Africa

   We arrived in Amsterdam at 9:00 a.m. and departed again at 10:05.  The plane was already loading when we arrived, so we had to rush to the gate. The flight from Amsterdam to Johannesburg was 11 hours.  We received our luggage and cleared customs by 11:00. Rob Buchanan and Allan Fox, two of the South Africa preachers, were waiting for us in the terminal. Rob had made the five-hour journey from White River, where he preaches. He was driving his 7-passenger Indian-made vehicle (called a Mahindra) and pulling a trailer. He had removed the back seat, which will allow us to transfer even more food that what would only fit in the trailer.

We drove to Allan’s house to spend the night, arriving there just before midnight. We were able to get a quick shower and immediately go to bed.

Friday (Nov. 7) – Departure for Zimbabwe

   We had thunderstorms during the night. As I was awakened a couple of times by the thunder, I said a short prayer that Zimbabwe could receive some of this rain. Many areas have been without rain for 3-4 years. The brethren have not had good crops for years and the hunger continues.

   Sylvia prepared a nice breakfast for us before our departure for Zimbabwe. We drove a few hours and then stopped in the town of Louis Trichardt. We filled up the containers with diesel, bought groceries to take to the brethren in Zim, and then went to a fast-food restaurant for a late lunch. We called David & Joanne Beckley, an American couple living and teaching in South Africa, and invited them to join us at the restaurant. We ate sandwiches and enjoyed a good visit together. We left there at 5:45 and arrived at the border crossing at 7:10. One has to go through customs on the South Africa side, enter “no man’s land” and then go through customs on the Zimbabwe side. We encountered long lines and absolute chaos. Several of the officers tried to find things wrong with our papers, in hopes of getting a bribe to let us pass on. It was 8:45 before we completed things on the South Africa side and 11:30 before we finished on the Zimbabwe side. We had to pay for our Zimbabwe visa in South Africa rand. We then had to pay a carbon tax, a road access tax, and to buy what they call third-party insurance.

   Things were bad when I was in this country last year, but it has even gotten worse in the past year. In one supermarket, which has branches all over the country, they are selling goods only in Zimbabwe dollars.  More than half of the store is completely empty and closed off with strings of white plastic tape. The shelves contain a few light bulbs, cayenne pepper and a few raw vegetables that should have been thrown away a couple of weeks ago.  In another market, they have a few old magazines, condoms, and loose tea for sale. For Zimbabweans who have no access to foreign currency, this is the extent to what food is available to buy. The vast majority of citizens do not have foreign currency or if they do it is one single, previous note hidden away in a safe place and is not anywhere near enough to buy food. There is another supermarket in town that is selling goods in U.S. dollars, Botswana pula, and/or South Africa rand. They will not sell you the goods in Zim dollars. If you have these foreign notes, you can buy cooking oil, tea, coffee, salt, pasta, tinned goods, and a few toiletries.  Our brethren are suffering, not just because of the lack of food and the high prices, but because of other silly things the government has done. The Reserve Bank Governor has banned electronic transfers and limited cash withdrawals to 50,000 Zim dollars a day. The lines at the banks are usually requiring 2-4 hours of waiting. It can possibly take 8-10 days to withdraw enough money just to buy a loaf of bread. The inflation is now estimated to be at 231 million percent.  The prices change rapidly daily. In one week, the exchange of one U.S. dollar to the Zim dollar went from an exchange of 250,000 to 300,000 to 460,000 to 600,000 to 860,000 to 1,500,000. The brethren cannot afford to even buy a loaf of bread. Things are getting harder and harder for the brethren every week.

   We finally arrived in Bulawayo at 2:30 a.m. We went to the home of George & Jennie Edy, where we would stay for our days in Bulawayo. Jennie fixed us a nice salad. We then got a shower and finally got to bed at about 3:30. Rob took one bedroom, Stephen took another one, and I slept on an air mattress in the front entrance.

Saturday (Nov. 8) – Classes in Tsholotsho

   It rained all night in town, but we later learned that they got none of the rain in the villages. We got up at 6:30, had our breakfast, and were ready to start our day. The phone lines were not working (which is normal for Zimbabwe), so we drove to Mountbatten Brewer’s house. He had arranged a schedule for us in the village of Tsholotsho. In traveling to any location, whether in the city or going to the villages, one does not necessarily travel the shortest route; we try to take the route with the fewest potholes. Some of the holes are large enough to destroy the tires if you fall into one of them. One has to move back and forth on both sides of the street in order to avoid the largest of the holes. There is a new joke in Zimbabwe that says that if a man is driving straight going down the street, the policeman will stop him thinking he’s drunk.

   We bought some mealie meal (crushed corn) in the market and then stopped along the highway to buy some vegetables. Knowing the reports that some of the brethren have not had food for a long time, we wanted to share a meal with them. We had 92 assembled for our classes. Rob, Stephen and I all taught lessons. The interest was very good. We ended our classes at 2:00 and then ate lunch. We were then ready to head back into town. Dark clouds were gathering as we departed. The brethren were hoping for some of the rain.

   We got back to Brewer’s house at 5:15. His wife had a supper prepared for us. We enjoyed the meal and the visit. We then drove to George & Jennie’s and she had prepared a supper for us, too. We ate again, but not so much. We were all very tired, having had little sleep last night, so we went to bed at 9:00.

Sunday (Nov. 9) – Visiting with several churches

   Like the Israelites in the wilderness, who got God’s provision of manna while they slept, while we slept last night God provided the needed mealie meal for our brethren. Brewer received a phone call at 5:00 a.m. saying, “I have one ton of mealie meal. If you want to purchase it, you can have it.” We were made to rejoice at such good news. He came to the house early to give me the opportunity to photograph the first $2,000 worth of mealie meal the American brethren had helped buy for the needy saints. It is very sad to see the kind of hunger that exists in this country.

   We had our breakfast at 8:00. Jennie used the groceries we brought from South Africa and fixed us boiled eggs, cheese, cereal, toast & jam. George was like a little child, making strange sounds with each bite. He said, “This is a feast.” He enjoyed all of the food, eating some things he had not eaten for a few months.

   Stephen went with George and Jennie for Bible study and worship at the Hillside Church, where he would preach the sermon. Rob and I went to the Queen’s Park Church. Newman Gumpo taught a wonderful class on the qualifications of elders. I was asked to preach a sermon, so I gave a study of Ephesians. The sermon was translated into both Mshona and Ndbele. Rob and I later discussed how lovely the singing was. They ended their service and exited the building by singing, “Thank You, Lord.”

   Several of the families expressed their deep thanks for the boxes of food they are receiving from Christians in America. Many other families explained that they had not been added to any of the lists to receive food boxes. Food is difficult to get. Many shops are without food. Those shops that do have food are selling it in foreign currency, something nearly impossible for most of the Christians to get their hands on. I took their names and addresses and promised to pass these along to interested American families.

   Rob & I drove back to Jennie’s for lunch. We then drove out of town to the Kensington Church, where Newman preaches. We had 107 in attendance. Rob preached a sermon from Psalms One. We met from 2:00 to 4:00. After our worship, we once again worked on the list for those who were or were not receiving food parcels. I once again promised to try to help those who were not receiving any food to get their name on a list from the American Christians.

   We returned to the Hillside Church for 6:00 p.m. worship. I had asked the afternoon church to meet with us. I preached a lesson on “The Sermon on the Mount.” The government had turned off the electricity, so we used an oil lamp. The singing was beautiful, with the two congregations blending their voices together. One of the songs was in Ndebele, the native tongue of the brethren from the afternoon church.

   Jennie prepared a nice soup for our supper. We finally got to bed at 10:00 p.m.

Monday (Nov. 10) – Travels to Mutsari

   I woke up this morning at 4:00. The sky was a beautiful blue. There was no electricity in the city. The folks have become accustomed to this nuisance for the past two years; they never know when they will have water, electricity, internet, or phone service. Jennie used a gas grill to prepare hot tea for us. We ate breakfast and departed at 7:00.

   We stopped at Brewer’s house to leave him another $3,000. He has already made three trips to various villages. We have been so thrilled to be able to buy the mealie meal for the brethren who are in such need.

   We then drove to Professor’s house to fetch him, his wife and his son. We had to stop at the market in search of salt, tea, and sugar.  We had to go to four different stores in search of sugar, but were never able to find any. We finally went to the streets and bought the sugar at black market prices, about four times the price that it should have been.  Most of the stores are without many of the items the brethren need, such as cooking oil, milk, eggs, sugar, etc.

   We finally got out of town at 8:45 and reached the village at 11:30. The people had been called to town for election of their ward chairman. We went ahead and set up our tents for sleeping for the next two nights.

   We had an afternoon class with four of the men. We had lunch at 2:30 and then started more classes. The numbers continued to grow and grow. Rob, Stephen and I alternated in teaching the classes. There were lots of questions that continued into the darkness. We had 50 women and 46 men by the end of the sessions.

Tuesday (Nov. 11) – More village classes

   I got up at 4:30 and went for a walk up the mountain. I later walked past the kraal and saw some of the men plowing their fields. The dust was rolling behind the plow. This area is so dry and they are so in hopes of rains in order to plant their seed corn. I came back to the tents and had tea and bread with the brethren.

   All three of us taught classes again this morning. Once again, we had many, many questions being asked. Two ladies requested baptism. The nearest water was in the cattle watering trough. We had a problem with the village headman. He wanted a bribe for his permission to allow the baptism. Rob and I were not in favor of paying the bribe; we thought we could put them in the truck and take them to the river about 45 minutes away. Professor went ahead and promised the headman payment, so we went to the cattle trough for their baptism.

   As soon as Professor had finished the baptisms, a heavy rain started. The brethren were so excited. It gave them hopes of their corn germinating.

   We got back into town at 5:00. We stopped by Brewer’s house again to photo the latest two tons of mealie meal he had purchased. I gave him another $1000to try to buy more tomorrow. We got back to George & Jennie’s and got bedded down for the night.

Wednesday (Nov. 12) – Working with Newman at Dadata

   I was able to sleep until 6:00 this morning. We had fresh eggs for breakfast. We departed at 7:45 and drove to Newman Gumpo’s house. I was excited to see the first shipment of the seed corn that had arrived at his house. I can’t say enough to express my thanks for the work of Les Maydell, a preacher in South Africa, for working so hard with the United Nations to learn how to buy this seed. The brethren are continuing their prayers that there will be enough rain to cause the germination of the seed once they get it in the ground. Thanks to many American brethren, 17 tons of seed corn was purchased and distributed in four different areas.

   We stopped along the way to buy fresh vegetables for the brethren. I had previously given Newman money to buy as much mealie meal as he could.  We arrived at Dadata, 116 km southeast of Bulawayo, at 10:10. Bigboy Dube, a preacher in Gwanda, arrived with seven brethren from his area. Rob, Stephen and I all gave a lesson. Our attendance was 92. Once again, the singing was so beautiful in their native tongue.

   After class, we distributed bottles of Ibuprofen, multiple vitamins for the adults, chewable vitamins for the children, liquid vitamins for the infants, and about 25 tube of toothpaste. We departed the village at 2:10. A heavy rain started falling as we were leaving. The roads became slippery. Right in front of our eyes, the small river started flowing as we crossed several little bridges. It was an exciting thing to behold.

   When we got back into town, we went to an internet café but were unable to get online. We were told that the server had been down for two days. This is life in Zimbabwe!

   We attended Bible study with the Hillside Church. Once again, we had several of the brethren from the afternoon church to visit the classes.

Thursday (Nov. 13) – Drive to Victoria Falls

   We got up at 4:30 and finished packing the trailer for our departure. We had breakfast at 5:30 and left at 6:00. We drove 330 km and met Tenson Mangwinyana at Hwange. We drove another thirty minutes for Bible classes at Lukosi. We had 69 in attendance under a big tree.

   After classes, we drove on into Victoria Falls. We were scheduled to meet Peter Mudenda, but learned that his car had broken down somewhere on the highway. We went to the Sunshine Lodge and checked in. We had been quoted a price, but it had doubled by the time we arrived.

   We divided into two teams for the evening. Stephen went to the Mosi High Church with Tenson and taught a class there. Rob and I went with Peter at the Chamabondo Church. After classes, Tenson came to the lodge and wanted us to give him some lessons on preparing Power Point lessons. I was happy to get a shower and lay down on a bed. This was my first night of the trip to sleep on a bed, since I’ve slept on an air mattress in the tent and at George & Jennie’s house.

Friday (Nov. 14) – Travels to Zambia

   We got up at 6:00 and packed the trailer for the trip into Zambia. We had breakfast at the lodge and then drove to Peter Mudenda’s house. We got his uncle to travel with us across the border to buy the part needed to repair the clutch on Peter’s truck. He then crossed back into Zimbabwe and we proceeded to the village where we would have our classes. We first had to stop and buy mealie meal, veggies and bread.

   We were expecting the brethren to be waiting for us when we arrived, but arrived to an empty village. We learned that one of the Christians had died at midnight. The brethren were all with the family and preparing for the funeral. We were asked to join them at the home.

   When we arrived, all of the men were under one large tree. All of the women were under another tree near the house. The body had been placed in a small wooden casket. It was inside a mud hut. The wife, mother, and immediate family were all inside the hut. As we approached the area, we could hear the brethren singing hymns. They had been singing for two hours, waiting for our arrival.

   Once we were introduced to the family, the casket was then brought outside and opened for the viewing of the body. The mourning, crying and screaming are totally impossible to describe. Several of the ladies fainted when they viewed the corpse. Once everyone had passed the casket and viewed the body, the lid was then screwed down. Six men then lifted the casket and started a slow procession down a dusty path. The brethren all started singing hymns as we walked. It was a long walk, going up and down several hills. We finally went up a steep path, to the top of a large hill, where the grave had been dug. I had been asked to preach the funeral sermon. When I concluded, the family members were invited to speak. The casket was then lowered into the grave. From where I was standing, I tried to do a quick count of the crowd. I counted 268, but there were many others sitting on the ground that I could not see.  I’m sure there were well over 300 people present. The men took turns shoveling the dirt into the grave. Possibly as many as 30 men helped with this process. They viewed this as an honor to help fill the grave. The dirt was mounded up very high. Friends then placed branches and flowers on top of the mound. One of the man’s brothers then stepped forth, holding the tea pot, drinking cup and eating bowl. The then took an axe and chopped holes in all of them. These were then placed on top of the grave. The symbolism is to state that no one else will ever eat or drink from this brother’s utensils.

   We then started the slow procession back to the house. All of the brethren continued singing hymns during the walk back to the house. We soon said our good-byes and departed for the village where we would be holding our Bible classes. Our schedule was arranged by Chris Simulnda. He and his son-in-law, Efran Njovu, share in the preaching. Chris works as a school teacher. He gets a very small salary from the government, but they allow him to live in a small house, owned by the school. He will be retiring soon, so he will have to vacate the house.

   We were given our supper, set up our tents for sleeping, and then started our Bible classes. We had to use flash lights, since there was no other lighting.

Saturday (Nov. 15) – Classes in Zambia and returning to Zimbabwe

   I woke up at 5:30. Chris boiled some water for me to have a hot bath. After bathing, I went walking with Chris to see the church building where they worship. It is in need of a new thatch roof. He then took me to the area where he is building his new house. He has been cutting small trees for the walls and hauling dirt to make the floors. We came back to his house by the school and had breakfast. We then started another class. I did a survey of “Ecclesiastes” and tried to emphasis how to find real happiness.

   We left the village at 9:30. We gave a sister a ride into town. She needed to see a doctor at the hospital. We then went to an auto shop and bought two new tubes for Peter’s truck, plus some motor oil. We filled up the containers with diesel, in hopes that this would get us through the rest of the trip.

   Our next stop was the Super Spar, a giant grocery store. We were able to buy food for our lectures in Binga, more food for George & Jennie, and to buy another truck load of Mealie Meal for the brethren. We also bought 15 bottles of water. This was to be our supply for our days in Binga, five bottles for Rob, five for Stephen, and five for me.

  We got to the border at 1:00. It only took us about thirty minutes to get things completed on the Zambia side. We then got to the Zimbabwe side and ran into big problems. The government had changed their rules over night. We had to pay customs on the mealie meal. We then were told to go to the Agriculture Import office and pay a few there. Yesterday the cost was only 4,000 Zim dollars. Today it went up to 4,000,000. There were many Zim residents standing there with only one sack of mealie meal, but still had to pay the four million. If they didn’t have the money, which most of them didn’t, the government confiscated their sack of food. Several of the women were crying, stating that they had left their children at home, walked across the bridge to get to the store in Zambia, and were now trying to get back home to their children. Sadly, they crossed back across the bridge without food for their children.

   We then had another big problem with the insurance man. He said we hadn’t for the insurance for the trailer. He ordered the guard to not let us pass through. We argued with them for over an hour. We showed all of the paper work, showed our receipt for payment, and explained that we had been inspected by the police at about a dozen road blocks. It soon became evident to us that he was only holding out for a bribe. Rob and I refused to give him to his robbery and asked that a policeman be brought in. We made our arguments and explained that this man is not in uniform and does not have an I.D.  We were even more convinced that he was trying to rob us. The policeman eventually let us go through at about 3:30.

   We had wanted to be at Peter’s house at 2:00, when they started their men’s training class. We figured the class would be over, but we went ahead to his house and were able to be with the men for the last 10 or 15 minutes of their class.  The men meet every Saturday afternoon for developing class materials and sermons. They also discuss some more advanced subjects. Today they were studying whether or not a Christian should marry a non-Christian. The ladies meet at the same time in another location.

   We returned to the Sunshine Lodge in Victoria Falls, where we had slept before going into Zambia. We ate supper and had some time for studying before going to bed.

Sunday (Nov. 16) – Visits with different churches

   We got up at 6:00 and got our showers. We had breakfast at 7:00. Peter came for Stephen at 7:30. The Mosi Church (where Tenson preaches) and the Chamabondo Church (where Peter preaches) had decided to meet together for today’s service. Stephen agreed to teach the class and preach the sermon. Rob and I traveled together to Hwange to be with the Lukosi Church once again. Tenson works with these brethren from time to time and he arranged the schedule for today. He had already arrived by the time we got there. I was asked to preach the sermon and Rob then taught the class. We ended our service at 12:00.

   Rob and I waited beside the highway for Peter and Stephen. They were supposed to meet us at 12:00. They hadn’t shown up at 2:00, so we started driving back toward Vic Falls in search of them.  We met them on the road at 2:45. When we inquired as to whether they had car troubles, they said they had gone to a restaurant for lunch. We finally got everything organized and started the journey to Binga.

   We passed an area where people were in long lines to collect cooking oil and mealie meal. It was a charitable work from the U.S. government. The people seemed very appreciative of their gifts. I hope I don’t hear any of them bad-mouthing the U.S. while I’m here. These gifts should show them how kind the U.S. can be to folks around the world.

   We got to the lodge where we should stay at about 6:30. We were happy to receive the news that the truck load of seed corn had been delivered on Saturday. If the rain comes, the brethren can get their fields ready soon. We were given the keys to check into our cottages near the lake. Rob and I shared one cottage; Peter and Stephen shared another lodge. I had agreed to a price for the cottages, but we were told the price had doubled. This has become rather “normal” in Zimbabwe. We got a shower and were ready for bed. It was extremely hot tonight, so we appreciated the ceiling fan.

Monday (Nov. 17) – Classes in Binga

   We had breakfast at 6:30. We were served fried eggs, fried fish, beans, and toast. It certainly wasn’t a typical American breakfast, but we’re reminded that we’re not in America. We departed the lodge at 7:00. The lodge is 15 km from the main road and then it is another 7 km to the village where we’ll be having our classes.

   I was very impressed with the new chapel the men had built. It had a very high roof, covered with new thatch, and had several split trees for benches. They had also built a corral for the kitchen. Several men were working with large black kettles. I had previously sent money to Peter, so the brethren had bought a few goats and some crushed corn. We brought the rest of the food with us.

   The brethren wanted to sing a few songs and then get started with classes. We had three classes before our break for lunch. I had been given a bunch of blue plastic bowls from a medical clinic or hospital in Alabama. These were used by the doctors in surgery. They were thrown away after one use, so a good sister collected them for us to use in Zim. I distributed 390 of them, so I’m guessing our attendance in Binga was well over 400.

   We unloaded the mealie meal we had purchased in Zambia. We allocated so much per meal, agreeing on 40 kg for breakfast and then 50 kg for lunch and 50 kg for supper. We were also informed that a small cow was available for sale if we were interested. Stephen agreed to purchase the beast with money that had been donated by a Christian family in Alabama.

   We were able to see many signs of malnutrition. Several children had the big tummy, not caused from junk food, but from malnutrition. We distributed a case of vitamins, clothing, toys and medicines. The brethren were very appreciative.

   We had more classes in the afternoon and then broke for supper. I think our meal tonight was the worse mealie meal that I’ve ever eat. It tasted like it had charcoal in it. Today was an extremely hot day. All of us were weak and running short on water. We had no lights and could not get the generator to work, so the local men recommended that they teach the final session and let us go on back to the lodge for bed. When we got back to the lodge, we learned that the water pump was broken. Two young boys brought us buckets of water for our bath. It was a very hot night, so we really appreciated the bath.

Tuesday (Nov. 18) – More classes in Binga

   We woke up this morning to learn that in addition to there being no water, there is now no electricity. The boys brought more water buckets to fill the tub for our bath. Peter loaded the seed corn into the truck. Distribution was made to the brethren today. We had to emphasize that this was seed corn and not corn for eating. We feared that some of them would grind it for mealie meal. We emphasized that it was coated with fertilize and insecticides and could make them sick if they attempted to eat it.

   We had breakfast at 6:30. The little kitchen was out of eggs. We had fried fish, potatoes, toast, and a mango. We departed for the village at 7:00. The brethren had prepared porridge for their breakfast. Everyone was in a good mood and acted like they were thrilled to see us. We started our classes and used the same rotation we used yesterday: Rob, Stephen and then me. We took a break for lunch, having mealie meal and beef.  We then had another busy afternoon in classes.

   After the classes in the afternoon, we started our annual Bible quiz. The person with the correct answer received one of the things we had brought for distribution: toothpaste, books, candy, or toy. The brethren were a joy to watch in their excitement of winning one of these gifts.

   We ate supper and were ready to start the evening classes. It was already pitch black by this time. Once again, we planned on using the generator to power the computer and projector, but never could get it to start. All of us were disappointed. Since no one was able to see their Bibles, we simply used the time for singing and prayers. We then said our good-byes to everyone and went back to the lodge. We still didn’t have water or electricity at the lodge.

Wednesday (Nov. 19) – Driving back to Bulawayo

   We woke to no water and no electricity. When we got to the kitchen for breakfast, we were told there was no food, except for one fish each. We departed the lodge at 8:00 and got into Bulawayo shortly after noon. We drove to Jennie’s and she prepared lunch for us. We then needed to do some more shopping. The little church in Tampico, Mexico, had learned of the poverty in Zimbabwe.  They wanted to send relief to some of the brethren. I agreed to serve as their “delivery boy” and take their funds to buy some food for the afternoon church in Bulawayo. We were able to fill the trailer with mealie meal and take it to the evening Bible class. We were able to buy 50 bags of 10 kg each at the cost of $7 per bag, a total of $350.

   I was asked to teach the Bible class for the morning church and afternoon church combined for the class. I taught a lesson from the book of Ezekiel. We had no electricity in the building, so we used a kerosene lantern.  After class, we used a small flashlight and went to the trailer for the distribution of the mealie meal. Each family signed their name to show the receipt of the food. All of them expressed their deep appreciation.

Thursday (Nov. 20) – Classes in Gwanda and driving back to South Africa

   We had to get up at 5:00, in order to get the trailer packed and ready to leave at 6:00. We drove to Gwanda and met Bigboy Dube at 7:30. Then then drove to Sathina, about 80 kms to the south and east. We arrived there at 9:00.

   I have visited with these brethren on several occasions in the past, but it was noticeable to me that many of them are much thinner. They explained to me their difficulties in feeding their families. Rob, Stephen and I each delivered a Bible lesson. The brethren also wanted to sing many songs, which were so very lovely. We ate lunch with them and distributed about 30 bottles of Ibuprofen, many bottles of multiple vitamins, and numerous tubes of toothpaste. I gave each of the cooks a potholder, made by one of the Christians in Kentucky. They absolutely loved these gifts.

   Bigboy explained that there were many older women who had walked to the classes. He was concerned that they were too old and too weak to walk back home, but he didn’t have the money to buy gasoline for his old truck to transport him. I gave him the funds for the gasoline and everyone seemed so thrilled. We departed the village after lunch. We arrived at the Zimbabwe/South Africa border at 3:00. We finally finished customs and immigration on both sides at 5:15. We stopped along the way for a bite to eat and finally reached the Buchanan’s house at 10:30. Stephen hit the bed immediately; Rob, Cheryl and I stayed up to talk for a while. Their son, Graham, also stayed up, so we could catch up on all of his college work. He is studying computer programming. We finally turned in for bed after midnight.

Friday (Nov. 21) – Departing Africa

   We got up at 5:30 and loaded our belongings back into the Mahindra. We wanted to be at the bus terminal at 6:00, in hopes of getting a good seat in the front. Our bus left at 7:00 and we arrived at the Johannesburg Airport at noon. Our departure was not until very late, so Fred & Pearl Liggin came to the airport to fetch us. We went back to their house for the day and had a very delightful visit. Pearl and her maid, Martha, fixed us a nice lunch and then later fixed us a delicious dinner.

   We left the house at 8:15 to drive back to the airport. We got our luggage checked at 9:30 and then had to clear customs. Our departure was scheduled for 11:55, but we were late in leaving.

Saturday (Nov. 22) – Flight home

   Since we were late in leaving Johannesburg, we were a little late in arriving in Amsterdam.  We got in at about 10:15. The pilot had tried to make up for some of the delay, but we were 15 minutes late. Stephen and I were both scheduled for flights to Detroit, but with different departures.  If he had used my flight, there would not have been a connecting flight on into Birmingham at that time of the evening. He was to depart at 10:50 and I was to depart at 1:25. As soon as we landed, many of the people took off running to get to the gate for the early Detroit flight. Stephen was late in arriving at the gate, so they had already closed the gate. He had to get rescheduled and left out on a flight to Memphis and then into Detroit. I was able to et my 1:25 flight without any trouble. I got into Nashville at 8:15 p.m. Delores met me at the airport and we made the drive home.

   I arrived home very tired, but with the feeling that much good was accomplished on the trip. I want to thank all of those who provided donations for the food , vitamins and medicines for the brethren. I also want to thank all of those who said they prayed for us during this trip.