Back to School

 

Students in grade 7 as well as those in their fourth and sixth year of high school in Zimbabwe reported to school on Monday for the first time since March 27. However, not all teachers have reported back because the largest teachers union is demanding that salaries be increased to keep up with the 900% inflation that has occurred in Zimbabwe since March. You can read about the challenges facing Zimbabweans as their country tries to re-open after the extended COVID-19 lockdown here. 

The article mentions teachers who have been providing private lessons for their students out of their homes. LTLA also will help some primary and secondary school students in our care with these private lessons so that they can develop at their grade level and prepare for important exams. We ask you to pray specifically for LTLA Director Arthur Nhau's son, Donnell, as well as Godswill Banda, Ngoni Gotora and Tito Zuze who are in grade 7. They will be taking important exams in all their subjects that will determine the type of high school and subjects they will study going forward. These exams are very stressful in a normal year so you can imagine how stressful these exams will be this year when they have had very little instruction. 

 

Left to right: Donnell, Godswill, Ngoni, and Tito.

 

Universities and polytechnics will re-open their campuses in October. Polytechnics were able to complete their first term before the COVID-19 lockdown in late March, so they are planning to complete the remaining two terms for 2020 by the end of February 2021. LTLA is supporting three students at polytechnic institutions: Simba Mangore & Ruvimbo Makumbirofa at Harare Polytechnic as well as Richard Nguluve at Kwekwe Polytechnic. 

Universities have expected students to continue their learning remotely from home and are bringing them back to complete exams for the interrupted semester by the end of October. Lazarus Dumukwa & Vimbai Kandirigu, two LTLA supported students, are experiencing this at Midlands State University. After completing those semester exams, they will remain there until mid-December to begin the second semester of 2020. They will then return home for remote learning until mid-March at which time they will take final examinations back on campus. 

Two other LTLA supported students, Ngoni Gamunorwa & Natalie Nhau (Arthur's niece), were set to start their college career in August at local Chinhoyi University of Technology. They will receive orientation and lectures on campus from October 5-24, then engage in remote learning until they take exams back on campus, most likely after the Christmas break--a challenging way to begin your college education. 2020 is certainly teaching these students to be flexible, among other character qualities. Would you pray for Simba, Ruvimbo, Richard, Lazarus, Vimbai, Ngoni and Natalie as they persevere in preparing for how God is calling them to serve in this world? They have all been discipled in Christ through LTLA. Pray they would allow God to minister through them to their peers on campus. 

 

(L to R) Ngoni, Ruvimbo, Lazarus, Vimbai, Richard, Natalie & Simba.

 

 

Investing in the next generation of laborers for God's Kingdom, 

 

Mike Sulc 

Life to Life Africa 

 

 

"I am Willing to Wait"

"Anna is willing to wait 10 years until her youngest sister is finished with high school before she attends college." Ron Shimkus shared this in his July 2010 LTLA report. At that time Anna was 20 years old and had been the head of household for her three younger sisters since she was 17 years old, when her mother passed away. 

 

Anna & Prestege (back) Ruvimbo & Vimbai (front) in 2010 (from the Ron Shimkus newsletter).

 

It has been ten years and I am delighted to report that Anna just completed her first year of a two year diploma in Child Safeguarding, Protection and Care at Catholic University of Zimbabwe, which is near her home in Harare. It is an appropriate degree for someone who has a big heart for children and a lot of experience caring for them. While caring for her younger sisters, Anna worked in the LTLA Critical Care Center for preschool orphans and then launched the LTLA weekly Bible study for primary and secondary children out of her home. Since then she married Clarence Tungunu who is a Presbyterian pastor, and they have a three year old daughter, Iana. I am also happy to report that Anna is 4 months pregnant. She asks for prayers that her high blood pressure would not adversely affect her pregnancy. 

 

Anna, Iana & Clarence Tungunu at LTLA Community Center while attending Ottilia's wedding in March 2020.

 

Here is a report on Clarence & Anna's ministry efforts: 

 

 "We serve at the Lovemore House of Study (LHS) of the Presbyterian Church of Zimbabwe in the Cranborne section of the capital city, Harare. On 28 July, 2019, we launched a church plant at LHS. It is with great joy to report that the congregation continues to persevere in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown which has restricted our ability to gather for worship since March of this year. We are using WhatsApp and Facebook platforms to hold our services and are meeting in homes for smaller gatherings with those who are not able to participate in those online platforms. Pray for us as we meet the spiritual needs of those to whom we minister in these very restrictive and challenging days." 

 

Members of the Lovemore House of Study church plant.

 

"With Anna's heart to minister to children we launched an outreach to the children in our neighborhood who happen to be children of police officers and of soldiers as there is a Zimbabwe Republic Police camp as well as a Zimbabwe Army barracks nearby. We were conducting a weekly Bible study along with other fun activities for the children but like everything else those activities have been suspended during this pandemic. We eagerly desire to restart this outreach once we are given freedom by the government to do so." 

 

Anna with neighborhood children during one of their activities.

 

"In response to needs in our community during the pandemic we have undertaken two initiatives. We have identified a group of homeless people living by the Mukivisi River and have provided them with food as well as ministering to their spiritual needs. The other initiative is making facemasks because the goverment has declared that not wearing a mask in public is a crime. So we have been making reusable cloth facemasks and distributing them to our vulnerable community." 

 

LHS church plant members with the food supplies for the homeless.

LHS church plant members making facemasks.

 

 "Finally we are also utilizing our property at LHS to grow cabbages and tomatoes as a way to help fund our ministry efforts. We desire to add poultry production and be able to provide employment opportunities as well as commercial agricultural skills through a training program. Pray with us as we seek to establish this Vegetable & Poultry Farming Training Centre." 

 

Tomatoes growing at LHS.

Cabbages growing at LHS.

 

What a joy to share how God is working through Clarence and Anna, fruit of the LTLA ministry! 

Mike Sulc 

Life to Life Africa