Life To Life Africa: "Life Changing"

March 30, 2018

Easter Greetings,

At this time, we reflect upon and worship our Lord for what He has done to reconcile, restore and renew us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The power of this Good News (Gospel) is transforming lives in Zimbabwe. In this update you will hear how two conferences have impacted lives of those involved with Life to Life Africa, both old and young. Below you will find photos from these conferences.

Foundations for Farming Conference

"Life changing." Those were the words used by the five LTLA team members to describe the Foundations for Farming conference they attended March 6-8. "I Was Hungry for Forgiveness," was the theme of the conference where attendees from around the world heard powerful messages and testimonies of the transformation that comes through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This transformation, a gift from God, comes as a result of repentance (acknowledgement of sin toward God & others) and forgiveness (by God and by us to others) which makes way for reconciliation for eternal peace. At the conference they learned the equation: repentance + forgiveness = reconciliation for enduring peace. They witnessed a white Zimbabwean farmer share his journey of forgiving the black Zimbabwean who took away his farm during the government-sanctioned land redistribution and teach him how to effectively farm the land. They heard from a Rwandan Tutsi who chose to forgive the Hutu man who slaughtered his family during the genocide in Rwanda. These two men attributed the ability to forgive in these circumstances to receiving God's forgiveness of their sin.

Experiencing God's redemption in our relationship with Him and one another greatly impacts the following problems in Zimbabwe: race and land. Regarding race, our perspective changes to recognize we are one human race made in the image of God. Prestege shared, "We should see God in each and every one of us, if we don't we are denying God as creator of all things." In relation to the land issue in Zimbabwe, she affirmed, "God is the owner of the land as stated in Psalm 24:1, 'The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it,' and we are only stewards of it. What has gone wrong in our country is the greed for ownership overpowering the need to steward well the land." At the conference the team was exposed to many different ways to steward well the land through sustainable farming practices such as the benefits of composting and vermiculture. Diana wrote, "We are grateful for the opportunity to have attended the conference where we worshiped the Lord as well as learned and shared with fellow believers from all over the world!"

LTLA Youth Gathering

This past Saturday in preparation for Easter, the LTLA team hosted a special gathering for the youth we minister to in Chinhoyi. Over 70 young people filled the Life Discipleship Center. They ranged from 6 - 24 years of age. They heard two messages related to the colored beads on a Gospel necklace we have distributed in the past. (Donna Clink of Ames made these necklaces for us to use in our ministry in Zimbabwe.) After each message they participated in breakout sessions to discuss the content of what was shared. Arthur Nhau, LTLA director in Chinhoyi, reported that many expressed a desire to grow in the nature and character of Christ.

Please join us in thanking the Lord for the impact of these conferences and do pray that the fruit of forgiveness through the Gospel of Jesus Christ will transform the lives of young and old in Chinhoyi. Christ died for our sin and has risen to give us life eternal!

Mike Sulc
Life to Life Africa

Photos from Foundations for Farming Conference

Bigger Chigwida, Prestege Kandirigu, Diana Nyamayaro, Faith Sixpence,
and Shelton Nhundu (taking the picture)
at the Foundations for Farming Conference, March 6-8.